For the first few weeks of Survivor: Micronesia, there was an obvious division between the Fans and Favorites.  Later, things started getting murky when members were switched and alliances stretched out.  This week, the two tribes finally merged and a whole new level of intensity entered the game.

With the competitors now fighting for individual immunity, this episode turned out to be quite an emotional roller coaster for those watching at home.  In Week 9, one of the funniest scenes in Survivor history was followed up by one of the most cringe-inducing moments ever.

The significance of surviving the recent trip to Tribal Council was not lost on Erik.  Although he was still clearly outmanned in the Malakal tribe, that was the first time the Favorites had opted to keep a Fan and vote out one of their own.  He believed that move set a precedent in the game.

Over at Airai, Eliza told Jason she was hoping Erik had been eliminated.  If Ami was still around, they could later work together on getting to the Final Three.  Eliza’s trust in Jason prompted the gymnastics instructor to feel comfortable revealing his secret: He was in possession of the hidden (fake) Immunity Idol.  Good news for both of them!

On Day 22, the tribes received tree mail alerting them a merge was about to happen.  They were instructed to gather up all of their possessions and head to a designated location.  Wanting to cement his status before the reunion, Erik assured Ozzy he had no intention of flipping his votes once he was back with the Fans.  He literally equated himself to a “monkey” and the photographer to a “zoo keeper”; the ice cream man felt he owed the photographer “his life.”  (A bit dramatic, don’t ya think?)  Meanwhile, Parvati regretted putting herself in a pickle.  Alexis and Natalie were going to expect her to keep her word.  They wanted to be aligned with her and Amanda after the merge.  If Parvati turned her back on them now, they could easily place a vote for her later.

When the two teams reached the neutral location, they found a feast – including cooked bats - waiting for them.  (James claimed they tasted like juicy rabbits.)  This was their brief moment to enjoy being together before they started stabbing each other in the back.  Later, the group chose a new name.  Believing Erik’s made-up story, they elected to call themselves ‘Dabu’.  (That supposedly meant ‘good’ in Micronesian.)

That night, Amanda was served a cold dose of reality.  Ozzy clearly wanted to win this game, and that meant he would flirt with anyone - including Alexis - to do so.  Apparently the two ‘bonded’ during their time alone on Exile Island and now they were picking up where they left off.  Although Amanda and Ozzy had been “doing this for 22 days now”, he was not ashamed to cuddle up with the motivational speaker in front of everyone.  He even went so far as to tell the Fan that she totally deserved to be there – and oh, that smelled good.  WTF?

The next day, the Dabu members traveled back to the Malakal camp.  (They were allowed to choose which former location they wanted to live at.)  That was when the official strategizing resumed:

• Eliza desperately tried convincing Parvati that she was loyal to her and the rest of the Favorites.  Unfortunately, Parvati wouldn’t assure the law school student that she was going to be taken under their wing.  “Things have changed and it’s a whole different game.”
• Jason became the latest member of the Ozzy fan club when he started kissing the leader’s ass.  Sadly, Ozzy figured the gymnastics coach had the fake idol and was really hoping the idiot would make an embarrassing mistake.
• Amanda told Cirie she didn’t trust Alexis and wanted to send her home next.  Although Cirie knew she was acting out of jealousy, she really didn’t care.  It wasn’t her name facing the chopping block.
• Parvati admitted to Amanda she used her name without her knowledge and now she may have created a mess for the both of them.  This information really irked Amanda because she didn’t want to be in an alliance with those two girls…especially since Alexis was a motivational speaker who had the potential to sway the jury.  Now, Amanda was rethinking her alliance with Parvati.
• Jason told Eliza that if he were to win the next Immunity Challenge, he would be willing to give his hidden idol to her.

For their next Immunity Challenge, the survivors were presented a test of endurance.  The competitors had to stand in the water under a steel grated barrier (it was not enclosed) and wait for the tide to come in.  The person who could keep their face above the water the longest would win the coveted immunity necklace.  After approximately 1 hour, only James, Ozzy and Jason remained.  (I’m not sure why the two Favorites felt they needed to try so hard.)  James later petered out leaving the two athletic men behind to duke it out.  Even though it looked like Ozzy would be willing to swallow a gallon of water just to win, he eventually conceded giving the Fan the first individual immunity of the season.

Back at camp, Parvati was very vocal about who she wanted to send home next.  Overhearing that she was up for elimination that night, Eliza quickly set out to find Jason.  He assured her she would be fine.  Once the hidden immunity idol was firmly in her hands, they could then set their sights on blindsiding Ozzy and his “cocky ass” at Tribal Council.

Unfortunately, Jason’s plan came with one major flaw.  That, of course, being he did not have the real idol.  This discovery led to one of the most hilarious confrontations I can recall in quite some time.  The minute Eliza glanced at the hand-carved stick, she knew it was too cheap to be authentic.  The sad thing was that Jason acknowledged it was just a stick, but he truly believed it had to be the real deal…because it had a face carved into it!!!  Despite her better judgment, she asked if she should try and play it anyway to which the dope replied, “Of course!”

At Tribal Council, it was (accidentally) made quite clear to Eliza that her fellow tribe members were gunning to get rid of her.  When asked about Eliza’s game playing, Alexis stupidly kept referring to her in the past tense.  When Jeff Probst pointed that out, the motivational speaker had a hard time correcting her mistake.  The law school student’s destiny was later sealed when she and Parvati got into an argument.

After the votes were cast, I prayed what I knew would happen wouldn’t happen. OMIGAWD…IS ELIZA REALLY GOING TO PULL THAT THING OUT? OH, I FEEL SO SICK.  She did.

When Jeff Probst revealed what Eliza already knew – that the stick was really just a stick – she pulled off a surprisingly smart move.  She quickly pointed out to everyone that Ozzy had to be in the possession of the real idol.  (It turns out she knew was she doing all along.)  Realizing he couldn’t lie any longer, Ozzy laughed and said it took him several hours to make that thing.

I must say – even though I always had a problem with her freaky eyebrows, that gal earned a few points in my book on her way out.  LOSER: Eliza.

(You can review last week’s episode here.)
(You can read next week’s episode here.)