Episode 11- "Come Over To the Dark Side"

Most of the tribe worries about this sudden power shift after Phillip is voted out. Brenda actually comes to tears over the stress of a lack of food and lack of power.

Cochran finds nine envelopes containing five hundred bucks apiece in the tree mail which can only mean one thing. The Survivor Auction is upon the tribe. Malcolm wasted no time spending $20 on beer, peanuts, and pretzels. The next item was hidden, but Reynold was willing to pay $180 for it. When he goes to get it, he is offered the chance to trade it for one of two other mystery items. He elects to keep what turns out to be a slice of pizza, giving up a rotten coconut, and the rest of the pizza. Sherri immediately pipes up and offers her $500 for the rest of the pizza, which Jeff accepts.The next item is a roasted chicken that Dawn wastes no time paying $500 for. Malcolm then puts up his remaining $480 to buy information about the game. The information is exact directions to the newly re-hidden immunity idol. Andrea then spends $280 on a mystery item, which is unveiled as spaghetti, garlic bread, and wine. She chooses to trade it for two large bags containing rice and beans for the tribe. The next item is an advantage in the next immunity challenge. Cochran happily pays $340 for it. Brenda pays $300 for a mystery item. Unfortunately it's a pig brain. She still accepts it after asking Jeff if it was healthy, to which he replied, "I have no idea." Several of the castaways then paid for letters from home, which further depressed Dawn, Sherri, and Malcolm because they had no money left to buy theirs. Eddie spends $200 on the final mystery item of the auction, which was a large bowl of peanut butter for the tribe to share for 60 seconds.

After the auction, Dawn confesses that she thinks that the three amigos are way too arrogant. Meanwhile, Reynold and Malcolm think that the key to building more power is to sway Sherri and Erik. Malcolm also goes out very early the next morning to try and dig up the hidden idol as extra insurance. This plan doesn't work out however, since Andrea catches him in the act, causing a stand-off between the two.

At the immunity challenge, each castaway had to hold on to a rope tied to the far end of a set of posts that weighed 1/3 of their original body weight. every five minutes, they would move their hand down the rope another knot, until their hand was at the very end of the rope. Cochran's advantage was being able to move his hand up two knots at any point in the challenge. Cochran wasted no time moving his hand up the rope, doing it as soon as he had two knots to move upward. This allowed him to hold on strong until he won his second immunity challenge.

Cochran wasted no time in swelling his ego, claiming he is the biggest threat in challenges, now that he's won half of the individual immunities. Malcolm decides his best option is to convince people that he found the idol. He also spends more time trying to flip Sherri to his side, while Reynold works on Erik. Andrea and Cochran spend a little time debating whether to split the vote, or whether to vote someone off outright. Sherri knows that all the power is currently in her corner, and she doesn't think anyone else realizes it.

At tribal council, the big question is immediately raised. Is there still a clear six to three split in the tribe? It's more in jeopardy when Sherri feels like she's at the bottom of the totem pole, and wonders if she has a better chance by changing sides. When the vote plays out, it's a three way tie between Reynold, Malcolm and Andrea. In the re-vote, however, it's a very clear vote to eliminate Malcolm.

I had no clue how this episode was going to go. By the end of it, I think that Cochran, Dawn, and Andrea are sitting perfectly to go to the final three together. They have Brenda and Sherri wrapped around their little fingers. Reynold and Eddie are pretty much out of it, unless they make some shockingly huge move. And Erik is just kind of there, like he has been the whole game. I don't foresee the idol coming back into play anytime soon. I don't think Andrea will think to go looking around where Malcolm was. She may just assume that Malcolm took it with him.

What do you think? Do you agree or disagree with my opinions? Please leave a comment below with your thoughts. Also, don't forget to vote in the weekly poll in the column to the right. Until next week, the tribe has outspoken!