Cambodia Episode 7: Thirteen's A Crowd

Savage is grovelling to his tribe and promising to never vote for Spencer again, but behind their backs he's calling them "pieces of shit". Finally, he drops the nice guy facade. Spencer and Kass have come together like Rocky and Apollo Creed, and it's a truly beautiful thing to behold.

Spencer and the girls pledge to find the crack

Kimmi reads tree mail in the style of an old town crier. A lot of the tribe are shocked that a merge is this early and some don't even quite believe it. Tasha is cautiously intrigued at the prospect of being reunited with her Cagayan peeps, however. The other tribe react much the same, except Ciera is worried about Savage, given that she just blindsided him. But Kass is willing to rally the troops to take him down. Aww shit, this is war!

Bayon and Ta Keo meet at the picnic basket and get their new orange buffs. 13 people is a lot, as Joe makes note of, and the scrambling starts as soon as they disperse from the feast. Savage and Jeremy count numbers: they think they can get Stephen, Kimmi and Wiglesworth. Kass and Kelley think they have Spencer locked in, and are trying to rekindle their Ta Keo connection with Joe. Savage also sees Joe as a key vote, and tries to pledge his loyalty to him. As the kingmakers of the new tribe, Spencer and Joe run numbers on the sand...as there's people they trust in both groups.

The Cambodians get cabin fever

Everyone is huddled under the shelter, due to the rain. Stephen recites a poem. Kass tries to see where Tasha's head is at, but since Tasha still doesn't trust Kass, she just feeds her B.S. about being done with Bayon. Kass doesn't take kindly to that and tries to use this to blow up Tasha's game. Ciera even gets into it as well, accusing Savage of turning on Jeremy and Joe.

Oh, balls!

The first individual immunity challenge is to keep a ball balanced on a platform, which Tasha won the last time it was played. Stephen is the first out, with Keith, Ciera and Kimmi not lasting much longer. Abi is out as soon as the 2nd round starts, which also claims Kass and Kelley. We're down to Savage, Jeremy, Spencer, Joe and Tasha as the last five left. Tasha drops, which gets a smirk from Kass. We end with a Joe and Spencer showdown. Spencer shows some crazy moves to try and save it, but Joe is the one who wins immunity. You were already safe, dude - why did you not throw this??

Savage still not getting his way

Savage wants Ciera out as he is still bitter at being bested by her, and gets frustrated his allies would rather go for the unreliable Kass. Spencer senses the shift in power (even Keith has come over now) and thinks he can't do anything except go with it. But with Jeremy proposing a split vote between Kass and Ciera, the others now have the opportunity to just grab one more and get Tasha out. Kass makes the case to Spencer for why he should flip. Will he come through for Kass, the way she came through for him last week?

Orkun sit down for their first tribal council, and Jeff Probst wants to talk about the chaos that's been going on. Kass says she hasn't been involved, and throws it back at Tasha, an accusation she adamantly denies. Ciera is worried about guilt by association, but tries to make a case to Spencer that it's better to take a risk and be with a smaller group that's tight, than to follow the herd and just get picked off helplessly. It's a passionate plea, but Spencer reminds us that there's many more chances for big moves later on.

A name she should've written down a long time ago

Everyone casts their votes and it seems a lot of people either can't spell Kass or are deliberately being petty. Kass, Ciera and Tasha all await the results to see who it's gonna be, and even Savage sees his name written down. The majority goes to Kass though, and she becomes the first member of this oversized jury. Spencer chickened out, I guess. No surprise there!

I thought Kass did great to last this long considering the size of the target on her back. This season has just lost a major shit-stirrer, but if the tribe swaps have done their job, this giant merge will be full of twists, turns...and yes, chaos.

STAR OF THE WEEK: CIERA EASTIN

I'm really loving the way Ciera plays the game. This tiny little woman has more backbone than anyone out there, and would rather go down swinging than be a sheep. I am praying as hard as I can that her alliance can find a way to overthrow smug Savage.

Cambodia Episode 6: Keep Your Enemies Closer

What kind of nightmare is this?

We begin our episode at night...but rather curiously, at Ta Keo, not Bayon. A boat is seen pulling up and Probst gets out. What could this mean? He wakes up Terry, pulls him aside, and tells him that his wife has been in touch to say his son is in the hospital and that he needs to go home. Terry complies instantly, and goes to tell the tribe what's happened. As Kass says, this is probably the toughest way you could ever leave the game.

Seeing Terry gone at the next challenge gets an emotional reaction from parents Savage, Kelly and Ciera. Probst then tells the tribes to drop their buffs and Savage is ecstatic to be leaving Angkor (even though he just tried to pretend he loved them). Ta Keo 3.0 ends up with Kass, Ciera, Savage, Abi, Woo, Kelly and Spencer. Jeremy, Kimmi and Stephen stay on Bayon, Tasha and Keith flip back over, and Kelley moves over as well. The Kass/Spencer reunion that everyone has been longing for is the hot topic, with both of them immediately wary. Kelley is worried she's in trouble too, but Stephen might be looking elsewhere.

Abi shows off her assets

Anyway, we have a reward challenge to get into first, which is sliding down a greasy runway, grabbing a ring and tossing it onto a post. Jeremy battles Savage for the first point and wins by half a second. We get a less impressive battle between Kass and Stephen next, where Stephen flops pretty hard. Kass wins, and Jeremy yells at Stephen to have more confidence. Abi then beats Kimmi despite initially giving up after she thought Kimmi got it. Joe then oils up (hey ladies!) to beat Woo to tie it up. The deciding matchup is Wiglesworth vs Wentworth...and the original Kelly wins!

Ta Keo go back to camp with their picnic, and Spencer awkwardly tries to make conversation with Kass. Savage has noted the animosity and is hoping to use it to set up an easy next boot. Pulling together his old allies Kass and Ciera with his new allies Abi and Woo, Savage's plan is to blindside Spencer next whilst telling him they're targeting Ciera. Ciera however is not really comfortable with being the decoy boot - why her and not Woo?

Kimmi and Keith bicker as Kimmi drops a fish into the fire. Elsewhere, Joe is thinking up ways for Kelley to stay, since he does feel some loyalty to her. Her only argument is that she brings more to the table in challenges than Kimmi or Stephen. Joe tells Tasha and Stephen he would rather Kimmi go, and that doesn't sit well with Stephen. In fact, Stephen now wants to vote out Joe, but can't get Jeremy to agree as he still needs a shield. Stephen even starts to get emotional, because he's having Tocantins flashbacks of not being able to get out the golden boy.

Who'd have thought Stephen would be such a trainwreck?

The tribes join Jeff in the jungle for a Survivor classic...the gross food challenge! The players compete in pairs at first, with Kimmi and Tasha taking on Woo and Spencer at eating tarantulas. Spencer and Woo both finish them off before the girls to give Ta Keo the point. Savage and Ciera then face Jeremy and Keith at eating water beatles. Savage and Jeremy get them down first, but Keith beats Ciera to tie it up. Now it's Stephen and Kelley vs Kass and Abi. Stephen gets some redemption by finishing first, then it's Abi, then Kelley.

Never bring a vegetarian to an eating contest

The first single round is Joe vs Kelly, with fried frog on the table. Kelly wins the challenge, giving Joe a rare defeat. Kimmi then doesn't even participate against Woo, leaving him to eat a pig brain. Ciera has a chance to win it by eating a scorpion, but Kelley beats her. At least she gave it a go, though. The worst is saved for last as Kass and Tasha have to eat balut...it makes Kass throw up, and gives Ta Keo the win. Kass is crying, half from the horribleness and half from letting her team down. But in confessional we see her happy, because she gets to crush Spencer's dream again.

You must be truly desperate to come to me for help

The plan is locked to get Spencer out, and Savage is already lying to him. But Ciera, Kass and Abi discuss an alternate plan of booting Woo instead, which Kass isn't sure about. Kass takes Spencer for a walk and he seems surprised when he hears Savage wants him out. So now he is forced to turn to his archenemy, who is not sure if she wants to play as Chaos Kass or Calm Kass.

At tribal council, several of the contestants talk about their second chance (we're still doing this?) with Woo saying he's being more cut-throat now. Kass is trying to make sense of the messy web of relationships on the tribe. Ciera talks about how Woo and Savage are tight now, but when Savage is asked if that worries him, he claims he still has confidence in his plan. Time to see if it's unfounded or not.

Spencer votes for Woo, knowing Kass of all people is determining his fate, and even adds a "God help me". Woo is pretty blindsided to see his name, and even more blindsided when he ends up voted out. Woo smiles, as Savage can only shrug. I knew it was too early for the weird Spencer/Kass relationship to end.

And to cap the episode off, we get a touching "very special episode"-esque scene at the Deitz household, talking about how Danny is the real survivor. The show must go on however, and with the season hitting high gear again, I'm very excited for next week.

STAR OF THE WEEK: CIERA EASTIN

THIS is the Ciera we wanted to see from the start! She took back the power from Savage by cutting off one of his loyal soldiers. That'll teach him to take her for granted.

Cambodia Episode 5: Clam Up

Woo is psyched to have survived, as Andrew talks about how Varner is "in a better place" now. He didn't die, Savage! Tasha and Savage talk about how they can't believe they pulled this off. They arrived at this beach with a 4-2 deficit, and now it's at least 2-2.

These women sure talk about their clams a lot, huh?

The Bayon girls are going fishing, as Monica and Kimmi disagree about how many clams to catch. Monica thinks conservation is important, but Kimmi doesn't think the ocean is gonna run out anytime soon. It's really trying Kimmi's patience, but to her credit, she's keeping most of the smack talk to the cameras.

Woo on a roll

The first challenge of the episode is to roll someone in a barrel and have them untie bags. The bags are full of balls that will the be rolled up a ramp into holes. Monica, Kelley and Woo all take the barrel fodder job as the smaller members, but Monica proves pretty bad at the untying, whilst Kelley whizzes through it. Bayon's rolling isn't great either, and they end up at the ball section last. It's Woo, Jeremy and Keith throwing the balls, but Spencer subs in and stages a comeback. Keith gives Ta Keo first place, but Angkor take second and win a valuable tarp.

Terry's positivity continues as he comes back from the victory. But as he relaxes in the water, the other five are deciding to team up and make their alliance official. Joe knows what a big threat he is, so is glad to be working the numbers. Keith also is happy to have his first ever group alliance. Spencer goes fishing with Jeremy on Bayon in an attempt to build a bond of his own...and he successfully catches a fish for the first time.

The in-crowd: Ta Keo ramp up the gameplay

Woo tells his tribe the story of how his mom needed a heart transplant, and that her second chance at life is the inspiration for his second chance. Abi isn't thrilled with it though as she thinks he's milking it for sympathy, so starts telling her own sob stories. Tasha has noticed how much harder working with Abi is than Woo, and is considering ditching the woman who saved her ass.

Stephen with the self-inflicted wound

Immunity challenge time, and it's the one from last season where you fire sandbags from the top of a tower. Spencer, Joe and Savage kick us off and each get the first target for their team. Stephen accidentally helps Angkor by hitting one of their targets. D'oh! Tasha scores on her first try and now Woo can win it. Angkor pull it off and manage to stay out of tribal...holy crap! Guess they made the right move, then. It's a Keith and Spencer showdown for second, and Keith hammers it home. Bayon get their first taste of tribal and Monica is looking forward to it. Yikes, saying things like that never goes well.

Stephen, Jeremy and Monica quickly agree on Kelly in what is looking to be a very cut-and-dry boot. Spencer checks in, hears he's safe, and then tries to play it cool. Monica tells Kimmi she wants to save Kelly though, to keep the girl count up. This causes Kimmi to see Moncia as a snake, and now she's talking with Jeremy and Stephen about turning on Monica before she turns on them. Stephen seems the most reluctant, thinking it could jeopardize their Bayon bonds if they send their first Bayon home.

At tribal council, Kelly talks about taking the old school approach to saving herself, whereas Jeremy is careful to not tip his hand as to where the vote is going. Monica assures Jeff the vote is locked in, and Kimmi talks about how she's kinda glad she gets to play at last.

Still glad to be here?

The tribe get up to vote, and Spencer is hoping he's done his job of convincing them to get rid of Kelly. Well, turns out neither of them go home and Monica is axed with three votes to Kelly's 2 and Spencer's 1. It's a true blindside as well based on Monica's face. Both Kelly and Spencer seem shocked as well, but I doubt they'll be complaining too much.

Well Monica, we hardy knew ye. I'll miss the eye candy though. Bayon blood has been spilled for the first time, and now the battle lines are even less defined. What will this mean for the big picture? Hopefully a great post-merge.

STAR OF THE WEEK: KIMMI KAPPENBERG

Whether you agree with the move or not, I think it's great to see Kimmi just playing the game and making strategic decisions in the first place. On her first season, she was out by now. This time, she's controlling votes and getting out the person she wants.

Cambodia Episode 4: Hero To Zero

Varner thinks he dodged a major bullet and is now in suck-up mode. Tasha seems to already be regretting not voting him out, but Abi is still fixated on Woo, who has now voted for her twice. Abi lets Tasha know she has a problem with her pulling Woo aside and talking to him. Yikes.

From J.T. to J.C.

Jeremy finally gets a look at his idol, but he's not telling anyone he has it. He wants Stephen to think he's still looking for it, not just because of trust reasons, but because he wants to keep a bond with him. He's hoping Stephen can tell him when he's about to be blindsided and then he can pop out his "get out of jail free card".

Angkor wake up, grateful to have survived another night at their hellhole. Savage tries to fish, but that proves to be a no-go. "It's a dead cove" he says. They get a treemail promising them food at the next challenge, but how much energy do they even have to compete?

Super Savage becomes the hero

The tribes arrive at the challenge, and they're playing for a BBQ. What they have to do is run down into the ocean, bring back three sandbags and fire them with a plank onto the top of a net. The twist here is...one person has to do it all by themselves. Savage, Terry and Jeremy end up being the ones stepping up...a true alpha showdown! All three of them take it easy at first, moving slowly through the water to conserve energy. Terry is the first one to get one in, followed by Jeremy. Round 2, and Terry is falling behind, but Savage gets it quick to take the lead. Terry catches up with Savage by the time they reach the catapult again, but Savage gets it in first for a huge win. Terry comes second, leaving Jeremy empty-handed. Tasha is so happy to have finally won something that she starts crying.

Angkor's victory was much-needed and they all enjoy their new food. More than anything, they now have a newfound confidence, Abi thinks they're going to win immunity and they all do their new tribe chant.

#KindKass: Winning friends and influencing people

Kass continues her transformation into the sweet, caring Kass by making Kelley a birthday gift (although Kelley thinks it's a fake idol at first). It's surprising to see Kass on good behaviour, but I'm loving this redemption arc. Meanwhile, Bayon ask Spencer for his opinion on Kelly and he makes sure to point out that she voted for him and has more friends than he does. Monica doesn't necessarily believe Spencer though, and would rather keep Kelly in case they need to form a women's alliance.

Future black widow in training

The immunity challenge is to carry back puzzle pieces blindfolded under the direction of a caller, and then solve the giant cube puzzle. Varner, Kimmi and Kass act as callers for their tribes - man, this might be the role Kimmi was born for. As they all get started, Kelly says she needs Kimmi to shout louder (really?). Keith is having trouble hearing Kass as well, despite being 1 foot away from her. Ta Keo start falling behind in the challenge after Terry gets lost, but Joe manages to carry back pieces on his own. The smacks start

Angkor weighed down

coming thick and fast, with Kelly walking face-first into a tall piece, Abi nearly getting crushed by a falling piece, and Spencer tripping right over one. Ta Keo actually manage to finish first despite their earlier problems, as a depleted Angkor run out of steam. Bayon win immunity next, and it's the same old story for Angkor.

Varner comes back to camp with a pretty bad toe injury, but it's not gonna stop the tribe voting him out. As much as Woo tries to talk sense into Abi it seems clear him and Varner are on the bottom. The one thing Varner has going for him is he didn't write Abi's name down, which is still a huge bone of contention for the Brazilian. Tasha tries to talk to her, but doesn't make a lot of progress.

At tribal council, Abi admits she's not sure what to do...keep the tribe strong or go with who has shown loyalty to her. Woo tries to say he's an asset, but Savage points out that even his physicality can be used against him, as he's going to be a threat in the individual portion of the game. Woo and Varner both passionately state their case: pledging their loyalty, playing down their connections, pointing out eachother's flaws. Both are giving it everything they've got to try and stay.

So who will it be? Well, it turns out Varner's time is up, which I didn't see coming. He calls Abi a bitch - affectionately - and then walks over to get snuffed, as Woo celebrates. I was loving Varner and wanted him to go much further, but he sure left a big impression on these 4 episodes. Now Angkor are going to have to dig even deeper to get out of their rut.

STAR OF THE WEEK: ANDREW SAVAGE

Savage has done his fair share of suffering this season, but he doesn't seem to be showing the burden at all. He delivered a very necessary reward to his tribe when they were all counting on him. You could say he's "literally carrying his tribe on his back".

Cambodia Episode 3: Snitch Up

Spencer is grateful to still be in the game, but knows that his time will be limited if he doesn't change his style of play. Terry has even surprised himself with his strong social play, and is really happy with how things shook out.

This is worse than a million Outcast twists

Ta Keo arrive at the next "challenge" claiming to be a far more unified tribe...just in time to be broken up. But not only is this a swap, we are also gaining a brand-new tribe. Everyone nervously opens their buffs to find out their fate. Bayon keep Jeremy, Stephen, Monica and Kimmi, and gain Spencer and Kelly. Terry and Kelley stay on Ta Keo as Kass, Ciera, Joe and Keith move over. Tasha, Savage, Varner, Peih-Gee, Abi and Woo are not only on the new yellow tribe, but they have to build a new shelter completely from scratch. Savage is pretty honest when Probst asks him for his opinion: he's devastated.

Ruthless Kelley

So Angkor arrive at their desert beach (which seems to be bat central) to find absolutely nothing. Woo tells his four to just stick together and get rid of Savage and Tasha. Terry and Kelley are in a similar position on the new Ta Keo, being on the outside of another 4-2 split. Terry still loves it though, because with powerhouse Joe on his team, he isn't expecting to see tribal council anytime soon. Kelley is preparing for the worst though, telling everyone how she thinks Terry might have the idol. Ha.

Stephen is so glad to no longer be on the bottom and is pledging to Jeremy and Monica that he's going to stay solid. Spencer starts trying to improve his stock by trying a new strategy: have feelings. It works, as he is able to open up to Jeremy about his girlfriend, and make the fireman want to keep him around.

I can be human too!

Angkor are huddling in their shelter facing a severe rainstorm, as Varner flips the bird to mother nature. But this is not new to Tasha, as she's been on one of the worst tribes ever.  She's also confident she can crawl her way back into power, starting with exploiting the rift between Abi and Peih-Gee. She reassures Abi that if they make the merge, there's a place for her among their plans. Savage and Tasha also try talking to Varner, but Varner just scoffs at their offer of letting him make jury.

Stephen want to find the idol to help unite the Bayons, so all four of them go out looking for it. Jeremy is the one to get to the clue first, and doesn't seem to be too taken aback by the prospect of it being in a challenge, vowing to find a way to make it work.

Jeremy helps himself, then helps the team

The immunity challenge is the one that opened up Cagayan where they have to put chests on a cart, take it apart, put it back together and the use the contents of the chests to complete a puzzle, The Brains tribe royally sucked at this one last time and with Spencer, Tasha and Kass on different tribes, it seems there's only going to be redemption for two of them. Spencer, Kelley and Woo are all put on key-collecting duty as Ta Keo take an early lead. Jeremy gets to the cart where the idol is located as quick as he can and pockets it fairly effortlessly. Ta Keo glide over their sand pit whilst the others hit a rough patch. Joe and Kass turn out to be a dream team on the puzzle and get them a first place. Jeremy and Spencer fight off a fast-gaining Peih-Gee and Woo to claim second.

The Fox catches a rat

Immediately after the challenge, Varner tries to get a message across to Kelly, but Tasha sees it and physically blocks him. "We got a rat!" she yells out, and it sparks an argument involving Tasha, Varner and Savage. Woo gets in on it too, as it comes out that Varner had deals he wasn't a part of. Probst tries to give the losers some encouragement by saying what a great underdog story it'll be, but Peih-Gee just laughs. They go back to camp with Varner feeling a huge target on his back.

Savage starts using Varner's antics to his advantage, telling Peih-Gee and Woo it proves his disloyalty and he needs to go. Tasha does the same with Abi and she's willing to do it. Peih-Gee and Abi talk among themselves where Abi says she feels bottom of the old Ta Keo and is doing it for sure. This pisses off Peih-Gee and now she wants to get Abi voted off. Savage can't believe it as his position just gets better and better as now he can send either of the girls home. Varner is also happy to just not be in the firing line anymore.

At tribal council, Varner explains his message-sending, but Tasha still thinks he should've kept it in the family. Varner doesn't necessarily think he'll be voted out though, and says that Savage and Tasha are ones making the decision...a statement that Probst quite rightly finds ridiculous, even though it's true.

Peih-Gee votes for Abi, a vote she's clearly wanted to make for a while. Abi is writing her name down too, saying she "talks too much". Peih-Gee gets voted out, and Woo is blindsided again...oh man, Abi's really gonna let him have it now. Peih-Gee wishes them luck for throwing their lot in with Abi. She's certainly proven herself to be a handful, so I guess we'll see if it burns them or not.

STAR OF THE WEEK: TASHA FOX

Tasha did amazing to come out of that swap as well as she did, and it was only possible because she kept the faith and was not afraid to hustle. Never bet against this girl when she's fighting for her life - nothing seems to dampen her spirits.

Cambodia Episode 2: Reversal Of Fortune

The old schoolers on Ta Keo are left to pick up the pieces after being on the wrong side of the vote. Varner lets Spencer and Shirin know he's proved his loyalty to them, which they accept - but he's also talking to Terry about flipping the script and taking out a real threat.

Joe is making hammocks for the rest of his tribe to enjoy, hoping that they'll see him as an asset. It doesn't fool Stephen though, who says that being so good at everything is gonna get Joe voted out after the merge. Stephen meanwhile will be lucky to make it that far.

Peih-Gee plays nice

No sooner after talking about turning over a new leaf, Abi is causing drama and being a paranoid nuisance. First butting into Peih-Gee and Spencer's conversation to ask what's up, and then walking over to interrupt a Woo, Terry and Varner huddle. Varner calls Abi his "Brazilian soap opera" and whilst most of the tribe are sick of her, to him she's his ticket to the million dollars.

Savage tells the story of how he met his wife, the beautiful South African supermodel, which causes him to break down. Jeremy is emotional too, as he's also missing his wife. Stephen casually suggests Jeremy's absence is due to looking for the idol, and Savage sees that as an indication of morally corrupt character. Whoa, ok dude. Savage lets Jeremy know what Stephen said and now the target on Stephen's back gets even bigger.

Family man alliance

Abi's guardian angel

Peih-Gee and Shirin are complaining about Abi, when Abi walks up to them in the dark and tells them she heard it all. This starts a big fight that ends with Abi alone on the beach and Peih-Gee laughing in the shelter with everyone else. Abi is sad, and feels especially hurt by Shirin. But then Terry of all people comes in to comfort her, and it looks like a new alliance is forming. Varner puts the work in too, telling her he's ready to make a move on Spencer and Shirin. Just that like that, the game has flipped!

That's gonna leave a bruise

The immunity challenge requires the tribes to run over triangular ramps, pull a crate across a track, and then solve a puzzle at the end. Both tribes make it over the triangles, with some difficulty - Varner in particular taking a huge hit. Bayon have a lead going into the puzzle, and task Kass and Kimmi (?) with it. Jeremy and Joe switch out, and take on Shirin and Spencer, who are starting to panic. Ta Keo almost get it, but it's not quite there...allowing Bayon to snatch the win from them. As they leave, evil Varner gives a confessional about how he loves that the two people who lost the puzzle are now the ones in trouble.

Back at camp, Spencer obviously still feels secure with his alliance as he talks about how it's nice to not be on the bottom this time. Varner is getting Peih-Gee and Kelley on board for breaking up the power couple, who both don't really want to do it, but are forced to due to the numbers. Shirin tries to make up with Abi, but Abi doesn't play around - she lets her know straight up that she's voting for her or her buddy.

This is Cagayan all over again

Shirin and Spencer now know it's looking bleak for them and make a last-ditch effort to sway Woo's vote. But Woo surprisingly stands up for himself and lets them know that he's not gonna help them when they so blatantly didn't give a shit about him until now. Spencer cries at the thought of having to screw over Shirin, but he knows it's either him or her at this point.

At tribal council, Shirin makes sure to tell Probst how much fun she's NOT having, as Abi details how excluded she felt. Probst notes the irony of how Abi's situation mirrors Shirin's on Worlds Apart. Terry feels good about his position after his talk with Abi, as Spencer pleads for his life and promises to change up his game to a more old school way.

The vote ends up between Spencer and Shirin, and it comes down to the very last vote. Shirin is sent packing, and she feels the regret of how fast her game collapsed. The fact that we got a power shift just 2 episodes in tells me this cast is crazy and that there's a lot more awesomeness to come.

STAR OF THE WEEK: JEFF VARNER

I'm not surprised to see Varner thriving on this season, it sounds like he's been chomping at the bit to get back out there and really play. He's making big power plays already, but he's getting what he wants and everybody seems to like him.

Cambodia Episode 1: Schools Of Thought

They're not here to sightsee

Probst begins this season with narration about how the losers of Survivor live a life of regret. Andrew Savage reinforces this, talking about how his life is perfect, except for the fact he didn't win Survivor. Well, for the first time ever, we have 20 people who know what it's like to lose this game, and all of them are reminiscing about what they did wrong and how to fix it. Spencer says he's learned to engage people on an emotional level. Kass and Abi promise to not be as villainous as they were before. Tasha says the opposite, and that she's going to backstab more. Don't think the location is playing second fiddle though...we're already treated to a gorgeous tour of an ancient temple.

Ta Keo's taste of victory

Probst invites the 20 second chancers onto a boat for their first challenge - they have to strip everything they can from the boat onto their raft and then race over to get the rice on the other boat. Ta Keo get their raft off first and Kelly swims ahead for them. Bayon bank on her getting tired though, and send Joe after her once they get close. Woo then joins in the fun and manages to beat both of them to the boat to win the rice for Ta Keo. And he gives it a big hug.

After Ta Keo touch down, Kelly tries to prove her worth in the classic old school way...with her work ethic. Meanwhile, another old schooler, Terry, is trying to improve his social game by making quick contact with Spencer. Abi goes looking for her bag that has gone missing, which is making it difficult for the old Abi not to come out.

Savage giving direction already

Over on Bayon, Jeremy tries to bury the hatchet with Keith. He then hooks up with Tasha, Savage and Joe, hoping that the big threats can shield eachother. As the Joe and Savage bromance blossoms, Stephen feels very out of place already. He then watches Savage cut down a huge tree, whilst struggling with his own tiny branch.

Shirin gets the old man up to speed

Vytas is up to his old tricks and schmoozing the women. It doesn't work on Shirin though, who brings in Varner and Spencer to tell them he needs to go. Varner is happy to be brought into some plans, but keeps saying the game is going too fast for him. Abi finally finds her bracelet, and it's in Peih-Gee's bag. Predictably Abi is not too happy with this, so Peih-Gee goes to clear the air with her and stress that it was just a misunderstanding.

Bayon all help Joe make fire, sharing in a teamwork moment. But the person who needs it most, Stephen, is off looking for the idol in a gross lake. Way to alienate yourself further. Back on Ta Keo, Varner and Peih-Gee comment on the split between old school and new school, revealing Varner's a lot more aware of what's going on than he's showing. Feeling in the middle of two groups, Varner asks for input and Peih-Gee suggests sending Abi home first...for obvious reasons.

Now it's Kelley's turn to search for the idol, and she pulls a package out of a tree that she thinks is it. Upon opening it, she sees that it's just a clue to the idol - and it tells her the idol is in the middle of a challenge. Will she be bold enough to go for it?

Joega now in session: Even Fishbach gives it a go

Joe and Vytas both lead yoga sessions on their beaches, but whilst the girls eat up Joe, Vytas is just annoying everybody. Terry and Vytas get together and decide to target the other annoyance on the tribe, Abi.

Fortune favours the brave, Kelley

The first immunity challenge is another throwback to season 1 where contestants have to grab onto the side of a raft, light torches, and then carry that raft across the beach. Oh, and there's an added jailbreak section. Both tribes jump into the water, with Spencer and Keith lighting the torches. Keith loses his flame and starts struggling, allowing Ta Keo to take the lead. Joe and Kelly are facing off at the gate, as Kelley keeps looking back to where the idol is located. As the challenge reaches its climax, Kelley picks her moment and snags the idol whilst all eyes are on the other Kelly. Once Joe gets the key, Spencer subs in, but it's too late at this point - Bayon win, and Kelly looks pretty distraught. It gets worse for the losers when Jeff tells them they're going straight to tribal with no time to plan.

Abi in trouble already, who could've guessed?

At tribal council, Woo outlines the old school vs new school divide, which is funny because he seems to be on "old school". Abi talks about the restraint she's shown since she's been back but it seems not everyone agrees. Vytas wants to beat Terry especially because Aras did. Varner takes it up a notch when he starts calling people out for pretending to not know what they're planning. Woo says he's not sure who to vote for, and I believe it, but Abi seems to have surmised he's voting for her.

The votes come back and Abi lives to see another day: it seems most people saw Vytas as the bigger threat. Probst sends them back to camp with a reminder that their second chance can end at any time, so they better make the most of it. Vytas is left trying to figure out whether it was even worth coming out here.

STAR OF THE WEEK: KELLEY WENTWORTH

She snatched an idol right from under everyone's nose in probably the tensest scene in the episode, and also got herself in a good position numbers-wise. Welcome to the big leagues, Kelley - maybe you do belong here after all.