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Meanwhile, Boston Rob's word is law with the Villains. His every command is followed and so total is their trust in him that several lackluster challenge performers step up their game dramatically. Evil Loser Russell (we're giving him his name back because it's such a great move) holds up a box on his own back at one point, and when Rob is attempting the same move, Danielle literally leaps to his aid. If you didn't know which team was which, you would swear that Boston Rob and Co. are the heroes. The Villains win and are wildly jubilant; conversely, James and Stephenie get into a screaming match. The physical prowess of the heroes is an undeniable advantage, yet they have lost two Immunity Challenges due to the lack of a clear chain of command. This causes us to wonder whether we'd rather have ten of the strongest players in the history of the competition, or nine random scrubs and Boston Rob. Thus far, the Boston Rob side is the clear-cut choice.

Our gut instinct right now is that we're playing It's Anyone But Stephenie. Back from commercial break, James is still pissed. Seriously. He cannot stand losing to Lex Luthor and the Legion of Doom, and he specifically blames Steph. The surprising reveal here is that Tom doesn't like James. He makes fun of the giant's ranting and all but openly calls him a loser. We had expected them to become allies with JT.

The celebration at the Villains' camp continues as Rob is treated like the conquering hero (he is). Right on cue, Evil Loser Russell feels threatened by a stronger player's dominance. He does channel his jealousy positively for a change by hunting and killing a chicken. The villains now have a tarp cover, fire and a delicious meal for the evening. Much has changed in the 24 hours since Boston Rob's collapse.

Back over at Hero Camp, we're once again looking at JT in a position of control. Just as he was in his original season, he is quietly pulling the strings. He can either elect to side with Colby, Tom and Stephenie or he can align with James, Amanda and Rupert (Cirie and Candice would be brought along for the ride either way). The choice seems to be between Stephenie and Amanda, and the players without alliances are the ones with the power. Candice and Cirie have a heart-to-heart talk about how they want to align, and Cirie points out that it's irrelevant who they vote for as long as one of them isn't going home.

Tonight's Tribal Council is an angry one. Probst knows exactly which question to ask and he gets a better one than he was expecting. James is Hulk-furious. He claims it's not all about Stephenie before spending two minutes talking about Stephenie. Colby tries to defend her, and at that point, James brings the Colbster in to the conversation. This causes Tom to announce that his alliance is with Colby and Steph, which gives James pause. He seems to respect Tom more than Tom respects him. Everyone else is obviously experiencing a *lot* of discomfort. The deal is this: James and Stephenie simply can't be on the same tribe together. If James isn't voted out tonight (and there's been no indication he will be), this wound will fester until resolution is found.

By a vote of 6-3, Stephenie is eliminated, but not before she gets off a parting shot at James that she apparently considers a lesson in etiquette. James replies, "Keep your mouth shut." These are the heroes, right?

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