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A nice idea is implemented as the competitors prepare to depart for camp. Probst informs them that they have one minute to strip the trucks they rode previously. Any items they attain during these 60 seconds may be carried to their new home. Both groups rush to the treasure trove of items, but the women jointly embark upon a fool’s endeavor. There is a series of poles tied to the top of the SUV. They waste a full 20% of their allotted time trying to pull it off, never once attempting to untie or cut the attached rope. They wind up without the item as the clock expires.

Once the women drop down from the truck to inspect their goods, they realize how poorly they have done. Probst quizzes them about their performance. He notes that there are coconuts and bananas and that’s about it. The women are puzzled about the location of one item in particular. They had headed straight for a pick-axe and delivered it to their area. None of them can find it now. The reason why is hilarious.

Remember the first appearance of Rupert on Survivor? The first action of his was stealing the shoes of his opponents. A Survivor contestant this season had the same idea. Michael noticed that all of the women were fixated on untethering the pole. While they were distracted, he brazenly walked over to their pile of stuff and took the pick-axe for himself. He grabbed a couple of other items as well. Effectively, Michael let the women waste their time grabbing stuff off the truck, then waited until they were not paying attention. At this point, he moved the items to his team’s base and thereby won the entire supplies mission for the men. If he plays with this much ruthlessness the entire season, he’s got a good chance to make the final vote and possibly win.

The women are obviously furious over this underhanded act. They accuse the men of a felony with a particularly bitchy woman named Alicia calling them “dirty cheats." She is not wrong but there are no rules about ethics in this game. The men just outsmarted the women. Of course, karma can be a swift and harsh mistress. Ordinarily, Michael would have had no concerns about repercussions until three weeks later. Little does he know that the women he just robbed will be sharing the same camp with him in a few hours. As such, the short term gain of this move may not be worth the cost of frayed relationships with the ladies.

The trek to camp is a harsh one. Tarzan the plastic surgeon (now THERE is a magnificent business card) claims that they have to cross hundreds of miles of land and that they each lose ten pounds of water weight. We might buy the second one but the first tells us Tarzan should be thankful to live in a world that has GPS navigation and odometers. Meanwhile, we discover that the little person is named Leif and he deduces that the best way to prove himself to the alpha males of the tribe is by carrying some of the heaviest items. He takes the back half of device used to carry kindling wood. Others express their amazement at how buff and tireless Leif is. He has accomplished step one in proving himself as a valued worker/member of the tribe. Hopefully, people will focus on this rather than his height in evaluating what he means to Manono.

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