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Just before Tribal Council, Carter is “so confused right now, dude.” Jeff Kent lays it out that Katie and Jonathan will vote for each other, and it comes down to the two of them. They reassure Jonathan unconvincingly that it’s still Katie and Jonathan is a lot better at pretending to be confident about it. When he’s gone, “Which way do you want to swing?” asks Jeff Kent. Kalabaw gather their torches and begin the long trudge to Tribal Council.

There’s a snake at Tribal Council. If Tandang ever makes it to Tribal Council, Artis is going to grab one of those snakes and bite its head off.

Probst kicks things off with a “who tonight truly feels they are in trouble” question, and Denise and Katie both raise their hands. But why? Denise’s explanation is “last one hired, first one fired” but she is focused on proving she has value to the tribe, while Katie says that she’s the “other girl” and she’s not awesome in challenges. It’s a shame she didn’t add “as you’ve pointed out so many times.” But she hopes they know she is “loyal and with them.”

Probst then asks Jonathan if he is worried about being blindsided, and if he is, why didn’t he raise his hand? Like he is disrespecting the sanctity of Tribal Council! Jonathan's answer is he doesn’t want to volunteer one way or the other whether he thinks he’s vulnerable – he wants to give an impression of confidence.

Probst asks Jeff Kent if tonight’s vote is more difficult, and the answer is that Kalabaw is a close group, so each vote hurts and will hurt deeper, and that every vote will be a blindside. Probst asks Jonathan about that last part, and Jonathan says that Kalabaw is a “drama-free zone,” and that if someone is let go, it isn’t personal and it’s done to help the tribe move forward. Plus, if it happened to him, he’d “appreciate the game play.”

“Is there any game you’ve played similar to Survivor?” is Probst’s next question to Jeff Kent. What does Probst think Jeff Kent is going to say? “Yes, sitting around for hours is a lot like my favorite sport at which I made millions of dollars, baseball?” After 25 seasons, you’d think Probst would be better at mind games.

Jeff Kent’s response is “No. This game sucks.” Probst asks him what that means, and then provides the answer for him – that Survivor is “complicated.” “You have to survive the elements, cuddle with people, take on friends and then blindside them because you’re too guilty to tell him that I really don’t want you here anymore.” Whoever has been cuddling with Jeff Kent should be worried about now.

Katie, what will your vote be based on? Loyalty and sticking with her word. Jonathan says that no one wants to betray or be betrayed, and if it’s him, more power to the tribe for not giving him a chance. He goes on to threaten that a vote against him might “ricochet,” so he’s clearly not afraid to play the immunity idol card.

And with that, it’s time to vote. Katie is up, and Jeff Kent is looking pained. We see Katie’s and Jonathan’s reciprocal votes. Katie says that her “cuddle-bear” is not to be trusted. Jonathan says “I need to keep this tribe as strong as possible.” That’s big talk, coming from someone who traded all of their rice for some magic beans.

Before Probst “tallies” the votes, does anyone have the hidden immunity idol? Jeff Kent makes a heavy swallow while Jonathan makes some cagey gestures like he is about to play it, but there will be no idol flushing tonight.

The votes are for Katie, Jonathan (“Oh, ho ho,” chortles Jonathan), Katie, Katie, that’s enough, Katie you are the seventh person voted out of Survivor: Philippines. Somehow, Katie manages to approach Probst for her torch snuffing without being hypnotized by his raw sexual magnetism. Poor Probst. At least he still has Abi to pick on.

Probst’s final words of advice for Kalabaw are “if you four are strong and united, anything can happen.” That’s encouraging.

Next time on Survivor, Probst slips in a Facts of Life reference as Malcolm sucks up that Lisa reminds him of his mama. And a twist in the game forces everyone to scramble for some reason. “And something finally happens at Tandang?” Probst does not say. Anyway, after last week’s shemozzle, I am reminded once again to not believe the “Next times...”

In post-boot interview, Katie talks about being blind-sided, and that while she thought going in that she was an “athlete,” Survivor was so hard and “nothing like you think it is on TV.” So, exactly like on TV. Also, athlete? Ask Crystal from Gabon how that worked out. Still, Katie says it’s awesome that she can say she was on Survivor, which is true.

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