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Afterwards, Brandon decides to fill in Andrea, Corinne and Cochran about his plans to set the camp on fire and pee in the beans and the rice, like this is something hilarious foible of his. “I’m glad you didn’t do that, way to choose the other option,” says Corinne. “No worries. We’re all good,” titters Andrea in a “don’t upset the maniac” way.

In interview, Corinne doesn’t find it so funny that the only alternative to leaving Brandon could find was burning stuff and peeing on things. “I want him off now," she says.

The next morning, Brandon is completely different. He calls everyone around and explains that his initial motivation for coming on the show was selfish, but now he’s going to continue with the game for his family. His whole perspective of the game has changed, yet again. In interview, Brandon says he will tough it out and be “the most intense player you’ve seen so far. I’m excited, I’m going to freak myself out. I don’t know what I’m going to do." Has Brandon ever considered trying less intensity?

Probst sighting! Reward challenge! No Laura!

The challenge is that two players from each tribe will each hold a rope, which is slung over a frame with a big net attached to the other end. The remaining players will shoot baskets with coconuts into the opposing tribe’s net, until the net is so coconut-heavy that the poor sap holding onto the rope lets it drop. Last tribe member holding a rope wins reward for their tribe.

Reward is barbecue – sausage, steaks, even some wine. Delicious wine? Anyway, the “favorites” are three members up on the “fans”, so they are sitting out Andrea, Dawn and Erik. Mike and Matt and are holding up the nets for the “fans”, Phillip and Brandon are doing the job for the “favorites”.

Everyone starts making baskets with the coconuts, and unsurprisingly Reynold is a star performer, never missing a shot. I realize they’ve made a conscious effort this season to cut back on the number of puzzles, but how many “throw this thing at a target” challenges are there going to be?

Plenty of people are making baskets – even Cochran makes one – while Phillip is “hollering some sort of war cry” according to Probst or “trying a Jamaican accent?” according to me. The editing suggests this psychs out Eddie and Sherri. “Sherri, worthless in this challenge,” says Probst, apparently concerned that last night’s Tribal Council was a blip, not a new trend. Anyway, Reynold “starts picking on Brandon and it is working,” and soon it is too much and Brandon lets go of his rope.

Shortly after, Matt drops out and we are treated to a montage of Mike and Phillip struggling to hold onto their ropes, with Michael’s face going incredibly pink. Absurdly pink. Pinker than Cochran’s sunburn pink. And it Michael who is first to release his rope, and Phillip is “once again the hero for the ‘favorites’”. The “fans” look on enviously as the “favorites” collect their reward, but Probst actually says “good effort from the ‘fans’” now that they have decided to vote off the non-physical members.

We check in with the “fans” back at their camp first. Eddie is grumbling about how they had “a chance to turn it around... and we blew it." Michael and Reynold are agreeing that they need to try something new but have no idea what, and Sherri interviews that she is trying hard to keep her mouth shut because “muscle is not paying off." She hopes that her alliance realizes this, but since she doesn’t seem to be talking with anyone about it, they probably don’t.

Sherri’s fear is that the idol is back in play, so she goes off to look for it. So does Michael. And Matt, and Reynold and Julia too. Matt says quite happily that it’s no big secret that everyone is looking for it, which is a pleasant change from the usual pious “let’s vote out the person looking for it because we can’t trust them” play. According to Matt, “it can’t be very hard to find, because Reynold found it pretty quick." Heh. How true.

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