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Previously on Survivor, although Stealth R Us seems like a “well-oiled machine,” they are just as dysfunctional as any alliance on this show. Dawn has committed the Survivor sin of being “unable to control her emotions,” which is why Survivor has been running it as the promo for this week. Andrea has been flirting with Eddie and Phillip’s “leadership style” has “worn thin with rivals and allies.”

Brenda won immunity and they agreed to vote out Malcolm. But after Andrea thought she would be targeted, they switched up the plan. There was an epic moment where Malcolm, thinking he would be the voting target, convinced Reynold within five seconds to give him his idol. But he was still wrong and Michael was the one who went home. Ten are left, who will be voted out tonight?

Everyone arrives back at camp and then Phillip calls a very obvious Malcolm-less meaning. “Welcome to the bottom,” Reynold tells Malcolm, and then they and Eddie share high-fives. Malcolm sort of apologizes to Reynold by saying “It was the right call. I don’t feel too bad about it.” Eddie bright-sides how being on the bottom works in their favor because “no one talks behind our backs.” So why is Stealth R Us down the beach having their secret meeting?

In interview, Malcolm admits “just about everything I tried to do went wrong.” He realizes that “Dawn was never with me. Dawn was never gonna be with me.”

Down the beach, Dawn is saying “it was the most hellish day for me”, while Andrea is saying that if the three guys lose immunity there’s no problem. They have no idol, but even if they had one it wouldn’t matter because Stealth R Us are up in numbers and can split the vote. Foreshadowing! Andrea has doomed them all!

The guys all agree that tomorrow they have to get up early and search. “I’d rather be my own man than be a puppet for Phillip,” says Eddie, who after playing for 25 days, still does not get it. Meanwhile, the alliance bonds by putting their hands into the middle of the circle and whispering their corporate motto “S-R-Us... ssssshh!” Cochran makes the “this is loco” gesture.

Day 26, and morning breaks with Cochran undermining Dawn to Phillip, or possibly urging Phillip to take her to the end. “I used to think of Dawn as being a person who would be impossible to beat, but I don’t know if that’s really the case. She’s betrayed a lot of people with information.” Phillip agrees, saying she’s not a threat in any of the challenges, which no one really cares about at the final Tribal Council, except for maybe the people who are good at challenges. This is interrupted by Dawn, who is out in the forest and calling for Brenda. She makes those weird elephant bawls that we heard in the promo. Everyone looks around to see what is happening, and Brenda goes off to look.

When Brenda arrives Dawn is trying to bottle things in. “It’s so embarrassing,” reveals Dawn. She has lost her retainer while swimming. It includes her bottom teeth, so it’s kind of a big deal. “I can’t see, “I don’t want anyone else to know!” This is why she called for Brenda, because we all know Brenda never says anything to anyone! Dawn’s secret is safe, except among the ever-dwindling number of viewers actually watching the show... oh all right, Dawn’s secret is safe.

But Dawn still thinks drastic measures may be called for. “I won’t go to the challenge. I will pull myself from the game. I’m not kidding” she says between sobs. But Brenda goes into the lagoon with snorkel and goggles and with some direction from Dawn quickly comes back up with the retainer. Dawn says tearfully “I love you so much! Thank you so much!” and interviews about how it’s a reminder there’s still “kindness, even when you’re playing a game that’s about one winner.” Nicaragua Brenda would have stomped that retainer into the mud.

And Brenda gets an interview! “My heart went out to her so much. After that incident, I’m not gonna turn my back on her.” You won’t turn your back on Dawn because you did something nice for her? Nicaragua Brenda would have demanded Dawn’s next three votes! There must have been a malfunction in the Brenda cloning machine. Anyway, as you probably guessed, the Dawn-quitting crisis we saw on last week’s Next Time On Survivor has been resolved in the first ten minutes of the show.

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