Bob and Sugar toy with immunity as 'Survivor: Gabon' winds down

Who is in charge at Survivor:Gabon? Of the players left, two can be said to be sliding by - Crystal by virtue of the fact that she is so deep in Ken's pocket, and Susie because she is flying so far under the radar. So who is in control? Both Kenny and Sugar believe that they head up their alliance, and so far, there has been no reason for them to go head to head. Bob and Matty also seem to be in control of their own destinies; Matty because he is currently the biggest physical threat in the game, and Bob because of his intelligent play and nose for challenges. As it winds down, this headless beast of a season should show its true nature very soon.

Target: Matty. Matty correctly assumes that Kenny voted for him, and he calls Kenny on it. Kenny tries to placate him, but Matty isn't having it, and Sugar, Crystal and Kenny believe that his ire towards Ken makes him a major threat. As an early target for elimination, this makes his continued experience in Survivor the surest thing in this episode so far. Aside from Sugar that is, who still does have the hidden idol.

Balla. Ken lays a guilt trip on Bob for his idol hi-jinks last episode, and Bob is buying into it. C'mon Bob, that's the game! You certainly shouldn't feel bad about manipulating anyone, much less the best manipulator left in the game. Nonetheless, Bob promises Ken immunity should he win it. One can only hope he's telling Kenny what Kenny needs to hear.

At the reward challenge, the players muck through a swamp to retrieve balls which must then be tossed into a net, basketball-style. First contestant to sink all of their throws wins. The guys show themselves to be the better free throw shooters as Bob, Kenny and Matty take the lead. The trio are soon shooting their final balls side by side, but Bob's presumed friendship with Dr. James Naismith takes him to the top. He makes the strategic choice of selecting Ken and Crystal to go with him to visit a gorilla sanctuary, which is his reward. He also selects Susie for exile.

Matty, the 800 pound gorilla. Bob, Kenny and Crystal enjoy a picnic lunch before their trip to see the gorillas, and discuss a little strategy. They plan on trying to get Sugar on their side in order to vote Matty out. Bob's promise to Ken at the start of the episode is discussed further. Kenny tells Bob that he will decide who gets immunity next, should Bob win in the next challenge. A man of his word, Bob is still set on offering Ken the coveted necklace.

All three go to visit the gorillas, and Bob is particularly touched by the sight of the powerful primates. Meanwhile, Susie is enjoying her time at Exile Island and Matty and Sugar are talking about how much he wants Crystal and Kenny out of the game. Matty takes his anger out on Sugar, but she isn't fazed by his invective. He asks her for her idol, but she says that she intends to use it this round.

B-O-B spells W-I-N. The reward winners return to camp, and Matty is not letting up on his head of steam, but Crystal and Ken treat his outbursts with disdain. Crystal pulls him aside for a little extra taunting. Right now, Matty's unstable position and mindset make him easily swayed, and potentially a good person to ally with. A smart survivor might team up with him to turn the tables and take control of the game. Ken and Crystal's continued targeting of the Matt man tugs at Sugar's heartstrings, and she looks about ready to break her alliance with Kenny and Crystal. You can make the argument that she isn't a strategic player, but she has a hell of a knack for flopping at the right time. She tells Matty that he is not going home, and she has the power to make it happen. She vows to talk to Bob and Susie about taking out Crystal. Matty, of course, is down.

I've gone back and forth on her skill at the game, but I think Sugar's made too many of the right moves for me to believe that she's still here by accident or coincidence. Not the least among her accomplishments has been possessing an immunity idol since the second (aired) episode and not having to play it until the last round. Not only has she not had to play it, she's barely been a target despite the fact that her ownership of said idol has been widely known almost since the first time she returned from exile!

At immunity, the survivors must collect puzzle pieces from an obstacle course while blindfolded and assemble them into a mask. All the players are making slow progress, with Crystal shortly becoming completely lost. Matty is the first to collect all his puzzle pieces, while some have chosen to start assembling the puzzle before all their pieces are collected. After a misstep, Bob solves first and wins his fourth challenge in a row. He may not be the physical specimen that Matty is, but he has the strongest will to win of all the remaining tribe mates.

Immunity moves. The tribe returns after the challenge, and Kenny tells Crystal of his plan to double-cross Bob should Bob surrender his idol. It's a Machiavellian move, but the right one as Bob is currently the strongest competitor in the game. Ken pleads his case for immunity to Bob, but Bob isn't quick to hand his prize over. The interesting thing is that Bob could give Ken his immunity, make the deal with Sugar, and vote Crystal out. Bob would keep his word, and still deal Ken a significant blow.

Sugar does indeed approach Bob, but Bob is a bit skeptical. Sugar brings on the waterworks, and Bob begins to look like he's got something to think about. Sugar comes back and tells Ken and Crystal she has convinced Bob to give the necklace to Ken. Sugar's trap is set. Matty talks to her and she tells him to let her do the thinking. As it should be clear to all, she certainly has been doing some thinking.

At tribal council, Bob's dominance at challenges is discussed. Matty says that it's no shame to be losing to Bob. It seems to me that Kenny and Crystal aside, Bob has a lot of good will going into the final stages of this game. Bob tells Jeff about his deal with Kenny regarding his promise to hand over the immunity idol. Bob announces that he will make the decision as to whether or not Ken is in trouble tonight, and if Ken is, Bob will hand it over. Bob has altered the deal, pray he does not alter it any further, Ken. The decline of Kenny's power is discussed next, and Kenny plays his -- WHOA! DID YOU SEE RANDY'S HAIR? Anyway, Bob says that he doesn't believe that Kenny is going home, and elects to hold on to the idol. Everyone goes to vote, and sure enough, Kenny was safe, as the votes appear to be going Crystal and Matty's way. Sugar ultimately hands her immunity idol to Matty, sparing him from the vote. Congratulations Sugar, you had that necklace through nine (if I'm not very much mistaken) tribal councils, and never had to play it once. Kenny and Crystal see the writing on the wall, and Crystal goes home.

Sugar's move had significance as a demonstration of her willingness to ally herself with Matty, even though he didn't have the votes needed to be eliminated. But with her tendency to flip and flop for strategic or emotional advantage, how confident in her can you really feel? With Kenny significantly weakened, she and Bob are the biggest threats in this game. And, despite the fact that she has turned on a lot of people, she might still have a lot of good will on the jury if for no other reason than the fact that she elimintated Crystal and turned the tables on Kenny, who both have a lot of enemies on the that same jury! Sugar, Bob and Matty seem a lock for final three, although the lack of a time-tested alliance between them might make for interesting moves should one of them realize that taking Susie or Kenny with them to a final two situation would give them a better chance of winning. Think about it, who would vote for Kenny (aside from Crystal) or Susie if they were sitting next to Sugar, Bob, or Matty? The final episode on Sunday night might not be a spectacle, but we could potentially see some very interesting maneuvering as it gets down to the wire!

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