Survivor: Panama: Episode 6

The last episode or two before a merge can often be a snooze because the tribes are usually unequally distributed. The only interesting thing this episode is the amazingly dysfunctional Shane, perhaps the only person I have ever seen who wants to get out of a winning powerful alliance. He says he needs to be the lone wolf during a night-long hectoring rant which is enough for Danielle to decide in the morning that his wish should be granted. Meanwhile, Cirie schemes to make her move, laughing all the way, and Bruce tends his rock garden.

Over at La Mina, they are minnow eating and male bonding as Nick and Dan discuss Dan's astronaut days. Meanwhile, Sally the Spear Dropper is the odd girl out. Usually the tribe that is fighting is the tribe that is losing. La Mina, the tribe which has been struggling, are contented.  Starving, but contented.The challenge is a combined reward and immunity. The reward is for a barbecue in a local village. This time, whoever goes to Exile Island doesn't have to go to tribal council and is protected.

Once again, the challenge is a puzzle. Shane may be a total wacko but he does work hard in challenges.  Once again, La Mina seems to have a shot at it but they are often confused by puzzles and things involving strategy. The challenge goes to Casaya who continue to amaze me with how well they function as a unit when they have to. They make the brilliant move of sending Sally the Spear Dropper to Exile Island, forcing the old-boy-young-boy love association to make a difficult decision at tribal council. Sally hunts for the idol (already in Terry's possession) on Exile Island.

At the Panamanian barbecue, Shane gets to have a cigarette and realizes that after weeks of not smoking, accepting a strange cigarette was perhaps not the best idea. Even the rewards don't really seem to bring the tribe that much closer together. Because there is a healthy amount of infighting here, the episodes after the merge might be interesting as the members of Casaya form new alliances.

La Mina has the most boring discussions about who should be voted off that I have ever seen. The obvious choice is that Dan the old spaceman should go. Terry gives him the news and he takes it well and understands that since he messed up the challenge he should be the one to go. Terry even goes so far as to say Dan has the "right stuff" (bye, bye Spaceman). It's smart of Terry to get this all ironed out before tribal, so a last minute split decision doesn't cause him to have to whip out the immunity idol. But everyone abides by Daddy's wishes and at tribal, it's all quick and bloodless.

My Survivor of the week is Shane because without him I would have drifted off to sleep sometime during one of Dan's astronaut stories.

Next week, recap episode... and in three weeks, the medics are called in.