'Survivor': Finally, things start gettin' good

I'm not sure if this week's episode of "Survivor" could have been any more fulfilling. Everything I've been waiting for finally came to fruition, and I couldn't stop grinning throughout the entire hour.

First up, the winners of the reward challenge actually score a decent prize. No more beef stew and scones on a pirate ship. This was the kind of "Survivor" reward I was looking for: a scenic airplane ride, a remote island with a beautiful waterfall, and a spread of caloric goodness including grilled hot dogs and apple pie. 

I did find that whole cheesy PrePalm phone promotion odd. Jeff hands the winners a nifty PDA to ... take pictures with? I thought that once they arrived at the island they'd be able to give their loved ones a call or at least watch some recorded message from friends and family. Instead, they received only a video hint about the location of the hidden immunity idol. As if Russell needed the clue.

He didn't, of course, and he further solidified this week that his good fortune is due more to his game-playing skills than Lady Luck.

I loved reading all of your comments last week, and I'm glad to know I'm not alone in rooting for Russell. I'll admit, I was feeling a little guilty about liking him after that whole horrible Hurricane Katrina ruse during the first episode, but it's difficult to deny how great he is at "Survivor."

'Survivor': Russell may be one of the best players in the game's history

Well, I think he's done it: a stout Texas oilman has proved that he's one of the best players ever to grace the game of "Survivor."

Sure, he talks a big game -- but this week, Russell showed he's got more than just a big mouth when he tracked down a second hidden immunity idol. Which he wasn't even sure existed! Which he had no clue for!

I wasn't shocked that Russell was crafty enough to assume the producers had planted another hidden immunity idol somewhere within the Aiga camp. But I was surprised he was able to track it down. I mean, how does he keep finding these things? Yes, as he himself said, oftentimes the idols are near or inside greater objects. But rolling himself across an entire bridge to spot the secret prize under some boards above a murky body of water? The guy must have excellent eyesight.

By the way -- is anyone surprised that no one has tried to copy the smart move made by "Survivor" winner Bob during the season in Gabon? The schoolteacher made not one but two of his own false idols and tricked his team into believing they were real. How difficult can it be for the Samoa cast to find a piece of rope and a shell and call it an idol?

'Survivor': The merge brings everyone together -- for an instant

There's a point in every season of "Survivor" where just for an instant, alliances are set aside and the players let go of fear and anger: the highly anticipated merge.

As per usual, things were all ice cream and rainbows when Galu and Foa Foa were joined as one at the merge this season. Members of both tribes embraced one another and shrieked in excitement for a moment of temporary friendship. Then all dived at an elaborate food spread, picking at chicken breasts and licking pastries like ravenous animals. Afterward, they settled upon a new tribe name: Aiga, which is slang for 'extended family' in Samoa (Erik, for one, found the name gag-inducing).

Of course, the players quickly started scrambling to figure out who would be the first to go, and I was thrilled when it seemed like everyone was on board to vote out Laura. Like Shambo, I can't stand the chick. There's something holier-than-thou about her that isn't justified whatsoever -- in Shambo's words, she's like one of those "popular girls in high school that want to snob up their nose at people who don't fit into their clique."

"There's this '90210' little young thing in you going on, and it's bizarre to me," Shambo later said, confronting Laura and trying to get to the root of their issues. 

And then Laura won the immunity idol, which killed me. It was so disappointing to watch her get up to bat and manage to eek out a win. It seemed like the plan to take her out of the game was so set in stone, and then she got off the hook. 

'Survivor': Shambo finally gets her day in the sun

After days of numbing rain on Samoa, the sun finally emerged this week on "Survivor" -- and one of my favorite castaways got her day in it. 

After the untimely exit of Russell S. last week, Galu opted this week to elect Shambo as tribe leader. I was thrilled, but not surprisingly, the women of Galu weren't pleased with the decision. 

"Now that Shambo is chief, it's like she was raised in a trailer park, married a rich guy and now she's driving around in a Jaguar treating everyone like crap," Kelly seethed after the hasty vote. 

I continue to be baffled by the hatred thrown Shambo's way from her fellow tribemates. It doesn't seem like she always knows when to shut up, but otherwise, Shambo seems like a fair and considerate leader who just wants Galu's respect. Plus, her mullet is amazing.

Sadly, little does Shambo realize that the men of Galu are actually only using her as a pawn to gain numbers at the merge. But I'm holding out hope that she'll be able to win over some of the remaining Galu members later in the game. (Does Dave really make for better company than Sham? Come on.)

'Survivor': Russell Swan talks about his serious health scare

"Survivor" had one of the most terrifying episodes in its history Thursday night as Russell Swan, a 42-year-old attorney from Pennsylvania, collapsed during a challenge after suffering severe malnutrition and dehydration. After calling the event the scariest he's ever witnessed on the show, host Jeff Probst pulled the Galu tribe leader from the game. This morning, I spoke to Russell about what it was like to watch that horrible moment on television, whether he believes Jeff was right to take him out, and why his tribe hated Shambo so much.

It must have been pretty scary to watch that episode last night!

Wow, Amy, that's the understatement of the year. It was completely different from what I remember. I felt like I was in a sauna and they were putting ice water on me. But this guy looked like he was about to die.

So you don't remember any of it?

I have a memory, but it wasn't that. My memory was: Erik and I were pushing a ball. I definitely get tired, like, "Are we gonna get there yet?" I do remember running into stuff, but I'm blindfolded. I take a knee because I'm winded and I uppercut myself with the puzzle. I can't believe I knocked myself out. I laid there for about five minutes and they kick me out of the game. Of course, it was different than that. My wife was definitely freaking out. She was very upset, and I felt bad because I couldn't prepare for that. I really didn't know that it was that bad at all.

'Survivor': Russell S. goes down, reminds us this is a true game of survival

During the last few seasons of "Survivor," it's sometimes been difficult to remember that this is a game show about -- well, survival.

There have been rewards that include overnight trips to beautiful destinations where contestants received warm showers and massages. Extravagant helicopter rides over sweeping vistas. Endless spreads of exotic food cooked by locals.

But such luxuries haven't been at the forefront of the show this season on Samoa, where the players have so far been pounded with almost a week's worth of torrential downpours. The wet climate has made fire nearly impossible -- meaning heat and drinkable water are unattainable. And the harsh conditions have led to some serious dehydration, which got the better of Galu's leader Russell S. this week.

Even before the tribes met at the challenge, there were signs that Russell S.'s body wasn't faring well against the weather. He kept up a tough front, trying to start a fire while standing shirtless out in the cold as his other tribe mates huddled under the shelter of a tree. But when he stood out on the beach, lightly tossing a fishing line into the ocean trying to catch something, he appeared dazed. In his interviews on camera, he looked bleary with wide, bloodshot eyes.

'Survivor': A storm and jellyfish smoothies make for one very bad week

Man, not a fun week to be stuck on the island of Samoa.

First up: the infamous eat-gross-things-and-try-not-to-puke challenge. My favorite! There's something fantastic and horrible about watching the players try to down disgusting concoctions. Apparently host Jeff Probst agrees, as he seemed to be loving the challenge -- mixing together the most rancid items possible, trying to get people to gag and using words like "chunky." Yuck.

Shambo started things off like a champ, chugging her Samoa smoothie of clam, sea snail and fresh seaweed down in only a couple of gulps.

But I thought it was the two Russells who had it the worst. Jellyfish and milk? Brutal.

Despite the nasty drinks, this year's players seemed ready to pour nearly anything down their throats. I suppose it's a given that if you're playing "Survivor," you're going to have to ingest something grotesque at some point.

In Jeff's words: "You wanted to be on 'Survivor.' Welcome to the game."

'Survivor': Indifference sends Yasmin home and lets a chicken fly the coop

There was a wealth of apathy on the island of Samoa this week, and the lack of desire to play the game of "Survivor" ended up sending one contestant packing.

Galu, who finally lost their first immunity challenge, voted Yasmin Giles off due to her general malaise and her resistance to doing work around camp. I, for one, wasn't devastated to see her go -- mostly because she didn't seem all that heartbroken to be leaving herself.

"Vote me out because my body could use a rest, damn it," she told the camera before tribal council, where she awkwardly sported a pair of high heels and strutted through the dirt after Jeff killed her torch's flame.

But Yasmin wasn't the only one shrugging her shoulders at the game this week -- Jaison Robinson was driving me crazy with his incessant whining. He got his wish at last week's tribal council when Ben Browning was sent home for spewing insensitive racist remarks at Yasmin. At the time, Jaison said he'd leave if Ben wasn't voted out. But this week, it just seemed like perhaps Jaison had used those words as a ploy to get out of a game he wasn't all that into playing.

"I came here to have an adventure, but frankly, I believe coming here right now was the worst decision I have made in my life," Jaison confessed to the camera, after complaining to Russell Hantz about how mentally and physically exhausted he was. 

'Survivor': Shambo's poofy mullet, jogger bra, win over fans

I have a crush, and her name is Shannon "Shambo" Waters.

Of course, her hair is incredible: the puffy gray curls mopped on top of her head, all tied off by a dirty old rolled-up bandanna. 

She used to be a marine, and she's not into appearances: when the team gets a whole bag full of new skimpy bikinis (complete with animal print!), Shambo stays put in her sweaty old jogger's bra. As she goes fishing with the new snorkeling gear, she somehow manages to lose an integral mouthpiece in the murky pond and not have her tribe mates hate her for it as a result.

And when office manager Laura Morett led three tribe members through a peaceful morning yoga session, she quickly deemed their exercise frivolous.

"Are you freaking kidding me?" the mega-mulleted one said. "I'm kind of alienated from my tribe because I'm not in the '90210' clique. I'm not doing the warm and fuzzy stuff. I'm doing the Rambo Shambo provider role."

'Survivor': Is Russell Hantz already worse than Johnny Fairplay?

As "Survivor" entered its astounding 19th season on the island of Samoa last week, the show's marketing campaign centered around a 5-foot tall, potbellied dude named Russell Hantz, who is being billed as the most evil villain in the series' history.

Far be it from me to trust the advertising push. Let's not forget Coach, the wacky but overly hyped villain from last season in Tocantins who never quite lived up to his full potential, serving more as dumb fodder than true TV entertainment.

But then Russell H. -- whose gelatinous belly hangs over his already-worn-through boxer-briefs -- told his fellow Foa Foa tribe members one of the biggest whoppers in "Survivor" history during their first week at camp. As the group was falling asleep, Russell H. spun a sob story about trying to save his dog Rocky from the muddy waters of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, where he served as a heroic firefighter. His real career? He makes millions as the owner of an oil company in Dayton, Texas, where he's a married father of four and without the aforementioned adorable German shepherd.

And on last night's episode, Russell H. proved he's capable of playing more than mind games. He was the first player to take the initiative to find the hidden immunity idol without being given a clue to its location first. (Why the producers chose such an unoriginal location, however -- inside the only tree with a gaping hole? really? -- was beyond me.) Now that Russell H. has secured the idol and an alliance with hunky law student Jaison Robinson, he seems like a shoo-in to make it past the merge. How well he'd fare against a jury of former tribe members who may come to realize his true colors, though, remains to be seen.