First of all, Merry Christmas to all dotcomers!

Even in the spirit of the season, Chuckie wasn't spared from being voted off in the last tribal council 9-1. But it seemed to be the most humane thing to do considering he was already suffering from vertigo and it didn't look like he was strong enough to go on. Arthur would have been the practical choice for the old Bulan group but it looked like they had a soft spot for the weakening castaway.

Chuckie becomes the first member of the jury which only means one thing. He gets to be the first one to use the jury house. Chuckie's crib looks very comfy for a war weary castaway. Wonder what activities are en stored as he waits every two or three days for tribal council.

Betong shows a serious side of his persona. Yup, for a moment in this episode, he puts down the jester cap and shows us its not all fun and laughs. Everyone cries once in a while.

Betong was not the only one sad at the time. Stef would rather be the smelliest one in the group rather than be labelled as a rat. She felt the old Bulan were the ones who voted her to be the most undeserving in the top ten and the most "plastic" among them. Arnie wasn't actually the best person to lift her spirits but I don't think anyone in the old Bulan could have done anything to appease her at that point.

The old Tala group is still hoping to land Stef in their alliance. Personally its a little too late since the power of five (not including Steff) still out number Old Tala even with Stef. Plus Arnie and Mara are the only ones that have immunity bracelets.

The next challenge looks interesting and hints have been dropped on what could possibly be related to a traditional survivor auction challenge. I could say this is a modified version of the Eat Bulaga game of grabbing as much coins. But without the hassle of clipping a hand with your underarm just to get much more coins. :)

Assuming it is a Survivor auction, would they bid for food? A Palawan cruise? A meeting with the Palawan Governor (like in Palau)? A night with Richard? Or a sorely needed immunity bracelet for the Old Tala? Abangan.

Yup. She was one of the most polarizing castaway (CA) last season. It was either you loved her for her calculating strategy that landed her in the finale or hated her for being involved in taking out your fave CA. But most would agree that even the sun god Apolaki would have courted her for her mix of beauty and brains. More on Aubrey and her Q & A segment with the CAs later.

Talk about food fight. Betong looked really frustrated for the first time this season that he wanted to confront Mara...in english. Based on how Mara was compared to her mother in terms of "getting things", Betong confirmed that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree or as he said "like mother like daughter". Mara grabed a chunk of the fish cooked by Betong and Stef not to mention the two's share of rice. Though she did it for John and probably for Arnie, it really looked bad especially when you were not involved in preparing and cooking the food.

So Chuckie has a history of vertigo that does not involve drinking large quantities of alcohol or taking any substance like some other celebrity. But luckily, it did not warrant a medical evacuation.

Climate change is already getting on the nerves of the CAs. We saw that it rained so hard that the river bank near Apolaki camp was collapsing. Another evacuation had to be done but one wonders if the CAs really had to cross the river on their own.

I guess its standard to find an activity for the CAs when there is bad weather...but it will be tribal council later during the night. Can't they just let the CA's scheme I mean strategize on how they will vote? It was a good thing that the host of the "20 Questions" activity was no other than Aubrey Miles. What? She was there all the time just in case the CAs needed an activity? :)

But honestly its a tough job following in the footsteps of Lolit Solis who really squeezed every last ounce of detail from the CAs last season. But Aubrey did what she has done best last season, giving good advice in strategizing. It was like having a consultant on how to have an effective alliance/s and an end-game plan.

It was funny how Betong and Maey gave "compliments" to the other but in the "who is the most ewww?" kind of way. For Mara and Steff, the claws may not come out if ever but the two are always on each others nerves. Arnold is not getting that much love even from his alliance or with John.

Gino is never comfortable when it comes to other people's motives. So it wasn't surprising that he doubted Aubrey's intentions of doing the activity. Personally, Aubrey was there to do her role and Gino could have gotten some good pointers if he was game for the activity. You don't bother asking Richard if he has TF (talent fee) when he sees you in TC, so how different is it to just answer the woman or not answer rather than being sarcastic?

Anyway, most of the questions were supposed to lighten up the mood but it turned out to be a survey of sorts. The sneak preview of the next episode reveals Aubrey showing the results of what supposed to be a light hearted survey during the TC. Some CA's will be personally taken aback when some of the answers point to them. So how will TC end, it could be Arthur or a tie breaker based on the answers given by the CAs during Aubrey's Q & A. Abangan.

P.S.: For our ever dedicated CSIs out there. The opening sequence of the epi had some "spoilers" meaning we get some clues on who may be safe until when. But as fans of the show, the interesting part is the how and why so its still better to watch every epi.

A vast of Immunity Challenge area highlighted the episode last night. As the tree mail drawing implied, the IC is a maze and while the tribe members anticipated the puzzle game, they   quite underestimated how the game should be and were surprised , an amazed eventually.

Add to the list how Betong made a LOUD fart response to RG's staple question of "Survivors Ready!?! ", that certainly cracked the other Apolaki members.

Mara mistakenly took her spot near Arthur. The mistake could have ate her time to dig  her way towards the first maze, but she was the first to pass through.

While I was expecting Maey to become the Marlon Carmen reincarnate, it was Betong who was the last to squirm out from the fence.

The first maze was no joke, but Stef commend how it would be of an advantage for the female members to pass the bamboo maze because physiology wise , the men will have a hard time to stride on the bamboo.

The challenge ain't over yet .

Kudos to the staff for choosing the the name of the merged tribe. I was personally campaigning for Bakunawa but that's because I haven't watched Amaya for a long time. Can you imagine if the castaways were tasked to name the tribe? They could have voted on "Camp Amazing", "No Quitters Quarters", "Occupy Twitter", or "Cobralalalalah!". Luckily, after paying tribute to the nightly heavenly bodies, it was fitting that the sun would be recognized in the new tribe: Apolaki, the sun god in Philippine folklore.

The pre merge "challenge" was amusing. Someone commented that John was digging for his life since he was the last one to find his canister/basket. Some might say he was slowly digging his grave.

Richard punk'd the celebs bigtime as the canisters just had their new buffs signaling the merge. But he made up for it and gave them a feast that would make quitters say, "sobrang ma alaga pala ang staff and crew!". Favorite food, a lechon, bottomless drinks, and the hottest band in San Vicente Palawan. They even flew in the timeless Rachael Lobangco to entertain them with some fire dancing number that was so hot that even a sun god would be burned with envy. Then again, who else can throw an island party better than Richard? He wasn't bartending that night so no nasty shakes were served like in the "smoothie" challenge.

Of course the castaways grouped themselves with their old tribemates (as Chuckie explained) just to "touch base" or rather update people about what happened during their separation. I think no one wanted to suggest an "open forum" in fear they be the target by the three kings (KC, Gino, and John) or be blindsided by Arnold.

Anyhow, Arnold looked to be the talk of the tribe for his role in giving Carlo the boot. In fairness, Arnold can't take all the credit. Carlo had a strategy (or no strategy?) that was really bad. Arnie just pounced on the opportunity.

Speaking of Arnold, did you ever wondered where his lost immunity bracelet that was swept into the sea ended up? The mystery was recently solved when a wild pig ate it. Yup. This same pig was the lecheon served in the tribal feast. Mara was just smart enough to know that the lechon's belly is the tastiest part not the batok. So lo and behold! She found an immunity bracelet. Ok, this is just my personal theory. But watching four seasons of Survivor Philippines, I know there are no coincidences in this game. Everything happens for a reason people!

While the castaways had their merry making and fun (but no flashing of body parts like last season), Old Bulan and Old Tala were obviously strategizing. Tala may have been a little wiser now (Chuckie showing some smarts by advising Arthur on how they can even things up) but Bulan still have the numbers. Or do they? Swing vote Stef knows she's not really part of the power 5 of Bulan so why not conspire with Tala?

The honeymoon between the old tribes will quickly be over. Next week, the competition would be so exhausting that someone actually needed to be given oxygen. Abangan.

P.S. Its funny what you find in tv in an early Saturday morning. First, congrats to Arthur for his role in Pepito Manoloto. Second, for Mara getting to share her family's "beauty queen diet" in Pinoy M.D. Finally, Maey and Betong being celebrity endorsers of an "efficacent oil". Amazing! See, they didn't quit and are now reaping the rewards. :)

Someone said this would be a "bonggang bonggang" tribal council. It was in a lot of ways. Carlo was "crushed" the second time around by Arnold but not with a wooden ball but with a vicious blindside. But before we go any further, congrats to one dotcomer who called it right even before the episode started. You're the Madame Auring of your generation or just a very good observer of the game.

Kudos to the old Bulan (Mara and Arnold) for setting up the blindside. Carlo never saw it coming and was hoping to have Arnold as another BFF. Old Tala thought that operation "Putting the Snake-Bitten Girl (Steff) To Sleep" was going as planned. The moment was unbelievable for the Old Tala when Arnold gave the immunity bracelet (IB) to Steff and Old Bulan advised her to use it. Old Tala was like a deer seeing the headlights of a car: shocked at the impending disaster that would hit them.

I stand by what I said that the blindside was vicious. The Old Tala trusted Arnold too much that Carlo, Chuckie, and Maey were convinced that Steff was the weak link in the tribe. The IB that Arnold had was never an issue since people thought Arnie would save this for himself. But who would pass on an opportunity to take out one threat like Carlo? Maybe Carlo "wished upon a star" that Arnold was going to turn his back on the Old Bulan and be part of Tala? Arnie really sold the idea that they were a new tribe and when Old Tala least expected, they got a rude awakening that this is still a game in which you need to outplay, outwit, and outlast.

Mara may have had some sort of revenge because they outwit the "brains" behind her mother's exit in the game. Arnold may had some satisfaction in cutting the "dragon's head" and can now claim the leader role in Tala. Maybe he can now have the monicker of "dragon slayer" like Coach of Survivor South Pacific/Heroes vs. Villains/Toncantins. Steff would probably get over the fact that she was the least trusted by her "alliance". But I think it was good that she wasn't told because she was already in the "OMG! I'm gonna be voted out" mode and the Old Tala believed it too.

If its any consolation to the Old Tala, the Old Bulan wasn't gloating over outwitting Carlo with a blindside. Arnold claimed it was a difficult decision choosing Carlo over Steff. But Arnie was a competitor from the very start and it really looked like a no brainer when you have the power of the IB and the trust of your opponents. It was the "game changer" that Arnold was hoping to happen and when it came, BOOM! Mara still doesn't like Steff but they still needed the numbers going to the merge.

I like how Maey took the whole thing in stride. She never took the blindside personally. She even tried to console Chuckie when he felt betrayed by Arnold. But shed did caution that you can no longer just trust anyone who is playing the game.

Sadly for Carlo, "isang tulog na lang" and the merge was about to happen. He exited the game and probably with the "anting-anting" that was supposed to be used to protect the Old Tala when the merge happened. The situation looks bleak for the Old Tala since Old Bulan out numbers them. Without any IB or anting-anting, they can be easily be picked off one by one.

But that doesn't mean they shouldn't enjoy the feast and entertainment the generous Richard provided for the merged tribe. What would be their new name? Bulan would shoot down Bakunawa. Maybe to continue with the constellation theme..."Bulalakaw"? "Haring Araw"?

Again, Merge Madness is just around the corner. Will individual games be visible this early or will old tribal lines prevail? Abangan.

It was a cosmic collision of sorts at the Bulan tribal council (TC). I wasn't surprised that the old Bulan and Tala were to vote out someone from the other alliance and have an edge in numbers. I was shocked that Bentong was very involved during the discussion segment in TC. Was the gag order repealed? Was the TRO lifted? Go Betong Box show them you can be an eloquent speaker. True enough, he was mild mannered and showed that one can play the game by being nice. I can't promise he can win like Akihiro but at least he can say he played the way he wanted and did not quit.

After two rounds of voting, it did come down to Gino and Isabel to compete in the traditional tie-breaking challenge: fire making with flint. Sadly, Isabel flamed out in this challenge since Gino was being coached by zen fire master KC. It didn't looked like the two practiced for this challenge. Fans of the show are probably shouting "What?! how can they not know about the fire making challenge?". Yes, sacrilege. But the two had a decent challenge even without the practice.

Isabel was voted out by the "three kings" of the old Bulan because of...well as per Gino's words: trust issues. The irony of it was that Isabel was furious because they promised her that she wouldn't be voted out even if she didn't aligned with them. Sorry Isabel, these guys can promise you the moon and the stars (pun intended) but that isn't really binding in this game. Trust is a rare commodity in this game. For most CAs, if your not part of the solution then you are part of the problem. So they take you out of the equation. Literally.

So Isabel bade farewell to Survivor Philippines and says hello to "Daldalita". Just take a peek on the show and you would see a former love team reunited in this child friendly drama.

I think the three kings had their own personal reasons for voting out Isabel aside from the trust issue. KC wanted from Isabel was "votes, votes, votes". But since she was just like the chicken without eggs or votes for him that is, he must have declared "Off with her head!" (reference to the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland).

John feared that Isabel will make good on her promise to exact revenge if he ever does harm to Chuckie in the future. Well, voting her out solved that problem.

For Gino, he may not have wanted Isabel to be the reincarnation of Steff in this tribe. He had "trust issues" on people who acted independently.

Well the three kings (KC, John, and Gino) have hatched up a plan to throw away the next immunity challenge to get Arthur out. Looks like Carlo is going to have to rethink his "fair play" principle in the coming days. Which bring me to this point: Why didn't Carlo throw away that challenge? He had two anting-antings he promised to use for the benefit of old Tala. He didn't even bother giving one to Arthur just to get an advantage in the tribal council just like Mama Bel was given an immunity bracelet by Gino. Well shoulda, coulda, woulda.

Maey is getting her fare share of men in Tala. She may not be the next Madame Auring but the palm, arm, armpit and even abs reading of the boys was entertaining enough. The girl has some moves.

Welcome back Steff although much to the dismay of Maey but to the delight of Mara who tagged her as her number one enemy. Kudos to Steff for being a survivor and getting her head back in the game. She quickly realized the tribal shuffle and knew she had better chances by sticking to her old tribe. The doctors did clear her to play but I was surprised that the hospital didn't even cleaned her up or gave her food (based on her statements to Tala that is).

I loved that they adapted the ring relay challenge. Its an athletic challenge and neutralizes the physical brute force employed in the past challenges. But I soon found out that they used the paddles with holes from the "Scoop a Ball" challenge. Good thing John only smashed two paddles in that challenge. Maybe digging in sand using a paddles with holes is the equalizer for this challenge.

Winning tribe gets a shower. Women fans are probably imagining the Bulan boys lathering up. Betong will probably shower and with the most seductive voice say "Amaaazing!". Maey is already fantasizing how to split herself in cleaning Arnold and Carlo.

There is also coffee but surprisingly no product endorsement yet on the coffee and toiletries to be awarded. Then the ultimate prize for the castaway who will win the challenge for the tribe: an immunity bracelet (IB). Then there is that distinct advantage for the winning tribe in the immunity challenge. Looks like Richard is getting generous in the spirit of the holiday season.

But seriously, the IB would be an equalizing factor for any old Tala member who could win it. Imagine if Carlo wins it and just hands it to Arthur or Betong. KC and the rest of the three kings would go nuts. That is if they haven't learned that their numbers are enough to thwart the IB. Yes its possible if they know how to split their votes.

So the challenge has provided lots of opportunities and possibilities for the old tribes to equalize or have a huge gain in the numbers game when it comes to old tribe alliances. The old tribes have so far shown their loyalty. Will the Tala alliance crack or will there be a surprising new ally from the old Bulan? We'll find out next week.

PS: Steff sits out the challenge which is smart considering she should be resting but Arnold thought that she should have played. Maey is in for a sinking situation.

‎"Sa unang pagkakataon sa season na ito, magkakaroon tayo ng tie-breaker challenge. Ihanda ang inyong sarili." - Richard

All the twists shown during the weekend teasers have now been revealed in this episode. Like the Bakunawa, a mythical serpent that ate moons, a cobra bite has caused the lost of another Bulan member by medical evacuation. The introduction of new SP accessories in the form of anting-antings. Lastly the much awaited tribal shuffle which was earlier mistaken as a merge.

But thats going way ahead of the episode. Last night, Carlo was offered to give up joining the barbeque feast of his tribe in exchange for...wait for it...not just one but two anting-antings (black and white), which is the local version of an enchanted medallion. Like the famous heirloom of the Revilla clan, Richard said that by possessing the anting-antings, one will be given great powers over the game. So what advantage does these trinkets hold compared to well lets say...an immunity bracelet?

Super human strength to roll over balls on top of your opponent? Invulnerability to withstand paddle swings on your body? Immunity from snake's venom? Mind reading skills to avoid being fooled around? Ability to speak straight english? Or incredible endurance from pacing back and forth while explaining challenges? Well, it so happens that the anting-antings are just updated versions of the black and white pearls in season 1. One can add a vote the other can take away a vote during tribal council. You can also bring it to the merge and they look cool around your neck.

Seing a good bargain, Carlo didn't even hesitate to get the anting-antings for the benefit of the group. Good to see Richard has improved his market savvy skills. There goes another satisfied customer or castaway that is. Carlo then informed his tribe of the deal he just sealed with Richard.

The rest of Tala got to go to the secluded waterfalls and barbeque party. Betong looked like a barbeque addict. Maey had a small crush on Arthur...enter slow mo dreamy segment of Arthur. Could island romance blossom with these two? Not sure, but it was nice to see Maey getting some distraction from the hardships of the game. Tala had so much fun they even got to continue their "picture, picture" posing activity.

Bulan decided to have a barbeque of their own with one of their egg laying chickens. Stef wasn't up to the task but decided to join the group.

Tala got back to camp and Carlo was happy to show the bonfire that he set up. At campfire time, Betong and Maey offered to be the next pair to be voted out if they lose the immunity challenge. But their tribemates had none of it saying they are the strong six when the merge comes.

Probably the most unfortunate medical evacuation of the show, Stef had to be transported to Manila because of a possible Philippine Cobra bite on her ankle. See, the production team was prepared. They even got a local ambulance, the local clinic, and the chartered plane when Stef needed to be in a more suitable medical facility. CAs may not be pampered and had no one to shoo away snakes, but there was a "zero casualty" system implemented by the crew. Though she was already in a stable condition, it wasn't sure if Stef would get back in the game.

In the latest twist of the game, tribes dropped their buffs and a tribal shuffle ensued. KC, Gino, and John got to stay in Bulan along with new recruits Arthur, Betong, and Isabel. John wasn't happy being in Tala and wasn't thrilled that they were mostly girls with Maey, Mara, and possibly Steff getting back. But he is flanked with Carlo and Chuckie.

KC was quick to notice the "man love" of the Volcanoes as they parted ways. Lets face it guys, we've been waiting for the "Aimishu" moment since Season 1. Will the bromance be ever reunited and rekindled. Most of us hope so.

Quoting KC, the game got more dangerous and other "snakes", the human kind that is, are gonna bite you when you least expect it. Would the tribemates get along in order to survive or will old tribal lines remain strong? Hopefully we get to see some good blindsides and some strategic voting in the next tribal councils. Some hope Mara has the same game as her mom. Can Carlo and Arthur compete against each other? Lots of questions and things to look forward to and its just Tuesday. :)

by Rev

Last week's tribal council was the most interesting so far. For Tala it was a stress relieving process. The morning after showed the tribe just relaxed and even took a moment to do a wacky picture pose. On the other camp, Bulan had an "eggs"ploding experience.

Bulan was surprised that Mama Bel got the boot justifying that the temptation reward was a bad move from the start. Hey, she unwittingly helped 4 people quit and get rid of Tala's only immunity bracelet (IB) so back off! To borrow Mama Bel's line: Damn if you do. Damn if you don't.

Mama Bel's getting voted out would have also meant Mara's exit in the game. Too bad Mara had to give up her immunity bracelet to stay in the game. But she took it as a sign of independence from her mom so at least she's coping up.

For this episode, I'm happy that Richard got to live out a dream job outside of showbiz: being a bartender in a secluded island. Yup, he was mixing up some nasty drinks for the castaways (CAs) that would have been "illegal" in most if not all clubs in the metro.

I thought Bulan had an advantage for this challenge. KC had admitted he is a poop eating monster. The Volcanoes had conquered a talent production number which made them look like they can excel at anything. After Stef survived being "skinned" alive, this challenge looked like a walk in the park for her. Gino has always adapted in every challenge. I thought Mara would be more inspired after the "sacrifice" that her mother did for her and Bulan.

Some interesting moments in the challenge:

It felt weird that Maey's admiration over Arthur would be over a glass of cow's genitals and bitter gourd.

I guess KC realized there are far worst things than eating your own poop.

Mara was not a fan of onions.

For the adventurous, one must try the durian and pig snout smoothie.

As fate would have it, Tala won a barbeque reward. Carlo is finally 1 out of 2 in predicting wins for his tribe in challenges. Maybe he can be the next Madame Auring when the show is over.

Carlo volunteering to take a peek at the temptation reward wasn't surprising but it would have been better if he consulted with the tribe. Turns out, Arthur felt he earned the right (after winning two rounds for Tala) to get the temptation.

Tomorrow: Arthur gets the opportunity to possess what could be an heirloom of the Revilla clan: Pepeng's Agimat. Richard tries to convince Arthur that by sacrificing the barbeque reward, he will be in possession of great power in the game. But more likely, he'll experience the dreadful wrath of his tribemates. They didn't just drink those smoothies to get their protein fix.

The teasers clearly spell out that Stef is gotten get bitten by the snake. The merge is probably coming even before the season reached the halfway mark. Interesting things to look out for this week.

Alicia Rein Hi Jackie, if it is really you here, it is good to hear from you! Maybe we were diaapponted because we thought that if there is anyone who would quit, it would not be you, or Angelicopter. You both seem to be strong women. We were with you when Arnold rolled the ball over Carlos, your concern was admirable and your reaction understandable. Watching it again though, it could not be that bad, as I don't think the ball is that heavy to crush anyone. And when Maribel arrived at your camp, she was irritating yes, but she was not antogonistic until Ellen spoke. Let's face it, her presence ruffled the group and the group was not able to overcome that. We saw you complaining to the staff that nobody even asked Carlos how he was after the incident, maybe Richard was right, you were not able to forget that it was a show, that you had the same expectations when you are talents and when you were playing the game. So you decided to quit and you had your reasons but since people had high expectations of you, people could not accept your reasons, many thought they were lame. You said you did not want to be bad, but you need not be. As I have been saying, Akihiro won and he was the perfect gentleman the whole time. He just stayed out of the heat and stayed neutral. He was Mr. Nice. People hoped that you did not give in to the pressure right away. Hoped that you were able to handle it better. It was too early in the game and you have not really experienced the hardships the previous castaways experienced before. In short, we were disappointed. And the fact that you were angry did not help because we could not understand why you were so. Maybe it would have been better had you apologized earlier on to your supporters for disappointing us, that instead of staying angry and tweetting mga parinig, you stayed calm and composed. Maybe, we prefer you saying, well, I was angry, I don't know if I overreacted but it's done and cannot be undone, that, at that time, it was the right thing to do. And now you're even saying that the show is portraying you differently, that we did not see everything. This continuous trying to justify is not endearing you to people. The game is survivor and by its name, we expect you to play cleanly and survive. If there are obstacles, we were expecting you to get over them, fight and win. If you did not survive, then you lost. It's as simple as that. No more trying to keep clean. Bulan's boat capsized, Stef is injured but we did not hear any complaints from them. Hence the more your complaints and reasons become very lame. Geneva kept quiet so people stopped harassing her. So regarding your question why people are angry, it is because people are disappointed. I am not angry, I was disappointed because I have always been rooting for you back to the time when you were fighting for your children. I was happy to see you in the game and was expecting you to stay long. I was disappointed when you quit and disgusted when you keep on talking to justify. We did not need to hear you depending your decision, we just wanted to hear a more mature Jackie. The way you have been handling it these past days is very immature. So if this is really you, then kudos to you. I wish you well! God bless you!
16 hours ago · · 21

by Rev

Tala's tribal council (TC) was supposed to be the bleakest night for the tribe. But then, the stars aligned. It took an immunity bracelet (IB), two rounds of voting, and throwing everything at Mama Bel (yes even the kitchen sink) to end the reign of the High Profile Actress in Survivor Philippines.

It was a victory of sorts for Tala after a series of loses in physical and talent challenges. I admit Carlo hit it right on the head that they were the better tribe when it comes to the Outwit part. That took serious planning to ensure none of the original Tala members got voted out. There was a risk but it looked like Carlo and Arthur used their mind reading skills or probably their experience with women to guess how Mama Bel was going to vote.

Tala was also better at the Outwhine part too since even without Jackie, Angelicopter, and Ellen, they were able to hound Mama Bel during the day at camp and the whole evening in TC.

Kudos to Mama Bel for actually playing the game even at times that she wasn't even trying. She spun so many stories that only a veteran in the industry (showbiz) can narrate with ease. She answered every question, issue, and controversy so confidently like she was still in the final question of a beauty contest.

For those who missed the episode, most of it was interesting except for Bulan's crab eating segment. As if the immunity idol wasn't enough reward, they got to bring home 6 kilos of crabs (so mathematically each tribe member got a kilo?). The rest of the crabs were probably freed and went back to sea. Fat chance unless the crew was allergic like Echo Caceres of Season 2. Anyway, Arnold admitted never having crabs (that's alimango). Moving on...

Mara and Gino explained how they "slipped" an immunity bracelet to Mama Bel after the challenge. This was the same bracelet she supposedly returned to Bulan. As mentioned earlier, Tala was better at the Outwit part and saw the whole "Take it! Take it" moment. What was worse was Gino and Mara giving a hand sign language of the letter "C" which Carlo from Tala thought it meant his name. I thought it could have been just half of a "heart" sign or some surfer's sign like "hang ten" or something. It could have meant "crabs", "camp", or cookie monster might say "C is for cookie thats good enough for me." Sorry. I had to.

Later on, Tala figured what Bulan was probably planning...to take down Chuckie! Not because he was the last man standing for Tala during the challenge but because he and Isabel had an IB. It was a calculated move for Bulan in order to: 1) flush out Chuckie's IB; 2) possibly take out a pair from Tala; and 3) extend Mama Bel's stay in SP.

So Carlo tried to do a better Hulk impersonation (maybe he should have asked the Volcanoes for tips) to intimidate Mama Bel which forces her to outcast herself from camp. Not one of her classy moves but she did secure her IB near her family jewels just in case someone tried to steal it.

Though very protective, Mama Bel showed much resiliency in camp that day. The Tala tribemates were either nervous, irritated, angry, sad, and confused at times. Maey and Betong tried to ease the tension of the tribe as well as Mama Bel's high blood pressure. Isabel wanted to steal the IB for Chuckie's sake. The guy needed the prize money to help in the medical treatment of his mom who has cancer. Though not shown, they were probably doing some serious strategizing on how to "neutralize" Mama Bel's IB.

The real fireworks happened during TC. Richard was really earning his talent fee as host since he had to pacify the tribe every once in a while. Mama Bel even got to "cut in" Richard's question. For most of the time, Mama Bel looked tired but was able to parry most of the accusations flung at her. Towards the end of TC, it was amusing that Richard was saying that the talking session was still not over but Mama Bel was already asking for a medic because of her high blood pressure. I guess thats why Richard gave in to Mama Bel's request to go on with the voting.

Tala couldn't have executed a better voting strategy. They went to split their votes between Mama Bel and the pair of Chuckie and Isabel. There was a risk of Mama Bel not voting the pair since they had an IB as well. But Bulan did ask her to vote this pair in order to force Chuckie to use his IB. Since the only names voted had IBs, a re-vote ensued and anybody's name was fair game to be placed on the ballot.

Sadly, Mama Bel did not have luxury of a second IB, so the orignal Tala tribe unanimously voted her off the second round. I was happy that Mama Bel congratulated the tribe for finding a way to vote her off.

Tala are probably hoping that they cut the "cancer/disease" out of their tribe. For Mama Bel, her stay was probably the most entertaining for the Tala tribe.

So I will miss that leopard print blouse and the big sunglasses. The high profile actress that was just looking out for the interest of her daughter. Her psywar skills that contributed to four tala members quitting. The protector of the IB and the family jewels. One of the few castaways this season to play a good game and also entertain us as well. So I end this article by giving Mama Bel a "beauty pageant" wave and just one final request: "That she shows the same class and feisty character if she ever gets caught up in the twitter wars."

P.S. : What will Mara's fate be after her mother has left the game? Abangan...

Follow up: Bakit hind pinasalita si Betong sa mga TC? May gag order ba? May TRO ba? Buti pa si Maey na bigyan ng pagkakataon. Pero, kung hindi pa nila pa salitain si Betong sa next TC, I swear, I'll take this up to the Supreme Court!