Survivor Guatemala: week 4

This week started out with a comparison between the camps. At one they're catching fish, sighting crocodiles, laughing and joking around and generally having a great time. At the other they're complaining about the heat and the mosquitoes, laying around with no energy to do anything and wondering of the others, "God knows what it's like around their place if it's this bad here." By now you'd be thinking that the second camp is that of perennial losers Yaxhá, but you'd be wrong. The producers really have some explaining to do about how Nakúm's camp could have been judged the better site of the two.

In deference to the heat, the reward challenge didn't require even brain power, let alone muscle. Each Survivor simply had to nominate a member of their tribe as the answer to a series of questions. The first one was, "Who in your tribe is most in need of nourishment?" with Jamie from Yaxhá and walking skeleton Danni from Nakúm getting the most votes and each winning an apple. Gary and Bobby Jon each won 20 litres of fresh water, some shampoo, the use of a bush shower and considerable encouragement and instruction in its use from their "friends" as a "reward" for being voted the smelliest.

The next question, "Who are the man and woman most deserving of a picnic on top of an Mayan pyramid?" had a fairly predictable prize but a completely unpredictable implication. With winners Gary, Amy, Margaret and Judd sent off with a basket of goodies, only the remaining Survivors voted on the next question: "Who has the most tribe pride?" The prize for Yaxhá's Brian and Nakúm's Cindy was that they got to stay in their own tribe, while everyone else had to swap. Well, not quite everyone. With five remaining Nakúm members a random draw decided who got to keep a yellow buff (Brooke) and who changed to blue (everyone else). I imagine that Danni and Brooke are both wishing they could have swapped, Danni because of the creepy excited look on Brian's face when he realised they're now in the same tribe.

Gary, of course, was far less excited at the prospect of Danni as a tribemate. Having been quizzed about being a retired pro-football quarterback during the picnic – and denying it point-blank yet again – he returned to discover he's now living with the woman who outed him and – like a superhero - he was forced to once again deny his true identity. At least we all now know why he's hiding it: Danni is annoyed that he's lying to her, but can understand that his football career will have left him very wealthy and that he's afraid the others will think he doesn't need or deserve the million dollars. He's right to worry: Amy can smell the lie and has stated outright, "If he's a multi-millionaire I'll freakin' kill him!"

If nothing else, the tribe swap has finally prompted some long-overdue politicking. Brian instantly went into campaign mode trying to win over the new members of Yaxhá, especially since the old members are now outnumbered four to three. Blake has also noticed that it's four on three , so during a toilet break with Bobby Jon (maybe they decided this camp will smell of wee instead of vomit like their last one) he outlined his master plan to keep the two of them plus Danni and Brandon and get rid of Amy, Brian and Gary: "We win every competition and we wipe them out. Then we figure out between the four of us." It seems to have escaped them that you only get to vote people out if you lose immunity challenges. The pair of young Einsteins both agreed to the plan and shook on it, and with neither having washed his hands there was presumably no need to spit in their palms to exchange bodily fluids to seal the pledge.

For this week's immunity challenge the teams had to row out into the lake and retrieve three bags of Mayan-style timber war clubs, then row back to shore and throw the clubs to break three tiles faster than the other team. A mid-race collision of Bathurst proportions saw Nakúm push their competitors well off course and win a handy lead in the race back to shore, but Yaxhá managed to catch up when Judd wouldn't tag out and let someone else have a go at the fun throwing bit. In the end Brandon sealed it for the new Yaxhá and confirmed everyone's suspicion that Stephanie is the source of the bad luck for her team, not just a victim of it. According to Jeff she's now lost 81% of the Survivor challenges she's ever attempted.

Everyone at Nakúm – including Judd – quickly figured out that Judd was the potential swing voter but it was interesting how the different sides approached him. Stephanie and Jamie appealed to his strength and blokiness. Margaret used math and logic to try and retain his loyalty to herself, Brooke and Cindy. Needless to say the latter approach bounced off him, and Brooke was voted out 5-3 in the first tribal council at which all the votes have had to be read out. She must really be wishing she hadn't found that yellow buff, now!

All in all it was one of the most satisfying episodes this season. The politics has started, and we know the source of Gary's paranoia. Now we just need to work out why Rafe was patiently pasting small leaves to Lydia's shoulders after the immunity challenge. Maybe it's a courting ritual for gay Mormon wilderness guides and there's something about Lydia we don't know...