CANOE -- JAM! Television - TV Shows - Survivor2: Australian Outback: Episode Eleven: Amber axed

As she would say herself...Oh, my gawd! Amber Brkich, the school girl-ish administrative assistant who walks and talks like she just stepped out of an eighties John Hughes movie, was the latest victim of Survivor Two's Tribal Council vote. Brkich's plan to remain low on everybody's radar backfired as she quickly became The Invisible Woman to many of the contestants. Out of sight means out of mind and as Brkich found out, it is easy to stab someone in the back when you have no emotional ties to them. Aligning herself so closely with hated tribe mate Jerri Manthey also severely damaged her status in the minds of the other contestants. Docile, naive and as chatty as a mime, Brkich (nicknamed "Am-bore" by fans) was a non-factor in the game and ultimately, the series itself. She was about as interesting to watch as a CBC documentary on cod fishing. Bye-bye, Amber. We hardly even knew yah.

Brkich's ejection quashes speculation that a "glitch" on the official CBS Survivor Two Internet site gave away who the final two Survivors are. Since Brkich and Elisabeth Filarski were the only people who did not appear in hidden HTML code on various pages on the site including the Final Words and Chat sections, it was assumed that they made it to the end. Evidently, that isn't so in Brkich's case.

A new alliance sprung up at the Tribal Council with Rodger Bingham, Keith Famie, Tina Wesson and Elisabeth Filarski banding together to kick Brkich. There is a popular theory floating about that the four players formed a coalition when the Kucha and Ogakor tribes first merged and have been secretly working together to pick off the other players. This would explain some irregular voting patterns in the past. Only time will tell if scenario stands up as being true. If so, it could be the twist fans have been waiting for.

The remaining Survivors at the start of the broadcast were:

Barramundi Tribe

Barramundi Tribe Happenings (Day 31)

Colby has learned nothing from Michael's mishap and sits staring into the camp fire while Rodger, Amber and Liz relax in the shelter. Such action. Such drama. We can barely contain ourselves. Having gorged themselves silly on their first allotment of rice, the tribe carefully measures out the cop-out, emergency stash the producers gave them last episode. Chewing on the rice pot's handle, Liz asks if anyone wants the scrapings as she picks at and eats them herself. Concerns about food abound yet none of these slothful Survivors go hunting.

Elizabeth, Keith and Tina compare notes. Petite, skin and bones Elizabeth calls Amber weak. Putting her usual phony diplomatic spin on things, Tina -- the smiling assassin -- says there is no way Amber is going to just cruise on through but she's proven that she's tough. Translated from Tina-ese, that means Amber is a goner. Colby correctly believes that he must win immunity to stick around. Employing her sad puppy dog look, Liz expresses her need to win immunity.

Reward Challenge

A rope maze the Survivors must find their way through to reach a finish line.

Reward

Survivor Two meets Hee-Haw as Outback cowboys ride in on horseback. The winner gets to go with the cowboys to their camp, eat their food and sleep on a dry cot.

Result

Colby and Amber trade the lead but Colby inevitably comes out on top. Host Jeff Probst hands Colby a bag containing some kind of Outback food the cowboys make from tree bark, snake skins, kangaroo droppings and whatever they can scrounge from the forest floor. Filling his face, Colby asks if he can share the edible beige brick thing with his tribe. Jeff says nope. Rodger asks Colby to sneak some pork and beans back in his pocket.

Winner: Colby.

Ride 'em, Colby! Mucho grando footage of Colby and the cowboys trotting through the Outback. A storm springs up scaring the horses. It's raining so hard the group can barely see where they are going. Colby feels sorry for his tribe for about three seconds then ponders how many canned beans the human digestive system can handle in one sitting.

The rest of Barramundi arrive at the shallow river they traversed to get to the challenge. Due to the heavy rainfall, the river is now a raging torrent and the Survivors can't cross it. Instead of finding another way around it, they just throw up their hands and wait two or three hours until things calm down. Makes sense. In the meantime, building their camp on a dry river bank doesn't seem like such a good move. A flood devastates the Survivors' camp. The tribe's precious container of rice is one of the items carried away by the deluge. Showing more determination, spunk and brains than any of the Survivors, a kangaroo paddles across the river and after several failed attempts climbs back onto dry land. In your face, stupid humans.

A millennium passes and the Survivors reach what's left of their pathetic hovel. Everyone's in a panic once they realize that the rice container and fishing gear are gone and that they might have to actually get off their butts and hunt. Cue the sorrowful music as the players pick up the pieces of their shattered, wretched lives. Boo! Hoo!

At the Rancher's Camp, Colby shares a beer with Jeff. Colby says he enjoyed the horseback ride as it was "something he would do" in Texas. Tragically, even though he has a beer in hand there is no parking lot so Colby can't show us what he ALSO likes to do in his home state. Colby thinks that dominating the challenges has its good and bad points. The good is that he gets to build his energy back up. The bad is that his fellow tribe members might turn on him. A cowboy serenades Colby with a mumbled, garbled song about greedy, narcissistic people selling their souls for a million dollars...or was it about life in the Outback? Whatever.

As darkness falls, Keith and Tina search the river bank hoping that some of their possessions have washed up on shore. Caught in some fallen trees in the still raging river is the rice container! While the other Barramundi members and Survivor cameramen looking on, Keith attempts to reach the container by walking along a slippery log. Rodger offers Keith a rope just in case he falls into the drink. Tina steals Keith's thunder by swimming across the river in no time flat. She scoops up the container before Keith can even reach the other side. Tina and Keith bring the container to shore. Everyone praises Tina and Keith's valiant effort. Everyone hugs. Tina says that nothing was going to keep her from that food.

Looking forward to a warm meal, the Survivors heft the container back to camp. In the funniest Survivor moment ever, Keith realizes that the matches to start a fire were in HIS jacket and they got soaked in the flood. Not able to cook the rice or light a camp fire to keep warm, the Survivors huddle together in the sand and go to bed hungry as Colby is shown at the Rancher's Camp complaining that he ate too much. Poor guy.

Barramundi Tribe Happenings (Day 32)

In the morning, Colby eats a peanut butter and jelly sandwich as well as the breakfast that's prepared for him at the Rancher's Camp. At Barramundi, Keith says last night was the most miserable night of his life...ever. The Survivors start to rebuild their shelter. Colby returns. He is shocked by the damage. He feels guilty so he hugs Amber and Tina making everything all better. All you need is love, baby.

Immunity Challenge

Every Survivor has three plates hung with their names on it. The goal is to use a slingshot and break the other players' plates. The person with the last plate intact wins.

Reward

Immunity from Tribal Council.

Result

The pressure is obviously getting to the Survivors as lots of personal sniping and trash talking goes on here. Colby takes Amber out. He apologizes but she fires back that she is "paying attention" to what's gone down. Rodger and Keith team up on Colby. Knocking Keith out, Colby exclaims...The chef is cooked! Jeff announces to everyone that Colby has eliminated a lot of the Ogakor Alliance from the challenge. Colby says something in jest about "jumping ship". Liz and Colby are the last two. Colby is victorious. Jeff rubs it in by saying that Colby's winning is becoming a "regular thing".

Winner: Colby.

Barramundi Tribe Happenings (Day 32)

Everyone is huddled in the shelter. Amber declares her hatred of Tribal Council. Liz gives her stock answer saying this is the toughest one to date.

Tribal Council

Jeff is out to really stir up trouble. Rodger comments that it wasn't his idea to build the shelter on the dry river bank. It was the females in the tribe. Since the flood he says that everyone has pulled together. Liz is playing the game, day to day, minute to minute. For Keith, it is hard to keep the game in focus with all of their hardships. Jeff calls Tina on her strategy of being the likable but devious player. He asks her if any of the remaining Survivors are deserving of winning. Put on the spot she bumbles her answer at first not being quite sure then stating that all six are deserving. Rodger feels that eventually Kucha will be wiped out.

Liz votes for Amber giving her usual "tough decision", "it's not personal" excuse. Rodger selects Amber even though she is a "sweet girl". Colby votes for Rodger. He is following what he thinks is the "batting order". Amber targets Rodger thanking him for being a comfort and a father figure. Keith's vote is for Amber. She's a tough competitor and hard to beat. As the tribe leaves with fire for their camp, Jeff informs them that the past alliances seem to be toast.

Final Voting

Parting Comments

"I don't hold anything against anybody. You guys were the best five people I could have spent my last couple of nights with. I am actually kind of relieved. Those last couple of nights were really, really rough. I am very proud of myself to make it this far and I am going to be thinking about you guys a lot. You are going to be in my prayers and thoughts. I would never ever, ever regret anything that's happened here."- Amber Brkich.

Powell's Comments

One next week's show Colby accuses Keith of wasting the rice. It is clear that the other members of Barramundi are sick and tired of Colby winning the challenges and his constant bravado when he does. Either an alliance was formed in his absence or the rumoured Keith, Tina, Elizabeth and Rodger voting bloc is biding their time. They certainly left him out of the loop and betrayed him when deciding to cash in Amber's chips. Colby had better keep winning the immunity challenges. One slip up and he's so outta there. Methinks that Colby won't take being shuttled out of the alliance too well.