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Rob, who looks like he's made up for an amateur production of Don Juan, or maybe Don Two, sits bemused, as Tom rambles on. Tom thinks he's talking to Rob, who in turn thinks Tom is mumbling. Rob comments: "There was a brief time when I understood a few words Big Tom said. I think he needs more water or somethin'; now he makes these unintelligible noises."

Tom seems to have had some sort of delusion that close to the end of the game, Rob would choose him over Amber, surely a vanishingly unlikely possibility. Rob seems to be masterfully in control of this series so far, but look closer, at how perfectly and adeptly Amber is controlling Rob, and getting him to take all the risks for her and do all the dirty work. Yes, she has attracted some eviction votes so far, but only as a sort of proxy for Rob, not from direct animosity towards her. Only Shii-Ann seemed to recognise Amber's power and skills, but by then everyone was so very used to ignoring what Shii-Ann had to say, that they barely noticed.

RobnAmbah are even more determinedly portrayed as love-birds, to the extent that one wonders whether there could be something beyond game-playing here, and maybe even something that might endure beyond the Season finale.

Gotta get rid of who?
Jenna approached Rupert to plot against Rob, "We gotta get rid of Rob". Rupert agrees, but then these amateurs suddenly realise that the RobFadda is standing next to them, listening thoughtfully. He asks what they were talking about, and Rupe lies without missing a beat, "I was saying: We gotta get rid of Big Tom!"

This is the stage of the game when everyone feels an urgent need to scheme and plot, but with no really clear strategy to guide them towards deciding what to actually do. Nobody trusts anybody, and maybe the degree to with RobnAmbah trust each other is unusual and a major source of strength for both of them. "Paranoia will Destroya," Rob says, thoughtfully.

With even more lack of originality than usual, the next Reward Challenge is a repeat of a previous one, as if the producers couldn't be bothered to build any new equipment. It's the old obstacle course, with the bean-bag tossing event fitted into it. As this is almost a duplicate of the event Rob won before, he shouldn't have much trouble winning this time. The reward is a Chevy Colorado luxury bakkie, and the chance to drive down the beach to a Drive-In Movie, complete with hot dogs, popcorn, and candy. Jeffi points out, just as they start, that in seven seasons of the show, the person who won the car never won the game as a whole.

Predictably, Rob won yet again, with Amber a close runner-up, and the others well behind. They're actually very good at these challenges, and compete as if they REALLY want to win. Allowed to pick someone to take with him, of course he chooses Amber (hardly the surprise of the week); but she is rendered almost speechless when a second free car is revealed, which goes to her. Rather a promotional over-kill. The film, most appropriately, is Peter Brookes' version of Lord of the Flies, a sobering tale of how a group of kids, marooned on a desert island, descend into savagery. Someone, somewhere within the production team, was well-informed, witty, and slightly subversive.

Grumbling Rupert
The rest are really sour by now. When the love-birds return, there's a dour greeting, though Rupert characteristically tries to appear jovial and friendly to their faces while grumbling nastily to the camera out of earshot. As they approach, he's grumbling like Eeyore in Winnie the Pooh, about how he expects they won't even bother to bring back any candy. When he discovers that they didn't eat any of the candy provided for them, but had brought it all back, to share amongst the five of them, he grumbles that they had enough already, and shouldn't take any of the candy and should have shared all of it with the three losers.

When Jenna hears Amber won a car, too, she looks as if she's going to be sick. Sincerely sour, but hardly a graceful response. Rupert woos Tom as an ally to vote Rob off, but Rob ingeniously engineers a fight between Tom and Rupert, and they obligingly squabble, knee-deep in the ocean, while Rob looks on, smirking, apparently surprised at how very easy it was!

Then comes the Immunity Challenge. This proves to be a word finding contest, in which Tom performs surprisingly well, considering that he was never too good at finding words. In English, that is, though he seems pretty fluent in Goat. They have to find the names of all previous tribes, and then a mystery word. Amber races ahead and is only just pipped at the post by Rob at the last minute. This boy is bright. After a fast start, Jenna lags far behind, as does Rupert. Rob wins immunity.

Rob's now looking really confident. He and Amber call on Tom, and suggest they work to vote off Jenna, who is Tom's least favourite other contestant. They shake hands on the deal, but the atmosphere is odd, and one is left in doubt. As so many clues point to Jenna's early departure, we know she must actually be safe. Rob fears for Amber. Tom apologises to RobnAmbah. Rob speaks to Amber of how winning the million "will change OUR lives", which suggests they are planning a joint future.

Tribe has spoken
When at Tribal Council it comes to the vote, after a rather limited discussion, as if it's all been said already, it's Tom who gets voted off, giving Rob an especially bitter look. But as he chose to break his alliance with Rob, he can hardly have expected Rob to keep his side of the broken bargain. The Jury, all wearing heavy make-up, and having whispered scornfully among themselves all evening, look disgusted. "The Tribe has spoken!" declares Jeff, as usual. "I heard 'em!" says Tom. When the votes are revealed at the end, Tom's was the lonely vote for Jenna, and everyone else had voted against him.

Rupert has positioned himself badly. Jenna has clung closely to RobnAmbah's coat-tails (well, no coats, I admit, but you know what I mean) and Rupert hasn't carried her into a possible alliance with him and Tom, which could have outvoted the honeymoon couple. Rupert has now made himself a likely next target.

And if RobnAmbah can manage to reach the final two intact, and retain their close relationship, in a way both will win whichever of them wins - the jury members who dislike them would have no way to effectively disinherit them.

OK, so we're very close to the end of the series, but, folks, there are some things to look forward to - no more will we have to sit through that cheesy Pick 'n Pay advert about a squabbling bunch completing a puzzle. - (Prof Michael Simpson)
 

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