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By Chico Alexander
Reality Editor, StormSeeker.com

Night 27: Just getting back from voting off Brandon. The way we see it, Lex is more vulnerable in the next vote, primarily because of his vote of Frank. I personally thought that things got a little hairy at Council, but that wasn't the least of my worries until we got back. As Little Kim and Ethan stood guard, they heard the unmistakable growling of a lion. Close enough to be spotted, the "King of the Jungle" stalked the camp and roared.  I don't speak lion, but I'm guessing what they were saying was "DINNERTIME!" Everyone who wasn't frozen stiff (read: if your name wasn't Kim) held down the fort. After the lion scare subsided, the night vision twilight gave way to the dawn of...

Day 28: We had a tough time getting up this morning. Not that we were lazy or everything, but we were weak and showing signs of... well, I don't even know what, but whatever it was, it was on Older Kim's leg and it wasn't really that right. Lex stated the obvious: "Our bodies are starting to show signs of trouble. We're starting to get sick." People were losing weight, Older Kim's feet were shrinking, and Big Tom's boil was growing. (to reiterate last week's byte: ick.).  As usual, "mush or gruel" was the morning's menu. You could eat corn, corn meal patties, corn soup, or mush with corn added for flavor. "It's like eating chalk twice a day. Then they put corn in it, and you got chalk with some corn." Once again, Tom hit the nail on the head.  After our corn extravaganza, Tom and Ethan went to grab some firewood (no doubt to cook corn in seven more different ways). They talked about how Lex voted for Frank last go-round.  Expressing concern, they question Lex's allegiance and Tom vowed to keep an eye on him.

Mail call.  It comes with a pig. Pop quiz: What's the difference between Tom and a pot-bellied pig? Answer after the challenge byte.

"You'll need lots of strength for events down the road. Today's a good day for you to carbo-load. Proteins and sugars will give you power to burn, But if you're smart enough, these gifts you will earn."

R-CHALLENGE: Auction II - Assorted food items.

There's really no challenge to it. It's pure reward. Jeff has given everyone 20,000 Kenyan shillings to bid on various food items in 500 shilling increments (as of this writing, US$1 = 78.45 Shillings).  To coin a phrase from one of my personal heroes, "let's see the first item up for bids!"

Hot coffee and a chocolate croissant. Winner: Lex.
Cheese and crackers: Teresa
Chalice of cold beer (no Mountain Dew?): The reserve was 4000
shillings. Tom bid 1000 and won.
Ice cream sundae: After a heated battle, Little Kim won the sundae,
followed subsequently by a jar of hot fudge, won by Ethan.
A mystery item was won by Older Kim. It turned out to be a fried chicken
dinner with all the trimmings. The victory quickly escalated into another
auction for half a wing and the potatoes. That auction was won by Frank.
Next one's a biggie, a sub (They call it a hoagie, I call it a
sub). Winner: Teresa. How good is it, Teresa?

"Good enough to make you wanna slap your mama."

Final dish up for bids: a mystery. Ethan and Tom pooled their money and won the auction. Tom took a peek, remembering how Jeff did him right last time. This time...

"He did me wrong! I'll KILL ya! I'll KILL ya! After I KISS YA!"  A full breakfast platter with pancakes, eggs, and ham. Realizing his partner Ethan was Jewish, Tom danced around in joy, proclaiming, "He's a Jew! He's a Jew!" Maybe so, but that won't defend your pancakes, you backwoods hick.

Auction closed. Help control the savanna population. Have your lions spayed or neutered. Happy Festivus. Oh, BTW, the correct answer: The pig doesn't have a boil.

We all returned to camp, a little bit fuller and a little bit wiser. Lex pointed out that "it was interesting to see who's a more clever and shrewd wheeler and dealer." Maybe more strategic planning. But the real star after the challenge was Tom. "Tom is not the most politically correct person," Little Kim said. "I go back and forth on whether Tom is for real
or some of it's just a put-on. I think he's smarter than he lets on." Great Kims think alike, as Older Kim demonstrates. "He plays a good ol' boy, but I don't think he's as back-woods-ish as he would like to make you think." Add a Lex to the pot: "I knew quickly that he was a lot brighter than he let on." And now a Chico: Tom seems to be the most shrewd of the bunch and, in the end, that's going to help him psychology-wise, because he's diverting attention to what will ultimately be his game-winning strategy. Not to say that he'll win, but he knows how to play the game.

Day 29:  As we get closer, we tend to overlook those petty things that divide us and see each other as family. Yes, I'm talking about the difference between men and women in a physical sense, as Tom once again demonstrates by bathing most of the ladies. At the watering hole, Big Tom managed to sneak a few peeks during the bathing sessions. None of the tribe's female members seemed to mind, though. Ethan noticed that "we're getting pretty comfortable with each other, and it's like your family now. It makes everything a little more difficult now, because tomorrow I'm gonna have to vote one of these people off."  With that, we turn to story time with big brother Jeff.

I-CHALLENGE: African Folklore.

Jeff gathered the tribe around for a story about the life of a Samburu warrior. Long story short: Hard life, harder death. I hope the tribesmen did a better job of remember the story than I did, because each tribe member has to run to one of seven stations arranged in a circle, each with a question and two eggs corresponding to two answers. The right answer had a colored strip of leather corresponding to the part of each other's pole. The wrong answer was empty.  First person to get five strips tied to their staff and return to the center of the circle wins immunity. The tribe ran from gate to gate cracking eggs and grabbing colored strips, occasionally cracking an empty egg. Frank and Lex remained tied through
the whole contest. It looked as if Frank would win the race, since Lex unwittingly dropped a strip. But he recovered it, returned to the circle, and was once again immune for the next round.

Day 30: As the sun peaked over the horizon, Frank took a moment to reflect on his month in Africa. "To be here is just awesome. My love for being here just grows every day."  Aware of the impending vote, Frank discussed the need to show his more sensitive side. At breakfast that morning, he attempted to emote his sensitivity in a diatribe against people who support gun control. Frank, if you're trying to turn the tribe against you, mission accomplished. But again, only the votes will count. With only 7 people left and old alliances weakening, the group faced a difficult vote at the impending Tribal Council. In an attempt to break up the alliance, Teresa played the Tina Wesson card, proposing to Older Kim that they vote off Ethan, reasoning that although he was the most likable person in the world, he could be the most competitive. It didn't work, as Older Kim refused. But did she remain true to her words?

Night 30: TRIBAL COUNCIL. Reiterated over all was the increasing sense of family. That made for a tough vote. With Kelly and Brandon watching, Jeff asked the $1,000,000 question: "How can you vote for someone, knowing that your fate will ultimately be in their hands?" Some varying answers (all having to do more with strategy and less with outright disgust) leading to the vote.  After the morning diatribe, it was quite obvious. But for kicks, let's see the votes.

Little Kim: FRANK. Not out of spite, but of strategy.
Frank: OLDER KIM.

Frank and Kim are tied. But that would quickly end right there.

Lex, Older Kim, Tom, and Ethan (heretofore known as "The Alliance"): FRANK.
Teresa (who was said to vote for Ethan): FRANK.

6-1, two votes withheld. Frank... THE TRIBE HAS SPOKEN. He'll be back in three days to assess the situation. But for now, he silently leaves, not really having been a part of anything from the beginning. 

Final notes: Six players left. Two weeks before the finale, it's time to weigh in on who has the best chance of making it to the final four. Tom and Ethan, as long as they stick to their guns (and each other), stand the best chance of making it to the end. Lex, below Tom and Ethan because of his sway vote of Frank last week, may have much less of a chance if he doesn't win immunity again. Older Kim, also sticking to the alliance theory, may have about the same chance as Lex. Little Kim will probably go right before the final, as so many of her type have in the past. Teresa will most certainly go in the next round if Lex wins immunity. But again, these aren't guarantees.

Chances of survival to the Final Four
Ethan: 98.75%
Tom: 92%
Older Kim: 85%
Little Kim: 80%
Lex: 66% (if he wins immunity next week); 50% (if he doesn't)
Teresa: 50%