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For 39 days, 16 castaways were stranded in Asia.  Every 3 days on the island became a 1-hour show.  The first contestant eliminated pockets $2500.  Each successive eliminated contestant wins more money, through the next-to-last Survivor, who receives $100,000.  The final Survivor wins a million dollars!

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I usually don't get into very intellectual conversation when I do recaps - because most people don't like that - they prefer when I insult and make fun of the contestants. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy doing that, but it seems like this last episode reminded me of a collection of literary works all at the same time.

"No one believes more firmly than Comrade Napoleon that all animals are equal. He would be only too happy to let you make your decisions for yourselves. But sometimes you might make the wrong decisions, comrades, and then where should we be?" - Animal Farm.

The problem, to be blunt - is Robb. Robb's choice to ally with Jed and Stephanie was a fatal one, because they are both gone - and he's next. Robb is the last outsider - and he's completely oblivious to the fact that he's the last outsider. Robb was told by Ken that everyong thought the last vote was a toss-up between him and Stephanie, while everyone else told him that they were going to vote for Shii Ann.

Of course, Shii Ann is still there, and Stephanie isn't, so instead of confronting the people who lied to him, Robb confronts the one person that's been honest to him - Ken. This is the problem that we have with Robb - everyone knows that he's next on the chopping block except him.

So Ken pretty much tells it as it is - he has been the ONLY person truthful to him. 'You have a real set of balls to try to bite the hand that feds you now'. Robb is portraying the dumb, oblivious animal - and he continues to be oblivious when he eats bananas when he was told not to. Shii Ann starts getting into it and the tribe tells him to back off.

"Piggy once more was the centre of social derision so that everyone felt cheerful and normal." - Lord of the Flies

Maybe Robb can eat something for this reward challenge. Its a sort of lacrosse game, Thai-style. The players are launching balls from a huge slingshot. players have to catch them in their stick that has a lacrosse-like net at the top. Whoever scores 5 goals first wins. The reward - a Thai cultural feast with real Thai entertainers.

Since it's athletic, we should get the advantage, and we sit down Shii Ann. We get the first goal - thanks to Robb. And the second goal - thanks to Robb. And the third goal...Robb gets the first four goals and Chuay Gahn needs to regroup.

They stick Ted to defend Robb, as Chuay Gahn get 3 more goals, tying the score. Sook Jai calls time out - and they plan a new strategy - they put Robb in the middle, but the target is Ken - and he catches the final ball for the win. But Robb, the oblivious one, was the huge contributor for this. So if it's a physical challenge, we have no problems.

And we get the goodies - and the wine. We also get a traditional band in the background and a bunch of Thai dancers. While we're eating, 'If we had an MVP award, it would go to Robb,' says Erin. So we're all thanking Robb and everyone is saying how much we love him - while sharpening the axe out in the shed.

Meanwhile, Ken and Robb go out into the woods to talk about things, mano a mano. Robb is taking a page out of Of Mice and Men, playing the role of Lennie to Ken's George and I expected Robb to say 'Someday, we'll have a little house and a couple of acres. A place to call home. '

But we get the modern day version of it. 'I really squashed the beef with Ken' says Robb. Ken seems to disagree - 'I really sat down to have a talk with him because he's not doing too well out here'. I was waiting for Ken to pull out the gun and put Robb out to pasture.

But it's the team that loses the immunity challenge that will be sending someone to the dog kennel in the sky. This is an immunity that we really need coming up - we win, we're up 6-4 going into the merge. If we lose, we are even going into it 5-5.

"21 - A Game of Luck?
Not in this place
If your mind's not sharp enough,
You could be gone without a trace." - Survivor Tree Mail, Survivor: Thailand

The game is Thai 21 - an old Thailand game. There are 21 flags in the circle. You can take 1, 2, or 3 flags. The team that takes the last flag wins. THis is an intelligence game, so once again, we're in trouble. We sit Robb, the oblivious one, out - which isn't exactly going to bring down the intelligence level.

The game is simply a formulaic problem. All you have to is to make sure that when you're done with your turn, the flags are divisible by four, and you win (You will stay in control all game - try it and see). Neither team does that, but Chuay Gahn plans well ahead and not-surprisingly, defeats us with the superior brain skills.

Back to tribal council we go for the third time. This is around as anti-climactic as it gets, we know Robb's gone. Heck, Robb knows that he's gone and he turns into 'Flower's for Algernon's' Charlie Gordon when we go to the the campfire after losing the immunity challenge, trying to cheer up a devastated tribe.

"There's no word that can describe this experience...you know what I thought was important to me? How much money I had, and getting wasted...the most important thing in life - the people you love, the people who love who love you just as much, that's what this is about...I didn't have a relationship with my dad for 21 years of my life, and now I miss him more than I miss everyone, I want to go home and tell him how much I love him, and that's what Im going to take away from this matter what happens. I'm going to go home a winner." - Robb, Survivor: Thailand.

Everyone is telling him how much of a great guy that he is. But that does not change the mood of the tribe, and Jake proves that quite dramatically in the morning when him and Shii Ann grab a chicken the next morning from the shed. 'Thank you for giving us your all',Jake says to the chicken, before single-handedly snapping it's neck.

And that's what happens at tribal council. Robb casts the lone dissenting vote for Shii Ann, but the rest of the tribe sees Robb for who he is - someone who is not all mentally there, and a threat for the physical challenges - a 'dumb giant', as it was, and they collectively snap his neck. They put him to sleep, but it's the best thing to do for the tribe, and maybe the best thing for Robb as well.

"Well, clearly, you guys have experienced some real spiritual growth, and yet it sounds like the person that inspired that growth was the same person that you voted out. Great game, huh?" Jeff Probst.

"And in the middle of them, with filthy body, matted hair, and unwiped nose, Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man's heart, and the tall through the air of the true wise friend called Piggy." - LOTF