Let them eat steak. Or a hamburger, a hot dog, a ham sandwich, a salad, a bowl of potatoes or a cup of cold rice. That's what Rupert had to decide after winning last night's reward challenge on Survivor: All Stars. Needless to say, his choices made both friends and enemies.
The challenge was a mental game with some similarities to Family Feud. After being asked to characterize their fellow Survivors, the castaways had to guess what the majority of their tribemates thought about each other, answering questions like "Who never stops talking?"
The correct response was "Jenna."
Alicia was the most insulted by the little quiz after being designated by her tribemates as the least deserving of the Survivor: All Starscastaways. When Jenna tried to comfort her, Alicia brushed her off in disgust.
In the end, Rupert won the challenge, proving he was most attuned to the psychology of the other players, or perhaps just lucky. His reward was a restaurant dinner for everyone. The catch? Rupert had to match each tribemate with meals that ranged in tastiness from a bland bowl of sticky rice to a hamburger and French fries or a well-seasoned steak.
His decisions were illuminating. Rupert, the legendary nice guy, surprised everyone by giving himself the steak and access to the open bar. Boston Rob got the burger, Jenna got the hot dog, Amber got the sandwich, Alicia got a salad, Big Tom got some 'taters and Shii Ann was left with a bowl of cold rice.
While Rupert and his buddies munched treats, Shii Ann drooled over the steak, drawing wrath from Jenna. Behind the scenes, Jenna urged Shii Ann to "Shut up! It's obnoxious!"
Meanwhile, Rupert chugged eight or nine beers as his tribemates rested their un-shampooed heads on the table, using soft cloth napkins as makeshift pillows.
The next day, the devious castaways were already plotting to vote off Shii Ann, the last surviving member of the original Mogo Mogo tribe. Once Shii Ann learned of their plan, she was determined to win immunity. And to everyone's surprise, she did just that, by holding her arm above her head, chained to a bucket full of water, for more than two hours.
Now there was a problem. Who should they vote off next? Should it be Rupert, the nice guy turned schemer who doled out the previous day's dinners using his own caste system? Should it be Boston Rob, the tribe's strongest player, or Amber, his girl-next-door cuddle buddy? Maybe it was time for Jenna to go. After all, her closeness to Rob and Amber would be a detriment in the coming days to the other would-be millionaires.
In a shocking move, Jenna, Rob, Amber, Rupert and Shii Ann sent Alicia packing. Alicia, who grew up in Connecticut, is the second New England native in a row to leave the show (Kathy, who was voted out last week, is from Vermont). But thanks to Boston Rob and our own Franklin-born Jenna Lewis, Panama still has its share of local talent from the great Northeast.