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"FacebookPinterestCBS\n\nGood thing Jeff Probst never claimed to be fair and balanced. This episode launched with a solid 90-second love letter from Probst to Boston Rob, deriding Russell\u2019s villainy in the process. It was basically a televised version of his blog comments\u2014which echoed/supported our weepy sadness\u2014about the Tragic Loss of Boston Rob last week.\n\nSide note: Is there anything worse than a predictable, straightforward episode of Survivor that ends with a terrific player getting booted? Man...\n\n[Read last week\u2019s recap here]\n\nMerge-o-Clock\n\n The hour has officially struck when Survivor becomes singularly obsessed with the merge. The Villains took all their belongings, tools and tarp to the challenge, they were so sure the mergey lovefest was on like Donkey Kong. And whaddaya know, not only did they not merge, but after Coach and Jerri fretted about starvation (seriously, guys?), the Villains lost a chance to mow down on a feast and get schwasted on some brewskies.\n\nSurvivor Bowl\n\n Supposedly all this season\u2019s challenges are culled from the show\u2019s past. But does anyone remember Survivor Bowling? A friend recently asserted the show lives or dies by its challenges, and I have to disagree\u2014if the contests were actually a huge part of the game, why would so many of these &amp;quot;classics&amp;quot; seem so new and so...dull? Challenges rock only when players a) hurt each other, b) cry, c) eat bugs, d) display crazy feats of endurance. Even copious amounts of mud don\u2019t make deter my impatience.\n\nRussell is Iago\n\n Seriously. J.T. is convinced the Villains are cowering under an all-female alliance, with Russell and Coach on the outs. Russell knows this and is rubbing his hobbit hands together with glee. All we can do is watch, fume.\n\n **\n\n Best Lines**\n\n &amp;quot;J.T.\u2019s the slimiest guy out here.&amp;quot;\n\n -Candace, about the guy who played one of the most honest and honorable seasons of all time\n\n&amp;quot;The time for exigency has exited.&amp;quot;\n\n -Coach\n\n&amp;quot;The worst tribe ever put together is the Villains tribe. I should not even be here\u2014I should be with the Heroes. I can\u2019t stand Jerri, I hate Coach, I hate Daniel, I hate Russell even more. I equally hate them all.&amp;quot;\n\n -Sandra, who is upset\n\n&amp;quot;I hate playing this game with these people.&amp;quot;\n\n -Coach\n\n&amp;quot;If given the choice of Tyson or Boston Rob over, say, Courtney, I think 99 out of 100 people would probably pick Tyson or Boston Rob. No disrespect.&amp;quot;\n\n -Probst, who\u2019s realllly making himself part of the game with remarks like this one at tribal council\n\n&amp;quot;I am probably more pissed off than I\u2019ve been in a number of years. I really am not a very vindictive person, but I hope they get wiped off the face of the map.&amp;quot;\n\n -Coach, after getting the shaft\n\n **\n\n Our Take on the Vote**\n\n Boston Rob and Coach, back to back, at Russell\u2019s hand. Unbelievable. Two of the most interesting players of the game were taken down by the machinations of a troll we\u2019re going to have to start admitting is one of the best players of all time. Or at least deadliest. Or maybe we can just call him lucky? The super-lucky Southern hobbit?\n\n **\n\n Who\u2019s Next?**\n\n Who cares. This season is either in a slump or is continuing to careen into dark depths that only serve to infuriate. Heroes vs. Villains started out phenomenally, but the loss of Coach and Boston Rob mostly leaves Russell and an on-the-outs J.T. And J.T.\u2019s going to _give Russell the hidden immunity idol next week...?\n\n _\n\n For more Survivor coverage on GQ.com, check out our conversation with Chuck Klosterman.\n\nFollow Verge Correspondent Zach Dionne on Tumblr and Twitter."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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