That may have been what sealed it for Albert -- not so much the speech as the fact that Coach was on to him. As for Cochrane, I think he trusts Coach more than Albert and thinks his chances are better with Coach.

And frankly, I think he's right about that. Between Coach and Albert, I'd rather hitch my wagon to Coach (words I never thought I'd type). Albert shows glimmers of strategy, but he seems to fail at pulling it off. Coach, on the other hand, is playing a pretty flawless game. Plus, he has an HII.

Also, I think Cochrane may also think that he already has a Scarlet T (for "traitor") on his buff, and he may figure he won't do himself any favors by adding a second one.

I was busy last Wednesday prepping Thanksgiving dinner and assumed that was a recap episode...I guess it was, since no one bumped this thread?

It was. Might be worth looking for online -- it had some entertaining moments, as well as a few elucidating ones.

I usually skip the "highlights" episode, but I'm glad I watched this one. The new scenes of the sleeping arrangements in Ozzy's tribe shed a lot more light on how poorly Cocharan (sp?) was treated by his tribemates.

That along with the way the made sure that killing the chicken was as uncomfortable and embarrassing for Cochrane as possible.

And what was with Brandon killing the only egg-laying chicken because he let the first one get away?!

Brandon = not smart.

Actually, I wondered if we saw some of that so that some groundwork is laid for Brandon being one of the first Upolu to go.

I'm trying to decide if I liked last night's episode or not. On one hand, it was pretty dull. On the other hand, there's potential now for some decent game-play. Random thoughts about last night...

Coach has the HII, right? Why are all the Survivors ignoring that? Have they forgotten about it? What gives?

Cochran to Jeff @ Tribal Council regarding Brandon: "Talking to Brandon about strategy is like talking to you about shirts that aren't blue." iChuckled.

Wouldn't it be something if Cochran beats Ozzy at Redemption Island?

I understand why Upolu voted the way they did, but honestly, Cochran seems like the best player to take with you to the end. Brandon should have been voted out. Heck, I'm almost surprised he hasn't been removed from the game because of his wacky state of mind. The boy's seriously got some issues. I hope the previews aren't misleading.

I didn't really like it, probably because I wanted Cochrane to go further.

But I did wonder, with the preview clip at the end, if Cochrane just might beat Ozzy. I seriously doubt it, but we'll see.

Actually, I think Brandon would be excellent jury fodder.

I DIED laughing at the blue shirt comment, in large part because it seemed to go over Jeff and Brandon's heads.

So, I was hoping that we were being misled by all the shots featuring a presumed-victorious Ozzy on Redemption Island (surveying his domain from the top of a tree, diving for fish, resting in his shanty, expressing his domination of the game, etc...). I was hoping that the producers weren't just teasing us when they hinted at the possibility that Cochran might pull off a win over Ozzy in the RI duel. I was hoping that not only would Cochran win RI, but that Brandon would be either voted out by his tribe or pulled out by his dad. I was hoping last night's episode would essentially be the opposite of what it actually was.

But, hat's off to the 5 Upolus who are still around. They did it. I never expected them to pull it off, what with Brandon's psychosis, Rick's invisibility, and Coach's Kool-Aid, and all. How in the world did such a dysfunctional group make it to this point? Crazy. And now, I don't know who I'm rooting for. I'm leaning toward Coach or Ozzy, but I really would like to see a newbie win the game. Maybe Edna will beat Ozzy and return to the game, just to win it all. I think I'd like to see that. (Although, I've never really been a fan of Edna's so I'm not sure why I'm leaning that way.) This season is strange. So very strange.

I was glad Cochran went out feeling like a hero (even If only in his own mind) he deserved it.

The previews seem to make it clear that Edna beats Ozzy, but I can't imagine them actually showing that. There must be something wrong with that fourth side that wasn't shown. It's not that I don't believe that Edna could beat Ozzy at a mental puzzle, I just don't think the producers would hand us that kind of info.

Meanwhile, I was kinda disappointed by Edna's behavior. She was acting betrayed that the six person alliance was voting her out now that it was just the six of them. I find it hard to believe that she didn't realize that she was toward the bottom of that alliance. If she really was that naïve, that's totally her fault for not politicing enough.

Brandon's dad looked REALLY young. I realize that Brandon is only 19, so he could have easily been around 40, but he didn't even look that.

Is the finale 12/18?

I can't quite believe I'm saying this, but I'm pulling for Ozzy at this point. There was a time I really liked Sophie, but like you I think she blew her chance. Albert hasn't really impressed me. Brandon is barely worth mentioning. And who is this Rick person anyway?

That leaves Coach. While I think he has been more sane this season than others, the man is still delusional. For someone who preaches honor and integrity, the distiniction last night between giving someone his word and giving someone his word "as a Christian man" was simply laughable and pathetic.

So I'm left with Ozzy. If he makes it to the final 3, he's got an edge jury-wise -- something Upolu failed to consider in their tribe loyalty mantra and their decision to jettison Cochrane instead of Rick.

Alternatively, if it's a final 2, and if Edna stays loyal to Coach (a big if, I think), that means four Savaii who'll probably vote for Ozzy, four Upolu who might vote for Coach, and Cochrane as the swing. That could be interesting.

I am pulling for Ozzy too. But only because there is no one else I think should win the game. He's having to battle day after day while most of them are coasting. I think an Ozzy-Coach final two would be really interesting. Although taking Brandon to the finals wouldn't be bad strategy because who's really going to vote for him to win?