Alternate Robert.
I find Krautboy's argument very persuasive; I simply have no real evidence as to who wins IC. Next episode, "The Winds Twist," which I believe may indicate a twist involving Mara as early as Ep 4. If the tribes were 7-6 in Ep 4 Burnett would have waited to see if they evened up for a swap in Ep 5, but if one tribe is down 3 despite his best efforts to throw them an IC, then he might well initiate a twist.
I basically agree with what Survivin Dawg said above--and probably others (blame my short term memory loss).
Although AyaK thinks Kathy this time and Hunter the next, I see a Hunter boot next time as anticlimactic; the strong male leader surprise boot factor will be gone if they play it up this week. So if Hunter went next time, I think MB would have saved the shots of the drama.
In addition, I just watched the CBS videos from Ep 2:
1) Sarah says it's better to have one less athletic person than one who brings down the tribe's energy. At that time she means Sean.
2) Sean and Hunter walk on the beach and Sean TRIES to explain to Hunter why he thinks they are losing challenges--not enough down time and no energy left. We've heard Sarah express this philosophy too. Hunter basically refused to listen; he said, hey, I feel great and ready to go. Well, to quote Brandon on Frank: "not everyone's like you" Hunter.
I now see a twisted logic that would cause Mara to boot their biggest challenge asset. Sean, Rob, and Sarah believe Hunter is overworking the team on camp duty and causing them to lose from fatigue, and after 6 straight challenge losses (potentially), it would be time to fire the coach, right?
Whereas if Rotu loses and boots Robert, Hunter will be somewhat vindicated and safer next time--
yet there is the Varner spoiler, Tricia and the promo's praise of him (get it in while you can, CBS, cause your all-American hero is history), and Peter's comment about a strong person boot being likely plus his implied dig that his tribe will not succeed in getting to the merge with good numbers because they ignored Peter's idea of keeping the strong.
All of these point to Hunter going soon, so when better than after a third straight defeat? Yes, they could vote Gina out, but what does that do to keep Hunter from running the Boot Camp task patrol and spoiling the beach party? Nothing.
Alternately, this is all hogwash and the love tribe makes a dead weight/injury boot. Or it's Kathy or Sarah--who both deserve a swift kick!
"the fascination of what's difficult..."--W.B. Yeats