Enjoyable episode considering it was a predictable boot. Loved the Reward Challenge, even if it was cut short due to the "unprecedented" deal. It was priceless to see the tribes unknowingly spoil/share tribal dynamics during the negotiation. All on the heels of a merge coming next! Setting up lots of conflict and variables to use in creating new factions of a merged tribe. So what did we get from the castaways this time:

Carter - Good to finally get some confessionals out of Carter, but is it too little too late. Based on his edit so far, I'd say so. His confessionals, along with quotes from his scenes, gave us the impression that Carter doesn't have the fight in him. Stating "I just want to go home now" is a sweet sentiment in response to letters from home, but not the fighting spirit needed to move forward in this season of survivor. Add this to him saying "I don't know if my body can last" - the editing is not painting a picture of longevity for Carter. We also have him turning to Jonathan about the boot, stating "Katie or Penner?" Ha, what a slip up. Classic! Enough indication that he won't have the wherewithal to make heads or tails of the mix-ups at merge. Just like he handed over his playing spot to Jeff Kent at the IC, he will likely provide another player 3 more days in the game as he gets booted.

Artis - There's still very little story for Arits and it all seems to be tied to Michael, and the dislike Artis has for him. This episode we also saw Peter and Abi Maria share their disdain for Michael, but they have more story and character development than Artis - providing even more contrast for us to show how Artis is not part of this season's story. Personally, I thought Artis' confessionals about Michael were funny, but it really hurts to see nothing more from him, as there likely could have been more to work with from him if he were more relevant to the story.

Michael - What seemed like such a great quote for Michael in the first episode with "going with the game." It seems like he is far off course with it. Those he was aligned with, not only moved on with their game (& their alliance from him) episodes ago, but now we see them outwardly harboring resentment toward him at camp with making rice and at the challenge with making cross-tribal deals. Is Michael still "going with the game" - based on the editing, it sure does not look that way to me. He has merely become a litmus test for us to determine who from the Tandang tribe should be deemed positive or negative. And in Ep 6, this clearly classified Artis, Peter and Abi Maria as the "negatives." As a revered returnee, we are not hearing his side of the story (as his is NOT this season's story) and this is unprecedented with the editing of returnees. I firmly believe that with a five week confessional count of 0 (despite a strong Ep 1 showing) that the writing is on the wall for Michael - he is not the sole survivor this season.

Jonathan - In contrast to Michael, Jonathan is getting a beefier edit that production likes to give to returnees. Plus the fact that Jonathan is arguably the best narrator we have ever seen in terms of understanding the game and being able to articulate it clearly to the audience (perhaps, only second to Rob C.) Therefore, Jonathan will be seen and heard, regardless of his actual longevity. While Penner was the star of Ep 6, he failed to get any fish like he promised, and we even hear Jeff state "Yeah, it didn't work out for him" - which was also captioned on our screens. Once again, throughout the season, Jonathan's edit and tribe has been the most literal. Each week it seems we are getting telegraphed how he will fall short. His story is intertwined with Jeff (and a bit of Carter on the side) - this will play out after merge, but likely won't have legs to make it to FTC.

Jeff Kent - Had a solid episode - with a good IC performance, a nice "letters from home" share, and some "boot" talk (which shows how he manages to always keep the target from him). But yet with each episode, it's harder to see how Jeff might actually have the opportunity to speak his game in front of the journey. He's back to his mantra of: "we can't let a veteran win." How much different is that from letting a celebrity baseball player win? It seems like Jeff will have to do some double-dealing at merge time to prolong his game, and we have been set up to believe that it will include betraying his alliance to Jonathan. We haven't seen Jonathan do anything to deserve this betrayal (yet) - therefore making Jeff look more like the villain. He'll have some room to play with amongst the Tandangs, but does he have enough story so far to pick up momentum through the merged tribe?

Abi Maria - This episode continued to further Abi Maria's edit as someone the viewers will not get behind to cheer for as a winner. Her negativity outshines any logic or strategic gameplay she may seem to have - and we see this in camp as well as from her confessionals. We also see Jeff repeatedly mention her lack of participation when at the challenges. Abi Maria has longevity due to being on the winning tribe so many times, and being tied to Tandang's main alliance. With an upcoming merge, we shall see her in action and see if she can actually play with any sound strategy. The edit does not support this, as she is clearly the most emotional player left in the game. Unless we start hearing hints from other key players to take her as a goat, she will not see endgame. And viewers may get to enjoy the "Brazilian bomb about to blow up" as suggested by RC.

Peter - Not much of an episode for Peter. Just some further confirmation of his ire for Mike, and his alignment with Abi Maria and Artis. This episode put the least attention on him of the three "negatives." This may indicate he outlasts them, but we didn't really learn anything more to add to his longevity in the game. His story needs to amp up come merge time, otherwise this possible darkhorse will be seen as a racehorse and a likely boot target as a challenge threat.

Malcolm - Malcolm was nicely highlighted in the recap - both he and Denise, had their journey's thus far, clearly emphasized. To which we were reminded that he "got my swag back" and that he has power with the idol. Even in an episode without confessionals, Malcolm is "on fire" - as stated by Jeff in the IC. After a big Ep 5 for Malcolm, it's no surprise that we'd hear less from him this episode. He has already been established as a key player this season, with strategy soundbites and connections to other key players. Although approached by Peter last episode, he was not connected with the "negatives" in this episode, rather he was shown contributing a positive outlook on the rice situation. Does this align him with other "positives" from that scenario: Michael, RC, and Lisa? Does it even matter? He has an HII in his possession and he will soon be reunited with Denise.

RC - RC is still getting attention, even though it's not really warranted for the episode. At the recap we are again reminded of how Mike & RC are on the outs, yet it was her quote that was repeated "I'm going to fight!" And at the Reward challenge, when the deal was made, Artis stated that "you all are not seeing the big picture" to which the camera pans over to include RC - as if to remind us that she does see the big picture and is included in it. And she had a great confessional about "in Survivor world you have to swallow your pride" - clearly contrasting the self-awareness that some players have and others don't. The question is will we get to see RC "swallow her pride" sitting in front of a jury. She continues to have the 'cream of the crop' with her confessionals, will she continue to narrate post merge?

Lisa - Once again, Lisa had a nice steady episode. She held her own at the Reward challenge up against the strong Denise (to which Jeff noted), she shared the most accurate, balanced viewpoint on the "rice deal" and it's aftermath, and she was not indicated to be clustered with the negative tone of her alliance mates. She also had a noticeable connection with Malcolm, as they went on to win the IC. Lisa is continually given the consistent edit that we like to see for someone who makes it far into the game. From the glimmers of what we've been given for next episode, it seems Lisa is going to come into focus some more. It will be telling for chances for endgame.

Denise - Like with Malcolm, the recap highlighted Denise's progression so far in this game. We were reminded of her great quote "Every step is an opportunity to turn things around." This was yet another good episode for her, even though the attention wasn't mainly on her. Like with the first scene with Katie, not only did it help set up Katie's boot, but we once again got to see Denise in action with another player working her magic. Also in Ep6 we now hear 3 more players in the game (Jeff and Carter, then Penner) talk about her work ethic and loyalty, and ability to win challenges. We are consistently being told of Denise's value. Plus, we can now add to Denise's list of remarkable quotes: in response to the letters from home, she stated "It's motivational fuel, it's emotional fuel... to just keep going" And yes, while many of her quotes could be weaving the narrative for the Survivor story, it has a feeling of being about Denise's personal journey through this game. Along with the rest of her deliberate attention she's getting, this makes it more than a journey edit, but rather a winner's edit.