My wife is the best.

But she also puts up with all my nonsense.

And all my stuff.

Like my relentlessly unnecessary 8-track collection which pretty much takes up an entire attic.

She puts up with all of that.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, HONEY!)

So, like I said, she’s the best.

It’s not because she might smell like bug spray.

This is nothing new.

You all have heard me rant about this for years.

The loved ones reward challenge is not about love at all.

Because youdon’twant to win it.

And we just got the latest example as to why.

Not a good trade-off in my book.

And inevitably, someone almost always uses that a reason to take you out.

We saw it here with the shunned Victoria and Lauren switching it up and taking out Ron.

Victoria and Lauren were shunned so decided to take Ron out.

Gavin was brought along and yetstillput TWO votes on his benefactor.

Quite simply, the risk is never worth the reward.

There’s just so little upside.

So just don’t win it!

Just look at the math.

Ron won and then got to pick two out of six players to join him.

Dammit, I write this seemingly every season and nobody listens.

The only one who listens to anything I say is my wife.

God, I love her.

That way we can buy a bigger house to store all my 8-tracks and dirt.

But I get it now.

But that doesn’t mean I don’t feel anything.

Which is probably why the Lauren and Victoria moments with their dads hit me.

Here’s what she told me the day before the game began about Shane.

“My brother Shane is the brother that went through the foster care system with me.

He would never leave my side.

Once we were split up and neither one of us ate, so they put us back together.

He made sure that I had a normal childhood.

I have gotten to where I am today because he put me first and himself second.

I think he would be scared as can be to come over here.

Which brings us to… At least to my face.

I’m sure they laugh behind my back at some of the idiotic ideas I send their way.

As well they should.

(And I’m not talking about just picking rocks out a bag.)

My reaction to that has always been, essentially: So what?

Every challenge offers advantages and disadvantages to certain players due to body bang out.

So my suggestion to Kirhoffer was to incorporate the loved ones in other ways.

What if the last stage in the challenge was unlocking the loved one from a bamboo jail or something?

Just anything to get them on the course instead of cheering from the bench.

(Although, admittedly, Angelina’s mother should be on the bench at every singleSurvivorchallenge ever.)

But they did one better than that.

And those two words are… “DAMMIT, REED!!!”

This was my favorite loved ones challenge, bar none.

Anyhoo, Rick totally busted Aurora going through his bag and snooping to see if he had anything.

A few things on this.

First off, I have no problem with anyone going through anyone else’s bag.

Am I biased because Aurora won my heart by correcting Rick’s grammar during the immunity challenge?

But the point still stands.

I mean, let’s not get carried away here.

It was a very low tree.

This wasn’t exactly Ozzy going into the clouds to chop down some coconuts.

Missing in Action

It seems every single second of footage mattered this episode.

Which means certain things had to go.

There was no “Previously on…” segment.

There was also no “Come on in, guys!”

I mean, other than the opportunity to watch Jeff Probst look at his feet for no reason whatsoever.

(Fun fact: Go back and watch an old season ofSurvivor.

Jeff looks straight ahead when he tells people to come on in.

But at some point, for some reason, he was just like, “Screw it.

I look where I want to look.

“Whyhe wants to look at his feet, however, remains a mystery.)

But there was something else missing this episode: Any footage of Edge of Extinction.

This is not a complaint but merely an observation.

“It’s really just willpower,” said Probst.

Ron disagreed, and so do I.

While yes, the “Who wants it more?”

definitely plays a part in weeding out the weak-willed, there are always other factors at play.

That’s not willpower.

All that said, I have always loved watching people push through the pain.

Or maybe I just like watching peopleinpain.

Why did I love seeing Julie in such discomfort?

What is wrong with me?!?

Anyway, newlywed Gavin won his second individual immunity so good for him.

Idol Thoughts

Winning the loved ones challenge was not Ron’s only controversial decision this week.

“Ron and Julie, you are villains!”

“I was already going home.

Do you just want to make me look stupid?

So my kids think I’m an idiot.

Except…” Then Rick revealed his other idol while calling the duo out for lying.

“You guys are gems,” he finished.

So what to make of Ron’s move?

Honestly, I think it was probably a little from column A and a little from column B.

It’s been done before and it has worked before.

But it wasn’t the pop in of show likely to gain good reviews from the jury.

Certainly more than they seem to like Ron judging by their reactions after his ouster.

When you have a go at embarrass a bully or villain in the game, people love it.

It simply did not play well.

Now, that’s partly because of how expertly Devens pulled it off.

THE GUY WORKS ON CAMERA FOR A LIVING!

His entire job is making audiences like him so they tune into his news broadcast every day.

Of course, he was!

And he did a damn good job of it.

The bottom line is, I don’t think what Ron did was super evil.

It’s kind of funny.

Well, what has happened since then?

Saved only by an idol.

You’ll also want to take a gander at the exclusive deleted scene from the episode we have above.

Also, big news!

What did you make of Ron’s phony baloney idol giveaway?

Would you throw the loved ones challenge?