Survivor: Palau continues with Ulong -- once again -- heading to tribal council (yes, the tribe is down to one member now), Katie still hanging in there and -- for some reason -- lots of crying.

Bobby Jon and Stephenie start off this week's episode back at camp after voting Ibrehem out of the tribe. Ulong's down to its last two members and they've got the weight of the world on their shoulders. Bobby Jon gets the fire going as Steph thanks him for keeping his word at the previous night's tribal council. She was definetly thinking the guys were going to stick together.

"Bobby Jon, he beat around the bush," Stephenie says in a private interview. "he didn't really want to give me an answer on whether he was going to vote for me or Ibrehem. But, luckily, he kept his word and Ibrehem went home."

Bobby Jon tries to explain to Steph that his word is his bond and that she should trust him. He also opens up a bit in a private interview.

"Ibrehem and I, we had a friendship, we had a bond, but in competition you have to rule out feelings," he said. "I just thought Stephenie performed better than Ibrehem at challenges so I did what was best for the tribe."

Steph and BJ are still talking confidently about their chances to win the next challenges and head into the final rounds.

"It was tough with three and it's already weird being here already with two," Stephenie says. "but I don't feel like my time is up here and I'm still ready to win. And it's clear now that Bobby Jon and I are the two people best for the job right now."

On Koror, life is a little different. There are still eight people to share in the daily tasks and camp life. There's also a ton of rats. They're bouncing around the shelter (Katie shoos 'em off), rummaging through coconuts and generally taking over.

"The rats, they're going crazy today," Tom says. "I don't know if we've gotten sloppy with food or if we're cutting the coconuts too close to camp. I just think it's that the rats have gotten comfortable with us and realize that we're not a threat to them."

Not everyone feels that way, though. And there's other evidence the tribe is getting sloppy -- like the disgusting fly haven of a rotting shark head hanging from a tree.

There's pride in a kill and then there's just gross.

"The rats have become bolder and bolder and it's all our tribe's fault because nobody will listen to me," Coby says.

He also goes off on a riff on how he has to do everything -- get firewood, keep the fire going, boil water.

"Those girls don't do anything," he says in a private interview. "Especially Jennifer, Katie and Janu. Katie and Jennifer don't do anything all day long. ... You know, I'm too much of a feminist to watch this happen. These alpha males are just totally waiting on them hand and foot and the girls are lovin' it. They're eatin' it up. It's making me sick."

And speaking of eating it up, next the tribes set out for the reward challenge. And, yes, it's a Palau delicacy -- balut. This is a fertilized egg, containing a partially formed duckling (beak and all). It's about 20 days old and apparently full of protein. Pretty nasty-looking.

There will be four rounds with an increasing number of balut to consume each round (one to four). The reward is 55 gallons of clean water in a tank with a shower head and lots and lots of stuff to clean with (and an amazing amount of product placement according to the blog-mate).

Tom and Ian will eat for Koror, up against Steph and Bobby Jon.

First round and one egg a piece wait Tom and Steph. They both down the dinner with no problem. Tom warns Ian to "watch the beak" as they trade places.

Two eggs in the second round are consumed pretty easily by Ian and Bobby Jon.

Tom and Steph return to face three eggs in round three. And although Host Jeff tries to psych them out a little bit, the balut goes down with no problems.

In the final round, Ian and Bobby Jon wolf down their protein meal.

Because no one gave up, they have to go to a tie breaker. Each team picks it's stronger member (Tom and Bobby Jon) to race to eat five of the balut. First person with an empty mouth wins.

Tom gnaws on the balut slow and easy while Bobby Jon tries to mush them all in his mouth as quickly as possible. Although it's close, Tom wins. And Bobby Jon just looks absolutely crushed and unbelieving. Once again he's set up against Tom and once again he falls.

Host Jeff hands off the winnings to Koror, starting with some Scope for Tom to rinse the taste of Palau's delicacy out of his mouth.

Sting ray! Yellow fish! Sea turtle!

Katie's pretty happy after the challenge.

"The challenge today was for a reward. We got 55 gallons of water, which is great. And we won a basket of shampoo and conditioner and toothpaste and toothbrushes."

For some reason while they're rinsing with the mouthwash, they decide to spit it all out right by the shelter. Um, hello? Rats? Yeah, I think we've isolated the problem.

Stupidity.

Then there's a debate about what to do with 55 gallons of fresh water. Tom wants to save it to drink (that Tom, always thinking of survival) and the girls, especially Jenn, want to take a shower. It's the first water they'll have that they haven't had to boil before using.

"Seeing the big drum up there. Oh, we have a shower," Jenn says. "I was looking forward to feeling human for one day."

Tom argues to use the water for drinking and Coby agrees, but he is hedging his bets.

"Jenn was crestfallen that she wasn't going to get in," Tom says in interview. "I had to assert myself which is something that I've been trying not to do."

The girls are pissed.

"Tom is the one who spoke up, 'Whoo, I think we need to conserve and use that water for drinking.'" Jenn says, mocking her tribe-mate. "And it's 55 gallons of water! I mean, come on, you can't let us use a gallon or two?

"He [Tom] really is not letting it be a vote," she continues. "Maybe in the end that will make him be voted off, you know. For being such a sour puss about the whole thing."

Back with Bobby Jon and Steph and they're talking about the day's close loss.

"Today's defeat is heartbreaking," BJ says. "I mean, I had my throat open and just shoving it in there. But, Tom, he shoved his in faster."

Talk then goes to the fact that Tom keeps consistently beating Bobby Jon in battles. BJ has had enough of it, and to work off his frustration he starts chopping bamboo and generally maiming the island.

"Bobby Jon is sick of losing and I think he's finally, finally starting to take it to heart," Steph says. "So, I was actually happy to see him mad like that."

Dolphins! Jellyfish!

On Koror, life is being taken pretty easily.

"Being undefeated is glorious," Katie says. "But it's a lot of days of monotony. We've been with the same people for many days now, but things are going to change real quick around here. No more Happy Koror Day. ... It's going to be eating each other."

Tom and Ian are talking about just that -- what's going on with the tribe or the 'state of the union report' as Tom calls it. Ian says the only real concern continues to be Gregg and Jenn.

"I think they're definitely using their relationship to a strategic advantage," Ian says. "So we know going into it that we're going to need to take one of them out eventually. ... We are on the verge of utter ridiculousness. I can't wait."

Tom brings up the fact that Stephenie's still in the game and the fact that helps their plans.

"Katie, Ian and I hooked up on day two and said let's see how far we can take this," Tom explains to the camera. "And Stephenie also was part of that group. Except for myself, Ian and Katie nobody even know that there is a relationship there. Stephenie would be the wolf in the sheep's clothing that they wouldn't even see coming."

Lizard!

Steph and BJ are getting a little too close for comfort.

"It's hard being here with just Bobby Jon," Steph says. "Bobby Jon is just totally turning into a caveman. I'm not going to lie, I am disgusting. But I scrub so much with that sand ... but Bobby Jon, he's just gross."

Bobby Jon, meanwhile is belching, trying to create a Nautilus horn, eating crab [shell and all] and blowing snotrockets. He does seem to be taking a few steps backward.

"It's hard 'cause I think about Koror all the time," Steph says. "And I know that they're just living the life over there. They're having the time of their life and here me and Bobby Jon are.

"I though this was going to be a piece of cake," Steph says, getting emotional. "If I make it through this, I can make it through anything. It's tough physically. It's tough mentally. It's tough emotionally.

"I won't give up hope, but I feel like we're at like a dead end."

Day 21 for Ulong is better and brings with it some food and a positive attitude.

"We are really kind of down right now," Steph says. "We're really tired; we're really hungry. But we're just going to keep trying and trying. We don't give up, and I value that."

To help that out, Bobby Jon spears a silver fish and finds a large clam. The two dine well that day and can feel the protein helping them as soon as they can eat it.

"The fish that we had, it's like the best thing I've ever had in my life," Stephenie says.

Once they're fueled up, they find treemail containing a two-piece puzzle and a riddle.

"It's imperative we win today because it's for immunity," Steph says. "And, if we lose, there will be no more Ulong. ... We're pretty tough competitors. So I think today is going to be Ulong's finest because I'm pretty good at this stuff."

The challenge is both physical and mental. Tribe members will swim out to a series of pontoons, pull along an underwater rope to release a bag of puzzle pieces and return to the beach. The next person will go out for the second bag and will continue to alternate until four bags have been collected. Then both participating tribe members will put the puzzle together. Next, they have to find a series of words in the puzzle they just created. Each letter that is used more than once is written down on an individual tile. Those tiles are then used to create a three-word phrase.

Koror plays Coby and Gregg.

Gregg and Steph head into the water first. Gregg gets back with a tiny lead. Coby and Bobby Jon are next in the water and BJ makes up some of the lost time. Steph gets into the water before Gregg and gets quite a lead going. Bobby Jon heads out for the last bag, but Coby proves his worth and closes the gap.

Now the puzzle phase starts and the Koror's Coby and Greg make fast work of the problem. Steph and Bobby Jon lose a lot of time and at one time wonder if they're missing a piece. Coby and Gregg find almost all of their words before Ulong has their puzzle together.

As Koror starts to work out the anagram, Steph shows no shyness in looking over to their board to see where the words are hidden. As Host Jeff points this out, Coby covers their puzzle so no one else can see.

Ulong just can't catch up and Coby and Gregg show Host Jeff their message "Victory at sea" to win immunity. Again.

Because there are only two members left of Ulong, Host Jeff explains, there will be no vote at tribal council, but rather a challenge. The winner will stay as the loser heads home.

Bigger jellyfish!

Koror is quite happy, and who wouldn't be?

"We won another immunity," Coby says. "Which means that we've won every single immunity. It's mind boggling. I never fathomed coming into this game I would be on a team this strong."

Caryn points out the stereotypes on the tribe and how they were underrated. Katie concurs.

"We were absolutely the underdogs," Katie says in a private interview. "We're silly and goofy and kinda quirky looking and I cannot believe we won immunity every single time."

Coby's ecstatic and points out they've probably all made the jury (if the show stays true to form).

"Today meant a lot because my whole life I've wanted to be a part of a team," Coby says. "'Cause, you know, when I was a kid, the jocks would make fun of me, I'd quit. I'd run off crying. That was one of the reasons I came here."

The tribe praises Coby's efforts and the fact that he's done so well in the physical challenges. He verges on tears.

"As a kid, I never played sports. I was always called the girly guy. I was a sissy. People would pick on me and I would just give up. I ended up quitting school because people made fun of me; I've given up a lot in my life."

By this time Coby's pretty emotional and the tears soon roll.

"But I wasn't going to let anyone make me quit this time, no matter how hard it is. Nobody's going to take this away from me and that's why I've worked so hard. I'm not quitting."

Steph and BJ make their way back to Ulong for one more evening of a multi-person tribe.

"You know we've tried to to prepare. We've tried to strategize. We've tried this, we've tried that," Bobby Jon says. "Nothing has worked for this tribe. I mean, nothing."

Neither of them are ready to leave, especially having not one a single immunity. After Bobby Jon gets the fire relit quickly, they sit talking about what may happen to the person who gets to return from council.

"It's going to be tough, just one person trying to fire, water, fishing," Steph says to BJ.

"It was scary just coming back here with Bobby Jon, but at least I knew I had him. Because he does a lot of the work around camp that I can't do. So if I'm here by myself, that'll be really scary."

"There may never be a merge," Bobby Jon says. "And it may just keep on going one at time and if it does, I'm prepared for it." I'm good at getting fire, I know where every coconut tree. I know where every little fishing hole is. So I could stay out here for weeks by myself."

Steph is worred about post-council and wants to get some planning in with BJ.

"Stephenie thinks non-stop," BJ says. "I think she even thinks when she sleeps. So she's thinking right now, 'How am I going to kick Bobby Jon's ass?' That's just how she is. And when it comes down to being bad-ass to bad-ass, I can get just as bad-ass as anybody."

As they set off to council, BJ gears up for the head-to-head competition.

"I'm kinda getting tired of the team thing," he says. "It's done. It's team Bobby Jon right now."

At council, Host Jeff sets right in on the small tribe size.

"We just enjoyed our time together," Steph says. "We both think that the strongest members of Ulong are remaining and whoever wins tonight deserves to be here."

Bobby Jon then gets to talk about the difference of a council of two now instead of at the end of the game.

"It's like 'Oh, we're the last two,' but we've only knocked like one little notch out of the game," he says. "And it's like so many things left to do. You've got to go all the way and half's nothing."

BJ talks about his highlight of the game -- the current day.

"Catching fish and having success," he says. "You really learn you can get by and you can live off Mother Nature."

Host Jeff then asks Steph about her ability to survive.

"I learned a lot from Bobby Jon, actually," she says.

"She can do anything a man can do, I can tell you that," says BJ.

What's the key element to survival?, Host Jeff asks.

"Fire. Fire. Definitely fire," BJ responds. "Ability to make it and keep it going."

Stephenie agrees.

"I'm like frantic without fire," she says.

The challenge, unsurprisingly, is the ability to make fire. Steph and BJ will each get 25 matches and a box of kindling and coconut husks. The first person to light a fire that's tall enough to light their torch will win immunity. Steph looks worried and Bobby Jon looks pretty confident.

They each go for some coconut husks and kindling, building mounds to start a flame. Bobby Jon gets fire first, with Steph right behind him. Stephenie blows on her fire a bit, increasing the flame and keeps feeding it kindling. BJ's fire is good, but Steph's just takes off. Her torch lights and the challenge is over.

"Hey, good luck," she says to BJ as he gathers his things.

"Win this thing, all right?" he responds.

And Host Jeff gets a chance to change his speech.

"Bobby Jon, the tribe definitely did not speak tonight; nonetheless, it's time for you to go," he says.

Steph looks a bit petrified and Host Jeff sends her back to a lonely camp.

"Hopefully I'll have a good night and tomorrow we'll see what God brings," she says.

Next week:
Speaking up!
Struggling alone!

Credit comments:
I feel like a brand new man, I really do. I wish I could keep going; I have a lot left in me, but I can turn that energy and that attitude into something positive. I'm definitely proud of Stephenie 'cause I think she's, honestly, probably the top player in the game. I would just tell Stephenie, just keep on doing what she's doing. I mean, the girl is almost invincible.