This week Koror proves it's worthy once again -- both in tackling the ocean's hunter and in bringing down Ulong in yet another immunity challenge. Yes, Ulong gets even smaller this week as the tribe of three becomes a tribe of two. And, perhaps even more surprisingly, Coby gives Katie a compliment -- just not to her face.

Once again returning to camp after a tribal council (bye, James!), Ulong's remaining tribe members are wondering just when exactly the slaughter will end. Stephenie, especially seems uncomfortable, babbling along as Bobby Jon and Ibrehem maintain silence for a while.

"It just feels weird. Three people are left. It was so long ago when we had nine," she says. "I'm really surprised. I mean, I thought I had this all figured out and now having our tribe Ulong lose every single immunity challenge, I'm completely shocked and surprised. And I'm embarrased."

Ibrehem is feeling a bit unsettled as Ulong continues on it's losing streak.

"It is definetly weird trying to feel like a tribe when you're down to three freaking people," Ibrehem says. "You know, if we have to go to tribal again, I think it will probably feel very, very emotional."

Steph just wants to merge. Ulong needs it before it disappears all together.

While Ibrehem goes off into the jungle, Stephenie and Bobby Jon get a chance to talk about the previous night's vote. Remember, Steph had made an agreement with BJ to vote off James and then target Ibrehem next. However, she cast her vote for Ibrehem first and then switched to James in the tiebreaker.

"You gotta make alliances some time or another," Bobby Jon tells her.

"I just think we're going to be real safe together. I think we're going to go far together," Steph says later.

"You got to do what you got to do," BJ replies.

Back at Koror we see a shot of everyone resting -- except for Tom doing crunches by the shore. And then Ian walks up from the water carrying one of the biggest clams known to man. It's huge.

"Ian comes out with the biggest clam, it was like the birth of Venus," Katie says. "It was the biggest thing you've even seen. You could stand inside of it. ... It seriously looked like it weighed like a hundred pounds."

Tom jokes that the clam's got to be older than Ian before the tribe gets together to pry the shell open. Ian's feeling pretty good about his hunting and gathering skills.

"I got the clam, thinking 'OK, look at me, like keeping the role of provider,'" Ian says. "I think we got 6 or 7 pounds of meat."

After then done baking the ocean's bounty and gorging on clam, the tribe sets the shells out near the water. And that attracts some friends.

"We were just kind of kickin' it by the table, when all of the sudden somebody sees a shark," Gregg explains. And there it is -- a black tip shark much like the one Tom and Ian were taunting a few weeks ago.

Gregg and Ian jump up and grab the spears and head toward the water. Ian cuts his foot open. Meanwhile, we see Tom grab the machete and head down the beach. And then much screaming ensues.

Yes, Tom finally caught his shark. Cut him practically in two with a machete.

"It was one of the most amazing things I've every seen, especially for a city boy from New York," Gregg says. "He's a madman."

And Tom does seem a bit bad on the amount of adrenaline and testosterone coursing through his veins.

"I whacked him, he started thrashing around, I jumped on him, worked down to his tail and then just pulled him out," Tom tells the tribe as Katie looks on in awe.

Ian, good naturedly, talks about Tom's one-upmanship.

"Geez, you try to be the provider," Ian says in a private interview. "All you're trying to do is bring in enough food for the tribe and then somebody has to come along and one-up the hell outta ya.

"I got a big giant clam today and Tom came back and got a shark," he says. "I guess the next step for me is to get like a humpback whale and bring it in."

That night the tribe has itself a shark bake and Tom tells the camera that he knows this is going to prove he's a man to watch out for.

"The cat's out of the bag that I'm a strong player. I'm fit and I'm not the old guy in the tribe," he says. "You can't go back and now pretend that you're less than you are or don't have capabilities."

Coby's still looking out for his place in the tribe and knows Tom's success isn't going to make things easer.

"Now he's the great white shark killer," Coby says. "... The second he caught it me and Gregg both looked at each other and went 'Hmm ... it's going to be a little harder to vote him off now.'"

After commercial we see Ulong checking their tree mail and this time the get a note in a bottle. The directions say they're to build a signal fire that will be seen from the air. The winner will get a survival package dropped from the sky.

Ulong's Ibrehem, BJ and Steph decide to spell out their tribe's name and light it on fire. They use every resource they can -- palm fronds, tree trunks, the bathroom they built and bits of the first shelter. The really come together as a team and the absence of James does seem actually be helping them.

"We're using everything we can; we really want to win this," Bobby Jon says. "I'm sure the other tribe is doing pretty good. They've been doing pretty good at everything else so I'm not underestimating them one bit. ... We're just going to see if work can overtake smartness right now."

At Koror only three of the tribe mates can participate. Katie volunteers right away and she's joined by Gregg and Caryn. Coby even thinks it's a decent combination.

"... I actually think it's a good choice, 'cause Katie's very creative, Caryn is a hard worker and then Gregg's got the muscle." he says.

The tribe thinks the biggest problem is that they have very little beach -- the water comes close to the tree line. And it doesn't help that Tom's a man of action and gets a bit antsy when he's got to sit on the sidelines.

"It's nervewracking," Tom says. "There's a lot on the line. There's nothing you can do but be an observer and I don't like the position."

Katie's plan includes outlining the giant words "GOT FOOD" on the beach and have signal fires on either end. They also hope to soak some ropes in kerosene for a larger fire and darker smoke.

"The idea is to get as much attention from above as possible," Katie says.

The rest of the tribe still has worries, though, and don't think the three in charge will start the fire in time.

Host Jeff introduces Bob, a certified drop master, who will be the judge and goes through the simple rules as they fly out toward Ulong. The tribe's fire is burning and there's plenty of smoke (although it's mostly light colored). "ULONG" is clearly visible on the beach and Steph, BJ and Ibrehem jump around trying to draw attention. Bob has some concerns, though.

"Well, if you're not flying right over the top of it, it's very hard to see," he says. "It's stuck way back into the forest. But, it was big, it was visible. It's not bad for three people."

Then they head out toward Koror where Gregg's having a bit of trouble getting the fires lit and staying lit.

"You can see what they are doing from here," says Coby waiting with the rest of the tribe about halfway down the beach. "I didn't any smoke at all and almost they're whole plan was fire. ... I think the odds are against us, to be honest."

As the plane comes in, the letters look a bit smaller and there is no smoke, but Bob's got a whole different viewpoint.

"Well, Koror's SOS it was creative, it was bigger," he says. "But the big thing was, it was set down off the beach which makes it more visible."

And so Koror wins another challenge. Host Jeff sends the box of supplies hurtling toward Koror's piece of the ocean.

"Brains over brawn once again," Coby says.

The box contains three bottles of red wine, several MREs and some fishing equipment.

Caryn's winning toast is succinct: "To a great tribe," she says.

"Our tribe really worked together well," Caryn says in a private interview. "We are like a well oiled machine."

Gregg's thinking of the other tribe a bit.

"Poor Ulong. There's three of them now and I don't know how they can maintain camp, compete in challenges and stay mentally strong," he says. "I think they must just be absolutely beat up over this."

And from what we see next, it looks like they are. As BJ, Steph and Ibrehem wait on the beach, they hear a plane approach. It's taunting them and continues flying right on by.

"I guess we lost the reward challenge 'cause the plane flew by and didn't drop anything," Bobby Jon says.

"We worked hard on it, guess they worked harder -- or I'm sure they worked smarter, knowing them," he tells the tribe.

Back from commercial we've gone from cut scenes of ocean animal life to a shark's head on a stick. Oh yes, it's very "Lord of the Flies."

Gregg and Jenn have been coupling up recently and it's getting more and more notice.

"Gregg and Jenn, they joke about it," Coby says. "So I guess they think they're dating. I don't know. I don't really care, as long as I can get them on my side, my vote."

Gregg and Jenn head off to get water.

"Between Jenn and I, we're a strong alliance," Gregg says in a private interview. "But, when we're talking, I can't really have a great conversation with her because I'm like 'Our people looking at us? How are they reading this conversation?'"

Jenn says they're couplehood is a non-issue, but she thinks Gregg is getting stand-offish and she's a little annoyed by it.

"Because I am playing a game, it's tough for me to play a game and be a good date," Gregg says. "I can easily get sidetracked by women, so I'm making a conscious effort to let things cool down."

Jenn likes Gregg, but his focus on the game is beginning to annoy her.

"It's all he can think about, so there have been days where he's very off to me and it's been kind of strange," she says. " ... I didn't know if he was still in the same place, if we're just going to be that alliance. But there is still a romantic connection. It's still there. We'll just see if he can loosen up a bit."

Not everyone in the tribe is as laid back by this romantic alliance, though.

"I'm concerned with Gregg and Jenn because they are tight," Tom says. "What is going to happen when all the sudden we have to tell Gregg or Jenn that the other one may be getting voted off that night? You're bringing in a whole different volatile emotion that is seperate from this game.

"The little romance or whatever they've got blossoming, it just could be a monkey wrench that we don't see coming."

Ulong's next fishing expedition nets them a giant clam as well (apparently they were just out there hiding). Bobby Jon also snaps up a hand-size black fish.

"Gosh, getting that fish felt like making the extra point to win the game," Bobby Jon says. "I felt like I had scored. It felt nice."

BJ, Steph and Ibrehem have a bit of a feast on clam, fish and pans and pans of coconut.

"The meal was good," Stephenie says. "I mean, it was nice to feel full for a change. I definetly think the food will help us in a challenge if we get one."

The next tree mail contains a slide grid puzzle and note admonishing the tribe's to practice. Ulong sets off to their beach to get start solving the puzzle.

"If we don't get it together, one of our tribe members could be going home," Stephenie says. "We always keep the faith. We haven't won one yet. Maybe today will be different. We're ready. We're full."

At the challenge Koror seems surprised to see James is gone. And then Host Jeff wastes no time letting Koror brag about the great meals they've been eating.

"Yeah, the beastmaster came out and Tom battled a shark and he killed it with a machete," Katie says.

Bobby Jon looks shocked. Stephenie isn't happy with Koror's constant winning and food supply.

This immunity challenge presents both tribes with identical, life-size puzzles like they got in tree mail. One person from each tribe will stand on a platform and call out directions to two people swimming in the puzzle who will move the pieces.

Koror puts Coby up as the caller with Janu and Jenn doing the swimming. Ulong has Bobby Jon calling out directions to Stephenie and Ibrehem. Coby's got the confidence and calls out directions while BJ looks a bit befuddled and Stephenie takes charge while dogpaddling.

Ulong continues to fall further and further behind, showing very little signs of progress. Meanwhile, Janu looks like she's about to pass out from all the paddling, floating and quick dives underwater.

After more than half and hour passes, Host Jeff lets BJ and Stephenie switch places. Steph takes immediate control and starts calling out directions, but she's got just too much ground to make up and Ulong has to head to tribal council for the seventh time in a row. It takes more than 75 minutes for Koror to pick up another win.

Ulong has to make the long paddle back to camp once again and is having a hard time believing they've still yet to win an immunity challenge.

"We got back to the beach after this challenge, we were all shocked," Ibrehem says. "... This has to be a record. Seven times in a row for one tribe. Good God."

BJ and Ibrehem get some time to themselves and talk over the vote. The guys are both the same age and from the same state, they could easily take out Stephenie.

"Here's the thing, you're fighting with these two people for a million dollars, but at the same time, they're still your team. And you want you're team to do well," BJ says in a private interview. "So which one do you pick?"

Bobby Jon looks to be the swing vote this week. He's made an implicit alliance with Stephenie, but has a bit of an unspoken one with Ibrehem.

"I know Ibrehem will take it like a man if he wins or loses," Bobby Jon says. "And I know Stephenie will be a little upset if I vote for her because she thinks that she and I made this big-time agreement."

Steph's beginning to worry and look for a new plan.

"I feel like my fate is in these two boys hands," she says.

First she gets to Bobby Jon and calls him out on the agreement, trying to get his promise.

BJ has different feelings about it and won't come right out and say who he's going to vote for.

"I thought that we said that if it was us three, we would vote I. out," Stephenie tells him.

"Yeah, but I want to kind of wait before we start talking about all that. I don't really want to talk about it, you know what I mean?" BJ replies. "I'm not going to rule anybody out until the tribe has spoken."

Steph knows he's going to vote for her.

"I'm just pissed. It's just wrong. It's the wrong decision," she says in a private interview. "It's not my time. I'd love to turn the tables on him."

So she heads back to camp to hook up with Ibrehem and try to get him to vote for Bobby Jon.

"Why leave it in his hands when we could end it right now," she asks. "And now he's undecided and if we vote for each other we're going to let him decide."

The woman is working every angle she can find.

Ibrehem tells her he just doesn't know who he's going to vote for.

At tribal council Host Jeff appears to have a bit a problem with his voice, but that doesn't stop him from starting off with Bobby Jon.

"Obviously [picking him as the caller] wasn't a good idea because I think I made more of a mess than I did create something that was supposed to happen, and it didn't happen," Bobby Jon says.

Steph is up next.

"We agreed that he would be the best and he wasn't able to get it, so we switched out and I wasn't able to really get it either," she says. "Losing this many times is so frustrating."

Host Jeff then tackles the fact that Ulong keeps losing -- no matter who they're up against from Koror. It's never been the same group twice and yet Ulong just can't seem to bring home a much needed immunity win.

"This isn't fun, to come here," Bobby Jon says. "Jeff, I've been looking at myself all day thinking 'I might be the hex. I might the curse.' You just don't know with this tribe."

BJ then gets to wax on how close the tribe has become.

Host Jeff then wants to know how BJ is going to vote and why he might vote Steph out.

"For a threat," he says. "'Cause I think she can go all the way."

Jeff gets Ibrehem to talk about why they shouldn't vote for him.

"I think because I'm a really loyal person," he says. "I think that's one good thing about me. If I say I'm going to do something, I'm going to do it."

Steph then talks about how she's going to vote.

"I'm actually, I think I"m going to vote on what I think what I think would help me out as a strategy," she says.

"[I'm] 90 percent worried," she answers Host Jeff next. "There's three of us, there's two guys who get along real well. I get along with both of them. I respect both of them. We all work hard, but I feel really vulnerable. And it's sad. 'cause I'm not ready to go."

Bobby talks about being worried.

"To me right now, it's like me trying to put that puzzle together today. It's tough because I think that I'm just as vulnerable, too, Jeff," he says. "I mean, why should I stay over them. ... Anything can happen. Anything can."

Voting order:
Stephenie
Ibrehem
Bobby Jon (who takes a bit longer than the other two should feel comfortable with)

Vote tally:
Ibrehem
Stephenie
Ibrehem

Stephenie whispers a "thank you" to BJ right after she hugs Ibrehem as he gathers his belongings.

Host Jeff puts out Ibrehem's torch, sends him on his way and talks to all that's left: Bobby Jon and Stephenie.

"Here's the good news," he says. "In spite of the fact this tribe of nine has been decimated, you two still believe in yourselves as a tribe. Don't lose that spirit."

Next week on 'Survivor'
Bouncing rats!
Bratty girls!
Belching Bobby Jon!

Ibrehem's credit comments
"What can I say, I totally didn't expect to be voted off tonight, so it was a big surprise. I thought me and Bobby Jon had something, but I guess I was wrong. I played the game the best way I felt like I knew how witout compromising my character. I think I walk away with just a whole new respect for life. Not taking things for granted. It was an experience I definetly enjoyed.