At the start of this week’s episode of Survivor entitled “Going Down in Flames” the Heroes and Villains tribe finally get what they were looking for – a merge.  The Heroes are supplied with a locked chest and instructed not to open it until company arrives with the key.  The Villains are provided with a key and a map to the Heroes camp.  When the tribes meet and open the chest, they are given new black buffs and merge into one tribe: Yin Yang.

After enjoying a breakfast feast, the players immediately fall back into old tribal lines and the game is being played fast and furiously.  Continuing with the all-woman’s alliance scheme that Russell has been playing up ever since the Heroes got the idea into their head, Russell sits down with JT and Rupert and spins a story about why Parvati is still around and Courtney went home.  The story goes that Russell played the idol that JT gave him, but Parvati played one as well and thus Courtney went home.  JT and Rupert buy every last word and JT is convinced that Rupert’s a “good ole country boy.”

Russell feels that implementing the Villains plan is easier than he anticipated, but he doesn’t account for Sandra who’s still on the outs of their old tribe and feeling bitter about her alliance being voted off.  Afraid that she’ll be sent home if she runs her mouth too much, Sandra has a quick five minute conversation with Rupert where she spills everything about the non-existent woman’s alliance, how Russell’s in charge and not to trust him, Parvati or Danielle.

The first individual immunity challenge is very simple – hold on to a slotted pole as long as you can.  It is another challenge that seems to benefit the lighter females and Colby, Sandra, Rupert and Russell quickly fall out of the challenge.  Amanda, JT and Jerri last slightly longer, but recognize that Candice, Danielle and Parvati are in the challenge for the long haul and drop out.  Candice shocks everyone by deciding to drop out when she seems to be doing well.  With just Parvati and Danielle left, Parvati decides to give her ally the victory and steps off the pole.

Back at camp, Rupert and JT are suspicious of why Parvati dropped out of the challenge when she knows the Heroes are angling to get rid of her.  Rupert tells JT and the rest of the Heroes what he heard from Sandra, but they are not too convinced of her story and suspect that Rupert is just being paranoid.  Nevertheless, they decide on a plan to tell Russell that they’re voting for Parvati and actually vote someone else in order to see if they can trust Russell and flush out the idol if they can not.

Everything would seem to be in order until Parvati confronts Amanda about whether the Heroes are going to write down her name.  Playing on their relationship from previous Survivor’s and having already told Amanda that she has the idol, Parvati is able to deduce that Amanda is lying to her about the Heroes voting for her and is simply trying to flush out the idol.

Believing that they have outwitted the old Villains, the Heroes send their five votes for Jerri.  However, having been given a second hidden immunity idol by Russell – the same one JT gave Russell last week – Parvati follows her intuition and gives one idol to Sandra and another Jerri to play.  The Heroes are shocked as their plan to get rid of Jerri is foiled as all of her votes are nullified and JT is sent home instead.