Whew!!! I could hardly breathe during voting. I wasn't sure who would be leaving. I am so glad that it was Stephanie. I have wanted her gone since day one. She was always too sure of herself. I would have hated to see her win the million.

I am sad to see Steph leave. She is the only strong female on that show. What is it with women on Survivor and letting the men tell them who to vote for? They really pick some stupid women.

Well hopefully Tom will win the whole thing, cause everyone else is an idiot not to vote him off. Gregg especially. He's got a plan; anyone who will help him win a million, is part of his alliance (so why all the absolutism against Steph). Well was voting Tom part of his plan? Damn what a moron. Get Katie/Ian to vote for Tom and you're done. Or Steph/Katie.

I think Gregg does have a plan and that plan did not include the wild card of Stephenie. He didn't know where her allegiance was and he knew that she could screw up his plan.

For Gregg getting rid of Stephenie was a smart move.

I think a few of them were right though. Its not out of the realm of possibility that Tom could sweep the immunity challenges.

I think what Gregg was really scared of is that he knew he couldn't beat Steph in a physical challenge. He thinks that eventually Tom will be voted out because he is the strongest player and they never make it to the end, but if Steph is still around at that time Gregg doesn't think he can outlast her in competition.

Rick D.

I agree with you, B-side, Katie showed herself to be a far better player than I ever expected. She was the only female to really try some scheming, besides Steph who had no choice, and she did it in a way that protected herself and didn't raise suspicion.

However, I wish she had floated the idea of taking out Gregg. Ian wasn't going to turn on Tom yet, and Caryn was stupid enough to believe that Tom's "strong 6" and I'll watch out for you "as best I can" actually meant more than surviving just 1 more week. If Gregg had been the target, though, Tom, Ian and Caryn might have come along. Gregg isn't the physical threat Tom is, but he has been the driving force behind the plans for voting at the last 2 tribal councils. He has some power without being as obvious as Tom. And Steph knows (and should have told Katie) that Gregg has plotted all along to turn on his alliance as soon as possible.

the remaining korors were lucky to get rid of steph, and if they're smart, they'll ditch katie or gregg next. as b-side pointed out, katie revealed herself to be probably the best liar left in the game, and being a sneaky schemer while seeming like a non-threat in challenges is a good way to get to the final 2. katie knows she is worthless and has had open conflict with several other current or future jurors, which makes her the ideal person for an alliance of two or three to carry to the end. i doubt given their dominance of the early challenges and the fact that they are all calm and apparently well-liked that any of the men could lose to any of the remaining women (all of the 3 men would almost certainly get coby's and janu's votes and probably steph's as well), but katie would certainly be easiest to beat. but she is also the bitchiest and least trustworthy person, so they're probably better off ditching her before she stabs someone else in the back.

if caryn is lucky, the ambiguously gay duo (notwithstanding the little bath house encounter, that title still belongs to ian and tom) will pull her in to replace katie and then set their sights on gregg, who is probably the smartest person left in the game and who i suspect has been holding back a bit in challenges, letting tom emerge as the alpha and the most obvious threat. tom is tough and smart, but he's honest to a fault and much less likely than gregg to be able to pull off any big surprises.

all that said, the girls should have gone with steph. all 3 of the men are in the top 1% of survivors for all-around ability and likability. i wouldn't want to face any of them in the final, especially if i'd been riding their coattails the whole game. the women must either be expecting the men to start turning on each other, or they're playing for second place.

Rick D. I agree with you about Gregg feeling threatened by Steph. Mostly because his reasoning of "if Steph stays we'll all be stabbing each other in the back." Uh, dude, you're doing that anyway. And, um, with her gone, won't you be forced to do it even more?

Then there was Tom's "don't vote me off because I'm a strong competitor" plea. "I just don't want that to be the reason I go." OK, would you rather it be because you're a patronizing asshole? Because I think most of us would be fine with that too. SO GLAD the teammates are finally starting to see through his crap.

And B-Side, I noticed Ian's scummy back too, seemingly just a day or so after his watery love session with Gregg. Then, amazingly, he looked squeaky clean again at tribal council. That was some creative editing, CBS.

If anyone watched Steph on the Early Show this a.m., she had a very subtle little slip up that confirms for me who will be in the finals. I don't want to mention it here, lest I get permanently 86'd from TVGasm (seriously, I'd cry). But it was pretty telling.

God we don't hear from Caryn the whole time and then all the sudden she's all annoying. She's a lawyer and supposed to be smart...what's smart..being part of a huge group where you may vote off 2 people before there's a chance of you getting voted off, or GUARANTEEING yourself a spot in the Final Four with the ladies. What the hell is wrong with these people? I mean c'mon!

Texas K - You can't do that! Now I want to know what Steph said. My money was on her to take it all. I really like her. I don't usually like the strongest contestants because they also ended up having the worst personalities and biggest egos.

If Steph's tribe had gone into the merge with the most players still in the game my money would have been on her to win it all. I'm sad to see her go, but wasn't very hopeful that she'd stick around long after her tribe was gone. Unless someone gets Ian to vote Tom off within the next few weeks I think Tom will be one of the final two. He's just too strong, and I don't think Gregg can keep up with him. Gregg may have a plan, but he himself said that he "needs" other people for his plan to work. All Tom needs to do is keep winning immunity challenges.

Rick D.

RealityTV4Me -- I'm sorry! : ) I liked Steph a lot too, so much so that she's the first voted-off player I've ever felt even slightly compelled to watch on the Early Show. It turned out to be pretty boring, but that one comment was telling.

With Steph gone, I feel considerably less compelled to watch now. I just don't find any of the remaining contestants as likeable or interesting as her. But like B-Side and some other TVGasm folks, I do have some hope for Katie, at least in terms of what she can bring to the scheming side of the game. Last night she finally seemed like she was doing more than taking up space.

It's interesting that Steph has been labeled one of the strongest contestants ever when she never won an immunity, team or individual. She was awesome and strong in terms of staying power, mental toughness despite all the losses, and her ability to do things that the other women couldn't (like climb a tree to get coconuts, carry that heavy tool chest out to the canoe alone, and stay in the run in the water with weight bags challenge to the end) but she wasn't actually a challenge powerhouse by any means, which she herself tried to clue Koror into by accurately pointing out that Tom is much more of a threat to ride a string of wins to the finals It is also conceivable that Ian or Gregg could win a string of immunities.)

Caryn is a dumbass. She should have majored in Math instead of Law because she would have figured out her odds were better with the girls' alliance rather than the oh-so-compelling 1 in 6 shot Tom was promising her. Stupid. As. Hell.

RealityTV4Me-If you really want to know, you can watch a video of the interview on the Early Show website:

http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/earlyshow/main500202.shtml

Once again, one player is going under the radar, dictating things while others are oblivious. Why does this happen EVERY SEASON? This is the GREGG show. Tom screwed up royally by not sticking to his alliance, now gregg can go to Caryn and assure her that she is next to go. With him, she can go to the final four, while with Tom she's sixth. Tom will not win this, but gregg (or jen) very well could, because they have the strongest bond. This is rob and amber all over again.

Did anyone else hear Ian say that during all the exciting scheming going on, his mind was going "four & a half miles an hour"? Whoa, string bean, you better slow down there or you might burn out some neurons.

Dave - He actually said 4 1/2 miles per....minute. I added the dots because he paused right there. I thought he was going to say hour, too.

joyceellaine: I suspect you are a woman hater... In your Amazing Race comment you said how entertaining Rob and Amber are and how you hope they win even though they already have a million dollars...but here you say you are glad Steph lost because "She was always too sure of herself." give me a break. And Rob isn't too sure of himself? I think you should sit in a corner and think about your motivations for not wanting a strong woman to win the game...

I am so pissed they kicked off Stephanie. And I'm tired of hearing the "kick off the competition" bullshit bacause if thats how they were really voting then Tom would be gone. Or Ian would be gone. Stephanie was not the biggest threat out there. Jenn and Katie are the two laziest bitches out there and if they win a million dollars for doing nothing I am no longer going to watch Survivor.

So sad to see Steph go. I was really hoping that the women would band to together and oust the men one at a time. Although I would have booted Gregg off first, he's such a punk.

Great reaction screen shots of the Probst dealing with Ian's smell. I wonder how the normally stoic Phil would have responded to it? Sorry, still got Phil on the brain since I just finished that recap.

Steph didn't really say all that much on the Early Show. She did how ever basically say who the final two are and who she voted for on Suvivor Live (cbs.com). Her facial expressions told a lot.

yourmom, if Jenn or Katie wins, it's the fault of the other people out there, not the show or game itself. If the others would wise up and realize that the big threat is actually Gregg because he's good in challenges when he needs to be and is controlling who the group votes for, things would be very different. But for some reason, season after season on this show people fall for the same tricks. The alpha male gets voted off, as Tom eventually will if he doesn't win lots of immunities, while someone else pulls the strings. Gregg is being more low-key about being the string-puller than Boston Rob was, and you can tell that Gregg realized his "relationship" with Jenn was attracting too much attention so he backed off.

I missed the show last night, so when I heard that Steph was voted out my heart actually sank into the pit of my stomach. In my opinion she was not only the strongest female on this season, but possibly the strongest female that has been on any of the seasons. Obviously she was my fav, and I've shed one single lonely tear for her....and by the bi--b-side, she isn't going to be able to marry you cause she's going to run away to Canada with me...she just doesn't know it yet.

Three cheers for B-Side for doing the recap right away!

At this point, I want anyone but Gregg to win.

And for the love of God, why didn't Steph ever tell ANYONE about Gregg's double dealing! She deserved to lose for that reason alone.

B-side, these recaps have no other description than art. Brilliant and hilarious, as usual. When's your novel/TV show/multi-million-dollar production deal going to be announced?

i'll miss stephanie's bra slipping off during challenges :(

Talk: Every season of Survivor is the same because Survivor is a microcosm of the real world which is filled with an incredible amount of stupid, gullible people who will listen to anyone smart enough to give them ideas they can't come up with on their own. Survivor will never change because people will never change. It must be incredibly frustrating for all the Stephenies in the game and incredibly fun for all the Greggs.

Caryn, I hate you. I am so sick of most of the girls that play these games. They always let the guys tell them what to do. Stephanie is my hero, she played the game excellent and rocked in the challenges.
Tom, I am getting sick of your ass as well. Can you guys please vote him off already.

Jenn, you are cute, but man you come off as dense.

Well, Todd, you were right. Stpeh's scheming was rather sucky. Too bad...

Regarding Ian's good aim at the Immunity Challenge:

Probably all those years spent playing ski-ball at the local Six Flags. I bet Ian has a room filled with giant combs and ‘fake poop’ he won from earning miles of tickets in ski ball.

Tom...droooolll..:)

Ian...droooollll...:)
He is HOT and SMART and SOOO COOL!!
He HAS to win!

Yes Ian is HOT HOT HOT.

Cute nerdy type. Definently a turn on.