Stephenie LaGrossa became the second returning castaway voted out of Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains during last night's episode of the CBS reality competition's all-stars twentieth edition.

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"I am upset that I'm out of the game.  I take comfort in knowing that they definitely made the wrong move in getting rid of me," Stephenie said after Survivor host Jeff Probst revealed the former Survivor: Palau and Survivor: Guatemala castaway had been eliminated from the Heroes tribe via a 6-3 vote. 

"These people don't even genuinely try getting to know each other, there was a division since Day 1.  I just definitely wanted to stick around for a lot longer.  I lot of people were threatened by me.  I don't think there's anything else I could have done."

Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains' second episode began with the Villains tribe complaining about being unable to remain dry in their poorly-built shelter while the Heroes tribe was voting Jessica "Sugar" Kiper out of the game at their Night 3 Tribal Council session.

"It's pouring down rain and like five people want already to die," Rob "Boston Rob" Mariano vented about his fellow Villains the following morning.  "Everybody's crying and I can't take it anymore.  The main thing we should be doing is trying to make a fire and trying to get our shelter good [but] nobody wants to step up... it's making me physically sick."

"It's like again, again, again I'm on the buffoon tribe.  Again.  I was on [it on] Marquesas, I was on [it on] All-Stars, and again now. I don't know what I'm going to do."

Rob attempted to lead the Villains through a rebuild of the shelter on Day 4 -- the fourth or fifth such attempt, according to tribal curmudgeon Randy Bailey -- but quickly grew exacerbated with his tribemates poor attitudes and work ethics.

"Boston Rob is just like the bright shining star and he just gets so frustrated with these fools.  I hope he doesn't drop dead in the next few days because we'll all die [without him], there's just no way around it," Courtney Yates said.

However Courtney's joke began to turn frightening real when Rob wandered away from camp and passed out in the jungle after complaining of feeling weak and dizzy.

Luckily for Rob, Jerri Manthey saw his collapse and summoned Survivor's medical team, who checked his vital signs and eventually pronounced him fit to remain in the game after he regained consciousness.

"In terms of giving an overall assessment, he looks worse than he is, [correct]?" Jeff asked one of the medics he had accompanied to the villains' camp.

"At the moment that's what we think, yes.  And there's nothing that we found in examining him that would concern us," the medic replied.

"I'm sorry... it's just I feel like its getting the best of me and I love and respect [the game] too much to not play," an unusually solemn and emotional Rob told Jeff after the medical staff diagnosed him with nothing more than a case of the flu and gave him some water.

However Rob's bravado quickly returned.

"I'm going to win this game dude, watch this," he told Jeff.  "I definitely need to start smacking them into shape."

"When I finally came to I had a moment of clarity, and that was stop trying to be the good guy," he said afterwards. 

"Because I'm trying to be so good I've physically made myself  sick.  Just do what everybody wants you to do and be the villain.  There was no way I was going to leave, I mean Survivor is my life.  I love the game, it's given me so much."

Rob then returned to camp and was greeted warmly by his fellow Villains tribe members.

"Boston Rob came back, he's not out of the game, everything's cool," Russell Hantz said.  "Even though I'm the villain I still worry a little bit about stuff like that.  Besides he's strong, he gives us a better shot to win the challenge."

Meanwhile, although their shelter work proceeded without problems, the Heroes tribe members spent Day 4 continuing to plot strategies and grow on each others' nerves.

"For my game, it is a very good idea to get rid of [Stephenie]," Rupert Boneham said.  "I mean she's a sweet girl, but in the game I think Stephenie would side with anyone that got her one day further."

"Rupert is starting to get a little bit annoying.  Every time I turn around he's got an opinion -- about everything," Stephenie said.  "I'm just sitting back and being quiet because he could be trying to get me out of this game.  I honestly think the guy is playing up the good guy role out here -- and he is a good guy, I'm not saying he's not.  But it's overkill right now, it's Day 4.  Like 'Woah.'"

The following day, the tribes met Jeff for their next challenge.  Once there, Jeff explained that it would be a re-creation of the Day 9 challenge that James "JT" Thomas, Benjamin "Coach" Wade and Tyson Apostol had participated in during Survivor: Tocantins and require each tribe to run groups of two across a field to six giant wooden crates and roll them back one-by-one to the starting line.

Once a tribe had all of their crates, they would have to build them into a giant staircase in a way that the markings on the side of each crate spelled out their tribe's name. After correctly building their staircases, the first tribe to get to the top of the stairs to the finish line would win immunity, while the losing tribe would have to go to Tribal Council the following day.

In addition, Jeff also announced that the challenge would double as a Reward Challenge and the winning tribe would receive a tarp and other shelter supplies that would help protect them from the elements better.

Similar to Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains' first Immunity Challenge. the Heroes tribe once again got off to a strong start and dominated the initial portion of the challenge but later struggled to complete the puzzle and stack their crates in the proper order.  Although they had appointed JT their leader based on his previous experience with the challenge, several other Heroes also appeared to attempt to direct the crates' assembly, leading to chaos.

"The Heroes are now talking trash to each other!" Jeff noted after James Clement began saying that his tribe needed to "listen to one voice" and screaming that they needed to "Shut up!"

Meanwhile, Rob appeared to once again lead the Villains tribe through the challenge's puzzle assembly despite his earlier illness.

"Rob, pushing!" Jeff shouted as Rob used his back to lift the final heavy create as Coach and Russell also pulled from above.

In the end, the Villains tribe easily won the challenge and the Heroes began fighting among themselves.

"We've got to have one voice y'all.  He was telling you what to do," James said.

"We were listening," Stephenie replied.

"No y'all were not!  You were not!" James said.

"James I was listening," Stephenie countered.

"No y'all were not!  He was telling you what to do!  And everyone's mouth wanted to talk!" James began shouting angrily.  "One voice!"

Afterward, Stephenie made it clear that James' outburst had upset her but she felt unable to tell him how she really felt.

"James, I don't care who you are, I don't care where we're at, you just don't talk to people like that," she explained.  "The problem is I can't say anything because Rupert already has it out for me, for whatever reason.  Maybe I threaten his popularity, I don't know.  so I'm just trying to say as little as possible."

Meanwhile, James made it clear that he considered Stephenie to be responsible for the Heroes tribe's struggles.

"Stephenie has been the only person in Survivor history to lose every person in her tribe to where she's the only one left," he said.  "You know, she's obviously the problem.  There's no other source of krytonite in here sucking off superheroes' powers but her.  It's like 'Wow, you need to go home.'"

James continued to lecture the rest of the Heroes tribe about their failure to listen even after the tribe returned to camp and JT attempted to take responsibility for not following Rob's lead and telling his tribemates to be quiet.

"One voice, that's all I asked for is one damn voice!  And then I get defensive people, then I get people telling everyone their wrong!  I don't want to hear that... the only way to get to the top is for us as individuals to shut the f--k up and listen to the guy that's done the challenge!  You can't be defensive when you lose," James shouted  "I ain't never lost this much in my life!"

"We have to check our egos at the door and fellow who we designate," added Amanda Kimmel, who previously played both Survivor: China and Survivor: Micronesia with James.

While he had remained quiet during it, James' new rant also bothered Tom Westman, Stephenie's closest ally in the game.

"You know... alright, great, you've been a winner all your life?  I doubt it," he explained afterwards.  "I'd love to tell him what a winner is and what a loser is and where he fits into that equation.  Once again, that I've got to hold my tongue and not respond to that, that kills me."

Afterward, James continued his anti-Stephenie campaign.

"Her teams don't ever win... something just ain't right and it got to be her," he told Candice Woodcock before repeating the same message as he talked with JT, Amanda and Cirie Fields.

"She nullified her own tribe until she was the last one left! It got to be her!"

While they were aware of James' efforts to make sure Stephenie was the next castaway voted off, Tom and Stephenie were unsure if they would be able to stop him.

"They're going to get rid of me over Amanda?  And we've already lost two [Immunity Challenges]?" Stephenie asked Tom.

"You're in a bad spot my friend," Tom replied.

After discussing the situation with ally Colby Donaldson, the three decided that both Rupert and JT had apparently also joined James' anti-Stephanie group and their only hope was to convince Candice and Cirie that they would follow Stephanie if she was voted off next.

"They're all together, we're the three on the outs," Tom told Stephenie and Colby.   "This is the way it's going to go down: the order is going to be Stephenie, me, and you.  We have to convince Candice and Cirie that the order is going to be Stephenie, Cirie and Candice."

"It's all on the line today, we know what we're up against, and I don't have any false illusions of loyalty from JT at this point," Tom explained afterwards.  "If I can get Cirie and Candice to switch over with our three and send Amanda home then we're controlling this game."

However unbeknownst to Stephenie, Tom and Colby, JT was privately insisting he had not decided whether to remain loyal to his alliance with James or the separate alliance he had made with Tom.

"After tonight I'm in one alliance in this game," he said.  "I can either go with James, Rupert and Amanda and bring Cirie and Candice along or I can go with Colby, Tom and Stephenie and bring Candice and Cirie along."

Meanwhile, over at the Villains camp, not even the excitement of an improved shelter was enough to extinguish Russell's frustration about his tribemates' growing deification of Rob.

"Boston Rob thinks he's in charge, I'm starting to think this just isn't working out.  I don't know his personality was that strong," Russell explained.

Anxious to demonstrate his own tribal worth, Russell decided to grab a makeshift spear and hunt down one of the feral chickens that -- similar to the Heroes' Day 1 discovery -- were apparently in the jungle near the Villains camp.

"I'm in charge.  I am King Russell from Samoa," he boasted.

"We got a chicken.  They're trying to catch fish.  You got to catch real food."

The following day, Stephenie approached Cirie and attempted to convince her that it was in her own best interests to vote Amanda off next.

"You go in with them and I guarantee it's going to be you and Candice next," she told Cirie.  "I promise you that.  It's me, you and Candice [next]."

Later, Tom also approached Candice.

"I imagine the boot order is Stephenie tonight [and then] either you or Cirie if we have to go to another Tribal Council, and then who ever is left after that next," he told her.  "And I think we've got a better deal for you."

But Candice told Tom that she didn't feel that siding with either side would leave her in a good long-term position.

"One assurance that you have [from us is] they all go home before you ever go home.  You're not going to get that deal on their side," Tom told Candice.  "I'm not even going to ask you what you're going to do, you and Cirie are going to have to decide if this is a move that makes sense for you.  [But] Tom, Colby, and Stephenie are writing Amanda's name down.  I'm trusting my gut on this and I think that you should too."

"This vote today is crucial because the line will be drawn in the sand and you'll be on one side or the other," Candice confessed afterwards.  "And I feel like I'm on the bottom of either alliance, so I'm like which way do I go? Which way is it worse?  I don't know."

Discussing the situation with Cirie also appeared to fail to produce an answer.

"I just want to do what's best -- for the long run, for now.  The problem with this decision is once this decision is made all the cards are out," Cirie told Candice.

"I know you guys are all tight and I don't know any of you guys from before and all that stuff," Candice said.

"See that's the problem, I don't know why everybody thinks we're so tight.  Yeah, me and Amanda made it to the end [on Survivor: Micronesia] but Amanda chose [Parvati Shallow] over me [after winning the final Immunity Challenge].  Amanda cost me a million dollars, so it's not like that," Cirie replied.

"I need somebody that I can trust and I don't really have anything else going for me," Candice said.

"So do I.  Hello?" Cirie responded with a shrug.  "I think we have some common denominators."

"So who goes first?" Candice asked.

"Honestly, as long as it's not us, it don't much matter to me," Cirie said.

Once the tribe arrived at Tribal Council that evening, James resumed his railing against Stephenie while answering a question from Jeff, resulting in Stephenie piping in and attempting to defend herself.

However James' comments continued to grow increasingly heated, causing Colby to finally jump in and defend Stephenie.

"James, you just attacked her, you expect her to just sit here not defend herself?" he asked.  "You just told Probst there was one person that cost us that challenge, so you can not expect her to sit here and not defend herself."

"I expect her to defend herself," James snapped.

"And now you're getting back to her past season!  Just let it be bro," Colby said.

But James refused to let the issue go, causing Tom to also jump in.

"Make it 'Three of them all,' okay?" Tom said.  "Alliances have been made.  Divisions have been cast in the tribe.  You repeating things and just bullying people until they..."

"I'm not bullying people!" James interrupted.

"You were bullying Stephenie," Tom said.

"I was not," James insisted.

"Jeff asked who you were speaking about and you said her name, that doesn't mean 'Y'all,' that means 'Stephenie,'" Tom said.

"That's how it goes.  If you walk out to somebody and they say 'What, I wasn't doing something,' usually they're doing something," James said.

"Maybe in your world James.  I don't know, I don't live in your world," Tom replied.

Later, Cirie attempted to distance herself from Amanda and told Jeff that, similar to Stephenie's earlier reminder that Tom had been among those who ultimately voted her out of Survivor: Palau, Amanda had also betrayed Cirie at the end of Survivor: Micronesia.

"Like Stephenie said, she played with Tom and Tom cut her throat in the end.  The same thing kind of happened with me and Amanda at the very end.  Amanda chose Parvati over me," she said.  "So if you think that's the route I would want to take again, obviously you don't know me."

However when it came time to vote, Cirie apparently decided she was willing to take that route at least a little longer and, along with Candice, decided to follow James, Amanda, Rupert, and JT and vote for Stephenie's elimination rather than joining Tom, Colby, and Stephanie in voting for Amanda.

"Some advice.  Next time 'Y'all' lose a challange, a little less cursing off your tribe might help," Stephenie turned and told the tribe after Jeff extinguished her torch.

"Keep your mouth shut," James shot back.

"Come on," Tom sighed.

"It's been a pleasure," Stephenie said as she exited.
About The Author: Steven Rogers

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