Aww, yeah!

For the third week in a row, “Survivor” remembers its origins as a twisty, crafty stunner where anything can happen if greed, strategy and gobsmacked luck win out. Laura, the queen bee of the former Galu tribe and the head mean girl in Shambo’s head, took a powder in the most delicious blindside, which was made all the more spicy by Laura’s arrogant denial that it could ever happen.

And to her I say: Ha ha ha ha, ha ha ha ha, neh neh neh, goodbye!

Previously in “Survivor:: Shenanigans! Lies! Condescension! Some guy named Brett!

Russell is back to admiring his handiwork, although this time it’s not fictional. I still don’t like his nastiness, and the fact that I don’t believe he’s finding all these immunity idols by himself without help. It’s getting annoying, and anti-climactic. Good thing everything else has been so unpredictable.

Laura is busy making me root for Russell just to spite her, because she can’t believe that Russell foiled her plans by having the immunity idol last time – “We know he’s sneaky…he’s always sneaking around,” she complains. It’s not like he stole it, you twit. It was out there where anyone could find it. I hate, hate, hate entitlement.

Shambo continues her ranting, irrational hatred of Laura, which is going to make her a pawn of someone more focused and rational than her. Which is anyone. Because she’s like Teen Captain Ahab with this thing, with Moby Heather in her sights. She actually interviews that she’d like to find the idol and give it to Russell again just to spite Laura. Oh, that’s just silly.

There’s some crazy reward challenge involving pushing around a castaway in a cradle while they pick up flags and plant them into little stands, while….it’s complicated. And sort of exciting. But weird. Where do they come up with this stuff? I dunno, but let’s ask Jeff Probst and these product placement Palm devices! They also get a clue that the immunity idol is now somewhere under a rock! Like that one there, Russell! Love, the Producers!

The winners, including Russell and Laura, all go to an island where they have a picnic and take pictures where their Palm product and are just glad to be eating real food. Meanwhile, Jaison and Mick, the Adorable Duo, are trying to get Monica to flip. She says she wants John out, and they say they can probably do that.

Meanwhile…who the heck is Brett?

Everyone scrambles for the idol, and Russell finds it first, because that’s just how this works, apparently. Boring. Whatever. Anyway, Mick wins immunity, which makes me happy, because he’s very pretty, and because he’s not Laura. Here’s where it gets all weird and funny – Everyone starts trying to decide who to vote for. The former Foa Foaians want to get rid of Laura, while four of the five Galu decide to get the Foaians to vote for John, thus allowing them to sneak in a vote for Natalie. Everyone seems on board with this but John, who has become my new favorite. Not only is he annoyed on the principle that , as a rocket scientist, he’s stuck with people who have poor analytic skills, but he’s cheesed that no one ran this “Put John on the block” plan by…John.

Oh, I love when they start talking logic when other people are running around half cocked and dumb. It makes the blindsides all the more blind.

“I’m not risking my life to save Laura,” he says. “Sorry, Laura.”

Yeah, I feel ya, kid.

We come to tribal, where our jury, Erik and Kelly, are pissy and ready to see someone exact revenge on their behalf. I notice at this moment that Shambo looks like John Parr. Wanna be a mullet in motion, y’all!

The vote comes, and Shambo, of course, votes for Laura. And…it’s a tie! So we go back. If it’s another tie, they draw randomly. And it’s….

LAURA! Well, I already told you that. But it’s no less wonderful to say it again. Because Galu and their plotting and their infernal presumptious snottiness…well, they’ve been foiled again. I will never get tired of seeing that bamboozledy hoodwinked look on Dave Ball’s face.

Pop quiz, Dave…how many times do you have to have that look to realize that you don’t run shiznit?

Just wondering.