I have another retraction to make. Right before it started, I claimed Survivor: All-Stars was going to be the most entertaining thing in the history of the universe. Sadly, this has not been the case. On paper it was a great idea, but in execution it’s been something of a bust. Everyone’s playing it safe, except for Lex, who has hit on the admittedly original strategy of voting out all his allies. I’m still trying to fathom last night’s boneheaded play. With a golden opportunity to vote out the closest ally (Amber) of the strongest player (Boston Rob), Lex & Kathy decide they don’t want to piss Rob off and instead boot Jerri – who was 100% loyal to Lex. Is there some master strategy I’m missing here? Even if Lex believes Rob will have his back after the merge, why would Kathy and Shii Ann go along with this?

With any luck, the merge – which is apparently finally happening next week – will give this edition a much-needed shot in the arm. I never thought I’d say it, but I miss Jonny Fairplay.