The final eight castaways had already made their way from the camp and were just arriving at "Jacob's Ladder". One of them would be sent home, and only Eugene Meltsner could claim he wouldn't be the one. As the contestants settled themselves into seats that surrounded the fire, Dale Jacobs walked out from behind some of the trees.

"Good evening everyone", he said casually, "I guess it's that time again. But before I get to the votes, I just wanna know how you're all doing today?"

"Pretty good I guess", Jason said with a smile on his face, "That meal we had the other day sure hit the spot. All things considered, we couldn't be better!"

"Well, Jason's got a point", Bernard said with a little laugh, "It sure beats listening to Eugene's Ukulele."

Everyone laughed and the tension seemed to be getting thinner. But then Dale began to speak again. "Well I'm glad you guys enjoyed it, but I'm told it's time to tell you guys how the voting went. Well, I'm sorry to say, but Katrina Shanks had her name appear more then the rest. Sorry Katrina."

Katrina stood up, Eugene did the same. "I guess it's my time", she said and hugged Eugene. "I love you, don't forget that."

"I won't", Eugene said and kissed her on the cheek. "I love you too, and I wish you the best. Don't forget to send my greetings to your family, I hope they're doing well."

Katrina smiled and nodded. She then backed away and waved to the rest of the castaways. After a few more good-byes, she walked away into the forest... the last female to walk out of the clearing.


Katrina Shanks was the last female to be voted off the island. Below are some of the reactions from the castaways:

"Oh dear. Katrina was declared the next person to be eliminated from contention. I will certainly miss her a lot, but I know that she's not far away and I'll be reacquainting myself with her in the near future. I know Katrina is in my proverbial corner praying for me, and I, will likewise do the same."
- Eugene Meltsner, Talnuska

"I'm sure Katrina will find heading back to Odyssey a welcome change. I got the impression that she was getting restless here on the island, and I'm happy for her. I only hope Eugene's going to be OK, but I think things will turn out all right."
- John Whittaker, Talnuska

The fourth Individual Challenge will be held tomorrow! Be sure to come by, and see the next candidates for "Jacob's Ladder" to be held on Day 55!


Joanne, Connie, and Katrina were the only three people sent home since the merger... and they were the last females left on the island. Now only seven people remain, all but one will be left standing.



Earlier in the day, Dale Jacobs had informed the castaways to meet him just after noon at one of the forests. After lunch, they hiked their way through one of the many trails and eventually found themselves at the correct location. Dale was already waiting for them, and had a pile of axes sitting nearby.

Dale handed each of the castaways an axe, and then motioned them to stand aside. "Things are getting more competitive here on the island", he said with a smile, "So it's time we get to a real challenge that will involve muscle and speed. Just to my left here is several trees with a ribbon tied around them. Each of you will be assigned to one of those trees, and it will be your job to use that axe to cut it down. The first person to call out 'Timber' and have their tree fall to the ground will win the challenge. Just as a safety precaution, we've spaced everyone far apart to avoid any accidents. Any questions?"

No one seemed to have any things they needed answered, so Dale assigned everyone to their tree. Once everyone was in place, he backed away and made sure everyone was ready to begin the challenge. "All right guys, I wish you all the best of luck." He paused and checked to make sure he had his stop watch in hand. "Well then... Ready? Set... Go!" He blew the whistle that was hanging from his lips, and watched the castaways wield their axes high in the air.

Everyone began hammering their axes into their trees, as sounds of wood crunching and grunts from the contestants filled the air. Tom Riley gained the early lead, trying with all his strength to cut his tree down. Each swing of the axe brought about another level of excitement to the contest, as the contestants all wanted to win Immunity. Unfortunately, Eugene was finding it difficult to gain the momentum he needed to keep up with the rest of the tribe, and found himself giving up. Whit reached the halfway point of his tree before anyone else, but Tom was close behind. Regis Blackgaard looked over his shoulder to see how he was faring, and saw that he was trailing both of them so he picked up his pace. Meanwhile, Jack and Bernard were falling behind and didn't have the energy to keep up. They put down their axes and walked over to where Eugene was standing off to the side.

Tom, Whit, Jason and Regis were the only castaways still in the game. Tom had already regained the slight lead, but Blackgaard was now pouring his heart into the axe and pushing himself to the limit. Finally, with one last huge swing, Tom buried his axe into the tree. He tried to pull it out, but he had lodged it at an angle that he couldn't get enough leverage. Blackgaard took the opportunity to give his tree a good whack on the side and the tree began to plummet to the forest floor. "Timber!" he shouted, and raised his hands in the air. Blackgaard had won the necklace, and was immune from the upcoming vote.

Eugene, Bernard, Whit, Jason, Jack, Tom... who would be the next to go? Certainly this will be one of the most difficult decisions...


It was still raining on the island, as it had been doing for the past two days. The path towards "Jacob's Ladder" was muddy and slippery, but the seven remaining castaways of "AIO Survivor" managed to trek through the muck and trudge towards the clearing in the woods.

Jason Whittaker was the last castaway to arrive, his hair tangled from the wind and rain that he had encountered on the trip. He crouched down in front of the fire and warmed his hands, his fellow tribe members doing the same. Dale Jacobs, the temporary host, had not arrived yet. Obviously he had been delayed by the storm that was gradually getting worse.

Twenty minutes past, and Dale had still not arrived. Some of the castaways began to pray for Dale's safety, other's tried to keep warm under the tarp that they had draped over themselves... but Dale was nowhere in sight.

After they had been there for forty minutes, the castaways began wondering what they should do. Risk going home back in the pouring rain? Or stay, and pray that Dale would be joining them shortly. However, before they had decided what to do, they heard a noise off in the distance. Blackgaard crawled out from under the tarp and walked towards the noise. "Hello?" he called out, trying to stay louder then the rain, "Who goes there?"

"It's me!" yelled out a familiar voice, but a voice that didn't belong to Dale Jacobs, "I'm back!"

Blackgaard backed away and slowly crept towards the fire. He seemed uneasy, and stumbled over Jack's feet when he tried to get back under the tarp. The contestants all turned towards the edge of the clearing, where a man was now standing with a look of triumph on his face. "You miss me?" he laughed and wiped some of the rain from his brow, "Come now, it hasn't been that long!"

"My word!" shouted Whit from under the tarp, "It's Dern!"

"You remember?", Bryan Dern replied, and chuckled to himself, "I was worried Dale had taken over my show for good, and you had forgotten me. But I'm better now, and it's time I reclaim what is rightfully mine. Welcome friends, to 'Dern's Council'"

The castaways looked at each other in disbelief. Nearly twenty five days earlier, Dern had been involved in an accident outside of his cabin and was sent to a hospital. Dale Jacobs was called in to take over his hosting duties, and had been much more lenient with the castaways and was much kinder in revealing the votes. However, it was apparent now that Dern had recovered and was ready to host... something they would not be looking forward to.

"I'm sure you'll all be happy to know that I have already taken a look at the votes and am ready to reveal the results."

"Mr. Dern", Eugene called out over the rain, "Again, I ask that you handle this situation in a more delicate manor then you have in the past. Perhaps, give us a little bit longer to say our farewells?"

"Funny you should bring that up Eugene", Dern said with a little chuckle.

"Oh it is? Is it?" Eugene asked with a genuine curiosity. "And why is it so funny, pray-tell?"

"Well Eugene", Dern said his smile widening, "It just so happens you're the person who's gonna need that longer 'farewell!'"

The castaways all turned to look at Eugene, who was trembling from the cold.

"Wha-, wha-, what?" he cried, and turned to look at his tribe mates "Farewell? Me? Surly there is some sort of error, I cannot possibly- I mean, are you sure you've calculated the results correctly- it just isn't possible, I haven't even- what am I supposed to do- I'm not ready for this-"

Dern laughed and displayed a card with Eugene's name written across it. "It's the real thing Eugene Meltsner of Odyssey... the fans have spoken."


Eugene Meltsner was the most recent castaway to be voted off the island. Below are some of the reactions from the rest of the contestants:

"Well, I was very shocked when I heard Eugene was the next person to be cast off the island. Dern didn't help any with his attitude, and I think it hurt Eugene a lot. Katrina's no doubt already reunited with him back in Odyssey, and I'm glad for them. However, I would have liked to see Eugene with us till the end."
- John Whittaker, Talnuska

"Do you hear anything? Nah, either do I.. it's nice, isn't it? Come to think of it, it's probably the first time I've been able to enjoy the great outdoors without hearing Eugene fiddling with that contraption of his. Now, I can't say that I won't miss the guy, I mean he is my cousin... however distant, and don't go spreading news otherwise. But he's probably going to have a much better time back in Odyssey. We've got fifteen days left here, and I intend to live them to the fullest."
- Bernard Walton, Talnuska

The fifth Individual Challenge will be held tomorrow! Be sure to come by, and see the next candidates for "Dern's Council" to be held on Day 60!