Last week, at the tribal council, Jerri, the rebarbative schemer, announced that she was best pals with Colby, the not-too-bright Texan; Mitchell, the unclear-on-the-concept beanpole; and Amber, the administrative assistant, who has thus far distinguished herself only by an ovine tendency to do whatever Jerri wants.

It was a typically arrogant show of strength from the tribe's reigning Heather.

The bald statement left Keith, the reluctant but game professional chef, and Tina, the vague nurse, on the outback's B-list, big time.

Ogakor has lost the last two immunity challenges. Under Jerri's gleefully cruel direction, they kicked off Kel, whom Jerri had demonized, and then Mad Dog Maralyn, the 50-something cop.

Keith and Tina, like many other people, watched "Survivor" the First. They saw what happens to those who just fumble about when rats and snakes start establishing alliances.

The fumblers get led to the slaughter, one by one, like so many cuddly and innocent but Darwinianly challenged wallabies.

"I didn't come to be pushed around by a bartender wannabe actress," Keith says. He is referring, cruelly but not inaccurately, to Jerri.

"I am so over it I can't hardly stand it" is Tina's position, articulated in her dulcet Tennessee accent. "She's the most bossy, domineering person I've ever met."

On the two previous shows, Tina acquiesced in the ousting of Kel and Maralyn under Jerri's orders. Now all of a sudden she's on the side of goodness and light.

But we don't mind. It would be worse to watch yet another group of our species go meekly to the scaffold on a "Survivor" show.

Keith and Tina are sure Amber, who is something of a cipher, is beyond redemption. Mitchell, too, seems enraptured with Jerri.

That puts Colby in everyone's sights. Tina and Keith think he, despite his and Jerri's obvious flirtations, might be able to be weaned away from Cruella de Puddle.

It turns out that Colby finds Keith an OK guy. He's valuable to the tribe, he notes: "We need Keith right now."

Colby, who's taken to wearing a big Garth Brooks-like cowboy hat, decides to go pig hunting -- that's something he can do to put food on the table.

"I think it's a brilliant idea," enthuses Jerri.

She tags along for a little emotional arm-twisting on the outback, but confesses afterward that she felt her former flirting buddy a bit distant.

It's possible that Colby, against all odds, has perspective enough to see that Jerri has the morals of a dingo.

But you just can't tell with Colby; he's not the kind of guy who performs well under this kind of cognitive dissonance.

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