Thursday (Nov. 6) night's "Survivor: Pearl Islands" begins where last week's episode left off: With viewers at home wondering if they really liked any of the Outcasts in the first place.

The cadre of former rejects has come to Tribal Council to vote on which pair of them will return to the game. They arrive amidst the same thunder and lightning that made things miserable for Drake and Morgan at the end of last week's episode. This tribe, though, is happy to be there. How happy are they?

"I almost wet my pants, to tell you the truth," Michelle says. Tell the truth, the old proverb says, and the Lord will set your bladder free.

The various members of the Outcast tribe discuss their desire for revenge. Don't these guys understand that revenge is only warranted if you've suffered unjustly? For Ryan No-Shoulders or Nicole to talk about their desire to get back at their former tribe members presupposes that they didn't deserve to get the boot in the first place.

They all make speeches to each other, rarely rising above the "A vote for me is a vote for no homework," school of second-grade political posturing. They each get two votes and can't vote for themselves, which produces an interesting level of strategy that the show's producers don't bother to show us. All we know is that the creepy alliance between Ryan the Acid King and Lillian the Den Mother continues.

Burton and Lill make it back into the game and get to reignite their torches. Picking buffs from an urn, they determine that they're both going back to their old tribes -- Lill to Morgan and Burton to Drake.

Sandra promises that if it's Burton who returns, she will "fall out." Whatever that means, backlit by lightning, Burton returns to the tribe out for blood. Everybody apologizes. Burton talks about water under bridges. Even Sandra finally comes to the conclusion that they're a stronger tribe now.

Lill arrives on the beach and everybody crowds around her happily. The Scout Master, though, isn't fooled.

Early the next morning, Rupert pulls Burton aside and explains his reason for voting him out. Rupert accuses Burton of being like the jocks who picked on him in high school. Burton makes like he feels bad about all the Indian Burns and Wet Willies and Rupert, happy to have made an accord with one of the cool kids, shares his hatred for Jon.

Back at Morgan, Lill sees that the tribe members haven't been earning their merit badges in water toting, wood gathering or personal hygiene for quite some time. They're out of rice at Morgan as well. Their eyes are dead and both the men and women are beginning to waste away.

At what they think is a Reward Challenge, Sandra gloats about their full Drake tummies as the folks from Morgan look on in envy and sadness. It's a great relief, then, when host Jeff Probst announces that the time has come for the merge.

The challenge, the first to reward the individual over the good of team (or the "Ayn Rand Challenge"), has something to do with the pirate practice of keel-hauling. It involves a lot of breath holding and tugging yourself underwater.

In an all-male final, the monster that is Rupert gets off to a quick lead, but he wears down as the competition progresses, creating a race to finish with Burton, who sneaks ahead at the end for the victory. Burton, who already has immunity as a former Outcast, now must choose if he wants to pass the all-powerful sword along.

A buffet greets the members of the new tribe, dubbed the Balboas (named either after the explorer, the unit of currency, Rupert's deceased snake, or because the name "The Clubber Langs" was already taken). Ribs, lamb, chicken and fruit make a cohesive unit of them all, at least until the former Drakes attempt to lure Lill to their cause. Andrew's plot to keep her in league with the rest of the Morgan team is to call her naive. This is a strategy which, um, would seem to have its downside.

In Tribal Council, Burton passes immunity along to Rupert, which is an easy and smart decision on his part. The big guy wasn't in danger of being evicted, but it makes former high school reject Rupert believe that erstwhile Big Man on Campus Burton is willing to hang out with him in public.

"Little Jon, you talk too much smack," Andrew says, casting his vote and walking the Morgan party line.

"Ooooh yeah, Mr. Macho, Mr. Savage goin' down... dig it?" Jon grunts. Merely transcribing his words does not properly capture just how annoying Jonnie Goodboy (for no "Survivor" recap is complete without a "Battlefield Earth" reference) sounds.

As man-animal Jon sits smirking, Jeff reads the vote. It goes against Psychlo Andrew (make that three "Battlefield Earth" references) by the slimmest margin possible, throwing power to the former members of Drake.