Foa Foa has treemail. It says something about pumped bodies and sharp minds leading to food. Ever optimistic, Natalie says the prospect of winning food is "awesome," while Jaison shows off his new rah rah attitude by staring at the ground and sighing "sooner or later, something'll change for us. I'm hoping today is the day." Li'l Russell decides that the treemail was "so vague" that he decided to dig up his immunity idol and bring it with him just in case there's a merge. You know, I'm having a tougher and tougher time not believing that this guy is a plant. Also, if there was a surprise merge and they had to leave camp, wouldn't they make sure he got his stupid idol back?

Sure enough, the tribes meet up on a beach. Probst is not there, but a treasure chest is. It makes for a great stand-in, actually. I think it should win the Emmy next year. They open the chest to find blue buffs and paint. Yes, they have merged. Mick reads the note that says they'll all live at Galu now, but first they have a feast to get to know each other. Everyone is happy about this. Sure enough, there's the merge feast, which I think is the true source of their happiness. Erik is able to remove bottle caps with his teeth. Ouch. Everyone toasts to the new tribe, and Shambo interviews that she is very happy about the merge. Also, she's on a massive sugar high. While everyone else walks around and gets to know each other, she goes for a swim by herself. In a social game like this, isolating yourself is a great idea, Shambo. John and Jaison bond over their good educations. Dave Ball creeps out Natalie. Li'l Russell smirks and interviews about how everything is going according to his brilliant plan. You know, the plan that JT, Taj, and Stephen used just last season. Monica holds some grapes over Li'l Russell's head for him to eat, and he brags that that's how kings eat. The only king Li'l Russell reminds me of is the one in that "Wizard of Id" comic strip.

The new merged tribe arrives at Galu. Foa Foa look around and Natalie interviews that their camp is like the Hilton compared to Foa Foa. And she thinks the people here are so nice, like family! Laura is quick to take Natalie under her wing and show her around camp, which Natalie interviews is good for her because she's counting on Laura's mother-daughter bond with her to show her where the cracks in Galu are. "Make no mistake, there are cracks," Natalie says, showing that she, too, is capable of thinking of things like this in her own mind so it's not all Li'l Russell and his stupid seeds. She says the question now is, are those cracks big enough for Foa Foa to use to their advantage?