MONDO EXTRAS

Jeff asks Terry for his opinion of Aras, referring to their relationship as "father-son." I love the idea that any older guy and younger guy who despise each other with a vicious fury should be thought of as "father-son." I suddenly wonder how many basketballs were bounced off the head of young Jeff Probst. I certainly don't seem to recall anyone suggesting that Jenna Morasca treated all the wrinkly old women as her surrogate mothers. Anyway, Terry is asked whether he respected the rivalry, and Terry says he "respected it totally," except, of course, for the parts where he made sure to explain that when he lost, he could have won had the rules been properly explained. He respected the rivalry entirely, except for that. Terry congratulates Aras for having offered up an apology, saying that his own role was merely to "listen to what [Aras] had to say." So if you were wondering whether Terry ever concluded that he maybe also owed an apology for his role in turning things between the two of them into the groundbreaking case of Yoga v. The Military, also known as My Equipment v. Your Equipment, the answer is apparently "no."

And then Terry, trying to explain just how invigorating he found the experience of competing against Aras, says this: "Two mature guys, gettin' it on, strappin' it on, and makin' it happen. It was great." Okay. "Two mature guys, gettin' it on" would have been funny enough. "Two mature guys, gettin' it on and makin' it happen" would have been even funnier. The addition of "strappin' it on" -- strapping it on -- makes this truly one of the most unintentionally funny things ever said on this show, and nobody sitting behind Terry even raises an eyebrow except in apparent respect for his actual comment. Did no one hear the part where Terry said that he and Aras "strapped it on"? How can there be so many reality-show contestants in one place, and no one is immature enough to even look shocked? Jeff declares that Terry should also be congratulated for coming in third, and Terry straps -- I mean claps -- for himself, as expected. He applauds on the basis of merit, people; there's nothing he can do. Jeff explains that Terry defied a numbers disadvantage by winning immunity challenges. Of course, one could argue that Terry chose the worst way to approach the numbers disadvantage, which was to play so unstrategically that he put all his eggs in the basket of individual immunity. It looks kind of like a good choice now, but at the time it was probably the least intelligent call to make. Still, it's a lot of immunity wins. Terry came closer to escaping his own incompetent social play than most people could have, that's for sure.