John then claims that the new Rotwos are part of the tribe, and that if there is a "traditional merge," he gives his "absolute word" that the former Rotus will go first. Still, he doesn't trust Rob, who looks bored and irritated. Rob promises that he won't "try to, like, swing to the other side," and then John also gives his word, but also must have the last word by adding, "And don't try to fuck me!" Rob and John shake on the pact, and they want Sean to shake on it, too. No one cares if Vecepia shakes, because they know she'll just do whatever she thinks will make them happy. Rob tells us that he thinks he convinced John "to a degree" that Rob is trustworthy and part of the team. He adds, "I want 'im to trust me. But he shouldn't." As they conclude this discussion ,and Rob walks off, he suddenly asks John, "Are you gay, dude?" John says, "Don't ask me that," but then he answers in the affirmative. In a confessional, John calls the question "very passive-aggressive," and is bothered because it was a "throwaway comment." He tells us he's thirty-six years old and has been out for a long time. He mockingly tells Rob, through the camera, "Thanks for outing me." He concludes that Rob is bothered because, "this thirty-six-year-old gay boy from Omaha is running the show and just whippin' his pants." And boy, was there a lot of homosexual subtext in that last segment. I hope Rob's friends give him a lot of grief for it. On second thought, I hope John's stupid friends give him a lot of grief as well.

We are still at Rotwo on Day 17, where the decomposing skull of some animal awaits us. A dirty-fingernailed Rob makes a fishing pole, and for the very first time ever tells us that the immunity challenge is critical because if they lose, he'll be voted off. He explains that Sean, Vecepia, and Tammy have to compete because they sat out in yesterday's challenge; he plans to be the fourth competitor, because if they lose, he wants to know that he gave his best effort. He warns us, "Don't count me out." He doesn't threaten to send someone after us, though, if we do count him out.