Coming back from the last vote, Russell sees that he is no longer in direct control of the game, so he knows the first thing he has to do is regain a majority alliance.
First, he goes to Mike, which is easy, since Mike was as blindsided by the last vote as Russell was.
Then, he approaches Shambo and Yasmin, but they're not very forgiving. Yasmin says something along the lines of "You got outplayed; get over it!" Shambo is less vocal, but also says "no."
Russell then goes to Ashley, and asks her if their Final 2 deal is still on. Ashley is confused, since she betrayed him on the last vote, but she says "Um, sure."
The 7 players gather for what they thought would be the next Reward Challenge, but Jeff surprises them when he reveals that the challenge will be for immunity! He reveals another twist when he says this Immunity Challenge will be twice as important! This is because during the next Tribal Council, 2 people will be eliminated, one right after the other. The immunity will last for both votes. The players know that this will change their immediate gameplay.
Another surprise occurs when Ashley wins immunity, contrary to everyone's expectations. She will be safe for the double-vote in the next Tribal Council, meaning she has an assured spot in the Final 5.
Back at camp, the women re-affirm their all-female alliance, and they decide to vote off Russell first, and then Mike in the following vote. Ashley does not reveal that Russell tried to approach her earlier, but Shambo and Yasmin mention it and laugh at his scrambling.
Russell sees he still doesn't have enough votes, even with Mike and Ashley, so he finds a way to talk with Kelly, Monica, and Ashley privately. He plants what he refers to as a "Russell seed" when he subtly reveals that Yasmin "probably" has the Hidden Immunity Idol. (Kelly and Monica, of course, know that isn't true, because Kelly has the idol.) However, they decide to humor him, anyway. They ask him what they should do about it, and Russell suggests that they split their votes - Kelly, Monica, and Ashley vote for Yasmin while Russell and Mike vote for Shambo. Then, if Yasmin plays the idol, Shambo would be eliminated. He then says that whoever doesn't go that vote, they can vote off in the following vote.
Later, Kelly and Monica discuss this notion privately. They agree that Russell does need to go, but it might be better for them to use him to break up the Yasmin/Shambo pair, first. Monica then suggests that after Yasmin goes, then they could vote for Russell.
However, Russell has a second plan of his own. He tells Mike that he convinced the girls to vote off Yasmin, and then Shambo afterwards. Russell then says that in the following vote, they can try to blindside Monica (he doesn't want to risk voting Kelly, since she "might" have the idol). Mike is unsure about how much they can trust Ashley, and if they tell her the plan, then she could tell Kelly and Kelly could give her idol to Monica. Russell agrees, but that means they need to find another way to get an extra vote.
Later, Russell talks to Shambo again, and this time, tells her that Kelly and Monica are planning to vote off Yasmin the first vote, and then Shambo the next. Shambo doesn't believe him, and thinks he's just making this up. To counter this, Russell says, for the first vote, do whatever you want, but if Yasmin goes the first vote, then vote for Monica for the second vote, because otherwise, you'll be going home.
What they didn't know; however, is that Monica had overheard this conversation in the background, and she runs back to Kelly to reveal what she heard. They discuss whether Kelly should give the Hidden Immunity Idol to Monica, as well as the possibility that Russell knew Monica was in the background and he MEANT for Monica to hear (meaning he'd really be voting for Kelly). They wonder if he already has Ashley on his side - meaning they shouldn't tell her about their plans, and they also debate whether they should vote off Russell the first vote rather than the second.
All this strategic discussion from all ends comes to a close when the time for Tribal Council arrives. Jeff gets the votes, and nobody plays the Hidden Immunity Idol for the first vote, so Jeff starts to read the votes:
1st vote - Russell
2nd vote - Russell
3rd vote - Shambo
4th vote - Shambo
5th vote - Yasmin
6th vote - Yasmin
7th vote, and 14th person voted off of Survivor: Samoa and 3rd member of the Jury...
Yasmin!
Russell is relieved that the first part of his plan went through, but Shambo is confused at this, and concludes that Russell must have been telling her the truth earlier (at least to some degree.)
The 6 remaining players vote a second time, and this time when Jeff calls for anybody that wishes to play the Hidden Immunity Idol, Monica steps forward! Russell, Shambo, Mike, and Ashley are all incredibly shocked and confused by this.
Jeff reads the votes:
1st vote - Shambo
2nd vote - Monica (doesn't count)
3rd vote - Monica (doesn't count)
4th vote - Monica (doesn't count)
5th vote - Russell
6th vote, and 15th person voted off of Survivor: Samoa and 4th member of the Jury...
Russell!
The self-proclaimed puppetmaster has been outwitted, and there are now only 5 players left in the game - Shambo, Ashley, Monica, Kelly, and Mike. Who will be voted off next time, and who will win the million dollar prize?
Revealed votes:
1st time:
Mike -> Shambo
Shambo -> Russell
Russell -> Shambo
Ashley -> Yasmin
Kelly -> Yasmin
Yasmin -> Russell
Monica -> Yasmin
2nd time:
Mike -> Monica
Shambo -> Monica
Russell -> Monica
Ashley -> Shambo
Kelly -> Russell
Monica -> Russell
