01:00 AM EST on Thursday, March 11, 2004

Helen Glover, of Portsmouth, a contestant in Survivor: Thailand in the 2002 season, is now a freelance Survivor commentator. Here is her report on tonight's episode of Survivor: All-Stars (airing at 8 on Channels 12 and 4) in which two tribes of contestants are vying for a million-dollar prize on an island off the Pacific coast of Panama.

Tonight's Tension:

Jerri Manthey is getting on the nerves of fellow tribe mates, Shii Ann Huang and Kathy Vavrick-O'Brien, while Lex van den Berghe attempts to align himself with Huang. Colby Donaldson is trying to wrestle control of the Mogo Mogo tribe and establish himself as the leader.

Both Mogo Mogo and Chapera tribes will be looking to jump-start the game tonight, eager to put the Sue Hawk and Richard Hatch balance beam encounter behind them.

Recapping Last Week:

Hatch's ungentlemanly rub on the balance beam began to eat away at Hawk's otherwise tough exterior. The more she dwelt on the matter, the more it began to break her down. Her tribe mates made desperate attempts to bolster her emotional strength, but to no avail. By the time the tribes gathered at the reward challenge site, Hawk had lost control. When host Jeff Probst asked how the Chapera tribe was doing, Hawk exploded, screaming at Probst that she felt violated, humiliated, and had lost all interest in the game. And, so, for the second time this season, another "all-star" voluntarily left the game. Makes you wonder just who picked these players and what criteria were used. Most former Survivors would rather die than quit!

What You Don't Know:

When you are voted off, you go to a base camp, of sorts, behind the scenes and far away from the game. There is no TV, or telephones. No Internet. There is a VCR and a DVD player, but not much else. On a regular season of Survivor, with 16 contestants, the first seven are taken away for a very nice, all expenses paid vacation. Not a bad deal, but most would rather still be "in the game." The next seven voted off become the jury, leaving two finalists. As each person is voted off, they receive a meal, shower, room and a visit from the staff psychiatrist. They come to check on you, making sure you are all right. Some people leave the game angry, or depressed. Others leave ill, while still others leave with a sense of relief. The psychiatrist continues to call on you even after you return home, as many people have trouble adjusting to the normal routine of life again. I remember the doctor calling me several times just to "check up" and see how I was. After the third call, I told them to check on someone else: I'm just fine!

What's Up With Richard Hatch:

After being voted off the week before, Hatch made the rounds of the talk shows and late-night TV, and then showed up again on The Early Show last Friday morning with Hawk to discuss "the incident." For all of his other embarrassing behavior, I must say, he handled himself with dignity and respect when dealing with Hawk feeling violated. He didn't apologize, but listened intently to Hawk's feelings and said he felt it was a "matter of perspective" and that he was sorry she felt the way she did. It was the first time I felt Hatch was telling the truth. He seemed to have no clue that Hawk felt the way she did and it was clear that Hatch was surprised by her reaction.

My Prediction:

Jerri Manthey is on a slippery, downhill slope with the women in her Mogo Mogo tribe. However, she's lucky that Ethan Zohn is still with them, and giving it his all to stay in the game. What he is unable to do, despite all of his schoolboy charms, is make them forget that he is a previous winner, the last one remaining in the game. If they lose tonight, I believe the five members of Mogo Mogo will vote to send Zohn home.