(CBS) Analysis of "Survivor: Palau" Episode Eleven, by CBSNews.com's Ellen Crean.

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If we learned anything from Episode Eleven of "Survivor: Palau," it ought to be this: If you are ever in the market for a cut-throat lawyer, do not hire Caryn. But if you are looking for a sweet, trusting soul, give her a call.

Unfortunately, we are talking about "Survivor," and a quality that rules in the real world often is nothing but a liability on reality television.

For there was Fireman Tom, suddenly taking Caryn aside, wooing her loyalty, and assuring her that he would look out for her interests as long as she would look out for his. A touching scene, a promise between friends. How nice.

HELLO?????

The game is "Survivor."

Well, OK. That did not happen right away. The episode opened with Koror's return from the Tribal Council where Janu withdrew from the game, foiling the tribe's plan to get rid of Stephenie. ("I'm upset," noted Gregg.)

Stephenie herself, well aware that she was thisclose to going home, told the camera she was so disgusted that "I almost don't want to talk to anyone, but I'm not going to shoot myself in the foot."

Being an extremely clever player, Stephenie first approached Katie, then Tom, to determine her position, though at that point, it was more like confirmation rather than determination. She could not get any sort of an answer from Katie, and heard a lot of hollow empathy from Tom.

The truth was that Tom was beginning to get pretty concerned about his own position, to the point where he told his allies (Katie, Ian, Gregg and Jenn) that he hoped they would not "penalize" him for "being a strong player."

Of course, as soon as Tom was out of earshot, the other four mildly mocked him for expecting them to overlook his prowess as a player. In the words of the ever-true Katie: "Sorry, buddy."

Right after that was when Stephenie proposed the all-woman alliance to Katie and Jenn, since the numbers favored the women, 4 to 3. As Stephenie rightly put it: "No matter how big of a threat I am, those three men are bigger."

While Katie and Jenn seemed to be seriously considering the new alliance, the plotting was interrupted by the reward challenge, which turned out to be the food auction that comes up in every edition of "Survivor." Beforehand, Tom expressed hope that there would be word from home as well, telling the camera, "Mostly, right now, I think I need a little food for the soul, and anything from home would serve that purpose."

At the auction, the bidders (who each were given $500) found that they were not permitted to see what they were buying, but everyone did pretty well. Jenn paid $120 for an ice cream sundae and Caryn and Stephenie paid $260 to split a double cheeseburger, fries and a soft drink.

Ian outdid everyone by spending $280 (plus $20 from Gregg "for a bite") for spaghetti with meat sauce, garlic bread and parmesan cheese. When he hugged Jeff Probst, the host emphatically informed him, "Wow, you smell, Ian! You reek!"

Ian topped off his meal with a $40 bottle of beer.

But the piece de resistance turned out to be, as Tom had intuited, letters from home, and he did not hesitate to pay $220 for his. After that, Jeff offered letters to anyone who was willing to pay $220 as well, and it looked like everyone got "a little food for the soul."

It was such a rewarding challenge that the gang actually thanked Jeff, who noted this was "one of the few days you like me."

By Ellen Crean
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