"Survivor: Philippines" now one big family

Tandang tribe members lit their torches for the first time Wednesday night on "Survivor: Philippines."

As host Jeff Probst pointed out, it is the first time in two dozen seasons of "Survivor" that one tribe has managed to avoid Tribal Council until after the merge. But then, this is the first game that started with three, not two, tribes.

Probst also gave Denise the dubious honor of being the only castaway to have survived all of the game's Tribal Councils.

Denise and Malcolm are reunited after the merge, making a formidable team. They have had to take Lisa (the "Facts of Life" star) into their alliance as she accidentally found an immunity idol in Malcolm's bag when she went to hang wet clothes to dry.

They could do worse. She is no threat physically and she, like baseball star Jeff Kent, shows an aptitude for strategy.

It was Kent who forced Penner to play his immunity idol, leaving R.C. to be the one to have her torch snuffed. But will this backfire on him next time? Penner clearly seems bent on revenge.

R.C. meanwhile, left the game as graciously as she had played it, with a hug for Skupin and good wishes for all.