"Survivor: Redemption Island": Puzzling it all out

(CBS) Castaways on "Survivor: Redemption Island" met a series of puzzle challenges on Wednesday night as the competition for $1 million heated up in advance of Sunday's two-hour finale. (SPOILER ALERT)

Pictures: "Survivor Redemption Island

The first of puzzles faced the four contestants on Redemption Island, who had to navigate a maze, break a tile to retrieve puzzle pieces and put the pieces together.

Chicken farmer Ralph Kiser deftly mastered the maze but fell far behind in putting the puzzle together, ending his quest for the prize money. He joins the jury while the other three - Matt, Mike and Andrea - keep hope alive of eventually joining the game.

Host Jeff Probst promised that this would happen, but he was short on details. And that has master strategist Boston Rob worried. He confessed on camera that he wished the whole exile island piece of the game was over.

He also wished he could have sent Ashley to Redemption Island but that didn't happen either. Ashley won the immunity/reward challenge which involved retrieving a bag of puzzle pieces and putting a fishbone puzzle together, all with one hand tied behind the back.

Ashley's triumph meant Rob had to sacrifice his buddy Grant, and you could see how painful that choice was for him. And Like Andrea before him, Grant never saw it coming.

With seven players still left to compete, the two-hour finale Sunday should be packed with challenges and tribal councils. And that is when we all get to see how the Redemption Island piece of the game plays out.

Oh, and you notice how Phillip's meltdowns have become so commonplace now, we don't even mention them?

Take our poll to tell us who you think will win the money and come back here next week to find out how the season ends.