Survivor: South Pacific Insider: Five Reasons Why Castaway's "Ballsy" Move Is Crazy Stupid

Player says sacrifice could be either "stupid" or "iconic." We side with stupid

After more than a decade as host of Survivor, it takes a lot to shock Jeff Probst.

But at tonight's South Pacific Tribal Council, Jeff's jaw dropped in amazement (actually he was so astonished he might have dislocated it) at one Castaway's "ballsy" sacrifice.

So who fell on the sword—and mortally wounded their own tribe?

In his third attempt at winning Survivor's million-dollar prize, Ozzy Lusth actually snuffed his own torch.

Why exactly? It's complicated.

With the outnumbered Savaii tribe predicting a merge, Ozzy assigned himself the task of knocking out five-time Redemption Island champ Christine at the next duel. If he succeeds, and the merge does take place, Savaii and Upolu would each have six members in the new tribe.

There is so much wrong with this scenario it's hard to break it down, but let's give it a try:

1. Puzzles Aren't Ozzy's Forte: Ozzy might be one of the most dominant players when it comes to strength, agility and versatility, but he's not always the sharpest machete in the Survivor shed. And, to even the playing field, many of the Redemption Island duels focus more on quick thinking than athleticism. Ozzy's odds against the five-time defender and "legitimate force" Christine (who just defeated the very athletic Mikayla) are about 50-50.

2. Outsiders Flip: Savaii could almost count on Christine to join their side once she returned to the game. "Court jester" Cochran, who went from being the tribe's outcast to "new level of ostracism" after blowing tonight's challenge (forget immunity, he lost Savaii the chance to see a sneak preview of the obviously hilarious Adam Sandler flick Jack and Jill!), could easily be persuaded to side with Upolu if they show him the tiniest bit of respect and/or laugh at his jokes.

3. Ozzy Had the Advantage: The veteran players' greatest chance of going far in the game was the Hidden Immunity Idol, which both Ozzy and Coach managed to find. Ozzy, the biggest threat to win, can dominate individual Immunity Challenges, but he needs the Idol's cushion to sway the voting and get him one step closer to the end. Instead, he gave it up to Cochran, who didn't need to use it (Ozzy persuaded the tribe to vote him out anyway) and who, remember, is the tribe's pariah. If Ozzy does rejoin the game, would Cochran really agree to return it? (Fiji's Dreamz certainly didn't keep a similar promise to Yau-Man, and drove away with a brand-new truck.)

4. If the Merge Is Postponed, Savaii Is Screwed: Without Ozzy, his tribe doesn't stand a chance of winning another team Immunity and Reward Challenge against powerhouses like Albert, Brandon—really, everyone besides Edna. Of course, if said challenge involves "doing a funny dance and shaking [their] hands in a comical manner," Cochran will lead them to victory.

5. God Is on Upolu's Side: Apparently, as Coach said, "the tribe who prays together stays together," and Upolu did triumph after praying before, during and after the challenge. Brandon believes God also guided them to the Hidden Immunity Idol: "It's definitely an advantage having the Big Guy Upstairs on your tribe," he said ecstatically after Coach and Sophie announced their finding after a group prayer. (No matter that the Big Guy Upstairs is actually Coach, who had the Idol in his pocket while he was praying alongside Brandon for its discovery.)

Against all these odds, Ozzy could win the next duel and any others that follow, rejoin the game as a hero and be voted Sole Survivor by his admiring tribemates. Wouldn't we look dumb then?