They will hike a path marked by the torches of their fallen comrades. They are to reflect on their impact. Then they will join an African tribe for a ritual "rebirth."

"This is for you," Jeff says. He calls it a "final rite of passage."

We leave the room. We've seen a "Survivor" salute to fallen comrades before. We know what's coming, and we have a deep desire not to see the footage of Big Tom yanking the tick out of Lindsey's ass again.

When we consult the tape later, we see exactly what we feared: Flashbacks, many of them in slow motion, accompanied by inspirational New Age music and quotes.

There's Diane with the map, and Jessie talking about how hard it is, and Carl complaining about the lack of tap water.

Now Linda about growth and wonderful Africa. Silas carrying a goat.

And, yes, Lindsey having a tick pulled out of her ass, bent over in pain yelping, and the "Survivor" cameraman doing his best to get a shot down her shirt.

Ah, the memories.

Now Clarence applying war paint. Kelly getting rolled over by the giant boulder.

Now Brandon on his physical ability: "No one will ever take me for granted again."

Ah, the self-delusion.

Then there's Frank about the therapy of isolation. Kim P. bouncing up and down. Teresa winning a challenge.

A half-naked Big Tom flapping up and down in slow-motion.

Ah, the body fat.

Kim J. wipes away a tear.

She, Lex and Ethan come upon a tribe of Africans in full regalia. They're decked with beads and jewelry.

The tribe starts chanting and jumping up and down. They pull the three survivors into the dance.

We see slow motion shots of Lex, Ethan, and Kim doing a weird chin-extension dance, eyes closed in quasi-mystical revelry.

The whole scene is uncomfortable. And we figure Lex at this point must be going through some changes, digestive-systemwise.

Remember that Paul Simon record that kind of felt like he was exploiting a bunch of "exotic" world musicians in order to reinvigorate a floundering career?

Or imagine a bunch of yuppies hanging out in a Native American sweat lodge.

And some college students shadowing a swami in Northern India.

Plus some bearded men howling at the moon and getting in touch with their inner wolves.

It's worse than all of that.

In fact, it was hard to have a critical response to the whole scene. The only thing we could think of was how much this tribe pulled in for agreeing to appear in a cheap game show that probably doesn't even air on their continent.

We hoped they soaked Mark Burnett and Co., but we have a feeling it wasn't much. We hope it was more than a case or two of Mountain Dew.

It may be the tackiest thing "Survivor" has yet broadcast, which is saying something.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

The final immunity challenge follows the blasphemous hike. It's one of those "Hands on a Hard Body" challenges. The three contestants have to stand on stumps and grip an idol with one hand.

The show ratchets up the stakes by putting the three in an uncomfortable position this time -- they have to keep their feet on two separate small stumps, and then lean over to grasp the totem.

It looks extremely uncomfortable, made worse by the still-rising sun, which ultimately drives the temperature up to the high 90s.

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