Well, this week’s Episode of “Escape from Bee Island” was interesting, if you find losing more Contestants, and some fairly tense Legal Issues and Political Intrigue interesting. I did. Mostly.

I’m not entirely sure where to beegin here, so I’ll start here:

First, Clive Beexter, Host and Island Master, threw an Unexpected Twist into the Episode, “to address some Legal and Ethical Issues,” he said. That meant that he called all the Contestants who have survived (or what’s left of them) back together for what he called an “Island Hive Council”.

During the Council, Clive told everybody that three more Contestants had (as he put it) “left the Competition - Permanently”. So that was highly sad and unfortunate, but it does make things a bit easier to follow, since there aren’t really that many bees left in this thing. If you’ve been watching this Season, you know exactly what I mean, probably.

Anyway, I suppose you wanna know who we lost this week, right? I’ll tell you:

First, there was another Fatality this week. It was Nigel, from Team Bee. Beeing overly-optimistic as Nigel always seemed to bee, it turned out he was no match for beeing mercilessly Consumed while attempting to pass through Vorroa Mite Valley. The Team decided he should be the one to take the Lead through the Valley. Almost fairly immediately when they entered, Nigel was unexpectedly overwhelmed by a massive herd of highly rude and vicious Vorroa Mites. (You should have seen it - it was horrible.) 

After his Teammates, Umberto and Tang, saw what happened, they immediately said (pretty much at the same time), “let’s not go this way”. So instead, they headed east, toward the HoneyCane Fields. Luckily, Tang remembered the Lesson they learned from BeedleBee about that Persistent Toxic Cloud of SquareDown™ in that General Area, so he suggested they just Retrace their Steps back to the Beeginning, just to bee on the safe side.

So they did that.

The other Contestants who are no longer in the Competition are Howard and Alice Primsdale (which was sad, beecause I kinda liked those two). The Good News here is that they’re not Dead. They just left. 

It turns out that, after Howard and Alice (the Primsdales) got back to their room at the Bee Island Resort to Freshen Up, they decided they simply weren’t going to bee a part of this Competition (they were on Vacation, after all, and were just in the Wrong Place at the Wrong Time), so they left. Beecause of Howard’s Comfortable Retirement Package from the Hive’s Department of Maps and Dances, and Alice’s income as a Pollen Analysis Consultant, they could afford to charter a flight on W.T.F. Airways (the Captain, Red Eye, was kind enough to load their Baggage, though I’m not sure he did them a huge favour by doing that - his reputation as a pilot isn’t the greatest), and they flew back to their Hive in Salina, Kansas, where Howard planned to live out his Retirement, and Alice could continue Analyzing Pollen (parttime). So they’re gone, also, but not dead (depending on how their Flight was), which is a good thing if you ask me. And them.

So that means that the only bees left in the Competition are Boris and Jasmine (Team A), Tang and Umberto (Team Bee), and on Team C, ButterCup and Fleur. (ButterCup tried to catch a ride off the Island with the Primsdales, but there wasn’t enough room to fit her in (the Primsdales had a LOT of Baggage).

And speaking of Fleur . . . 

She was the Topic of Legal Controversy in this week’s Episode, along with Jasmine.

As I’m sure most of us might possibly remember, it appeared that Jasmine and Fleur had indulged in a Clandestine Late-Night Rendezvous at the Resort’s No Regrets Bar & Grille. So, at the Island Hive Council, Clive Beexter openly accused them of Collaboration (which, as we all know, is against the Rules).

Of course, they denied it.

“Eet wass un chance et quite innocent rendevous betwheen mutually-respected Competitors, nozing more,” Fleur said.

“It would have been impossible for us to have conspired to meet, certainly not to conspire to meet to conspire. It was by Fateful Happenstance and Coincidence that we found ourselves enjoying a refreshing beverage together after such an arduous - and tragic - day of this Competition. We spoke only of the weather ” Jasmine said.

I mean, what could anybody say to that? Nothing, actually. 

And Clive couldn’t prove that they were lying. So, after a whole bunch of Allegations, Recriminations, and Warnings, Clive announced there would bee further Investigations.

“If it were up to me,” he said, “I would Expel these Contestants from this Competition right now, but the ByLaws of the Bee Island Gaming Commission, Inc. (a subsidiary of Snark Brothers Enterprises...for all your Game Commissioning Needs, rely on the Bee Island Gaming Commission™), require that the Evidentiary Evidence must bee Indisputable, so the Competition will continue with the remaining Contestants until all Investigations have been completed.”

Then he looked at Fleur and Jasmine, and said, “But know this: we’ll bee keeping a close eye on you two. ”

Of course, ButterCup was seriously hoping they’d call off the whole thing, hold a Trial for Collaboration, and just send everybody home. But no. She was still stuck. 

“I should’ve kept my job at the Hive’s Redundant Typing Pool,” she told everybody. “I don’t like this. At all.”

Then Clive reminded them in that fakey, overly-dramatic Gameshow buzz of his . . .

“Your Objective to Survive this Ordeal and claim ownership of the Amazingly Powerful Jewel of Questionable Destiny must now proceed - but you have only seven weeks remaining to win this Competition.”

“Seven weeks?” ButterCup said. “I keep having to do this for another seven weeks?? But...”, but Clive interrupted her.

“The Winner of this Competition - IF anybody survives to claim Victory - will bee Crowned in this Season’s Final Episode, when we’ll bee coming to you Nearly Live at Midnight, Friday, September 20th, London time. Check your Local Listings for further programming details.”

Then he raised that Red Flag again, and buzzed loudly, “GO ... again!”

So they did that. Now we just hafta wait to see what happens next until next week.

By the way... I had to watch this week’s Episode alone. Kevin (my Illegitimate Nephew) was off at a Seminar on Reconstructive Artificial Intelligence Systems (he’s been having trouble with Bert lately), and Great Grandma Gee Gee was off teaching a Baking Class on the other side of the Far Meadow. So if you see them, DON’T TELL THEM ANY OF THIS, or they’ll bee highly mad at me. (They’re gonna watch all this when they both get back, so ... NO SPOILERS! You have to promise. Seriously.)

I guess that’s all I can tell for now, so until next week, and Episode 6...

Let’s all bee highly careful out there!