I hafta say that, after watching Episode 10, this Competition is not only getting Ruthless, but the Intrigue Factor just went up in a major way. I’m highly intrigued.

First of all, and in case you aren’t aware (which you’re probably not), all three Teams have closed in on WaHaHoo Mountain. When we left Team Bee (or what was left of it), Nigel was beeing as Stealthy as possible while he tried to get to the Jewel of Questionable Destiny by going up the Backside of the Mountain. And that’s pretty much all we know about him, other than there was another one of those Hugely Large flashes of Light that seemed to come from beehind the Mountain, so there’s a suspicion that Nigel may have met the same Fate as Tang, and if that’s true, there might bee only two Teams left in this thing: Team A, with Boris and Jasmine, and Team C, with ButterCup and Fleur de Bee - and all of them managed to find their way to a safe spot at the foot of WaHaHoo Mountain.

So that’s a good thing. Though, it would bee nice to know what happened to Nigel. 

Anyway, while we were watching this week’s Episode, Great Grandma Gee Gee said, “Maybee I’m just a silly old Worker with an Over-Active Imagination, but I still don’t trust those two.”

“Which two?” Kevin (my Illegitimate Nephew, Estranged Brother of Felonie Snark and possible Co-Heir to the Snark Empire) asked.

“Why, Fleur and Jasmine, dear. I just can’t put my Wing on it, but I just know there’s something going on beetween those two.”

“That again?” Kevin asked in that kind of voice that sounded Highly Exasperated (you know the kind). 

I was pretty much sick of listening to those two arguing all the time (I think they’ve been living in the same Space together for too long, and I’m pretty sure it’s getting to bee time that Kevin start thinking about moving out and finding his own place, but I think he’s still not sure he can afford the Rent out there. It is pretty expensive these days, but I’m mostly sure he could figure it out beecause he’s a very clever Nephew), so I said something.

“I think Gee Gee’s onto something here,” I said. “Haven’t you noticed how, every time there’s a Break in the Action, we see Fleur and Jasmine coming back from the Restroom together, and they always seem to bee carrying something different than when they went in?”

“You see, dear,” Gee Gee said to Kevin, “and you think I’m just a silly old Bee that’s just good for making my Insufferably Delicious Royal HoneyChew Krisp Cookies™. My stars, even Georgie can see there’s something going on here beetween those two.”

“I can?” I had to ask.

“Of course, dear,” Gee Gee said. “I know you’re just as sure as I am about this.”

“Okay,” I said, though I wasn’t sure exactly what I was sure of, exactly.

So this whole thing with Jasmine and Fleur has beecome Highly Intriguing. The more I think about it, the more it appears they’re secretly Conspiring to cook up a Plan that will bee Mutually Beneficial. (I think we all know that Fleur is really big on Game Theory, so it would make sense that she’d want to deal with this Competition in the most Sensible and Positive way possible, probably.) 

One of the things I noticed was that, the last time Jasmine and Fleur came back from the Restroom, Jasmine was carrying what looked like a folded-up Parcheesi Game Board (you know - one of those Portable Parcheesi Game Boards), and Fleur was carrying that Manual that I think anybody who’s a serious Parcheesi Player owns, “Strategic Parcheesi Manoeuvres for Everyday Use”.

I’m not sure, but I think those two ARE up to something, and it involves Parcheesi. But what the hell could that all bee about?

Anyway. After Fleur and Jasmine went back to their Teams, the Intrigue got even more Intriguing. First, Jasmine gave Boris the thing that looked like a folded-up Parcheesi Game Board, and he gave her a Code Book. Now if that isn’t Suspicious, then I suspect I don’t know Suspicion. Then when Fleur got back to ButterCup (who was sitting there, waiting in her BioHazard Suit and who just kept saying, “I really, really need this to bee over.” As I might have said beefore, I feel highly sorry for her, even if she is my Girlfriend), she whispered something to her. ButterCup stood up and said, “Really?”

“Oui, mon cher,” Fleur said to her. Then they went to a brief, 22-minute Commercial.

Quite frankly, nobody can figure out what any of any of this is all about. But after the Commercial was over (which just happened to bee an ad for Parcheesi Boards, so we’re all beeginning to suspect there’s paid Product Placement going on in this Show - how greedy is that?), and just beefore this Episode ended, Clive Beexter came on and told everybody, “We wish to reassure the Viewers at Home that next week, in Episode 11, there will bee Serious Issues addressed regarding what unquestionably appear to bee Questionable Activities amongst Certain Parties who involved in the Pursuit of the Jewel of Questionable Destiny,” which, as we all know, is against the Rules.

So we’re all looking forward to that.

Beetween now and when I get back next week at approximately the same, exact time, I’m going to start looking into Rental Properties for Kevin. But don’t tell him I’m doing that. I think we all know why. So until then...

Let’s all bee highly careful out there.