Pirate Master: Episode 6

This week, the pirate ship got a little more Joy-less.

Captain Azmyth put his strategy for winning Pirate Master into play last week, making the two strongest guys he could find -- Ben and Jay -- his officers. This week, that strategy paid off in the race for treasure.

In order to divide the genders as fairly as possible between the two teams, Joe Don and Louie were forced onto the Red Crew. They'll continue to oppose Azmyth, Jay, and Ben of the Black Crew for the duration of team play -- or at least as long as they remain on the ship.

Christa, Laurel, and Joy joined the captain's Black Crew, while Nessa, Jupiter, and Kendra rounded out the Red Crew.

Joy and Kendra were the slowest members of their respective crews, but Kendra was cut some slack because she never stopped and she didn't complain. Joy, however, stopped frequently to ask for water -- prompting Jay to ask her what she'd rather have, water or thousands of dollars in treasure.

Joy's pokiness on the trail didn't ultimately hurt her team, as Louie managed to sink the Red Crew by failing to notice that he was pretty much standing on his team's treasure chest key.

When the crews returned to the ship, Azmyth kept Jay and Ben as his officers. The trio's power went to their heads, and Azmyth -- who, to this point, had been splitting the treasure evenly among the members of his crew -- decided that he and his officers should start keeping a larger portion of the loot for themselves.

The trio also targeted Joe Don with the Black Spot, in the hopes of eliminating their strongest rival. Just in case that plan didn't work, they nominated the two slowest players -- Kendra and Joy. No matter how the vote turned out, the trio hoped to increase their chances of winning challenges and staying in power.

With his future as a pirate in jeopardy, Joe Don made his move on Nessa: "I said, 'Hey, man, what do you think about a little kiss? Just a little peck?'" Somehow, those lame pickup lines worked, and they made out on the deck.

Joe Don's best hope for saving himself was to bid on the Royal Pardon. Not only would it keep him from being eliminated, but -- since he had to buy the pardon from Nessa -- it would also allow him to buy a little affection from his new girlfriend.

His $12,000 bid for the pardon proved more than sufficient; the next highest bid was for $700. Joe Don didn't end up needing the pardon, but by buying it for such a large amount, he ensured that Nessa will have no trouble affording it should she find herself in trouble next week.

The votes were split between Joy and Kendra 3-2, with Joy on the losing end. She was cut adrift, despite the fact that everyone on the crew seemed to like her. They just couldn't risk her winding up on their team.

Next week, Joe Don and Nessa move beyond mere pecking.