Russell is no shoo-in for 'Survivor'

THE SHOW "Survivor: Heroes & Villains"

WHEN | WHERE Sunday at 8 p.m. on CBS/2

REASON TO WATCH 20th season finale

CATCHING UP The ruthlessness of press deadlines - not to be compared to the ruthlessness of Russell Hantz's game - prevent me from telling you whose torch was Probst'd last night. But a final picture had emerged. Russell, the Darth Vader of the "Heroes vs. Villains" edition, had appeared to take commanding control of the game by ousting Danielle last week. So confident of ultimately having enough votes to dispatch remaining "heroes" Rupert and Colby, he took time to bust up the well-hidden alliance of Danielle/

Parvati. With that deft display of power, he now thinks he has Parvati completely under his thumb. Thus, the last piece of his game was set in motion - to pick off the last five, one by one by one . . .

REMAINING CAST Before last night, these were the last six standing: Parvati Shallow, 27 (Cook Islands), who has proved almost as shrewd as Russell, although more honest; Jerri Manthey, 38 (Australia), who doesn't seem to have much of a game plan, other than to stick with Russ; Colby Donaldson, 35 (Australia runner-up), who's the Nice Guy of finalists, and highly vulnerable; Sandra Diaz-Twine, 34 (Pearl Islands, winner), the cat with 10 lives, playing the game she played in PI; Rupert Boneham, 45 (PI), the teddy bear who confronted Russell and may not survive that move; Russell Hantz, 37 (Samoa), borderline sociopath who lies and controls as skillfully as anyone in the show's history.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN SUNDAY Gods of "Survivor" willing, we will have a matchup featuring Russell vs. Rupert, but Russell vs. Parvati seems more likely. If so, Parvati wins because, as always, jury members really know what kind of guy Russell is. Why vote for that?

MY SAY Ten years old this summer, the original reality show remains the most enjoyable of that large, jostling, wildly uneven crowd that followed. While still great to look at - aah, how that tropic sun warms our winter-hardened psyches - "Heroes vs. Villains" once again established that Cast Is All. Russell, take a bow.

GRADE B+