Penn State 'Survivor' update: Rosenberger stays afloat despite tricky water challenges, trickster teammates

photo CBS Penn Stater Ian Rosenberger

University Park, Pa. -- The tense music that punctuated the first minutes of the 10th episode of "Survior: Palau" was a portent of things to come for Penn Stater Ian Rosenberger and his tribemates. Two exhausting and harrowing water challenges set against enough drama to fill a riveting Hollywood film made for a particularly compelling episode.

At the reward challenge, Koror -- newly minted with the last member of Ulong finally in tow -- was split in two to compete for a Palauan feast. Hauling and constructing heavy scaffolding under water didn't prove to be the forte of Rosenberger's team. Led by an exhausted, breathless Janu Tornell, Rosenberger's competitors finished their water-construction project first and were treated to "a procession of epicurean delights" by a Palauan tribe.

Testing the competitors' fear of drowning, the immunity challenge found Rosenberger et al under a fixed set of bars waiting for the tide to test their abilities to hold their breathes. In a seemingly cruel twist, the first competitor to give up would be abandoned for the night with only very basic gear. Tornell panicked in the cold water, ensuring herself a lonely night on the other side of the island. Although he was fighting until the end, Rosenberger's nose-plugging technique sadly was overcome by Tom Watson's superior hand snorkel. Watson claimed immunity in the end.

Although it took her most of the day to start a fire on her own, Tornell spent her night basking in the glow of her fire and the moon, celebrating her new-found sense of self. By morning on the other side of the island, Rosenberger and the rest of the men decided it was Stephenie LaGrossa's time to go. But inspired and contented by the previous night's epiphany, Tornell decided to lay down her torch, officially quitting the game and ensuring LaGrossa's survival. But what will a perceptive, emotionally scarred LaGrossa have to say to Rosenberger and the other competitors when they get back to camp?

Tune in next week to see how Rosenberger and the rest of the competitors fare on "Survivor: Palau," scheduled to air at 8 p.m. Thursday, April 28, on CBS. Roseberger, 23, a native of Ambridge, majored in agricultural extension and educational leadership at Penn State, and served as student government president. To vote for Rosenberger as the favorite "Survivor," go to http://www.cbs.com/primetime/survivor10/vote/popularity.shtml and for Rosenberger's biography, go to http://www.cbs.com/primetime/survivor10/survivors/bio/ian.shtml