Idol Speculation: “Survivor 42” Episode 6: Now Owned by Disney

I must admit, when I thought about the possible fates in the future of “Survivor”, a channel hop was not one of them.  Then again, Disney is buying up everything even remotely marketable; I guess it was only a matter of time before they got to “Survivor”.  Suppose Probst talking about something happening “For the first time in forever.” and Sydney’s stint at the little mermaid last season should have tipped us off.  

But before we can get into the cornucopia of Disney references, it’s time once again for another round of…

MATT’S MESS-UP!

Because having a two-hour episode to recap wasn’t enough, I need to talk about something I neglected LAST episode.  In all my discussion about the activation of idols, and the rules of idols (as a side note, I hate the rule change that if you don’t all say the phrase, the idol activates at the merge anyway.  Wasn’t just Mike misreading things, and I despise it.  Make them risky, I say.), I neglected to mention that we got a good look at the hidden immunity idols themselves, and they’re… underwhelming.  Not terrible, but basically just some colored beads on a string, rather than anything distinct.  Now, I get why the show would do this. By making the idols stand out less, fake idols become more viable.  And that’s fair.  I don’t mind seeing fake idols being brought more into strategy.  But it seems to me that the thing to do is, rather than make the idols generic, have no theming of idols whatsoever per season.  Like, one tribe has this super-elaborate necklace that fits with the theme of the season, while another’s is a tin can with a hole in it.  When an idol can be anything, fake idols gain power, but the idols still look distinct in and of themselves.  Seems like the perfect compromise, but hey, what do I know?  

Rant over, we continue to talk about last episode, or at least Probst does.  Yes, after a LONG absence, the “Previously On… ‘Survivor’!” makes a return.  Much as I might say otherwise, I don’t miss it.  Look, I know in the past I’ve said it’s helpful, but I’ve changed my stance.  The need for it arises when the show only airs weekly with not easy way to rewatch things.  Then, we NEED to make sure new viewers are up to speed.  But, in the age of streaming and on-demand video, that’s just not necessary anymore.  Sort of the same logic for why I don’t rail against the show staying in Fiji full time (I would prefer they continue to move around, but my main argument for why staying in Fiji will kill the show no longer applies).  Really, the only reason you would NEED a recap, and the reason we seem to have this one, is if you need to remind everyone who has what advantage.  If that’s the case, then it seems to me that maybe, just maybe, you have TOO MANY ADVANTAGES!

Vati also wants to talk about last episode, it seems.  Mike, unsurprisingly, is not happy about having his name written down.  Fair enough, though I must disagree when he says the move made no sense.  Chanelle was trying to protect herself in the event that Daniel successfully used his shot in the dark.  Then the vote would be a tie between her and you, and she’d at least have a chance, instead of being out automatically.  You want to be mad?  Fine.  That’s your right, and Chanelle is probably the least-trustworthy person left in the group.  But a bad move?  Can’t agree.  Mike plays it off well for now, but admits that he doesn’t trust Chanelle moving forward.  Probably should have been feeling that way since the Jenny boot, but either way, makes sense.  Mike prays for a merge.  

Despite this perfect segway, we first need to check in with Ika.  Rocksroy is going full Moana (something he will do multiple times this episode) and extolling the virtues of island produce.  The strategy, however, is the main point of the segment.  Shock of all shocks, Tori is causing drama.  Rocksroy, true to his game so far, was completely honest with his tribe about what happened.  It was the prisoner’s dilemma, he didn’t risk anything, and got no information out of Lydia.  We move on.  But no, Tori insists Rocksroy must have gotten SOMETHING from the island, and doesn’t trust him when he says he didn’t.  To put Tori’s argument in the BEST light possible, it’s not outside the realm of possibility for something new to happen on the “journey”, and it’s the sort of thing she’d keep hidden had she gone.  Rocksroy does not help matters by saying “I’m not telling you.” when what he means is “I’ve told you everything.”  Poor word choice aside, though, this is clearly Tori making a mountain out of a molehill.  The man was as open as he could possibly be, and yet she insists on going after him.  Even Romeo and Drea, people who have also targeted Rocksroy in the past, are on his side here, and put Tori on the block, thereby ensuring that Tori will stay this episode.  

So we head off to the challenge and… Oh hey, Probst is talking to us again, Blue’s Clues Style.  There’s something from last season I didn’t miss.  

Speaking of awful things from last season, the hourglass twist is back.  Joy of joys.  Look, I said at the outset of this season that I was not going to hold it against the show if they repeated bad ideas from last season.  They had little time for feedback; little time to correct.  This, however, is the exception.  They KNEW it was a bad idea.  The players last season TOLD THEM it was a bad idea.  It is very much PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE that Danny in particular read Probst the riot act for how this went down.  And yet, they still kept this in?  Madness!

Ok, ok, let us be completely fair.  Probst does explain in narration that the twist was tweaked a bit from how it went down last season.  Specifically, all contestants will be informed beforehand that whoever is sent into Exile will have some major power in the game, though exactly what is unspecified.  In addition, anyone on the winning team can sacrifice their spot for that power instead.  These are both good additions.  Steps in the right direction.  Sadly, for me, they don’t go far enough, and don’t fix the two major problems with this twist, that being the unfairness and the lack of entertainment.  

So, what changes WOULD this twist need to be ok in my eyes?  Let’s start with the fairness aspect, since they did seem to TRY and fix this one, by noting that the exile got power.  This does add more strategy to how the winning team plays things, and it makes it easier for the players to figure out what said twist might be.  Hell, Drea actually DOES figure it out; good for her!  But the sticking point for me is that Probst still says “The winning team makes the merge and is immune.”  This goes against Danny’s point of fairness, where you say that someone is immune, only then to revoke it, not due to a technicality, but due to a twist.  This undermines the game, and the fix is so simple.  In addition to the changes Probst made, DON’T SAY THE WINNERS GET IMMUNITY!  Just tell them they win a feast, and leave it at that!  Nothing lost, and much more fair!  As to the entertainment part?  Well, we’ll see later that Rocksroy’s “dilemma” is exactly the same as Erika’s, and just as “tense”, as in, we all know what will happen.  If you really want some mystery to the season, the exile should be immune no matter what.  Then it comes down to “which side played it better socially”?  Still not the stuff of legends, but better than what we keep getting, which is a non-choice.  

Oh, and Probst also mentions that the winners specifically get Applebee’s this season.  Guess Karishma from “Island of the Idols” got a job as a producer.  

So little was this whole thing tweaked that they even reuse the exact same challenge from last season!  Probst shows our players the “Whole New World” that is the hemispheres they must unearth and work with, and divides them up.  Our Orange team consists of Hai and Lydia, Jonathan and Maryanne, and Tori, while our Blue team consists of Omar, Mike, Drea, Romeo, and Chanelle, with Rocksroy and Lindsay as our sit-outs.  Orange team is of course favored to win with the presence of Jonathan, and win they do, but Blue manages to keep things fairly close, in spite of Drea’s difficulties getting up the ball.  They get to the puzzle, and get a decent way through it.  I actually thought Maryanne’s impression of Mr. Incredible, saying she “has time” over and over, foretold a come-from-behind puzzle victory, but no, Orange still wins.  

As with last season, Orange gets to take along one person, and here we get probably the only real strategic blunder we see this episode.  Orange takes Lindsay with them, and none of them sacrifice themselves to exile, sending Rocksroy instead.  Um, WHY?  Even if none of you wanted to give up your spot, why not send Lindsay instead?  Literally NONE of you have a tie to Rocksroy, with the only two people who have spoken to him on this team (Tori and Lydia) either not getting much from him, or getting bad vibes.  Why would you want to give someone like that power?  Conversely, Lindsay is more trustworthy, and actually has SOME incentive to not screw your team over, since at least Jonathan is there.  She might be ok screwing over Maryanne, but I have a harder time seeing her screw over both her AND Jonathan.  

At least they get to enjoy their feast.  Jonathan explains that he DID consider stepping down to exile, but felt he needed the nutrition of the food, which for a guy his size I can understand.  He even regales us with his meal plan.  Every morning, he eats five-dozen eggs, so he’s roughly the size of a barge.  Not to be outdone in sucking up to the mouse overlord, Tori notes that she’s gone from “Zero to Hero”, and proceeds to throw Rocksroy under the bus.  She brags about her power over him, and, um, Tori, did you NOT hear Probst talking about the exile having power?  Do you not realize that you have sent someone with NO incentive to save you into a position of power?  My, you really can be blind to your game sometimes.  

Less blind are those back at the Vati camp, which will be the merge camp (oddly no word on the merge tribe name this time), where they discuss what the twist might be, and here’s where Drea pulls out her eye of the fates, and correctly predicts what the twist will be, in hoping that Rocksroy makes them all safe.  Good on her.  She even ups the ante, once she and Mike are alone, by comparing idol notes.  They agree to stick together, and talk about who they’re tight with, with Mike throwing out Hai and Lydia, while Drea names Romeo and Rocksroy.  They agree to stick together and discuss available targets, with Mike pushing hard for Chanelle because of the top of the episode.  Solid strategy all around, you two.  Kudos.  

Meanwhile, Rocksroy makes himself at home on exile, even getting a small shelter for himself.  Since Probst is taking his sweet time to come out and explain the hourglass to him, Rocksroy, feeling alone on this island, looks out towards the sea.  It calls to him.  And he enjoys this look, as he notes that his eyes are degrading, and his eyesight may go before too much longer.  This sort of thing could sound forced, but Rocksroy delivers it with such sincerity that you sympathize with the guy.  Again, this is good, personal content.  Say what you will about this new era of “Survivor”, but they are GOOD at getting you to sympathize with the contestants.  

As our challenge winners now arrive back at camp, the real socializing can begin.  With the tribes so even, and a lot of chances for tribe interaction this season, there’s naturally a lot of good conversations to be had.  Lydia and Omar seem to bond over their quirkiness.  Hai, Drea, and Lindsay agree not to go against each other due to their advantages, presumably based on some sort of mutually-assured destruction fear (i.e. if one of them betrays the other two, the other two have no reason not to tell the tribe about their amulet on the way out), though Hai admits he’s not sure how deep that goes.  Drea loops Maryanne in on the idol holders sticking together.  Maryanne and Tori discuss how much they can trust Drea.  Jonathan and Mike bond over being strong guys who are only ever seen as just strong guys.  Mike and Omar bond after talking about Omar’s love life.  Hai tells anyone who will listen how tight he and Lydia are…  Wait, what?

Ok, perhaps I spoke too soon when I said there was only one bad move of the episode.  Hai is a social butterfly, and will make some good bonds, as we see, but the man goes a bit too far in talking about how he’d die on his sword for Lydia.  Not that he doesn’t frame it well, offering someone that level of protection is a good incentive, but advertising that you’re a tight pair is a bit of a death knell in the game, man.  Might make you more of a target than you want, just saying.  

Like I said, though, Hai is very social, and does make a good impression on a number of people.  One such person is Romeo, who is pleased to see someone in the LGBTQ+ community so open about their sexuality, when he himself is not out to several members of his family in El Salvador, who will find out presumably due to the show.  It’s a real human moment as the two bond, and Hai gives Romeo the encouragement to “Show Yourself”.  Yep, it’s great to have friends like these.  

One would assume that the presence of Omar, who is also a member of said community, would continue the heartwarming conversation, but instead, talk turns to strategy.  Hai is still on the warpath for Chanelle, and quickly turns Omar to his side by informing him that he has lost his vote, his chyron now changing to reflect this.  Despite making pleasant overtures at the merge, this is something that Chanelle, for some reason, neglected to tell Omar, putting Omar now firmly in the “Don’t trust Chanelle” camp.  Again, way to play, Chanelle.  

Our majority does eventually coalesce into a group of 8.  Jonathan, Hai and Drea all agree to work together as the physical threats.  Hai naturally pulls in Lydia and Mike as loyal allies, Jonathan pulls in Lindsay and Omar, and Drea pulls in Rocksroy.  Guess Romeo got dropped between commercials for some reason.  To be fair, though, when they’re throwing out targets, Drea does NOT name Romeo, but instead Tori.  Hai continues the “dump on Chanelle” train, and Jonathan throws out Maryannes name, though in the latter case it’s less that he really wants her out and more that he doesn’t want to let on how tight Taku is, which is fair.  I’d normally criticize this super-majority as being too large and too even to be viable long-term, but between split-votes being the meta right now, and larger merges tending to lead to large consensus boots for safety (yet another reason to hate larger merges), I can understand it.  

This, of course, leaves only Chanelle vulnerable of the targets, thus making her the consensus boot.  They shun her like Belle’s town in “Beauty and the Beast”.  Unfortunately for the majority, Chanelle has the annoying habit of walking in on conversations about targeting her.  Incidnetally, once Omar reveals his lost vote, Drea reveals her extra vote, making it the first time she’s done so that it ACTUALLY makes sense to do so.  The first time Chanelle comes up, everyone splits up as soon as she arrives.  She gives Lydia the third degree, who tries to “play dumb”.  It’s not the worst performance I’ve ever seen, but Chanelle is not an idiot, and realizes something’s up.  The majority then REALIZES that Chanelle realizes that something’s up, and admit they can’t end their conversation right as she comes up.  They then… talk about fish for like 30 seconds and split up.  Way to execute the plan, everyone.  

Of course, plans don’t matter when you have TIME TRAVEL!  Probst has explained the twist to Rocksroy, and though he puts up a decent effort at acting like he won’t, citing “not everyone gets a trophy”, we all know he’s going to smash that hourglass.  ALL his allies are on the other side, and the show stupidly allows him to give himself immunity, thereby all but guaranteeing he’ll smash that hourglass.  Yep, there he goes saying that “Change history” thing.  I can only assume that production is priming them to say it, because that phrase is too stupid for BOTH Erika and Rocksroy to say it.  The losers of the challenge now get the pretty purple buffs, and we move on to more fun topics.  

The challenge is standard.  Spell “Immunity” in blocks you balance on a board you hold with a rope.  Pretty standard, but tough, and hardly a bad challenge to reuse.  But the REAL highlight of all this is the new individual immunity idol, which is nothing short of kick-ass.  They keep the Ouroboros as the central image, and build on it with a necklace of what looks like scales,, and some bone spikes for an ominous feel.  It stands out, looks badass, and is overall a great continuation of the aesthetic of the season.  If only the hidden idols could keep up.  

While it might seem that we have more viable targets available, given how Jonathan was really not keen on getting out Maryanne, Tori is still really the only target we’ve heard about.  Naturally Tori wins immunity.  Guess she was able to keep up the “Surface Pressure”.  Note how happy I am.  Also not the sarcasm.  

At least we now get some good mystery out of it.  With all our viable targets immune, the scrambling begins.  Romeo is the first to throw out a name, talking about his “Rally the weak” strategy with Lydia.  You know, since that worked so well with Zach.  Jonathan is naturally the target of such an alliance, and it seems to gain a fair bit of traction.  Unfortunately, Jonathan has several people in his corner who want to use him as a shield, particularly Lindsay.  She then deflects to Maryanne, citing her large number of advantages as a reason to get her.  I would berate Lindsay for targeting someone on her original tribe, but to be fair, if she wants the group of 8 to stay tight, that’s the best option.  

It seems initially like those two will be our only options, but, in an attempt to get Omar in on the plan, Lydia talks about the 8 possible not being as tight down the road.  This is presumably meant to let Omar thing he wouldn’t be on the bottom of such an alliance, but Omar instead sees an opportunity.  While he knows he has no vote himself (and s, from what we see, everyone else knows as well), he can influence the vote, and starts pitching Lydia based on this.  He warns Maryanne and Jonathan (the former even shedding some tears in confessional about this), and seems to also gain some traction, presumably in part because Hai talked about how tight they were beforehand, and people wanting to split that up.  Where Omar may slip up is in telling Hai about this plan.  Hai, understandably, is not on board with this plan, and pitches Maryanne more aggressively as they head off to Tribal.  

So, three reasonable targets, but which one is best?  Well, depends on what side you’re on.  With old Ika seeming to be the most fractured of the bunch, they’ve lost the chance to grab power as a whole, so in some ways, this comes down to whether you want old Vati or old Taku to have power down the road.  Old Taku of course, want to keep power for themselves, and so have the best interest to vote off Lydia.  Old Vati and old Ika, however, have more incentive to de-power old Taku, since they seem to be the most united group.  Of the two, though, who to target?  Personally, I’d go Jonathan.  Physical prowess aside (as we saw today, it does not guarantee individual immunity wins), the man is the glue that holds old Taku together.  Take him out, and they’re no longer a threat to either of you.  Yes, Maryanne has “stuff”, but it can be strategized around, and as we’ve seen, Maryanne has trouble keeping secrets.  Better to weaken the tribe socially than in terms of advantages.  

For how tense and mysterious this tribe is, Tribal Council is oddly fun.  Everyone seems to genuinely get along, and have good rapport with one another.  The highlight is definitely Drea and Maryanne trying to figure out if they’re on the same page or not, but there’s a lot of fun moments from each individual.  

After a decently chaotic vote, with a total of four targets somehow (Rocksroy seems to have thrown a stray vote onto Lindsay.  No harm done, but see little logic when the vote was so split already), Lydia ends up being the consensus.  On the one hand, I’m happy she left, since it gives Taku, and by extension Omar, more power, which is what I want to see.  On the other hand, I did enjoy her presence on the show, more so than, say, Lindsay or Jonathan.  Nothing against either of them, I like both of them just fine!  Lydia was just more entertaining to me.  She will be missed, at least on my end.  

Hourglass shenanigans aside, this episode was great!  “Fun”, above all, is what I think of, but there’s more to it than that.  Strategic intrigue.  Good misdirection.  There’s something in this episode for everyone!  Let us hope the merge can keep up this pattern!  And if not, oh well.  That’s just the Circle of Life.  

-Matt

Title Credit to Jean Storrs.  

Idol Speculation: “Survivor Winners at War” Episode 13: Slash, Burn, and Salt the Earth

Congratulations to user AubreyDeservedToLoseKaohRong for correctly identifying the last blog’s title quote as coming courtesy of Cirie Fields, circa “Survivor Micronesia”!

As we’ve got a two-hour episode (more or less) to cover, we skip any sort of clever introduction, and start right off with the fallout from the previous Tribal Council. Jeremy laments to the universe that he’s always the target, and wonders why this is. Well, Jeremy, perhaps it’s because you’re a likable challenge threat with a ton of friends on the jury. Shield strategy or not, that fact doesn’t change, and having now one with that strategy only makes it more obvious. I understand a bit of self-pity given the situation, but at least be realistic self-pity.

More pressing is the 50/50 advantage that Jeremy is still holding. Michele asks for it back, and Jeremy unsurprisingly acquiesces. I can definitely see some people calling it a bad move, particularly given how this half of the episode works out, but honestly Jeremy had no choice here. Even if he stubbornly held onto the advantage, he loses his only true ally in doing so, giving him no bargaining power, and at best a SHOT at safety for one Tribal Council. Better to give it back and try and work something else out.

Bamboo shots echo in the morning, and a cut to Ben might have you believe we’re back on “Survivor Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers” and about to have an emotional moment. The emotion will be there, but not from Ben. Instead, Denise has found her moment of zen, talking about wanting tattoos of “Endure” and “Let Go”, one on each hand, to help symbolize her desire to keep going in this game, but her acceptance if it doesn’t work out. She settles for painting it on a board instead, which is probably the longer smart-term decision. Probst is probably cursing right now that he never became a licensed tattoo artist so he could boat out to camp and offer to tattoo Denise on the spot.

In keeping with the theme of humanizing moments, we cut to Jeremy and Tony having an argument about how many days are in a week. Yes, really. This is a point of contention in the world of Tony. He considers the week the work week, while Jeremy counts the weekend. I would point out how stupid this is of Tony, but it’s clear from their demeanor that the two are just having fun, bringing up the traditional cop/firefighter rivalry you sometimes hear about. It’s all in good fun, and like Denise’s moment earlier, really helps humanize the contestants.

Strategy is never far from Tony’s mind, however, and so he and Sarah go off to talk about who should go next. Tony wants to keep Jeremy around as a number, and is worried if he goes that the “hyenas” will come after players like himself. Geez, I thought we’d killed this metaphor! Look, I understand what Tony’s getting at, but I’m tired of the talk of “lions and hyenas”. There’s just only so far you can go with that metaphor, and I want some variety. I like “The Lion King” as much as the next guy, but there are limits, people! The pair eventually settle on Nick, as he doesn’t have them as part of his endgame strategy, and as a consensus boot. The trouble with this is that Ben really wants Jeremy out, and as Sarah puts it, Ben needs to be in the driver’s seat at least some of the time, or he’ll betray them out of sheer frustration. Thus, she talks to Ben, trying to convince him that HE wants to vote out Jeremy. At least, that’s what she TELLS us she does. What we see is her outlining the reasons Nick needs to go, rather than letting Ben come to that conclusion on his own, thinking it was his idea. Still, it seems to work, partly because Ben is not as emotional a player as others make him out to be. Ben is on board, and the plan is set. The only way this could possibly go wrong is if Nick wins immunity.

Shock of all shocks, this challenge plays to Nick’s strengths! Players must toss a ball into a gutter, then race underneath said gutter to catch the ball, with trip bars along the way. They then dig under a post to get to a slide puzzle, which they must solve to win immunity and two fire tokens. This is where Tony’s win streak comes to an end, I fear. Puzzles have always been his Achilles’ heel. Remember that one slide puzzle where he just slid any piece he could with no rhyme or reason? Probst certainly does, and will bring it up over and over like Tony is Will Wahl (“Survivor Millennials vs. Gen-X”), and the puzzle is alcohol. To his credit, Tony has at least improved his puzzle technique, if not his results, working slowly and methodically. Nick still wins, but it’s a further testament to how Tony has changed up his game from the first time out. Kudos for that. We even get in one more humanizing moment, with the whole tribe going in to comfort Michele, the only one who couldn’t get to the puzzle, and breaks down crying because of it. This might seem odd until you remember that a string of immunity wins helped propel Michele to her original victory. It’s one thing she has to be proud of, and having such a big loss as a result can only be devastating.

Also, say what you will about this season, but it has bucked the recent trend of immunity winners being irrelevant. Granted, we now have the equally predictable “The person who needs immunity wins it.” trend, but at least it’s different.

Back at camp, we initially settle on a consensus boot of Denise, thereby assuring us that Denise will survive this Tribal Council. After all, when this season was the first name thrown out the name anyone actually went with? No, the issue here seems to be that, while Ben has a final three deal with Sarah and Tony, he also sees Denise as a number for himself, and doesn’t want her to go. Ok, when did Denise become a number for Ben? Moreover, when did Ben get into a final three deal with Sarah and Tony? I’ll tell you when. Pregame alliances. Word on the street is that Ben in particular is someone everyone wanted to align with coming back, and so he was a part of a number of deals. Denise falls into a similar category. All this is fine, except that it makes these narratives seem to come out of nowhere. Suddenly these people are aligned, and the show acts like they’ve always been aligned, even though it was never shown until now. And I’m not naive; I know that pretty much every returnee season has some form of pregame alliance going in, but at least those seasons made an EFFORT to conceal it. They gave us some reason, however cockamamie, that the alliance came together. That’s far more than what I can say we got here. Yes, folks, even with a two hour episode, we STILL leave out crucial information. Don’t get me wrong: what we got in exchange, particularly the emotional, private moments with the players, is great. But this should not be an either/or situation, particularly with the extra-long episode.

Getting back to the strategizing, the reluctant decision is made to go for Jeremy, splitting the vote (guys for Jeremy, girls for Michele) to ensure that the 50/50 advantage doesn’t screw anything up. But then Ben tries to get cute. He wants to make absolutely sure that Michele does not play her advantage on Jeremy, and so decides to pit them against each other. He tells Jeremy to ask Michele for her advantage, then privately tells Michele that Jeremy is after her and will ask for her advantage to make her vulnerable. On paper, this is actually a fantastic plan. Cover your bases, and make the person you most want to go home go home. Artfully done, it can work wonders. Look how Ken Hoang (“Survivor Gabon”) effectively turned Sugar against Ace with a similar move. The flaw here is that this sort of move requires artistry, and Ben, as we’ve established, is not subtle. Ken Hoang he ain’t. Jeremy and Michele of course compare notes about the obvious ploy, and so set things in motion against Ben. With the way the split vote will work tonight, they just need one guy to turn against the group to gain the upper hand. Nick is their go-to guy, pitching the Ben vote out.

Nick thus finds himself in the swing vote position, and really has no wrong choice. On the surface, Ben would seem the obvious choice to go. Nick wants to be in with Tony, but with the final three deal we talked about earlier, Nick’s only shot at that is to take out Ben. Plus, it takes out an idol with him, making for less confusion, as Nick points out. However, Nick’s not necessarily going to see it that way, and for perfectly legitimate reasons. He presumably doesn’t know about either the final three deal or the idol, and so voting out Ben is merely voting out an annoyance. Meanwhile, you’ve pissed off several people for betraying them, and find yourself in a 3-3 split rather than a solid majority. Granted, Denise probably flips back with you, Michele, and Jeremy in that scenario because she’s not stupid, but still, no need to rock the boat unnecessarily. Again, hindsight is 20/20, and I’m sure many will say that Nick did a dumb tonight, but for my money, both decisions were a good one for him.

Like so many before it, this Tribal Council is a good microcosm for this episode as a whole. What it lacks in excitement it makes up for in heart. We don’t get the theatrics we’ve become accustomed to on this season. Indeed, even Probst comments on how subdued things are. The stand-out moment, then, is Probst talking with everyone about their PTSD, and trouble trusting once they come back from the game. Ben, Jeremy, and Nick all give very moving speeches about how hard it was to trust anyone when they returned from the game. Again, it goes a long way towards humanizing these contestants, and shows us a side of them we don’t normally get to see. I’m all for it. That, plus good mystery as to who goes, gets this Tribal Council a good grade from me. Michele uses her 50/50 advantage on herself, which I applaud her for doing. In these uncertain times, it’s the only smart move, but one that doesn’t ultimately help her much, as we’re about to see.

In the end, Nick decides to go with what the audience knows is the worse move, but the better one from Nick’s perspective. Yes, Jeremy is gone, and while I like the guy, I can’t say I’m too sorry. The trouble was just how much his name kept coming up. If this storyline came up over and over again, we’d eventually become numb to it. Jeremy left at just the right time to keep his boot interesting. He unsurprisingly wills his tokens to Michele, and then heads to the Edge of Extinction.

Koru, following that performance, decides to show us the entire emotional spectrum. On the one hand we have Tony and Jeremy giddily celebrating a successful move pulled off. The fact that they each have an idol is a plus, as now they’ve got even further safety. Contrast with Michele, who decides to give us a crash course in “pissed off”. She literally states that she wondered if Nick would have “The balls” to come and talk to her. Strong language, Michele! Children watch this show! In all seriousness, Michele has some good insight here, pointing out that Nick now effectively has no way to the end. He may not have seen the Ben-Sarah-Tony final three deal, but Michele certainly has, and with no bargaining chip to sway Denise, their options are limited.

Thus, Michele does what I wished the entire tribe of Zapatera would do for the post merge of “Survivor Redemption Island”, and throw caution to the winds. With basically no prospects, she decides to wear her heart on her sleeve, and hope to stir up enough resentment at camp to make something happen. A risky strategy, but with the majority seeming to be this solid, I’m not sure Michele has a better recourse. Sarah becomes Michele’s primary target, mostly because she rises to the bait so easily. The pair get into an argument, and just when I think Michele might be going a bit far, she dials it back and brings up a good point. She notes that Tony is the one seen to be in the driver’s seat, and so will be the one to win in the end. Sarah counters that he’s not the only one, but Michele correctly points out that perception is all that matters (hence Adam’s win on “Survivor Millennials vs. Gen-X” despite very few of his plans actually working), and Tony is the one seen to be calling the shots. An avenue of conversation that might not have opened up had Michele not goaded Sarah into an argument. Sarah takes this information… and runs straight to Tony with it. Ok, I know Tony has been playing well overall this season, but why is everyone around him acting like an idiot! I could understand giving him a pass when he was keeping himself calm, but when he started going back to his usual mode of operation? And now seeming to be playing circles around everyone? Why is Tony only NOW being brought up as a target? It’s not like everyone knows about his idol. There’s no reason NOT to target him when he’s immune.

Sigh. We cut over to the Edge of Extinction, get our moment of zen with Ethan and Yul meditating, before cutting over to our scavenger hunt for the day. The clue indicates that everyone should look for a “Throne of Stone”, which sounds like something out of Authurian Legend. Surprised they didn’t save that one for a season with Coach on it. Wendell gets out into a lead in the race for it, but Natalie uses her superior knowledge of the island to locate the correct rock. I’ve said before, and I will say again: Natalie is KILLING the Edge. She seems to have found her element, and is holding up surprisingly well given her length of time out of the game. Natalie’s advantage is another one to sell to a player. Basically, the player who buys it can hold someone up in the immunity challenge. Who gave the disadvantage will remain anonymous, but this late in the game, such things do not come cheap. The player it is ultimately given to, Nick (there’s a bit of debate, but as those on the Edge see those left as one big glob with no real animosities, it’s simply a matter of “who can give us the most fire tokens”) is charged 8 tokens, outpacing the six he has. Tony’s broke, meaning Nick turns to Michele. Her elation on hearing he has an advantage turns to disappointment when she hears exactly what it is. After all, it can’t exactly make someone immune. However, since there’s not much else to spend them on, Michele coughs up the tokens. Nick says he’d like to use the disadvantage against someone who would take it poorly, and likely cause chaos at camp. I’d personally go for Tony, in that case.

At our challenge, we find out that Ben got the disadvantage. Not a bad call for causing chaos, and given that Nick has taken over Jeremy’s mantle of “Hating Ben”, I can understand the temptation. That said, I think Nick is going to wish he had given it to Jeremy, for reasons that will become clear after the challenge. The challenge itself? The domino chain challenge first seen on “Survivor Gabon”, with this particularly lame iteration coming courtesy of “Survivor Kaoh Rong”. A flat platform, and only leg trip wires for the platform. This challenge was much cooler when it was, you know, challenging.

Case in point, this challenge is so easy that Ben, who had his platform lengthened due to the disadvantage, still managed to come in a close second. And Ben is not exactly known for his dexterity or ease of movement. Who does win? Why Michele of course, continuing once again the trend of the person needing immunity winning it this season. Michele makes a point of noting that no one claps for her win, leading to belated, half-hearted clapping. Good social observation there, Michele. I mean that sincerely.

This is why giving the disadvantage to Ben (who does try and find out who gave it to him, but was rebuffed by Probst) is a problem for Nick. Ben was so close on that challenge, it’s fair to say he would have won but for that disadvantage. If he wins, Michele most likely goes home. However, with Michele winning, Nick is now the primary target. He’s oddly happy about it, since he sees it as something happening in the game. Guess the poor guy really can’t read the room, can he? He certainly can’t see through Denise, who makes a big show about being the obvious target, and just wants a full meal of rice before leaving, offering to spend her remaining tokens on more rice. Can’t fault that, since Probst said today was the last day for them to spend tokens on anything. Denise tells us, though, that she’s running a false flag operation, and the plan is to go for Nick. Fair enough, but I have to say, I think she oversold it. The others seem to buy it, though, so good for her.

With Nick now firmly in the hot seat, what could give us some mystery? Why, Denise ACTUALLY becoming a target, of course. Tony once again returns to his spying roots, and it pays off. Denise, Sarah, and Ben all have a conversation at the water well, where Denise proposes a final three deal between them. She correctly argues that Tony is unbeatable at at the end. We don’t see how they react, because we have to follow Tony. He correctly surmises that this means Denise is a threat, and needs to be taken care of. He and Sarah discuss the possibility of actually going against Denise tonight. Definitely a threat to be aware of, but with someone from Edge of Extinction on the horizon to return, I’d say it’s too risky to pull off tonight. Trustworthy or not, Denise is a loyal number for now, which is more than can be said for Nick. Vote her out, and it’s all too easy for the Edge of Extinction returnee to strike up a final three deal with Nick and Michele. It’s beneficial for all involved. Thus, you must risk a rock draw, and while Tony and Ben have idols, why take a risk you don’t need to? With Denise still in the game, the Edge of Extinction returnee has nowhere to go. Granted, this overheard conversation does mean that for Tony, Denise needs to go sooner rather than later, just perhaps not at the final six. And no, I’m not just talking as a Denise fan here.

Tribal Council is once again subdued, and with good misdirection, but unlike the first, there really is no stand-out moment. We do get a good dissection of Denise’s vernacular in her attitude towards the game at this point, but that’s to be expected. Unexpectedly, Nick goes home, probably the first time this season the obvious boot went home. I’m not sorry to see Nick go. He was never one of my favorite winners, and this episode really drove home how out of his depth he was. The man was just completely unaware.

We cut to the Edge one final time, as Amber gives a fairly touching bittersweet farewell, capped off with everyone cheering “See you never, Edge!”Nick talks about wanting to win his way back in, but that will be an uphill battle. You see, you need fire tokens for advantages in the challenge and Nick, now voted out, has none. A few players, like Boston Rob, Tyson, Yul, and Parvati are able to buy themselves an advantage in the challenge, but they pale in comparison to Natalie’s three, plus an idol, due to her whopping 14 tokens! And that’s not all! Remember those idols she and Rob bought for the previous challenge? Those are still good! So Natalie actually buys an idol FOR TYSON! WHAT?

Ok, this is the one thing this episode that really pisses me off. Why are those idols still good? They were paid for for the initial challenge! After that they should be done! Kaput! Start from scratch. Make like on the Edge, and coming back from it, challenging! You know, CHALLENGE? THAT THING THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE ENTIRE POINT OF THE EDGE OF EXTINCTION? REMEMBER THAT? Yeah, show, you’re really not selling yourself well that this is anything but an excuse to keep from losing early favorites.

Our last 10 minutes or so are devoted to a recap of the season, and a preview of what’s to come. When I saw this I was initially annoyed, feeling like we were cheated out of other content, but since this is usually done for the finale, I can’t be too mad. I will be if they do it again at the start of the next episode, but if not, I’m ok with losing 10 minutes of this episode to gain 10 minutes of the next one.

Speaking of gained minutes, that’s really the crux of what I have to say about this episode. If there’s one problem plaguing the show since the post-merge, it’s lack of time. Everything feels squished and condensed with so many people left in the game, and storylines and alliances just seem to come out of nowhere. Take Natalie giving Tyson an idol. Why Tyson? When did they specifically bond beyond just being two more people on the Edge of Extinction? We saw more of Natalie and Parvati together than Natalie and Tyson. Why did Natalie not buy an extra idol for Parvati? For that matter, when did Ben, Sarah, and Tony form a final three deal? WHAT IS GOING ON?

Ahem… Anyway, point is that I’m not sure how long an episode needs to be in order for the story to make sense, but two hours clearly isn’t enough. Still, this episode did give us good heartwarming moments, and even bits of levity, which have so far been this season’s biggest strengths. I’ll get into this more next week when I discuss the season as a whole, but this has been a strange season, to say the least.

Normally this is where I’d talk about who is most and least likely to win at this point, but like on “Survivor Edge of Extinction”, I feel like I can’t do that. The returnee from the Edge changes so much, it seems a disservice to do so now. So, why not do what I did for that season, and list my most likely people to come back from the Edge? Simple. There’s not ranking to it. It’s going to be Natalie. Three advantages aside, she’s got the narrative of thriving on the Edge since the beginning, and has shown even in this episode that she’s still challenge dominance material. So no, no one else has a shot. It’s Natalie. Natalie. Natalie. Natalie.

Natalie is not the person who gave us this blog’s title, however, and it’s up to you to find the correct person! In the comments, give me the name of the person who gave us this week’s quote, and what season the quote was said on. The first person to do so gets their username posted at the top of this blog. I will see you in a week to talk about the finale, and the season as a whole.

-Matt

Title Credit to Jean Storrs.

Idol Speculation: “Survivor San Juan Del Sur” Episode 3: Put Your Behind in Your Past

Let’s face it: John Rocker is not a well-adjusted individual. Apart from the racism, sexism, and homophobia…

(BAM)

JOHN ROCKER: Hey! Who said “homophobia”?

ME: Go-Rammit! Why must everybody on this show burst into my apartment unannounced?
J
OHN ROCKER: I won’t stand for any slights on my character! I’m not homophobic. I have lots of friends who are homosexual. My closest ALLY is a homosexual.

ME: Yeah, John, that argument holds no water. Some people will tolerate anything for friendship. You can’t take back what you said. You can only show that you’ve improved via your actions. And frankly, GIVEN your actions, you’re doing yourself no favors.

JOHN ROCKER: If you were a guy, I’d punch you.

ME: I am a guy.

(PUNCH).

Well, that’s one trip to the dentist, courtesy of John Rocker. But that shouldn’t stop me typing. As I was saying, whatever else you may think about him, the fact remains that John Rocker cannot be called a “well-adjusted individual”. You see, people who are well-adjusted don’t threaten to punch people when they’re mildly insulted. In fact, well-adjusted people don’t threaten to punch people unless their life itself is threatened. Still, this doesn’t mean we should fear or loath John Rocker. In my opinion, we should pity him, as his upbringing clearly did not prepare him for life in the real world. I theorize that he did not watch enough Disney Movies as a child. If he had, perhaps he would have learned some valuable lessons that could have improved him. The value of nonviolence. The importance of love. The high mortality rate of mothers. Ok, so Disney isn’t ALL just and good, and it’s really pointless to speculate about John Rocker’s upbringing. Regardless, though, John Rocker should have seen “The Lion King”, and if he has, perhaps he should have paid more attention to it. Then, maybe he would have learned that you can’t put the past behind you. You can either run from it, or learn from it.

Still, all assholes in time, all assholes in time. We’ve got to go back to after the last Tribal Council, where Baylor is officially severing her ties to her old alliance, just in time for that alliance to start targeting her. Understandably, she’s a bit upset about getting votes at every single Tribal Council thus far (all two of them), and very nearly going home at the second one. She interprets this as Josh failing to protect her. So, let me get this straight: when Josh impulsively votes for her without telling her he’s going to, she’s willing to forgive and forget. When Josh goes out of his way and takes a fairly big risk to keep her around, he’s obviously not doing enough, and she needs to become her own woman. What is the logic in this, exactly? In all seriousness, I understand Baylor being a little gun-shy (even though it would have been more appropriate after the FIRST Tribal Council), and if it gets some women thinking for themselves this season, I’m happy.

Somewhat less happy is Hunah Poo-Poo the next day. Drew’s acute weather senses are tingling, and there’s going to a monsoon soon, he says. All fine and good, says everyone, and so they all start weaving palm fronds to strengthen their roof. A good course of action, if I do say so myself, and everyone gives it their full attention. All, that is, save Drew, who after HAVING THE IDEA states that he’s no good, and lies down in the shelter to take a nap. The same shelter, I would point out, where everyone else is weaving palm fronds. Look, I know that actual survival skills ultimately have little to do with the outcome of “Survivor”. I’m aware that laziness is not a bad thing, and I shouldn’t poo-poo it out of hand. No, I’m merely pointing out the idiocy of being lazy right in the middle of everyone else working! You have to TRY to look like more of a jackass!

However, the laziness of Drew brings out that infamous “Twinnie Rage” from Natalie, who begins poking his nose with a loose palm frond. He then has the nerve to get mad at her for waking him, at which she gets mad and reads him the riot act for not working and sleeping in the middle of their space. Yet another demonstration of the diplomatic capacities of Natalie Anderson. But somehow, I find myself siding with her, if only because she kind of has the right to complain after what Drew did. Fortunately, it doesn’t turn into a full-on explosion, and she vents her frustration to Jeremy, who seems to be of a similar mind. Jeremy then informs us that Drew’s idiocy is reaching new heights, and that while he was planning on keeping Drew around until the merge, due to his stupidity making him a non-threat, he now feels that Drew may need to go sooner rather than later. A logical decision, but I must ask: when was it in Jeremy’s plan to keep Drew around? Seemed to me he was high on the girl alliance at the moment. Hey CBS, maybe, instead of more unpleasantness from John Rocker, you could have given us some strategy from Jeremy? That would have been a more useful use of your time.

Over at our reward challenge for the day, Hunah Poo-Poo quickly finds out that Val was eliminated last episode. Everyone’s upset to at least some degree, but it’s mainly Jeremy who shows it. He does the normal “put head in hands from sadness” gesture that I feel has less and less meaning every time someone on this show does it. Jeremy quickly gets back up, though, to reveal… Rupert Boneham from “Survivor Pearl Islands”? I mean, you’re calling “Men’s Alliance” on very little evidence there, buddy. Didn’t work out so well on “Survivor Heroes vs. Villains”. On the other hand, he encourages the women to do something about it, at which point I yell at the screen “YES! PLEASE LISTEN TO JEREMY! DO SOMETHING TO EARN YOUR SPOT ON THIS SHOW!” It also helps that there actually IS a men’s alliance this time around, so Jeremy doesn’t look like an idiot. Jeremy also states that John Rocker lied to him. Rather than do the sensible thing and continue to lie his ass off, John instead admits to having a secret alliance with Jeremy, which naturally raises a few eyebrows on Coyopa, particularly from Josh, who’s now seeing his endgame as a bit TOO unpredictable. Now, to give credit where credit is due, it IS good for John to own up in the sense that it gives him at least a minimum chance of salvaging the alliance with Jeremy. However, this is outweighed by the sheer amount of how bad this idea is. While keeping an ally on the opposite side is good if you CAN, the problem here arises that this early in the game, it doesn’t MATTER so much what Jeremy thinks of you. The people who DO matter, your tribe, now think you’re a schnook. Way to go.

Now, on to the actual challenge, and to my great delight, it’s an original one. Standing on a wobbly beam, one contestant from each tribe will use an elongated spatula to move wooden squares from one side of the beam to the other, first to six wins reward for their tribe. I could not have made that challenge sound lamer if I tried. Still, it’s original, it’s fairly difficult, I’ll give it a pass. Ancient Mayan Rock-Paper-Scissors gives Coyopa the choice of who competes, and as John Rocker has presumably been exiled to the corner for all future reward challenge decisions, a more sensible choice of Wes vs. Keith is made. While it’s more of an even match than some of the past ones, I think this was a good move. Wes’ youth and shorter height will aid in balance, and might give him a slight edge over Keith. Sure enough, though the pair are fairly even throughout, Keith drops his fifth square, and Wes uses the edge to take victory. Keith is going to Exile Island, and Wes chooses Josh to go with him, reason being that Wes is allied with Josh, and thinks the two will get along splendidly. While I do think the choice overall is a good one, Wes, you really shouldn’t broadcast your allies quite that blatantly.

On to the reward. In what I hope will continue throughout the season, the wining tribe gets a choice. Due to Hunah Poo-Poo’s deal last time, Coyopa can choose between a tarp, blankets, and pillows, and the fishing gear from last time. A pretty even call, but since food seems to be scarce this season, I’d give the edge to fishing gear. Coyopa agrees and takes it. Like I said, I really hope that the reward not taken becomes an option every episode from now on. It seeds for a lot of stupid moves, and it helps add new challenges to the strategic game without changing things too drastically.

As he leaves, John Rocker whispers yet another “I did all I could” to Jeremy, which Jeremy rightly calls bullshit on. Now while I’ll admit John Rocker did devote his six brain cells to the task of saving Val, he clearly did not do “All he could.” The SMART thing would have been for him to say “Hey, maybe we should vote for Jaclyn” last episode, but again, giving John Rocker too much credit. While Jeremy is jumping to conclusions a bit, John did break the deal, he did not do all he could, so I have no sympathy for what happens next.

If, by some miracle, you are STILL not convinced that CBS is trying to fool people into thinking this is the first “Blood vs. Water”, the behavior of Julie after the reward challenge should convince you. She does her best Monica Culpepper (“Survivor One World”) and goes off to have a good cry about the unfair maligning of her husband, how he’s really changed, and no one will give him a chance after the infamous “Sports Illustrated” interview, blah, blah, blah. And just like with Brad Culpepper (“Survivor Blood vs. Water”), I reply that his ACTIONS this season have done nothing to convince us otherwise. I’ll admit that Julie has been behaving smarter than I gave her credit for thus far this season, but this is not the behavior of someone smart. I’m not saying that showing emotion for your loved one is a bad thing, I’m saying that John Rocker’s name is mud right now, and the more distance you put between yourself and him, the better. By emphasizing the connection, you only sully your own name. The best thing for Julie’s game right now would be for John Rocker to be voted off.

To emphasize this last point, I turn to what was happening WHILE Julie was off crying. It seems the “Twinnie Tantrum” was not done, as Natalie starts in on John Rocker fairly quickly, and also cements a bond with Jeremy by pointing out that now they’ve both lost loved ones in this game. Gee, that sounds NOTHING like the first “Blood vs. Water”. Does this season seem repetitive to you? Jeremy, meanwhile, now holds up HIS end of the bargain with John, and tells everyone who he is, saying that John made statements that were “Racist and homosexual”. I know Jeremy meant “homophobic”, but I can’t help but nitpick, if only because I find the implications of such a statement hilarious. In any case, this sets off another “Twinnie Tirade” about what an asshole John Rocker is. Yes, truly someone who becomes unstable when they lose is a good ally. I suppose she’s only digging her own grave for the end, though, and it does help bond her and Jeremy, somewhat.

Over at Exile Island, some more bonding is taking place, but, in the words of Rudy Boesch (“Survivor Borneo”) “Not in no homosexual way, that’s for sure.” While the two actually do have a lot in common, and Josh strokes the show’s ego by talking about how two people from different walks of life are coming together, Keith makes it very clear that the two have separate rock beds. Still, they do share a lot of things, like the idol clue. In Keith’s best move thus far, he shows he has learned from his mistake in the first episode by getting Josh to agree to share the clue, before the clue is even revealed. Keith gets it anyway, but still shares it. He and Josh then confer, quickly concluding that John and Jeremy are the most likely to have idols. I thought senior superlatives had to go for one guy and one girl, but there you go. Nothing comes of the suspicion around Jeremy, but as for John, well, more on that later.

What’s on now is catfish! Evidently, John has heretofore untapped fishing skills, and is making Coyopa fat and happy. On the surface, everything seems to be fine, but looking beneath, there’s a bit of tension. Taking her cue from Jeremy, Baylor proposes to Wes and Alec that John may have too much power, and ought to be taken out. Between those three and Jaclyn, they have a majority, so there’s nothing stopping them. Nothing, that is, except the intelligence black hole that is Alec’s cranial cavity. While he and Wes make a token effort at playing along, it’s late, and Alec flat out tells Baylor that they like the alliance they’re with. Way to win allies, dude.

CHALLENGE TIME! And not only do we have an original challenge for once, but a pretty damn good one as well. Basically, two people from each tribe will simultaneously make their way through a maze of wood to find a ball, and then attempt to throw it down a tube. First pair to do so scores a point for their tribe, first tribe to three wins immunity. This challenge has it all. It looks really cool. It’s physical without getting too rough (there are a few collisions). Admittedly it does split up the tribes into small hunks, but not EVERY challenge needs to have everyone together. Point being, it feels very classic “Survivor”. Just a nice, tricky contest of maneuvering, strength, and aim that nice to watch. Frankly, thus far the challenges are the best thing about this season.

It’s a closer contest than usual, with both tribes scoring two points. Tension is ruined in the fifth round, however, as the dramatic “We’re gonna win!” music plays before Coyopa can even reach the shooting area. Yes, Hunah Poo-Poo once again comes away victorious, but it’s not the challenge itself that’s the most interesting, but the aftermath. While the “Twinnie Tirade” may have been over for a while, it would seem there are “Twinnie Aftershocks” as first Natalie, and soon the whole of Hunah Poo-Poo, are attacking the character of John Rocker. Natalie gets the idea that he’s a poor sport, and I find myself in the position of defending John Rocker. All I could see that designated him a “poor sport” was his at one point going “Weh, weh, weh.” After scoring a point. Not the nicest thing to do, I’ll admit, but I’d argue it falls well within the realm of “trash talk”. Mind you, this is where my defending of John Rocker ends, as he’s certainly done more than enough in the past to deserve a couple tirades his way. And, if he wasn’t a poor sport before, he certainly is now, saying many rude things to Natalie, the highlight of these being “If you weren’t a girl, I’d punch your teeth out.” Do you understand my “Not-Well-Adjusted-Individual” intro now? Julie once again tries to make the argument that people don’t know John well enough, and are judging him on past actions. I refer you to my earlier remarks about defending John Rocker in the game.

However, just because I don’t like John Rocker, and do like his getting called out, it doesn’t mean Natalie gets off scott-free. While I love seeing John Rocker get told, this is another example of how volatile she is. She goes off on tirades, is not diplomatic, and just makes her an unreliable alliance member. Frankly, if I were on her tribe, despite the awfulness that is John Rocker, I would be wary of her. It’s all fine and good when you go off against another tribe, but what happens if she goes off against someone in your own tribe? Not a pretty picture. To their credit, though, Coyopa weather it well, pointing out that he’s still a part of their tribe. The whole affair ends with Jeremy, and a few others, egging Coyopa on to vote out John Rocker. Coyopa, please listen to them.
After making the aforementioned “Allied with a homosexual” argument, John Rocker comes up with the actually decent plan of telling the girls they’re voting for Dale, as he’s the weakest one left. This is all fine and good, but since even these women are smarter than John Rocker, they don’t fall for it.

While the guys may not have listened to Baylor say that John Rocker needs to go, for some reason they do listen to Josh. Again, let that sink in. When the WOMEN suggest a plan, nobody likes it. When a GUY suggests the same plan, they’re all for it. The sexism, the sexism, oh God, the sexism. In any case, Josh is rightly concerned at John Rocker’s unpredictability, and now fears that John might alienate any potential allies in the future on principle. Point being, John Rocker may have just passed what we might call the “Shamar Threshold”. First articulated on “Survivor Caramoan”, the “Shamar Threshold” is the point at which an ally whose purpose is to make their partner look good later becomes too annoying to keep around. The clincher, in this case, is that John reveals to Josh that he has an idol. Correctly assuming that John will not share the idol, Josh spills the beans and, as I said before, moves to vote out John Rocker. Alec is unsure, though, so there is some doubt at Tribal.

Josh stressed the importance of playing to cool at Tribal, so as to prevent John playing his idol, and it seems like people will hold to that at first. Natalie is the topic of discussion, but Alec stays diplomatic and points out that she’s not on their tribe, and so it doesn’t really matter what they think of her. The problems come when Baylor and Jaclyn speak. While Baylor merely hints at a shake-up, which could be explained away by her being the target tonight, Jaclyn pretty much outright STATES that they’ve flipped some of the guys. Subtle, you are not, Jaclyn. Fortunately, John Rocker is an idiot, and doesn’t play his idol, getting sent home in a most satisfying manner.

This episode was just average for me. Not exactly predictable, but most of my guesses turned out to be right, particularly with the vote-off. While both Baylor and John had adequate screentime to allow for their ejection, the pattern this season has been for things to go Josh’s way, and since Josh wanted John Rocker gone, I was pretty sure he would go. Now was this a good move? I’m saying yes. While John was physically strong, that wasn’t helping all that much in the challenges, and it’s not as though Coyopa doesn’t have strength without him. Strategically, you want to keep things predictable, and like Natalie on Hunah Poo-Poo, John Rocker is a volatile element which does not need to be there. As a viewer, I’m pleased. John was unpleasant in his screentime, but at least it was kept short. We’ll see if next week can liven things up a bit.
-Matt
Title Credit to Jean Storrs.