Idol Speculation: “Survivor 42” Episode 10: A New Villain Arises

While I admit I haven’t seen this complaint so far, I could see some in the fan community having a gripe with this season.  Specifically after Tori’s exit, there’s no real “Villain” left in the game.  Everyone is at least some degree of likable (some more than others, but let’s not split hairs), and even if they have some rough edges, no one is a real “villain”.  Evidently the show heard this complaint through time, and set out to give us a new villain, and his name is Mike!  

What’s that?  You say that Mike did nothing particularly villainous this episode?  Oh ho, I beg to differ, dear reader.  He committed perhaps the most heinous crime known to man.  HE MISUSED SHAKESPEARE!  

You all heard him!  He made the inevitable “Wherefore art thou” reference that must happen when someone named “Romeo” is around, which is fine, except that he made the admittedly common mistake of using “wherefore” as if it were the modern “where”.  It’s NOT people.  It’s analogous to WHY in Modern English.  This is not a hard concept to work through!  At least the episode is over, and I don’t have to hear it again…

CRASH!

MIKE: Wherefore art thou, Matt?  In your home, obviously.  

ME: Why do I even bother?  Look, Mike, what are you doing here?  

MIKE: Our hill, over dale, over bush and briar, I do wonder everywhere.  And your house is a part of “Everywhere”

ME: Yeah, but see, that doesn’t work since that’s ACTUALLY an appropriate Shakespeare quote for the situation, albeit an abridged one.  

MIKE: Well I heard you were a Shakespeare fan, and thought I could regale you with some more of The Bard, ya’ know?  Show ya’ I actually know what I’m talking about.  

ME: You know what?  Fine.  I have better things to do than chase you off my property with my nice new Taku Buff.  Just try and keep it to a minimum, ok?

MIKE: The silence often of pure innocence persuades where speaking fails.  Ya’ know, shut up if you don’t want people to know about your advantages.  

ME: Woah, slow down there, man!  We’re not even at that part of the episode.  First we’ve got to get over you congratulating yourself on blindsiding Hai.  

MIKE: What can I say?  Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon ‘em!

Mike has no idea how appropriate that quote is to his situation right now.  In any case, there’s really no drama from that vote out since it was pretty unified.  Even morning doesn’t bring much drama, as we instead focus on camp life.  Drea evidently wants to be the next Richard Hatch (“Survivor Borneo”) or Tom Westman (“Survivor Palau”), and catch a shark, the mechanism for which she debates with her tribe.  This is soon interrupted by Maryanne’s oddly casual observation that her pinkie toenail has fallen off.  This casual nature is soon revealed to be because it’s a regular occurrence for Maryanne, something the tribe is oddly fascinated with.  Though I suppose if I had nothing but time, such a banal subject might get my attention as well.  

Strategy talk does eventually re-emerge, though, as our “Strong 5” go down to the beach, leaving Maryanne and Romeo behind.  The pair acknowledge that they’re on the bottom, but also recognize that that five are not going to stick together, and they can weasel their way further forward.  

Meanwhile, on the beach, the five are making a pact to stick together through Romeo and Maryanne’s boots, only to “duke it out” later.  A decent enough idea for all of them, under the patented Cirie Fields “Every goat left is a threat to my finals seat” logic, and Drea, at least, is heavily on board, very ready to throw Romeo under the bus.  They just haven’t been able to get on the same page.  And credit where it’s due, but this group has FINALLY figured out to send the right salesman to make such a pitch.  Mike, the guy who would seem most likely to propose such an alliance, is the one doing the talking, and he sells it hard.  Good job for him.  It’s certainly more believable than, say, Omar trying to go with this idea.  

The salesman language is intentional, though.  Once the group splits up, he confides to us and Omar that the whole thing was to make Drea comfortable, so she doesn’t play any potential idols or advantages.  Smart play, but unsurprising.  Just due to sheer amount of “stuff”, Drea is the biggest threat left for the end, and that’s not even including her surviving being a target multiple times, plus her heart-wrenching speech at the Tori boot.  

Yet, I’m gonna be honest, I didn’t believe this is who they would target until Mike told us so.  I thought he was being 100% serious.  Good job, Mike.  

MIKE:  What can I say, I’m a good actor.  

This player here,

But in a fiction, in a dream of passion

Could force his soul so to his own conceit

That from her working all his visage wann’d,

Tears in his eyes, distraction in’s aspect,

A broken voice, and his whole function suiting

With forms to his conceit?  And all for nothing!

Thanks for the good performance, it helps take some of the salt out of that “Wherefore” misusage.  Also salty is Jonathan, who continues to want to be the provider, yet finds himself very much weakened, both physically and in his resolve.  Drea is still on that shark-catching train, and so she and Lindsay go down to untangle a net to attempt to use it.  Jonathan, after some perceived effort, goes down and verbally directs them in their untangling efforts.  After this surprisingly doesn’t work as well, Drea makes an offhand, if somewhat snarky, comment that more hands would help, which Jonathan takes as a slight unto himself.  This blows up into far more of an argument than it needs to, save for the fact that it proves Jonathan will remain a target.  While I can see his side of it, I do think he was overreacting, and again, it’s that side of Jonathan that I don’t like to see.  

And so, we now come to the moment we all saw happening from the moment the preview for this episode showed up.  Yes, dear readers, it is time once again for the episode with the “Do or Die” twist.  Mike, any appropriate words for this situation?  

MIKE: It sucks, man?

ME: Well yes, but I meant more bardic words.  

MIKE: Hmm.  How about “What a sign it is of evil life…”

Good enough, thank you!  Now, I promised at the top of this season that I would not give the show flak for reusing twists, as they had no time to gather true feedback from the audience on how they played out.  And I will hold to that, even if the rub salt in the wound by having Probst talk to the audience like we’re kindergarteners while re-introducing the twist to us all.  So no, I will not complain about the presence of this particular twist here.  Much.  

That said, however, I do want to re-address something I talked about last season.  While this and a large number of twists implemented last season have received some degree of hate, I’ve noticed a number of people come around on this one, and say that it’s actually a decent twist, or at least not the worst last season had to offer.  And fair enough.  One is entitled to one’s opinion, and it’s not the WORST opinion one could hold regarding “Survivor”.  However, I would respectfully disagree, and I would like to take a minute to explain why.  

When I do see people talking about the worst twists from last season, usually the hourglass is top of the list.  And again, fair enough.  That is also a terrible twist for a variety of reasons.  But I still maintain that “Do or Die” is by far the worst.  Still, it seemed odd to me that this was so common an opinion that I took time between seasons to consider why, and have come to the conclusion that it is because we’re rating the relative merits of a twist based on different criteria.  

The most common criticism I see lobbed at the hourglass is that it’s “Unfair”, which it categorically is.  And if you’re rating at twist on fairness, I 100% agree with you.  Much as I may dislike the “Do or Die”, I cannot deny that it is “Fair”.  Contestants are told up-front what will happen, and are given the chance to avoid it.  No, it would be wrong to say the “Do or Die” is unfair.  

But fairness is not the issue for me.  For me, how well it fits into the spirit of the game is.  

In my view, there are only three ways a player should leave the game: They get voted out, they quit, or they are removed by production, either for medical reasons or some other violation of contract that necessitates production removal.  Anything else does not feel like “Survivor”.  The mechanism for implementing the twist is fine.  But the consequence is far too severe for my liking.  

NO ONE should ever leave the game based on what the show describes as “a game of chance”.  Even those screwed by the hourglass twist have a chance to socially maneuver to save themselves.  But this twist leaves open the possibility that someone leaves, not based on their own social maneuvering, willpower, or actions, but a bit of bad luck.  Luck may play a factor in many exits, but it should not be the ONLY factor, or even the PRIMARY factor.  You want to keep the “consequences” theme going?  Fine.  But make the consequences less severe.  Hey, you’re fond of taking away votes, and we saw what good drama that caused at Vati’s first Tribal Council this season.  Keep things the same, tell people about the twist beforehand and give them a chance to opt out, but say it’s a chance to not be able to vote.  I would even accept the vote being lost for two Tribal Council’s in a row if that’s what it took not to have this particular twist in the game!  And hey, if you want to push the “chance at reward” angle like you did this season, you can do that as well!  Survive the “Do or Die”, you get an extra vote!  It keeps the fairness of the twist, and creates a dilemma without the possibility of gutting the true drama and point of the show: The social maneuvering and the vote.

Boy, my fingers are sore from all that typing.  Mike, can you fill in for a second?

MIKE: Farewell, Immunity!  Thou art too dear for my possessing!

Another misquote?  You’re on thin ice, buddy.  But yes, most here do choose to sit out, and wisely so, given the potential consequences.  Mike and Maryanne have immunity via idols, so they see no need to risk themselves.  Drea has the ability to steal one of their idols with her “Knowledge is Power”, so she is also out.  Omar has somehow not had his name mentioned once for elimination yet, so he sits out, like a boss.  And Romeo sits out… Well, it’s not made super clear, but I guess he gets the accurate read that he’s not going to be a target tonight.  All understandable.  

Naturally, the two people competing are Jonathan, correctly surmising that his name is brought up, and Lindsay who… Ok, Lindsay’s not a target, but I admit it would be out of character for her not to complete.  Specifically, they will be competing in an endurance challenge where our players have to stand in a semi-crucified pose that makes them go numb.  You may remember this either as the challenge where Natalie Anderson accidentally spat on herself during “Survivor San Juan del Sur”, or more recently, the one where Christian blabbered everyone else into submission on “Survivor David vs. Goliath”.  Not a bad challenge, but again, I’m sick of nothing but endurance immunity challenges post merge.  Jonathan wins, somewhat surprisingly, meaning this twist could now screw over someone I actually really enjoy watching.  Way to keep ruining things, show!

To really hammer home just how terrible this is for Lindsay, we get HER flashbacks, specifically to playing football in high school.  She talks about her toughness and how she perseveres in spite of the odds.  On the one hand, I want to complain about how pointless this flashback is, given how it just tells us stuff the show already did a good job of conveying about Lindsay.  On the other hand, we get to see pictures of High School Lindsay, which is pretty cool, and discover that she has the same Fountain of Youth that Probst does.  She does not age either.  You doing ok, Mike?

MIKE: I am a kind of burr; I shall stick.  You ain’t getting rid of me that easily.  

Ooooookay then.  Angsting over, it’s time to get back to targeting  As discussed earlier, Drea is the main target due to all her “Stuff”, but Drea is not so easily got rid of.  Being no moron, she recognizes that when people are distant with her, that means her name is coming up.  Fortunately, she has a plan.  No one knows about that “Knowledge is Power” advantage, so she can steal Mike’s idol to keep herself safe.  All she has to do it keep quiet about it… Wait, why is she telling Omar about this plan?  

MIKE: She prattles something too wildly.

Precisely.  Look, props to Omar for getting in so good with everyone that he’s at the center of most every plan that comes up, and for somehow being the only person left who has NEVER been brought up as a target for elimination, but what the heck was Drea thinking here?  How does it in ANY WAY behoove her to let ANYONE know about this?  All it can do is derail her plans.  There is LITERALLY no need for Omar to know this, but she tells him anyway.  

About the best that can be said is that it leads to some decent misdirection here.  Omar acknowledges that he has power, and can eliminate Mike tonight.  He could even possibly get him to let Omar hold his idol, then still vote Mike out to take full possession.  The latter, at least, is a somewhat compelling argument, as Omar is one of the few people left with no idol or advantage to his name.  Still, this falls into the same category as “Now that everyone’s against Hai, maybe we should keep him.”  There’s no way this is real.  Yes, Mike is getting a big head about stuff.  GOOD!  Let him think he’s in charge, and he’s less likely to move against you.  Mike does not take being betrayed very well, as you may have noticed from literally all of his game so far.  You really want someone like that on the jury?  I think not.  Plus, Drea is probably the only person left who you realistically lose to in the end, so she should be target numero uno.  

The ethics of Lindsay’s risk are the main topic of discussion at Tribal tonight.  Not much comes of said discussion, but it is nice that people don’t take the mickey out of her too much.  Of course, when Lindsay goes up to pick a box with 10 minutes still left, and no cut to commercial, we know she’s safe.  Probst gives us the Monty Hall problem, the jury looks shocked, Rocksroy proves he doesn’t understand the Monty Hall problem, you know the drill.  Oddly, like Deshawn last season, Lindsay ignores the odds and refuses to switch.  Again, like Deshawn last season, it saves her.  I’m happy at the outcome, but this twist still needs to die.  

MIKE: My dancing soul doth celebrate!  Even though dancing isn’t a real sport.  Now we can get out Drea.  

Not without a hurdle, you won’t.  With the vote now on, Drea naturally plays her Knowledge is Power advantage, asking for Mike’s idol.  Continuing with his surprisingly good acting chops, Mike looks all dejected, only for us to discover that, indeed, Omar did the smart thing.  We flash back to Mike handing Omar his idol for safe keeping, and so Drea is out of luck, though we see she wisely spends her extra vote on the move as well.  See, THIS is good stuff!  The strategizing, good and bad.  The plays and counter-plays.  The dramatic reveal.  All stuff we would have missed had the show just had “luck” boot out Lindsay.  

I would also like to take this time to point out that the “Knowledge is Power”, a twist that’s actually got the potential to be GOOD on other seasons, has given us great dramatic moments, highlights of the season, twice now.  Why do people hate this one again?

The smart moves continue as bigger threat Drea goes.  I admit, I’m mixed on this one.  On the one hand, between Mike and Drea, I want to see more of Mike on my screen, particularly after he’s shown how good an actor he can be this episode.  That said, Drea was far from my least-favorite player on this tribe.  It’s just Jonathan was immune.  Drea leaving takes out one of the last remaining threats to Omar’s victory, which I would enjoy, and also removes more “Stuff” from the game, again a plus.  But it also takes out a great strategist, which means that the remaining episodes become more predictable, never a good thing.  Sorry to see her go, but not as sorry as if she stayed.  

Now, Mike got three votes this time, one more than expected.  Given Mike’s track record of handling surprises against him, he… Asks Drea for clarification, congratulates her on a move well-done, and hugs her goodbye.  Huh.  You really are full of surprises, man.  

MIKE: Men at some times are masters of their fates.  Not Lindsay, though.  

Most players content themselves with throwing one or two people under the bus as they leave.  Drea is not most players.  She compliments EVERYBODY in some way, whether it be Jonathan being below the radar, Lindsay being her close friend, Mike being likely to win in the end (doubtful), or giving Omar credit for foiling her Knowledge is Power (she does also say stuff to Maryanne and Romeo, but I missed it.  I assume it was in the same vein, though), she gives everyone a reason to target everyone else, which should help keep things interesting these last couple of episodes.  

Despite the show’s best efforts, this was a good one.  Once we didn’t have the worst outcome of “Do or Die” leading to “Die”, we had great misdirection, good use of flashbacks, and valid strategizing that led to a satisfying exit.  You’ve dodge the bullet twice, show, but don’t expect to do it a third time.  Next season better not have this particular twist.  

Anyway, thanks for the help Mike.  Want to take us out before I run you out of here with my nice new Taku buff?

MIKE: If this blogger has offended

Think but this, and all is mended:

That you have but slumbered here

While this blog post did appear.  

No more hatred, no more spite.  

Let it vanish in the night.  

If you seek a new recap,

Head to Dalton, that good chap,

For he is an honest man

Who seeks to tell us what he can

Of challenges and strategy

And he do hath no symmetry

With these harsh words of this here Matt

And that’s all I can say ‘bout that.  

Give me your hands, if we be friends,

And I’ll make sure everything’s right, ok?

-Matt

Title Credit to Jean Storrs.  

Idol Speculation: “Survivor Winners at War” Episode 12: Little Ozlettes

Congratulations to user bwburke94 for correctly identifying last episode’s blog title as coming courtesy of Devon Pinto of “Survivor Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers”!

Well, ladies and gentlemen, we have a new show topper. As befits a “Legends” season such as this, we have referenced an element of seasons past, but done it to a greater extreme than we have in the past. I’m talking, of course, about the area of romance. We’ve seen the loving relationship between Boston Rob and Amber develop of the course of “Survivor All-Stars”. We’ve seen the multiple PDA’s of Amanda and Ozzy on “Survivor Micronesia”. We’ve seen countless contestants, as Malcolm Freberg so eloquently put it on “Survivor Philippines”, “Go booty blind.” But now, we have a love story to trump them all. I’m talking, of course, about the romance blooming between Ben and Tony. Look at them, ladies and gentleman! That is a full-on bridal carry we’re seeing from the happy couple! If that isn’t the epitome of love, I don’t know what is!

Don’t believe me? Despite being blindsided at the last vote, Ben takes everything in stride. He compliments Tony on a blindside well put-together, and asks for an explanation. While Ben does later admit to not trusting Tony, this is actually about as good a reaction overall, and I need to give the guy credit for it. Lord knows Jeremy won’t. The man once again goes on about how Ben was once his ride-or-die, but is now not even talking to him. Tony also gets in on the action, saying that Ben took the blindside poorly. Is there just something we’re not seeing here? From what I’m getting, it looks like Ben is a pretty textbook example of how to handle a blindside.

Contrast with Sarah, who clearly shows us how NOT to handle a blindside. Sarah tells us that before talking to Tony, she told herself to calm down and not fly of the handle. This is immediately contrasted with her constant swearing, along with her and Tony talking over each other heatedly. While neither burns the bridge completely, as both want to continue working with the other, neither fully trusts the other at this point. This sends Tony in particular into a panic, forcing him to come clean to Ben about his idol to build trust. Ben admits that he doesn’t fully return Tony’s trust, but isn’t ready to throw him out just yet. Jeremy needs to go first.

Speaking of Jeremy, we get to see more of Ben’s supposed “hatred” of him the following morning. Jeremy asks Ben how he slept. Ben responds “Good”, and goes to have a wash in the ocean. Jeremy complains to Kim, along with pretty much anyone within earshot, about how this means that Ben can’t stand him, let alone hold a polite conversation! The evidence is there to see! He… answered your question then went off to do something that’s a part of many people’s morning routines… Ok, Jeremy, I’m really not getting the “Ben hates you.” vibe you’re saying is there. Maybe it’s just because of how obvious his animosity was towards Adam back when Adam was still in the game, but it really seems like Ben is at worst indifferent to Jeremy. Jeremy tries to set Kim on the anti-Ben path, but Kim has other ideas. Kim is still not happy to have Tony in the game, especially given the connection between him and Sarah that is becoming more obvious by the day. As such, she wants him gone, and so starts talking up the idea to some people.

More on that later, though, as we have to go over to the Edge of Extinction! Yes, why delve deeper into the tribe dynamics of the players still in the game, particularly when they aren’t named Tony, when we could talk about the people who managed to get themselves voted out! Hell, we don’t even spend any time on the “toughness” of Edge of Extinction, as we’re too busy earning fire tokens. In a callback to the log-moving challenge which Ethan makes blatant, everyone must move a pile of coconuts from the back of the island to their shelter, one coconut at a time. Not a bad challenge to call back to, but this one is a definite downgrade. While I get making the challenge easier by removing the vertical element, since it cause medical to come out for Ethan, making it a race is a move I can’t get behind. When you had the focus be on endurance, you could follow individual stories, and get involved in the individual struggles as each player worked to accomplish the goal. By making it a race, the interest now comes in who’s ahead and behind, something hard to follow in a marathon, particularly one without clearly defined paths to follow. As such, we’re mostly told who is and isn’t doing well, with some individual stories sprinkled in there. Adam, of course, acknowledges that he is not cut out for this challenge, though the show feels the need to rub salt in the wound by cutting back to him having trouble over and over. One confessional would have been enough. Boston Rob gets an early lead, but manages to take a bad fall and damage his elbow, causing no small amount of bleeding. Still, the man finishes the challenge, even if he doesn’t place. According to him and Amber, this is to show that he “never gives up”. Because that was ever in doubt? Natalie and Sophie finish first and second, respectively. Unsurprising for Natalie at this point, but good for Sophie. Yes, she had a few challenge wins under her belt from “Survivor South Pacific”, and yes, she was probably better fed than most anyone left, but even so, a second place finish is quite impressive, especially over some of the athletes on the Edge of Extinction. Yul comes in third, while Tyson and Parvati take a combined fourth place. The only real “race” is between Danni and Wendell for sixth, which Wendell takes. All winners earn two fire tokens, which is good for them, but I feel that better scenes could have been had back at the camp.

Or perhaps not, as what we’re treated to at the Koru camp is Tony’s advertised “Spy Nest”. It’s underwhelming to say the least. Even if you’re not a big fan of the Spy Shack or the Spy Bunker, you can at least admire the effort that went into making them. The “Spy Nest” is… Tony climbing a tree. A decent feat of strength, to be sure, but not on the same level as the previously mentioned spy hideouts. To add insult to injury, the only person we see him encounter is Sarah, who knows that he’s there, and tells him to get down. He does, but the two still have an argument on the beach regarding the previous vote. Nick overhears this, and takes it as his cue to start whittling down the threats, and make an end-game alliance for himself. Said end-game alliance turns out to be himself, Michele, and Denise, a sort of “level playing field” as Michele calls it. Got to admit, the alliance isn’t a bad idea of any of them. Since the alliance is fundamentally anti-Tony, it gives Nick and Michele something to boast about in the endgame, while giving Denise a chance to coast, and hope her ouster of Sandra is enough to net her the win. They bring in Kim and Ben as a fourth and fifth, mostly because of also being anti-Tony. This ramps up the strategy discussion, as pretty much everyone but Jeremy and Sarah (and Tony, of course) is now on board to get rid of Tony. Nick in particular is an impressive swing. I’d have said Sarah before Tony, given who he’s blindsided and not blindsided so far. But hey, kudos to Nick for not being too tied down in this game.

This interesting strategy is then interrupted by an idol hunt. Again. Maybe the people who complain about idols have a point. At first it just seems like a Tony and Ben hunt, but then most everyone else joins in. I must admit, while this episode does not have the same humor as the last one, Nick returning to a significant knot in a tree and saying “It’ll be here one of these days.” got a chuckle out of me. We do take time out of the hunt to clarify Ben’s position on Tony. While Ben does open up a bit more to Tony, saying that Kim his after him, he doesn’t give away the whole alliance, showing that he’s willing to work with Tony, but doesn’t fully trust him. This is further proven by Ben trying to hide his idol find from Tony, which doesn’t work. Ben comes clean, and the pair celebrate, the actual reason behind the aforementioned “bridal carry”. So help me, I already used the “chocolate and peanut butter” quote for a previous blog, and the “Ozlettes” confessional is one of my favorites! I just had to use it!

Oh, right, I suppose I should explain how the chocolate and peanut butter thing plays in. Our immunity hallenge today is “When it Rains, it Pours” from “Survivor Africa”. you may remember this as the challenge where people have to stand with their hand above their head, and attached to a bucket. Falling or dropping the hand leads to a soaking, with the last person standing winning immunity, and in this case, fire tokens. Also, the last man and woman standing each win immunity Because that makes so much sense this late in the game, and in now way detracts from the victory. Still, this challenge is a classic we hadn’t seen in a while, and definitely deserving of being on an all-winners season. Shame none of the people who’d played this challenge before could play, but oh well.

Ah, but this challenge is tougher, for you see, now you cannot support yourself with your other hand! OOOH! Ok, to be fair, this definitely DOES make the challenge tougher, I just don’t think it’s quite the game changer Probst does.

Of course, this challenge is best known as one that regularly offers food temptations. Ben requests chocolate and peanut butter, though he does not go full Jenna Morasca and Heidi Strobel and offer to strip for it. Indeed, Ben misses out, with Kim and Michele stepping down. This hands Denise immunity as Sarah had previously dropped. As for the men, the temptation is there for both Nick and Tony, the two men left. Tony, however, is determined to continue his win streak, and Nick’s drop out is bought at the price of one fire token. A move he will later regret, but it’s too late to take back. This, once again, means our first episode half is almost entirely focussed on Tony, and once again, is mostly pointless. Now to be fair, this episode does do a much better job than the last one, as there ARE plot points already established that don’t specifically revolve around Tony. Jeremy and Ben’s feud, along with the formation of the Nick-Michele-Denise alliance are both such points, and both help buoy this episode up. Plus, I can’t fault the show for focussing on Tony, since he is such a big character.

Really, my issue with the Tony focus this episode is less because it makes for a bad episode or because it’s undeserved, but really because it’s a disservice to everyone else left. Look, Tony is a big character, even an enjoyable one, but to focus on him to the exclusion of others is really a detriment. As “Survivor Samoa” demonstrated, it takes more than one player to make for a good season. And while the other players have their moments in their own right, it feels at times like there’s Tony, and then there’s everyone else. Part of that is just sheer energy level. It’s hard to compete with Tony in that department. The issue is not with showing Tony. The issue is with showing him to the exclusion of everyone else. This is a LEGENDS season. These are all great players. We should be getting ALL their highlights. Despite my earlier comparison to “Survivor Samoa”, I think “Survivor Ghost Island” might be the more apt comparison here. You see, “Survivor Samoa” had a weak cast overall, so it made sense to focus more on Russell Hantz than anyone else. “Survivor Ghost Island” had an interesting cast throughout, but instead mostly focussed on Wendell and Domenick to the exclusion of all others. Again, this is a LEGENDS season. These people must be giving you some good bits. You can still show the highlights of Tony, but give us more from the others so it doesn’t just feel like “The Tony Show” all the time. Some people aren’t that big on Tony, or at least want some variety in the show. Not to mention, if you keep teasing the “Tony’s antics catch up with him plot” only for that not to happen, there’s a feeling of letdown. Further, this limits your storyline to one of two outcomes: Either Tony wins, in which case the focus on him makes sense, but makes your conclusion way too obvious (“Survivor Ghost Island” at least had the benefit of some mystery of who would win out between Domenick and Wendell), or Tony loses, and this plotline is being dragged out at the expense of the other players.

Ok, ok, rant over. There’s actually good stuff in this episode, so let’s talk about it. With Tony immune Nick and Kim admit that their plan to get him out is now “on the back burner.” As such, they must decide on a new target. Sarah would be the obvious choice, but Kim has a bond with Sarah, and so doesn’t want her to go. Thus, we default to Jeremy, who seems to be the consensus boot. Only Michele expresses any disappointment at needing to vote him out, and as she herself admits, there’s not a lot she can do. We need misdirection, though, and in comes Tony to provide. Ben opens up to Tony a bit more, and admits that Nick was in on the plan to get him out. He also says that Kim is still rallying the troops. Tony does the logical thing and checks in with Nick, who gives the worst performance of the episode, feigning a memory lapse as to why he didn’t talk to Tony. He lets his alliance know about Ben’s slip, but the damage is done. Tony wants Kim out, which he pitches to Jeremy, naturally, but also Ben and Sarah. This… is actually a really smart move on Tony’s part. While Ben is a part of Kim’s alliance, he also has somewhat of a relationship with Tony. And even if he doesn’t want to work with Tony down the road, voting out Kim would effectively give him her place in the alliance, and keep around another player (Jeremy) who can compete with Tony in challenges. If you’re Sarah, well, Tony’s your ally, and thus voting out the player continually targeting him is a good move. Unlike last episode, where there’s room for debate about whether this was a smart or a dumb on Tony’s part, this is clearly a smart. About the only person who might be upset at the ouster of Kim would be Denise, who has a history of not caring if her allies get the axe. Thus, no bridges burnt, unlike last episode.

That said, there’s only four, and Nick’s not budging on voting for Jeremy. Jeremy, for his part, tries to talk Ben around, but to no avail. Salvation seems to come in the form of Michele’s 50/50 advantage, which she gives to Jeremy. A bit of a risk, since she might need it next episode, but again, Michele doesn’t have much incentive to keep Kim around, and if it buys her another close ally (albeit one without any real power) so much the better. Whether or not Jeremy will play it is our mystery as we head off to Tribal Council. Once again, it’s a whisperfest, though one done better than the previous couple we’ve had. There are two key reasons why. One is Probst’s horse-race-like commentary as people start getting up, which was brief, but hilarious. More importantly, we actually get subtitles this time around, thus making the whispering easy to follow. We’re left in the dark on some specifics, to keep up the mystery, but we get a general sense of the movement. Tony is a bit too blaze in talking to Jeremy about doing something, which makes Kim paranoid and start double-checking with everybody. Soon Jeremy and Tony are doing the same, which leads to paranoia about a Sarah vote, and Sarah begging for an idol play. This also brings into focus that Nick and Ben are our swing votes tonight, which will help make the result clearer in a bit. Not the most exciting Tribal Council ever, but a fun, clear journey for once, and brought to a fantastic bookend with Denise shutting everyone up, in a tone that clearly says “I’m about order, and I’ve had enough of this mess.” That said I do have to dock Denise points since it does seem to piss off Jeremy.

In a contrast to our last standoff, no one actually plays an advantage. Tony announces his idol (I’d say Tony did a dumb by revealing that he has an idol, but from what I can gather from the conversations we heard, it was already public knowledge), and intends to play it for Sarah, but Sarah talks him down. Jeremy nearly plays the 50/50 advantage, even getting egged on by Tony, but decides not to. Since we saw even Michele vote for him, I figure this dooms him. Jeremy must have known something we didn’t, though, as he only receives three votes, Kim going home with five. It’s not entirely clear how it happened, but given that Nick and Ben were presented as the swing votes, I’d say they flipped to the side they were more confidant in. Tony may be chaotic, but he is good at projecting the image of confidence, and sometimes on “Survivor”, that’s enough. Kim may not have been the biggest character this season, but she was one of the titans in terms of gameplay from her first season, and that ouster deserves respect. She may never have had a foothold in this game, but like Aubry on “Survivor Game Changers” it’s impressive that she made it this far at all. She splits her three fire tokens between Denise, Sarah, and Michele. Classy.

This season is getting better, though I’m still not satisfied. We’re seeing more of the other players, but overall this still feels like “The Tony Show”. Don’t get me wrong, “The Tony Show” is definitely entertaining, but I came to see “Survivor Winners at War”. I would like to see more people than just Tony. As such, it’s time for another…

TOP 10!

Yes, I normally do “Top 5 and Bottom 5”, but this list does not lend itself to looking at the negatives well. You see, we’ve had a couple of memorable exits this season. From Adam’s “Always” to Sophie’s crotch idol, these people have had exits that stick with us. Granted, Kim’s is not winning any awards, but the next two episodes are extra long, and I’ve been mulling this subject over for a few weeks, so let’s talk about the best exits the show has ever seen.

A couple of ground-rules before we start. One exit per season. I don’t want this list to half come from the current season. “Exit” in this case will refer to anything that happens between Probst saying “I’ll read the votes” and Probst’s final words of wisdom (or fire token willing, if need be). Anything else in that area (idol plays, exit confessionals, Probst’s words of wisdom) deserve lists of their own, and thus will not be considered. Also not considered will be the context of the vote out itself. This is purely the reaction to the votes being read, and the torch snuffing. Only proper vote outs will count. No impromptu Tribal Councils, quits, or Advantagegeddons will be considered. Finally, the reaction can come from anybody, not just the person being voted out. Other than that, anything goes, including placement of the player voted out. No separate lists for first and last vote outs or anything. Let’s get things started with…

10. “No.” (“Survivor Kaoh Rong”)-First entry on the list, and already I’m cheating. Yes, technically idol plays are not considered here, and most of what makes the elimination of Scot Pollard interesting is centered around an immunity idol. That said, the idol was never actually played, and the interaction that makes this so memorable did happen in the time frame specified. With Scot and Jason being such cocky villains, seeing them taken down a peg is just so satisfying. Their looks of dejection just make this a very satisfying exit to watch. Plus, there is hilarity in seeing Probst dwarfed by a contestant. I keep it this low since it more a reaction to a lack of an idol play than a vote, but still a fun moment nonetheless.

9. “I’ve been Bamboozled!” (“Survivor All-Stars”)-From the beginning of “Survivor All-Stars”, it was clear that Richard Hatch had zero cares. He knew he wasn’t going to win, and so was just there to screw with everybody. And what better way to cap it off than with an obviously-faked over the top surprise reaction to a vote he knew was coming? The man even did a little dance on his way out of Tribal Council. Always good for bonus points. It goes a little over-the-top for my taste, but still enjoyable nonetheless.

8. “ONE MINUTE!” (“Survivor Exile Island”)-I was tempted to put the ouster of Dan from this season in this spot, but that one really requires the context of the whole episode to have meaning. Instead, we turn to Shane. Not exactly the most “stable” of contestants, you knew when Shane’s time came, it wasn’t going to go quietly. Sure enough, Shane gave us his characteristic outburst upon leaving, turning back from Probst to rub it in everyone’s faces about how he was going to be eating an ice cream bar soon. Delightfully childish, though admittedly somewhat subdued by Shane’s standards. I expected him to mock the votes as well, and this comparatively underwhelming performance prevents the admittedly memorable final line pre-torch-snuff from landing higher on the list.

7. “DAYUM!” (“Survivor China”)-In most of these cases, the longer the reaction, the better. It’s not enough in most cases to give a pre-snuff speech. You need to talk through the votes as well, or at least have a conversation. Sometimes, though, all it takes is a word, and less is more. Chicken’s “DAYUM” is one well-remembered throughout the “Survivor” fandom, and iconic enough on it’s own to need no further embellishment. Simple and clean is the way that this reaction is.

6. “At least you made the jury.” (“Survivor Cambodia”)-I’m no fan of Abi-Maria’s, but when her snark is directed at a full-of-himself Andrew Savage, I’m much more ok with her. While this is technically related to an idol play, Savage still reacted to the votes with despair, and took his eviction of very few votes with his usual grace and maturity. And by that, I mean he had a bit of a silent tantrum, even flipping off the remaining players as he left. Not very classy, but satisfying to see Savage brought so low after being so high-and-mighty most of the game. If an exit can make me like Abi-Maria, then you know it’s a good one.

5. “Two ‘B’s’ Guys” (“Survivor Thailand”)-Ah, now we get into people commenting on the votes as well as the result. Admittedly, a lot of the impact of the boot of Robb Zbacnik comes from the character development he had gotten over the course of the show. Even without it, though, there’s humor to be found in his need to call out every spelling mistake made with his name. Every. Single. Time. Apparently, the name “Robb” with two “B’s” was just too much for the Sook Jai tribe. Robb, if your reading this, take comfort in that I remembered the second “b” in your name.

4. “Sheep to the Slaughter” (“Survivor Game Changers”)-Tony is known for never shutting up. Sandra is known for never taking an insult lying down. Put these two together, and you’ve got yourself a recipe for a memorable exit. Tony’s declaration of the idiocy of his tribemates is nothing new, but Sandra’s need to taunt him as he exits elevates this to a knew level. To use the old cliche, they argue like a married couple. Plus, this was the birth of “Queen stays Queen”, and it deserves respect for that.

3. “Who flipped?” (“Survivor Cagayan”)-Ah yes. Perhaps the most iconic post-vote conversation to come out of the latter half of “Survivor”. You knew Sarah’s boot was going to be on the list somewhere. Tony’s over-the-top reaction to the outcome and imitation of Spencer made this one memorable on its own, but it had so many other great moments. Sarah’s simple inquiry as to who flipped, leading to the slow realization that Kass was here for the Chaos. Spencer’s iconic “0 chance of winning the game.” remark. Kass’ flippant “There’s a lot of game left.” response. All iconic, and all worthy of a spot on this list. The only reason it isn’t higher is because it kind of leaves an unpleasant aftertaste, given the vitriol occasionally directed at Kass.

2. Penner’s Dance (“Survivor Philippines”)-Forgive me for stating the blindingly obvious, but Jonathan Penner does not take anything seriously, least of all his third exit from “Survivor”. Not content with merely mocking Probst, Penner decided to mock the music as well. Dancing his way out of Tribal Council ia always a plus, but he (badly) tried to whistle the usual music that plays over an exit. Then, just when you think he’s gone. He comes back again. And again! Hilarity! It even left Probst at a loss for words; that’s bonus points! So, what keeps it from the top spot? The way it was shot. I know shooting in the dark is hard, but it’s REALLY hard to see Penner’s dance once he gets on the trail out of Tribal Council. I only really saw the full thing in edited pictures with the exposure changed. That made it funny, but shouldn’t be necessary for full enjoyment. That said, there was also his refusal of a hug from Abi-Maria which gets my respect. And yes, this entry is why Sarah Dawson’s kiss didn’t make the list. Had I allowed multiple entries from the same season, it would have been on here for sure.

1. “Scumbags” (“Survivor Guatemala”)-Maybe it’s just my love for “Survivor Guatemala” bleeding through, but this to me is the quintessential “Pissed Off” exit. No rage. Nor breaking of things. No gnashing of teeth. Just quiet, cold fury. You don’t need to see Judd’s rage. you can feel it through your tv screen. All all delivered in the trademark Judd style. Admittedly, no “man” in there, but you can’t have everything. Still iconic nonetheless.

And with that said, it is time to end off this blog. But it is not the end for you! Once again, I’m looking to see who can figure who said the quote this blog draws its title from and the season! Simply comment the name of the person who said this quote, and on what season! First person to do so gets their username listed at the top of the blog. As a reminder, U.S. seasons only, so don’t overtax yourself, and I’ll see you next week!

-Matt

Title Credit to Jean Storrs.

Idol Speculation: “Survivor Winners at War” Episode 9: Gotta Be Like Ice

I guess, if we have no one to praise for correctly identifying last week’s quote, we can talk about the new tribe name, since I failed to do so. “Koru” is not a bad name, though a bit on the short side. We’re not doing as bad as back in the day, when it was NOTHING but four-letter names for a while, but this one does manage to not sound similar to any previous tribe name, at least. It does sound similar to the character of Tohru from “Jackie Chan Adventures”, but as I’m probably the only “Survivor” fan who has ever watched that show, it would only bother me.

Getting back from Tribal Council, it’s safe to say that people are not happy. Michele in particular is not happy, and in telling us that she is not happy, we see that the crowdedness of last episode has even spilled over into this one. Michele, you see, references a plot line we DID NOT SEE AT ALL IN THE PAST EPISODE. She talks about how mad she is when she said she was ok with Wendell going, yet was left out anyway. Um, did I miss something? Yeah, Michele talked about not liking Wendell when they first ended up on a tribe together, but the most recent narrative was how she had wasted a fire token on him, and how bonded they were. Where did this come from? Now, you might charitably say that Michele was simply playing that up to the players, to help make her anger come off as righteous indignation, as well as imply her free-agent status. This argument would make sense, were it not for the fact that she was saying this in confessional. You know, when ONLY talking to the camera? Unless she’s pulling a Danni Boatwright, why lie to the camera? And about this of all things?

Michele is not alone in being pissed, however. Nick, of course, is quite upset as well, telling us that there’s a storm brewing. I wouldn’t bring up this line specifically, were it not for a bit of meta it creates for me. You see, there happens to be a tornado advisory in my area, which a crawl started for as soon as Nick started talking about the storm coming. There’s no way that was coordinated, and it’s comedy gold! Sorry to all of you who didn’t have potentially life-threatening weather in your area. To add insult to injury, Nick tells us he was blindsided on his birthday, which I’m sure will in NO WAY come back to become a plot point later in the episode.

To contrast with the anger, we have Adam, who is naturally thrilled to have made it through Tribal Council. Unfortunately for Adam, this is an odd-numbered episode, meaning he has to look like an idiot. However, it seems Adam may be limited to just grammatical and pronunciation matters, as his first big error is misusing the word “literally”. Unless you’re having open-heart surgery, your heart is never “literally” beating out of your chest. That said, Adam does tell Michele of a bit of a good idea of his. I haven’t drawn much attention to it, but Adam has been searching the Tribal Council voting booth for an idol pretty much every time we see him vote, and as someone who’s advocated for that twist for a while, I can’t help but approve. Adam has turned up empty, but noticed a fleur-de-lis on Probst’s pedestal. Remembering that Denise’s idol was a fleur-de-lis, Adam thinks maybe it might be an idol. I think it might just be a recurring symbol, but hey, I’ve heard weirder theories on “Survivor”, and kudos to Adam for thinking outside the box. Adam does lose points for pronunciation, though. The “s” is silent in fleur-de-lis.

Speaking of thinking outside the box, we cut over to the Edge of Extinction. Joy. Yul returns with a tiny pizza… Er, I mean, yet another clue to a fire token earning opportunity. The clue tells the players to take a step back and remember history. Most everyone concludes that they must look in a place where they found fire tokens before, and hikes up the mountain. Why Natalie doesn’t immediately ditch everyone and run for the water well, since only she knows that it’s there, I can’t say. Natalie does have the bright idea of suggesting they split up at the top, so as to keep Yul and Wendell, who don’t know any place the group has been so far, from finding any tokens. Not that it does her much good, of course. It’s Danni and Parvati who have the brainwave to think back to “Survivor Edge of Extinction”, and look in a memorable hiding place there. Thus, they remember Aubry’s find in a hole in the rock, and so look there, finding a “50/50” advantage, basically a coin flip that either grants you immunity or doesn’t. They agree to sell it to Michele, since she has the most fire tokens, and they can also probably guess that she’s on the outs, and in need of something to keep her in the game. But who gets to receive said fire tokens? Parvati found the actual advantage, but Danni was right there, and was the one with the brainwave about finding the clue? The point is moot! Parvati states her intention to use the fire tokens to get food for everyone there, and even tells them about finding the advantage. Parvati, what happened? Don’t get me wrong, I’m enjoying seeing a different side of you, but this all feels like it really came out of nowhere! What happened to the Parvati of old?

As to this method of hiding it, you might think that I’d hate it. There are several reasons to, after all. Reusing an old hiding place, while clever for an anniversary season, just shows the weakness in staying in Fiji (fans of the show can remember where previous advantages were hidden, and look there). Plus, there was no guarantee that someone would remember this. No winner past “Survivor David vs. Goliath” is on this season, and “Survivor Edge of Extinction” itself is not exactly a memorable season. On top of that, while I get wanting to honor the show’s past, you should not honor “Survivor Edge of Extinction”, due to overall being pointless and, in my opinion, the worst season the show has ever had. If it fades into non-existence (with the exception of Aubry, Rick Devans, and Wendy) I will be content. So yeah, I should hate this. But I don’t. Why? Because Aubry got mentioned in a positive light on the 20th anniversary season of the show, and that’s a high even Edge of Extinction can’t bring me down from.

Continuing on the “tangentially related to Aubry” train, our reward challenge comes from her first season “Survivor Kaoh Rong”. Three members of a team of five must transport a net of heavy wooden fish to shore, hook them to a pole, and transport to a table, where the two remaining players must them put them in a table puzzle. Not a bad challenge at all, and certainly not overused. That said, my usual complaint about team challenges post-merge stands, especially when our sit-out doesn’t even get a chance at reward. What is our reward? Chinese take-out. Nothing special, but I suppose when you’re starving on an island, food is food.

On paper, this should be a lopsided competition. Our red team is Jeremy, Nick, Adam, Tony, and Tyson, while our blue team is Michele, Sophie, Kim, Sarah, and Ben. While these types of challenges usually come down to the puzzle, each time has one puzzle whiz, so you’d think the challenge would come down to strength, which it kind of does, since our early lead team does win. And you’d think the red team would have the edge there, having four challenge beasts compared to one. There’s almost no way they could lose. So, I have to ask: WHY IN GOD’S NAME DID YOU PUT ADAM ON THE STRENGTH PORTION OF THE CHALLENGE? HE’S FAR AND AWAY THE WEAKEST PERSON LEFT PHYSICALLY, AND ALL HIS STRENGTH LIES IN PUZZLES! Either Jeremy or Nick our two puzzle solvers, would have been WAY better served helping on this portion of the challenge.

Sure enough, red struggles, and blue wins reward. Before Probst can send them off, though, Sarah asks if she can give it up. Probst agrees, knowing the drama this can create, and Sarah gives the reward to Nick. It is his birthday after all…

Sorry, I had to check my phone there. Just got a news alert. It seems the city of Boston, MA, has exploded. Experts aren’t sure why, as the only clue is that the epicenter is the home of one Rodney Lavoie Jr., contestant on “Survivor Worlds Apart”. Bizarre.

Anyway, this might seem like a nice gesture, but this is Sarah Lacina we’re talking about here. The criminal of “Survivor Game Changers”. Literally the person most people wanted out pre-game. There’s no way it’s that simple. There must be some ulterior motive.

SARAH: I just wanted to do something nice and emotional. There was no gameplay involved.

Well ok, then. Apparently this is just the episode where all the ruthless women show their softer side. That said, just because there was no gameplay involved doesn’t mean people won’t believe there is. Adam points out how big of a threat this makes her. Jeremy reminds us that this is what got him eliminated on “Survivor San Juan del Sur”. Even TONY talks about how dumb of a move this was, and when TONY is the one telling your your move was stupid, you know you done goofed.

With that, though, I would like to point out how good a job Tony and Sarah are doing at keeping their relationship under wraps. On a season where any pre-existing pairs have been snuffed out as soon as they’re noted, it’s pretty impressive that they’ve managed to stay strong and avoid being targeted, by and large. Those times when they have been targeted, it’s for entirely different reasons. It shows the strategic chops these pair have. And the best part. The show doesn’t hit us over the head with this information, but instead trusts the viewer to pay attention, and lets it sink in without narration. More of this, please!

After a humanizing moment with our reward winners, we must get back to what Probst believes “Survivor” is all about: Idols and Advantages. Our feasters look high and low, even going so far as to bust open their fortune cookies to find a clue. No such luck, though I did appreciate the “look under the bottoms of the cartons” maneuver. With no idols or advantages there, we instead turn to Michele, who now has to decide whether or not to buy the “50/50” advantage. Ok, since we’re here, let’s talk about this advantage. Put simply, it’s dumb. The rules on it aren’t exceptionally clear. “Safe” means you effectively have immunity, but “Not Safe” is not well-explained. Is it like losing a challenge on “Island of the Idols” where you lose your vote? If so, then it’s a TERRIBLE advantage. Very expensive (four fire tokens!) for only a SHOT at payoff, and a big loss if you don’t. Even if it just does nothing, however, it’s still a bad deal. People have paid less for GUARANTEED safety. Even with Michele in this position, why go for this? Because a fortune cookie told her to. Look, Michele. I like you. Even as the head of the “Aubry Lobby”, I like you. You seem like a lot of fun to hang with, and you played a solid game last time. I may prefer Aubry, but no disrespect to you. You are a very worthy winner. That said, THIS IS A HORRIBLE DEAL, AND YOU SHOULD FEEL BAD FOR MAKING IT!

Our immunity challenge today comes courtesy of “Survivor Caramoan”. Basically, everyone has to balance on increasingly small parts of a triangular prism, with the last one standing being the victory. We sadly do not get the positive callback to Andrea and Brenda’s impromptu rule change, though we do get the positive of a few particularly wild players trying to keep their balance. Jeremy’s theatrics and Ben’s “kung-fu” moves in particular need to be praised. Also, I should say that I’m impressed with Ben. I thought he’d be out early, since this sort of challenge does not favor the top-heavy. Jeremy can attest to that. Second place is impressive, though. That said, this challenge does have a couple of bad points. Once again, a fire token is granted to the winner, and we again get rock music with lyrics of the challenge, rather than the more traditional music the show has. I expressed my disdain for these creative choices last episode, and am sad to see they don’t seem to be a one-off thing. However, since I already talked about my hatred for these choices recently, I’ll spare you the rant again, and thus cut to Kim winning immunity. A well-earned victory, but not an impactful one.

At first, the vote seems like it’s going to be simple and straightforward. Nick and Michele are on the outs? Split the vote between Nick and Michele, with Nick being the primary choice for being “untrustworthy”. Adam gets thrown out as the alternate split vote in place of Michele, but that gets dismissed very quickly. But then Nick, sensing that everything is going against him, decides to stir things up. He tells Tyson that his name is getting thrown out. It may be. After all, he is they guy back from the Edge of Extinction, and while I don’t expect most people to remember “Survivor Edge of Extinction”, the fact that the winner came from there is something I would hope they remember, and take to heart when deciding how to treat returnees from the Edge of Extinction. Thus, it wouldn’t surprise me if Tyson had been thrown out as a possible boot, but we haven’t heard about it. This gets Tyson to toss Sarah’s name out, who tosses Adam out again, who tosses out Ben’s name, and then all hell breaks loose. Names being thrown around left and right. Tyson even gets his name thrown out for really real this time. It’s pretty much pure chaos as we head to Tribal Council, meaning my usual “This is who’s being decided between; here’s the right move for the swing votes” format goes out the window.

What I can talk about, however, is one little moment that nearly escaped being seen. You see, for the most part the people we see talking are the groups you’d expect. Jeremy, Tony, and Tyson. Sarah and Sophie. Ben and Adam even get together and do their “odd-couple schtick”, where Ben tries to call Adam on throwing out his name, which Adam does a poor job of denying. But one that almost escapes notice is Kim and Denise. We’d seen them talk on the second iteration of Dakal, but nothing much concrete. Here, however, when everyone else is panicking, they stay calm and debate the pros and cons of going for Sarah (Kim says she’s ok, and we immediately cut to her saying to Ben that Sarah can’t go. This to me says they’re playing smarter than most everyone left. My favorite player still in the game, and the most dominant winner ever teaming up? I love it.

With so much misdirection (though given their airtime earlier in the episode, Adam and Sarah seem to be the main people set up for elimination), all Tribal Council really needs to do is keep the chaos going. That it does, with all pretense thrown out the window, and Tribal Council turns into a whisper-fest, though somewhat more justified than other examples. The producers did nothing to elicit this. This is just everyone being crazy. It’s only Adam and Ben arguing about how they talk to each other once again that gets everyone to pay attention. We’re reminded here that Adam is his own worst enemy. While I don’t doubt that he was targeted before Tribal Council, when he kept being paranoid about straight answers, and continuing to make it an issue when he could just let it die, he really did himself no favors. As such, it’s not a surprise when Adam gets the votes, but the rest of the episode was enough of a mystery, and the reasoning behind his leaving clear, that one can’t help but be satisfied. Adam clearly demonstrated, through his paranoia at Tribal Council, that he had crossed the “Shamar Threshold”, first seen on “Survivor Caramoan”. His chaotic paranoia now made him more a hinderance than a help as an ally.

Did that paranoia pay off, though? Did Adam correctly pick out an at-Tribal Council Immunity Idol? It would seem not, as Adam is unable to wrest it from the podium. Probst takes pity and lets him declare it an idol for himself anyway, before revealing that it is, in fact, just set decoration. To everyone’s credit, apart from a bit of mockery at Adam’s attempts to pull off the fleur-de-lis, no one really thinks it a bad idea. It’s plausible, and as Adam says, worth a try. Even Probst is respectful when snuffing Adam’s torch.

In case it wasn’t obvious, this episode is head and shoulders an improvement over the previous one. There was still some crowding, but we got good emotional moments, three-dimensional characters, even some solid misdirection in there. I still think this season is trying to do too much, but it did that much better this episode than the previous one.

So now, as we await your next episode, I await your next guess. Which US contestant said this quote, and on what season? Adding in episode number is not necessary, but earns your brownie points if you get it! First person to get it correct gets their name at the top of the next blog!

-Matt

Title Credit to Jean Storrs.

Idol Speculation: “Survivor Winners at War” Episode 6: Get the Girls Some Chocolate and Peanut Butter

Happy though I am with most of the show’s developments tonight, I must express one big disappointment. While I’m not one of those people who thinks only the first 10 seasons or so of “Survivor” were the only good ones, nor would I profess the automatic superiority of “old school” players, I must admit I enjoy watching them play and adapt to a game very different from the one they originally played on, and I always like how it proves they aren’t as “bad” at the game as “new school” fans seem to believe. Thus, it is disappointing to me that, not counting the Edge of Extinction, Yul is the ONLY person left who played prior to season 20. Conversely, Natalie is the only person voted out so far who DIDN’T play prior to season 20. Come on, you all, you can do better than this!

I start off with this drama because it’s more than we’ll get at Yara. With Rob gone, everyone is all happy smiles. I particularly like Adam’s quip asking Sarah, arguably the most famous cop on “Survivor”, not to call the cops. This cheerfulness even leaks into strategy, with Ben talking about how happy he is to have found people that he connects with in Sarah and Sophie. He even speculates about working with them more down the line. Adam, however, is somewhat less optimistic. Since this is an even-numbered episode, we’ve got smart Adam this time around, and as a smart guy, Adam doesn’t fail to notice how chummy Ben is with Sarah and Sophie. Conversely, Ben has been much less chatty with Adam than normal. Adam naturally realizes that he’s in deep bantha poodoo, to put it in nerdspeak, and may be in trouble should we come to Tribal Council. Gee, I wonder which tribe is going to Tribal Council this week?

Over at the Edge of Extinction, Tyson brings over a log, triggering PTSD flashbacks for Natalie, Amber, Danni, and Ethan. Fortunately, this one does not indicate a need to hike up a hill, though Rob will do so anyway. It indicates that a chance for a fire token is hidden under a rock, though it also mentions being in “the right place at the right time”. I must admit, I’m disappointed. So far, the clues have actually been pretty tricky in terms of what happens on the Edge of Extinction (when they aren’t just straight-up physically brutal), but this one was obvious, at least to me. Tides are the only thing that time really affects on an island with no clocks, so clearly whatever it is is hidden under a rock near the tide line. However, only Tyson is smart enough to think on it. Continuing his smartness, Tyson buys himself some alone time by pretending to use the bathroom. He then picks up the idol nullifier, which he can sell at the price of one fire token to anyone still in the game. Since we’re currently in not-idiot Tyson mode, he sells it to Parvati, since she probably has fire tokens to spare, and will be desperate for any advantage, since I’m guessing Rob revealed the new tribe divisions. Granted, no one on Sele HAS an idol, nor any easy way to obtain an idol, so it’s not much use to Parvati at the moment, but neither of them know that, so I can’t fault either of them.

Parvati wisely decides to buy, so Tyson now has himself a fire token. Given that one can reasonably guess that a challenge to re-enter the game is near, Tyson needs to consider how best to spend his token. The sad thing is that not-idiot Tyson and idiot-Tyson change places on a dime. Despite making nothing but smart moves so far in the episode, Tyson, rather than get an advantage in a challenge he already has a leg up in anyway, decides to go for a jar of peanut butter. Why? Because he likes to mess with people, that’s why. Look, humor is subjective, and if you like it, good for you. For me, however, Tyson’s attitude of “I’m smarter than everyone and love to show it off.” just rubs me the wrong way. To pull that attitude off, you really need to indicate a good amount of self-knowledge, and temper it with some self-deprecating humor, neither of which Tyson seems to have in my opinion. Now, to be fair, Tyson DOES make the more logical argument of “having more food, and thus more strength for the challenge.” This is actually quite reasonable, though I then question why Tyson is eating his peanut butter NOW. The challenge is clearly not going to be happening the same day, and your body will get rid of those nutrients quickly. You want to cause mischief? Hide your peanut butter, and save it for when you think the challenge is near. That’ll cause some chaos.

Speaking of challenges, it’s time for our immunity challenge, once Dakal and Sele get their jaws off the floor from Rob’s exit. I’m disappointed that we don’t focus much on Sandra’s reaction here. I can just imagine the look on her face telegraphing “Damn, I didn’t get to write his name down.” For immunity and PB&J (man peanut butter is the unintentional theme of this episode, isn’t it?), tribes must transport three bags of rice from the water to the land, punching them through a small hole in the wall, slice said bags open, then maneuver three balls through a table maze. This mainly mirrors a challenge from “Survivor Kaoh Rong”, though the table maze in this form was first seen on “Survivor South Pacific”. The table maze is a bit standard, but the rice part of the challenge is rarely used, but memorable, particularly with the knife part. I’ll give this one a pass.

Ah, but now for the twist. You see, as Probst mentions, only one tribe gets to win. Two tribes will go to Tribal Council tonight. That means, since the unintentional theme of this season is “Taking a cool possibility and doing the worst possible thing with it.”, that naturally we will have the dumb “Combined Tribal Council” with no inter-tribe strategizing, like from “Survivor Game Changers” and “Survivor Edge of Extinction”. So come on, Probst. Give us the bad news. I’m ready.

PROBST: Two tribes will go to Tribal Council separately, and each vote someone off.

… Excuse me a moment.

SOMEWHERE IN L.A

CRASH!

PROBST: What the…

ME: Hey Probst! Long time, no see! What was it, “Survivor One World”? You crashed into my dorm room to tell me useless facts about Kansas?

PROBST: How did you find me?

ME: All true “Survivor” fans have a Probst-radar. It wasn’t hard. Hey, is this the “Survivor Pearl Islands” snuffer? Cool. Though really, why didn’t you chop a torch in half with the axe end? Would have been cooler.

PROBST: Look, I’ve got the cops on the way, so want to tell me what you’re doing here so you can get your story straight?

ME: Well, players are always breaking into MY house about once a season, but this is the 20th anniversary. Though I’d do something special and shake things up a bit by breaking into someone else’s house instead.

PROBST: But why me, specifically? Here to strangle me with your latest buff because of the continued existence of “Edge of Extinction”?

ME: Actually, no. I’m here to thank you.

PROBST: Thank me?

ME: I’ll rage against bad production decisions time and again. It needs to be done to prevent a relapse, plus it reads as funnier online. But that means I should also acknowledge good decisions along with bad. In an era where you guys seem to zig everywhere you should zag, and had an easy opportunity to do a hated twist here, you did the smart thing and went with the better option. We hadn’t seen it in a while, and it’s fairer for all involved. My kudos to you. Even fire tokens do some good this episode.

PROBST: Glad you think so. I’ll be sure to let the police know not to be TOO harsh when they arrest you for breaking quarantine.

(Matt exits in a hurry).

Really, my only complaint for this challenge is how obvious it is that Yara is going to lose. True, we’re barely past the 15-minute mark at the start of the challenge, so most strategizing was going to happen afterward anyway, but Adam’s little confessional makes it clear. Admittedly, having lost their arguable big gun in Boston Rob, they were likely to lose anyway, but still, a bit of mystery would have been nice. Dakal, having the second most challenge sinks (even though Sandra is sitting this one out), is likely to lose as well, but I honestly don’t mind. With Yul, Wendell, and Nick a firm threesome on Sele, they’re the least interesting tribe in terms of dynamics for voting. Granted, Dakal has an issue where 4 out of 5 people can be immune, but there’s something to be said for the intrigue as to who will and won’t play their various advantages this time around.

Sure enough, when the challenge starts, Sele is in a firm lead, with Dakal and Yara merely going back and forth in vying for second. Yara actually starts out in second on the carrying portion, but loses it to Dakal when it comes to stuffing the bags through the hole. Then Dakal loses it again when trying to carry the bags up to the table, and some wicked slicing by Ben keeps Yara in a tight second. Occasionally a player just has a random skill that makes them wicked good in a challenge, like Brandon cutting ropes with a rock on “Survivor Guatemala”? Yeah, Ben is like that with the bags. I chalk it up to military training.

Amazingly enough, the show gets me. Ben is able to keep Yara relatively even with Sele up to the maze, where brute strength, Sele’s greatest asset at this point, doesn’t really help. With Dakal completely out of it, Yara pulls out a victory, concluding Adam’s story arc with him talking about his relief at not being at risk to go home tonight.

So, now the question becomes how to make the obvious outcome of Sele (the ouster of Parvati), less obvious. The answer, apparently, is not very well. Nick admits that he’s bummed about having to vote out his high school crush, and Michele and Parvati do debate trying to flip him, though Michele admits quickly that it’s a non-starter. As such, she tries to cut her losses and make nice with Wendell, which Wendell sees as threatening for some reason. It’s not quite clear why, but given how fraught their relationship so far has been, I can’t really blame the show too much for this one. Where I can clearly place blame is on Wendell’s next move, where he offers overtures to Parvati regarding selling his vote for Fire Tokens. Before I get into why this is a bad idea, I should say that I’m THRILLED that players still in the game are FINALLY negotiating with their fire tokens. This is the sort of social strategizing and capital manipulation I was hoping for when the twist was announced, so I’m ecstatic that it’s finally come to fruition. Plus, it gives us something we haven’t seen with the fire tokens thus far. Now, as to why it’s a bad idea in this particular instance, bear in mind this is PARVATI Wendell’s trying to swindle. You don’t swindle Parvati. Her BS detector is too good. The best you can hope for is to not get swindled by her, and not give her ammunition for later use against you. Wendell avoids the former, and falls victim to the latter. Parvati, enraged at Wendell’s arrogance, spreads around his attempt at being bribed, causing Nick to question whether Wendell’s in tight with him. Ok, show, valiant effort at misdirection, but I’m just not buying it. We’ve spent most of the season building up how tight Yul, Wendell, and Nick are, and you’re telling me it will be thrown away by one instance of overplaying? Should have stuck with a “Will it be Parvati or Michele?” narrative. True, it’s still likely Parvati in this case, but I could buy a small chance at Michele being voted out over her past with Wendell than Wendell’s alliance turning on him relatively out of the blue.

More interesting is the misdirection at Dakal, though at first it seems this may not be the case. You would think, given last episode, that the mystery was whether or not Kim would stick with Tony and Sandra, or flip with Denise and Jeremy. Kim, however, seems to have made her decision, and is sticking with Tony and Sandra. Having read a lot of strategy online between last episode and this one, I know almost everyone thinks Kim should flip, but I politely disagree. Now, while Kim really has no BAD options here, she does have something going with Yul and Sophie on the down-low, and she’s been with them longer than Denise and Jeremy. Why rock the boat by voting out one of Yul’s allies over a perceived enemy. So no, I’m not going to knock Kim’s move. She made a logical decision, given the game so far.

Thus, Denise and Jeremy must turn on one another, and both do it similarly. In conversations with them, both individually admit that while they don’t WANT to vote out the other, they’re willing to do so if needed. Jeremy talks with all but Denise about the need to keep threats around as shields, not surprising, since he’s the guy who arguably INVENTED that strategy. Denise, meanwhile, talks exclusively with Kim and Sandra, playing “humble” as she calls it, and arguing that she’s more willing to build a coalition than Jeremy is. Not a bad pitch, and Denise does play herself well, but given how strategy usually plays out, I’d say advantage Jeremy.

But where was Tony during the latter conversation, you may ask? Why, his spy shack, of course! Yes, old habits die hard for Tony, and he’s once again built himself what’s actually a decent hiding spot by the water hole. The flaw in this plan, ironically, was pointed out by Tony himself earlier in the season. Old habits get you voted out, and Tony is following old habits. Thus, not only is everyone mad at him, everyone predicts what he’s doing as well. Unlike on “Survivor Cagayan”, where his spy shack was actually useful, everyone knows not to talk around the water hole, with Sandra in particular calling Tony out on it. More to the point, it makes Tony seem like an inconsistent ally, a fact both Kim and Sandra call out in confessional. Sandra in particular wants to keep her options open, and does have an idol she has to use that evening. Now, this moment genuinely shocked me. One thing consistent about Sandra is that she always looks out for Sandra. She can be fiercely loyal to close allies, but at the end of the day, as it should be, she is her number one ally. As such, I would have pegged Sandra as the LAST person to consider using their idol for someone else. Yet, Sandra has gotten work about selling things for fire tokens, and decides to help out Denise. She offers to sell Denise her idol for two fire tokens, leaving Denise to vote out whoever she wants, as Sandra says she’ll have no part in the vote. This is a godsend for Denise. She can hide her own idol, saving it for later, and get all the credit for making a move to save herself. Plus, with Jeremy and Kim presumably at her side to save her for the next Tribal Council afterward, there’s really little downside to Denise buying this. True, she does lose fire tokens this way, but with only Adam likely to will her any more, and not much you can buy otherwise, what’s the point in holding on to them? Yeah, you could use them later, but when you’re in such a dire strait as now, having them later does no good if you’re voted out. Of course, there’s also the argument that Sandra may be giving Denise a fake, and just trying to divest her of her fire tokens, but Denise counters that with a “half up front” proposal which Sandra accepts. In theory, it’s not a bad move on Sandra’s part, since it gets rid of something she wouldn’t have much use for anyway, gets her a desired outcome without much blood on her hands, and more fire tokens to play with later. Still, though, I’d say advantage Denise here.

Our first Tribal Council, the one with Sele, proves that Wendell truly is his own worst enemy. We all know his alliance is likely to stick together. If he can shut up and play it cool, he should make it through. Yet, with only the slightest provocation from Parvati and Michele, he gets into a debate with them, a debate in which he comes off as two-faced and untrustworthy. Not helping himself, when he gets the out of saying his offer to sell his vote is off the table, he says it’s still there, getting even Yul to raise his eyebrows. We culminate with a cut to commercial as our players cast their votes, resulting in a thrilling… anticlimax. Yeah, I can’t blame production too much, since they doubtless didn’t have a lot to work with here, but it was pretty clear Parvati was going. She’s sort of in a similar position to Boston Rob’s exit last week. It’s tough to see a legend go, and I didn’t DISLIKE her, but she wasn’t one of my all-time favorites, and it was going to happen at some point. Better to get it out of the way so we can tackle new storylines. Of course, this means Parvati needs to will her fire token, and she of course gives it to… MICHELE!

That’s not a joke this time. She really gives it to Michele.

Not helping things is our second Tribal Council, which blows the first out of the water. Both the tension and the doublespeak are on point this time. It seems like it’s four against Denise but Denise makes good overtures (with pointed looks at Sandra) about building lasting bonds. Couple that with mystery as to who Denise will eliminate, and you’ve got the makings of a great Tribal Council. Sandra’s confessional about her confidence in Denise’s ability to survive is icing on the cake. Jeremy doesn’t play his advantage, but Denise does. Wisely, since she doubtless suspects Sandra of giving her a fake, plays the idol she bought from Sandra first, and waits to Jeff to confirm it. He does, but then, strangely, Denise plays her Sele idol for Jeremy. This might, at first, seem odd, but all will become clear momentarily. You see, in the great debate of Jeremy vs. Tony, Denise voted for Sandra.

Now, I’m sure a lot of you are expecting me to complain about how this has “Ethan Zohn” downside. After all, we saw not ONE bit of talk as to Sandra going home. Surely this makes her exit unsatisfying, right? Well, no, thanks to a few key differences. First off, unlike Ethan’s boot, which was a majority flip we barely got any hints about, this was a rare unilateral decision on “Survivor”. When the only person you can consult about the vote is yourself, there’s not really a way to indicate that this will be the vote, short of showing a confessional saying “I’m going to vote for Sandra”, which would kind of give the game away. Second, even if we don’t hear it, this vote has much clearer reasoning than the vote for Ethan. While we know that Ethan was voted out to weaken Boston Rob, we got no explicit reasoning why him over Parvati, or why not go for Boston Rob outright. Conversely, even though they aren’t spelled out for us, the reasons to get rid of Sandra are clear without needing to consult outside resources to find out the why of it. As the only two-time winner, Sandra is the biggest fish in the pond, the equivalent of Richard Hatch on “Survivor All-Stars”. Sandra can’t be trusted, as demonstrated by all the precautions Denise took in the deal. Speaking of which, voting out Sandra allows Denise to keep a fire token for herself, putting her in the “Dreamz” position from “Survivor Fiji” of getting the best of a deal without following up on it, but without the whole “looking like scum” thing. Plus, whether a merge is nigh or no, Sandra’s a smart move to eliminate. If the next episode ISN’T a merge, you’ve just gotten rid of your biggest challenge sink. If a merge IS coming, then you need to get rid of Sandra NOW, before she can hide in bigger numbers. Thus, a satisfying boot with little foreshadowing, and a genuinely shocking highlight to end the episode on.

Of course, Sandra still needs to give her fire token to someone, since Denise DID pay half up front. She of course chooses… MICHELE! No, she chooses Yul, which I suppose is reasonable since she voted with him before.

this episode has a lot of high highs, but I feel like it was trying too hard in places. The Adam confessionals and the Sele Tribal Council in particular felt like they were trying to build tension where there was none. That said, the misdirection was otherwise good, and while the episode as a whole may not be legendary, that Sandra boot was, the first truly legendary moment of the season. Let us hope for more.

-Matt

Title Credit to Jean Storrs.

Idol Speculation: “Survivor Winners at War” Episode 5: Again on the Buffoon Tribe

Well, with a unified vote last episode, and a swap imminent, there’s no reason not to get straight to the foreshadowing! Nope, no need to concerns ourselves with vote fallout when there is no vote fallout to be had! Instead, we get Sophie and Nick gushing about how great their position in the game is at this particular moment. Nick in particular is happy, since he’s discovered Tyson willing him his remaining fire token. Nick tells us that this makes him think differently of Tyson, possibly even being willing to work with him down the line. Might this be foreshadowing of the biggest challenge threat currently on the Edge of Extinction getting back in the game? I think so.

Before we get to the swap itself, Yul talks about closeness with people. This time, however, Yul’s not discussing the closeness of others in the game, but the closeness of himself out of the game. He tells us the person he bonded the most with on “Survivor Cook Islands” was Jonathan Penner, which strikes me as odd. True, the pair were clearly friends in the game, but over someone like Becky, whom Yul was CLEARLY bonded with? Strikes me as odd, especially when you consider that Penner was the VILLAIN of “Survivor Cook Islands”. Sure, he’s beloved by the fanbase now, and he wasn’t exactly Jonny Fairplay (“Survivor Pearl Islands”) level of hated even at the time, but he was the bad guy. The mutineer. The snarky jerk who betrayed the Aitu Four, then betrayed his new tribe just to seal the deal. And THIS is the guy beloved Yul bonded with the most overall? I mean, it makes sense if you look at them outside the game, but if you only knew them from the show? This would be right the heck out of nowhere.

Yul, however, is focussing less on Jonathan, and more on Jonathan’s wife, Stacy. Stacy, you see, has rather advanced ALS, to the point of not being able to breathe on her own, and requiring around the clock care. Penner has selflessly and graciously taken up this task, and if by some stupid miracle he happens to be reading this, our thoughts go out to you and your wife, man. Sure, I could talk about how this scene really comes right out of nowhere, and basically hits you over the head with “Yul is going to win this season”, but I don’t care. It was touching! It was a humanizing moment for all involved, while still putting the focus on Stacy (her making the family reward on “Survivor Cook Islands” meant they had footage of her to use, and she and Penner had a call to action to start off the upcoming commercial break). Even the normally stone-faced Yul shed a few tears over it. But I’m not crying, you’re crying! Shut up!

Our swap comes around, which means we need someone complaining about it screwing their game up. Boston Rob is our big winner this time around, which I have to say is out of the ordinary. Despite Rob having played five times at this point (six if you count “Survivor Island of the Idols”), this is only his third swap (fourth if you count the tribe dissolution on “Survivor All-Stars”). A low number, though he might have some reason to complain. After all, while the new Mogo Mogo did have the numbers in his favor on “Survivor All-Stars” it was the swap that cost him the game, since asking for the favor to save Amber soured the jury towards him when he didn’t pay them back. Instead, Rob talks about the swap on “Survivor Marquesas”, pointing out that he lost power as a result, having been in control of Maraamu prior to moving to Rotu. A fair enough point, but Rob, I’d say it was really your tribe’s challenge ability that screwed you. Even if you hadn’t swapped, I’d bet money you lost at least one more pre-merge immunity challenge, meaning you’d in down in numbers anyway, and probably be voted out at the exact same spot. Sure, you were at risk on the new Rotu, but you ultimately didn’t leave until the merge, which like I said, is where you likely would have gone anyway. This is as opposed to, say, Sandra, who actually WAS swap-screwed on “Survivor Game Changers”, but let’s not split too many hairs.

With 15 players left, we of course split into three tribes, leading to the creation of a new tribe, which is green, because of COURSE it’s green. They’re almost always green. Doing anything different would upset the delicate balance that is “Survivor”. We’ll get into the split dynamics in a minute, but the big takeaway is that Sele is SCREWED by this swap. Oh sure, they were lower in numbers, which makes a swap harder to take advantage of, but the fact is that Sele was only down by one member, and so could easily have gotten the advantage on two tribes. However, given both the numbers and who ended up with whom, they effectively have the advantage on NO tribes. This is most obvious, funilly enough, on the new Sele. Parvati and Michele remain, being joined by Yul, Wendell, and Nick. Parvati and Michele have the triple disadvantage of being down in the numbers, not working together prior to this, and being with the tightest group in this game so far. As Nick says, those three couldn’t have put together a better tribe swap. Granted, Yul’s number one, Sophie, is on another tribe, but Wendell and Nick are both tight with him, and bring good challenge strength. To add insult to injury for Michele, she and Wendell used to date, and did not have the nicest breakup. More on that later.

Surprisingly, new Dakal is really the only place where the old Sele have a decent chance of grabbing a little power. They’re down in numbers, with Jeremy and Denise against Kim, Sandra, and Tony, but Jeremy and Denise at least have a tentative alliance, and a possible “In” with Kim, since she never really worked with Sandra and Tony directly. Plus, they both have some form of immunity at this point (Jeremy has “Safety without power”, while Denise has a good old hidden immunity idol), meaning they can guarantee an original Dakal going home if they so choose. Granted, both Kim and Sandra have idols as well, but Tony going is not the worst thing. Oh, and four people immune on a tribe of five with FIFTEEN PEOPLE LEFT IN THE GAME is clearly not an indicator of too many idols and advantages in the game already! No siree!

In a parallel to the new Dakal, our newly-created Yara tribe (which will in no way be difficult to distinguish from the Yawa tribe of “Survivor Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers”, no sir) has a numerical advantage, but a fractious one. On paper, Sarah and Sophie are outnumbered by Boston Rob, Ben, and Adam, but then you remember that all three of the men have reason to be mad at each other, meaning that they likely won’t be able to work together. Add onto that them having to build a whole new shelter, and getting little in the way of supplies, and you’ve got the makings for a tribe in trouble. I would say new Dakal is probably the weakest tribe overall, due to having the biggest challenge sink (Sandra), and only one big gun in Jeremy, but given Boston Rob’s overall performance, the energy expended in building a new shelter, and Adam not being the strongest either, I’d say these two tribes may be fairly even early on. Not new Sele, though. New Sele is not going to lose a challenge unless they throw a challenge.

After Denise and Jeremy take time to gush at Wendell’s handiwork on the shelter, the game starts back up. Jeremy, unsurprisingly, is the driving force behind the attempts to work on the tribe, and quickly zeroes in on Kim as the weak link. I’m guessing he worked everybody, and they just showed us the one that worked, but if he did sense that out immediately, kudos to him. Given the public feud between Tony and Sandra on “Survivor Game Changers”, without any knowledge of tribe dynamics, that would have been my first guess as to an exploitable flaw. Not, Jeremy instead floats the idea of working with himself and Denise to Kim, which is further incentivized by her bonding with Denise. Kim admits that while it might be smarter to stick with her original Dakal members, she does have a bond with Denise and Jeremy that she doesn’t have with Tony and Sandra, as well as no real alliance with them, so things are up in the air. We’re left pretty unclear where Kim will go, but it looks to be an intriguing storyline going forward.

Checking in at Sele, Michele again laments being put on a tribe with Wendell, since they have “history”. Unlike with the poker alliance or Stacy from earlier in the episode, we don’t get any outside clips detailing their relationship. Which is a shame, not so much because I want all their dirty laundry aired on national tv, but because I’ve seen the pictures from when they were dating, and they were cute together! I’m really sorry to hear their breakup wasn’t amiable, because they do seem like a nice match on the surface. Bummer.

To distract from this, Parvati sets about bonding with the remaining members of her tribe. She and Yul share an original season, plus his wife really likes Parvati’s game, so she leans on that. With Nick, it turns out she was his crush back in the day, and we get to see “flirt” Parvati come out again a bit. Wendell, however, is a tough nut to crack. He gives very short, nondescript answers to her “Getting to know you” questions, which leads Parvati to call him “cagey”. Wendell argues that he’s just a slow leak, but combined with not really wanting to talk about their past with Michele, it seems like he’s just kind of quiet around them. Odd for a guy who won on the strength of his social game, but I guess that’s what a breakup will do to you. Michele and Parvati complain about this on the beach, noting how smug the guys are. They want Wendell gone, but have no way to do so. As such, they decide to “Give the guys something to look at” (seriously, these two may be the first people to say that in non-scripted reality), and go for a swim. And here, I must complain. Yes, an understanding of the tribe dynamics is necessary, and yes, the tension between Michele and Wendell is a big part of that. I’m not complaining about that so much. What I AM complaining about is the portrayal of Michele on this season. Look, Aubry will always be my girl, but I have a lot of respect for Michele. She’s a solid player of the game, and very likable in her own right. I have no complaints about the fact that she won, and as such want to see more of her on this season. So it bothers me that the ONLY Michele content we’ve gotten has related to three things: Voting out Ethan (which was all of ONE SENTENCE), her relationship troubles, and being a sex object. Yeah, “Survivor”. Way to be progressive in this day and age. All the content we get from one of the women relates to either relationships or looks? Those portrayals aren’t stereotypical at all!

Rant over, we head to Yara, where even before shelter building commences, Rob wants to know what happened to Amber. Sarah and Sophie wisely throw Tyson under the bus, saying that he threw out Amber’s name when he was on the chopping block. At least partially true, it also shifts any blame to someone who can’t defend himself right now, and lets them keep up the pretense of a full united front for the original Dakal. Smooth playing, ladies. Less smooth are the men, who when asked immediately spill their hatred for each other. Way to play, guys. Ok, ok, I suppose there was no way they were going to hide if for long, but a token effort would have been nice! Sophie and Sarah talk with everyone, and are naturally relieved that they have options. Still, they don’t trust the numbers, and so go idol hunting, followed shortly by the men. Rob complains about the difficulties in idol hunting, despite, as Adam points out, having FOUND an idol. To be fair, Rob did have clues, and their new island has many significant looking trees. In the end, the show does something I really like, and keeps the finding of the idol subtle. While Rob rants, we see Sophie grab something out of a tree, later revealed to be the Yara hidden immunity idol. Like other idols this season, she has to split it for it to be useful. Since Sophie is NOT an idiot, she gives it to the one person she’s played with so far, and we move on to our immunity challenge.

As we’ve come to expect this season, this is your standard obstacle course with a puzzle at the end, though two things about this challenge stand out. One is the color. While most challenges have a good amount of color to them, for some reason this challenge really “pops” particularly in aerial shots. Kudos to the art department! The second element is the puzzle. At first, it seems like another rehash. The “Stack four blocks so no color appears twice on any side” puzzle from “Survivor Samoa”. Decently tough, but not much to note, were it not for a design choice I like. Previously, the blocks had to be stacked in a rotating frame. Here, they’re stacked on top of one another on a rotating platform. It’s a small change, but it helps this version stand out, along with the look of the blocks themselves. I’ve complained in the past about “Plastic ‘Survivor’”, where elements look manufactured and fake, as in not part of the environment. Here, these crates are clearly just wood squares nailed together and painted. This could be seen as lazy, but I say it adds to the authenticity. These feel like something someone would develop naturally on an island, or even make at home, and it’s a nice touch to an otherwise just average challenge.

Yara does surprisingly well early on in the challenge, even getting to the puzzle slightly ahead of Sele. Of course, though, the puzzle matters, and despite having the more than competent team of Sophie and Adam on the puzzle, they choke. Our idol mercifully splits apart naturally this season (as all multiple idols should, show), so Sele gets the skull for coming in first, while Dakal’s impressive puzzle performance nets them the crossbones. Though I have to ask, since Yara was right next to Sele, why didn’t they just copy their solution when Sele won? Regardless, Rob leads us out saying that while he hates losing, he feels fairly in control tonight. Gee, I wonder who our boot is?

Despite the earlier tension between the guys, when push comes to shove, they don’t want to go home. At the water well they agree not to vote for each other, and decide on Sarah for bringing less to challenges than Sophie. A bit odd, given that Sarah is a police officer, and therefore presumably quite physically fit, but I guess if you factor in puzzle ability it’s a wash. Given that all have an incentive to get the connected people out at this point, Sarah at least works from that perspective. Rob, however, is still a bit paranoid, and thus implements the “buddy system” from “Survivor Redemption Island”. With only three, though, it rapidly devolves into “Everyone sit in the shelter until Tribal Council”. You know, the strategy that worked SO WELL for Garrett on “Survivor Cagayan”. Geez, Rob, you’re supposed to be better than this. Adam complains about the boredom, thereby making him the most likely to quit on Edge of Extinction. You think this is boring, buddy? Try being out of the game. Or the audience watching the people who are out of the game. Last episode aside, boredom city.

Well, after Ben’s Oreo conversation is exhausted (for the record, I’m in the “Peel apart the cookie and lick out the creme” camp), Sophie and Sarah go off to grouse. They can see the writing on the wall, and confess that they can’t even get a signal or a wink from any of the guys. However, they pool their advantages, and actually do have a plan. Sarah having given Sophie back her half of the idol, they have it available now, but want to save it. Fair enough. Less understandable is Sarah wanting to save her vote steal. Look Sarah, I understand wanting to have it available down the line, but if ever there was a time to play it, this is it! It breaks up a possibly insurmountable threesome, does not require the potential guesswork of playing a hidden immunity idol, and prevents any targeting of you should people find out you have it. Plus, with larger numbers, it can have less of an impact. Play it now, when it’s most useful.

Our Tribal Council is once again mostly a subdued affair, with no one wanting to give away anything. That said, I do want to praise one bit of Sophie’s maneuvering this time around. After giving the usual talk about finding “cracks” and splitting people up, Sophie reframes the conversation brilliantly. Pointing out that such a metaphor, while commonly used, can have negative connotations, Sophie instead says she wants to use this vote as an opportunity to build bonds, and start working WITH people, rather than splitting them up. This is a brilliant bit of politicking on Sophie’s part. It flips the underdog narrative on it’s head, and makes you seem desirable, rather than desperate. It’s delivered well too; calm but still with some force behind it. There’s a reason Sophie’s back here, and it’s not just for snark.

I’d play up the mystery here, but we all know Rob’s going. The narrative has been leaning too heavily in that direction for it to be anyone else. The women don’t even have to play any of their advantages. Like with the Kim thing earlier, I’m guessing there’s just some strategizing between everyone but Rob we didn’t see, and so there was no need to discuss things further post-immunity-challenge. Quite honestly, I’m not too sorry to see Rob go. He’s a legend, don’t get me wrong, but because of that, we all knew this was coming at some point. It’s like the boot of Richard Hatch on “Survivor All-Stars”: You may not like it when it happens, but you know going in it’s inevitable. Better to get it out of the way early so that we can focus on newer storylines. That said, was this a smart move? I’d say not. Even without the knowledge of Sarah’s advantage, she has more connections left in the game than Rob does, making her overall the bigger threat. I get that Rob’s strong-arming gets old, but that continues to make him a target, and therefore worthy to keep around as a shield. Even looking at it from the perspective of who Sophie and Sarah should target, I’d say they made the wrong call. They should have gone for Adam. As we saw this episode, while Ben and Adam may be mad at each other, they CAN still work together. Not so much for Boston Rob and the others, and since Adam has less challenge ability than Ben, I’d say he should have been the target.

For all my complaints so far, this season has more hits than misses, and this episode is definitely one of the hits. True, the hits have not been fantastic hits, and the misses have often been spectacular, but my overall impression of the season still remains positive. True, after the immunity challenge there was zero mystery as to who would go home, but sometimes you don’t need that. We got a clear story on “The Downfall of Boston Rob” which was compelling in its bluntness, and that can be fun to. Add to that a good understanding of the new tribe dynamics after WAITING and establishing the status quo, coupled with some heartwarming moments, and you’ve got yourself an above-average episode. Plus, NO EDGE OF EXTINCTION! YAY! We even got Probst’s final words this episode, saving Boston Rob’s willing of his fire tokens until the credits. He, of course, wills them to… MICHELE! No, with Amber out of the game, he’s clearly giving them to Parvati. What did you expect? Honestly, the only complaint I can really have with this episode is it felt like we were intentionally not given information to try and up the drama in places, which I can’t really complain about since it happens with most episodes. It was just less subtle here.

Oh, and the abundance of idols and advantages. I can complain about that. Admittedly not really a problem in this episode, but it’s already hard to keep track of who has what, and that problem looks to only be getting worse as the season progresses. We may be fine next episode, but if our “Two tribes at Tribal Council” is two tribes voting for one person AGAIN, rather than a proper Double-Tribal, I’m going to be pissed.

-Matt

Title Credit to Jean Storrs.

Idol Speculation: “Survivor San Juan del Sur” Cast Assessment

Come on in guys! Welcome back to Idol Speculation, my knee-jerk opinion that EVERYONE is entitled to. NO, you’ll have to wait almost another year for me to discuss the awfulness that is “Survivor Nicaragua”. Instead, we get to discuss the awfulness that it seems will be evident in the overly long-titled “Survivor San Juan del Sur”. Yeah, I don’t want to go into too much detail here, as I’ll be saving it for the end, but suffice to say that this is not one of the casts that shows much promise, at least to my eyes. Let’s find out why, with an in-depth look at each pair.
A couple notes: once again, as everyone is connected to their loved one (at least from a marketing standpoint), I’ll be going over people in pairs, but judging them individually. You have been warned. Also, I apologize if the names of the tribes are somewhat wrong or misspelled. For whatever reason, despite the fact that from the video evidence we KNOW who’s on what tribe, the names of the tribes have not been released. As such, I have to pause the video to try and read the names on buffs and tribe mats, which is an inexact science. However, it WILL fulfill the main reason I do it (so one can get a good look at the makeup of each tribe, giving more insight into why I pick whom I pick), so I’m going to try anyway. So, onto the cast.

Keith Nale (53, Fire Captain, Winter Park, FL. Hunaphu Tribe) and his son Wes Nale (23, Firefigher, Shreveport, LA. Coyopa Tribe): It wouldn’t be “Survivor” if we didn’t have the token rednecks for the season. Seriously, this pair pretty much epitomizes the idea of the Louisiana “Good Ol’ Boy”. They have the drawl, they have the simplistic worldview, they talk about hunting and fishing and the outdoors. Now, as rednecks go, they kind of fall in the middle of what “Survivor” is used to. They don’t go into the all-out stupidity of some rednecks on the show (think Ralph Kaiser of “Survivor Redemption Island”), but they also don’t have the hidden depths that can make the better redneck characters entertaining (think Sue Hawk of “Survivor Borneo” or Tom Buchanan of “Survivor Africa”). In some ways this is good, as they probably won’t be annoying, but it also means there won’t be much too them apart from stereotypes. Not the worst that this season will be putting out, but in terms of “Survivor” as a whole, I don’t think they’ll stand out. As to their chances in the game, I don’t really give Keith any. He says he has drive, which may help him out more than I expect, but I don’t see him lasting long into the tribal phase, and almost definitely will not make the merge. He seems a bit bossy to me, and while I’m certain he’s strong for his age, I don’t think he’ll be entirely necessary, and so will be axed. Now, he seems like an ok guy, and I doubt he’ll be the very first person out, but I don’t see him having a long shelf life. Wes is another matter. He reminds me a lot of J.T. (“Survivor Tocantins”) in terms of charm and social smarts, but I’d say he’s lacking in the intelligence that sealed J.T.’s game. Wes comparing himself to Ozzy Lusth (“Survivor Cook Islands”) doesn’t exactly encourage me, either. Still, he’s strong, likeable, and knows how to stay out of the way. I’d be surprised if Wes doesn’t make the merge. In fact, if he displays a bit more common sense than what we’ve seen, I’d say Wes is a threat to win the game. Even if he is as dumb as he seems, though, I expect him to go far on charm alone.
Josh Canfield (32, Actor/Writer, New York, NY. Coyopa Tribe) and his boyfriend Reed Kelly (31, Broadway Performer/Model/Aerialist, New York, NY. Hunaphu Tribe): Reed readily admits that he was a background performer in the Broadway production of “Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark”, which right away tells you that he is a man without fear! Seriously, that is right up there with “Pokemon Live” on the list of “Shows you do not want to ever admit you were a part of”. Ok, so he also had a similar role in “Wicked”, which has a lot more prestige. Enough with the Broadway in-jokes, though, let’s actually talk about them. In keeping with the theme of stereotypes, these guys are very much the “gay actor” stereotype, but I’ll give them credit that they’re self-aware enough to realize that and joke about it. Unfortunately, as I’ve mentioned in the past, actors in general are very extreme people, and it’s very easy to elicit a hateful reaction from others without trying. Because of this, I’d say Josh is in trouble early on. I have a lot of sympathy for the guy, he seems nice enough and is a hell of a singer, and I don’t think he’s bad at the mental game. I just think someone’s going to take a dislike to him, and kick him out before the merge. Additionally, even though he has some knowledge of the game, I don’t see Josh being much of a leader. He may get in an alliance, but if anything happens to it, his game will crumble. No, I don’t give Josh very good odds at all. Once again, however, I’m much more excited about his counterpart. Reed to me comes off as much more of a go-getter, and even something more of a charmer. As such, I feel that Reed will better be able to utilize the positive aspects of his game. It also helps that while both are athletic, Reed is more overtly so, which will help break the “gay men are wimps” stereotype that can doom even the smartest of contestants. I ALMOST put Reed as my male pick to win it all, but two things stop me: One, while a charmer, Reed is not immune to potentially rubbing people the wrong way, and thus has a chance of a pointless boot. Two, both Reed and Josh claim to be heavily Christian (both list the Bible as one of their luxury items). I didn’t bring it up before because they rarely mention it in actual interviews, which tells me they may be low-key about it in the game, but if they become more overt about it, I will like them a lot less, and it could hurt their game. Still, as it stands now, I actually kind of like Reed (neutral on Josh, though I do have a soft spot for theatre people), and think he’ll make the mid-merge, before getting picked off by another alliance.
Missy Payne (47, Competitive Cheerleading Gym Owner, Dallas, TX. Hunaphu Tribe) and her daughter Baylor Wilson (20, Student, Nashville, TN. Coyopa Tribe): Oh boy, NOW we start getting into the problems of the season. If the people aren’t annoying stereotypes, they just plain BORING! These two are the most generic mother-daughter team out there. They have nothing interesting to say, no interesting backstory, just nothing to them. I get that they’re trying to recreate the mother/daughter dynamic they had in Laura Morett and Ciera Eastin on “Survivor Blood vs. Water”, but THAT dynamic worked because those two were actually good strategists. These two merely THINK they’re good strategists. Let’s talk about how they’ll each individually fail. Missy, I can see, thinks she’s going to be the Kim Spradlin (“Survivor One World”) of the season, and I’ll give her credit that it’s an admirable goal to shoot for. The trouble is I think Missy is more used to things coming easy for her, and I doubt she’ll be handed leadership like Kim was. I see her as going more of the Laura Boneham (“Survivor Blood vs. Water”) route. She’ll struggle to be accepted early on, only to find that when she does, she’ll be towards the bottom of the totem pole. When she can’t handle that, she’ll assert herself too much, and get herself voted off. Not the earliest boot, but gone shortly before the merge I’d say. In keeping with “Survivor Blood vs. Water” comparisons, Baylor is a lot more like Katie Collins than anybody. Somewhat attractive, but not a strategist, boring as all get out, and will not be missed later on. I think she might actually make the merge by riding coattails alone, but there’s no way she’s winning. She might even be out sooner than that, if she can’t find a way to make herself useful. Definitely do not look for these two anywhere near the end.
Natalie Anderson (28, Crossfit Coach, Edgewater, NJ. Hunaphu Tribe) and her twin sister Nadiya Anderson (28, Crossfit Coach, Edgewater, NJ. Coyopa Tribe): Here it is, folks, the crowing jewel on this awful cast! Addressing the elephant in the room, these two were on “The Amazing Race” twice, and this greatly informs my opinion of their chances. I believe I’ve gone over it before, but let me here recap my opinion of the “The Amazing Race”. I am a fair weather fan. I understand the rules fairly well, but not in the encyclopedic way I know “Survivor”. I have watched the show in the past, usually when a team that particularly interests me is on (for the record, I’m a big fan of Margie and Luke), but I don’t know every contestant. I think it’s a good show in its own right, but is a bit too luck-based for me to tune in every season.
That said, this past All-Star season was one I DID watch, meaning I got a firsthand look at Natalie and Nadiya. To say that what I saw did not impress me would be an understatement. Apart from their annoying superiority and in-jokes (I will never like the term “twinnies”), they were quick to anger, got frustrated easily, refused to admit their faults, and went so easily to infighting that I was INCREDIBLY happy to see them go first. In case it wasn’t obvious, these traits will not serve them well in the game, and I see no evidence that they have overcome them. “Survivor” is all about interpersonal cooperation. When you can’t even socialize well with your FAMILY under pressure, there’s no way you’ll be able to do it with total strangers on a deserted island. Nope, these two will be voted out first. Which one, you ask? BOTH OF THEM! They’re both equally annoying, and thus both equally likely to go first. But ok, if you’re going to hold me down and INSIST I only pick one, I say Natalie will be out first, only because Nadiya admitted a couple of times that she needed to “Care about what others thought”, which at least demonstrates a MINIMUM of self-knowledge that may save her instant elimination. Still, it’s highly unlikely, and I wouldn’t expect these people to stay around long. No merge for either of them.
Jeremy Collins (36, Cambridge Firefirghter, Foxboro, MA. Hunaphu Tribe.) and his wife Val Collins (35, Foxboro Police Officer,Foxboro, MA. Coyopa Tribe.): Boy, we sure do have a lot of firefighters on this season, don’t we? The reward for making it through Natalie and Nadiya is that we get the AWESOMENESS that is Jeremy and Val. Not saying they’ll do well, necesarilly, but I like them a lot. In fact, scratch that, I like Jeremy so much that he’s my male pick to win the whole thing. Just looking at the guy, you like him. On top of that, he seems intelligent and socially aware enough to lead in a good way. I can definitely see him pulling together an alliance on his tribe, and riding it all the way to the end. What seals the deal for me, though, is how he prepared for the game. He studied, saw what kind of challenges were usually done, and planned a workout routine accordingly. I’m not sure he has everything figured out, but given the level of competition this season, this guy has a major edge. The fact that both he and his wife are one of the few pairs to overtly say, with no humor whatsoever, that they will vote the other out, is promising. Now, I think he’ll definitely try and be the leader, and that may lead to an early eviction, but I say Jeremy will go all the way. Does this mean Val will be my female pick to win? I’d like it to be so, as she seems like a lovely individual, but unfortunately I think Val won’t do so well in the game. Granted, she’s tougher than she looks, and I don’t think she’d be an initial target, but she talked a LOT about her kids, and she seems like the type who would cave in for them. Long story short, I don’t think Val will have her head fully in the game, and so she’ll be done in around the merge. Granted, I said the same thing about Ciera on “Survivor Blood vs. Water”, and she turned out great; Val may be the same way. If Val CAN keep her emotions in check, I’d say she’s a major threat to win. As it stands, though, I think she’ll be a nice moral center to watch for a few episodes, but will be out somewhat early.
Jon Misch (26, Financial Assistant, Waterford, MI. Hunaphu Tribe.) and his girlfriend Jaclyn Schultz (25, Media Buyer/Miss Miss Michigan 2013, Las Vegas, NV. Coyopa Tribe): Jon? Is there a Jon on this season? Oh, yeah, sorry, he’s so bland I thought he was part of the background. Actually, for me, Jon bears a striking resemblance to another John, John Cody of “Survivor Blood vs. Water”. Very much a “Nice guy next door” type, I think he’ll have unimpressive gameplay, rely far too much on his physicality to get through, and really isn’t cut out for this show. To his credit, I think he’s a bit more self-aware than John Cody, but will still probably go out early after the merge at the hands of more experienced players. Jaclyn is a bit more of an oddity this season, in that she has a lot going against her. She’s very worldly, she loves her stuff, she’s incredibly girly, she can’t help but flirt and talk about her boyfriend (meaning I think she’ll have a hard time with separation from him), she’s a pageant girl, which I hate. Yet, believe it or not, Jaclyn is my female pick to win the entire damn show. Yes, you are reading this blog correctly. Of the women available (and bear in mind that there’s fewer of them this time, as an all-female pair was pulled for medical reasons shortly before the start of the game), Jaclyn is the best equipped to win, and it’s for one reason: moxie. For all that I bashed her for flirting too much with Jon, Jaclyn did at least talk more than he did, a rarity for the mixed-gender teams this season. Also, there’s something about her self-confidence that I find endearing, and I think while she may lay low at first, she’d be more than willing to step up when some kind of shake-up happened. Granted, as I said, she is fairly worldly, and so might get an early boot as a result, but purely for bravado, I say Jaclyn may win this whole thing. People should watch out. In that sense, at least she does resemble Candice Cody (“Survivor Blood vs. Water”).
John Rocker (39, Former MLB Player, Atlanta, GA. Coyopa Tribe.) and his girlfriend Julie McGee (34, Model/Spray-Tan Business Owner, Atlanta, GA. Hunaphu Tribe.): Not quite as bad as Natalie and Nadiya, but these two are pretty high up there on the “Awful Scale”. John Rocker, formerly a player for the Atlanta Braves, most resembles Joel Anderson of “Survivor Micronesia”, but has fewer social graces. As noted many other places on the internet, John is most famous for making INCREDIBLY racist statements in a “Sports Illustrated” interview some years back. On top of this, having seen his interviews, we can add “SEXIST” to the list of lovely character traits this man has! Of his girlfriend, he remarked that “As a female, she won’t be looked to to lead in challenges”. Wow, guy, THIS is your winning personality? John definitely won’t win, but unfortunately I think he’ll stick around for a while. He’s going to rub people the wrong way, but the guy is strong, and so I suspect people will put up with him until the mid-merge, unfortunately for viewers. The only saving grace that can be said about Julie is that she will at least be out early. She EXEMPLIFIES all the bad things I said about Jaclyn, but has none of the positives to balance them out, and I got basically NOTHING from her out of any interviews. No way she’s making the merge, will have no impact on the game whatsoever, good riddance to the both of them!
Dale Wentworth (55, Farmer, Ephrata, WA. Coyopa Tribe.) and his daughter Kelley Wentworth (28, Marketing Manager, Seattle, WA. Hunaphu Tribe.): I want to like Dale. I want to say he’ll do well. While not all that unusually smart (but not unintelligent), Dale reminds me a lot of Bob Crowley (“Survivor Gabon”), in that he’s a laid-back guy who can make himself useful, and is stronger than he looks. What prevents me from saying Dale will do well is that I think he loves his daughter too much. He claims he’s out for himself, but from what I’ve read and the way they relate, when push comes to shove, he’d sacrifice himself for his daughter. Now, WITHOUT his daughter in the picture, Dale’s chances improve greatly. If Kelley is out early, I’d say Dale is out around the mid-merge time, if only because he’s not as cutthroat as some of the other players. If Kelley stays in for a while, though, I’d expect Dale out pretty quickly in the pre-merge era. As to which is more likely, I’m saying Kelley stays in a while, despite her blandness (why is every Kelley cast on this show as boring as beige wallpaper?). While nothing has been demonstrated, she seems to be upbeat, and CLAIMS to be tough from working on the farm. If she can pull that out, she’ll probably make the mid-merge period. If not, she’s out early for being weak. Bottom line, one of them is making the merge, one is not. Just depends on how well they integrate.
Drew Christy (25, Sales Representative, Winter Park, FL. Hunaphu Tribe.) and his brother Alec Christy (22, Student, Winter Park, FL. Coyopa Tribe.): Oh my God, they’re cloning “Fabio” (“Survivor Nicaragua”)! Run for your life! In all seriousness, while these guys play up the “surfer dude” stereotype, I like them more than I liked “Fabio” for the simple reason that they actually seem to have some intelligence and self-awareness, and are just playing up the more stupid-sounding parts of themselves for the game. This could be a clever strategy, but I’m not sure they can pull it off. But hey, they’re likeable and funny, and on this season, those are rarities, so I’ll take them. In fairness, I think Drew actually stands a decent chance, and should definitely at least make the early merge. If only for the salesmanship experience, I think Drew could actually pull out a win. I doubt it enough to not make him my pick to win, only because I don’t think the surfer-dude thing is ENTIRELY a put-on, and he’ll put his foot in his mouth at some point, and be gone that way. The same goes for Alec, only I think he has less control, and thus will be out right before the merge. Again, nice guys, and more on top of things than SOME of these other players, but I wouldn’t be on Alec to win, and even with his skills I’d call Drew a longshot.
Seeing as how there aren’t half-a-dozen twists like with the LAST “Survivor Blood vs. Water”, I can actually talk about the big one here. It’s been well-publicized that Redemption Island was nixed for this season, but that CBS had a bold, new twist they were going to use the location for. That twist… is Exile Island. Yes, after being absent for over five years, the Exile Island Twist returns, and I couldn’t be more thrilled. I’ve long said that the Exile Island twist still had legs, and there was more that could be done with it after it was nixed. Bringing it back here works really well, adding a new dynamic to the family relationships (or romantic relationships as the case may be), and its absence means the twist will come as a real shock. Then again, maybe I’m just happy to see one of my favorite twists come back. That said, one thing that does give me trepidation is that CBS has stated that loved ones will duel, with the winner getting some reward and the loser going to Exile Island. Not sure how that will work beyond that, but I doubly worry that this will replace Reward Challenges (one of my longstanding criticisms of the Redemption Island Twist), and that it’s another set-up to cause drama and split up relationships for the sake of good television, which is NOT how the twist should go. Still, seeing as the first season managed to avoid that pitfall, I’m willing to give it a chance.
Exile Island is about the only good news, though, because from what I can tell, the cast of this season SUCKS! There’s BARELY any strategists (and even that’s a stretch). You could argue that this is a character based season, but half of the cast is bland and forgettable, and of those that AREN’T, half of them are blatant stereotypes or annoying as hell (or both)! This season may surprise me, but I think the streak of good seasons is at an end. What’s particularly disappointing is the women this season. With the exception of “Survivor Cagayan”, every season from “Survivor South Pacific” onward has had a bunch of really good female characters, but this season rally dropped the ball. I had to stretch to find ANYONE worthy of the title of “female pick to win it all”, and even now I’m not satisfied. On top of all this, CBS is REALLY pushing the “this is like ‘Survivor Blood vs. Water’” aspect, which is never good. Besides using clips from the original season in all the advertising, a lot of the couples cast are eerily similar to those from that season. Look one of the great things about “Survivor” is that it’s constantly innovation. In theory, no seasons are interchangeable, because each brings it’s own unique spin. Yet when you so blatantly reuse a twist, you stop that innovation, you stop what makes “Survivor” great, and that’s just wrong.
Still, I’ve been VERY wrong about casts before, and this one has a FEW people I like, so maybe it’ll surprise me. Besides, I do at least have ONE good thing to say about this cast: they’re diverse. Yes, for once the show seems to be hearkening back to its roots, and taking mostly people who actually APPLIED, rather than casting people they meet on the street. While they’re stereotypes, we at least have many DIFFERENT stereotypes, meaning that for once, the Probst narration of “All from different walks of life” will actually be true.
Whether I am right or not remains to be seen. See you in a month at the 90-minute premier!
-Matt
Title Credit to Jean Storrs.