Survivor was awesome last night. Right now I’m hoping for Burton to win, simply because I believe he’s playing the game the best. (It doesn’t hurt that he’s cute either.) Thoughts on the episode:
- Sandra has plummeted on my list of favorites. Her little maneuver with the fish was really pretty low. (Not the low point of the night, of course, but down there.) I’m not against a little sabotage within the context of the game – Mick did it extremely well on the first UK series – but she dumped the fish out of pure spite. It’s not the fault of the other contestants that she never formulated a strategy beyond “coast along with Rupert”. How childish.
- I really did feel bad for Christa that she got blamed. It was harsh to see her get attacked once you knew she didn’t do it. She should’ve pointed out that Sandra had at least as much motive and opportunity that she did.
- As much as I think Jon’s a dick, I have to admit that he’s been growing on me the last few episodes. I always like an unapologetic villain. He’s playing the game the only way he can. I think his strategy is really interesting, too. He’s basically ensured that everybody left wants to take him to the final two, reckoning that he’s more repulsive than them. Juries have a way of rewarding the snakes for their ingenuity, so I don’t think it’s a bad plan. And bravo for the dead grandmother bit! The Snook and I were speechless. I was hoping Jeff would somehow reveal it, but I’m guessing that he’s not allowed to influence the game in any way. Reward challenge aside, it was a great way to ensure some sympathy with future jurors. I’ve got to hand it to the jerk.
- I didn’t notice the “liaison” mispelling either. I must be slipping in my old age.
- Nobody knows how to wear the damn cutlass but Burton. That annoys me. If pirates wore it on their front, they’d cut their throats the first time they tried to pull it out!
- Sandra and Christa screwed up badly. They turned down an alliance of four – all girls – for an alliance of five – with two boys. They failed to boot the strongest player left. They bought into Jon’s bullshit yet again. (As the Snook put it, “How many times are they gonna let him pull the football away?”) They deserve to go soon.
I can’t wait for the last episodes. It’s no Amazing Race but it’s pretty darn good. And yay! I saw a preview for the upcoming Big Brother audition special. Bring it on, Gretel.
kristen
December 2, 2003 — 6:23 pm
ugh. burton. i’m still sore that he got back into the game. and i’m even more sore that rupert is out. i don’t know who i’m backing anymore! jon’s an ass, lilian is annoying, christa and sandra are naive. i have no real opinion of darrah – she hasn’t done anything to make me pay attention to her. hrm.
robert
December 3, 2003 — 12:25 am
that jon is practically guaranteeing his nana’s death through bad karma, isn’t he? i had a feeling he was faking though.
i don’t understand why women don’t band together from the very beginning. in practically every series they kist go along with the men and stop themselves from gaining a real foothold in the game. women have a history of voting against other women in reality shows, esp big brother. it’s very sad.
and i have just given too much thought to this for this time of night…
Major
December 3, 2003 — 8:34 am
I agree with Kristen. I don’t think Burton or Lil should be back in the game. They got voted out for being dicks and now they have a chance to win it. I would have loved to have seen Rupert win as well, but I think everyone knew from the beginning it was never going to happen.
Kel
December 3, 2003 — 10:34 am
I loved Rupert too, but when you really think back on him, you realize… he was NUTS! When he wasn’t physically intimidating other players (I found his interaction w/ Jon after that one vote appalling), he spent a lot of time talking to himself, etc. And, he really didn’t play the game very well. He was too cocky and naive, thinking he was invincible. Hopefully Sandra (Christa = just plain stupes) will be smart enough to get Lil and D on their side. 2 on 2’s better than 2 on 1 for Lil (now that she knows Burton favors Jon)… she’s gotta see that. Unfortunately, the women in this game do always F things up late, don’t they? 2 seasons ago w/ old Jan not aligning w/ Helen was the WORST!!! 🙁
Kris
December 3, 2003 — 12:22 pm
I liked Rupert at first too (give it up for the Hoosier!), but I agree that he was seriously CRAZY. First of all, everyone was just supposed to LET him win because he was really deserving? A million dollars changes anyone’s life and to insist that you need it more than someone else is insulting. (I might also suggest that going on a reality television game show isn’t the best surefire way of reaching your dreams.) Second, he honestly thought that he was building other people up to be HAPPY with less than first place? “Yeah, Rupert, your cheap platitudes have convinced me that second place is what I deserve! Enjoy the million.” Third, his little exit speech about people letting him down and not liking him was ridiculous. You don’t vote people out on Survivor because you don’t like them. (Well, not all the time anyway.) The winner is not the most popular person. The winner is not the homecoming king. The man is BATSHIT CRAZY.
As for the Outcast situation… I think it was BRILLIANT. My only hesitation is that even if they were kept on similar rations, the outcasts would obviously have been doing less work and living in slightly more comfort than the tribes. But there’s nothing that says this game has to be fair or that there shouldn’t be any surprises. Besides, it was all worth it to see Skinny Ryan’s “DIE JERKS” bandanna. Hee!
Kris
December 3, 2003 — 4:17 pm
WAIT! I forgot to list the one thing that annoyed me in the episode – the whole concept of the stupid “loved ones” reunion. It never fails to make me retch every season. These people haven’t seen their families in a friggin’ month and they go to pieces? WHATEVER. I went a year and a half without seeing my family. Brigita’s husband was gone for six months on deployment. Rodd only went home once during two years of living in the UK. What is with these people?