Survivor: Fiji - Aired February 15

One of the problems with the early episodes in any season of Survivor is that most of the time we don't have any emotional connection to any of the contestants yet. We just got over the excitement of the premiere and learning what new things we're going to see this time around, but we don't really know anyone yet. At the start of the hour there were still 18 people left, and who is there yet to cheer on or to boo?
Yes, there are people you can kind of like, and people who sort of annoy, but no real heroes or villains yet. Luckily we still have two tribes full of bone-headed contestants who have no idea how to play the game to keep us entertained, and the most accident-prone Survivor ever. Despite his annoying nickname, I may just have to cheer on "Boo" to see if he actually survives.
Before I go any further, I should say I wasn't fully focused on the show. Maybe it was because I don't care about any of them yet, maybe it's because second episodes are rarely keepers. All I know is that if I don't remember things that happened, I'm sorry. It also means this may end up being a fairly short post. We'll see at the end. But right now I'm just typing away hoping I think of something to say about the episode other than that I think Erica has the best 'fro we've seen on television in decades. Seriously, I love her hair. Her, on the other hand, not so much. Is she capable of cracking a smile? Even when she found the pineapples, her joy didn't seem to last long. Yes, we only see a small portion of what goes on with the castaways because we (thankfully) don't have live feeds à la Big Brother, so maybe she's only grumpy during those moments worth televising.
Sylvia finally arrived to join her new tribemates in Ravu, and it was obvious from the start that she was screwed by the twist last week. Her personality may have had her still in the firing line for elimination, but she would have had more of a chance than this time on Exile Island cost her. Really, Sylvia, these people just spent a couple of days bonding. They may not be giving you any chance to be part of the team, but you should still try by keeping quiet. The woman has no idea how to play the social aspect of this game. With rare and usually charismatic exceptions (I still don't get the Terry love from Panama), nobody on this show likes people who try to be leaders. Hell, they'd rather starve, freeze, and lose challenges than have someone try to step up and lead. Really, what the hell is up with people on Survivor and the leader hate? "I don't like anyone telling me what to do!" I know, I bitched about it last week too. I still don't get it.
If you're joining the tribe late, even if you think there should be a leader, don't try to be that leader. They already see you as an interloper. If you're an interloper who is trying to change the group dynamic, you're just sealing your own fate. Not that I had any doubts about her inability to play the social game, but when Sylvia spoke up at tribal council about how they should elect a leader right after everyone complained about her trying to be one, I wanted to slap her. Don't do exactly what everyone says they hate when you're sitting at tribal council!
Oh yeah, Ravu lost the immunity challenge again. That makes them underdogs, but they're far from plucky. But I want to get back to Sylvia, who was very lucky in surviving the vote.
It doesn't matter that she was right and the tribe does need a leader to help keep them focused, there is no way she is going to win this season. However, there is no reason she can't go much farther than anyone expects. The problem with that though is that it depends on some of her tribemates playing a smart game. She's got no chance. But let's pretend that there might be some capable strategists on the island. How can Sylvia benefit them? Depending on how intelligent and self-aware she really is, she should know that she is the next in line to go, barring anyone else screwing up massively (or not so massively, as we saw this week). If she wants to stay, she should know that would be up to an alliance taking her in. The only real alliance we've seen fell apart and was whittled down to one person after two tribal councils, so that's something these players really need to work on. Especially those that may not be feeling the safest. Sylvia is a vote that could sway things in your favour, and she should be grateful for any alliance that will take her in right now. Not only that, if things take a turn for the worst, she would be an easy choice to vote out first.
I don't care how much you don't like her, Michelle. She can be very useful to you. And there is another issue I have with Survivor. It's only 39 days, and it's for a million dollars. Hell, I'll share a tent with Ann Coulter and Paris Hilton for a month if it means I can win a million bucks! "I hate her so I'm going to write her name down because I don't care about the majority and I'm a pathetic whiner!" Oh, shut up Michelle. That one sentence put her right at the top of the list of people I'd gladly see eliminated.
A lot of viewers are enjoying Yau-Man, and I did at first too, but he's coming across to me as desperate to please so that he won't see his name written down, and that's just not pleasant. When Sylvia arrived at the beach, he gave her a big hug, and he used that opportunity to get a peak in her bag to see if she had the hidden immunity idol. That was a fairly good idea, but at the same time it crossed a line I think I wouldn't even cross on the show by invading her privacy. I had to say it was a fairly good idea, but unless Sylvia's not too bright, it was a pointless exercise. If you had the hidden idol, would you have it on top of everything in your bag where a quick peek could expose it? That's right, Yau-Man. The only way to tell is to really invade her privacy and dig through her bag when she's not looking.
We didn't see too much of Moto this week, a sure sign of which tribe is going to lose immunity, but besides "Boo" and his injury prone ways, we got to see "Dreamz" talking about how it's not so bad on Survivor, and how it's still much cushier than being homeless. I'd have to agree with him, but at the same time, it brings up a point about how much the show has eased up on the castaways. A couch? A couch isn't Survivor! Plans and materials for a shelter? I do like that the show keeps trying to change things up, so I'm really hoping this haves vs. have-nots twist pays off. It doesn't seem to be making any difference right now though. And at least Ravu still hasn't got fire. Theirs is still a more authentic Survivor experience, and I wish "Dreamz" was on that tribe as I'd be seriously interested to see how that compares to actual homelessness.
It would be nice to see the show go back to the harshness of its early days. Back then "Survivor" really lived up to its name. Unfortunately there were nutrition issues back then, so the producers do have to be far more careful about that. In the end it is only a game show.
I'm trying to remember back to the early episodes on previous seasons. The premiere always only has an immunity challenge because it's already a packed hour. Am I wrong in thinking that episode two on almost always has a reward challenge and an immunity challenge? Okay, I just checked CBS.com and episode two of Cook Islands had them both as one, but episode two of Amazon had separate challenges. I'm not going to try to pinpoint the season this changed, but I wonder why it did. It could have been a cost issue, or maybe they were trying to not go through too many challenge ideas per season. Or, and this is the potential reason I like, they want to give us more of a chance to know the castaways early on. Especially considering tribes are bigger now than they were in the beginning.
Ravu made a good showing at the challenge and had the lead all the way through until it came time for the puzzle. Then they didn't do so well, and Erica screaming didn't help. It didn't help them win, but did it really cause them to lose? She wasn't screaming last week and they still lost on the puzzle.
This is one of those places where the reasoning in tribes really annoys me. Every season, pre-merge, all they really think about is needing strength for the challenges. Yes, that's an important factor, but nobody ever seems to talk about the need for intelligence. Ravu had the lead up until the puzzle, but at no point did they talk about weeding out stupid tribemates. Yet we always hear about sending the weak ones home. Granted, if I was there I'd want a lot of stupid tribemates. The smart ones are the bigger threats for that million. Unfortunately, I don't think that's why the subject is never brought up.
I said that I didn't think Erica's screaming didn't cost them the challenge. I really don't think it did. However, the frustration that led to the screaming, that is not good. Going into the challenges, you want people who can keep a level head. Frustration has cost many a tribe a challenge throughout the series. It kills teamwork, and it rubs off on everyone else.
It was really a 50/50 choice when it came to the vote. Erica's frustration can be deadly in a challenge, and they desperately need to win a challenge right now. Sylvia brings out a very ugly side of some of her tribemates, and if people are wasting energy thinking about how much they don't like her, they're not going to be effective in the game (though I'd say get rid of those who are so thrown off by one person). What it came down to was "Rocky" and someone else, I really can't remember who because so few castaways are particularly memorable right now, looking ahead to the merge and who will be a bigger threat later on. I like that, but there does need to be balance. It doesn't matter if you get rid of all the threats for individual immunity now if your numbers are so depleted by the merge that you will be picked off one by one. It doesn't necessarily mean you won't win the grand prize, as Yul from Cook Islands or Chris from Vanuatu can attest. All it means is that your job will be that much tougher.
So Erica was voted off, much to her surprise. As with last week, it wasn't unanimous (not including the losing castaway's vote). Despite her seething hatred for Sylvia, Michelle still wrote Erica's name down, but Anthony voted for Sylvia. Six days in, it's a little more reasonable to have more loyalty to someone, but if you're going to be that loyal where you will go against the majority, shouldn't you be loyal enough to warn your friend that they are in danger so that they have a chance to plead their case, or at least not be blindsided? If you're not going to do that, not writing their name down is a pretty empty gesture.

I am so glad that Survivor airs on Thursdays. The Amazing Race: All-Stars premieres this Sunday, making it three shows I cover on one night. Joy.