Survivor: Fiji - Aired March 21

I wonder if Survivor's producers, after Stephenie became the last member standing of the Ulong tribe a few seasons back, came up with something they might possibly call the "Palau Contingency", a plan disguised as a twist just in case one tribe keeps getting their butts handed to them immunity after immunity. Heck, at least Ulong managed to win a reward challenge or two. Ravu can barely even win our sympathy.
This possible contingency plan likely states that if one tribe loses often enough, rather than have them just keep losing until the merge, things will be shaken up and the tribes remixed.
After all, what are the odds that this particular twist would happen on the season where one tribe wouldn't win a challenge if it was "Guess which hand I'm hiding a quarter in"?
So the tribes were reforming. Earl from Ravu and Edgardo from Moto got to be the "captains" and choose who they'd like to have on their teams. To nobody's surprise on the first season where only members of one sex have been voted out so far, they each pick a guy. Everyone had to pick from the opposing tribe, so Edgardo chose Mookie and Earl chose "Boo". Yeah. Mookie picked a guy too, but "Boo" chose Michelle. Oh! That was unexpected! Edgardo's team picked man after man, but Michelle called out Cassandra's name! Don't you get it, Michelle? You have to choose strong! STRONG!
It was interesting to see it all shape up. Earl's team ended up with Stacy and Yau-Man as well, while the "weakest" member of Edgardo's team was Anthony. Personally, I think the weakest member of that tribe is "Rocky", but more on that later.
It did come down to Yau-Man versus Lisi at the end, and when Yau-Man was picked, Lisi was sent off to Exile Island where she would remain until after Tribal Council, when she would then join the losing tribe. Like that worked out really well for Sylvia.
Lisi didn't take any of this well and started talking about how her time on Survivor was over, raising the ire of host Jeff Probst. Jeff doesn't like to hear people talk about quitting, damn it! I'm sure he's got Osten locked away in a dungeon somewhere, but the FBI won't take my calls seriously enough to investigate.
After the tribes were picked and Lisi was carted off to her snake-infested island, there was only one matter left to settle. Who would get the luxury of Moto's camp?
In one of the greatest reward challenges ever, Edgardo got to pick one of two buffs out of a bag!
Sometimes good things do happen in life, and Edgardo picked the Ravu buff, meaning this new Ravu tribe would have to go back to the crappy Ravu camp and the new Moto would get to go on to the sweet island life.
I admit, I was a bit biased against Edgardo's tribe because it was all men. The sexist nature of much of the voting has driven me to that. Ravu kept voting out woman after woman, yet they still kept losing. This fetish for physical strength obviously hasn't been the issue. And never mind that a couple of the woman voted out were physically stronger than Yau-Man. He's a man, it even says so in his name! That makes him strong! Seriously, it's been driving me crazy.
This kind of sexism isn't new to Survivor, but it reached new lows with this episode and with this new Ravu tribe. I'm not saying they're Saudi or Taliban bad, but damn, the Ravu tribesmen were full of themselves for having penises and as such would own the rest of the season! Booya!
In 14 seasons of Survivor, there were tribes I've wanted to win or lose so bad I could taste it. The aforementioned Ulong in Palau, Morgan in the Pearl Islands, Yasur on Vanuatu, and heck, Aitu last season, all teams I loved to see win and really, so very much wanted to see win. None of it has come close to how much I wanted to see Moto win immunity this week and send the sexist pigs to Tribal Council. Granted, not all of them are sexist. Anthony didn't come across that way, and the guy was seen as the weakest member of the tribe and treated like it. Especially by "Rocky".
Screw it, "Rocky". That's the last time I'm going to use that stupid nickname on you, James. Up until now, James has been loud and obnoxious with the worst of his sexism coming out when he couldn't stand Rita talking as a woman with another woman. His hatred of women came out in full force in this episode, along with his hatred of men he perceives as weak, or as he kept referring to Anthony, "effeminate".
Ladies and Gentlemen, we finally have a full-blown villain for this season. Unfortunately, he's not an entertaining one like Mirna and Charla are on The Amazing Race. No, sadly he's just a homophobic, misogynistic asshole with too high an opinion of himself. It's my blog, I can use that language if I want.
It was impossible to take him seriously when he told us that he loves women. He loves talking to them, though that claim doesn't hold up well considering that he went after Rita because she, you know, talked. He loves being with them, he loves paying for sex with them... Okay, he didn't say that last part, but he clearly sees women who aren't his family as lesser beings and quite possibly as objects. Hell, how did he insult Anthony? But comparing him to a woman and calling him "effeminate". That brought to light not only his misogyny, but his homophobia too. If the cameras weren't on him, I wonder if he would have used even more derogatory terminology. Maybe he did, but the producers opted not to show it.
Oh, and he's a bully too. A misogynistic, homophobic bully. The way he treated Anthony around camp, expecting the man to do all his work while putting up with his verbal assaults was horrendous. Good on Anthony on not letting loose and punching him in the throat, because damn, James deserved it.
So yeah, James has now beaten "Jonny Fairplay", Scout, and Twila as my most disliked Survivor contestant ever. Congratulations, jackass.
I thought it would be too much to ask after the testosterone squad ended up as Ravu that they'd also lose the immunity. Daaaaaamn, I wanted them to lose. There's no way to get such goodness twice in one episode.
The great thing about watching it on tape, which is what I did with this episode, is being able to fast forward through the competition. There was just too much at stake for me to be able to handle the mistake. Once Moto won and I let the cheers out, I rewound it and watched everything unfold. Damn, that was the sweetest win ever.
Now we were finally going to get to see a man voted out. It wasn't as good as it would have been if there would have been at least one woman on that tribe (Lisi will be joining them next week, so after the way she treated "Dreamz" and Cassandra, maybe there really is some karma in the universe), but it was going to be nice to see.
Unfortunately it was looking like that man was going to be Anthony, someone James convinced everyone else is the weakest link. Anthony didn't just stand by and let this happen though. He made sure he let the others know just how much negativity James brings to the tribe, and oh, does he ever.
Instead of all those women being voted out one by one, I wonder how much better Ravu would have been if they got rid of James early. He hasn't done anything to keep them in contention at the challenges, and he has been a hugely negative force in camp. There was no reason to get rid of Rita other than that she annoyed him, and he's quickly turned on any alliances he's had.
One small problem that escaped both James and Anthony is that by turning on themselves, neither of them are going to have numbers on their side. Whichever one goes, that leaves the other and Mookie as the only two original members of Ravu, and when Lisi joins them next week, that will be Edgardo, Alex, "Dreamz" and Lisi from the original Moto against Mookie and whoever is left. What they needed to do was stick together, and feel out who would most likely flip from Moto. Last week "Dreamz" couldn't wait for the merge so he could change sides. Nobody but us knew this, but nobody will know it if they don't try to find out these things.
Earl on the new Moto is becoming Realivision's choice to win this season. He was smart enough to know that numbers matter on Survivor, and he was able to get Cassandra over on his side. Luckily they never had to go to Tribal Council, but if they did, I strongly suspect it would have been a former Moto member going home. Sadly it would have been Stacy as the only other choice would have been "Boo" and why would they vote him off when there's another woman they could send packing? Damn, I'm really hoping the women have noticed this particular numbers issue. The best they (and Yau-Man) can hope for now is that once the merge happens, the manly men start picking each other off.
There is an amazing lack of foresight on the show this season. The only people we've seen really thinking ahead have been Alex, Earl, and "Dreamz". Most of the old Moto were happy where they were, and the old Ravu were just wanting to try and win the next challenge, concentrating on strength even though it was puzzles that kept doing them in. This is making any actual strategizing a breath of fresh air. Too bad for the former Ravu that they're stuck with a genius like James on the new Ravu. Done right, this mixing of the tribes could have been the best thing that ever happened to them.
Before getting to Tribal Council, something happened on the new Ravu that left me questioning the producers. They caught fish. Normally this wouldn't be worth noting, but the old Ravu never got fishing equipment. So how did the new tribe get fishing line? If they're going to do this twist, then the new tribes should have exactly what the old tribes did, nothing more, nothing less.
Okay, Tribal Council. As expected, it was down to James versus Anthony. James continued to be a bully, calling Anthony "effeminate" and berated him for his lack of social skills. You may think you do, but you don't truly know the meaning of "irony" until you've seen James bitching about someone else's lack of social skills.
The looks on the faces of the men who weren't going home as James kept flapping his hateful gums gave me hope. Anthony did tell them what a negative influence this ass was, and they were obviously seeing it. Or just feeling bad for Anthony. I really hope they weren't feeling bad for Anthony because they felt like this crap was something he needed to hear. He doesn't. He's fine just the way he is. I'll take a dozen of him over one James any day.
I did like how he stuck up for himself, though I would have thrown a couple of f-bombs at the f-wad. He wondered if being a jerk was what it took to be a strong, manly man, and he didn't think they needed the extra drama and negativity in camp. Well, maybe he should have been an ass, because the new Ravu voted him out.
Unbelievable. James is an idiot and has never, as far as I can remember, been a physical asset. Maybe because he's so loud and obnoxious he comes across as stronger than he is, but he's only going to keep dragging Ravu down for as long as he's in the game.
Though with the new tribe dynamics and wanting to see Ravu keep losing, I'm not so sure that's a bad thing.

Survivor: Fiji - Aired March 8

Last week it was all about the idiots, and there was more of that this week, but there was also some sexism (which is just a form of idiocy in itself) and even some glimmerings of intelligence from some people who realized that there is more to Survivor than the challenges.
While there is still nobody to really get behind and cheer on, at least those with the glimmerings are giving us people we'd rather see over some of the other horrible players this season, and oh, there are some horrible players.
Due to their domination in every competition, we haven't met too much of Moto, but we finally got to learn what a wonderful bunch of loveable winners they really are. Of the seven people left in their tribe, five are in an alliance, leaving two in the wilderness. Alex did the math and realized that if they merge at ten people, "Dreamz" and Cassandra could well join the remaining Ravu members, tying the numbers at five and five. Oooh, good catch. The problem is, his alliance is comprised mostly of jerks. Yes, I'm keeping my language clean for you, my PG readers. Yes, those jerks were treating "Dreamz" and Cassandra like poo. We see it time and again, an alliance gets a numbers advantage and the power goes to their heads, but rarely does it seem to get as dehumanizing as this. At most, those in the minority are left to do more than their share of work, but what we saw here was beyond ridiculous.
The worst offenders appeared to be Lisi and Stacy, though "Boo" was getting his fair share of assholeness in with those two. Really, would it have killed them to let Cassandra have better than just the coffee grounds?
With the possibility of "Dreamz" and Cassandra joining forces with the remaining Ravuites, perhaps, just maybe, possibly they should consider treating those two a little better. Edgardo agreed, but the other three showed a complete lack of forsight and saw no reason to do this. Putting the game aside, and how often do I do this, but an even better reason to treat them better is that they are human beings, and it would do one well in life to realize this and show some humanity. "Why should we start treating them well?" Because, if nothing else, you're showing yourselves to be assholes on international television.
So good job figuring out the numbers, Alex and Edgardo, but you started to lose me when some sexism crept into your discussion. They called "Boo" stupid, but said that Lisi and Stacy were being "irrational", because that's how women are, you know. If they called all three stupid, or all three irrational, I'd be fine with it. But when it's just the women being described with a word that's been used to belittle women's intelligence for centuries, well you kinda start to lose me.
Well, here's a bit of irrationality coming from a woman - just being nice to the two outcasts isn't going to do a bit of good now. Nobody wants to play for sixth and seventh place. Before you started being assholes, you should have been making "Dreamz" and Cassandra feel like they were equal parts of your tribe and your alliance. Even if Lisi, Stacy, and "Boo" bought into the idea that treating human beings as human beings might be a decent (in both of its common definitions) idea, it's too late to make a difference. I'd know that even if "Dreamz" didn't tell us that he and Cassandra were planning on going to Ravu as soon as the merge happens.
I want to see Moto lose a challenge, and that's got nothing to do with all of this, and it's certainly nothing to do with wanting to see Ravu, the not-so-plucky underdogs winning. I'm just tired of seeing Moto walk away with everything.
In the immunity challenge, it almost happened. Not so much the reward challenge where it wasn't even close. They had to pair up against each other, and with big cushions, knock their opponents off a platform into some mud, first to seven points wins. "Rocky" called out "Dreamz", only to have him knock him off in a matter of seconds. The only Ravu tribe member to win in their round was Yau-Man, who knocked off Stacy. And so Moto got their third set of fishing gear, some potatoes, the aforementioned coffee, and some toiletries. and Ravu got nothing.
Despite all we've seen at Moto, it was likely that Ravu was going to go to Tribal Council again because we saw too much of them too. Anthony has been on the edge of being voted out for a while now, but someone new has been getting under "Rocky's" skin. Rita. You see, it turns out Rita likes to talk, and when she talks, it's all about somewhat shallow girly stuff, and this drove "Rocky" crazy. You see, when he's having conversations with people, it's all about the economic ramifications of the Kyoto accord vs. the imminent threat of global warming on Earth's delicate biosphere and the non-renewable nature of fossil fuels. Or at least that's what you'd assume from how affronted he was by Rita's assault on his ears. I strongly suspect his conversation rarely veers from cars, sports, and boobies, but I wouldn't say that because that would be stereotyping and that's just wrong.
Week after week, the most negative influence in the Ravu tribe has been "Rocky". I don't get how they're not voting him out yet. It's obvious that this tailoring for strength thing hasn't been working (especially when they're voting out Erica over Yau-Man because she got frustrated in one challenge). They should be trying something different and getting the negativity out of camp, and "Rocky" is the place to start for that.
Sure enough Ravu lost the immunity challenge. They managed to get within one point of winning their first competition but managed to blow it as always. The most frustrating part is that they should have won! It was basically an oversized version of Concentration, you know, where you have cards or other images turned face down and you have to match pairs by remembering what is where. In this version, it was all numbers and words turned over. Near the end, most of the pairs were matched up, and there were a few dummy choices where there weren't pairs, but enough was turned over that it should have been very easy to remember what was where. "Okay, they just turned over a 9, and it was between that one and that one, five over from the side." Easy, right? Sure, if you're not a member of Ravu.
Well, there was some jockeying for votes back at camp and there seemed be enough of a majority to vote off Anthony, but this wouldn't be Survivor: Fiji if they voted off a man while there are still women left in the tribe. Of course it was Rita's turn! If Michelle is shocked about leaving next week (no spoiler, it's pure guesswork based on voting patterns), she will obviously not have been paying attention.
This is five women in a row voted off. I've no doubt that's a Survivor record. I don't even have to double check it, that's how sure I am. Other Survivor records this season include the longest the hidden immunity idol has gone without being found, and of course the most challenge losses in a row by any one tribe. Even Ulong in Palau won a couple of rewards, their first in episode two. Heck, judging by the previews of the next episode, I wouldn't doubt the producers have invoked what they might call "the Palau Contingency", a mixing of the tribes if one is overpowering the other and winning all the immunities.
Something else of note. There hasn't been a single unanimous vote at tribal council yet (and when I say "unanimous", I mean everyone except the person going home). Michelle should be particularly concerned, because not only is she the last woman on Ravu, but she's also the only one other than Rita who voted for Anthony.

Survivor won't be on next week. It will be returning Wednesday, March 21, so don't miss it.

Survivor: Fiji - Aired March 1

Gah! These people are idiots!
But before we get to the rampant stupidity that is ruling this season, another castaway has had their game shortened due to health reasons. Whatever happened to Gary (or "Papa Smurf" as this annoyingly nick-name obsessed cast insists on calling him) when he fell in that challenge a couple of weeks ago just wasn't going away, so the medical crew was called in for a second time. Unlike their previous visit, this time they left with Gary and Jeff Probst announced later that Gary's game was over.
Unlike previous game-ending health problems, this time around there was still going to be an Immunity Challenge and Tribal Council. That's okay for Moto though. Even though they just lost their first tribe member leaving them only one person ahead of Ravu, they've got the advantage in not sucking at challenges. All they have to do is win the next immunity and they'll be back to a two person advantage. Unless they do something very moronic. What are the chances of something like that happening with this cast?
Never mind answering that. So this week, let's look at the stupidity of different groups and individuals.
Anthony is stupid. He is hanging on by a thread, so he really should be trying to avoid friction with tribemates. Why he's not trying harder in the competitions is beyond me. It's not all his fault though, as the dislike some of his tribemates have for him is affecting their ability to work with him, as evidenced by the reward challenge. Which brings us to...
The Ravu tribe is stupid. It's only 39 days on the island, and even fewer until the merge. I don't care how you feel about someone. Suck it up and work together.
"Rocky" is stupid. Just shut up.
The women are stupid. When Ravu arrived at the reward challenge, the ratio of men to women jumped right out at me. The challenges aren't just physical strength, and this strategy of keeping the men around obviously isn't working. It's time to rethink that (though they might be doing that as Anthony is likely their next to go). It's no better on Moto where two women think they have a chance in an alliance with three men. There have been strong male/female alliances in the past, but more often than not, the men stick together. Everyone who has read this blog since the start, please repeat after me... WATCH THE DAMNED SHOW! The first person voted out of Moto was yes, a woman. Not that Liliana wasn't asking for it.
Liliana is stupid. On paper it seems like a good idea. Suck up to the men, give them backrubs, use your sex appeal. Except that this never works as the women can see what you're doing and as soon as they get the chance, your ass is gone. If you're going to try flirting as a tactic, at least be subtle about it.
"Dreamz" is stupid. What the hell was that? Do you really think that there are no alliances in your tribe? Here's a hint - if you don't think there are any alliances in your tribe on Survivor, you're in HUGE trouble as that just means that nobody has approached you about one and you were too stupid to approach anyone else. Then to top that stupidity off by calling a tribal meeting and throwing out two names for elimination, not giving any thought to them as people. It's one thing for someone to think they're expendable, it's another to go out and say it in front of everyone. That's not just stupid, that's being an ass as well. He's just lucky to be a strong man or he could well have been gone this week.
The men are stupid. See "The women are stupid" above. As much as physical strength is good to have around, it's also important to have brains and a cohesive tribe. Get over yourselves already.
Moto is surprisingly very, very stupid. What the hell?!!? Probst had a sealed bottle with him this week, something that's never good, and it was to go to the winning tribe after the Immunity Challenge. What was in the bottle? A choice. Comfort or Immunity. Easy decision, right? They just lost Gary for health reasons, if they go to Tribal Council, they'll lose another tribemate which will bring them back to even numbers with Ravu. But no. The morons chose comfort! Every single one of them who voted for comfort is very stupid. You never know how safe you really are (right, "Dreamz"?) so you never want to put yourself at risk if you don't have to.
I really hope Liliana voted for comfort. And I really, really hope they lose the next immunity. How comfortable will that couch and bed be then?
They're stupidity doesn't end there. I'm trying to find good reasons for them to send the people to Exile Island that they have been, and there's been nothing consistant. Exile Island is still relatively new, this is only the third season of it, but it would be great to see a tribe use it to try and weaken their opponents. If they were just sending players they're perceiving as weak so they can have a chance at getting the hidden immunity, that would be one thing, but they sent Earl, someone nobody could call weak.
I still can't believe they chose comfort. Yeesh.
The producers are stupid. A bed! On Survivor! As if the couch and everything else at the Moto camp wasn't bad enough! Sure, it's been interesting to finally see how this has worked out, but it still takes away from the integrity of the game.
So much stupidity. Four episodes in and there is nobody I want to cheer on to win. That's not a good sign. That doesn't make the season horrible to watch though. It just means fewer highs and lows. It is unfortunate that the only reason to cheer against certain people or tribes is to see their idiocy hurt them.
I'm not big on alcohol, but I need a drink after watching this one...

P.S. It seems there are people out there not sure what it was that snake was regurgitating (I just read the Survivors Strike Back blog at CBS.com, and two people there were asking). It was shedding its old skin. If you look back, you'll see its old skin collapse once it was left it. It was fascinating and disgusting all at once! Dang, biology is awesome.

Survivor: Fiji - Aired February 22

Ravu confuses me. I really don't know what's going through this tribe's minds. Other than season one when Richard Hatch created the concept of alliances, when has a tribe been this fractured this repeatedly at tribal council? Now I'm not saying that's a bad thing from an entertainment perspective, but it becomes more obvious every week that this tribe has no idea how to play this game. There hasn't been a single unanimous vote so far this season, and 14 seasons in, this is a very unusual thing to see.
It's a weird thing. I've been driven crazy in the past by the incessant need for people to vote with the majority, and it's kinda nice to see a tribe not worry about that, but there seems to be no strategy at all in anything they do.
But more on the divided tribe. First, let's look at the losing tribe that can't pull out a win to save their lives.
On the slip'n'slide challenge... What the hell? You really need this win! This isn't the time to be taking dainty little steps. Watch the people who fling themselves onto the slide and follow suit! That way, even if you can't get the ball into the basket at the end, nobody can accuse you of not trying and you'll look like you really want to win the challenge. I'm particularly thinking of Syvlia, but she wasn't the only one who didn't try hard enough.
In the immunity challenge, Ravu had people taking dainty little bites and making sure the food was completely chewed before swallowing. There isn't time for that! Get it into small enough chunks to get past your gullet and swallow hard! If you start to choke, there are people standing by who can give you the Heimlich!
Before this, the most losingest tribe we ever saw was Ulong on Survivor: Palau (Stephenie and Bobby Jon's first season). They made it all the way to the merge without winning a single immunity, but for the most part, they at least tried in the challenges and were able to pick up a reward or two.
Tangent time. I will argue to my dying breath that Angie in that tribe got screwed. In the challenges, it was consistantly the women in that tribe that stepped up and gave the competition a run for their money, particularly Stephenie and Angie. Yet the stereotype that you need manly strength to win challenges held out despite the evidence to the contrary. When it's the men who keep costing you wins, it's time to look at getting rid of them. Particularly, in that season, James.
Which brings up another issue. One thing you need in Survivor is a good, strong alliance. There's no argument there. However, that alliance is going to be no good to you if it's not going to get you anywhere. Angie was hurt by the sexism inherent in thinking you need manly men to win, but she was also hurt by not being part of the alliance, the alliance that was going to be no good to anyone if it doesn't make it to the merge fairly intact. There's no point of loyalty in a game if that loyalty is going to cost you the game (as opposed to real life, for the record). James should have been cut loose and Angie brought in. If this had happened, there would have been a much better chance of more than just Stephenie making the merge.
Another great example of needing to get rid of alliance members earlier than one would have liked was in Vanuatu. It was also a great example of changing strategy when it needs to be changed, and for keeping an eye on your alliance members instead of just trusting that they'll stick to the plan. And don't be so stuck on getting one person out that it's going to cost you the game (but start voting out your alliance before getting rid of all your opposition either unless you really need to). When Scout and Twila started showing signs of disgruntlement, they should have been kicked out of the alliance and Eliza brought in. Instead, they got together with the sole remaining man, Chris, and got to Eliza first. Even though she didn't particularly like them, they made her feel safer than the others did and that helped turn the numbers away from Aimee's alliance, and that gave the game to Chris who got to the end against all odds.
So why am I spending so much time looking at past seasons, other than for the lessons they have to impart? Well, I hate to say this, so far this has been the most boring season yet. At least when Ulong was losing, they had tribe members you could cheer on. Three episodes into Fiji and there's still nobody I care about. Ravu is an underdog, but they are seriously lacking the spunk or any other redeeming qualities that would make me want to see them persevere.
Even though we know little about the people on Moto because they do keep winning, we at least have had "Boo" and his accident prone ways to enjoy, but at the immunity challenge this week he showed himself to be a sanctimonious twit over a little smack talk from a tribe that needs to win and could use a little psychology against their opponents to help them do it.
However, who would have thought that the first member of Moto to risk leaving the game because of injury would be Gary? He took a pretty bad fall in the first competition, resulting in him being unable to breathe properly. Suspecting a broken rib or worse, the medics were called in to check him out and they passed him as healthy enough to keep playing. He managed to do quite well in the eating competition, but judging by the previews for next week, it's not looking good.
It'll take a lot for Survivor to match Treasure Hunters though. That show had only one season, yet they managed to have two game ending injuries and one game inhibiting injury (if you didn't watch Treasure Hunters or follow Realivision's fine recaps (my pride and joy of my recaps, I must say), then you missed Miss Realivision 2006, Melissa Witek, playing with a hairline fracture in her arm). Damn, it would be nice to have a Kayte Fogal on this season of Survivor. She made my job so much easier.
So how broken is Ravu as a tribe? First there was "Rocky" coming up with an idea, but instead of presenting it to the group like a normal person, he had to make it clear that he wasn't trying to be a leader, he's just throwing it out there, and they can decided if they think it's a good idea or not. This hatred of leaders thing is pathetic. It's one thing if the person who tries to step up is a horrendous leader, but it's another because everyone loathes being told what to do. This tribe deserves to be decimated.
Where does the tribe stand on who to vote out? Mookie was pissed with Anthony's performance during the immunity challenge, so he wanted to see him gone. Then there was the contigent who still wanted to say goodbye to Sylvia. "Rocky" put it out there that she might have the hidden immunity idol, and it wouldn't be a bad idea to put a few votes towards Anthony so that if Sylvia does have the idol, the vote will then deflect to him. It was actually not a bad idea, and one would like to think that's why the vote went the way it did, but with this tribe at this point, you really have to suspect the worst.
Perhaps the most bizarre moment was Rita talking about making a move, then being the only person to vote against Earl. I really don't understand this tribe.
Well, if the split vote was part of a plan in case Sylvia had the hidden idol, it was for naught as she was indeed immunity idol-free. Even tough she was the underdog on a tribe of underdogs, I'm not going to miss her. She didn't play to stay other than some half-hearted digging for the idol, so having her leave is no loss.
If I'm mistaken and the split votes were the plan, then I'd like to apologize to Ravu for thinking they're completely useless as a tribe.
There was one bright spot for Ravu. Michelle, who I don't care for thanks to her entirely uncalled for and unexpectedly intense hatred for Sylvia, was able to start a fire without flint thanks to the use of a pair of spectacles. It's about time someone's glasses were put to this use! As long as a tribe has lenses, barring nothing but cloudy or rainy days, there is no excuse for them to go without fire.

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.

Survivor: Fiji - Aired February 8

For the first two seasons of Survivor, I missed the first several episodes. Season one was a cultural phenomenon, but it didn't sound interesting enough at first to get me watching. One day there was nothing else to do and everyone was talking about the show. I was hooked right through to swearing loudly several times after Richard Hatch won. For the record, in hindsight I'm glad he did. My appreciation for how these games are played has long since changed, and he played brilliantly. I've also come to appreciate drama and friction on the shows, and I do regret my vote to get rid of Will Mega in season one of Big Brother. But here we are in the first paragraph, and already I'm rambling.
Season two of Survivor came around, yet in spite of getting drawn into the previous season, again I didn't feel like watching at first. It was the same story, one day came around where I had nothing else to do and once more I was sucked right in.
I learned my lesson and I've watched every season since from the premiere on. I bring this up, because one of my favourite parts of any season is the first several minutes. From Jeff Probst giving his usual countdown from 39 days to only one survivor, to the mad chaos we are often greeted with when contestants are made to jump from their ship (I know this isn't always the case, but it's always the best). Last season we had players madly grabbing for supplies before they ran out of the time. Nothing has ever topped the season (Vanuatu possibly?) where the camera pulled out from Probst's face and he was standing at the mouth of a volcano.
Unless I missed it, not only did we not get the countdown that should lead into the credits (the theme music starting after he says "one survivor" always gives it an extra punch), but the castaways were shown all together rowing on a boat. Where were the dives? The splashes? The mad swimming for safety?
Nothing. Nineteen people confused as to why they were not split into tribes yet. Congratulations, Mark Burnett, creator of Survivor. This was the most boring entry into a season yet. Luckily it's still Survivor and it's still enjoyable. But next season I want to see Probst being lowered into a shark cage as he gives his countdown and I want to see the contestants jumping from a luxury liner. Those first minutes need to GRAB us! You need to try and top Pearl Islands where Rupert won us over by engaging in a delightful act of piracy.
Okay, now that I've got that off my chest, let's get to the show and it wasn't all bad. Some of it was quite good in fact, and some of it was quite annoying. This season we have 19 contestants, though there were supposed to be 20, but one dropped out at the very last minute. That had to have pissed a lot of people off, especially the person who just missed the cut in favour of that woman (9 women, 10 men, it's easy math). Nice going, Quitty McQuitterpants.
There was a lot of consternation. Where was Probst? Where are their buffs? This was all so confusing, but it can't be good. The producers had to have something evil in store for them!
As it turns out, they did. Building. Probst threw a crate down at them as he flew by in a small plane, and I hope they tethered him before opening the door. Some of the stronger men had trouble breaking the crate open with brute strength. It took one of the oldest and physically frail men to get it open by using his brain and physic. Way to go, Yau-Man! Not only was he able to succeed where stronger men failed, but he proved himself useful around camp in many other ways right from the start, what with originally being from one of the Malaysian provinces on the island of Borneo. True fact: I lived for two years in the town of Miri, which just so happens to be in one of those provinces, Sarawak. That fact alone makes Yau-Man my early favourite, and from what I've been reading, he's an early favourite out there in Viewerland too.
The crate contained a map and instructions. The castaways were to use the map to find where a whole crapload of supplies were waiting. Once they found the supplies, they had to work together to build not just any shelter, but one of the best shelters ever on the show consisting of a sleeping area, a kitchen area, and an outhouse with a real toilet seat.
I don't know if it was coincidence, or her vocation helped get her picked for the show because of this task, but it so happens that one of the contestants is an architect. Perfect! Sylvia is an expert at this stuff, so just listen to her and you'll have it all up in no time!
Of course, this is Survivor. It's not Survivor if you don't have people bitching about being given orders. I honestly don't know how some of these people survive the real world, let alone a distant island jungle. "I don't like people ordering me around!" Suck it up! Do you even have a job with a boss at home?
Then there are those that don't want to work hard. They're on a beautiful island, can't they just relax and enjoy it? This is season 14 of Survivor. FOURTEEN! If you don't know by now that you're going to have to work, don't go! But there are still people who don't bother watching the show and learning from past seasons before they apply or are recruited. Yeah, Survivor recruits contestants. All those shows do. Something to do with not enough pretty people applying, I think. Even if a Canadian could apply, I know I'd never make it on the show, what with being a hideous troll. That's show business. The non-telegenic need not apply.
So despite having someone who knows what the hell she's doing, the shelter wasn't built in time the first day, and the castaways were greeted by a storm their first night. Ooooooh, that's why the shelter should be built quickly! Suffice it to say, the shelter was finished fairly quickly the next day. Good for them.
With 19 contestants vying for camera time, we're not going to meet everyone in the premiere, but we did get to meet three people with annoying nicknames. First was "Boo", but that's really all we got to see of him. We also met "Rocky" and "Dreamz", both of whom ended up arguing the second night, so we saw a lot more of them. "Dreamz" told us in an camera confessional that his plan was to be noticed by everyone. Okay, so he doesn't want to fly under the radar. That's alright. I'd try to stay a little more in the background the first few days, be a hard worker and a strong competitor, but there are several valid strategies. Except the way he decided to be noticed by everyone was by being loud, obnoxious, and not letting anyone get any sleep. "Dreamz" needs to go, and I'm not just talking about his horrible nickname.
Finally we got to the first challenge, and that's where Jeff Probst dropped the bombshell. First, he asked everyone if a leader had emerged yet, and they all agreed on Sylvia. He asked her to come join him. I suspected she would be the first of two captains, and they'd each get to alternate choosing tribemates. But oh no, it was not to be. Instead Sylvia was given the task of separating everyone into the two tribes! Oy vey!
This is one of the reasons it's good to keep a relatively low profile at the start. I'd hate to have been in that position. You never know what's going to piss someone off early on, and unless you know where you're going to end up, you're going to have some very tough decisions.
There were times I suspected she was trying to load one tribe with strength, maybe thinking she'd get to choose which one she gets to join. That's a huge mistake. Never assume on this show. The best option here is to try to match the teams up evenly so that it doesn't matter where you end up.
Sure enough, she had no choice in the matter. After the two tribes were chosen, Sylvia was sent to Exile Island (this time around a place filled with dangerous snakes and somewhat of a shelter up high on stilts). She would then have to join the losing tribe after Tribal Council. She may not have a lot of physical strength, but I think that is very overrated in this game (by both contestants and viewers, sorry, but there is a strong mental component in a lot of the challenges too and let's not forget the very important social aspect of the game), and this means that the first losing tribe won't immediately be shorthanded.
Oh, and the losing tribe would have to leave the camp they helped build and go to another island where they'll have nothing but a pot and a machete. Jaws dropped.
There was a level of strength required for the first challenge, but it all game down to knots and puzzle-solving ability. Huh? HUH? See! Brains! There's a reason zombies don't shuffle around trying to eat muscles!
And so Moto won the first immunity challenge, getting not only one of the most evil looking immunity idols to date, but a couch for their shelter, a jungle shower, hammocks, cutlery, and other assorted items. Sweet.
Ravu, on the other hand, had to go to their new home. In addition to their pot and machete, they got a bit of a cave. Most of the tribe looked on the bright side of this development, but Erica wasn't happy at all and she couldn't understand how the others could be. It's called "not bitching and trying the make the best of a situation", Erica! Yes, use it to build a fire under yourself and try to win from here on out, but don't dwell on it! Oh, I shouldn't have said "build a fire". It turns out they weren't given flint, so they have no fire. At least they have Yau-Man. If he can't keep them alive, nobody can. They should at least be able to drink enough coconut milk to keep from getting too dehydrated.
However, before such silliness like shelter, food, fire, or water, there's something more important to take care of. Scheming! We've only been able to see one alliance form so far. Erica, Jessica, and "Rocky" (because, when Erica and Jessica talked before the tribes were split, they said they needed a man (picture my eyes rolling here, even if it's not a horrible idea)).
They felt strong enough as an alliance that they felt safe. But who do they influence the others to vote out? It should be a woman, of course, according to "Rocky". Of course. Because all women are weak competitors and all men are strong competitors. Who would you rather have on your tribe, Stephanie from Survivors Palau and Guatemala , one of the toughest competitors ever (I don't care what people say about her after Guatemala, she ran that show), or Osten from Survivor: Pearl Islands, the first ever castaway to quit the show. I really hate the sexism and ageism that dominates the pre-merger game.
Anyway, this alliance decided that Rita should be the one to go, and they figured the matter was settled. Jessica and "Rocky" also agreed that if either of them were the ones on the block, they'd tell each other.
You'd think that he would have held up his end of the bargain, but it turns out a three person alliance carries little weight in a tribe of nine people, and pretty much everyone else decided that Jessica should be the one to go. When her name was read at Tribal Council, it was very obvious that "Rocky" never told her, and she was completely blindsided when she was the first person voted off.
Jessica, you were in an alliance of three. Unless you know who most people are voting for, never assume you're safe.
Interestingly enough, even though "Rocky" and Erica didn't tell Jessica she was leaving, they told each other they couldn't bring themselves to write down her name. After three days. In a game where you need to make it all the way to the end to win a million dollars. Write down her friggin' name! If she doesn't understand by the time the episode airs, she wasn't much of a friend after three days!
But they didn't all vote for Rita either. Jessica was the only one who wrote her name down. The other two voted for Yau-Man and Mookie. Mookie. That's gotta be a nickname too. Interesting strategy, if you're going to suck enough not to write down Jessica's name. I hate that they refused to vote for her when it was obvious she was the one leaving, but if you're going to do something stupid like that, I like the way they went about it. The only thing they could have done better was be more strategic about the names they picked to write down. Spread a little paranoia in the right people. But if they weren't smart enough to write Jessica's name, they weren't going to be smart enough to do that. Yau-Man's not a threat to anyone right now, and Mookie's name is Mookie, even if he is one of the strong, young men. I would have maybe picked Earl, and possibly Michelle, though I am fine with Mookie.
So that was it. Far from the best Survivor premiere yet, but with enough good elements to make it not horrible. I can't wait to see how this season shapes up. One thing I haven't mentioned is that instead of one hidden immunity idol, this time around there are two. Sylvia's clue points to one of them being hidden somewhere back at her camp. That should make for an interesting search.


Realivision Update - You may have noticed the title already, but I've shortened it to just the name of the show and the air date. With the new labels system Blogger allows, I see no reason to have it at the beginning and the end now and so "commentary", "recap" and "partial recap" will now be relegated to the labels at the bottom of the posts.