Each week on this blog, I'll write up some thoughts paired with a short video on the latest episode of Survivor. Because Survivor is the most awesome reality show on television. Who's with me?!
The Survivor: Philippines finale is impending... and in my excitement and impatience, what better to do than watch all the Ponderosa videos back to back? RC, Jeff, Artis, Pete, Penner, Carter and Abi all get put under my Survivor-fan-oscope... and the winners for favorite are by far Penner, followed by Pete. And maybe, surprisingly, Abi.
All in all, I'm confident this jury will take their voting responsibility seriously and aside from RC, who has reserved all her bitterness for people who are now out of the game anyway, they can all remove their emotions from the vote and make reasonable decisions. Bring it on, Survivor!
Favorite quote of Ponderosa: "Recognizing yourself is very powerful." -Pete
As predicted, the merge took place this week on Survivor and all hell broke loose -- making for both good TV and interesting new avenues for our lovely season 25 contestants.
At the Immunity Challenge, Denise kicked butt yet again! I certainly hope she will keep doing so and stay safe as long as possible. I think she could have probably outlasted the guys in this challenge, and I think they know it too... so let's hope that doesn't turn against her.
Given that two Kalabaw members won the Immunity Challenge though, I was even more surprised that they still turned on each other and targeted Penner. That was a very stupid move on their behalf, and though I understand that Denise and Skupin probably just went along with it, I would have hoped they had been able to talk some sense into Jeff and Carter and stick together as a reigning new 6. They would have easily taken out the Pete/Abi/Artis alliance -- which I seriously can't stand -- and anything would have been possible for Jeff, Carter, RC and Skupin... Penner on the other hand looks like he's bound to be ejected at some or other, and now it's just going to be about watching how. I'm still rooting for him, but my hopes aren't very high.
Malcolm and Denise are still keeping their cards close, despite Lisa's intrusion... Let's hope that all works out for them. We didn't see much about it this week.
What's next Dangrayne? (Possibly one of my least favorite names for a merged tribe...)
Here are my thoughts and feelings about this week's episode:
How do you feel about this episode? Will you miss RC? Does Penner still stand a chance? Let me know in the comments!
Watch as this great big ball of complexity unwinds...
My my, how times flies...! We're already at the end of Episode 6 of the season, which means.... the merge is imminent! Every decision counts! (Well, every decision always counts, but they're even more important at this point in the game.)
I can't say this episode was the most exciting of the season, but it's a solid continuation of a strong season, and in that respect, it's still very much worth watching. There are really only two main things to discuss from this episode: the deal struck between Kalabaw (read: Penner) and Tandang (read: Mike Skupin), and Penner's actions which led his name to be thrown around preceding Tribal Council.
Things I'm looking forward to are Abi (hopefully) digging herself into a hole with her actions, RC picking herself up and getting back into the game (she's grown on me, what can I say?), the merge and seeing Malcolm and Denise reunite.
And here are my thoughts in 120 seconds... Go! [Note: I talked about the "Immunity Challenge" at the top of the video when I meant the "Reward Challenge..." Oops!]
Maybe we'll see these two warriors facing off again at the end... *fingers crossed*
How refreshing to have such a solid season of Survivor! I'm bummed about certain series of events, but only because I'm invested -- not because they're a result of lackluster candidates or lame [or worse: no!] moves. Welcome back, Survivor!
Speaking of welcomes: welcome back Reward Challenges! I was waiting and waiting, and finally, they are here. I suppose they were delaying them in order to give more air time to the contestants (which failed in many ways... right Kalabaw?), but I'm excited to see some more of those signature Survivor challenges back in action!
On my mind this week are my disappointment at Matsing's decimation, a.k.a. the separation of Malcolm and Denise, how they've played their cards as a result, how Dawson made a huge mistake that definitely cost her the game, and how I would totally have hugged Jeff Probst had I been in her position. Also, and this isn't in the video, I'm very impressed and relieved to see that Penner has his game face on and is kicking butt as far as I can see. It was a rocky start, but somehow, he managed to make most of his bad moves in one go at the start when he had several free Tribals to buy himself time and make amends to climb his way to the top. Well done!
Without further ado... my latest video... in 130 seconds. Note at the end: first Jeff mentioned = Jeff Kent, last Jeff mentioned = Jeff Probst. Obvi.
What were your thoughts? Excited at the twist? Disappointed? How about that leap across the pit that Carter landed in the Immunity Challenge... rad, right?! Any predictions for the next episode? The preview sounded exciting... Yay Survivor!
Someone needs to tell Dawson that is not a
Survivor-appropriate bathing suit.
It's getting harder and harder to get my videos under 90 seconds, so I might have to rethink my strategy... but there were a lot of things that made my wheels turn and overall I really enjoyed this episode as well.
First thing: the way the Hidden Immunity Idol is in plain view. That brings up a whole set of new questions about how to go about "finding" it. Do you take it and hide it like other Idols? Or do you rather hide all the clues and leave it where it is to avoid other people noticing its absence and asking unwanted questions? I feel like I would have been so excited to find it that I might not have made the right call on this -- and I don't think Penner did.
Other things on my mind: RC vs. Abi-Maria and the debate of who I dislike the most; Malcolm and Denise continuing to kick butt despite being on a losing tribe, and Angie being eliminated over Russell.
PS. I made a mistake at the top of the video and called the red tribe Tandang instead of Kalabaw, so please disregard that!
