Survivor: South Pacific - Episode Six: Loyalty vs. Strength + Conviction vs. Alliance

Coach might not have been the man in H vs. V,
 but he certainly is now. 

This season of Survivor is not disappointing, that’s for sure. Well, aside from the fact that Ozzy has lost several positions at least in my Survivor ranking of favorite players. But I’ll reserve judgment until I’ve seen how this all plays out.

That said, Savaii has really impressed me. I particularly love to dislike Jim, and Whitney’s maturity and strength have seduced me slowly slowly. Keith seems to be in control of the tribe – in a smart way, with Whitney by his side – even if Jim thinks he’s the one in charge. Cochran’s quirkiness has always been endearing, and I love that Dawn called out Ozzy when he was picking a fit. On Upolu, Coach, Albert and Sophie maintain their positions as my favorites. More on that below.

Let’s get stared, shall we?

1. Ozzy, my Ozzy, what has become of you?

As expected, I got quite frustrated with Ozzy in the last episode. His “free agent” nonsense and divulging that he was in possession of the Immunity Idol (?!?!?!?!?) was nothing short of a temper tantrum that not only strips him of much of his all-star title (I don’t know how you can be an all-star when you make “moves” like that on Survivor) but also puts him at a serious disadvantage in the game, which he probably deserves. I’m glad he made amends; rewards certainly have great power to that effect (remember how Shane regained Danielle’s favor at a big reward after he had yelled at her and called her names even though she was in his alliance in Survivor: Panama?). And I think it’s great that he wants someone from his alliance to win the million, because at least that’ll avoid him throwing a second? third? umpteenth? temper tantrum when he doesn’t (even if he makes it to the final three).

2. And Christine takes it again! But she is seriously weakened. And bitter.

Kudos to Christine for stepping up time and time again and showing her fire. However, fires that burn from resentment and bitterness fade sooner than fires of motivation and passion. Her behavior towards Rick at the Immunity Challenge was disappointing. And beyond that, she looks terrible. Obviously, I can’t fault her for that, but the way I see it, her anger is stripping more energy from her than life on Redemption Island. My prediction is she won’t win the next Immunity Challenge.

3. Loyalty versus Strength: Why can't you have them both? 

Edna is loyal. Mikayla is strong. But these qualities are not mutually exclusive. Though it is apparent that Edna is not physically strong, and that Mikayla is, loyalty is not as easy to establish and strength is not simply measured in weight. Furthermore, I don’t believe that Mikayla was not loyal. And I don’t believe that Edna necessarily is… All this being considered, at least Edna is attempting to compensate for her lack of physical strength with mental determination by weaseling her way into the tribe strategically. Mikayla is just floundering stubbornly, so I’m glad it was her time to go this week.

4. Conviction versus Alliance: One thing is sure, Respect is not in question. 

The dynamics within Upolu were very intriguing to watch. The core alliance of Coach, Albert and Sophie was split. This means that a) we got to see a lot more of Rick! and b) Coach and Brandon inevitably got closer again – as demonstrated by Coach’s “I love you, man” at the end of Tribal Council. That said, I don’t think it’s over between Coach and Albert and Sophie. In fact, I think it’s awesome that Albert and Sophie stood by what they believed, argued their point to Coach and tried to convince Rick to vote with them as well. They showed no disloyalty to their alliance and lacked no integrity in justifying their cause. Coach must be impressed by that. 

5. While Ozzy drops in my favorite Survivor players ranking, Coach rises steadily.

Mikayla’s ultimate elimination did turn the tables in a direction that I quite appreciate: Coach has gained a tremendous amount of power in the tribe, and it’s power that his allies cannot do very much against. He made his point, honorably and with integrity, and came out victorious. Even if I am not convinced of Edna’s loyalty to Upolu, I am certain there is no way she could or should waver from Coach. And that in itself guarantees that Coach has more friends than anyone else in this game right now. And friends are power. Add the Immunity Idol and a solid, smart team if it makes the merge and Coach could smoothly secure his way to the end.

If I could add a few remaining stray thoughts right here – which I can because hey, this is my blog! – they would be:

- I like that both tribes seem evenly matched and I think we’re seeing some great strategic moves on both ends;

- Brandon’s comment at Tribal Council about eliminating him if his tribe was going play the game disloyally was thoughtless and stupid, but I suppose there’s no surprise there;

- I’m dying to see what this “big move” Jeff Probst is talking about is!

Predictions? 

Survivor: South Pacific - Episode Five: Playing It Smart or Playing It Safe?

We've got a cute mirroring effect happening here... 

Sorry folks, this one took me a while to get to... I guess I was just putting off having to run that disgusting pig gnawing challenge through my head again. I knew that was going to be the grossest thing ever - and it was.

As I mentioned in my last post, I'd made a few predictions for this episode that all turned out to be spot on. Unfortunately, I didn't take enough risks in my Survivor Fantasy selections, so my score still sucks (won't even dare to disclose it here - too embarrassed...). But I do take pride in being accurate anyway, even if it saddens me that this means Ozzy is now on the hot seat. [From the preview: A free agent, Ozzy?!? What game do you think you're playing?!]

1. Am I rooting for Christine on Redemption Island? Could I be...?

I didn't think that would be the case, especially given how vehemently I disliked her in the first couple of episodes, but as it turns out, I've caught myself siding with her in the duels. Now that Elyse is there though, I'm in a bind. I want Elyse to stay, if only for Ozzy's sake, as I think I'd love to see Ozzy have a great comeback - more so than just coasting through the game in fact. But the willpower and mental strength I see in Christine is subtle and seductive. In tomorrow's episode, I will most likely secretly root for Elyse while believing more in Christine.

PS. That Redemption Island challenge is one of my faves! I think it first appeared in Tocantins, in the final three Immunity Challenge. I've been wanting to try it ever since!

2. Information is key. But is it as deadly as Coach and Albert fear? 

Sure, Stacey's outbreak on Redemption Island was an immature - yet very entertaining - manifestation of rage and resentment, and of course it was meant to sabotage her previous Upolu tribe mates. But will it have as dire an impact as Coach and Albert keep whining about? I'm not sure. The merge is still far in the game and everyone knows a lot can change until then. I actually think the fact that Albert came back to Upolu and so clearly voiced his concern about the revelation of his alliance with Coach and Sophie is what may undermine my favorite trio - but in their own tribe, before the merge. They're the ones who have most to fear, not Savaii just yet.

3. Jim is smart; but is his poker mind making him paranoid? 

It looks to me like Jim is seeing things that just might not be there. I like his thinking, and mostly, I like that he IS thinking (as opposed to almost everyone on Boston Rob's tribe last season - Andrea being the only exception). But I wonder (in a very Carrie Bradshaw-like way), is he creating scenarios that are too far-fetched? His conclusions from Ozzy's comment that Coach should take out Albert are a clear case of "thinking a few steps ahead," which is of course always a good thing. That said, Ozzy really didn't seem to be thinking along those lines so unless Jim's intuition and flair sniffed something out before Ozzy even realized his own strategy, Jim's sharp mind is soon going to start playing tricks on him. However, if he is right, and he very well could be, Ozzy should take a step back and seriously reevaluate his position. Actually, Ozzy should be doing that anyway.

4. I never thought I would say this, but COACH IS SO CUTE WHEN HE GETS EXCITED!! 

Man, I am totally in love with this Coach/Albert/Sophie trio. I hope they make it far. I love that Albert found the Immunity Idol clue, and though I think he could have tried harder to find it himself, I love that he shared it with his close allies. I was impressed at Coach's nimbleness when searching for Idol, and even more impressed (and surprised!) that he elected to share his discovery with Albert and Sophie.

I just finished watching Survivor Panama: Exile Island (in my goal to catch up on all the best previous seasons) and seeing how stingy Terry was with his Immunity Idol not only rubbed me the wrong way, but was extremely poor strategy in terms of social game. The Idol is so much more than a protective object, it's power in its purest form in the game of Survivor, and if used wisely (for instance Yul's strategy in Cook Islands), can help totally change the course of the game. So I have high hopes for Coach this season, and they keep getting higher.

5. I am not even going to discuss [disgust?] that Immunity Challenge.

6. Cochran's herpes talk was an I-D-I-O-T-I-C move. 

First of all, when you're on Survivor sharing coconuts, eating utensils, water, sweat, tears and everything in between, you better be prepared for the fact that you're going to be sharing germs too. A pig 'feasting' (ha!) challenge is not going to make a bit of difference with that. So why on Earth did Cochran think it would be a good idea to mention herpes and communicable diseases to everyone and totally freak them out? For a smart and witty Harvard grad, I'm disappointed. That's not just socially awkward, it's dumb.

7. Did Whitney and Keith make the right move - or the cowardly one? 

Seeing the scrambling going on at camp was a joy! I do enjoy a good Survivor move in the making. However, I'm dubious as to whether or not Keith and Whitney played it safe or smart. Clearly, they have the potential to be in control of the tribe. Their decision is what eliminated Elyse. However, their intention, as I understand it, was to not cross anybody. But we all know what happens to contestants that play both sides and get caught... I'll reserve judgment until I see how they attempt to pick up the pieces with Ozzy and Jim respectively.


An exciting episode, no doubt. What really transpired for me was how much I enjoyed watching these folks, and how reluctant I was to see anyone leave. At this point, aside from Rick (is that his name?) and Brandon (dammit! I was trying to avoid giving him the light of day in this post...), I'm excited to see all these contestants develop and make their moves!

Survivor: South Pacific - Episode 5 in 15 seconds

15 seconds is just not enough to share all of my thoughts, but it'll have to do for now!

I thought this episode was very exciting. Turns out all my predictions came true: that Christine would beat Stacey (whew-ee!) in one of my favorite challenges, originally from Tocantins; that Upolu would win the challenge and that Ozzy would be in trouble.

More thoughts and reactions will be coming your way soon. Until then... here is my quarter-minute Tout update:

Survivor: South Pacific - Episode Two: Immunity Idols and Idiotic Insights

Cocky or just excited? Good move or cursed find? 

Yesterday was an incredible day. Not only was I in Washington D.C. visiting two of my favorite people, but I also a) bumped into Adechike from So You Think You Can Dance in a Chinatown Starbucks [figures I’d have to leave NY to bump into someone (semi-) famous!] and b) an old friend from college texted me saying that he was hanging out with Survivor: South Pacific’s very own Sophie, and they were READING THIS BLOG!!!!! To make things even more awesome, I’m going to watch Survivor with them a week from this Wednesday. Needless to say, I’m super pumped.

So pumped even that I rewatched the second episode of the season last night with my boyfriend, his Dad, whose interest I had piqued with my unfaltering ebullience, and a good friend of ours.

So without further ado, here are my thoughts from the episode:

1. Ozzy finding the immunity idol is both really exciting and dangerous.

Impressive monkey-skills and initial excitement due to favorite contestants finding Immunity Idols aside, Ozzy getting his hands on this Immunity leaves me with mixed feelings. Not only do I find it kind of strange that the idol was placed in almost the exact same way as it was in Fans vs. Favorites when he found it on Exile Island, but I also think it wasn’t his best move overall. Ozzy’s main issue is his social game and he needs to work extra hard to make sure his fellow tribe mates want to keep him around, without him having to use the idol to stay in the game. In Cook Islands, Yul demonstrated very effectively how the Immunity Idol was most useful: to get power in the game. Keeping it for the purpose of saving yourself on one occasion, provided you play it correctly, is not very helpful on the long run. And my main concern with Ozzy is that his natural confidence – which sometimes borders on cockiness and over-confidence – will return and he’ll pay less attention to his social game, thus shooting himself in the foot once again, and failing at the whole redemption thing.

2. The whole Keith/Jim/Ozzy alliance leaves me largely underwhelmed.

Ok, so if Ozzy might border on cocky in some instances, Jim is full on obnoxious. “I’m the mastermind and the architect of this plan”? Yeah, think again. That said, Keith handled the situation very smoothly and is turning out to be a physically strong but also socially apt player – always exciting qualities to see develop – easing my initial skepticism around this season’s mighty male players along the way. I will say Jim is entertaining to watch and is coming up with some memorable quotes along the way. But his “cool kid” attitude is going to get him into trouble – and I won’t mind one bit. (I mean really Jim: “I don’t see any of us 5 flipping.” Do you even know how this game works? And do you really expect to be certain of that 4-5 days in?)

3. I miss separate reward and immunity challenges.

This week’s challenge was exciting to watch, not least because I love a good comeback (especially when Ozzy’s at the helm!) but I can’t help but be disappointed it was a join reward/immunity challenge once again. If they can’t even give us two separate challenges before the Redemption Island duels begin, then it’s not looking good for later in the season. And that makes me sad… Come on! Survivor is also about the physical aspect of the challenges, ­­and beyond that, the way people react to reward challenges and the decisions they make around them can have a large impact on the game. It’s a shame to reduce that component. I’d much rather see more of those strategic moves than searching for hidden Immunity Idols.

4. Christine dug her grave, and deserves to lie in it.

Speaking of hidden Immunity Idols, Christine made a big mistake searching for it as openly as she did. It was obvious she was going to follow in Kristina’s – her namesake from last season – footsteps. She made a handful of other important mistakes too, like shunning Coach right off the bat and making no effort to mend that relationship, and being so aggressive both at camp (though her confrontation with Edna was really entertaining and I will look forward to seeing how Edna attempts to compensate for and/or improve her social awkwardness) and at Tribal Council.

5. Brandon is train wreck waiting to happen, and I’m eating it all up.

It looks like we’ll be seeing a lot more of his downward spiral into good vs. evil in the next episode, but we got a good look at how shortsighted, naïve and impulsive Brandon is this week, unflattering editing aside. While I think that divulging his identity to Coach turned out well for him because of Coach’s honorable game playing philosophy, I also suspect it had absolutely nothing to do with strategy. He just couldn’t keep his mouth shut. His performance at Tribal Council confirms this suspicion… You can’t just declare that you were behind sabotaging someone at camp – and a completely faultless and honorable someone at that – and not explain why or at least extend an apology. I’m sure if Brandon told Mikayla he’d feel more comfortable if she wore shorts around camp, she’s be happy to oblige (which would be a good strategic move for her too). Trying to get her kicked off for entirely selfish reasons is not the right way to go about it. Everyone likes a good train wreck, but this is taking it a bit far.

6. A Tribal Council like I like them! But why must the women always be first to suffer the initial elimination?

Tribal Council was a treat this episode! At first, I thought Coach was being reckless and stupid, but somehow he managed to come out on top of his “gloves off” policy. Albert impressed me in his eloquence and strong argumentation skills. (I love smart players on Survivor!) Mikayla needs to work on more than just her physical skills if she wants a chance to get deeper into the game. And why the hell did Stacey and Christine not vote together? Throwing away a vote is no way to either protect yourself or get yourself in any solid alliance. Neither one of them is going to last long. And though I know that weakness is the main criteria of elimination in the first Tribal Councils, I find it offensive and honestly narrow-minded to so obviously target the old and the female in the tribe. Look at Palau’s season: the ‘older’ and arguably less fit tribe of Koror killed the younger and stronger Ulong tribe with their strategy and brains. It’s time to open your minds a little more kiddos!

I’m looking forward to the Redemption Island duel! Who’s your money on for the win? (I’m going to bet on Christine, though I wouldn’t be opposed to Semhar getting herself some appropriate redemption by kicking butt.) What do you think of the Immunity Idol situation? Who’s shaping up to be your favorite player this season? Leave comments below!