Survivor: One World - Episode Three: Places for Pride and Manipulation

Another super cool Survivor puzzle! 

This episode of Survivor saw me begin to feel some girl power solidarity... I'm still not super proud of my "team" so to speak, but even so, the men have fallen so deep into the chauvinistic and egomaniac stereotype that I can't help but feel defensive.

The exciting thing is: this season is inspiring many new reactions in me that previous seasons never have. That's not to say they're better or worse - but they're new, and that's saying a lot for a TV show that's been around for 24 seasons!

1. Should the girls be relying on the guys so much/at all/more?

In Richie Glanzer's blog post last week for Rob Cesternino's website, Sophie Clarke - winner of last season, and overall awesome chick who kicks ass as a representative of women anywhere - suggested that the girls weren't poaching off of the guys enough. She recommends playing the weak card and giving the men the impression that they are all-powerful... to then stab them in the back when the time is right. I have to say, my initial instinct was to wish for the women to be stronger and prove they don't need the guys; to tough it out like all the Survivor tribes before them who lost the tarp challenge and faced relentless rain had to do... But this season's set of rules should indeed breed a new set of strategies, and I think Sophie has a point. I'm still very eager to see how both tribes - and sexes - are going to continue to figure out what their best strategy might be. It's kind of like watching Season 1 all over again!

2. Shedding some light on the Manono [man?-oh-no] tribe proved they're not all d-bags. 

In previous episodes, viewers were slightly influenced to believe that all men - except for Colton - were egocentric, selfish, relentless, immoral bastards. [Flashback to them all agreeing to not continue competing in the first Immunity Challenge.] But this time, we finally got some more insight into the depth of the various tribe members. We got to see Bill through Colton's lenses (in my last post, I thought he seemed cool! as of this episode... it's hard to take him seriously), Matt through even darker scorned female lenses, and most of the members of the Misfits Alliance in redeeming lenses. My new favorite guy is Troyzan, who seems to have figured out a balance between being competitive and leveraging some power within his tribe while also being a gentleman and overall reasonable guy. Tarzan is also growing on me - aside from his ridiculous choice for a nickname. (At least Troyzan kept his original name in there...)

3. However, there's no way I could feel anything but totally thrilled that Matt got voted out. 

I don't like disliking someone on Survivor as much as I disliked Matt while watching the show. Especially now that I've met a whole crew... I know they're all really cool people playing the game the best way they know how - which let's face it, they usually don't seeing as they've mostly never played it before. [I can say I'd be an awesome player all I want, I really have no idea until I'm on that island dealing with the elements, the people I may or may not like, the challenges... That's part of the appeal!] Whatever kind of person Matt is in "real life," he handled himself extremely poorly on the show. Sure, he's strong and he was probably relying on that to be kept in the tribe. Of course, the tribe separation screwed him over in that sense and he had to find another strategy. But showing off your muscles and forming a macho-man tribe and strutting around thinking you've got all the power and being a total dick to the other tribe are certainly not appropriate strategy adjustments. If you want to hear something to help rid yourself of such strong feelings of animosity for someone you've never met, listen to his exit podcast with Rob and Nicole.

4. Is Colton a genius or a reckless drama king?

I mentioned in my last post that I felt strongly about the fact that Colton should have kept his Immunity Idol secret longer. And there he goes, flaunting it at Tribal Council like a diamond ring. But.... he doesn't use it like he says he would. Great - that maybe helps him for this Tribal Council, but how is he going to handle the rest? Does he seriously think that just because he has majority now and has made a point by helping to get Matt voted off (well, he wanted Bill off... so let's look at others for the job of puppeteer) that he's home free? If I were in his tribe, I'd stick with him, make him feel extra comfortable, and get his butt voted off as soon as I could, and the sooner the better. Colton is proving to be just as much of a power-hungry egomaniac as Matt...


I wanted to see more of the guys this ep, and my wish was granted! I'm still super pumped about this season and excited for the next episode! I think we're going to see a lot of adjusted strategies and interesting moves as the contestants get a better foothold on what their situation is... What are your thoughts and predictions? How do you feel about Matt getting voted off?

Survivor: South Pacific - [Delayed] Final Post: Four [So-]Fierce Fighters For The Win

Albert, Coach and Sophie... still in the dark.

Ok, I know that as a blogger for a TV show, there’s a certain time frame within which you need to have your post up in order to be considered legit’, and well, in order to keep readers engaged too.

Needless to say, I am far far far beyond that time frame. 

By now, I assume most Survivor fans have already read whatever it is they were going to read after the season finale, and are counting the days until the next season of Survivor begins.

To be honest, I think I delayed writing this post because I didn’t want to admit the season was over. I started writing notes for this post right after the finale; picked up again during my winter holidays; and here I am, just two weeks before the next season starts, still writing it. 

Of course I knew there was another season around the corner... but this last season will always remain near and dear to my heart, and here's why: While it wasn’t the best, it was definitely good; it had one of my all-time favorite returning players: Ozzy; it was the first season I decided to blog (and the first blog I’ve ever kept, period); and I happened to have met a whole bunch of Survivors, past and present, who made this immersive Survivor experience very special to me.

But hey, let’s get down to what actually happened in the last couple of episodes, shall we?

1. Ozzy.

He played an incredible game, took risks, competed boldly and embraced his environment to the fullest. He dominated in challenges, took advantage of Redemption Island, and though still clearly wounded by his last experience in the game (as we saw in the Finale), he played a strong social game and made lasting connections that would have won him the million and the title had he just won that last Immunity Challenge. That loss is entirely on him, and it makes sense that it would be… The game he played was very much a solitary one after his tribe got decimated, and in all likelihood it would have unfolded quite similarly had his own tribe been the one to eventually vote him out, as they undoubtedly would have tried to do. I can't imagine how devastating it must be for Ozzy to have come so close and choke at the very end, and though I think he would have deserved the win, I also think had he pulled it off, he would have "broken" all the "rules" of the game. (N.B. words in quotation marks to be taken lightly.) 

2. Albert.

Albert dug his own grave. For someone who I thought was so smart, he acted really short-sightedly and made some very bad moves. His intentions with the Jury were completely transparent, and he succeeded in fooling absolutely nobody. His move with Brandon was pure stupidity - even more stupid than Brandon actually giving Albert the Immunity Necklace. By claiming to be completely ignorant of the tribe's (and his!) hopes to vote out Brandon, he ensured that he would not win - and not get any votes - if he made it to the Final Three. The brighter thing to do would have been to use the second chance that Redemption Island offered him, let himself get voted off, take a stand against Ozzy, and, if he made it back, earn votes to win that way. Then, maybe, he would have at least had a shot. The worst part is that the guy still thinks he should have won. 

3. Coach.

Coach was brilliant this season. He beat so many odds, and worked his tribe so deftly that I would have given him my vote had I had one. Yes, he played up the religion side, and yes, it was exceedingly annoying at times. But it was also brilliant. He had Brandon, a religious "nut" (at least on the show); Albert, a Mommy's boy who believes; and Rick, a traditional conservative. Sophie wasn't going to say anything and had the brains to just go with the flow. Edna wasn't going to say anything either, and had the coattail rider's instinct to just go with the flow. It was a perfect plan. But the true brilliance in Coach's strategy is his ability to charm in a way that despite being obvious, is impossible to resist [see: Cochran.] Coach's only mistake, and what lost him the game, is that he didn't stand up for himself and his actions at Tribal. The Jury should still have seen his brilliance and let it go, but unfortunately, they did not, and unfortunately, Coach had some stiff competition with Sophie. 

4. Sophie.

Sophie, Sophie, Sophie! So-phierce. Or So-fierce. Yes, I would have voted for Coach if I could, but I would have had a hard time choosing, no doubt. I was a fan from the start, and was time and time again impressed by Sophie's willpower, her poise, her powers of observation and reaction, and her overall mad "Survivor" [not necessarily "survivor"] skills. That said, I wasn't the biggest fan of her plea at the Final Tribal Council. I think she went a bit too far in the logical breakdown of her strategy and could have afforded to show some more of her emotional and social game too - though I know her vulnerability in the previous episode was still fresh and she wanted to counter it. But even with the lack of "warmth" in the Final, Sophie can't help but exude her clever snarkiness - that might be and has been confused for coldness and superficiality - and proved that she deserved to be there, and that she deserved to win. If Coach and Ozzy had to lose, Sophie was by far my favorite pick for winner. And well, I also had a parallel desire for a non-returning player to win. So, YAY SOPHIE! 

5. Next season.

Am I the only who’s getting a bit tired of Survivor always being filmed in Samoa?!? I love the show, I don’t think that’s in question here; but one of the things I love the most is all the exotic places the seasons take us to… Australia, Africa, the Amazon, Tocantins, China, Central America… each landscape brings new challenges and new reliefs, and the diversity really adds something to the show each season. Or it used to… The South Pacific is gorgeous, don’t get me wrong! and if I were to compete on the show, I think I’d prefer to be on a sandy beach, where it doesn’t rain all too much and there are plenty of coconuts in the trees and fish in the sea. Seasons like Africa and China seemed particularly difficult what with muddy water sources, nowhere/very few places to bathe and few sources of food other than the rice or grits that were provided for them. So yeah, maybe Samoa is a good Survivor location for the actual players, but I wish the producers would keep exploring the world.

Eh,  regardless, next season looks awesome! Looking forward to it!

Survivor: South Pacific - FINALE in 15 seconds

Ohmigosh, what a momentous evening...!!! First of all, I had a prior engagement and couldn't watch the finale live. Then, the show started 30 minutes late, and my friend didn't set the live reunion show to TiVo, so the recording stopped literally right before the Final Three were revealed. So I took a cab home, and decided to wait for CBS to put the show up online... and in the meantime, recorded an initial 15s reaction at that point:




Then... when I finally got to watch the remaining 30 minutes... WOW! I'm so happy for Sophie! I love her, but I seriously can't believe she pulled it off. I knew she'd make it to the Final Three - or at least thought she deserved it - but I thought Coach had this one in the bag... Or Ozzy, had he made it to the end.

I can't even begin to say how disappointed I am that Ozzy didn't make it... I really think he deserved it, and he used the resources he had, came back, had so much heart and such determination. It just slipped away. But, he did tweet that he'd make his million "the old fashioned way," and I hope he does!

As for Tribal Council, I thought Cochran and Edna were both awesome and said just the right things. That's the first time I've actually liked Edna in the game, and what she said is the one thing I really reproached her: she wasn't aware enough that the whole point of the game was to be duped. As for Cochran, he said exactly what I thought, and voted for whom I would have voted had I been in the Jury. So... Shoutout to you, Cochran! :)

Here are my 15s post revelation of the winner... And I'll write a final South Pacific blog post this week! One thing I will say now: I was SO invested in this season, it was insane. It wasn't perfect, but I loved it all the same and I'm sad it's over. Looking forward to February 2012!

Survivor: South Pacific - Episode 12 in 15 seconds

I don't even know where to begin...

The past couple of weeks have been a gift. I went from having nobody in the city to watch Survivor with to seeing the latest ep with none other than my amazing friend and co-writer for this blog, Deeksha, and ended the night having drinks and great conversation with an awesome group of Survivors, both past and present.

Who was there, you ask? The first person I recognized walking into the bar was Stephen from Tocantins. Also present were Sash (Nicaragua), Brian (Guatemala), Eliza (Vanuatu; Fans vs. Favorites), Francesca (Redemption Island), who was nice enough to include me in this gathering, and Sophie, Cochran and Ozzy. I apparently just missed Courtney and Sandra, who were also in town.

Before I go any further, let me just say how unbelievably chill and fun-to-be-around all of them were. I was worried I wouldn't be welcome in the reunion, but to the contrary, they were all really friendly, and their favorite topic of conversation was the same as mine: Survivor.

For those of you who know me or follow my blog, it's no secret that Ozzy is one of my favorite players, and that despite his flaws in playing the game, I can't help rooting for him every time. What I noticed from meeting him - and to a great extent, many of the others - is that what you see is what you get. He's a really chill guy who's easy to get along with and who has an exceptional relationship with nature. He might come across as arrogant or cocky at times on the show, but I don't think there's any harm in just saying it as it is: he's good at what he does, and he's not bashful about it. And I don't think he should be.

Cochran was an exciting discovery. He's also quite the same as he is on the show, but without the editing, so you don't get exposed to just one side of him in buckets and all at the same time. He's witty and approachable, with quirks that make him interesting and a lack of confidence that I hope will fade with time, because there's no reason for it.

And though I didn't interact much with Eliza, if she ever came across as annoying on Fans vs. Favorites (I haven't seen Vanuatu yet), she's nothing close to that in person. She's super bubbly, seems really caring (that's one thing I love about this whole group: when they like each other, they genuinely seem to care for each other) and she's clearly really smart.

15 seconds just couldn't cut it to describe this... but here they are anyway:

Survivor: South Pacific - Episode Eleven: Emotions. Decisions. Consequences.

I've rarely seen Ozzy that focused. He clearly
had this one in the bag. 

As I mentioned in my last post, I got to watch this episode of Survivor with Sophie herself, and Francesca from last season. (Thanks again to my friend Maz, who made this happen!) That means that the first time I watched it, I was in a bar, trying to follow the action, keep up with delayed captioning and contain my excitement about talking to actual Survivors about their experience.

As awesome as all of this was, I definitely missed a lot of the strategic happenings of the episode, so I watched it again when I got home later that night, and this is what stood out to me:


1. Redemption Island has become Emotion-Ville. 

In the past, when players were eliminated, you'd catch a glimpse of their shock/disappointment/sadness as Jeff snuffed their torch, then you'd see their recorded post-elimination confessional. These were sometimes sad, angry, appreciative... Impactful, but still clearly from beyond the game at that point.

Ending your journey on Redemption Island however is an entirely different story. It's so emotional! Remember Russell's tears as he got eliminated for the first time ever on Survivor? It's heart-wrenching... I really liked Jim and Dawn. Seeing Jim throw his buff into the fire and hearing him express his love and respect for the game tugged at my heartstrings - Jim might have been less vocal about it, but he's clearly as much of a fan of the show as Cochran is - and I was begging Jeff to let Dawn keep her buff when she asked if she had to throw it in! As nice as it is in a way to witness these moving moments, I feel that they are better placed at the end of the episode during the credits, separate from the game. It may sound cold-hearted, but really, it's because I'm too sensitive to withstand it - and because I don't want to waste any Survivor minute on something that is no longer part of the game.

2. Players are being more vocal and strategic plays are surfacing more blatantly. 

Edna is waking up; Albert is playing to the Jury; and Sophie is speaking her mind. All of this is great to see, and refreshing, separately from how I feel about each move. I still don't like Edna, and think she's done nothing to actually deserve remaining in the game; plus, the fact that she actually believed she was equal to the others in the alliance makes me respect her even less - even if that could be attributed to Coach, Albert and Sophie's powers of conviction. Albert has been shown in a completely new light, and it's not very flattering. I'm not sure how that's being perceived by the other players, but from their comments, it seems like they are aware he is playing for Jury votes. I think his decision to give up his reward didn't help him in the slightest due to its transparency, and certainly won't get anyone else to choose him "in return" seeing as he didn't give up his reward for any of them. As for Sophie, she has mastered the art of speaking her mind while not drawing too much attention to herself. I think she's quite a serious threat, waiting to pounce, and I would love to see her in the Final Three after having made a swift and lethal move.


3. At this point, there are two possible ways the former Upolu tribe can vote off their own. 

This is it, the Upolu tribe (+ Cochran) has to start turning on itself. There's nowhere left to hide. This means a) things are going to start getting interesting for the viewer, and b) things are going to start getting ugly for the tribesmen. The easy first vote at this point is definitely Cochran. He's the last to have joined the family, and youngest doesn't mean cutest, most cherished and most secure in Survivor families. If they want to delay the slaughter, he's the obvious target. Beyond that, there are really only two ways Tribal Council voting can go: The "honorable"/solid/stubborn alliance way, or the eliminate-the-biggest-threat way.

So who is the biggest threat? Definitely Coach I would say, though it isn't obvious because he continues to lay low (even if it is easy for us viewers to see through him) and because he's just not that threatening in challenges, which mitigates his danger. Albert, Brandon and Sophie are each threatening in their own ways too: Albert's strength, Brandon's lack of self-control and of "malleability" as Jeff pointed out, and Sophie's determination and subtle but effective strategic nature. Who will come out as being most threatening is a question of circumstance and opinion... which might make it difficult for an easy consensus in voting to be found.

That leaves the "sticking to the alliance" route, which would effectively see Edna, Rick and Brandon leave before Albert, Coach and Sophie. The order of elimination would depend on who showed their irritable sides the most first. Then the Final Three would be determined by who came back from Redemption Island. If by some miracle that person is Cochran, he'll go right back where he came from. If Ozzy keeps going the way he has, he could win his spot in the Final Three, making it a very interesting finale.

4. Upolu's betrayal of Cochran might end up being a good thing for Ozzy... 

While I think Cochran deserved his humiliating exit, I also think it wasn't a smart move on Upolu's behalf in terms of Jury support. Putting aside the idea that Cochran would be an ideal candidate to sit next to in the Final Three, slighting him the way they did guarantees that Cochran not only regrets his decision to flip, but also that he might try to "redeem" his own betrayal of Savaii (this is Redemption Island!) by voting for the only remaining Savaii member, should he make it to the Final.

The next question is... Would Ozzy stand a chance in the Final Three? I thought not, but if you count Cochran, Savaii does have a 5-4 majority in the Jury now, which can only bode well for Ozzy if he can get himself there. Obviously, there's no guarantee all Savaii members would vote Ozzy's way... It might be safe to assume Jim and Keith would, and, given that Upolu spent all their energy in seducing Cochran and then betraying him rather than win over potential Savaii votes, Dawn and Whitney might as well. Furthermore, as bad as his social game has been overall, Ozzy has been quite the Redemption Island host, and though that's not a social game we have witnessed as much, it's just as important, particularly because it's the departees' last impression before leaving the game...

Two more episodes left! I am so excited I can hardly stand it.

To end on some exciting news, I'll share an inside scoop from the Survivor ladies I met on Wednesday: Next season, which thankfully will not include Redemption Island, promises to be one of the best yet. Just a little something to look forward to, beginning February 15th...

So, what are your predictions for the Final Three? Who would you vote for? Player of the Season: Sophie, Coach, Ozzy, Jim...? Let me know what you think!

Survivor: South Pacific - Episode 11 in 15 seconds

L to R: Sophie Clarke, Francesca Hogi, Maz and I

After a small Survivor hiatus for Thanksgiving (which did include some enlightening new scenes in the retrospective episode!), I have come back full force and I'm ready to take on the rest of the season!

How so, you ask? Well, for one, I finally met Sophie Clarke! My awesome friend Maz (to whom I am eternally grateful) hit me up back on Episode Two to let me know he and Sophie were in med school together and reading my blog. I had initially mentioned that I was going to meet them the following week, but of course things didn't quite happen so fast... Regardless! I never lost hope, and my patience brought me to this day, when Sophie was throwing a Survivor viewing party in the city.

Francesca Hogi from last season's initial Survivor: Redemption Island was also there, and I felt totally Survivor spoiled. As I discovered, Francesca is absolutely stunning in person, and just lovely all around. It's a real shame she didn't get much attention last season. Next stop for her: Mount Kilimanjaro, which she is climbing next year with Eliza Orlins (Survivor: Vanuatu and Fans vs. Favorites) and Ashley Underwood (Survivor: Redemption Island) to raise money for Flying Kites Global, an organization that helps the world's poorest children. Help her meet her financial goal here.

Sophie was awesome as well. Because she got some good camera-action and had her game-face on the whole time, it was fun watching this particular episode with her. She definitely grew to be one of my top picks this season, and though I know her lips are sealed (and furthermore, I want nothing to do with spoilers!), I'm hoping she's among the top contenders for the money.

Below you will find my 15s reaction post episode, Take One. I did watch it again properly when I got home, given the crowd and noise at the bar. Survivor ain't no football game, after all!