Survivor: One World - Episode Nine: You Always Have A Choice

This episode was certainly an opportunity for the guys to turn things around, and they failed... which really disappointed me because for some inexplicable reason, I'm just not rooting for the ladies! That's not say I don't appreciate some of them and their strategy, and maybe I'm more inclined to be swayed by the dashing men on this season, but it is what it is, right?

1. I was surprised by the awareness role reversal in the episode. 

Last time, it was Troyzan who got played and Jay who was hyper-aware of what was going on around him, and this time Troyzan played it safe and Jay trusted too much. I wish they'd managed to pull a fast one on Kim -- and they certainly had the possibility to if they'd played their cards right -- but I suppose Kim is just that good and Jay just lost sight of the game and what was at stake, which clearly Troy did not do.

2. If you want to win, you need to earn it. That means you need to participate in the challenges. 

I was so surprised at the number of people who either barely participated or over-confidently dropped out of that Immunity Challenge. What is this, who can "win" the best food!? No! It's freakin' Survivor! You're not supposed to be eating like a king, you're supposed to be surviving in extreme circumstances as well as playing a heavily strategic game! If you want someone to lose an Immunity Challenge, it's not enough to just sit on the sidelines and hope he drops out. You need to win it instead. That's the way winning contestants have thought in the past, and that's what I seriously missed this episode, as well as last year during that challenge right after Cochran flipped on Savaii. Survivor casters: forget the models, pick the fighters!!

3. I'm also tired of this "I don't have a choice" attitude. 

It's nice that Chelsea has a conscience and all, but when she says things like "I don't have a choice," I get annoyed. Of course you have a choice. Your choice is either to stick with the plan Kim has laid out for you and secure your chances to be in the Final Five/Four/Three, or find a new plan of your own that overthrows the very chick that might just kick your butt at the very end. Those are all choices, and those are all scenarios you need to think about. By saying things like "I don't have a choice," you're basically saying you're willing to ride with whoever steps up to the choices he/she has and follow. That's also known as riding coattails. I don't believe that's how Chelsea actually felt, but I am seeing too much of a similar attitude this season that goes hand in hand with the lack of determination to win challenges.

4. Who has the least chance of winning? 

In an interview between Jeff Probst and Dalton Ross of Entertainment Weekly, Jeff says that the only person he believes doesn't stand a chance to win the game right now is Christina, because people don't respect her and wouldn't vote for her even if she did make it until the end. Others argue Troyzan is the one who has the least chance of winning because he no longer has his Idol and Tikiano will vote him out as soon as he loses Immunity. And as much as I love and respect Troyzan, he ain't no Ozzy! That's not to say I don't want him to win. I am absolutely rooting for him and hope he can pull something out of his hat (and his abs). It's never over until it's over on Survivor...


Who do you think doesn't stand a chance of winning - if anyone? How do you feel about the contestants' attitude towards Immunity Challanges? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!