I have to apologize for my tardiness but two episodes in one is hard to digest. A lot of new information to add but it was very consistant with what we had been shown up to now.Aruba, I like to write my assessment without outside influence so I will have to come back to comment on what you wrote. Just by seeing your rankings, I see we'll have lot to discuss.
Previously on Survivor, at the Manu tribe, Wendy was making enemies.
At the Kama tribe, Joe thought he was making friends
We heard Ron saying that he wasn’t aligned with Joe who was dangerous.
At the Lesu tribe David and Devins saw eye to eye and so did Lauren and Kelley, leaving War Dog in the middle.
At Tribal Council, War Dog made up his mind.
Another summary that greatly favors War Dog and this time it’s not fabrication; it really was his decision. Another thing to note is that Ron’s portrayal is a lot less evil than it could have been. We didn’t hear about his trick to go through Joe’s bag with Julia’s help.
The Comeback KidsThe Reward Challenge
I really liked the rule that each player had to land a bolo but guess what? Kama still won and it was another absolute disaster for Lesu.
Kelley had the first interview of the players not on IoE (after 8 minutes of airtime!): “How bad can we be? When you’re putting David who basically acts like a female, he weighs less than me, it’s like we have three girls and War Dog. So I’m just trying to figure out what to do because we can’t win anything.”
Maybe one thing that they shouldn’t have done was eliminating Chris! I know, the swap would have probably been different with one different player but you can’t complain about losing challenges when you vote out your best challenge performers. If it was a good strategic move then you have to deal with it and be ready to see rewards go away right under your nose.
Kama Day 12
Julia had her first interview of the season! Winning that reward showed us again that the Kama tribe is a force to be reckoned with in this game. We are completely dominating and we’re on this winning streak. However, it is in the back of my mind that Joe is the biggest threat in the game right now so I would rather get him out of this game sooner rather than later.”
Joe’s interview: “We’re all love and sunshine on Kama right now, it’s Kama strong but it’s pretty obvious that I’m a big target and that I’m a challenge beast so it sucks. It’s really difficult to try and shake that stigma so I’m just trying to do everything I can to make it comfortable for my tribe mates, make them feel like they need me so that I’m not the one going home.”
Ron’s interview: I’m in a good situation, game-wise, and since Day one I’ve been telling everyone that we have to get rid of Joe but now I have another consideration: Joe is a workhorse. I mean he does everything and a lot of people on our tribe do not. We’re not catching the fish and we’re not getting all the food. We don’t know what to do. So, I’m starting to realize that I don’t like the idea of camp without Joe. I think I’d be miserable”
Ron’s confessional was really underlined by selected images that fit perfectly in the story that only Joe can do it right: Aurora failed in getting the coconut, Ron himself didn’t catch a fish, I don’t know what Julie was doing at first but it wasn’t working and then she went to the ocean where she stood motionless, just looking at the ocean probably wishing the fish would volunteer to jump in the net she was holding. If we needed any other hints that none of these Kamas can possibly be portrayed as the eventual winner, we have it right here.
Ron opposed Julie’s idea of eliminating Joe but she countered that they could survive without him.
Julie’s interview: “Joe cannot go too far in this game. That’s a no-brainer and I’m very concerned that the four returning players are all still in the game. If you don’t get rid of returning players by the time the merge hits, they could end up running with the whole thing. So, if we were to lose immunity, Joe has to go now.”
OK, not all 4 returning players will make it to the merger but 3 of them will so should we take Julie’s words as an omen and say that the returning players will indeed end up running the whole thing? It’s a possibility but the fact that one left could be enough to counter Julie’s “prophecy”.
Manu Day 12
Erichad an interview: “Peanut butter and jelly is something like a flavour change, some proteins. It’s pretty good but I’m so hungry today. Today is like the first day that I’m real hungry. Wendy doesn’t want us to eat the chickens so they’re free range; they’re part of the island. Working with Wendy is like carrying around an alarm clock but you have no clue when it’s going to go off but there is the issue of the returners; the longer they’re in the game the more dangerous it gets. So, like all things in the game; it’s a balancing act.”
Aubry compared Manu to a waiting room because nothing was happening. Right then, a chicken came to taunt her! Her goal was to find someone with whom to talk strategy.
Aubry was about to get her wish; she did come across a strong strategist in Victoria but it didn’t help. The new player talked strategy with Aubry just to placate her. She first warned Eric and Gavin about her plan then completely tricked Aubry into thinking they had a women’s alliance.
Victoria’s interview: “I think it’s in our best interest to get rid of Aubry first when she doesn’t see it coming. As a person, I really like Aubry but, for me, it might sound bad but I have no problem separating friendships from the game. I don’t really care how people feel out here but now I have to keep Aubry thinking that I’m on her side.”
It was funny that when Victoria did sit down with Aubry, the returning player used the words: “unless I’m missing something major”. Indeed she was missing something and she was sitting right next to her: The best female strategist since Natalie Anderson.
Lesu Day 12
David gave us an interview: “This tribe is so on the edge of extinction that scientists stopped looking for us. They already think we’re dead. We’re like the last four dodo birds living on a remote island and I think I’m next should we lose the next immunity challenge. But if I know my Survivor history at all there’s absolutely a hidden immunity idol on the Lesu tribe so finding it is critical because I need it bad. I look around at all my peers back home and they’re married and they have kids and that’s something that kind of escaped me for years. I’m 44 years old and all I have is a two bedroom apartment and some DVDs on a shelf but I need to shake that. I need to shake that in my life, I need to shake that in this game. It wasn’t until I played Survivor the first time that I started getting off the couch and living my life again. It’s time to build on that and move forward rather than stay in this one spot. I absolutely want to find the hidden immunity idol and I keep looking and I keep coming up short but I will never give up in this game.”
Right then, we heard Kelley giving out a loud sigh of despair as if she was giving up. That is another bad sign for her.
Lauren had the next interview: “Even though I have been so sick, luckily War Dog is on my side, Kelley is on my side and I have an idol from the original Manu beach so if we go to another Tribal it’s going to be David.”
After War Dog explained why Lauren could hurt them both, Kelley had a confessional: “’War Dog is a crazy man. I think he has a little Tony in him, a little Tony Vlachos in the War Dog, but if we do lose, and it seems to be a trend on this tribe, it’s always important to have an A, B and C plan. I do have a terrific relationship with Lauren and I want to work with her but I feel that War Dog has been truthful with me so far, he’s been the one that’s come to me with ideas and desperate times call for desperate measures so I have to figure out a game plan that is going to work for me going forward. It’s Survivor and it’s killed or be killed.”
The scene ended with Kelley laughing and calling War Dog an evil mastermind.
It’s quickly becoming evident that the relationship between Kelley and War Dog is the biggest story to resolve going forward. For all the bad signs we’ve had concerning Kelley, I think it’s important to note that she is starting to get a handle on War Dog and that she will even consider eliminating him.
Edge of Extinction Day 13
Chris found a box that contained a map for everyone. Rick figured out how to use the map and they realized that it pointed to two different trees up on top of the hill. They agreed they’d all go look together but Keith jumped the gun.
Reem had to wake Keith up when Chris came in with the box and I noticed that Keith was in the same position he had been at the beginning of the episode. The suggestion was clear; Keith had done nothing all this time and now he was trying to steal whatever Chris and Rick had been ready to share. We even heard Keith telling us that he would never have figured out that map. I’m sure most of the audience muttered exactly what Rick said: “What an A__hole.” I agree.
The three raced to catch up to Keith then Chris used his body to block Keith away from the tree with no leaves, grabbing the first prize. On the other side of the plateau, Rick was picking up the second.
When Jason tackled Alicia to grab the To Tang idol, I strongly felt that he should have been penalized and forced to give the idol to Alicia, its rightful owner. Here it’s very different; Chris had found the clue and Keith was trying to steal it and since they’re both men then the block was completely fair.
The prize Chris found consisted of three sticks that would help him practice for the upcoming challenge. Rick, for his work, found an advantage to send to a player still in the game. This told Rick that despite being on IoE, he was still part of the game.
The Immunity Challenge
Once more Lesu fell far behind, the other two tribes releasing their two pieces well before Lesu got their first. The two tribes even reached their final platform before Lesu got a single puzzle piece. After finishing first once again, Kama started giving advice to Manu but that didn’t prevent Lesu from completing their comeback and avoiding a fifth date with Jeff.
The joy expressed by the four member of Lesu reminded me of a similar scene in Marquesas when little Mara’amu finally earned a victory. However, Jeff was stressing Lesu’s ineptness so much that everyone must have figured the comeback was coming, making it somewhat anti-climactic. Jeff is so dumb... I also noted Jeff saying: “Lesu is not a tribe that quits; they are just a tribe that has a very hard time winning. Indeed, it will be hard for anyone from Lesu to win this game but, if they don’t quit then it’s still possible. I wonder if Jeff’s line, which we heard in voice-over, was delivered while our host was still in Fiji or of he was asked to add it in during post-production! If the latter is true then we have to see this as a clear hint of things to come. Even if he said it live, the very fact that it aired could be a sign of future events.
On another front, David seemed to be Lesu’s hero, the one that figured the puzzle, but we didn’t hear anyone complimenting him which is another bad sign for his chances in the future. So if a member of Lesu is our Sole Survivor then it won’t be David but we had already eliminated him last week.
Victoria had the post-game interview: “Right now, we do all have a common goal; like we all think Aubry needs to go but I still think we are making a big move and big moves are always risky so I’m really going to pick and choose my words carefully not to over or under expose what’s really happening.”
Those are words of wisdom from Victoria: Often a player speaks too much or chooses their words poorly, alerting his target and giving that person a chance to reverse the trap. But, as Victoria noted, you can also under expose your plan making the players that you are counting on think that you are lying to them and then they turn against you.
Manu Day 13
Aubry had the first confessional once the tribe returned to camp. She said it was surreal how easy it was because the four original Kama tribe members came together to vote against Wendy. Aubry even added that she was still thinking about Victoria’s plan to go after one of the big guys. We even heard Aubry saying: “I know Vick and I are good right now.”
Choosing to show just how hard Aubry was falling for Victoria’s trap is quite revealing. Here we have a veteran player that is generally regarded as a really smart player who has an idol and she was about to be played just like James had been played in China and Erik had been fooled in Micronesia. Those two fell to the hands of Todd and Cirie, two of the cleverest players in the history of the show. Is that how the editors want us to view Victoria? The only problem encountered was Wendy who, like the world’s worst wingman, couldn’t fall in line with Victoria’s proposal. All she had to do was agree.
Aubry’s confessional continued and we heard her say that she didn’t know who these people were as players.
She was soon about to find out!
When Aubry checked to see if her idol was in her bag ready to be used, she found Rick’s envelope giving her an extra vote. The scene ended with Aubry wondering what to do with the Royal Flush she had been dealt!
This scene is unique in the history of Survivor. In the early days, the scene that showed the losing tribe scrambling to come up with a vote was extremely short. At times we’d have confessionals from only 2 people and barely anything else. That was done to keep the audience in the dark about tribal dynamics. Then that scrambling scene was expanded and in the later seasons, we’d hear from many different players in an attempt to confuse the audience. This time, the scene lasted only 4 minutes and for the very FIRST TIME we heard confessionals from only one player and it was all to show the extent of the upcoming blindside, show Victoria’s ability to outwit a veteran.
Tribal Council
Everyone but Wendy had to pick up their torches.
Gavin told Jeff that the mood in camp was relaxed. Aubry and Victoria said that they still talked. Wendy said everyone was confused about her game play. She was simply happy to be there.
Aubry said Survivor was about finding the black cat that any witch needs for Halloween.
Was Jeff trying to warn Aubry when he mentioned that she was the only returning player? Even if he was, Gavin didn’t fall for it, simply saying that he connected well with Aubry and liked the advice that she was providing. He added that he could trust her.
When Jeff tried to get Wendy to mention the negatives about Aubry, Wendy couldn’t come up with one, saying Aubry was the nicest person ever.
The cameras gave us a close-up of a smiling Victoria when Aubry said that this was going to be easy.
It was time to vote:
Aubry voted for Wendy.
Everyone else voted for Aubry who was shocked. Before standing, she told them that they were unbelievable players and once more the camera highlighted Victoria’s smile.
Aubry’s extra vote would have been quite useful in the next TC but Rick chose to send it to the wrong person. I imagine that Aubry had to give up both advantages before going to the Island.
The Reward Challenge
For obvious reasons, the camera focused on Kelley, David and Joe when Jeff announced Aubry’s fate. Joe commented that Kama wasn’t as strong as before.
As for the result, it was like a broken record: Kama won it or I should say; Joe won it for Kama while Manu finished second.
(I have a question: When Joe was just about to win it, Julie yelled out: Do it for Sierra. Who did she mean?)
It would be extremely sexist to say that the War Dog throws like a girl so I won’t say it. Not because it would be sexist but because it would be inaccurate: Laurel had a much better throwing arm than the War Dog. War Dog throws like a toddler!
Kelley had the interview for the losers: “I think the Kama tribe is completely on Joey Amazing’s shoulders. The dude wins everything. I’m just jealous that another tribe has basically had a two week vacation. It’s so frustrating that I want that and I don’t have that and there’s nothing I can do about it.”
Even though everything she said was true, viewers are going to complain about Kelley for being jealous and admitting she can’t do a thing about it. She signed up for this, didn’t she? And even more importantly, she didn’t sign for pastry and peanut butter so why so much complaining? She wouldn’t be in this predicament if she had worked with Chris over the War Dog! Still, production knew that Joe was one of the best athletes to ever be cast and they still chose to go down to small tribes of 5 where his dominance is even more significant. Add the fact that the IoE is built for a Survivalist like Joe and we have even more evidence that the season was set up to give Joe the maximum chances of winning. So Kelley is right to complain. It’s her way of blowing the whistle!
Day 14 at Joey Amazing’s Luxury Resort
I have to call it for what it is!
Julie’s interview: “It feels a little like I’m going into these challenges expecting to win and I know I shouldn’t expect that but it’s even hard imagining us losing at this point. At this point, I’m pulling the wool over Joe’s eyes. He is the biggest target in this game, he knows he is and I just keep pretending I’m going along with him but short term, to have Joe on our tribe right now is a huge benefit.”
The only way to describe Julie in this moment is an ungrateful b*tch. Of course, she shouldn’t just let Joe win as we’ve seen weak players do for strong players in other seasons but she should realize that her chances of winning have been increased by being on Team-Joe. Kama should be focused on strengthening their alliance, not breaking it down. The other two tribes are there for that.
Joe’s interview: “Seeing Aubry go home, it’s definitely a tell-tale sign that these new players are seeing us returnees as threats. Strategically, man! that really hurt my game because I felt I could really trust her. It’s really hard when you want to come back and play this game that you love so badly but you also know that you are at a disadvantage as soon as you hit the mat. You have nowhere to hide, you have no... You’ve got no one to rely on...but it makes you appreciate all the people that you do rely on at home. I’m so blessed to have so much love and I appreciate all my people, all my family. You have to take all that and use it as fuel. You have to remember that, when you think you are going home, when you think you are on the outs, when you think you have no one that wants to work with you; that’s the challenges. How adaptable are you really? How much can you go beyond what you think you are capable of? Because, if you have a mindset where you no longer have options then that’s probably where you’re at and I don’t want to be there. The other tribes have seen us being a very strong group of five and the first thing I’d want to do is take out that group of five; split them up, take out some big threats in this game. So, if I can make everyone feel like they are big threats maybe we can all unite.”
Whenever viewers complain about people crying on the show, I remind them that even the strongest have had moments of weakness. Even Joe cries...
Julia’s confessional: “When you start hearing Joe saying that you’re a threat it’s like Oh! crap! like if people see me as a threat, that’s going to make my game a lot harder once we do get to a merge. So, I’m definitely anticipating having to adapt and rearrange some things to stay in the game.”
Finally the editors have given a role to Julia in this story. With every story arc, we have to ask if this is a long one or if it is the beginning of Julia’s end story. Because she is on Kama and I do not expect the Sole Survivor to emerge from Kama, I’m thinking this is the meteoric type of story arc, one that will soon send Julia to the Edge of Extinction. On the other hand, if she does survive the first few Tribal Councils after the merger then we’ll have to revisit this interview and see it as the beginning of her own comeback story. She would be coming back from total obscurity after all!
Lesu Day 14
Lauren’s interview: “We lost yet again and it’s just so frustrating; not even that we’re losing but it’s that we’re losing and coming back to this crappy-ass beach that has no food, a crappy shelter; we’re sleeping in the mud. It’s 24 hour days of just hell; absolute hell. I never cry at home and I’ve cried like four days in a row now.”
Lauren certainly has more reasons than Joe to cry...
War Dog’s interview: “We have like almost no food for days and we’re all feeling it, especially Lauren. The idea of fishing I think is counterproductive because we need to save our calories and energy for these challenges but at least David still has some life, you know while Lauren has kind of given up so maybe she’s the one to go next. I know Wentworth is good with it but to pull it off, I need David.”
When War Dog brought the idea to David in front of her, Kelley reacted: “I understand that at some point I have to vote out Lauren. She is like wasting away. However, War Dog, who is like a psycho when it comes to number crunching and flipping alliances is almost scaring me more now. I don’t know if I want to work with him.”
Kelley and David agreed that the War Dog never wants to hear their opinion. It was a dictatorship.
David’s: “War Dog is playing really hard, flipping back and forth and it is really freaking annoying. He really does nothing at camp; he spends most of his days strategizing and crunching numbers also, he kind of sucks at these physical challenges and all that is putting a huge target on his back which is great for me. It’s funny because, when the game started, I wanted to vote out Wentworth but now I find myself working with the person I thought was my biggest adversary out here but if that is going to get me to day 39 then that’s what I’m going to do.”
This is the first negativity thrown in War Dog’s direction. It could be significant in his chances of winning but there are two schools of thought on such negativity: Either it’s to tell us why he will be voted out or it is to set doubt on his chances of winning. We heard a lot of negativity thrown in Tony’s direction and it fooled me into thinking he’d be voted out so I have to be careful especially considering that we heard there is a bit of Tony in the War Dog so the editors could be playing with Kelley’s words to throw in a bit of the Tony-edit into the War Dog-edit!!
Island of Extinction
Chris found another box with information. Unfortunately for him, he and Rick misread the map and it was Reem who first spotted the box. Keith, who was with her, grabbed it and learned that it was something that he could use to penalize one of his competitors during the challenge to return in the game. Keith was happy to let us know he’d use it against Chris.
I’ll skip over Reem’s insanity...I wish the editors had done the same.
The Immunity Challenge
For once, only the winning tribe would get immunity, the other two would be going to TC.
Finally!!
Of course, War Dog looked foolish once again, this time getting confused about throwing a ball through a hoop and, with Joe at their lead, Kama won once again.
Do you remember that I wrote that this season was being set up expressly for Joe? Here’s another example.
Only once Kama had walked out of the challenge arena did Jeff announce that both tribes would be going to TC together to eliminate only one player.
David’s interview: “Going into Tribal tonight, I’m like panicking. There is 4 Lesu and 4 Manu; we could find ourselves in a tie and going to rocks. I’ve gone to rocks before and, as a fan it’s exhilarating, as a player, it is nauseating. Strap yourselves in everybody; it’s going to be chaotic.”
Manu Day 16
Eric’s interview: “The challenge went horribly; Kama won again with the added twist that both tribes will be going to tribal Council, wait for it; drum roll: Together. This is an interesting problem because, if we go to a four-four tie, everyone votes again and if no one changes their vote, we draw rocks. Anyone could go home.”
Wendy was sure that David would change his vote if they went after Lauren or War Dog.
Victoria’s interview: “I think right now the fact that they have two returning players is an advantage for us: You don’t come out here two or three times to get sent home before the merge by rocks. So, in term of this crappy situation I feel that our side could possibly be slightly better off.”
Eric had a second interview: “Everything is a gamble tonight but I’m a big fan of this game I’ve been imagining myself in these exact situations for years. You don’t imagine yourself in the easy Tribal Council vote, you think of yourself in this situation, going into Tribal Council, probably going to rocks. That’s what makes a person like me, at home, want to play this game. It’s this tonight but is it scary? Yeah! I could go home tonight, no question.”
Gavin’s confessional: “No one wants to go out with rocks; that’s the big fear in this game but I did sign up to play Survivor and I feel like that’s what I’m doing tonight. It feels good but I’m also going to be crapping bricks. I have a hundred percent trust in Eric and Victoria and, after the last Tribal Council, Wendy is with us 100 percent. I’ll draw rocks for one of them; I hope they do the same for me.”
Victoria’s interview: “The whole thing tonight could come down to drawing rocks and we all agreed out here on Manu that we are down for that. I’m not! I’m willing to put my vote where ever as long as it keeps me in the game. If I feel like I have to betray an alliance to move myself one step further in the game I’m going to do it because I’m going to find an in somewhere else. Don’t ever trust me, man! I don’t know if anyone has figured that out yet.”
So much evilness in such a cute face! Personally, I’m impressed with Victoria’s determination and her ability to separate friendships and the game but the vote was resolved before facing the prospect of drawing rocks. Why show this confessional then? It will certainly polarize the audience; many admiring Victoria’s readiness to outwit everyone while others will see her as a turncoat and complain about her lack of morals. Survivor is an amoral game and that’s how it has to be played. You can bluff about going to rocks actually doing it isn’t smart. Finding an in somewhere else is.
Lesu
Kelley wanted to target Victoria but War Dog rejected that plan, saying they had to put four votes on Wendy.
Kelley’s reaction: “Once again, War Dog didn’t listen to what anybody else had to say. He tries to just overpower people; he’s got his plan and that’s that but, to be honest, War Dog is right. Wendy is not an original Kama member so, hopefully, if we have to revote someone will flip and help us vote her out.”
I laughed when Kelley backtracked and admitted that War Dog was right; Trish, like Kelley is doing now, always complained about Tony but mostly went along with his wishes.
Lauren’s : point of view “This plan really makes me nervous: I didn’t come this far just to go to rocks but War Dog always has his own agenda and nobody can have an input. So I’m pissed. I’m so close to making the merge and this could ruin everything.”
War Dog’s assessment: “We have a good plan tonight however, I’m worried to death about Lauren. She is a wreck. All she talks about is the merge feast: Food-Merge-Food-Merge-Food! I can’t work with someone like that so I’m like; do I really want to go to rocks for this girl? Ha! I’m not so sure. However, the Manu tribe might be targeting me but if I can find an idol that would give me tremendous power.”
While War Dog was giving us this confessional, we spotted another Blue Heron and this time, the bird was running around the beach, much like the War Dog who had decided to explore the area. The bird was next seen flying around the jungle but it was Kelley, not War Dog, who found the idol.
David’s comments: “War Dog disappeared. He’s not helping at all; he’s not contributing at all. He goes off into the jungle looking for an idol. War Dog is creating a war. I guess that’s what War Dogs do but he is creating a war within his own tribe. He’s very divisive and we need to be united.”
Soon the four were looking for the idol.
Kelley’s thoughts: “I want to find the idol before War Dog. He’s a schemer and a manipulator. He’s already calling the shots and with an idol he’s just going to get more and more powerful.” Right then, we had a perfect shot of Kelley talking to War Dog who, while looking at her, was facing the camera. Unbeknownst to him, the idol was attached to a tree right behind his left shoulder!
Kelley went on: “And then, I look up in a tree and Bing! It’s just sitting right there! In Survivor, you never give up because this game is always changing and knowing that tonight is such a crazy Tribal potentially, having that safety is huge.”
Returning to camp, Kelley whispered to Lauren: “I’ve got it.”
Lauren responded: “I have one too.”
Lauren’s interview: “Tonight’s Tribal Council is huge. I mean, Kelley and I both have idols but I have no idea what I’m going to do.” She told Kelley that she didn’t want them to have to play their idols immediately. Her confessional resumed: “Tonight, the Manu tribe is most likely targeting me or War Dog. Everyone is banking on the fact that they won’t want to go to rocks for Wendy but if they stay strong, rocks will determine who goes home.” Kelley was shocked when Lauren told her she wouldn’t go to rocks for War Dog. “If we go to rocks, it’s a one in six chance that you go home so if they’re voting for War Dog, I’m going to flip but I can see them going after me so I have to decide if I’m going to play my idol or not. Tonight is going to be a lot of on the fly decisions and you just never know what is going to happen.”
This season has really been the season of the women when it comes to finding idols. Let’s hope that Lauren and Kelley, unlike Aubry, play theirs wisely.
On another note, I think the choice of sequences tells us a lot about the relative importance of these two tribes. The editors gave top billing to Lesu, relegating Manu to the role of the “opening act”, the group playing when no one is yet settled in their seat. I think we should read exactly that into this editing choice: The four Lesu players are the stars, the comeback kids.
Tribal Council
Victoria and Lauren both stressed the fact that their respective tribes were united.
War Dog said he was ready for a gun fight at O.K. corral. He then called David his Wyatt Earp, Lauren was Virgil Earp while Kelley was his Morgan Earp making him Doc Holliday.
Jeff was gobbling it up.
Hopefully for Lesu, the comparison will stop there because Morgan and Virgil were killed shortly after it and Doc Holliday didn’t have a long life. Will Kelley and Lauren fall at the merger? History might have gone differently if the Earp brothers had Hidden Immunity Idols!
Kelley was the first to pitch the idea of welcoming anyone willing to flip. Like a good retail salesman, Gavin matched his competitor’s offer.
David said he had gone to rocks before and would do it again for “his people”.
Victoria didn’t believe David.
The whispering had been going around but then David invited Wendy to step aside to talk to her privately. When both returned to their stumps, Jeff sent them to vote.
Neither Kelley nor Lauren played their idols.
The first vote went 4-4 against Lauren and Wendy prompting many different secret conversations which caused David to say that this was the worst cocktail party ever.
That was the chosen title quote for the episode and it came from another returning player. War Dog is still the only new player to have a title quote. Is there anything to read into that? Not much but it is something. Personally, I was starting to see this season as the worst cocktail party ever but with Lesu’s comeback there is hope to salvage some sort of story.
The revote went all against Wendy who seemed happy to get voted out as long as Probst called her “Big Wendy” and gave her a hug. The two tribes applauded her.
The StoryIf this season is indeed the story of how the Lesu players made an incredible comeback, this episode will be seen as the turning point. In the evening’s first episode, the Lesu tribe finally avoided going to Tribal Council and the original Kama players turned on one of their own, showing the other half of Kama that the group wasn’t entirely together. We remember that the vote against Gabe, who was loved by Paschal, Neleh and Kathy, was a sign that Rotu wasn’t one happy family and it led to the demise of the Rotu four after the merger. The Aubry vote could cause the same domino effect.
The Lesu comeback continued in the second episode where, despite all their bravado, the original Kama members crumpled and refused to go to rocks for Wendy. Of course, she was an original Manu member so the decision was completely understandable but what it did was give an opening to a new alliance. The seven players who voted against Wendy have now opened some communications channels and that could be bad news for the five actual members of Kama.
The Characters The Eliminated Players:
Reem: She’s a crazy person.
Keith: A__hole.
Julie: She has been shown to be extremely ungrateful. A person with a one-track mind will not be able to adapt to the upcoming change. She should be worried about the other two tribes instead of targeting one of her own.
Joe: He is trying to get numbers on his side but he will be entering Tribal Council for the first time this season and everyone will be reminded of that when he goes to pick his torch. Instead of sticking with his ungrateful tribe, Joe should realize that is only chance would be to take Aurora with him and align with the 4 members of Lesu. They’d still be a vote short because the returning players will unlikely side with the original Manu members but with two idols it could work.
David: We finally have more dimensions to David’s character now that he’s finally decided to work with Kelley instead of wanting her out. The problem is that, overall, we’ve had numerous bad signs in his edit. The latest one came after the immunity challenge: He was responsible for winning it for his tribe and we heard no one congratulating him. David seems relegated to playing the role of being a number for the comeback kids.
Ron: Like David, he’s changing his mind about his desired target but, for him, keeping Joe won’t help. He is the image of Kama, their cheerleader so he should fall soon after the merger.
Julia: If Joe wins the merge immunity, she could be everyone’s target if the 4 Original Manu and the 3 New Manu can come together. Having two tribes at Tribal Council could have big repercussions down the road. We’ve often seen tribes that didn’t go to Tribal Council before the merger become immediate targets after it.
Aurora: She’s been ignored too much by the story tellers to enable us to eliminate her from consideration.
The Trailers – They have fallen far behind the leading group, the real contenders, but they are still pedaling fast on their little bikes.
Gavin: His words in camp and at Tribal Council helped seal Aubry’s fate but he was portrayed as a mere side-kick, going along with Victoria’s plan. He also performed well during the challenges but that could only serve to prevent Joe from winning all the challenges. His overall portrait is too weak to see him as a true contender.
Eric: These two trips to Tribal Council gave us amuch better picture of Eric but he's still shown to be riding Victoria's coat tails, following her tactics. Answer this question: If Eric is our eventual, winner, which pre-merger scenes would be shown during the reunion? For me, the answer is none and that just can't be.
Kelley: I had put her in the eliminated group a bit too early because, like her tribe, her edit made a strong comeback in the two episodes. I can’t place her yet with the contenders but she still has life. She is finally seeing War Dog as a threat and she is thinking of eliminating him, she gained David’s trust and she found an idol to use after the merger. All this could be very useful.
The Contenders –
Rick: His first interview on IoE was very strong because we heard him say it was a test to see if he could come out on top. Then, finding the envelope, he realized he was still in the game so he is being positive despite the odds against him. That was enough to leave him in contention for the ultimate prize.
Lauren: These episodes weren’t kind to Lauren even if she showed a lot of determination in the challenges. We had too many visuals of her weakness to keep her as a top contender. However, now she’s made it to the merger and she has knowledge of both idols in play. That could be vital going forward.
Victoria: I have doubts that this season will give us a winner from the original Kama tribe but if we do then Victoria is our candidate. She has been shown to be a strong strategist, completely fooling Aubry. The returning players was impressed by the game play of her tribe mates but we know that those words fit Victoria most of all.
Chris: Even if it seems likely that Keith will penalize him, Chris is the obvious favorite to return to the game. He’s been the only one to show challenge skills that could rival Joe so it would make for interesting individual challenges. If the overall story is about an original Manu player making a comeback then this season could be his to own.
War Dog: The biggest question we have to answer about War Dog’s edit is determining how much Tony there is in his edit. If it is only a little then War Dog may fall short but his story resembles a lot the one of our Cagayan winner. Like Tony, he’s crunching numbers all day and all night, he’s dictating his plan on his allies, he’s bad in challenges and he’s entering the merger with a number deficit. Unlike Tony though, he doesn’t have an idol and he can’t even find one that’s right there under his nose! Many things need to go right for War Dog to win but his edit is definitely the most impressive of all the players this season.
Close to the Edge – Aubry and Wendy I don’t think either has what it takes to get back into the game. The challenge should be very physical and they’ll be facinf Chris. Of course, we don’t know the nature of the penalty that Keith will impose on Chris but will it be enough? I doubt it.
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