Predetermining who sits out of challenges (still not buying Russell S. is SOLELY make the decisions all by his lonesome) BEFORE knowing the challenge is just plain stupid. Case in point...Dave's height would have been beneficial for Galu.

1) RUSSELL H. (1,2) - Still the central character this season and will continue to be so for as long as he stays in the game. Just when I wanted to cut Monica a break by thinking short height would be a disadvantage in the IC, Munchkin Man bolts across the rope as if he was walking on solid ground.

2) ERIK (5,4) - Giving him props this week for finding the HII. At least he'll be able to fight off one ADS scheme if he plays it right.

3) DAVE (6,7T) - Clutch shot and MVP of the RC. A bit too in love with himself, but confessionals are the right place to get cocky. Give him credit for staying humble among his tribemates.

4) LIZ (2,3) - Still my favorite among a subpar female "Survivor" cast. But she's not wowing me as of late so she may fall out of grace soon.

5) ASHLEY (7,10) - She has performed well every episode and appears to get along with everyone. If the stronger competitors get knocked off at merge, she could be a dark horse in this game. OOPS...Sorry Jaison. Didn't mean to make that reference. Please don't call me a "racist."

6) RUSSELL S. (3,6) - Just when I was prepared to submarine him down my list for letting his leadership role go to his head while defending his "African Queen," he votes out Yaz at TC. So I'll keep him at a respectable position. But if he doesn't humble himself quickly, he won't be long for this game.

7) NATALIE (16,11) - Solid effort in the IC. Also put herself in good position as Russell's favorite in his "Dumb A$$ Girl Alliance." If she doesn't pull a "Jaison" and she takes advantage of it, she could win this out of default.

8) BRETT (10T,7T) - A young man in decent shape to continue to stay UTR at ep. 4 is no easy task. That reason alone puts HIM here.

9) KELLY (10T,7T) - It's also tough to stay "invisible" when you're as smokin' hott as Kelly. That reason puts HER here.

10) MONICA (12,12) - Can't blame her too much for her tribe not knowing in over a week's time living with her 24/7 what I knew after only two hours of telecast--Monica sucks in challenges. But she did try. Caught a HUGE break having an annoying tribemate who didn't pull her weight around camp otherwise she'd be in the Loser's Lounge now.

11) MICK (9,5) - Easily the biggest underachiever thus far. Has done nothing for me this season.

12) SHAMBO (4,15) - Big drop. TC vote confirmed what we already knew--she is completely out of the loop in Galu. Raving about Foa Foa didn't help her cause. Letting a chicken escape is inexcusable. Sure if she makes it to merge she'll be OK...but will she get there?

13) LAURA (15,13) - Other than Yoga instructor she has no story. She does nothing for me in the game of Survivor.

14) JOHN (13,14) - I know sleep is hard to come by...but DUDE! You know Erik is looking for the HII and what do you do? Catch a few extra winks??? Holy Smokes!!!

15) JAISON (8,1) - Last episode we witnessed how "thin-skinned" he was figuratively. This episode (and in the previews) we see how thin-skinned he is literally. He came for an "adventure" but now he is having second thoughts??? I hope that was an MB misdirection because I don't like where it's heading. If Natalie advances far as Russell's partner, Jaison will look back and beat himself over the head with his race card.

BOOTED) YASMIN (14,17) - Last two TCs; two different tribes; two correct choices. Could this be the beginning of something good? I won't hold my breath just yet.

• RE: Survivor Love/Loathe List v19.4,iltarion, 05:28 PM, 10-10-09
  • RE: Survivor Love/Loathe List v19.4,garcor, 06:16 PM, 10-10-09
• RE: Survivor Love/Loathe List v19.4,michel, 01:34 PM, 10-11-09
  • RE: Survivor Love/Loathe List v19.4,iltarion, 10:43 PM, 10-11-09
    • RE: Survivor Love/Loathe List v19.4,michel, 00:07 AM, 10-12-09
      • RE: Survivor Love/Loathe List v19.4,LFJ, 09:52 AM, 10-12-09
        • RE: Survivor Love/Loathe List v19.4,michel, 10:15 AM, 10-12-09
          • RE: Survivor Love/Loathe List v19.4,LFJ, 11:53 AM, 10-12-09
            • RE: Survivor Love/Loathe List v19.4,iltarion, 04:16 PM, 10-12-09
              • RE: Survivor Love/Loathe List v19.4,michel, 05:09 PM, 10-12-09
                • RE: Survivor Love/Loathe List v19.4,LFJ, 00:42 AM, 10-13-09
                  • RE: Survivor Love/Loathe List v19.4,michel, 08:02 AM, 10-13-09
                    • RE: Survivor Love/Loathe List v19.4,LFJ, 09:40 AM, 10-13-09
                  • RE: Survivor Love/Loathe List v19.4,Aruba, 08:07 PM, 10-13-09
                    • RE: Survivor Love/Loathe List v19.4,michel, 11:19 PM, 10-13-09
                • RE: Survivor Love/Loathe List v19.4,iltarion, 01:48 AM, 10-13-09
              • RE: Survivor Love/Loathe List v19.4,CTgirl, 05:34 PM, 10-13-09
                • RE: Survivor Love/Loathe List v19.4,michel, 06:04 PM, 10-13-09
                  • RE: Survivor Love/Loathe List v19.4,CTgirl, 06:16 PM, 10-13-09
              • RE: Survivor Love/Loathe List v19.4,TxMom2011, 10:12 AM, 10-14-09
  • RE: Survivor Love/Loathe List v19.4,Aruba, 07:52 PM, 10-13-09
    • RE: Survivor Love/Loathe List v19.4,michel, 11:20 PM, 10-13-09

LAST EDITED ON 10-11-09 AT 00:35 AM (EST)

I don't remember having this hard a time sorting people out now 4 weeks into a season. We finally got to see Galu, but besides that making it incredibly obvious Galu was going to lose the IC, the only people who distinguished themselves were Eric and Dave. From the editing through 4 weeks, one certainly has to believe things are going to go badly for Galu, regardless of their momentary advantage. There has been virtually no foreshadowing involving any of the Galu members, other than Shambo's love for FU FU, which could be Galu's Trojan horse.

1. Erik- Best challenge performer in the cast, virtually ran across the rope bridge (military experience?). He also one-upped RussHell's logic by finding the HII from vague clues regarding the other idol at the other camp. He is visibly the only Galu to be playing the game, though any alliance he may have is unknown. He appeared to kowtow to RussWell, but his vote went the right way. Clothesline incident was funny/ironic and totally something I would do while caught up in the chase.
2. Danger Dave- Really, this episode was his and Erik's. Telling that RussWell picked him of all the guys for "firepower" in the RC. His commentary about Erik "clotheslining himself with a clothesline" was the comment of the show. His last toss to win the RC was miraculous though made inevitable by the editing. He was perhaps a little too proud of it though. I'm pretty sure the person who wins the million can say they topped you, DD.
3. RussHell- Finally moves up near the top of my list. Mostly thanks to less screen time for him to boast, another strong challenge performance, and sound logic in regards to both Natalie and J-Sone.
4. Kelly- She takes over the top spot among the women for me. She has been strong in every challenge, and a little more screen time revealed her to be not just another pretty little blonde. Cold shoulder towards Yasmin was either tough or stuck-up. Since it was Yasmin, I give her the benefit of the doubt.
5. Natalie- Announcing a coat tails strategy this early in the game may be a first. Though I normally don't respect the strategy, I can almost respect the honesty of it. Also, wasn't it her that blazed past Monica on the ropes? She said she can beat RussHell in a final vote because of how he's rubbed some people, but we haven't seen someone lose a vote because of their personality since Rob in All-Stars. Foreshadowing of the end? I hope not.
6. Monica- Still my personal favorite, so I'm not dropping her too far. Ropes performance was bad and saying she thought she did well was worse, but that hardly means she's bad at ALL challenges. Plus, Galu still had the lead once the bags were untied. She obviously has an alliance of sorts within the tribe. I expect her, Laura, Kelly, John and Brett may be pretty tight.
7. Laura- Deserves to stay close to her friend. Having her, DD, Shambo, and RussWell all out of a challenge at once was a surefire ticket to a loss.
8. Ashley- Nothing episode for her, but she keeps relative position. Also telling that RussHell picked Natalie for his goat instead of her.
9. RussWell- Dropped down the list for trying to get rid of my girl because they lost one challenge, and thus suddenly finding himself in the minority. I'm all for voting with challenge strength in mind for the first couple votes, but not now. You have a 4 person advantage. Unless you lose every single challenge from here on out, you are not going to be in the minority. Plus, no matter who you vote out, you are still the stronger tribe in my estimation. The bottom-line is that you need to vote purely based on strategy at this point. Vote out the people who may flop postmerge, which means Yas and Shambo should have been the top two on your list. Finally, unless you actually wanted to lose, which may have not been the worst idea, going by rotation left you with 4 of your strongest challenge performers out at once. All because you don't want the responsibility of choosing at each challenge. That shows a lack of courage, and more so, a lack of leadership.
10. Liz - Absolutely no role this episode. Previews showed an upcoming showdown with RussHell. Unless it was a redirect, no surprise, that portends badly for Liz.
11. John- Dropped down the list after editors used his sleeping in the hammock to both heighten the suspense of Erik's search for the HI and to make John look foolish. That portends badly for him.
12. Mick- Another episode. Another challenge loss. Another shortage of screen time. Didn't even get to narrate much.
13. J-Sone - His height was the key to the end of Galu's run. Calling his decision to be on Survivor "a mistake" is both mystifying and frustrating. At least jerk-off Ben wanted to be there.
14, Shambo- You would think a marine would have some sense of loyalty. Instead, our budding Benedict Arnold with a mullet frankly dodged a bullet by having someone as useless as Yasmin on the tribe. Otherwise, her colossal stupidity in losing an entire chicken, something we've never seen before, should have gotten her number called.
15. Brett- Going for the title of most anonymous Survivor to make it past episode 4. 20 castaways to start was just a bad idea. First 2 boots should have been double boots.

seen at a Loser Lodge near you-

Marisa - I can't think of you while I'm lying next to her
Betsy- tribe preferred to have Ben around rather than you. figure that one out
Ben- apparently fits the personality MB is now looking for- controversial
Yasmin- another fool saving themselves for the challenges. We've never heard that before. Had some excuses for doing nothing that frankly I've never even used before. Did have an all-time Survivor moment in episode 2 though. A moment that will live on in infamy. Props.

>

will stick to players who have made an impression of one kind or the other:

1) Dave: Won RC and provided some fun commentary re the chicken chase. Good week.

2) Erik: Found idol without giving Shambo anything he'll likely have to worry about giving since if she goes before merge she'll probably not be on the jury anyway. Rather too deferential to Russell - "What did he call him, Boss?" Setting him up or just trying to dump decision making on Russell?

3) Russell H.: Not bad in RC challenge before Dave's miracle toss and excellent job on ropes in IC challenge. Still brags too much and this week it came across as ridiculous. Stop bragging about being in control after you had to switch last week and help vote out the guy you wanted to keep around.

4) Ashley: Still like her as she seems to have some spirit and did a good job in the IC. Not sure of her position on Foa Foa; does not appear good but she is still there.

5) Russell: Smart to swallow his words, etc. and join in vote against Yasmin; though his vote made me wonder what all his butt kicking talk was about? Playing to the cameras or a misread of his authority as leader which he recognized in time to avoid putting himself on the outs with his tribe.

6) Natalie: Seemed to also do well in the IC; wasn't she the young lady on Jaison's shoulders during the puzzle. The fact that Russell is talking her up as a final two partner shouldn't hurt her position either, even if it seems largely due to her being a more unobtrusive personality than Ashley. Finally, looks good in a bikini.

7) Kelly: Came across as a leader in the move out Yasmin campaign which come mean she has some influence on her tribe.

8) Jaison: Good job in IC, but bad news for any alliance partners and tribe if he already wants to leave the game.

9) Monica: Lucky Yasmin, and likely Shambo, or more obvious targets.

10) Shambo: Has a cute girlish smile and way of speaking but doesn't appear either smart or competent. Broke fishing gear while failing to catch fish and lost chicken. To make things worse she refers to herself in the third person: about Foa Foa having some appreciation for Shambo. Should be next one gone if Galu loses again.

GONE:

Yasmin: Had real entertainment value. Anything or everything might pop out of her mouth. Loved that she wore high heels to TC. Not much contact with reality though. Get the feeling her ouster was not a difficult choice. And that was with Shambo still in the game.

LAST EDITED ON 10-11-09 AT 01:39 PM (EST)

Iltarion, I must give you an A+ for your story analysis of Galu but a D in History. We have seen someone lose chicken before. Remember Cook Islands episode #1 Title: "I can Forgive Her but I don't Have to Because She Screwed with my Chicken".
Flica lost Rarotonga's chicken.

1- Natalie(11,6): The hidden star of the episode. Not because of challenge skills but because we heard that this supposed "Dumb Blonde" is considered smart by her team leader and she has an intelligent plan to win this game.

2- RussHell(3,4): He isn't thinking about momentary reward and comfort but about being the Sole Survivor. Does his talk of Final 2 foreshadow that he's making a mistake and it will be a Final 3?

3- Shambo(4,3): I'm either laughing with her or at her. She's a klutz but she seems to be wearing teflon underwear, not milkbone ones.

4- Mick(8,8): I'd rather hear him talk about the game rather than the taste of chicken but there's not much of game talk this season.

5- Erik(9,10): Before saying the star of the episode is great, consider this: He's on the outside of his tribe's alliance and he thinks of using the idol on day 30 or 36. I think he's gonna get clothesline by the vote sooner than that.

6- Jaison (1,1): Come on, man! I hope this was only a moment of weakness and that he'll recover but he missed a chance to gain control of the tribe and handed it right back to Russell

7- Ashley(2,2): Not much from her except her determination and enthusiasm during the challenge. She jumped almost as high as Jaison when Jeff declared them winners.

Loved that scene. It reminded me of Gina finally winning something.

8- RusSwell(5,5): Be real, Russell. You were protecting an ally, not an asset to the tribe. He said: "I need some brains and some firepower." I couldn't agree more.

9- Kelly(10,11): I liked the scene where Kelly was working on a coconut and Yasmin, well, wasn't. Kelly's nicely set-up in the dominant alliance.

10- Laura(12,12): This grandma fits in perfectly with the alliance of "Beautiful Beach Bunnies and Beach Boys". That must make her happy.

11- Dave(15,15): This guy fits in the "Beautiful People" alliance and Erik doesn't??? It tells us a lot about Erik's lack of game sense.

12- Monica(7,7): It's nice to have friends.
BTW, Aruba: Munchkin man is still taller than her and the other women.

13- Liz(6,9): Was she swapped to the invisible tribe? I think she'd be glad that Mick didn't pick her as the smart player!

14- Brett(13,13): This guy sleeps next to Kelly every night and doesn't get a chance to tell anybody!!!!! How frustrating! How telling.

15- John(14,14): There's a game for a million dollars going on but that's alright John, we'll wake you when it's over.

Booted- Yasmin(16): "They prey on you to do something wrong...so I do nothing." Brilliant! Even better than Jean RoBear!!!! How did she not win?

Did Flicka lose the chicken or let it go? I have my suspicions.
And you get a D for semantics. Yasmin meant "they pray on you to do something wrong" as in getting on their knees and praying, not "prey on" like a predator does. Though it is almost pun-like in its possible double meaning.

>

>Did Flicka lose the chicken or
>let it go? I have
>my suspicions.

She lost them and admitted to it.

>And you get a D for
>semantics. Yasmin meant "they pray
>on you to do something
>wrong" as in getting on
>their knees and praying, not
>"prey on" like a predator
>does.

Really? I'm French so I guess I misunderstood. I didn't think you could pray on someone but you could certainly prey on them. And to think I used that quote as the theme for this episode where everyone blamed everybody else.

I love it when the three of you (Aruba, Iltarion and Michel) get testy (origin of word?. You could just duke it out and get it over, but then the rest of us wouldn't have so much fun reading your posts to one another.

"You could just duke it out and get it over"

And end our fun? I'm not sure how the others feel but I take it as fun arguments between survivor fans. I wonder if they remember how this feud started? Anyone care to guess?

I would be interested in reading all 3 versoins of what started "it". Should be enteratining.

In some parts of the country to "pray on someone" is a common colloquialism synonymous with to "pray for someone." Yasmin is saying- "they are praying for you to screw up." Enough of that though. It is too minor to dwell on, and I'm not the grammar police. I hardly pay attention to my own.
Where did it all start? I don't think any of us remembers. It is all good though. I know michel and Aruba are good people. I would man a foxhole with both, though it would probably be best if michel left the fighting to Aruba and I. hahaha...
The sad thing is the back-and-forth between us three is nearly all this board has left. Pretty soon, we might as well do this over email.

>

LAST EDITED ON 10-12-09 AT 05:11 PM (EST)

LFJ and Iltarion, if you check your inbox you'll have the answer to the start of it all.

And, Iltarion, you guys may be better warriors but I'd be working on making peace. (Maybe even building an alliance with the other side!)

How do you check your inbox? I am looking forward to a good laugh.

Meanwhile, Michel, I can see you as the perfect diplomat. Your qualifications: Suave, French (wine), articulate, French (cuisine), logical, French (fashion)...blah, blah, blah... Please say, Olivier LeFlaive Montrachet for me. Can I see you in a foxhole with Aruba and Iltarion? Not so much.

To check your inbox, click on "conferences" that you see on the top of every page. That will take you to the lobby where, if you are logged on, you will see several icons. One of them is your inbox. You should also see a little red flag waving, alerting you there is a message in that box. Press either one and you'll be able to access the messages.

BTW, sorry, to disappoint you but I'm French from Canada.

"BTW, sorry, to disappoint you but I'm French from Canada."

Not disappointed. Expected as much as you are posting on this board ala Inglais. You are still FRENCH with a name like Michel.

Thanks for the instructions (in English) ):

>Can I see you in a foxhole with Aruba and Iltarion?
>Not so much.

BOY, what a foxhole that would be! I'd be in camouflage waiting impatiently to engage in battle; Michel would be ignoring the air raids while working deligently drafting a plan on how three grown men can socially adapt in close quarters; and Iltarion would be asking every five minutes, "Where are the Hotties?!"
LOL. But hey, it's all good!

As to LFJ's question when did we start out friendly bantering? I would guess it had something to do with me interpreting "Survivor" in a more literal sense, i.e. Robinson Crusoe or "Survival of the Fittest" mode, verses Michel viewing the show as Big Brother on a tropical island or MTV's Real World in the jungle.

Hey, different strokes for different folks...it's what makes the world go 'round.

That would suggest I like BB as much as Survivor which, I assure you, is completely wrong. And I've never watched real World.

Survivor, to me, is a strategic, social game where intelligence is the best asset. Fitness? Yes, you need to be able to endure the elements and the starvation while contributing in challenges and in camp. Those are the obstacles, not the game.

Our first encounter was in a winners ranking thread after Guatemala. I defended Sandra, you...didn't.

PS: Ben was fit.

Sounds good. The world needs both of us.

>

It is sad that the participation in the Love/Loathe thread has dropped off. I love to see how people react to all the different characters. But for me, its been really hard to do a list. The Galus are practically interchangeable in their inability to play survivor - that's more than half the list that I don't have much opinion on! In my mind, this season is all about RussHell: will he or won't he make it to final survivor? It's hard to make a list when all the stories on one tribe revolve around one person and the other tribe thinks they're at Club Med. I may be back after the merge if some of them evolve into players. (And I'll still check-in to see what the Three Musketeers think! )

But, CTGirl, I need you to watch my back!

Don't worry - I'll keep watch!

Oh... dont go to email!!! I enjoy reading you guys. Sorry but I usually take so long to read that I run out of time to post. But when I feel passionate about a subject I do post.

So please keep posting...... there are plenty of us lurkers out here!

>12- Monica(7,7): It's nice to have friends.
>BTW, Aruba: Munchkin man is still taller than her and the
>other women.

You are correct, Russell has a couple inches on the shorter women (not many though.) But he was smoking across the rope much faster than even the taller men. My remark was more a compliment for Russell as opposed to a criticism on Monica. Actually Monica deserves credit for at least trying and giving it her all.

It was blatently obvious (from walking across the ropes to stacking the blocks) that height was a tremendous advantage in that challenge. Which reinforces my point in my initial post that it is totally idiotic to predetermine who sits out of challenges whether it be a "rotating system", "youngest-to-oldest", or whatever. Anything other than waiting until AFTER Jeff explains the challenge and THEN selecting those to sit out by concensus is plain stupid. Galu paid for that idiocy and deserved to lose that IC as a result.

Hey! We can agree!