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"The Players, The Game, The Editing - Survivor Heroes vs. Villains "
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DAW Level: "Peanut Festival Grand Marshall"
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02-01-10, 01:29 PM (EST)
 
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"The Players, The Game, The Editing - Survivor Heroes vs. Villains " |
Warning... attempting to read this lengthy post may result in extreme lethargy but with this season’s premise and these contestants I had a case of the written overload  This should be a very exciting and insightful season for any true Survivor fan! Perhaps looking back at the seasons that are similar (i.e. returning players) is something we should keep on the back burner but not necessarily for the same reasons. How does one edit a show where prior contestants return - and more than once? I had mentioned in the past that one highlight of the editing potentially may be whether returning contestants would make the same mistakes in their original season OR would they “adapt” and learn from their mistakes and/or capitalize on what they did to succeed. This may be something to look for in the editing of an individual character. However, we may note that some are returning for a third time which adds yet another dimension to that thought process. Additionally, we have relationships that were born from an original season and/or a returning season and this may force an edited investment in one or both seasons they were on and the thought processes on how to handle those relationships especially if on opposite tribes. Perhaps the label of heroes vs. villains may reflect greatly on the storyline, i.e. contestants’ attitudes and whether they feel compelled to embrace the role or rear against it especially when some of these players are not exactly “hero” or “villain”(I suggest that more than likely there may be some rebellion by those labeled villains over those labeled hero) We also have to note the players which return as past winners; we saw this to be very relevant on the All Star season but will it be as relevant this season. Is something greater at play in this season such as relationships or perceived threats or simply egos? Heroes vs. Villains is an interesting concept for a show such as Survivor in terms of editing and psychology. I would be very surprised if the concept of what exactly is a hero/villain doesn’t get discussed over the course of the season. Many times we have seen caricatures presented for full television effect as “heroes” or “villains” but now we truly are categorizing these players and I would hope there will be more complexity involved in showcasing them. If that is the case, “big” characters may not necessarily indicate longevity, instead those who are streamlined into a role may, in fact, be shorter term players. Ironically, some of those categorized may be surprised or indignant in terms of their category so it would be hard not to imagine some of the contestants questioning the title they were branded and attempt to prove otherwise and some may be shown taking their “role” a little too seriously. There is obviously a negative connotation to the term villain and an expectation with the term hero. Will those in the villain category take pride in that title and relish the role of “evil” or do they feel this label is an insult and attempt to negate it? Are those who are labeled hero feel it represents them correctly and play the game according to what a hero should be or will they feel pressure under such a label of integrity and cast off this persona in order to perhaps play the game more effectively? How does a show like Survivor want a winner in THIS season to be edited? Should the winner be a “villain” will the editing reflect all the nuances of conniving and “evil” playing? Should the winner be a “hero” will the editing etch a man or woman of integrity playing righteously amongst unsavory characters? We have seen in past seasons heavy handed editing in the presentation of some characters to ensure a theme goes a long way and to enhance a notable contestant in that season. Stephenie in Palau is a great example as was Rupert. Both of these contestants were not exactly as portrayed but they were built up in their respective seasons as fairly “heroic” due to their storylines (despite not winning). In Stephenie’s case (in particular) we saw a complete overhaul of her edit in Guatemala due to the outcome of that season. Other characters were also represented quite differently than what we remembered. I recall being a bit perplexed at Colby in his All Star season as opposed to his stint in Australia. However, look at his placement in both seasons. Carving an “All American” athletic cowboy fit in a season where he did so well and also (as some feel) practically gave up the title as Sole Survivor by having Tina sit with him at the end. We didn’t quite see that in All Stars for good reason as he did not fare as well there. Sugar is another contestant who was shaped to be more appealing to the audience (it also helped that the characters against her were shaped negatively) yet Sugar was stated to be very annoying which conveniently was not seen as much as the editors could have shown. Her character was edited specifically so the audience could more easily digest the outcome of her season. Lex is yet another who always comes to mind in his portrayal in Africa as compared to his All Star season. The list goes on and on. Therefore, a potentially huge clue for this season would be a vast difference (or similarity) in what we remember of these players and how they are shown now in conjunction with how Survivor wants to present this season’s story. A character who did well in their respective season (i.e. the season they were obviously chosen for to represent this season) may have a similar edit in this upcoming season of Survivor. For example, how will Jerri be shaped? She was a star villain in Australian and integral to the plot in Australia but tweaked in All Stars because she was not very relevant to that season. Evil Russell was the star of his season and for good reason. He was a finalist and the outcome of the season was directly tied to him although not the winner. However, editing has changed over the years since Survivor has first aired and what may work in one season is not necessarily the case for all seasons. However, we know these people (or we think we do) and there is the notion that these people are to be reflected in the way that made them loved, hated or remembered for some reason and of course how they are related to the outcome. Obviously we may want to also look at whether prior relationships take on form and if they succeed or fail like they did in prior seasons. In this case, not only are there direct prior alliances/relationships but subsets of alliances/relationships that either one or both failed or succeeded. For example, Candice and Parvati had a relationship in Cook Islands yet Parvati and Amanda were closely aligned in Micronesia and that season was more recent and they were very successful working with each other. However, Amanda and Parvati are not on the same tribe so will old ties or brand new relationships take priority and since they are on opposite tribes, will we see some nugget of information presented to suggest they meet up again? Sandra and Rupert were aligned in PI but Rupert and Boston Rob had a relationship in All Stars but both seasons seem very long ago and may be to those relationships as well. There are varying degrees of relationships in the upcoming season – some like Randy and Sugar were acrimonious but will that be laid aside solely because they feel they could use each other once a merger occurs or does bitterness still prevail and could that be used against each other? James and Parvati did not end well on Micronesia but will that stop either of them in utilizing the other in this season should they meet up with each other? Cirie was not happy with how things fared for her with Amanda and Parvati but will she disband any bitterness and work with them again because it was a successful trio? Cirie and Amanda have opportunity to work with each other immediately but will they decide it is not to their mutual benefit? Colby and Jerri have a strong history with each other and that reared its head during All Stars as Jerri was intent on “payback” but will she (or he) see the benefit of creating an alliance should they reach a merger? The possibilities are endless especially since some of these relationships are not starting out together on the same (Amanda/Parvati, Rupert/Sandra, etc.) so as stated do former alliances even play a role? Furthering this notion, will there be thought processes by others with respect to who they feel have prior relationships? For example, are Amanda and Cirie potentially viewed as threatening by others because they worked together before (or James and Amanda) so it is not just those with the relationships but also those observing what they know about former relationships that may come into play. Egos may rage in this season as well as we saw in returning player seasons/ Many over the top characters with large egos may end up being their downfall (again). Boston Rob, Tyson, Coach and Russell immediately come to mind in that regard. What I find extremely interesting (and perhaps something else to back burner) with respect to returning player seasons is that females won both those seasons. We may look at the psychology of this outcome and not only bear in mind that this is “heroes” and “villains” but also “male” and “female.” In the All Stars season, we also questioned whether prior winners would be immediate targets. Tom, Sandra, Parvati and JT are in that small circle and it will be interesting to see how much is invested in that by way of the editing and also the thought processes of non-winners. Suffice it to say, it would make sense for this to be touched upon but with so many seasons gone by, it is hard to say if that will be the first and foremost issue although it wouldn’t be hard to imagine that each of these contestants touch upon this subject matter. But, many of the players in THIS season did extremely well for themselves in their respective seasons (or some players have bigger reputations despite not winning) so it is possible that solely being a prior winner is not immediately detrimental. With respect to past winners, we may see a partial theme as can the winners do it again? Winners were targeted early on in All Stars so that potential thematic approach would have had to be disbanded immediately that season; it was solely a short term story – but we may want to watch carefully the past winners and how much is invested in the quest to be a dual winner. As a practical matter, Tom and JT may have a bigger worry (as opposed to Sandra and Parvati) in that as men, they are viewed as very threatening due to their physical stature which is always a concern in this competition. There is also the question of time (in terms of Survivor) division. Early Survivor seasons vs. later Survivor seasons. The first All Star survivor seems ages ago as does the seasons prior to it. Who was once deemed a certain persona or threat may have been forgotten in that regard compared to those who more recently played. Additionally, those who are a bit out of touch in terms of time may find it helpful to assist each other since they do not have such extensive relationships as some others do. We also can perhaps assume that Russell is fortunate in that the returning players do not know exactly how he played. Amanda, James and Rupert had that advantage in their seasons and Amanda and Rupert placed very well in their second showing. Russell is a mystery to these people so they do not immediately know his strengths or weaknesses. Finally, with such a black and white description of Heroes vs. Villains, the tribes as a whole may have an interesting edit. Not only will the characters in their category be shaped but the tribe as a whole and what they represent should be developed. How would one edit the villain tribe should they reach end game? How would the heroes be developed should they reach end game? I am of the mindset that ultimately this show would not want to portray an end game player in this theme as solely heroic or solely a villain (although I would suspect that a hero winner may be somewhat more to the editors liking than a despicable character). The investment made into this show is about outwitting, outplaying and outlasting and is not black or white. We may want to keep an eye on those players on the hero tribe that are willing to get a bit dirty as opposed to a one dimensional “hero.” Nor would we want to see someone who takes the title “hero” too seriously and comes across condescending being labeled as such. Survivor thrives on showing how one questions their moral compass and in a game that can get dirty, the willingness to adapt is integral. Should a hero win, we should hopefully see a character with strong moral qualities but perhaps acknowledging the need to “play the game” and without moral superiority. A flat villain will be highlighted for good television but I would suggest that there be some semblance of likeability to the villain that claims victory (although the definition of likeability may be different to each viewer) This season could be a defining moment in showing how "less than stellar" characters are shaped should a villain win as I do not ultimately believe that Survivor wants to portray this crowning achievement as completely “ugly” but rather be understood in the choices they make that are otherwise questionable or, at the very least, be shown as someone that the audience at least finds somewhat likeable in some regard (even if it is compared to those they sit with at the end.) This could easily be accomplished by showing this person eliminate someone who is extremely disliked by the audience (based upon the editing). In one game move, the audience is now almost subliminally directed into liking that individual who accomplished this so it may be fruitful to see WHO is touted with creating some spectacular moves especially on someone that the audience will be thrilled to see voted off. With that lengthy introduction, the players returning (with some highlights from Jeff) are: THE HEROES Colby – Season Two and Season 8/All Stars Colby was almost successful in Australia and not so much in All Stars. His persona was indeed edited differently to fit his outcome in both seasons and while one may question what on earth he was thinking at the end of Season Two, no one will hate him for it. In terms of threats, Colby is indeed one physically but being far removed from his original season (where he made more of an impact) may bode well for him. Certainly the biggest relationship he had was with Jerri and with them on opposing tribes, it will be notable if they are shown connected as episodes are aired. Should their relationship be capitalized upon in the editing department, I would suspect we should keep an eye on his (and/or hers) longevity. I would say that Colby may be overlooked due to time passing and perhaps his stint in All Stars taught him something useful for this season. As Jeff states, Colby may have something to prove since All Stars and with some other people on his tribe more recently notable, he could find himself advancing without even working very hard initially. I can think of no reason why he wouldn’t get along well with others on his tribe and as stated in other profiles, those like Tom and JT and James would be individuals I could see Colby getting along with quite well which is always helpful in the social aspect of this show. Jeff says: “When you look up "heroes" in Survivor, he's the first. I think Colby has something to prove. He came back in the All-Star season and was pretty flat. He had a lot of hype around him and he didn't do much. Nine years later he's in better shape than he was the first time around and he seems very focused. Rupert – Season 7 and Season 8/All Stars Rupert, Rupert, Rupert – the big man lending a helping hand was a sensible pick for the “hero” persona. His insecurities got the best of him in both seasons he was on (obviously moreso on PI) Highlighted in both seasons, Rupert will never be a character not inflated but it may be telling if we see a little less. With so many other notable characters, there would be no reason to feature Rupert as much if he doesn’t fare well this season. Rupert did seem to gravitate towards females so I will be watching to see what connections he makes. Sandra and Rupert are on opposing tribes this season so if some connection is played upon early on between the two which continues, that may be a clue that they will “meet up” upon a merger. Rupert also has a history with Boston Rob so comparing any relationship shown may be beneficial to how these characters fare. Rupert concerns me in that his reputation (despite time)and persona is known by everyone; that in itself may be a bigger target on his back even more than a prior winner would have Rupert’s saving grace would be (as his prior seasons) his role of provider and if he can maintain that role, his value to others will probably help his cause in staying. Ironically, Jeff only mentions Rupert in that regard but says nothing in terms of Rupert and the strategic side of Survivor Jeff says: “If you're going to do heroes vs. villains you have to have Rupert. He is probably the most popular player ever, kids still love that tie-dyed pirate with the beard, spearing fish and saying, "Ahhhh!" And Rupert is still the same. He's a little bit older but he's still got the beard, he's still got the tie-dye, and I think kids are still going to want to see him get in the water and look for fish.” Tom-Season 10 - WINNER Tom, a prior winner and one that was certainly herald in his season. Despite his being older, he was a major physical threat in his season and while I know nothing about him now, it would not surprise me if he should hold his own physically despite his being the eldest. However, Tom never truly had to worry about the inner workings and the ugliness that Survivor presents since he and his tribe dominatedin challenges so it will be interesting to see how he handles the “down and dirty” of Survivor should he have to visit Tribal Council earlier in the game than he has ever experienced. Tom and Stephenie have a prior relationship from their season and are both on the same tribe so an early dynamic may be presented even if he (or she) is not long term It is of no surprise Tom would be representing “hero” but Tom concerns me because his experiences in Survivor were somewhat narrow due to Koror being so dominant and I’m not entirely sure I see Tom necessarily being able to do anything other than truly lead. Jeff’s words are nice but he discusses nothing other than Tom being an outstanding winner solely because of who he was Another concern is that Tom (among some other players) have not had the luxury of new twists that have developed over the seasons and this could be problematic for him. I think he will get along well with some of the males and females (I have a hard time believing Cirie will play along nicely with Tom (or some other strong men on her tribe) as she is certainly not the type of female who finds it easy to suck it up if someone is head of their tribe even if that person is not antagonizing – she is a very strong “A” personality) but Tom is truly a leader and that may not work in this scenario and his exalted reputation and prior winner status is something that could automatically be a concern. Jeff says: Tom Westman is probably the greatest overall winner we've had. And by that I simply mean everybody liked him across the board. Nobody who watched Palau said, "…wish Tom hadn't have won." Stephenie – Season 10 and Season 11/Two Returning Players How can anyone forget the vast contrast in editing with respect to Stephenie in Palau and Guatemala. She is the quintessential queen of an editing work of art. Suffice it to say, I do not know Stephenie personally and do not know which personality she truly embodies although we do know she is competitive, determined and strong minded. She was tweaked to be heroic in Season 10 with good reason as being the lone contestant standing in her tribe is something we have never witnesses. Her stay in Guatemala was less than positive as she ruled her roost only to lose to a lower key “nicer” player. Stephenie could never have been edited in Guatemala the way she was in Palau or the ending would have been less than palpable to viewers. The fact she was placed on the heroes tribe obviously suggests we should see the “Palau Stephenie” as Jeff does not even mention Guatemala (although she did better) in his statements so a positive edit does not necessarily indicate longevity due to her “hero” placement. I have no doubt Stephenie will be holding her own with respect to challenges and therefore not as easily disposed of as compared to some other women on her tribe. It is interesting though that Jeff does not mention Stephenie also having something to prove (like he did with Colby) as I would think Stephenie would feel she has a lot to prove after her time on Guatemala regardless if her Guatemala persona is being ignored over her Palau season. On paper though, Stephenie is an asset and I think she will get along very well with the men. Jeff says: “….her first season in Palau, she was one of the most heroic women to ever play. Left alone, the last remaining person on her tribe and fought her way and actually ended up merged with the other group and still stayed alive deep into the show. I don't think there's any question Stephenie's a hero and a lot of people will probably be rooting for her again. Cirie – Season 12 and Season 16/Fans vs. Favorites Cirie is probably one of the few women on this show that was a huge threat but hid it well due to her non physical prowess. In a show where being weak is often a direct cause to leaving early, she utilized some amazing skills and did very well in both her seasons. There are more than a few contestants that must realize how dangerous Cirie is because her of her sharp mind. Parvati and Amanda both realized they would never win against Cirie and unfortunately without strong physical skills, Cirie may be at the mercy of others if she cannot win individual immunity challenges. One always thinks about whom they can win against at the end and Cirie would be difficult to defeat. Considering the makeup of her tribe, she may have a problem. These are all very strong and athletic individuals and many of them may feel she is a detriment in challenges (let’s not forget this was an issue for her in her original season and she was vulnerable for a time). Amanda, Cirie and James have prior relationships so this may help although Cirie may have a bone to pick with Amanda for choosing Parvati to go to the end. With that, Amanda may decide it would be dangerous for her to align with Cirie. Like Rupert, Cirie may be viewed as more dangerous solely due to who she is Jeff indicates Cirie is different but to those who have watched her may be concerned she is the same threatening persona. I find it interesting that Jeff notes if she can last….. she will be a major threat to win. I would think that may be on quite a few people’s minds as well. What is also interesting is that I would probably have chosen the “villains” side to place Cirie and if a majority of her tribe intend to play the role that hero invokes, she may be seen as a bit too cunning for their liking. Jeff says “… is the woman who got off the couch and played Survivor. Now Cirie is back for a third time and she's very different Cirie is a very confident woman. Physically she looks different, mentally she's different. She now knows she can do anything and if she can last the first five or six episodes she will be a major threat to win. Candice-Season 13 Candice is probably one of the contestants some viewers scratched their heads about in being chosen for this season which actually may bode quite well for her since her “reputation” does not exactly precede her. Notable for her “mutiny” and the focus of Billy’s adoration, she was overshadowed by the likes of Jonathan, Parvati, Ozzy and Yul. However, Candice did make a bold move and could be underestimated in this season with bigger characters around. Ironically, my opinion of what Jeff deems is heroic is the opposite view – her mutiny was shaped to subsequently have us root for the “underdogs” so there was some creative liberties taken by Jeff in his description of Candice’s move. Perhaps that helps Candice since she is not someone one considers a “hero” and therefore does not feel any pressure to be one. Also, while egos are checking each other at the door, Candice may utilize a beneficial strategy to slide through some cracks and in a season with these personalities, a lower key approach may be the wisest. In her case, it may take reading between the lines as her development may be very subtle and the audience may be distracted by bigger and better for quite some time. With a prior relationship to Parvati, it may be wise to watch them since they are starting out on opposing tribes (much like Parvati and Amanda) since a future alliance could, in fact, occur (although I would argue with myself that Parvati’s bond with Candice was hardly as meaty as the time she invested with James, Amanda and Cirie). Jeff says:: I think is a surprise to a lot of people. Mutiny is a big thing. Nobody had ever done it before Candice, and nobody has ever done it since. And it was, "If you don't like the tribe you're on step off the mat." She stepped off the mat, and the reason being was, "I belong on that tribe, that's who I want to win with, that's who I'm loyal to, they need me." We saw that as heroic. A lot of people see a mutiny as villainous, in this case we didn't.” Amanda – Season 15 and Season 16/Fans vs. Favorites We had hoped Amanda learned something from China with her poor jury performance. Courtney, who irritated people greatly, managed to garner more votes due to a better jury performance or what was viewed as a more honest approach. Amanda is her own worst enemy and that may be something about her persona that just cannot change. Despite how well she fares this season, I would bet the farm that Amanda will never be able to improve upon her performance skills in showing people she should win Survivor. Amanda will NEVER win Survivor. She may stay the course but for those who love to guess the winner, you may want to eliminate her immediately. With that said, her longevity is a different ball game. She has a strong past with James and a not so nice ending regarding her relationship with Cirie so we may see an immediate investment made in that past since they start on the same tribe. Most interesting will be how her relationship with Parvati may be shown. The two of them were extremely close and there may be a lot invested in their prior relationship should they be able to recreate what they did in Micronesia; THAT relationship may be quite known – I am curious if there are contestants who will mention that they would be dangerous if able to meet up again. In both her seasons, Amanda was aligned with someone a bit more crafty and she may need that again; if that is not there for her, she may not be able to stay the course. Jeff notes that Amanda’s jury argument is what she lacks yet he makes no reference that Amanda may have learned something and is a legitimate threat. It would be no surprise to me if Amanda is long term but I am fairly confident that Amanda cannot win this game based on the fact she is not comfortable owning up to the shadier side of this game. Jeff says: “… the only person, I'm pretty sure, in the history of Survivor to play the game for 78 days. She went to the final both times. The only thing Amanda lacks from being the greatest female hero ever is the closing argument. She needs to go watch The Verdict, watch Paul Newman work a jury over. That's what you've got to do in this game to win. James-Season 15 and Season 16/Fans vs. Favorites James is not especially noted for his strategy in the game of Survivor but as an extremely popular player, his being selected makes sense. While we don’t know exactly how he would have fared in Fans vs. Favorites, it is plausible to assume that the women would have eaten him alive as they did with all the other male players. James has a history with Amanda as well as Parvati and Courtney and Cirie although his relationships with Courtney and Cirie were hardly what he shared with Parvati and Amanda. With Amanda and James on the same tribe, I certainly would not be surprised if their relationship continued but it remains to be seen if James has learned anything about playing the game other than being a strong competitor although that would be beneficial to his stay short term. As Jeff indicates, James may just not have what it takes to win this game and with what could lie ahead (in terms of some of the villains) he would have a hard road ahead of him. Jeff says: James is a guy massive in size and he's just sort of the quiet giant. I'm not sure about James' desire to win. …James was a guy voted out with two idols in is pocket; two hidden immunity idols, he didn't play either of them. But I think what James has learned is it's not about the challenges, it's about the talkers. I think that's where James' education needs to come into play if he's going to win. Sugar – Season 17 Yet another contestant that received a very heavy hand in her editing for storyline purposes. I suspect Sugar is not quite the woman we saw in Gabon but her edit served her well for the outcome of the game. Sugar’s goal in Gabon helped the general theme of good vs. evil push forward and other contestants’ evilness were highlighted in order for Sugar to be someone we wanted to succeed in her quest for nice people to be at the end. Where could Sugar’s character go in this season? Her villains are grouped on the other side and her persona portrayed on Gabon may have been a result of very good editing so where would that leave the real Sugar? With Randy waiting to meet up again with her one day, I am curious to see if there is any investment made with them for a long term story considering their animosity towards each other; this would be a perfect story for this season if they are long term players. Where can her character go if already with a group of “good people?” Jeff’s words seem to indicate that Sugar will be quite satisfied for a hero to win but since the heroes are already amassed, Jeff’s words do not seem to indicate there is anything left for Sugar to do and they can advance themselves without her assistance. Jeff says: Sugar is an interesting choice for hero because she gave us another dimension. Sugar's whole game was "I want good people to win." So by definition she is a heroine because she wants goodness and she did her best to get bad people out of the game, and I think Sugar is back to try and make that happen again. Sugar's probably the type who would say, "I don't care if I win as long as somebody on my tribe of heroes does." JT – Season 18 – WINNER JT was a physical force to be reckoned with and had the personality to disarm many people with his country boy persona. However, I cannot forget that JT also had a ying to his yang which helped greatly in his advancement. This is not to say that only JT required a partner in furthering himself; all contestants do BUT JT’s method of play may have only served him well with the season he was on and those who assisted in his advancement. I do see an adaptable player and probably one to get along well with others which bodes well for him initially but insofar as the truly strategic issues that Survivor hands the contestants, I am not convinced of his mastery in that area. I found Jeff’s words a bit surprising on his interpretation of cutting Stephen loose; perhaps he meant this as the final Tribal Council when it was no holds barred. However, Jeff’s words only emphasize my concern with JT and how he will fare should he not have the same relationship as he did with Stephen. With those who are cast on the Heroes side, I do see him getting along quite well. Those such as James and Tom would probably appreciate a strong male with a good work ethic and I’m sure the women will not mind his presence either. The “good ole boy” may have his work cut out for him if some of these villains embrace their persona and quickly decide JT is too threatening should he be there at merger. His prior winner status is always something to be concerned about as well and it may benefit JT and Tom to perhaps have each others' backs since they both have that target on them. I am looking forward to see to see how Coach and Tyson handle their prior relationship with JT; especially Coach who deemed JT as a warrior and whose main motivation was to actually help JT (as well as other contestants that season) There is no reason for me to believe JT is in any immediate danger but I do find it curious that Jeff makes more of JT’s “game playing” then I feel is due him. Jeff says: If there's a guy that could rival Tom Westman for being one of the most likeable guys to win the game, it's JT. Played a great game. Very much like Tom, athletic when he had to be, social when he needed to be, had a really good alliance, and knew when to cut it loose. Tom had Ian, JT had Stephen, both of them took them all the way down to the end and then cut 'em loose and won the game. JT's definitely a hero.” THE VILLAINS Jerri – Season 2 and Season 8/All Stars What was so very interesting about Jerri was her need to negate her portrayal in Australia while playing in All Stars. It appeared she felt misrepresented and wanted to show herself in a different light and considering she is labeled a villain, I wonder if she will again feel she needs to prove otherwise. Her edit in Australia was extremely memorable but her showing in All Stars did not ring true with viewers. She has a rich history with Colby and much like other relationships on this season, her longevity may be indicated should there be a nugget of a potential storyline with Colby especially since they are on opposing tribes. Jeff suggests that Jerri may not embrace her villain status (which rings true considering what she attempted to achieve (and failed doing so) in All Stars and if this developed well, it may bode well for her long term. Her ties to Rob and Rupert were not of any real substance other than Rupert and Jerri together on Saboga. Survivor viewers will never forget her ties with Colby (their relationship is one of the most notable relationships in Survivor) and again I would like to believe this is played upon should they be long term players as their past is an investment for good television for long term viewers. Jerri has been far removed enough from her seasons that she may not be viewed as any real threat and if she keeps her head down for awhile (instead of rearing her femme fatale head) she could last a bit. I would suggest she was replaced in that role by Parvati and Jerri may be at a loss as to who she really is so it will be interesting to see which Jerri we see and how she handles the dynamics. It does appear that Jerri may have some storyline in her by Jeff’s words although I am not sure if it will be that of a game player or a victim. Jeff says: “Jerri is the poster child for the Black Widow, she is the ultimate female femme fatale. And, man, lo and behold, nine years later Jerri still looks good. She looks pretty much like she did the first season. And she's got a different way she wants to play. Even though she's on the villains tribe I think she wants to play more heroic so it will be interesting to see if that works out. Rob-Season 4 and Season 8/All Stars Rob was truly an original old school villain and it will be interesting to see if time has softened any of this. Regardless of time passing, Rob has a reputation and unless he is useful to someone or can still use people effectively, he may not fare too well. He and Amber made a formidable alliance but there is no romance to be brewed now –let’s not forget that his standing in Marquesas failed to make jury and from my hazy recollection, Rob’s All Star tribe won quite a few immunities which is also part of staying safe. While Jeff seems to have high expectations from Rob, this remains to be seen in my view due to the makeup of his tribe While Rob is a “no brainer” to get chosen I am not sure that his methods which were so successful in All Stars will carry the same weight this season. Due to the All Star connection, he and Jerri may attempt some relationship (although it was not one of any substance) by sheer virtue of both of them being a different “generation” of players. I think much of Rob’s success will depend on his finesse with the group of people he is with; Rob is not subtle and there are definite characters on this tribe who won’t take him lightly. Jeff says: “….for me it was a no-brainer. The only question for me was would he do it. Rob married Amber, who he met during Survivor: All-Stars, asked her to marry him during the live show, then had a televised wedding when they did get married and they just had a baby and now he's coming back out here to play. And I think one of the guiding philosophies for Rob was "You know what, everything we really have come as a result of Survivor." And if I were betting and I had one shot to put my money on somebody, I'd put it on Rob.” Sandra-Season 7 – WINNER Infamous for her voting for anyone as long as it wasn’t her, Sandra is an interesting choice for “villain” as Sandra had many facets to her character that were somewhat villainous but more or less were not taken to seriously. She is a winner that many debate over but she worked her season quite well. Sandra’s mouth may get her in trouble though and I am looking forward to see how she is received by those such as Coach, Russell and Tyson. Russell will not dismiss Sandra and they will either realize a certain effectiveness in working with each other or there could be a blood bath. Sandra should have ample camera time so what she says will be more important than how much she is on our screens. Although Sandra is a big personality, she is a perfect under the radar player and used that effectively in PI. In the categories of players I have self labeled, under the radar is not necessarily someone with a low key personality but one that other contestants feel is no threat to win the game. Sandra was not considered any threat and that worked very well for her. Being a prior winner is obviously a reason for other contestants to want her gone but as mentioned earlier, it has been quite some time since her season and the target on her back may not loom as large as other prior winners or other players. Additionally, Sandra and Parvati may “have each others back" since they are both returning as prior winners and realize that they could be targets. Sandra only has ties with Rupert so we may want to watch their edits in conjunction with each other. It is interesting that Jeff calls Sandra a “quiet villain” when she really is not so quiet . Jeff says: “….is a quiet villain, but Sandra is for sure a villain. Sandra did things in the Pearl Islands like dump all the tribe food, all the fish they had, and then set it up so that her friend Christa would take the blame, and then never tell anybody it was Christa. Sandra won the game doing stuff like that. Her whole mantra in Survivor: Pearl Islands was "As long as it ain't me." That's a villain.” Danielle – Season 12 Perhaps another contestant that viewers may question as to why she was picked for this season, Danielle is not exactly known for overt villain behavior and was not exactly memorable in any degree. This season is probably known more for Terri NOT winning, Cirie getting off the couch, yoga by Aras and antics from Shane. However, like Candice, this may serve Danielle very well as being overlooked by many other players. With the contestants that were selected for the villain group, Danielle may slide through any Tribal Council by keeping her head down and developing good partnerships if she is able. Her “villain” move by Jeff is something most Survivors do at some point; betrayal is almost a guarantee in some fashion and getting rid of Terri was the smartest move Danielle made so I am not sure how villainous that truly is (although with the edit Terri received, we were not meant to like this choice by Danielle) Jeff’s words seem to indicate that Danielle could do very well in this game and with characters on both sides of the fence that loom much larger, Danielle’s greatest asset may be her lack of real presence. There may not be a vast change in her edit however if she is a long term player since she was in the final two in her season and relatively more noted for her physical assets. It may be the people she is associated with that need to be watched to determine if Danielle has legs as Danielle may be one of those characters that despite a lot of creative editing, a big presence is just not in the cards. Jeff says: “I think Danielle could last for awhile. What Danielle is really good at is aligning with the right people and then staying out of the way. And like she did in her season, she got down to a situation where she knew she was going to be in a tie-breaker, she needed to know how to make fire, Terry helped her make fire, and then she betrayed him and voted him out and cost him a million bucks. That makes her a villain, and I'd say makes her a decent threat to be in the game way past the merge. Parvati-Season 13 and Season 16/Fans vs. Favorites – Winner Parvati’s edit in Micronesia served her very well in the theme of learning from past mistakes and teaching new players a “thing or two” In her original season, we saw Parvati rely heavily on her female wiles which only got her so far but her edit was more dimensional in Micronesia as we were shown her not only utilizing the men but also the women and forging formidable alliances with both the returning players and new players. For anyone that questioned her being selected for Micronesia she proved she knew how to play this game using what she was known for in Cook Islands along with a healthy dose of strategy. Being a prior winner, we may see quite a bit of observation on her part of what she needs to do to succeed again but like Sandra, she may not be viewed as big of a threat as the past male winners and as stated earlier, she and Sandra may recognize they could help each other since both may feel they have targets on their backs being prior winners. Surrounded by some very egotistical males, she (along with other female “villains”) may be discounted in terms of threat. It will be very interesting to see how Russell handles the women on his tribe due to the thoughts he had on female players on his season. Parvati may be savvy enough to continue to play the role that got her far in both seasons. She had some interesting dynamics with other players that may bear fruit if long term. Amanda and Parvati were extremely close but now on opposite sides so their individual edits prior to any merge may clue us in on their longevity. James and Parvati did not end well in Micronesia and that relationship may be shaped depending on whether they meet up again this season. Parvati may have some worry because she certainly established herself in Micronesia as very cunning and she may automatically be viewed as a potential threat so it may behoove her to behave in a very non threatening way which is much easier for a female to accomplish than a man. Jeff says: “… Parvati engineered one of the greatest female alliances ever. They took out all of the people that were loyal to them. They don't have a friend in James any more, they don't have a friend in Ozzy any more and Parvati was the ringleader of that group, and for that Parvati is in my book a villain in the game. And is definitely somebody that could win again” Courtney – Season 15 Courtney was quite memorable on her season for having a big mouth and very little body. Surprisingly, she made it to end game and surprised many with votes she received. Like some others, it should be very interesting to see how she gets along with the likes of some of the men such as Russell, Coach, Randy and Rob. Courtney may appreciate Tyson’s wicked sense of humor/evilness but I do not think she will hold back about some other males. It will also be very interesting to see if Courtney and Sandra get along famously or possibly detest each other since their personalities have some commonality. Courtney’s short term success may have to do with how well the villains do in challenges. The women may be targeted early if they lose challenges and Courtney would be more vulnerable than Parvati and Danielle and perhaps Jerri. Courtney and Sandra may be in the shakiest positions in terms of challenge contribution so it may come down to who they align with and how big their mouths are. Jeff makes more of Courtney’s “mouth” over Sandra (referenced as a quiet villain, when, in fact, we know how big her mouth could get) so Courtney may find herself having to be very careful. Courtney came right out of the gate in China spouting her opinions and this may not go over as well as it did in China. That being said, if Courtney manages to do what she did in China, she is yet another candidate that could surprise everyone by suddenly showing up in the end because she is completely disregarded. Jeff says: “Courtney is such a clever villain that I dedicated an entire segment to her in the Survivor: China live show. Courtney may only weigh 95 pounds but she can slice and dice you with her language like nobody else. She knows she's not the strongest woman, but she also knows how to play the game and find her way. And, man, when she's doing her interviews, she will destroy you.” Randy-Season 18 Randy’s villainy was a bit different from the others who have been selected and due to this difference; it would not surprise me if Randy is quickly eliminated from this group. Despite the others labeled as “villain” there is some aspect of their personality they have honed where they can marginally get along with people in general. Randy does not have that filter or finesse to allow people to have a reason to keep Randy around. Even Russell, who blatantly initiated despicable strategies, was able to portray a rather likeable man to many of his tribe mates. Coach was certainly a laughable individual but most seemed mildly amused by him and certainly not threatened by him. Tyson was shown to be very popular with a lot of his tribe mates and his sense of humor was infectious. Rob certainly knew how to ingratiate himself and his obnoxious side was not all we saw. Randy is a very flat character with a very narrow scope in personality; I hardly see any of the women enjoying his company and I don’t know that he would appear useful to any of these particular men. Randy may have been the king of Gabon but in this season, his persona feels second rate as a villain. I note that Jeff makes no mention of Randy other than his personality and dislike towards people; nothing game related whatsoever. Jeff says: “Randy Bailey called himself the king of Gabon. He was one of the most despicable people, Randy's a wedding photographer who hates love. Randy had no one to come visit him during the "loved ones," had he had a loved one visit there was nobody coming. Randy's a villain, and the thing about Randy he loves being a villain, he's glad you don't like him because he doesn't like you either.” Tyson – Season 18 Tyson embodies villainy in a very cartoon character sense. If he had one, I suspect Tyson would do a lot of mustache twirling with his talk of liking to see people cry. There is probably no question that Tyson and Coach will revisit their bond which may prove disastrous for both of them as they will be seen as a pair immediately. Tyson does have a certain charm with his humor and devil may care attitude and he may be another who has substantial confessionals despite longevity. He is athletic and may help the villains during the challenges so it may be beneficial to keep him around. But, these women will not be pushed around or led easily and some of these men may not be amused by his antics. Tyson can do well if he walks a balanced line but a good player doesn’t allow himself to be blindsided and is aware of his vulnerability; Tyson never believed he was vulnerableand with these contestants, Tyson needs to be aware of everything. Jeff does make mention of Tyson being in an alliance which doesn’t betray him so Tyson’s stay may be more about how useful he is to others than anything Tyson does proactively. Jeff says: “Tyson is a really interesting villain for a lot of reasons. One is he's a Mormon and he's a despicable villain; as he said in his season, "I love making people cry." He really does, and I don't think it's a put-on. I think he really didn't like a lot of the people in his tribe and let them know. I'm hoping that Tyson lasts long enough that we can get some of those one-liners and also see what will happen if Tyson gets in an alliance that doesn't betray him.” Coach – Season 18 Coach had an agenda on his season (as did Sugar’s portrayal) and what will be interesting is to see is whether Coach knows how to do Survivor other than his agenda. His mantra of a warrior winning and bringing the best to the end is a bit misplaced for this season and despite that Jeff indicates that Coach has revised his motivation, I’m not sure it will be successful as it is still a strategy of ego than actual game playing. Jeff is correct that surely everyone can see that Coach appears to be no threat but do these people have the patience to do deal with his theatrics? He is in a relationship with Tyson and has a potentially upcoming relationship with JT; if Coach and JT are both long term, there may be some palpable investment made of their relationship. With personalities like Sandra, Courtney and Russell, I have a hard time envisioning a lot of placating with his eccentricities but for however long Coach is in the game, I’m sure he will be featured. Coach’s greatest attribute (as Jeff indicates) is that he will more than likely be viewed as a joke than a legitimate threat – the big question is whether his tribe will tolerate him for him to be a long term player – in actuality he is probably someone everyone should want to carry along with them as they look to end game.
Jeff says: “The thing about Coach that I find so fascinating is people absolutely hated Coach. He didn't do anything.An interesting thing about Coach is that he said, "Last time I played for the honor of the game, this time I'm playing for the glory." This time Coach wants to win. Can he win? No. But if somebody's smart they will take Coach with them deep into the game because he's entertaining as hell, he'll keep you laughing. And he's really no threat to ever beat you. Russell – Season 19 The diabolical Russell that just left our television screens is certainly a force to reckon with and perhaps his greatest advantage is that the other players do not know him. One may despise Russell’s methodology but there is no question he is driven, focused and has an ability to manipulate. His preference for “dumb girls” may be hard to come by this season with the likes of the female villains he is ensconced with so he may have to change his tactics. I cannot foresee his threatening demeanor being successful with the women on this season but, unlike a lot of other males on this show, Russell does see the advantages of aligning with women and we may see that again this season especially if he and the women on his tribe find it mutually advantageous to group together and eliminate potential threats If you were a threat to Russell, he wanted you gone and with his egotistical outlook on women in general, he may find (despite that these women are certainly not “dumb girls”) that it is better for him to utilize them in getting rid of what he perceives as bigger threats. The question then is whether he is humble enough to realize that there may be contestants that could play this game better than him and more importantly can he realize that some MAY be women. At the close of last season, Russell failed to realize his mistakes in the game and I’m not convinced he believes he made any (but rather, the jury did). Jeff is fairly sure that Russell will have his guns blazing and take no prisoners but Russell is now surrounded with some pretty crafty women and his ego may cloud his brain in realizing that the women he probably plans to use may also be planning on using him. Jeff says: “I think it says a lot about Survivor that 19 seasons in we still found somebody who in one season cracked the top five most notorious male villains of all time and that's Russell. Russell is the most devious player ever. Russell is full-on devious. …After what he did in 19 those guys better watch out because he will damn sure do it again in 20.” So we begin what may be the most telling season in terms of editing as there are many themes that can be presented. Can a prior winner win again? Do past relationships play a role in a competition where relationships are put to the test? In this case, there are quite a number of cross tribe relationships – will they be utilized or will contestants feel they are required to be loyal to their tribe? Will prior relationships be detrimental because others feel they need to be broken up? Will the characterizations of “hero” and “villain” play a role on how someone plays; i.e. will they embrace that role or be determined to cast off the label they were given? Will players repeat the same mistakes of the past or deny their need to change? Does reputation make for a bigger target or does being a prior winner? This Survivor “story” should be a fascinating one. The roles of the contestants in shaping the plot and ending remains to be seen butI would imagine that we will see the foundation of how this season is to play out shortly upon viewing BUT the long term players may not be identified immediately as we have seen in the past that some end game contestants have very subtle edits and some are extremely visible. The intent of this season should be fairly apparent and with characters that we know fairly well, definitive changes in their edit from what we knew of them may be very helpful in determining their role in this season. but I suspect our first episode will help lay the foundation nicely. I think we will also see an abundance of clinical players and emotional players this season. I will be watching the women very carefully due to the success they have had in seasons such as this as well as the under the radar players due to the fact that with so many strong personalities and big egos, being overlooked and viewed as a person that is no threat may bode quite well as a strategy. I look forward to analyzing the “story” (as I like to describe Survivor) with many of you.
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| Subject |
Author |
Message Date |
ID |
 RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
flystorms |
02-01-10 |
1 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
Belle Book |
02-01-10 |
2 |
 RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
PepeLePew13 |
02-01-10 |
3 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
michel |
02-01-10 |
4 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
tribephyl |
02-02-10 |
5 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
PepeLePew13 |
02-02-10 |
6 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
michel |
02-02-10 |
7 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
CTgirl |
02-02-10 |
8 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
michel |
02-03-10 |
9 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
Belle Book |
02-03-10 |
10 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
Outfrontgirl |
02-10-10 |
11 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
michel |
02-10-10 |
13 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
Outfrontgirl |
02-11-10 |
14 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
Outfrontgirl |
02-10-10 |
12 |
| Episode 1 - Editing Thoughts |
VerucaSalt |
02-14-10 |
15 |
| RE: Episode 1 - Editing Thoughts |
Belle Book |
02-15-10 |
16 |
| RE: Episode 1 - Editing Thoughts |
VerucaSalt |
02-16-10 |
17 |
| RE: Episode 1 - Editing Thoughts |
Slider |
02-16-10 |
18 |
| RE: Episode 1 - Editing Thoughts |
VerucaSalt |
02-22-10 |
23 |
| RE: Episode 1 - Editing Thoughts |
michel |
02-16-10 |
19 |
| RE: Episode 1 - Editing Thoughts |
Krautboy |
02-17-10 |
20 |
| RE: Episode 1 - Editing Thoughts |
VerucaSalt |
02-22-10 |
24 |
| RE: Episode 1 - Editing Thoughts |
Flowerpower |
02-17-10 |
21 |
| RE: Episode 1 - Editing Thoughts |
VerucaSalt |
02-22-10 |
25 |
| RE: Episode 1 - Editing Thoughts |
Flowerpower |
02-22-10 |
27 |
| Episode #2: Editring Thoughts |
michel |
02-20-10 |
22 |
| RE: Editing Thoughts - Episode 2 |
VerucaSalt |
02-22-10 |
26 |
| RE: Editing Thoughts - Episode 2 |
SquidProQuo |
02-23-10 |
28 |
| RE: Editing Thoughts - Episode 2 |
BedfordRobbie |
02-23-10 |
29 |
| RE: Editing Thoughts - Episode 2 |
VerucaSalt |
02-28-10 |
32 |
| RE: Editing Thoughts - Episode 2 |
VerucaSalt |
02-28-10 |
31 |
| RE: Editing Thoughts - Episode 2 |
michel |
02-23-10 |
30 |
| RE: Editing Thoughts - Episode 2 |
VerucaSalt |
02-28-10 |
33 |
| Episode 3 - Editing Thoughts |
VerucaSalt |
02-28-10 |
34 |
| RE: Episode 3 - Editing Thoughts |
Belle Book |
02-28-10 |
35 |
| RE: Episode 3 - Editing Thoughts |
michel |
02-28-10 |
36 |
| RE: Episode 3 - Editing Thoughts |
Belle Book |
02-28-10 |
38 |
| RE: Episode 3 - Editing Thoughts |
flystorms |
02-28-10 |
37 |
| RE: Episode 3 - Editing Thoughts |
katethegreat |
03-01-10 |
39 |
| RE: Episode 3 - Editing Thoughts |
michel |
03-01-10 |
40 |
| RE: Episode 3 - Editing Thoughts |
SquidProQuo |
03-04-10 |
41 |
| RE: Episode 3 - Editing Thoughts |
michel |
03-04-10 |
42 |
| RE: Episode 3 - Editing Thoughts |
SquidProQuo |
03-04-10 |
44 |
| RE: Episode 3 - Editing Thoughts |
michel |
03-04-10 |
45 |
| RE: Episode 3 - Editing Thoughts |
SquidProQuo |
03-05-10 |
46 |
| RE: Episode 3 - Editing Thoughts |
michel |
03-05-10 |
48 |
| RE: Episode 3 - Editing Thoughts |
VerucaSalt |
03-08-10 |
51 |
| RE: Episode 3 - Editing Thoughts |
VerucaSalt |
03-08-10 |
50 |
| RE: Episode 3 - Editing Thoughts |
SquidProQuo |
03-04-10 |
43 |
| RE: Episode 3 - Editing Thoughts |
flystorms |
03-05-10 |
47 |
| RE: Episode 3 - Editing Thoughts |
SquidProQuo |
03-08-10 |
52 |
| Episode #4: Editing Thoughts |
michel |
03-06-10 |
49 |
| Episode 4: Editing Thoughts |
VerucaSalt |
03-09-10 |
53 |
| RE: Episode 4: Editing Thoughts |
suzzee |
03-10-10 |
55 |
| RE: Episode 4: Editing Thoughts |
VerucaSalt |
03-10-10 |
57 |
| NO! |
suzzee |
03-11-10 |
61 |
| RE: Episode #4: Editing Thoughts |
suzzee |
03-10-10 |
54 |
| RE: Episode #4: Editing Thoughts |
Slider |
03-10-10 |
56 |
| RE: Episode #4: Editing Thoughts |
VerucaSalt |
03-10-10 |
58 |
| RE: Episode #4: Editing Thoughts |
michel |
03-10-10 |
59 |
| RE: Episode #4: Editing Thoughts |
SquidProQuo |
03-10-10 |
60 |
| Episode 5 - Editing Thoughts |
SquidProQuo |
03-13-10 |
62 |
| RE: Episode 5 - Editing Thoughts |
michel |
03-13-10 |
63 |
| RE: Episode 5 - Editing Thoughts |
Belle Book |
03-13-10 |
64 |
| RE: Episode 5 - Editing Thoughts |
mysticjay |
03-15-10 |
65 |
| RE: Episode 5 - Editing Thoughts |
PepeLePew13 |
03-15-10 |
66 |
| RE: Episode 5 - Editing Thoughts |
mysticjay |
03-15-10 |
67 |
| RE: Episode 5 - Editing Thoughts |
ohmyheck |
03-15-10 |
68 |
| RE: Episode 5 - Editing Thoughts |
SquidProQuo |
03-15-10 |
69 |
| RE: Episode 5 - Editing Thoughts |
michel |
03-15-10 |
72 |
| RE: Episode 5 - Editing Thoughts |
mysticjay |
03-16-10 |
76 |
| RE: Episode 5 - Editing Thoughts |
Tublecane |
03-15-10 |
71 |
| RE: Episode 5 - Editing Thoughts |
PepeLePew13 |
03-15-10 |
70 |
| Comments |
michel |
03-15-10 |
73 |
| RE: Comments |
SquidProQuo |
03-15-10 |
74 |
| RE: Comments |
michel |
03-15-10 |
75 |
| RE: Comments |
Chez |
03-16-10 |
77 |
| Episode 5 Editing Thoughts |
VerucaSalt |
03-19-10 |
78 |
| Episode #6: Editing Thoughts |
michel |
03-27-10 |
79 |
| RE: Episode #6: Editing Thoughts |
Slider |
03-29-10 |
80 |
| RE: Episode #6: Editing Thoughts |
suzzee |
03-30-10 |
81 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
michel |
04-03-10 |
82 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
Belle Book |
04-03-10 |
83 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
BPNM |
04-04-10 |
84 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
michel |
04-04-10 |
86 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
BPNM |
04-04-10 |
89 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
Chez |
04-04-10 |
85 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
michel |
04-04-10 |
87 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
Chez |
04-04-10 |
88 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
suzzee |
04-05-10 |
90 |
| Some initial reactions to Ep. 8 |
SquidProQuo |
04-09-10 |
91 |
| RE: Some initial reactions to Ep. 8... |
Belle Book |
04-09-10 |
92 |
| RE: Some initial reactions to Ep. 8... |
BPNM |
04-10-10 |
93 |
| Episode 8 Editing Thoughts: |
michel |
04-12-10 |
94 |
| Episode #9 Editing Thoughts |
michel |
04-18-10 |
95 |
| RE: Episode #9 Editing Thoughts |
suzzee |
04-21-10 |
96 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
michel |
04-24-10 |
97 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
ginger0226 |
04-24-10 |
98 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
LFJ |
04-25-10 |
99 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
tmontgomery71 |
04-25-10 |
100 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
Belle Book |
04-25-10 |
101 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
michel |
05-01-10 |
102 |
| RE: The Players, The Game, The Edit... |
Belle Book |
05-02-10 |
103 |
| Episode #12 Editing Thoughts |
michel |
05-09-10 |
104 |
| RE: Episode #12 Editing Thoughts |
BPNM |
05-09-10 |
105 |
| RE: Episode #12 Editing Thoughts |
michel |
05-09-10 |
107 |
| RE: Episode #12 Editing Thoughts |
Georjanna |
05-09-10 |
106 |
| RE: Episode #12 Editing Thoughts |
michel |
05-09-10 |
108 |
| RE: Episode #12 Editing Thoughts |
Belle Book |
05-09-10 |
109 |
| Thoughts before the Finale: |
michel |
05-15-10 |
110 |
| RE: Thoughts before the Finale: |
LFJ |
05-15-10 |
111 |
| RE: Thoughts before the Finale: |
DRONES |
05-18-10 |
112 |
| Thoughts after the Finale |
BPNM |
05-21-10 |
113 |
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michel 10958 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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02-01-10, 08:59 PM (EST)
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4. "RE: The Players, The Game, The Editing - Survivor Heroes vs. Villains " |
Hello Veruca,That was a great read to start the season, you certainly have set the stage very well. Like in the 1st ALL-Star, there's a complete boot list for this season out there and, as much as I tried to stay away, I have an idea of which players wind up in the F6. I don't know how the boots are made but it's enough for me to stay away from making winners' picks. I'm still interested in the stories the editors present so I'll look at the themes and what roles the editors give to each character, blocking out all outside information. So, hopefully, we can exchange our opinions. With that in mind, I would like to comment on a few of your remarks: "they feel compelled to embrace the role or rear against it especially when some of these players are not exactly “hero” or “villain”(I suggest that more than likely there may be some rebellion by those labeled villains over those labeled hero)" From what I remember in their videos, Candice expected to be a villain while Sandra and Danielle didn't. Coach saw himself as heroic but knew he was perceived as villainous. Villains may have an additional motivation to "destroy" the heroes. We remember Stephenie as a strong woman but I was shocked to see how small she is compared to Amanda, Candice and Danielle. I'm not sure she can dominate them. As for Tom, not only has 5 years gone by but he's now an insurance salesman. Even if he looks in shape I have a feeling a sedentary job couldn't have helped. You gave really good ideas about past relationships but don't forget that relationships were also built outside the show. In her presentation video, Sugar hints to a romantic relation with JT. You also wrote: "What I find extremely interesting with respect to returning player seasons is that females won both those seasons" Actually, all 3 seasons with returning players (S8, S11 and S16) had women winners. Here's to hoping for a good season!
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Outfrontgirl 6830 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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02-10-10, 00:41 AM (EST)
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11. "RE: The Players, The Game, The Editing - Survivor Heroes vs. Villains " |
I read Rob's upset as tongue in cheek. He laughed afterwards and said are you kidding me of course I'm a villain, did he not? This is the guy who created himself as the Godfather character. He wanted a puppet master image. IRL I think Rob is a total softy, from what I saw of him on his wedding special. He enjoys playing villain on TV. I can't imagine what he would do if handed a Hero hat. Laugh and say I fooled them?
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michel 10958 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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02-10-10, 07:46 PM (EST)
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13. "RE: The Players, The Game, The Editing - Survivor Heroes vs. Villains " |
Having declined the invitation to attend his wedding, I can't say I know Rob all that well but I think that the disappointment was genuine in the sense that he saw all the players that the fans loved on the tribe of Heroes. Being next to Randy, Tyson, Coach and Russell, if he knows any of them, is a little less glamorous than being with Colby, Rupert and Tom.
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Outfrontgirl 6830 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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02-11-10, 02:00 AM (EST)
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14. "RE: The Players, The Game, The Editing - Survivor Heroes vs. Villains " |
I can see him not liking the line-up of his tribe as much, that makes sense. I just don't see that he would expect to be anything but a Villain as he portrayed himself as a bad boy in Marquesas and he stabbed Lex in the back on AS$. The roles are all about past game play, not whether they're good people in real life. Anyone who plays with the it's just a game motto, which is how Rob played, is Villain material. Those who played with the idea that you need to play clean even if it loses you the game are the types they wanted for Heroes.Coach should have been on Heroes, really. The only person he backstabbed at all was Brendan, and Brendan was doing the same to him. I think they put him on Villains because he's so ridiculous and delusional, but he didn't fit the ruthless role. However, he's doing his best to live up to the somewhat tweaked character by talking big. I doubt he'll accomplish much. Anyhow, I like Rob. Villains can be likable. They didn't bring back some of the despicable villain types, like Brian Heidik, so this "villain" casting isn't that real. It's entertainment. This is far from the ten most ruthless people to play Survivor, not even close - nor is it the ten nicest or most admirable.
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VerucaSalt 1580 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Peanut Festival Grand Marshall"
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02-14-10, 02:37 PM (EST)
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15. "Episode 1 - Editing Thoughts" |
It is so nice to see everyone I almost hate to post - as this was a two hour episode, I can only warn you to drink quite a lot of coffee (that means you OFG )Suffice it to say, everything I had hoped for this premiere episode was there. The visuals, the music, the flow of the various themes and the overall presentation made this truly worthwhile to watch. I am very pleased and a little more than excited to see how this season unfolds. Many of the topics that the audience probably felt would be touched upon indeed were (i.e. prior winners, past relationships, the concept of hero and villain, the concept of time passed in Survivor seasons, etc.) and it laid a nice foundation for many potential storylines to emerge. I attempted to focus a lot on how each individual was presented (vast changes in their edit or right on cue on how they were before as well as how significant was their presence either through content of confessionals, words spoken about them or to them as well as manipulated visual presence) Short term stories and long term stories were touched upon but it is sometimes hard to discern which are which. Obviously face time is always something to remember but it is no surprise that everyone received something – the question is which individuals had “meatier” time invested based upon what they said or just unnecessary filler. Let The Games Begin The helicopters make their entrance and after a brief showing of some notable items (cowboy hat, Red Sox hat, tattoo, tie dye shirt….) and we catch our first glimpse of the contestants. Of note and no surprise, Rupert is honed in on first (followed by Colby with Amanda to the side and Parvati expressing “Whoa”) as Rupert is arguably one of the best known and loved (regardless of subjective viewing, he is a beloved character) contestants – the vision of Rupert makes sense as does the first confessional: Rupert “In my world, I’ve always tried to show that good will win” (Obviously a good sound bite due to the words he speaks and whether prophecy or irony) Russell “I’m a villain, I think villains are smarter than heroes because they don’t mind stabbing somebody in the back to get where they want to get; it’s a fact…. google it.” (Yet again a sound confessional perhaps setting up the bane of the villains’ game) JT “The heroes are definitely the people I want to play the game with; villains are the people I’ve always been against so this is perfect for me to be on the hero side and battle it out….” (JT was figured quite prominently this episode; ironically his opening words belied his later statements) Jerri “I’ve been labeled things like (states nicknames)….” (Perhaps a re-introduction since Jerri has been far removed from the game and the editors want to make newer viewers know that she certainly has a reputation – this may bode well for her)
James “I’m back here to do what I came to do the first time, get to the end and make the money… coming back to redeem myself” Coach “This time I slay everyone and trust no one. This is my chance for redemption” (Coach and James both mention redemption so perhaps their time this season may help in “redeeming” them for what they be known for – James blundering strategically and Coach just blundering) Tom “I’m not in the shape I was last time but I still think I can hang in there as tough as any guy next to me” (Perhaps this sets the tone for Tom’s story) Rob “If these people were smart, they’d get rid of me right away, it’s the smartest thing they could do but they won’t, they never do.” (A bit of a challenge thrown out by Rob who also had a very nice first episode showing – depending upon how Rob fares, we will then see what his words end up meaning) Colby “I’m almost a decade older….to me it’s a test to see if I still got it” (Another potential re-introduction since Colby has been distanced from the game; this also may be the shaping of Colby’s storyline to see if he still “has it”) Sandra “Last time I was mean and this time I’m meaner; you know I’ll lie, I don’t care but I make up a good lie” (A lot was thrown around Sandra this episode almost attempting to verify she is a true villain in the event people are not convinced) Cirie “People think they know me, they don’t really know me, I’m a gangster in an Oprah suit but I’m not like a mean gangster, nice gangster with a smile.” (Contrary to her placement, Cirie advises she is a bit more villainous than heroic)
Jeff “20 people forced to work together (group shot of certain heroes panning to others) they must learn to adapt (scan of villain group) in the end only one will remain (side profile shot of Coach and Sandra) to claim the million dollar prize” One must keep in mind that opening confessionals may have been selected for a reason; it could solely be for the content of the confessional (Rupert’s was perfect for the theme of the season) or because the editors want to allow the audience to recall them which may be good for their longevity. So, we may want to tuck away that Rupert, Russell, JT, Jerri, James, Coach, Tom, Rob, Colby, Sandra and Cirie were given the opening confessionals. Some of their confessionals sound like they are just too good to pass up, others side like a potential storyline and others sound like a way to showcase the type of person they are THE ARRIVAL Rupert continues with the early narration “My heart is beating a mile a minute; I’m sitting right next to Tom and Cirie and all these people…. I’m finally back in the game” (This is the same confessional as his first confessional and credit is given to Tom and Cirie as players that Rupert is impressed by; considering how Rupert is viewed by a lot of viewers, this may be a nod of respect to Cirie and Tom)
Coach “Flying in the helicopter you can feel something in the air… electricity, tension, level of excitement….and to start off like that sets a great tone” (This confessional is the same confessional that we see later in the episode as Coach describes his relationship with Jerri and some on Rob)
Russell “Believe it or not I’m a little nervous, I’m still in awe of who I’m here with… Boston Rob, Parvati… I gotta get my mind straight and not let them get me too star struck, I’m out here playing a game with them now” (This confessional appears to have taken place after the reward challenge as later on in the episode Russell discusses the villains losing but he doesn’t care as he is used to losing. It is interesting that we hear from Russell that he is in awe of those such as Parvati and Rob – coming from a man with an ego as big as Russell, it may have been premeditated to use this confessional so Rob and Parvati’s names were mentioned as “hard core players”)
Amanda “I’m nervous, excited, you know how like before you bungee jump or something, knot in your stomach, makes you want to throw up kind off, that’s how I feel right now” (This confessional appears to be the same one where she discusses later how she and James were close as well as Cirie and her making it to the end and they need to watch their distance so apparently she was asked about her prior relationships early in the game) JT “I look over and see my fellow tribemates…pretty intense, my tribe, hard working, tough guys, good people (Colby shown hugging Stephanie) and I’m like this is it (Cirie/Amanda hug)….” “I can’t wait to kick some ##### out here” (the ending sentence appeared to be inserted and this confessional period was used throughout this episode, I did not notice any difference in placement which has me curious since they used JT quite a lot this episode but only from one confessional place and a lot was made by JT in how he was going to change his game around)
Decisive change in music as the villain’s helicopter comes in to land coupled with the heroes shielding their eyes as sand blows in their faces – pure visual theatrics but one may wonder if the obvious visuals were done for a reason Stephenie “Here we are, then here comes these villains, you see Boston Rob and he’s already got the walk, the swagger… you see Coach and Jerri, I mean they really are villains” (This was part of the confessional we see later where Stephenie described how the villains were jerks at the reward challenge. Of note, is Rob being mentioned, it appears that there was an attempt to really feature Rob this episode)
Jerri “I’m the original villainess… and I feel like Mother Theresa with these people! (Coach shown followed by Jerri’s laughter with side shot of Parvati doing a little dance as Courtney touches Parvati’s nose with her finger) It’s on!” (This was part and parcel to the confessional where Jerri talks about Coach and says she wants to get to know him so obviously she was giving some first impressions and may have been asked about everyone; they chose to highlight what she said about Coach (and Coach about Jerri along with Rob) so we may have a storyline brewing with Jerri and Coach. Again we are being reminded about Jerri’s reputation (although she negates it compared to other villains) which may be positive for Jerri’s longevity)
We now received further confessionals in the opening from Russell, Rupert, JT, Stephenie, Amanda, Coach and Jerri. Rupert, Russell, JT, Coach and Jerri were shown to us twice so this may be something to consider with them however, one must always be careful to differentiate between good sound bites, tone for an early story or placement due to longevity Jeff asks Russell how it feels to be deemed one of the top ten notorious….
Russell “I’m still in awe that I’m here with all these great players. Finally, I can play the game with somebody who respects the game” Jeff asks Rob if he is proud to be seen as one of the 10 biggest villains
Rob “I’m a villain? It’s all in perspective I guess. It’s how you see it” Jeff mentions to Rupert that to this day he is still one of the most popular
Rupert “It’s been an honor since the first time I got to play; when I found out I was on the heroes side… I love the game… it’s an honor.” Jeff notes to Tom that he is another big hero and played solid game, well liked and wanted to see him win which wasn’t always the case with some winners (shot goes to Parvati only even though Sandra, also a villain, was a winner)
Tom “We got some positive energy going just because we’ve been labeled the good guys but I also wouldn’t assume anybody would stick with the game play that they had if it didn’t work their previous season” (shot on Tyson) “They might do a 180 on this thing and spin it around (shot on Cirie) and I think that could be on either tribe.” Jeff mentions to Colby that he was so popular (almost 10 years ago) that kids were named after him and asks what the perspective is now almost 10 years later.
Colby “Most of the ones I heard about named their dogs Colby, kids… I’ll take that” “Took this long to get enough perspective to appreciate it; this is my third time back (Sandra) and it is humbling. It’s the experience and the adventure; if you’re not fired up at this point riding in on those birds, you don’t have a pulse” (shot on Randy) Jeff asks JT if it is intimidating considering who he is with
JT “It’s definitely intimidating…I’m still a rookie out here; I feel like a kid against these people….” Jeff asks the loaded question – who feels they are on the wrong tribe. Sandra immediately raises her hand followed by Parvati and Courtney questioning it with Coach then raising his hand. Parvati “What’d we do?” (Courtney echoes this) Jeff jokes that only Jerri, the original black widow believes they should not be a villain. Jerri and Colby joke about their hats and the symbolism (Jeff: Good vs. evil?) (I had mentioned about touching upon certain notable earlier connections and perhaps that will lay some groundwork for a future – this little exchange may be only that but I have hope (considering they had a notable relationship that has endured through Survivor fans) that this is a nugget for them to meet up later in the game)
Jeff “Parvati, let’s be clear, while you did a great job and were rewarded with a million dollars, you led one of the most notorious (Parvati slightly uncomfortable) tribe of women (Amanda) in the history of the game. You betrayed (Cirie) people left and right; you guys were responsible for many blindsides.” (James) “Great player, yes (exchange between Parvati and James – perhaps yet another future meeting as furthered in her later statement?) that’s why you are here. Hero? No!” (Parvati with mouth open) Jeff asks James if Parvati is hero or villain
James “Villain!” (Jeff notes James is bigger therefore James is right)
Parvati “I will fight him, I’m not scared of him. I don’t care how big you are” Jeff asks to everyone if the sheer size of James is intimidating? Quite a few raise their hands, notably Courtney. Jeff then asks James if anyone on the villains intimidates him.
James “It’s the same story every time, the talkers are the most dangerous (shot of Russell, Randy and Jerri) the ones that strategize are the best ones at the game (solo shot on Parvati) they won most of the series.” (Jeff notes he learned something being out here twice already and James indicates that he did. Jeff naturally brings up the idol fiasco) Jeff asks Rob how big a factor is size vs. scrap.
Rob “I think we have a huge advantage… our women are clearly stronger… and our guys can hold the best…. I’m being serious!” “I don’t see how they are going to keep up with us” “I love you Colby but you got the short end of the stick” (Colby rebuts how glad he is Rob is here – sarcastically of course) (Jeff furthers this with stating that no one on Heroes intimidates Rob) “I didn’t say that Jeff; I just said that I think we have the advantage and we’re not going to be busy dealing with all the egos over there” (a notable music exchange with a full shot on the hero group – his statement may be significant however due to what happens later as stated by Rupert it is possible it was short term) Taking stock of the introductions which may prove to be important in development… Jerri is once again noted to be almost Survivor iconic villainess which, combined with her being nicely featured this episode seems to bode well for her in this game. Rupert, Colby and Tom were highlighted as very well received by the public. Russell was noted to be in awe a bit (as his confessional mentioned – very contradictory to latter statements he made; therefore a bit of a puzzle) JT makes mention of being almost a rookie (again very contradictory to how he behaves later, perhaps there is some irony unfolding) Parvati gets a big segment on what she did to earn her villain title. James and Rob’s words may be very significant to the progression of the series – James mentions it’s the talkers who are dangerous (visual of Parvati thrown in) and Rob advises that egos may be of issue with the heroes (this we saw featured through this episode) WAR! Of note in the challenge….. -Parvati tossing sand immediately into Stephenie’s area
-Jeff noting Danielle and Cirie did this in challenge in their season
-Courtney stating to break Stephenie’s shoulder (shown after Parvati wrenching on -Stephenie – obviously placed due to her dislocating it)
-Candice receives the confessional regarding Stephenie’s shoulder (sensible since Candice also mentions that she is a medical student but this may also be a way to introduce Candice to the audience since she is not quite as notable as others selected for this season)
-Stephenie showcasing herself as a tough competitor as further enhanced when Jeff says: “Wow” after she has it relocated Stephenie “The villains are brutal; they dislocated my shoulder first challenge, I mean really like you’re already on the villain tribe, you have to act like a total jerk?” (same confessional spot as her earlier one where she describes Rob coming in as well as Coach and Jerri; note the subtext in her statement of how brutal their opposition can be and that a true battle may be forthcoming and the villains are willing to play dirty) -JT in a fierce wrestling hold over Randy
-JT making short work of his round as Randy is shown exhausted -Coach astutely holding back while others are digging
-Russell being called out to “play fair”
-Colby dragging Coach and subsequently Coach dragging Colby to the villains mat Tyson “Colby getting owned by Coach… I can only imagine what Colby’s thinking; he’s got to be like I might as well become a woman because there’s no point on trying to maintain my masculinity now” (While this may indicate some foreshadowing, one must be careful to discern the “meat” in the confessionals; at this time, this statement could be back burnered but Tyson’s words may have solely been selected because of the entertainment value of the statement – good sound bites will ALWAYS be used but I never discount what may be utilized as foreshadowing.) -Courtney doing an admirable job despite being the smallest female
-Sandra’s push that knocks Sugar right over
-The bag free as Sandra decides to undo Sugar’s bra
-Sugar running nude in order to score with the subsequent flipping of the bird Cirie “Initially, I thought maybe Sandra shouldn’t be on the villains’ tribe; not anymore; Sandra earned her title as a villain with the bra incident and Sugar” (Sandra tosses the bra) (A somewhat arbitrary but perhaps deliberate statement as I personally would have expected a confessional about Sugar’s actions as that was very notable but it was not mentioned. Obviously it may be since Sugar left in the first episode. Sandra’s “villainy” is helped along in Cirie’s statement as Sandra let us know how mean she is. Perhaps because Sandra is not quite the notorious villain others are, this may be to subliminally remind the audience that Sandra was a correct choice. As this confessional appears to be the same one where Cirie later discusses Rupert’s fire making, the statement seems to have been deliberately selected) -Rob taking a page from Coach’s book and standing back to wait
-Tyson in his bathing suit
-James solidifying what a physical threat he is as he leaves everyone behind to score
-Rupert breaks his toe Rupert “When I came out of that final heat (describes toe) but I’m not getting put out of this game over a damned toe” (Same confessional as his statement about the good guys) Russell “The villains lost; you think that really bothers me? Losing? Cuz I’m used to losing with a bunch of dummies (Rob) but the difference is this ain’t a bunch of dummies (Courtney, Randy with Rob bringing up shot) We will win and I’m looking forward to sending the heroes (Rupert) to Tribal Council and letting them (Amanda/Tom) do their hero thing” (Same confessional area as his discussion about being star struck over Rob and Parvati) CAMP DYNAMICS Russell “I can’t believe I’m doing this again… I believe I have to stay on my toes with these fellows… ….I’m ready for the challenge” “I got way more to prove, right here then I did the last time; if I can do it here; if I can take it all the way; whoop these All Stars, doesn’t that mean I’m the best ever?” (women’s brief conversation about Rob shown) “I’m gonna play similar to the same game; I’m gonna use the mind game; they better give it their all (Jerri) and play the game (Coach) as I’m taking this crap serious; that’s why I’m here. I have to work my magic on the villains’ side which is gonna be tough” Russell and his conversations with Danielle and Parvati shown along with Danielle/Parvati’s confessionals ] “These are All Stars but you know what, I’m a little above that… there’s always somebody that’s above their sport and I’m the best player to ever play this game; now guess what, I get to prove it” A very brief but would appear telling scene consisting of Courtney, Jerri and Parvati over who Rob will clash with and fight him for dominance. These are the small scenes that seem relatively harmless but always leap at me since there really was no reason to show it UNLESS it is building up to something. Immediately following this segment a visual of Russell is shown and then followed up with a huge segment involving Russell and his game plan. It seems clear (as laid out even more during the episode) that something is brewing with Russell and Rob in terms of battle of the domain. That one brief segment was completely unnecessary yet it was shown followed by Russell’s maneuvers which is helping to lay a foundation of something to come with Rob and Russell. The fact that both these individuals received some hefty presentation, it will be interesting to see how this showdown ends. The one notable difference in their edits is that Russell was given huge building blocks for different storylines and that was not as apparent with Rob – the bane of any future scenarios involving Rob were spoken by Sandra and to a lesser degree, Coach. Rob’s personal showing to us was more about his thought process on the game and the changes in the six years. Further with Russell - his confessionals are fraught with the egotism that we saw last season; the issue that jumped out immediately to me is that Russell is not indicating any adjustments he may need to make – he believes he played perfectly – self analysis is crucial to this game. He had a big showing this episode with quite a lot of investment of things that could happen in the future as opposed to situational dialogue (example would be of Colby discussing Sugar being annoying or discussion on what the tribe is doing in the here and now) so Russell is clearly laying out for the audience what he thinks, what he wants to do and we are being shown this in discussions he is having which tends to bode well for his longevity. However, the experience of déjà vu was ridiculously palpable so one may ask why would the editors choose to do this knowing the audience must be saying “….and so it begins again and he lost for pete’s sake” One might question if the editors are deliberately showing us (as if an inside joke) that Russell will yet again fall from the large pedestal he built for himself but still give the audience a ride to remember. It would seem there would be no point in showcasing him in practically the exact same manner and to the lengths (the multiple confessionals, the conversations with Parvati and Danielle) if there was not some pay off to his storyline but for it to read exactly like last season is not a good sign Russell and Danielle are shown – alliance in holding place to remember – final “two” is mentioned – I am unaware if it was divulged if a final two or three but the assumption by some players is final two Danielle “I’m an aggressive player, I’m here to win, I wanna make smart alliances. With Russell he’s a great person to play this game with; he knows exactly what he’s doing. I’m going with my gut and I think I should stick with him until it gets to a point where I feel like he’d turn on me” (Conversation continues about trust and Russell indicating he will stab people in the back) Danielle gets her introduction as she is yet another contestant who may have had people scratching their heads as being selected. She gets a nice confessional on her desire to win and it will be a matter of time to see whether her words prove prophetic or not. She indicates she will stick with him until she feels he will turn on her so we may want to back burner this statement to see if this indeed happens or she is able to turn the tables before this could happen. At this juncture, we can’t know how long term their alliance may be but Russell is ripe for a long term storyline; the only question is who is also involved as we saw Russell make multiple alliances and some were cut down quickly and others lasted through end game. Considering that Danielle was fairly ignored the remainder of the episode, it is suggestive that this alliance may pay off for awhile or else it really didn’t need to be shown. Now Russell and Parvati are shown – alliance in holding place to remember; of note was Parvati appearing a bit less confident and Russell expressing how at merger, Parvati can help him as he further states when he indicates at merger she has options (no doubt because he is fully aware of her prior relationships on the other tribe) Again, final two is mentioned as well as the all mighty “trust.” Parvati “I clearly know that Russell is running around talking to everyone and telling them the same thing (and how does she know that? What are we not seeing yet that has occurred?) but we can either work with each other or against each other and I do not want to work against him, are you kidding? He’s just an incredible force. With Russell I definitely feel like I’m making a deal with the devil but I want the devil on my side” Another good introductory confessional that hopefully should bear fruit such as Danielle's statement as the editors surely see they are recreating last season. There also were touches throughout the episode of the “Micronesia connection” commencing with Russell pointing out to Parvati that she has options at the merger so I would like to think that the Micronesia issue may be part of some storyline. There was a bit of a change in Parvati’s persona that I want to keep my eye on; a little self hesitancy and a little bit of backing off from embracing her villain status - these scenes with Russell may have more to do with Russell than Danielle and Parvati. Time will tell. Colby “It takes a little bit to get back into the routine… of Survivor.. I remember this, it’s going to be miserable; but you just don’t remember what it feels like to be stranded and know you are just at the tip of the beginning of a long journey if you’re lucky” (scene shot of players in water) “… I think our team showed its strength; unfortunately I didn’t. The challenge was rough for me, I don’t like losing at anything and I got beat by Coach so I’m so rusty on the game but I’m having a good time” (Quite a bit from this confessional placement was used throughout this episode) More on Colby later but he was extremely noticeable this premiere episode which gives me high hopes for a long term story for him since we saw how bland his edit was in All Stars due to his short stay there. Clearly there are bigger personalities out there and as stated in the show as well as stated in here, a long time has passed in terms of Survivor; some may not even really know Colby but he was clearly featured in scenes and “called” out by Jeff as being extremely popular. The seemingly random and harmless exchange between Colby and Jerri stuck with me though as some prior relationships were not even mentioned, some were given weight due to the circumstances of the episode and some touched upon because they may have some impact later. Colby was one of the contestants that made a blatant impression on me in terms of visibility and also content of confessionals. Insofar as winning, I tend to not select winners but rather end game players. Colby certainly had a lot of statements about the game, his distance from it and challenging himself to see how far he can get so his “story” may be about that quest. Also of note is that the editing tends to skew negative on someone who does not perform well on a challenge if they are not significant to the progression of the season. Colby was “owned” by Coach as stated by Tyson but we heard nothing about this from his own tribe… only Colby ruminates over what. Amanda “I love my tribe, we have a good aura; good energy, we all have a good work ethic, we know what needs to be done… I feel very lucky to be on the heroes side and to have the team I have. We have good karma right now! It’s great!” In hindsight, the above statement was ironic seeing how the episode played out which is a perfect example how editing likes to tease us with irony or prophecy and one should be careful not to jump on these statements and insist it means one thing or the other. Naturally we could attribute this confessional placed here solely to showcase the next scene where the chickens were caught OR the irony in the statement since we see what occurs later Tom receives a confessional regarding the chickens and what occurred. pure example of situational confessional JT receives a confessional about the chickens as well with respect to being impressed over catching them. (same confessional spot as his prior confessionals) Rupert receives a confessional also about the chickens and his observation of everyone working together however it is furthered by his stating coming into Survivor and knowing the first few days are the hardest and he hasn’t hit that yet and maybe “in our tribe, we won’t….. it’s good to be a hero.” Note the difference – Tom and JT’s confessionals were purely situational; Rupert’s confessional expands on the situation to encompass deeper insight into the game as Rupert does seem very ripe for the role of narrator which, at the very least is a good sign over some other players. Like Amanda’s confessional, his statements can be attributed to irony or prophecy and could solely be used for the short term. The villains are then shown discussing the events of the reward challenge and Tyson notes that he wanted to feel bad but was also rejoicing that people were hurt. Coach “I definitely had mixed emotions about losing the challenge….everybody thought Colby was going to have his way with me (night scene discussing their fight) the tribe was talking about it long after I had forgotten about it…. so it was very fulfilling” (Of note this confessional was done at the same time he discussed feeling the “electricity” as they were in the helicopter) Jerri “Coach, what a surprise, honestly I am very surprised by Coach. There’s just something about him and I don’t know what it is yet; I’m definitely going to make it a point to get to know Coach” (Same confessional spot as earlier when she described herself as Mother Theresa compared to some of these villains) We then see Jerri, Coach and Randy talking with Jerri stating: “I know I’m stealing Coach’s mantra here but I’m going into this like a warrior because that’s really what you have to do” Coach questions how she knew it was his mantra and Jerri replies that she heard things about him. Coach “Thing that appeals to me about Jerri is that she is a different kind of girl and that interests me because I’m a different kind of guy…” More of the scene is shown which helped to showcase a potential budding storyline between Coach and Jerri as fleshed out a bit further in the episode. Coach and Jerri – alliance in holding place to remember and it never hurts when contestants discuss other contestants although at this point, it is a rather benign discussion The fun continues the next day presumably as Russell and Parvati chide Coach over a “budding romance” with Jerri. Coach “I would never think about coming out on Survivor and being interested in somebody but Jerri and I, we have a little connection” (same spot as prior confessional) This continues with Sandra and Courtney egging Jerri on in the same manner. Courtney “I see romance blooming between Jerri and Coach and Jerri’s in total denial but she totally flirts….” “….you know what, love finds you sometimes and you don’t even know it.” ON Courtney’s confessional is another purely situational confessional and unfortunately for Courtney this doesn’t hold much promise for Courtney. The confessional isn’t even about her or any potential story for her, it’s about Jerri and Coach. A nice sound bite obviously but I am usually hard pressed to feel positive about an edit being long term when their only confessional revolves around someone else and doesn’t broaden out in any regard; if she would have had an additional confessional about herself and her thought process, then my feelings on her stay would be on reserve but Courtney was severely neglected. This also occurred with Tyson when he discussed Colby being owned by Coach. If anything, those confessionals help Colby, Jerri and Coach to further establish their status but it doesn’t bode well for Courtney (and Tyson) necessarily. As we see with some other contestants, their confessionals are at least descriptive of a budding storyline for themselves, insight into the game or insight about themselves Jerri and Coach then speak privately about what is being said and how they need to be careful so people don’t think they are aligned. Coach “The girls were joking about it…. hey you never know, we might pair up and run this game but we need to be careful, Jerri and I…..” (continued from prior confessional – same spot) Jerri “Would you promise me if I should worry about something, you’ll let me know”
Coach “Don’t worry about it”
Jerri “I hate feeling alone…”
Coach “You’re not alone” Possibly another nugget to file away – their budding relationship/alliance and whether something down the road entails their relationship JT and James – possible alliance in holding place to remember JT advises James he is ready to make an alliance with him as James agrees to this. JT furthers the conversation as not wanting “flower power” to run this thing as James recalls he went through that. (One may want to back burner that small statement although I would probably have put more stock in it if it had been put on screen which it was not especially with two players who are hard to understand sometimes) JT “James and I were buddies right off the bat… he’s a guy’s guy… anything he tells me I believe it. Could I ever beat James if me and him were in the final two? No but I don’t see me and him in the final two…” (Same confessional as his prior ones) and “I want to form alliances with everyone I can; my strategy is to keep everyone on my side…” Colby and Candice – possible alliance in holding place to remember – more importantly is the subject matter of their conversation which we discussed may be a key theme to the progression of the season. Colby “Here’s the thing Candice, keep your eye out for JT and James” (Interestingly enough, these words were shown on screen as opposed to JT and James’ conversation)
Candice “I know that James and Amanda played together. And you know Tom and Stephenie.”
Colby “Do you know any of these players?”
Candice “I don’t know them but I know there’s already people aligned. I know that you know that.”
(Candice’s confessional begins)
Colby “What do you know about Cirie?”
Candice “You mean like how she played the game?”
Colby “I don’t know anything about her”
Candice “I don’t really know her”
Colby “She and Amanda were on the same season right?” (Candice says yes) “Are they friends?”
(More of Candice confessional)
Colby “Well it didn’t take long for the game to start” (Candice laughs) Candice “The first couple days are always the worst out here because you don’t have everything settled; you don’t know everybody….” and “Going into the game again I’m worried about people who have a history together (Amanda/Cirie) that played on seasons before together (Stephenie/Tom) and I don’t really have anyone that I have a solid history with going into the game” This confessional by Candice can be contrasted to what we saw with Courtney (and Tyson) Should Candice only have received the one confessional about Stephenie’s arm, I would lump her with some others that I think are gone much sooner than later. While I am a bit reserved on how Candice may fare, there does seem to be a bit more promise for her than some others. Candice was given an insightful confessional that goes directly to some of the questions that should play out this season and for her– past relationships and how they can affect or protect ones’ game. Mind you, we can’t know for sure which questions for this season are short term stories or long term stories but Candice’s confessional definitely involves an important question for the season as it was furthered during the course of the episode as we see immediately following with Cirie/Amanda and Tom/Stephenie. Candice being shown answering two questions at Tribal Council certainly did not hurt her stock either; at this time she certainly looks better than some others and others look better than her. Amanda and Cirie – possible alliance in holding place to remember Amanda “Back again”
Cirie “What do you think?”
Amanda “I don’t know, what do you think?”
Cirie “I don’t know. Trying to…”
Amanda “Assess the situation”
Cirie “Exactly” Both acknowledge it is dangerous for them to be away together “target, target….Micronesia target” Again, furthering one of the possible questions for this season and a possible storyline in the making, i.e. “Micronesia” as we see later in the episode that even on the villains tribe that relationship is mentioned Amanda “James, myself and Cirie, we played this game together before. I played it twice with James… I’ve played it once with Cirie… we were in an alliance the whole time so we’re going to have to watch our distance because if people think we are too chummy it could definitely play against us” This confessional occurs at the same time when she compared the start of the game to bungee jumping so she was apparently questioned about who her past relationships were with. Good insight confessional; discusses one of the questions of the game and where she may have vulnerability. I suggest that in the scheme of things shown, James is a bit of a worry as he did not receive any insight confessional after his scene with JT nor did he speak about his prior relationships with anyone whereas Amanda did and more than once. If the Micronesia connection comes into play later in the game, Amanda appears to be given more weight this episode than her hero Micronesia counterparts. Now Tom and Stephenie join in on this potential issue therefore Tom and Stephenie - possible alliance in holding place to remember Tom “…so glad you are here… hopefully we can run this thing and avoid Tribal Council…”
Stephenie “I’m trying to think who to get involved with here”
(Tom’s confessional)
Tom then mentions JT but Stephenie also would be his choice
(More from Tom) Tom “My closest ally is Stephenie, we played well together in our season…. and I was thrilled to see her back” and “I’m going to try to work with Stephenie as far as we can but she might not be my smartest end player. If I were to get that far… and were to face a jury, I would want somebody else who won a million dollars to sit next to me” Much like the conversations that were seen discussing alliances, we only saw one point of view from one participant (i.e. Amanda’s view regarding her and Cirie and her and James and Tom with respect to himself and Stephenie) which would make me question if those people fare better than the others. Amanda and Tom were heard from directly in their confessionals regarding their pre-existing relationships as well as their thought process on how to handle them as opposed to hearing from Stephenie, James or Cirie. This could be indicative that at the very least Tom and Amanda fare better than James, Stephenie or Cirie. Now we move on to yet another potential long term theme of this season and the notion of past winners and how they may be beneficial to each other and as stated in my first post “watching each others’ backs” JT and Tom – possible alliance in holding place to remember Tom “Seeing you right away…. you wanna make some kind of oath… you and I need each other… because we both won the money…. If either one of us, no matter how good a game we played goes up against someone who didn’t win”
JT “We’d lose”
They shake
(JT confessional)
Tom “You’re my guy for the end”
JT “You got me”
(More of JT) JT “People are expecting me to be that guy they saw… that guy who stuck by his word… but in this game, it’s completely different” and “To win this game… you have to have a dark side, you have to be willing to sacrifice some of your integrity to make it far in this game. I’m not looking to save my hero name, I’m here to do what I have to do to win this game so it’s going to be a whole different ball game for me” A very interesting confessional which also touches upon another potential theme of the season of whether a hero is going to try and live up to their label and/or a villain is going to embrace their “dark side” or will we see that it is not that simple. JT is probably the one person that was clearly designated in this episode to outright tell the audience he will be playing “villain” as a hero (ironically his earlier confessional seemed to contradict that). Considering that we saw quite a lot of JT, I would suspect that he is involved in a meaty storyline. Quite often when we see someone create multiple alliances, the instigator usually gets their way with one of them so we may see JT betray Tom or James. As Russell was also shown making his typical promises to both Danielle and Parvati, I would suspect also we will see at least one of them betrayed as well. There really is no point to show the suggestion of creating alliances with the back story of “concern” over them or “betrayal” of them if something does not pay off. Back at the villains’ camp, a scene that we have witnessed before is shown briefly; the girls are doing work as Parvati is then shown to saying “I’m not doing this anymore” as Rob looks on and comments: Rob “We have 10 people here; they don’t want to do anything for more than 10 minutes…” (Coach, Russell, Randy and Jerri are shown to be in this scene but it appears to be “placed” because at the very corner of the shot, Courtney is shown to be there. Danielle is then strategically placed there and Tyson suddenly shows up when Rob continues) Rob then advises without fire they will be in trouble. Rob “It’s been six years since I’ve played the game; a lot has changed (Russell shown) there’s nobody here who wants to do anything …..” (Coach shown meditating) “It’s not like they haven’t played Survivor before” (Parvati shown laughing) “Sandra’s won the game so they know what they’re doing” “It’s ripping at my every fiber; my wife told me to have patience. Amber, I’m trying” Interesting that Sandra is noted to have won by Rob yet Parvati was not mentioned…. a good confessional for Rob again shaping how long it has been since he has played the game which is yet another concept that was discussed could be highlighted this season, i.e. “time division” of Survivor More discussion occurs with making fire as Randy advises Rob that it’s okay if the fire making doesn’t happen and someone won’t get voted out or stay… Randy “I’ve played this game before and if you don’t have flint and steel, you can’t make fire by rubbing two sticks together (Rob rubbing) This game lasts 39 days, I think we’ll get fire by the end of 39 days” Brief note on Randy’s confessional – a situational confessional about the events happening – for a “first” appearance confessional, I am a bit hesitant to believe Randy is a force in pushing any long term story. Like Courtney’s first confessional and Tyson’s, there was no “meat” to what he had to say and there was no further commentary by any of them that gave any real insight into who they are, their methodology, their concerns, etc. Everyone watches as Rob decides to try and make fire and he is successful. Fire making is always a big deal on Survivor so there would never be a question as to why this was shown but it does help develop the tribal dynamics and Rob’s place in the tribe to a lot of people as well as Rob’s own insight. Rob “I’m still the same guy I was the first time I played this game; that competitiveness, that cutthroatness, that’s me. At the same time, a lot has happened to me personally…. I’m learning compromise and patience but look at these people, not the brightest bulbs (Randy shown) and I’m here trying to make the most of it, trying to make it work” (Of note, this confessional was pulled from his earlier one where he indicated that if these people were smart, they would vote him out but they won’t. This is a different confessional period than the one just before where he practically reiterated what he said in this confessional. The editors deliberately took two separate confessionals to stress the same point; techniques such of this are calculated) As mentioned, the two confessionals are not from the same time period therefore the editors made a concerted effort to hone in on Rob’s statements of time passed since he has played and how much in his life has changed. Ironically, Rob’s words are a bit of a contradiction which may play out to some degree – he states he is still the same person but a lot has happened to him over the 6 years since he has played – consequently, he really is not the same person he was despite what he indicates. We were told twice it’s been 6 years since he played, we were told twice that a lot has changed for him in those 6 years; it stands to reason that despite him thinking he is the same guy who played the first time, it would be almost impossible for him to not have changed. Regardless, Rob had a very prominent episode and there is definitely something brewing that involves Rob and Russell Coach “I got to tell you, I’m a little in awe of Rob and I’m not like that with people; you know he’s played it twice, he’s intuitive… so it’s great, he’s a great guy to have on the tribe” (This is the same confessional where he speaks about Jerri and their bond so Coach may have been asked various questions about his tribe mates)
This confessional has us leading to the declaration of Coach’s admiration and bromance for Rob which ultimately appears to be used solely to shape the bigger story: Russell “We made fire and now Coach is going off with Boston Rob like he’s a hero or something. Rob, he thinks he’s the boss of the camp, he thinks he’s in control but this is my mountain and I’m still the king of the hill. Survivor is my palace…. I’m still the king unless I’m dethroned and that ain’t gonna happen” (Same confessional as when he discussed getting into the game as opposed to being star struck) As stated, the fire starting would be shown for good television but the additional footage of Coach declaring his “love” as well as his confessional is fodder for the underlying story that has already been hinted at; i.e. a showdown of sorts between Rob and Russell. One of them will be successful; the question is who will succeed?. Both characters received admirable face/confessional time so visibility is not an issue for either of them and both have received solid confessionals with a lot of insight as opposed to simple narration although Rob’s confessional were more about outlook of who he is and life experiences whereas Russell’s were all game playing. Rupert is again waxing philosophical with respect to his insecurities as we see a familiar shot of him in the water wanting to “provide” Rupert “Being able to get out in the ocean, that’s where I feel most comfortable but my toe is broken…it’d be better off for me right now… to be a worker bee and start us a fire….” (Rupert then shown struggling as Cirie looks on) Cirie “Rupert the fire maker… still couldn’t get the fire. You don’t want to say anything, you just want to sit there and watch because his ego is so humongous, what can you say?” (This is the same confessional as when she mentioned Sandra earning her villain title – it is perhaps a bit telling that again “ego” is mentioned with respect to the hero side – I do wonder if ego plays a big role in how the heroes fare however this could also just be a short term issue. I had mentioned prior to the season starting if certain labels would interfere with success; i.e. “heroes taking their title a bit too seriously” Rob mentioned it, Cirie mentions it and later on Rupert mentions it with respect to losing the puzzle and it was also touched upon by James in their Tribal Council – a lot in the first episode regarding the heroes and their ego) JT decides to take over as Rupert goes to lick his wounds. The group is successful and it is readily apparent that Rupert’s insecurities are pushed to the forefront as he comes back to see they succeeded. Rupert “The only thing I’m worried about is my darn broken toe; if it starts coming up more and more… and what I can really bring to this tribe cause I haven’t done a whole lot yet, that worries me” Interestingly enough, this confessional actually occurred after the immunity challenge which makes sense because Rupert was worried for his safety – obviously Rupert was not in danger as evidenced by the Tribal Council so the placement of this confessional was placed much earlier in the episode. Did they even need to place it? One might if they want to establish some storyline for Rupert. He received quite a bit of air time and it certainly reeks of his prior persona of insecurity, being the provider and trying to prove something. We may see Rupert battle about his worth but whether short or long term story remains to be seen. There was a bit of a comical tone in his failure to make fire and his confessionals reek of the same tone in both seasons he was on where he placed quite differently so I’m not sure that Rupert would be edited any differently regardless of how he places An entertaining moment with the villains as Rob, then Coach see how well their tree climbing skills are. We see Rob attempt to climb the tree… Rob “Tyson and I decide we would try and climb this coconut tree….” (Jerri is concerned, Danielle advises Amber won’t like what he is doing) “I could probably go up there and get them but why would I risk falling… but I know somebody is so full of himself when you give them a challenge, their just gonna have to do it cause their the greatest and the best and every day out here, they get stronger” Cue… Coach! The “hilarity” ensues as Rob and Sandra decide to bet each other over whether Coach will continue or back down from the tree Rob “He would love to be a hero but he’s really a villain so let’s see how this goes” (Perhaps a prophetic statement and maybe one to back burner) Coach “Boston Rob and I do have a good time together… he’s sharp, he’s going to challenge me and I think I will challenge him… (This confessional is in a different area than all his other confessionals in this episode) Rob “I’ll bet you a dollar”
(Sandra’s confessional)
They shake
Sandra “A dollar that he won’t make it to the top and a dollar that he’d do it”
Rob He’s gonna do it”
(More confessional)
Rob “I bet on you!” (yells to Coach)
Sandra “I bet that you’d fall in the water” (yells to Coach)
Coach proceeds to back out
Rob “You’re not a warrior….!”
Sandra “Get back down!”
Rob “Man!”
Sandra “Write to Sandra – winner – from Boston Bob – the loser!”
(Coach confessional shown)
Rob “Man you cost me!”
Sandra “I won”
Rob “I made a bet and I lost”
(More of Coach confessional)
Rob “From the hero to the zero” “From the villain to the never was!” Sandra and Rob – possible alliance in holding place to remember Sandra “The person that I think I’m most like is Rob… seeing Rob here, it reminds me of when he played the first time. I loved him….” and “That’s someone I can see myself aligning with until it’s time to cut his throat” Ouch! Yet another confessional one may want to back burner to see if her words are carried out on Rob or not. This was a confessional from the same time she discussed she is meaner this time and will lie. Attempts are being made to shape Sandra for true villain status by her own mouth and by others. Coach “So I bowed out, swallowed my pride….could I make it up there, yes but if I fall off, why risk it…” (Purely a situational confessional but I would suggest that Coach’s “persona” this season is a bit less caricature as it was in his season, a little more self awareness is being presented) The scene that follows is of Sugar not being able to sleep and establishes she is the type of person who needs a protector in her life and noting the attractive men out there. This scene would probably have never been in this episode if Sugar was not booted; we needed the scene in order to build upon the reason for her boot. Colby is given the narration of the scene since he bore the brunt of Sugar’s relentless pursuing; while Colby’s words may have been construed as harsh, the visuals of others awake due to Sugar’s pursuit bore weight to Colby’s words. His final statement of “ruffling feathers and they’ll get rid of you” paid off in this episode but may also bear fruit later on as well. A perhaps “symbolic” confessional by Tom was said when it was being decided which bird was killed: Tom “There are some parallels in deciding which chicken to eat in the same way you devour your enemies in the game of Survivor; if they’re producing eggs they will probably stay around camp for a long time…..” The chicken gets killed as James describes JT “doing it old school” Colby narrates some more with respect to eating the chicken: “It’s little victories like the chicken that get you fired up; it just goes to show we have sustainability… that’s a huge thing. I think the villains can stay positive for a short time but without fire, without the small victories, it’s only a matter of time before that tribe self destructs” This was an interesting confessional in that the audience is hearing it after seeing that the villain tribe did, indeed, get fire which made me a bit curious as to the validity of what Colby was saying. This surely could be an extremely prophetic statement that the villains will self destruct but there was a contradiction due to the villains achieving their own “small victory.” Additionally, we see later that the heroes end up losing the immunity challenge so his words end up being negated in that fashion. Therefore, I question the placement of this statement and whether or not this again points to an overactive ego on the parts of the heroes The scene finishes with Colby “We’re living large on hero beach James, it’s good to be a hero” Ironically we heard this from Rupert as well and as we see later, it didn’t work out too well for them and immediately after the confessional and statement the villain tribe is immediately shown with a roaring fire as the IC mail was read Coach “The villains were beaten the other day but not broken; today we built ourselves up again to go out there and to thrash the heroes unmercifully…” (Rob pumps the tribe up) “Hopefully we will not only defeat them but we will beat them as well mentally and turn things around for the better” (Courtney is then heard to say: “Get your evil on”) Like Colby’s statement, this commentary by Coach may solely be for the short duration as we see they beat the heroes in this episode. However, we cannot know if there is deeper meaning to his words that play out over the season. We may want to look back at this first episode at the end of the season to see whether or not Colby’s words or Coach’s words came to fruition ANOTHER BATTLE Jeff asks JT how things are going and whether they got fire
JT “Yeah, it’s been pretty good actually…”
Stephenie “Our roof is pretty thatched… so we kept dry” (reaction from villains)
Jeff asks Tom about the food
Tom “Food is going pretty good, we got lucky with a couple of, one rooster, three hens (more villain reaction) and had a nice breakfast today”
Jeff asks Rob what is going on at his camp
Rob “Yeah, it’s not quite as good the way they’re talking over there, our shelter’s terrible…” (Coach interrupts to say it isn’t that bad but the villains agree with Rob)
Jeff “And therein lies the difference between Coach, who can endure anything (Courtney is not amused) and the rest of us” (Colby laughs as does Cirie) who would like something to lie down” (Fire by the villains is not mentioned whatsoever when Rob could have easily stated they were able to make fire so I am questioning some of the time frame elements when things occurred) Challenge highlights: -Jeff notes Candice and Parvati both did this challenge
-Extremely cohesive heroes and panicked villains in the initial stages
-Jerri’s comment “I hate them so bad”
-Jeff’s tongue in cheek over Coach’s kayak experience
-Rob eyeing the heroes as they do their puzzle
-Jeff crediting Rob and Sandra twice (A possible pair highlighted)
-Amanda and Cirie noted to be panicking (prior pair highlighted)
-The heroes completely breaking down (possibly the short term payoff to Coach’s words)
Sugar’s tears (cut to Randy then Colby) Colby confesses that losing Sugar, they are going to miss….not much… Many times we won’t see the victorious tribe after the immunity challenge as the remainder of the episode will focus upon the losing tribe’s dynamics for the upcoming Tribal Council. Realistically, with a two hour show and these particular contestants, it would not seem too unusual to show the winning tribe but the scene with the villains was a bit curious and I felt it was intentionally shown due to the content – considering one of the storylines that should emerge, I do feel the editors deliberately showed the following exchange The villains rejoice in their victory with Rob exclaiming: “How do you like us now!??” Sandra “It was exciting to win the immunity challenge; we had to do it because we didn’t want one of our people to be the first to leave Heroes vs. Villains.” “Now we’re trying to figure out who they’re sending home and why” This is a prime example of “filler” commentary that may have a nugget of importance with respect to the factors that are involved in this particular season. Sandra “Well Tom and Stephenie are together; they were together from before. James has to be with Cirie and Amanda and what’s the other one”
Parvati “I don’t know if Cirie and Amanda are together” (said on screen)
Sandra “When push comes to shove and nobody wants to go home first, it’s about who all you’ve been with and who you know” (cymbals are heard) This was a deliberate exchange and potentially very important to how the season plays out in terms of the dynamics of the game. This was already noted to be something that could be relevant to the season. Additionally, Parvati is part and parcel of the “Micronesia” connection and anyone who is an avid viewer could see what Parvati was attempting to do; I would assume that Sandra is savvy enough to know this as well. The broader context of the exchange is how do past relationships help or hurt one in this game but there was a potential subplot with respect to those who played in Fans vs. Favorites as it was also touched upon by Amanda and Cirie. Russell “What I like about it is they’re all shook up now; now they’re divided” (Rob and Russell high five) “We have to divide them” Russell “The heroes got their asses handed to them and you know what, we’re having a good time…” “It strengthens our tribe and it weakens the hero tribe” (We then see the villains “working” on the shelter; a bit more cohesive than before) “They got to stab somebody in the back; they’re over there being villains, that’s what they’re doing!” This is an extension of the confessional where Russell states villains are better as they don’t mind stabbing people in the back to get what they want and to “google it” Again, like the words uttered by Colby and Coach, we can only continue to watch to see if these words bear fruit or this is solely confined to the short term. Prelude to the Tribal Council (Rupert’s confessional begins)
Rupert “They might be a little more sneaky and game playey and a little more damn puzzle oriented, that’s fine”
Sugar “Well they wanted it pretty bad”
Rupert “They needed it and we were a little cocky”
(More Rupert confessional interspersed with camp shots) Rupert “Nobody in a million years would have guessed we are going to Tribal Council on day three; hopefully this loss does nothing to our momentum other than show us that we’re vulnerable” and “We walked in there like the heroes! …big “S” on all of our chests” (he shakes his head) This Heroes vs. Villains is going to be a tough one; when we thought we had it in the bag, they showed us we don’t.” This was a continuation of the confessional where Rupert expresses concern over his toe which, as indicated, would make sense if he was worried about his place in the tribe and his worth after losing the immunity challenge. That is really beautiful editing; utilize the same confessional for two completely different situations even though it truly was only one situation. They were going to Tribal Council, Rupert’s fears over his toe being brought up and not worth anything to the tribe was expressed yet it was cut out from the immediate council since it was not necessary. Along with that, we are again reminded that the Heroes “ego” may prove to be their own worst enemy and I really am questioning how the heroes will ultimately fare; we seem to have been “hit over the head” with the heroes and how their ego may get the best of them so this is yet another item to file away and look back on after the season is over to determine if ironic or prophetic Rupert mentions Tribal Council with JT, Cirie and Sugar present. JT wonders who Sugar thinks should go and Sugar replies she believes Amanda should go (said on screen). JT reiterates this while we see Cirie agreeing nonchalantly and JT and Sugar both say as long as it is not them.
(Cirie wisely just plays along despite that we know what we saw earlier with Cirie and Amanda) (Sugar’s confessional starts)
Sugar “I don’t trust anyone”
Cirie “Me either”
(More of Sugar’s confessional) Sugar “I felt really really awful, I helped us lose I guess…I felt bad because we had such a good lead before, I just was disappointed in myself…” and “These are all people (Tom/Stephenie) some of them have played together before and they’re really good and I think (James/Amanda) that Amanda and James are together so we need to break that up if at all possible” It was a bit curious that Cirie was not mentioned with respect to James and Amanda as told by Sugar; understandably Cirie will tell Sugar she doesn’t trust anyone in order to protect herself as Cirie does tell us she feels vulnerable. I also found it interesting that Sugar suggests breaking James and Amanda up but not Stephenie and Tom even though they played before together as mentioned by Sandra at the villains tribe JT and Colby are then shown discussing how Sugar feels Amanda should go and they don’t agree with that scenario. Stephenie is then shown walking with Candice also mentioning Sugar to go. Colby is then seen talking to Candice advising her that Sugar seems to be the candidate of choice which moves to JT talking to James and Amanda that Sugar is the name to be written down. Colby then relays this to Tom however has his reservations: Tom “I’m thinking we got a follower and we got one of the smartest, strategic players in the game, I would take them out…..” (Cirie’s reputation is indeed following her into this game as Tom mentions Cirie) “She has run this game a few times…”
(Tom’s confessional now shown)
Colby “I have no problem”
Tom “Just a thought”
Colby “I’m down with that”
(More of Tom’s confessional) Tom “I really believe that when you identify a threat, you take them out as soon as possible (Cirie) you don’t wait, people did that on my season and they waited too long and they didn’t get the opportunity to get rid of me so I don’t want to have those regrets that those people had” and “Cirie is just a brilliant strategist and she’s proven that so I’m just a little bit nervous to give her a bye tonight” Stephenie, JT, Tom and Colby – possible “grouping” in holding place to remember
Tom “So I told you three my concerns” (JT, Stephenie and Colby)
JT “Cirie. I worry about her the most”
Stephenie “Cirie’s tricky” Cirie, Candice and Amanda – possible “grouping” in holding place to remember Cirie “So who are we voting for?
Candice “…they’re voting for Sugar”
Cirie “Whose voting for Sugar?”
Candice “The other group” “Do we need to break up Tom and Stephenie?”
Amanda “I agree with you”
Cirie “I agree, why waste a vote and we’re not going to be able to get them later” “So what are we doing Tom?”
Amanda “Tom or Stephenie?”
Cirie “You got to make a decision”
(Cirie’s confessional then a conversation between only Amanda and Cirie)
Cirie “My concern is if we don’t knock one of them out like Stephenie, who cares? We gonna lose challenges without Stephenie?”
Amanda “Maybe. She’s a really strong swimmer”
Cirie “And Sugar’s not?”
Amanda “I don’t think so”
Cirie “I don’t know….”
(Amanda’s confessional shown)
Amanda “You think Stephenie?”
Cirie “The smartest move right now would be Stephenie. Think about it. We want to make moves that will guarantee us getting further in the game” (Amanda is the one shown on screen during Cirie’s speech)
(More of Amanda’s confessional) Cirie “Word on the street is that Sugar is supposed to go tonight. Why Sugar? Yeah she’s annoying but that’s an even better reason for me to keep her around because as long as there is somebody annoying and somebody less strong than I am then that takes the target off of me so (Tom) if we could get rid of one of the stronger players out (Stephenie then panned over) like Tom or Stephenie that would be better for me so I’d rather not have Sugar go tonight” Amanda “There’s an advantage of keeping Stephenie right now and getting rid of Sugar, physically, like for the challenges but strategically? Stephenie’s got game and she’s got to go” and “It’s so hard cause you want to keep your team strong but strategically you have to put yourself in a good position; either you’re doing it for challenges or you’re gonna get rid of someone for strategic reasons” (Stephenie) “Or you just don’t like them” (Sugar) “Cirie and I are here for blood (Cirie) okay, we are here to win this thing” (Amanda shown in a scene shot) A very informative segment prior to Tribal Council as what we saw did not actually bear any fruit at Tribal Council and quite often we get “nuggets” of information for future issues. We see possible “voting blocks” may have formed in addition to various secret and not so secret alliances in the making. JT/Stephenie/Tom/Colby appear to have a group as Candice referred to “other group” and we saw Candice/Cirie/Amanda shown talking but we also know that James/Amanda/Cirie are close with Amanda being the center as we don’t know for sure how James and Cirie feel about each other. We know that Colby and Candice appear to have forged some bond as outsiders and JT made arrangements with Tom and James separately and Tom and Stephenie have a bond as well. Rupert was completely out of the fray of discussion and Sugar’s thought process was to split up James and Amanda (as opposed to Tom and Stephenie) Cirie is vocal in wanting Tom and Stephenie broken up and Tom was extremely vocal about wanting Cirie gone yet the group was unanimous in Sugar’s vote. Prior relationships appeared very relevant so Sandra’s words may be very important. With Tom, Stephenie and Cirie’s names (Amanda and James to a low degree since it was only Sugar heard mentioning them) given great weight, the Palau and Micronesia groups may find out who is more forceful. Those such as JT, Colby, Rupert and Candice may find themselves in a very interesting predicament unless someone blatantly “ruffles feathers” around camp. With respect to Amanda’s confessional, her time on the screen had substance and her last commentary could be one of great value to her longevity. Her “connections” were touched upon by the other tribe, she was given sufficient on screen time and her commentary was not solely situational (compare to Cirie’s confessional being solely about the context of the immediate situation) but rather containing insight and also her fierce desire for “her and Cirie to win.” Amanda’s showing this first episode could bear fruit for her in terms of longevity; at the very least, her character has certainly been shaped better than her counterparts of James and Cirie and she may have promise Tribal Council A very pertinent discussion occurs led by Jeff and one that is probably crucial in upcoming Tribal Councils; we touched upon quite a lot of these issues so I’m glad to see that they may be integral to the season Jeff asks Tom how big of a factor prior relationships are (Stephenie and Tom called out as well as Cirie and Amanda (not James though) and how they must be aligned (Candice is on screen)
Tom “I think that we all worried about that coming into it; I think it’s been pushed to the side (Cirie not convinced) and we all realize you got to give everybody a clean slate and take it from there” (Amanda) “I’m not too worried about previous relationships” Jeff observes that Sugar hasn’t played with anyone and whether she believes Tom’s words
Sugar “I think that was a really good speech (Tom) but I think (Stephenie) that is definitely a factor; people who played together, people who knew each other, hang out or whatever” Jeff asks Amanda about the factor of past success and that she played twice and made it to the end both times and whether she is trying to deflect attention off her.
Amanda “One thing I did do in both my seasons to get to the end was make loyal alliances (Cirie) so I think in a way it’s a positive thing for me (Sugar) and yeah I haven’t won; obviously we all know I’m not good at Tribal Council” (Jeff smiles)
James “That was the best Tribal Council question you’ve ever answered”
Amanda “I’m working on it” (laughs – Candice shown again)
James “I was surprised….” (Candice, Rupert and Cirie laughing)
Amanda “Shut up James”
Jeff “You’re surprised and I’m excited”
Amanda “It took me awhile but I’m getting the hang of it” (James laughing) “So, yeah it’s both, there are people in this game who have won (shot to Tom) I mean come on, (JT shown) you know” (This could be a very beneficial item to Amanda’s resume this first episode) Jeff then notes that Cirie is the woman who stayed home on the couch but returns for the third time and another reason (group shot of Rupert/Tom/Stephenie) as she is a bona fide threat (Colby nods) to win and does one defend this.
Cirie “Like you said Jeff, everybody here is a threat (Cirie’s voice and demeanor was not the confident Cirie we have grown to know) if they weren’t threatening they wouldn’t be here…” Jeff goes to Stephenie and notes that there is a reason to get rid of anyone up here (Candice again shown)
Stephenie “As far as trying to make a decision tonight, it’s the first one and the hardest I think but we don’t want to come back here (Amanda) What I’m doing is that I’m gonna go with who I think (Cirie) is the weakest (Sugar) for the team right now and help us stay the strongest we can to continue to win” (JT shown solo) Jeff now discusses the challenge with James and notes that Amanda, Sugar, Cirie and Rupert were a disaster
James “It sucks because nobody was focused; everybody had their own opinion (Sugar nodding) everybody wanted to solve the puzzle differently (Rupert nods) but hopefully they’ll focus next time because this just can’t happen no more” Jeff asks Cirie if it is her voted would it be fair as she did the puzzle (Amanda shown then to James)
Cirie “I don’t think one challenge should determine your worth in the long run of this game (solo shot of Tom) it could have been Tom and Stephenie and they could have lost (note how Cirie “pegs” Tom and Stephenie when she could have chosen anyone else in that scenario) the puzzle” Jeff goes back to Sugar and asks her opinion since she was involved in the puzzle
Sugar “Well that’s why I was crying” (because she was worried)
Jeff then expands on this to ask if that is criteria for Sugar to vote someone out
Sugar “No, not me.” (James shown) “I wouldn’t vote somebody out just because they’re part of a team that (Stephenie) didn’t win the challenge” Jeff then questions Candice as to whether it makes it easy to vote someone that lost the puzzle
Candice “I think the people who stepped up to do the puzzle were pretty brave (Tom shown) so I think we should appreciate that they stepped up to do that (Stephenie) and not start voting people out or otherwise nobody’s ever gonna want to do the puzzle” Jeff asks Tom if you vote out someone based on short term or long term game
Tom “I think that people are developing their relationships (JT) and kinda everyone’s looking towards the end game (shot pans to Candice) but that’s not what we’re working on now; we’re working on staying strong (Amanda makes a slight face) with your best people and let’s not come back here anymore (Cirie) and we don’t have to worry anymore about who we’re voting out” Jeff goes back to prior relationships and asks Candice if it is an opportunity to knock someone out for that reason
Candice “I think the first Tribal Council is the opportunity to do anything. (Tom) We have 10 people here (Stephenie) and there’s a lot of different ideas going around (Cirie) so yes, or no.” (Laughter which pans to Amanda then Stephenie who is serious) Jeff “First person voted out of this game, a hero. (Stephenie) After you get back to camp and get your fire going (Colby) there should be one thing on your mind (Tom/Amanda/James) getting even.” Sugar is the first (and not surprising) victim with various preliminary voting shots of Tom, Amanda, Sugar and Stephenie. Colby, JT and Rupert did not receive any questions during Tribal Council, however in terms of their first episode edits, these three fared very well with some strong building blocks in story lines. Interestingly enough, Candice appeared a bit manipulated in the same way that I’ve seen Amanda manipulated through visuals and this may be so because the audience is not quite as familiar with her as they are with the “bigger” characters. With two questions and a good confessional about her concern with not knowing anyone actually carried more weight than some other members on her tribe. Colby provided some solid narration and was a big presence to me but I do question if the bane of his existence this season is to see how far he can get being out of the game so long. However, he was given quite a lot of presentation and I can’t quite forget the small exchange with Jerri and Colby to wonder if they will at least be able to meet up with each other. Rupert was given significant air time along with JT and Amanda and they may be there for the duration. My biggest question marks would be for Cirie, Stephenie and James as of now as I don’t feel their presence carried any kind of weight whatsoever. As far as the remainder of the heroes, some showings felt a bit more powerful but we do have some possibly interesting developments such as a bit of a war perhaps with the Stephenie/Tom vs. Cirie (Cirie was the biggest voice in this), James and JT and JT and Tom and JT honing his skills as a villain. We also saw a possibly budding relationship with Candice and Colby as well as the threat of the Micronesia contingent which could include Parvati if all of them merge together. Rupert of course may continue his characterization about self worth. At the villains tribe, Rob, Coach and Russell received a hefty dose of shaping and forming and Jerri was given a very sturdy first showing especially since if she was not integral to this season; I would assume she’d be fairly ignored since quite a bit of time has passed since she played. Sandra was given a certain amount of weight; the most interesting aspect of it was that it really tried to feature what a villian she really is(perhaps they felt some viewers had doubt about that) Courtney was miserably underutilized. Parvati and Danielle were not of any true significance in terms of presence although they both appear to have a potential storyline that could develop with Russell and possibly Parvati with her Micronesia connection. At this time, I don’t see anything on the horizon for Tyson, Courtney or Randy and feel they are short term. Like the heroes, it still is up in the air how the other players will fare in terms of longevity. Again, we do see hints of storylines such as Rob vs. Russell, Coach and Jerri, Parvati and Russell (as well as Parvati and her Micronesia connection) Danielle and Russell and Sandra and Rob but it is hard to discern which are short or long term. One item of interest with respect to Parvati and Sandra is that unlike JT and Tom, we never saw any indication the two acknowledged their prior winner status to each other. However, this may be reserved for when they need to worry about going to Tribal Council; I suspect the two of them may have mentioned their common status to one another. What I found interesting in terms of cross over is that only the Micronesia connection was mentioned as well as the small exchange with Jerri and Colby. Relationships such as JT/Coach/Tyson, Rupert/Sandra, Courtney/Amanda/James, Cirie/Danielle (outside of the competition) and Candice/Parvati (outside of the competition) were not touched upon at all so this may be something to consider in terms of prior relationships and possibly the Micronesia and Australia having some investment in this season. I am not even going to bother mulling over those who were given highlights either directly or indirectly about their villain or heroic status as this post is much too long as it is. I really hope everyone enjoyed the episode as I did and I'd love to hear what everyone thinks as well
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Slider 29 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Beauty Pageant Celebrity Judge"
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02-16-10, 06:29 PM (EST)
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18. "RE: Episode 1 - Editing Thoughts" |
GREAT Analysis, Veruca!I hesitate to post because I have read a little of the spoilers and I don't want to taint the thread. It is really hard to stay away from all of them this year! I found it ironic that so much emphasis has been put on the heroes and the villians, but other than Sandra, no one is really living up to their billing. For instance, Boston Rob held his tongue about his tribe's lazy attitude. They seemed to work together and be playful. Even Russell seemed to get be complimentary of his own tribe. The heroes, on the other hand, started scheming right off the bat. J.T. has let us know that he will play a different game. Cerie and Amanda have let us know that they are playing to win. They hit the ground making more alliances. Maybe this is only because they were the tribe to go to tribal first, or maybe because they are showing alliances that will not probably hold, but there was really not a huge difference in the tribal dynamics. Anyway, thanks so much for sharing your insights. I miss the unspoiled seasons! Slider
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michel 10958 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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02-16-10, 06:52 PM (EST)
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19. "RE: Episode 1 - Editing Thoughts" |
The series opened with images from the past, some self-congratulations and 4 choppers approaching the beach.Rupert: In my world, I have always tried to show that good will win. Russell: I’m a villain! I think villains are smarter cause they don’t mind stabbing someone in the back to get where they want to get. JT: The Heroes are definitely the people I’d rather play the game with, the villains are the ones I’ve always been against. It’s perfect to be on this side and battle it out with these punks I don’t like anyway. Jerri: “I’ve been labeled things like she-devil in a blue bikini, the wicked witch of the west, man-eater Manthey! That was my favorite one.” James: “I’m back here to do what I came to do the first time; get to the end and make the money. So, I’m definitely back to redeem myself” Coach: “This time, I slay everyone and trust no one. This is my chance for redemption.”
Tom: “I’m not in the shape I was last time but I think I can hang in there as tough as any guy next to me.” Rob: “If these people are smart, they’d get rid of me right away. It’s the smartest thing they can do but they won’t. They never do.” Colby: “I’m almost a decade older than the first time so, to me, it’s a test to see if I still got it.” Sandra: “Last time I was mean and this time I’m meaner. You know, I’ll lie, I don’t care but I will make up a good lie.” Cirie: “People think they know but they don’t know me (laughs). I’m a gangsta in an Oprah suit… but a nice gangsta with a smile.” We had Probst speech and the intros before we returned to the choppers: Rupert: “My heart is beating a mile a minute… I’m finally back in the game.” Coach (doing his stretching exercises next to Sandra who didn’t look impressed): “There’s electricity in the air… There’s a level of excitement that is coursing through everybody’s veins. Starting like that sets a great tone for how the season is going to be.” Russell: “Believe it or not but I’m a little nervous going in. I’m in awe of who I’m here with. For goodness sakes: Boston Rob, Parvati. I got to get my mind straight and not let them get me too star-struck. I’m out here playing a game with them now.” Amanda: “I’m nervous, I’m excited. You know, like when before you bungee jump or something, you get that knot in your stomach and it makes you want to throw up? That’s how I feel right now.” To a heroic theme dominated by trumpets and violins, the first 2 choppers landed. JT: “I look over at my tribe mates getting out of the chopper and it’s pretty intense. The Heroes tribe are hard working, good people.” Then, to a theme that sounded part “Jaws” part “The Empire Strikes Back”, one dominated by pulsing drums and cellos, the 2 evil helicopters came in low over the waves, blowing dust in the faces of the Heroes. Stephenie: “Here we are on our nice little blue mat and in comes these villains. You see Boston Rob and he’s already got the walk, the swagger and the attitude. Then you see Coach and Jerri. (was this thrown in to set the stage for later?) I mean, they really are villains.” Jerri (after shown hugging Russell): “I’m the original villainess of Survivor and I got to tell you I feel like Mother Teresa right now with these people. It’s on.” As Jeff announced the Theme, Courtney took on her most menacing stance while Colby and Rupert clapped. Probst went directly to Russell: How does it feel to be deemed one of the 10 most notorious of all time.”
<Jerri reacted with a big Oooooh! Russell didn’t stay incognito very long!> Rob made everyone laugh by asking: “I’m a villain?” Rupert mentioned the honor of being considered one of the most popular. Turning to Tom, Jeff pointed out that people were happy that he won, adding “which isn’t always the case with some of our winners”.
<At that moment, for some reason (!!), the camera flashed to Parvati.>
Tom said he wouldn’t assume people would stick to their game play if it didn’t work.
<Tyson and Cirie were shown at that time, maybe hinting these people will try to do the 180 turn Tom suggested.> Jeff reminded Colby of how popular he was during Outback. Colby deflected it with a joke. JT said it was intimidating because he remembers watching them while being in high school. Asked if anyone felt like they were on the wrong tribe Sandra, Courtney, Coach and Parvati immediately raised their arms. Parvati asked: “What did we do?” Courtney also wanted to know and even Russell raised his hand, a smirk on his face. We had some banter between Jerri and Colby who agreed their positions weren’t a mistake. Jeff said: “Parvati, let’s be clear; while you did a great job and were rewarded with a million dollars, you led one of the most notorious tribe of women in the history of the game. <Amanda and Cirie looked on>
You betrayed people left and right <James agreeing> Great player, yes, that’s why you’re here. Hero? No.”
After looking skeptical, Parvati laughed it off saying: “I will fight him (James) I am not scared of him. I don’t care how big you are.” Despite that most admitted being intimidated by James’ size. He said that the talkers are the most dangerous.
<The camera went to Russell and Parvati> Asked about size versus scrap, Rob said his tribe had a huge advantage especially that the women of his tribe were much stronger and that they wouldn’t have to deal with all the egos over there. That led to the first Reward challenge.
At this point, Sugar and Candice for the Heroes, Tyson, Danielle, Randy and Courtney for the Villains have only been spectators. We know why Sugar was ignored. The long term prospects of the other 5 can be put in question. - In the first round, Cirie got some revenge on both Parvati and Danielle, Jeff commenting that she was like a linebacker in this challenge. At Courtney’s urging, Parvati went after Stephenie, dislocating her shoulder. Danielle won the point for the Villains.
We had an injury time-out, Candice commenting: “I’m a medical student and, when I saw Stephenie dislocate her shoulder, I knew she could leave the game permanently.”
In the end, the shoulder was put back in place, the sound unmistakable.
Stephenie: “The villains are brutal and they dislocated my shoulder in the first challenge. I mean, really? You’re already on the Villain tribe; you have to act like a total jerk?”
Jeff sounded almost happy to announce the first injury.
Note that Parvati wasn’t singled out by Stephenie. All the villains were jerks. It seems that Stephenie would have said something along the lines of “Parvati is retarded” but nothing of the sort. In fact, before re-watching, I remembered Danielle as the one dislocating the shoulder, following Courtney’s order!
- In the second round, while Amanda and Jerri neutralized each other, Randy was no match for JT
- In a match-up of Colby and Tom vs Coach and Russell we saw that Russell had no respect for Tom while Coach, surprisingly, overpowered Colby. Coach didn’t waste energy digging for the bag and, when Colby tried to bring it back to his mat, Coach simply held him back, forcing Colby to drag his weight. Once he was tired, Coach took over and had an easy time pushing Colby to the wrong mat.
Tyson: “Colby getting owned by Coach?! I can only imagine what Colby is thinking. He’s gotta be like: “I may as well become a woman because there is no point on trying to maintain my masculinity.” Next we had Courtney and Sandra going up against Candice and Sugar. The round featured Sandra untying Sugar’s bra but Sugar scoring a point naked. It led to a confessional by Cirie: “Initially I thought Sandra shouldn’t be on the villain’s tribe. Not anymore. Sandra earned her title as villain for me with the bra incident.”
Note that, for something much less brutal than what Parvati did, Sandra was singled out as a villain
<To underline the point, Sandra threw the bra on the sand> The final leg saw Rupert and James battling Tyson and Rob. Rob stayed back while Tyson picked up the bag. James soon stole it and evaded Rob’s feeble attempt at a tackle. He.could.go.all.the.way. James scores the winning point.
(For football fans, the Villains should have challenged the call because James clearly let go of the bag before his foot touched the mat!)
Rupert came out of it with a broken toe: “My toe is broke…I’m not going to be put out of this game over a damn toe.” Jeff told the villains they were living up to their name as Sandra was shown with a smirk. Russell: “The villains lost. Do you think that really bothers me? I’m used to using…But we will win. I look forward to sending the Heroes to tribal council and let them do their hero thing.” As a possible indication on which tribe will be the interesting one, we went to the Villains’ beach first after the break.
Russell: “I can’t believe I’m doing this again. I believe I’ll have to stay on my toes with these fellows. I’m ready for it…I got way more to prove than I did last time. If I can do it here…If I can whoop these All-Stars, doesn’t that mean that I’m the best.”
Despite all the stories of S20, this episode looked a lot like “Samoa, the sequel.” While the shelter building was getting underway, Courtney asked a very important question if we are looking for themes. Turning to Parvati and Sandra, she asked: “Clash of the Titans, you think it’s Rob and who? Who is going to fight him for domination?”
Instead of letting Sandra or Parvati answer, the camera showed us Russell, carrying a big stick, the image self-explanatory and the music returning to the Villains’ overture. Russell: “I’m going to play the same game. I’m going to use the mind game. They better give it their all and play a great game because I am taking this crap serious <Jerri, Coach and Danielle shown> I going to have to work my magic on the villain side which is going to be tough.” As before with his “dumb@ss girls”, Russell asked Danielle to take a walk on the beach. He offered her the final 2, adding “I ain’t gonna say that to anybody else” and “You have to trust me no matter what.” Danielle: “I’m an aggressive player. I’m here to win and I want to make smart alliances. With Russell, he is a great person to play the game with; he knows exactly what he’s doing. I’m going with my gut and I think I should stick with him until it gets to a point where I feel he will turn on me.” Next was Parvati who said: “I’m down with that.” Parvati: “I clearly know that Russell is running around talking to everyone and telling everyone the same thing. Be we can either work with each other or against each other and I do not want to work against him. Are you kidding? He’s just an incredible force. With Russell, I definitely feel I am making a deal with the devil but I want the devil on my side.”
The scene ended with Russell’s devilish grin. Note the difference between Danielle and Parvati’s words. These confessionals probably came from somewhere further down the road than day 1 because, by their words, we see that both have had time to get to know Russell. The editors probably had the choice between dozens of sentences so these were the important ones: Danielle goes with her gut, while Parvati has her eyes open and sees the devil. Danielle wants to go with Russell up to the point she feels he’s turning on her; Parvati wants to work with him. Hers is the confessional that sounds the most like Natalie’s: “I know he’s rubbing people the wrong way.” Russell’s ego showed up again, comparing himself to Michael Jordan and Michael Phelps. At least he’s a little contemporary than he was with his Babe Ruth comparison! Heroes
Day 1 Colby: “It takes a little bit to get back into the rhythm of Survivor. I remember this, it’s going to be miserable… The challenge was rough for me. I don’t like losing at anything and I got beat by Coach so I’m still rusty at the game but I’m having a good time.”
After a good introduction, Colby gets more investment We immediately saw how annoying Sugar can be when she took it upon herself to point out the two possible locations to “the 2 oldest men” and asked for a vote. To reassure her fans, we saw Stephenie carrying a piece of Bamboo on her bad shoulder. In a confessional reminiscent of her first in China, Amanda said: “I love my tribe. We have energy, we all have a good work ethic…I feel really lucky to be on the Heroes’ side. We have good Karma right now. It’s great.” Tom: “I thought I heard some clucking…”
The tribe worked together to catch the 4 chicken.
JT: “To catch all 4 of ‘em. That’s incredible.”
Rupert: “I’m ecstatic… The first 5 days are the hardest time. I haven’t hit that wall yet. Maybe in our tribe, we won’t… It’s good to be a Hero.”
That’s starting to sound like too much confidence. Villains
Night 1
Tyson was happy the Heroes were injured. Coach, Jerri and Randy were shown laughing. Coach: “Everybody thought that Colby was going to have his way with me. The tribe was talking about it long after I had forgotten it about how I frog-marched Colby to the mat at the end. It was very fulfilling.”
(Note that Coach isn’t the skeleton he was at F5 of Tocantins. He’s much more muscular now.)
Jerri, after telling him she enjoyed every second of that, told us: “Coach, what a surprise! I’m definitely going to make it a point of getting to know Coach.” Coach: “One thing that appeals to me about Jerri is that she is a different kind of girl and that interests me because I’m a different kind of guy.”
The two were snuggling at night, a story we are soon to revisit. Villains
Day 2 Russell and Parvati were telling Coach to go for it. Coach: “I would never think of coming on Survivor and being interested in somebody but Jerri and I have a little connection.” Sandra and Courtney played Cupid.
Courtney: “I see romance blooming between Jerri and Coach. Jerri’s in total denial but she totally flirts. I think that, despite of herself, she’s a little bit in love with the Dragonslayer. Love finds you sometimes and you don’t even know it.”
I doubt that this story was only inserted because the show aired just before Valentine’s Day. Coach: “The girls were joking about it: The Black Widow and the Dragonslayer; what a combination! You never know; we might pair up and run this game but we have to be careful about giving the impression of being an unbreakable alliance.” Heroes
Day 2 JT and James formed an alliance.
JT: “James and I, we’re buddies right off the bat…Could I beat James in the final 2? No, but I don’t see him and me in the final 2.”
One Hero is starting to sound like he may change his game and, interestingly, it’s the one guy that wouldn’t need to change it because it didn’t work the last time as Tom said. Colby and Candice exchanged information. Although the scene showed that Colby didn’t know much about his rivals, it showed he was ready to learn. Candice: “The first couple of days are always the worst out here because you don’t have everything settled you don’t know everybody so it’s always kind of awkward…Going into the game, I’M worried about the people who have a history together.<Amanda and Cirie shown as well as Tom and Stephenie. I don’t really have anyone…” Amanda and Cirie were feeling each other out.
Amanda: “Cirie and I went to the end together. We were in an alliance the whole time. We’re going to have to watch our distance. If people think we are too chummy, it could definitely play against us.” The Palau pair also discussed their situation.
Tom: “My closest ally, Stephenie, we played well together…I’m going to try to play with Stephenie as much as I can but she may not be my smartest end player…I want somebody else that won the million sitting next to me.” Naturally, Tom and JT paired up.
JT: “People are expecting me to be that guy they saw in Tocantins…To win this game of Survivor you need to have a dark side somewhere. You have to be willing to sacrifice some of your integrity to make it far in this game. I’m not looking to save my hero name; I’m here to win this game.” Villains
Day 2 Rob was disappointed in his tribe for not working: “It’s been 6 years since I’ve played this game and a lot has changed (shot of Russell) There’s nobody here that wants to do anything. (shot of coach doing his poses) …It’s not like they don’t know what to do: they’ve all played Survivor before. (shot of a laughing Parvati) Sandra’s won the game. They know what they’re doing.” Randy told Rob he was just going to wear himself out: “I’ve played this game before and, if you don’t have flint and steel, you can’t make fire.” We saw the new players, Randy and Tyson watch in amazement as Rob managed to light the fire (First time it was ever done without a lens or flint) Rob: “I’m still the same guy that I was the first time I played the game. That competitiveness, that cut-throatness, that’s me. At the same time, a lot has happened to me in my personal life…Look at these people, not the brightest bulbs (Randy was shown) but I’m trying to make the most of it.”
(That confessional reminded me of his early one in the first all-stars: “I’m the brains behind the operations”) Coach: “I got to tell you, I’m a little in awe of Rob…He’s played it twice, he’s intuitive, he’s ingenious and he’s smart…that’s a great guy to have on the tribe.” Russell: “We made fire and now, Coach is going off with Boston Rob like he’s a hero or something. Rob, he thinks he’s the boss of the camp. He thinks he’s in control but this is my mountain and I’m still the king of the hill.” Heroes
Day 3 Rupert: “Being able to get out in the ocean, that’s where I feel most comfortable. But, my toe is broken…and I haven’t caught a thing yet.” Rupert couldn’t get the fire going even with flint. Cirie: “Rupert…he shaved half the magnesium off the flint and he still couldn’t get the fire. You don’t want to say anything, you just watch because his ego is so humongous. What can you say?” JT managed to light the fire. Rupert: “My main problem is my damn toe…I haven’t done a whole lot; that worries me.” There was an interesting parallel here between the two tribes: The old guard is shown as being concerned about the Survival aspect while the new guard is not worried about it. But, as Rob said, they know what they’re doing which could only mean concentrating on the strategy part of the game. Villains Again shown in a Survival part of the game, Rob was trying to get palm fronds from a coconut tree.
Rob: “I could probably go up there and get them but why risk falling off and getting hurt. I know somebody who is so full of himself that, when you give him a challenge, they are just going to have to do it because they are the greatest and the best.” Who was he talking about? The camera showed Coach in all his glory!
(Interestingly, Russell was shown next as if to show that Rob missed who was the one that saw himself as the greatest.)
Coach: “I like Boston Rob. I think he’s going to challenge me, I’m going to challenge him…” So, when Coach tried to climb the tree, it turned into a betting game between Rob and Sandra. She won when Coach gave up. (Not all of the new guard is smart at the game, we know that about Coach and this seemed to have been shown to remind us of that) Sandra: “The person I think I am most like is Boston Rob. He reminds me of when he played the first time, I loved him. That’s someone I can see aligning with until it’s time to cut his throat.” Heroes
Night 2: Setting up the vote. This sequence was only to explain the upcoming vote: Sugar annoying people, something everyone in Gabon had told us she could do but that the edit had hidden. How many new looks are we going to get? Colby: “We’re starting to get some much needed rest. That’s what we need to stay strong and compete. Sugar, she started chatting up again…She’s becoming a bit annoying. Nobody had a good night sleep because of her. If you ruffle the feathers of the tribe, they will get rid of you in a hurry.” Heroes
Day 3 Tom: “There are parallels in choosing which chicken to eat and how you devour your enemies in the game of Survivor.” James: “JT, he did it old school. He just grabbed it by the neck and spun it around until it was done.” Colby: “It’s the little victories like the chickens that get you fired up. It just goes to show we have sustainability out here. I think the villains can stay positive for a short time but without fire, without the small victories, it’s only a matter of time before that tribe self destructs.”
Colby was featured enough, especially with this scene in which he didn’t play a role, to indicate he has sustainability but he was wrong in saying that the Villains didn’t have fire. According to the Survivor clock, the Villains got their small victory before the Heroes. Villains
Day 3 The music started to rumble when we returned to this camp. Coach: “The villains were beaten the other day but not broken. We build ourselves up again to get out there and trash the heroes unmercifully.” The Challenge: To Courtney’s eye-roll, the Heroes told Jeff that life was pretty good in their camp. Interestingly, we didn’t hear the Villains talk about their fire.
Jeff reminded us that Parvati and Candice competed in this challenge during episode #1 of Cook Islands calling them winners even if they finished 3rd. While the Heroes worked well together, Jeff asked the important question: “Did you choose the right people to put the puzzle together?” I’d seriously question the choice of Rupert while the Villains let Rob and Sandra do it all by themselves. That was the winning combination. “It’s ending as a blow-out for the Villains.”
Sugar cried.
Colby: “If Sugar is having some sort of emotional break-down on 3 days then she’s not fit to be out here for 36 more days. Losing her…we aren’t going to lose much.”
Even if I enjoyed this comment a lot, wished that someone in Gabon had made it also, I have to say that Colby isn’t being portrayed as the Cowboy in the white hat! Despite the Heroes heading for TC, we first joined the Villains.
(Episodes should last 2 hours more often!) Sandra: “It was exciting to win the immunity challenge. We had to do it because we didn’t want one of our people to be the first to leave Heroes versus Villains. Now, we’re trying to figure out who they send home and why.” To the tribe, Sandra said: “Tom and Stephenie are together from before. James, Amanda and Cirie have to be together and what’s the other one?”
That other one would have been Parvati who said: “I don’t know that Amanda and Cirie are together.” Russell: “The Heroes got their asses handed to ‘em. They have to stab somebody in the back! They’re over there being villains!” Heroes Beach Rupert: “Nobody in a million years would have guessed we’d be going to tribal council on day 3 (more of the Hero’s ego). Hopefully, this loss does nothing to our momentum except show us we are vulnerable. We walked in there…with S on all of our chests. This…is going to be a tough one. We thought we had it in the bag (shot of Amanda who had said her tribe was great) they showed us we don’t.” Everyone was thinking Sugar except Tom who said: “You have a follower (Sugar) and you have one of the most strategic players (Cirie). Why are we taking out the follower? Cirie has run this game a few times.” Tom: “I really believe that, when you identify a threat, you take them out as soon as possible. People did that on my season and then they didn’t get the opportunity to get rid of me. I don’t want to have the regrets that those people had.”
Will he have regrets? Candice talked with Cirie and Amanda and brought up the need to break up Tom and Stephenie.
Cirie: “The word on the street is that Sugar’s supposed to go tonight. Why Sugar? Yeah, she’s annoying, which is an even better reason for me to keep her around. Because, as long as there’s somebody annoying and less strong than I am then that takes the target off of me. If we can get one of the stronger players out like Tom or Stephenie; that would be better for me.”
Will she regret the vote? Amanda: “There’s an advantage in keeping Stephenie right now and getting rid of Sugar… But Stephenie has game and she has to go… Cirie and I are here for blood. We are here to win this thing.”
I guess that answers the question about them being together. Tribal Council: Tom talked about prior relationships, that it’s been pushed to the side.
Cirie’s look said she didn’t agree.
Sugar liked Tom’s speech.
Amanda talked about her past success saying that she made loyal alliances and that she didn’t win because she’s not good at Tribal Councils.
James thought that was her best answer ever.
Amanda went on to put the target on the winners.
Cirie said that everybody was a threat.
Stephenie said the first decision was the hardest so she was voting for the weakest.
James said no one was focusing on the puzzle.
Cirie argued that 1 challenge shouldn’t determine your worth in the game.
Sugar told Jeff she was crying because she was worried about the vote.
Candice countered that the people who stepped up to do the puzzle were brave.
Tom said they were working on staying strong.
Candice ended it by saying she could vote someone out for having prior relations or not, making everyone laugh. After the vote, Jeff left them, saying they should have one thing in mind: “Getting Even.”
I got the impression that the Themes were presented by Rob and Rupert in the following statements:
The Villains have a huge Advantage.
The Villains won’t have to Deal with All the Egos Over There. “We walked in there with S on all of our chests. This is going to be a tough one. We thought we had it in the bag they showed us we don’t.” We also had a comparison between the old school and the new guard again delivered by Rob that seemed to be an important storyline, the fire making attempts presented back-to-back: “There’s nobody here that wants to do anything. It’s not like they don’t know what to do: they’ve all played Survivor before. They know what they’re doing.” I feel it means that the new players will show more strategy than the old guard. As for the players, I liked that Tom, JT, Colby and Amanda were shown ready to play dirty. That’s what’s needed for a Hero to succeed. For the Villains, Rob, Russell, Parvati and Sandra were shown playing the game. Russell was a Theme unto himself, claiming he is still the King of the Mountain.
In an episode that had plenty or reminders of his Samoan strategy, we have to consider his allies, Danielle and Parvati. One or both could play big roles down the line.
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Krautboy 2750 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Howard Stern Show Guest"
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02-17-10, 01:06 AM (EST)
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20. "RE: Episode 1 - Editing Thoughts" |
Verucasalt and Michel, your detailed analysis is amazing...there's not much to add.I've always enjoyed reading this SurvivorBlows exclusive thread and consider it required reading. I will do my best to respect the pure, spoiler-free analysis, in this thread...But at the same time, we will be following your lead and using the editing analysis to refine our spoling skills, by comparing it to the projected outcomes presented elsewhere. Thanks for your significant contributions! 
Krautboy
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Flowerpower 7262 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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02-17-10, 10:23 AM (EST)
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21. "RE: Episode 1 - Editing Thoughts" |
I also would like to echo Krautboy's sentiments. I constantly find this thread simply amazing. I would just like to add my quick take on the events....all of which have previously been mentioned.I thought it was a great start! I found the opening confessionals intriguing as well...more of who received them than their substance. I loved the very physical challenge with injuries. Stephanie's was downplayed throughout the show, while Rupert's was highlighted....definately staying within their previous characterizations. But, for me it added up to misdirection for Rupert...at least for this episode. AS far as in the villains tribe, it was clearly all about RussHell. Overwhelmingly. Regardless that he seems to be starting off the exact same way, the pure volume and editing nods that he is receiving can't help but most likely make him one of this seasons players. AS to the two women he made an F2 pact with, I'll give Parvati the nod to outlast Danielle, as her confessional was alot more guarded, and from what we know of him last season, a lot more accurate. Regarding the comment from Courtney on "the battle of the Titans, and who will take on Rob for dominance?" That was definately an eye opener for me as well. Immediately following the clip, there is RussHell in confessional once again...We got hit over the head with RussHell and how's he's going to prove himself this go round and be the best of the best, whereas on the other side with Boston Rob, we got how much he's changed in the past 6 years....clearly, falling short in comparison to RussHell's statements. Gives me great pause. By contrast, however, the events at the Villain tribe were "all about" Rob. We all know he's the builder, but then when he got fire, they all had a renewed respect for him. Clearly, he and Sandra were the nails in the Hero's coffin at the IC. While Russhell got all the confessionals, Rob got all the love and it was very apparent to the audience, the viewer, and to RussHell, that Rob is a huge and resourceful player. I did notice the gambler that Rob has been in the past as well, that no one has commented on. In his early confessional it's apparent, and I'm reminded of that reality tv show he had as trying to win in Vegas or something or another. He said that if he were them he'd try and get me out right away....but they won't. He's BETTING here that they won't. This will be a test to his gambling skills perhaps, can he read the opposition or no? I noticed his betting nature two other times in the show. First when he gambled that Coach would climb the tree, and he was WRONG, losing to Sandra. The second was when he was asked how life at the Villains camp was and he negated to tell them about the fire that the villains had....keeping his cards close to the vest, so to speak. Over with the Hero's, I definately think as they stated on more than one occasion, boy, what a bunch of egos. For me the meatiest confessional of them all came from my favorite hero, JT. It was the one where he said he was going to have to call on his dark side this go round and that he would do whatever it took to win the game....ahhh, I love me some JT! I, personally, can not help but think even though the good guy led him right to the bank in Tocantins, changing up his M.O. can only be a GOOD thing this go round. He definately seems in "game mode". I thought Sugar got an appropriate amount of editing featuring her as the most likely to be booted candidate. Regarding the narrators for the tribes...I thought that RussHell had by far the most confessionals, but once again they seemed to be all about RussHell and not as much about the events of the tribe. Coach also had some confessionals that seemed to be more on track with a narrator. Rob also had some. I'd lean toward Coach/Rob, even Jerri as narrator for the tribe. For the hero's I'd give the nod to Rupert or Colby, and perhaps Amanda. As Veruca noted, it will most likely become more apparent with the next episode. Great assessments everyone, and always a fascinating read! Thanks so much.
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michel 10958 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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02-20-10, 07:38 PM (EST)
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22. "Episode #2: Editring Thoughts " |
During the recap, Jeff reminded us that some played with honor and integrity…
<Rupert’s confessional about good always winning in the end>
…while others relied on ruthless cunning and backstabbing.
<Parvati and Russell shown while we heard Jerri saying she’s like Mother Teresa in comparison>The first challenge was a fierce battle…
<Russell twisting Tom’s leg>
The Heroes suffered 2 injuries but ultimately prevailed.
<James scoring a point> Filled with confidence, the Heroes worked well together and built a solid camp…
<Amanda loving her tribe>
…but not every Hero acted heroically: JT went into the Villains’ playbook and made conflicting alliances.
<JT shaking hands with James and Tom, the soon to be rivals> On the Villains beach, Boston Rob was the only one who worked and the camp suffered.
<Rob’s confessional about his lazy tribe was accompanied by a shot of Russell shaking his head in disbelief>
Unbeknownst to Rob, Russell was very busy up to his old tricks making secret deals with Danielle and Parvati.
<Parvati’s confessional about wanting the Devil on her side> Coach was making gallant advances towards Jerri. At the immunity challenge…when they (Heroes) got to the puzzle, things changed.
Sugar and Amanda were unable to work together (only those two, Jeff? Cirie and Rupert were also part of that disaster) allowing the Villains to pull ahead.
Note that nothing was said of Rob and Sandra working well together. At Tribal Council, the Heroes unanimously voted to make Sugar pay for her poor performance at the challenge. Now, both tribes are facing tough questions:
Did the Heroes make the right choice to strengthen their tribe?
<The camera told us the question was directed at James, Amanda and Cirie>
As for the Villains, with torrential storms on the way, will the lack of shelter sap their strength and kill any chances of future victory?
<That question was directed at Rob>
We first went to the Villains camp, telling us which question was more pressing.
Randy: “The only thing “paradise” about this hell hole is leaving it.”
<I imagine Randy could get his wish soon>
Rob (confessional): “Five people were ready to die. <Randy and Tyson seemed to represent 2 of those 5.) Everybody’s crying and I can’t take it anymore. We need to make fire and we need to make our shelter good…It is making me physically sick. It’s like; again, I’m on the buffoon tribe.”
<Tyson again shown as if he was the buffoon> Day 4 started with Jerri talking to Coach then we got a strange shot of a deserted island. Randy: “Here we are…at least on design 4 of the shelter. The first one was the best…Now, we’re doing it again.” Rob presented an idea but Parvati had a different opinion while Courtney observed.
Courtney: “Boston Rob is like the bright shining star and he gets so frustrated with these fools. I hope he doesn’t drop dead in the next few days because we’ll all die. There’s no way around it.” Somehow, Courtney got lumped in the fools when Randy said: “She’s a waitress from NYC and she’s doing construction work now.” Sandra pointed out the tribe kept taking 4 steps backwards.
With everyone bickering, the scene ended with Jerri whispering next to the camera: “Good God. This is not good.”
These buffoons make for fun scenes. That often draws sympathy from the viewers. In contrast, the Heroes were still hard at work, bulldozer James and lumberjack Tom threatening to cut down every tree in Samoa.
Interesting that we saw these two working together because it wouldn't last. James: “We’re a bunch of professional and seasoned Survivors. We’re the best Survivors ever, the greatest
<Colby shown, dominating our screen, machete in hand. A powerful image> Rupert: “Stephenie…For my game it is a very good idea to get rid of Steph…I think Stephenie would sign on with anyone that got her one day further.” Stephenie: “Rupert is starting to get a little bit annoying…I’m just sitting back being quiet because he could be trying to get me out of this game. I honestly think the guy is playing out the good guy role out here, he is a good guy, I’m not saying he isn’t but it’s overkill right now.” Villains
Day 4 Rob: “The shelter sucks. What I should have done from day 1 is said: Listen to me; this is how we’re going to do it. If you don’t like it, that’s fine I’ll mark you down and you’ll be voted off first. I didn’t want to be a dictator this time around, I wanted to be the diplomat and look where that got me: Running in circles. They got me, they got me good <Parvati, Courtney and Danielle were shown as if they were the “they” Rob was mentioning> they whipped me. It hit me like, that’s enough, it’s over, it’s done.”
He told as much to Sandra who understood his frustration.
We then went to the 3 girls who were stretching on the beach and complaining about the men of the tribe.
Courtney: “How is it that they have all the awesome guys and we have, like, Randy?”
Parvati: “Do you think things will get better at all before they get worse?” Rob decided to take a break and walked off in the jungle. Along with Jerri who had followed him, we saw Rob fall to the ground, unconscious. Jerri, (I wouldn’t want to have her in an emergency) had to go get help so she walked back to camp. Jerri: “I saw the whole thing. It really scared me. I don’t want to see anybody get hurt… Without Rob here, it’s gonna really hurt us. We’re going to spiral down into a big pit of negativity.” After Jeff and the doctor cleared him (strangely in that order), Rob said he couldn’t remember anything except “I heard Jeff Probst talking” (He must have thought he was on hell!) Rob (the old Rob): “When I finally came to, I had a moment of clarity: Stop trying to be the good guy. Because I’m trying to be so good, I physically made myself sick. Do what everybody wants you to do and be the villain. There was no way I was going to leave. I mean, Survivor is my life… The doctors checked me out, said I had the flu and maybe a bit of a case of cry-babyitis but what are you going to do. It’s not easy, it’s been 6 years.” He came back to camp and got hugs from Russell, Coach, Jerri, Parvati and Courtney. Russell: “Boston Rob came back. He’s not out of the game. Everything’s cool. Even though I’m the villain, I still worry about stuff like that. Besides, he’s strong. He gives us a better shot at winning the challenge.” The Challenge: Note that Randy is so insignificant that we didn’t see his reaction when Jeff said that Sugar, his nemesis, had been voted out of the game.
Note also that by going directly to the challenge and seeing Rob’s performance creates a truly heroic story. No tree mail, no scenes of him recuperating, just straight to the challenge where he was shown as the driving force in winning the challenge for his tribe. Randy, Courtney and Rupert’s broken toe sat out of the challenge.
Randy suggested the villains roll their crate on Rupert’s toe! Because it would be important later on, we listened in on the Heroes strategy talk. It is rarely edited this way but we clearly heard Amanda saying: “Let JT talk.” Stephenie nodded, even adding: “He knows the challenge.” Colby and Tom agreed: “Listen to JT”, “One voice” they said. JT: “It’s going to be like our last immunity challenge with a puzzle at the end; we have to win today. Bottom line. If we lose we’re in bad shape.” Boston Rob and Danielle (note a Boston connection) went off course. Tyson and Sandra were slowing down. Coach and Jerri teamed up. Parvati was knocked on the side of the head with her crate but we saw her continuing to push it under Coach’s encouragements.
Was it to show the sign of a warrior? If so, Coach added: “You have it, you have it.”
In the mean time, JT and Cirie were doing a good job, straight down the course. Tom and Candice were increasing the Heroes’ lead. It seemed that the Heroes had this on the bag. When it came to the puzzle however, Jeff said: “The Villains are quickly getting a plan together… Once again, Boston Rob is leading his tribe through the puzzle portion of this challenge.”
<We heard him giving orders to Jerri, underlining the point. His “Listen to me” was captioned for us. He even had time to make Danielle and Parvati laugh.>
It took all of Rob’s strength to push the 5th crate up to its position. We heard Randy and Courtney scream their appreciation for Rob’s hard work. For the Heroes, Colby and Stephenie’s voices were heard much more than JT’s. James was starting to get frustrated. When Stephenie got into an argument with JT, James hollered: “Shut up!” With the Heroes reduced to mere spectators, the Villains made a triumphant climb to their flag. During the celebrations, Rob collapsed and Tyson had to hold him saying: “Let’s just go home and relax, dude.” James’ frustration came out at Stephenie. Stephenie: “James, I don’t care who you are or where we are; you just don’t talk to people like that. The problem is that I can’t say anything because Rupert already has it out for me for no reason. Maybe I threatened his popularity...”
<Talk about a problem of ego! Instead of thinking of the game, Stephenie thinks about popularity? If that his the mind-set of some Heroes, good luck, they’ll need it> The Villains grabbed the immunity idol and the tarp which should answer the main question that faced them according to the episode’s recap. They won’t have to worry about the storms so they should be good to get a few more victories. Heroes
Day 5 JT: “The challenge really sucked today. Last time we failed on the puzzle, nobody really stepped up but this time I said I done this challenge before so I’ll be the man to run the puzzle… It would have been a lot easier if people had been listening instead of telling me what to do. <The camera singled out Stephenie as the culprit> Amanda and James agreed with JT about following directions. James rant was painful to hear, the somber music underlining the harshness of the words. Tom: “That panicked scream and anguish cry of James when he got back to the hut, you know…Great, you’ve been a winner your whole life… I doubt it. I would love to tell him what a winner is and what a loser is and where he fits in to that equation. But, once again, that I have to hold my tongue and not respond to that? That kills me out here.” We took a short flight over to the Villains camp where, at least for now, calypso music has replaced “The Villains Overture”! Coach: “Winning the challenge today was awesome. Not only do we avoid tribal council but also we have a tarp. So, hats off to Boston Rob. Boston Rob worked his @ss off at the challenge today. I respect that.” Rob also brought back the elusive giant clam. He told Jerri that she could touch his clam which made her laugh.
Parvati said: “Nice work, Rob.” Russell: “Boston Rob thinks he’s in charge, I think this just ain’t working out. I didn’t know his personality was that strong? You know what? This is where I am in charge. I an King Russell from Samoa.” With spear in hand, he raced after a couple of chicken, soon grabbing one top Parvati’s amazement. “We can make chicken soup.” Heroes
Day 5 James was putting a new spin on Stephenie’s heroic stand in Ulong, pointing out to Candice that she could have been the reason why that tribe lost: “Something ain’t right and it got to be her.” Tom told Stephenie: “You’re in a bad spot, my friend.” JT: “This vote is a lot different than the first because everyone was OK with Sugar going home. She wasn’t part of any solid alliance. Now, we’re looking at a whole different ballgame because, after tonight, I’m in one alliance in this game. I either go with James, Rupert and Amanda and bring Cirie and Candice along or I go with Colby, Tom and Stephenie and bring Candice and Cirie along. So, one thing I do know is: I’m gonna p*ss some people off.” We saw JT first go to Rupert which told Colby, Tom and Stephenie where he stood. Tom: “It’s all on the line today. We know what we’re up against. I don’t have any false illusions of loyalty from JT at this point. If I can get Cirie and Candice to switch over to our threesome and send Amanda home then we’re controlling this game.” Heroes
Day 6 Working on Cirie, Stephenie exposed her reasoning: “The plan is to get the weakest first so that would help us if we got rid of Amanda.”
Maybe this isn’t editing analysis but I have to point out: How dumb is it for Stephenie to try and get Cirie on board with a plan that centers on getting the weakest out first?????? This, more than anything proves how bad Steph has always been at strategy. She would have had a better shot pulling in Cirie by proposing to vote out Rupert or James. /end of basher comment Steph went on: “The problem with that plan is we don’t know if JT is with us or not so if we can pull in Cirie and Candice then I am going to be safe and we are going to get our five strong and come out of this alright tonight.” Cirie listened to Steph but said nothing more than “right”. Tom approached Candice and made the same offer. Candice: “This vote today is crucial because the line will be drawn in the sand and you’ll be on one side or the other. I feel like I’m on the bottom of either alliance so which way do I go? I don’t know.” Tom assured Candice: “They all go home before you ever go home.”
(That’s another dumb deal.) Candice showed she was smart, taking the time to talk to the one they called the “best strategist in the game”, Cirie who convinced Candice that she wasn’t that close to Amanda. In the end, Cirie borrowed from Sandra: “Honestly, as long as it’s not us, it really doesn’t matter to me.”
Tribal CouncilAs the tribe sat and the music reached a crescendo, the camera was on Candice. It felt as if her future depends on how the tribe evolves after this decision. JT said he was embarrassed that the “misfit villains” were beating them; that he should have stepped up like Boston Rob had.
Jeff brought up James’ frustration.
James said: “There should have been only one voice…but there was an individual who voiced out their opinion…Stephenie.”
Stephenie argued: “You’re trying to blame this entire challenge on me.”
<Amanda was smiling, Colby was frowning>
James brought up that this wasn’t about Stephenie even if she craved for it to be, another indication about the Heroes’ ego problems. He also brought up Ulong’s failures.
Colby stepped in, explaining why Stephenie was defending herself.
James tried to cover by saying he was talking to “the 2 of you all”.
“Make it the three of ‘em all” Tom interjected, adding “alliances have been made, divisions have been cast in the tribe. You bullying people…
James: “I’m not bullying people.”
Tom: “Jeff asked who you were talking about and you said her name. That does mean her, that doesn’t mean you’all.”
Colby commented: “I had no idea it would shift from that team mentality to the self-preservation this early.”
Cirie said: “Like Stephenie said she played with Tom and he cut her throat in the end, the same thing kinda happened with me and Amanda at the very end. She chose Parvati over me so, if you think that’s the road I would want to take again obviously you don’t know me.”
Amanda was concerned about her past relationships. “I’ve been hearing my name bounced around and it’s alarming. You just hope you make the right alliances and the right choices.”
<JT and Candice were shown as she said the last words before the vote.> After the 6-3 vote against her, Stephenie gave some advice to her “team”: “After y’all lose a challenge, a little less cursing would help.”
James told her to shut up, irritating Tom once more. JT, burying his face in his hand, seemed to wonder what kind of “axis of evil” he had just stepped in. Jeff concluded by saying the tribal council spoke for itself. Cirie shook her head in disbelief. The tribe exited with the camera focusing on the jaw of a shark, hanging on a wall. The Story: As Russell predicted, going to Tribal Council turned the Heroes into Villains.
Last week, we saw Colby angrily going after Sugar and this week we had James and Rupert going after another former sweetheart. At least this week, Colby joined in Steph's defense.
By association, Amanda is also considered among those who shifted away from the team mentality.
JT was described has having no loyalty.
And, if they weren’t really part of the “evil” alliance, Cirie and Candice were definitely shown to be in self-preservation mode.
It seems that Tom is the only one to have kept his reputation intact. By the way, since Sugar wanted to align with Colby, we were supposed to think that the Heroes made the wrong choice in voting her out. On the Villains side, we have a heroic story being built around Rob.
We have a showmance between Coach and Jerri.
We have Sandra standing by Rob.
Parvati, Danielle and Courtney are shown as not working a lot but we do see them talking about their tribe mates, judging their worth.
Russell, while living to his King of Samoa reputation is now playing the provider role for his tribe instead of burning their socks.
Tyson and Randy are ignored. Randy should have been shown as the one reacting to Sugar’s elimination but the camera didn’t even turn to him. I think that his wish at the start of the episode: ““The only thing “paradise” about this hell hole is leaving it” could come true sooner rather than later. The editors seem to want us to see the Villains as the fun tribe.
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VerucaSalt 1580 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Peanut Festival Grand Marshall"
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02-22-10, 09:37 AM (EST)
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26. "RE: Editing Thoughts - Episode 2" |
Very interesting thoughts Michel and I'm sure I will repeat some of them in my thought process. I understand your point about the villains having fun. Perhaps there is less pressure to be a villian than hero (Rob can certainly attest to that)
RecapJeff mentions memorable castaways (Rupert and Tom) who played with honor and integrity (Colby shown as camera then opens up with Amanda in shot which then cuts to Stephenie then moves to James) Rupert again is shown to say that in his world “good will win” Jeff further mentions that others rely on ruthless cunning (Jerri) and backstabbing (shot then moves over to Parvati and Russell) Jerri repeats her statement that she is Mother Theresa compared to her tribe members Jeff cites that the first challenge was a “fierce battle” (Russell grappling on Tom) and two injuries (Stephenie and Rupert) but the heroes “ultimately prevailed” (James running) Jeff: “Filled with confidence, the heroes worked well together….” Amanda heard stating again she loves her tribe who has a “good aura” Jeff: “But not every hero acted heroically; JT dipped into the villains playbook and formed conflicting alliances” (James and JT and Tom and JT) JT heard reiterating how he will form alliances with everyone he can – whole different ball game (Central to the discussion that will every hero attempt to live up to that standard and will villains only relish in being a villain – not all is black and white in labels and it bodes well for JT’s development who, again this episode, received a notable chunk of time invested in him) Jeff states that Rob was the only one who worked and the camp suffered Rob stating again that his tribe does not want to work (as Russell then Coach are shown) Jeff “But unbeknownst to Rob, Russell was busy, up to his old tricks making secret deals with Danielle and Parvati” (both scenes shown) Parvati “With Russell, I definitely feel like I’m making a deal with the devil but I want the devil on my side” (Only Parvati is given a recap about her deal with Russell) Jeff “And Coach was making valiant advances towards Jerri” Coach “Jerri and I have a little connection” (Coach is selected to narrate his relationship with Jerri – considering that this relationship was not even touched upon this episode, one may consider that they want to keep this budding relationship current for the audience) Jeff: “At the IC, heroes opened a huge lead but when they got to the puzzle things changed. Sugar and Amanda were unable to work together (No mention of Rupert or Cirie? Sugar is understandable and my only guess as to why Amanda was featured is due to this episode as she was referenced to be the weakest. Ironically, that seemed a bit curious since Cirie herself mentioned that keeping Sugar was beneficial due to Cirie being not strong in challenges and until this moment, Amanda was never shown as a weak individual. I tend to believe there was a lot more than we were ever shown) allowing the villains to pull ahead” Jeff: “The heroes were unanimous in making Sugar pay… both tribes facing tough questions… did the heroes make the right choice to strengthen their tribe and with storms, will the lack of shelter strap their strength and kill any chance of future victories“ (Obviously his statement is ironic as the heroes lost again and the villains were able to claim victory again) Stages of the Story The Villains are shown first suffering in the rain as Randy is heard saying “The only thing paradise about this hell hole is leaving it” “The luckiest person in Survivor 20 got voted out” (Appropriate that Randy is the one remarking on the boot since it was Sugar who left ) Of note is that we were not shown the Hero tribe first and many times the tribe that goes to Tribal Council is shown first for continuation purposes of the last episode. In this case, it may solely be due to the fact there was no “real” conflict since Sugar’s boot was unanimous and no real discord came from it Rob(conf)“Pouring down rain and people are ready to die” (Randy shown) “People are crying and I can’t take it anymore. The main thing we should be doing is making a fire (Tyson shown) and trying to get our shelter good, nobody wants to step up and they want to sit in the rain night after night and it’s making me physically sick, you know” (Randy shown complaining) “It’s like again, again, again, I’m on the buffoon tribe…” (Tyson shown) “I don’t know what I’m gonna do” Of note, this confessional of Rob was in the same area as his first episode confessional where he discussed getting the palm fronds and that someone else who is full of themselves will do it because every day they get stronger – cue Coach. The shadow from the sun is slightly different so the confessionals may be of the earlier episode and the latter one (since Rob does discuss his collapse here as well) but considering what happens with Rob this episode and the situation we saw over the last episode, they may be splicing in confessionals Of note – prior holding place with Jerri and Coach as a potential alliance – still holding – the two are having a private conversation away from others and I’m sure they discussed more than just the brief scene showed A little scene then shown with Jerri and Coach with Jerri stating it’s rough. Jerri “….people were freaking last night”
Coach “It’s gonna get worse” (Jerri: I know)
Coach “It’s all gonna come down to what people got upstairs”
Jerri indicates that was Rob said; “It’s the beginning” Another references to the mind as a crucial tool - with respect to players to look out for, challenges Ominous sounding music accompanies the next scene as the villains are shown getting busy with their shelter Randy (conf) “Here we are on day four on at least design four of the shelter; the first one was the best… each subsequent shelter gets worse and worse…. and now we’re doing it again” (Another situational confessional in its purest form – these types of confessionals are not necessarily bad as it gives the contestant some face time but when that is the only confessional a contestant gets with no other shaping of the character, it tends to not bode well for that purpose. Randy was barely seen in the premiere episode except for one situational confessional and now again with only one situational confessional – where is the Randy we know perhaps discussing how he loves being on the villains as he dislikes people and he can truly embrace who he is – that would be development) Rob directs the shelter building (inserted shot of Courtney) as Parvati (with Danielle in frame) expresses her opinion on how it should be done. The frame moves to Russell who (wisely and a bit surprisingly) utters that people shouldn’t complain and let them do what they want and expressly states: “Parvati” Parvati defends herself in that she is only expressing an opinion. Although not said on screen, I did find Russell’s statement interesting with respect to the persona that we know of Russell. It appears that Russell is acutely aware that (despite OUR seeing his seemingly upcoming stand off with Rob) he needs to take a backseat to Rob and not strong arm him. Yet WE know that he is sizing up Rob as his biggest threat and won’t allow Rob to “dethrone” him Rob gets annoyed as Courtney again is inserted in the shot looking concerned. Courtney “Boston Rob is like the bright shining star and he is so frustrated with these fools; I hope he doesn’t drop dead in the next few days because we’re all gonna die” Yet another confessional that appears to have been taken from the first 3 day cycle as Courtney is in the same location with the same appearance as her confessional in episode one where she discusses the brewing relationship of Jerri and Coach. Again, this was a perfect episode to splice that confessional here since we did see Rob fall ill. Unfortunately for Courtney (like Randy) she has only been shown in a very limited role. Both confessionals were about other people and not even about the game but rather a romance and concern for Rob. We have seen nothing from Courtney about her thoughts on the game, strategy, role as villain, etc. Like Randy, her sound bites are not very positive for her longevity as a player Courtney attempts to step in as Randy is heard (and seen on screen) berating Courtney (to Tyson) while Sandra is heard (and seen on screen) stating she feels like instead of taking two steps forward, they are taking four steps back. Jerri is heard (and seen) saying “This is not good” The parallels of work ethic are clearly shown as the heroes are then featured working like a well oiled machine…… James (conf) “At the heroes camp, we’re with a bunch of professional and seasoned survivors (Cirie) who are some of the best survivors ever (Colby) Rupert heard stating he loves a working tribe (as he ambles around) and Stephenie agreeing and then heard asking if they should make coconut (JT heard also) Rupert (conf) “Stephenie! For my game, it’d be a very good idea to get rid of Steph. I mean she’s a sweet girl but in the game I think Stephenie would side with anyone who’d get her one day further” This confessional may be part and parcel to a few of the first episode confessionals and would make sense if Rupert spoke about Stephenie in this manner in the first three days. Contestants size one another up and discuss who they need to get rid of but in terms of the first episode, this portion of the confessional is better served here due to the outcome of the episode. Rupert is then shown being somewhat catty with respect to the coconut. In that brief scene, Rupert was skewed slightly negatively. Stephenie (conf) “Rupert’s starting to get a little bit annoying; everytime I turn around he’s got an opinion about everything” (more coconut scene being shown) “I’m just sitting back being quiet because he could be trying to get me out of this game. I honestly think he is playing up the “good guy” role and he is a good guy, I’m not saying he’s not, it’s overkill right now, it’s day four, whoa!” For whatever reason that may unfold later, the audience wants to see a sense of combat between Rupert and Stephenie that really did not appear until just now (even later James was the one rallying the troops) Compare that to the set up last episode that featured Tom/Stephenie and Cirie and Rob and Russell and something seems to be lacking in this set up. It was delivered but then Rupert practically left the outcome. It is rather amusing that the confessionals by Rupert and Stephenie try hard to not sound “bad” as they both speak their opinion but make sure that they say the other is “nice” and “good” – very different from slitting throats, dethrone, mark them down and vote them off confessionals. In any event, the Rupert vs. Stephenie situation seemed very forced and my ideas on this are mentioned later Back with the villains Randy is heard saying no to Coach who asks if they are going to chop (Sandra inserted) and Rob needing water Rob (conf) “The shelter sucks! It’s terrible and you know what I should have done from day one was listen, you gonna listen to me…. if you don’t like it, I’m gonna mark you down and you’ll be voted off first” (scene with Sandra shown) and “I didn’t want to be a dictator this time around, I wanted to be the diplomat and look where that got me...” “They got me, they got me good (Parvati and Courtney inserted) they whipped me and it like hit me… it’s over, it’s done” (More scene with Sandra) (This was also in the same setting as episode one confessional and considering how they complained about the shelter last episode, it may have been taken from the first three days as well) Of note – prior holding place with Rob and Sandra as a potential alliance (as indicated by Sandra in the first episode until she cuts his throats and as evidenced by their fun bet) – still holding – Rob takes her into confidence in this episode of how he is feeling so they may have furthered their relationship as Rob feels comfortable talking to her about his frustrations Rob tells Sandra he’s been feeling weak and dizzy and needs a break. Sandra replies “So no more house?” and Rob states: “No more, I’m done” (Danielle now joins Courtney and Parvati in their inserted shot) “You get me right, you feel me?” Sandra states she understands and that it is frustrating. Of note – possible alliance of Courtney, Danielle and Parvati – it would not be surprising if the women (some or all) discussed the benefits of the women sticking together so the men do not dominate their entire tribe A seemingly random scene inserted in the midst of this is Parvati, Courtney and Danielle on the beach as Parvati states: “Why can’t we have James and Colby, Tom and Rupert” as Courtney replies: “How did they get every awesome guy and we get Randy!” Parvati then asks “Are things going to get better at all before they get worse?” Naturally we segue to Rob’s collapse which was nicely done right after Parvati’s commentary. I also found this scene remniscient of “lazy girls” most notable in Cook Islands, not a good shading on Parvati first and foremost (coupled with her “opinion” as well as two scenes that reflect her lack of work ethic) and perhaps some tension building upon with Courtney and Randy since Randy is shown berating Courtney and Courtney is then shown insulting Randy so they may end up being pitted against each other in some fashion (the hug at the challenge notwithstanding). Danielle was a bit removed from this scene as she was not shown saying anything direct but other than her ties to Russell and his shenanigans, Danielle was ignored. However, with a character like Danielle, it will always be difficult to ascertain if that is just because she is not good editing material – more episodes need to be looked at to see if they attempt to manipulate her but as of now, she is a player in Russell's attempts to recreate his Samoa scheme. Rob is the one that is featured through all of this and we are meant to like Rob and agree with his assessments – ergo who Rob is critical about, the audience is meant to be agree. Rob is getting an enormous edit which is also hard to decipher in terms of end game. Case in point, Rupert’s prior edit, James prior edit, etc. Whatever the outcome, certain characters are designated and designed for the audience to favor regardless of how well they do and the reasons may not be known until the season is over as we haven’t yet seen who they have interacted with nor in what capacity but Rob certainly seems to be deemed the "golden edit" for now. Jerri then proceeds to follow Rob as we witness his collapse. Naturally Coach cites that everyone may be having a meltdown except him (although it is readily apparent Coach is easier to swallow this time around) We then get to see the scene with Rob in all its glory Jerri (conf): “This involves life beyond your game and without Rob here it will really hurt us…. spiral down into a pit of negativity” (Foreshadowing or irony?) Rob (conf) “When I came to I had a moment of clarity which was stop trying to be the good guy; because I’m trying to be so good, I’m making myself sick; just do what everyone wants you to do and be the villain” “Survivor is my life, I love the game… there’s no way I’d ever quit” Rob also mentions he may have had a case of crybabyitis but “what are you going to do, it’s been six years” We then see Rob tell Jeff that he needs to start smacking “them into shape” and Jeff welcomes “Mariano back” Rob’s scene, despite a bit of saccharine thrown in was very developed and meant to be remembered as it was not just about an injury but also a lot of insight by Rob and how he is working himself to death trying to be the “good guy” (extremely relevant in one of themes – behaving a way you are not or the pressure of behaving a way you are labeled) which was furthered by Rob concluding that he is just going to embrace the role he was given. However, we still hear him say how it’s been six years and that has stuck with me. Rob was given the music, the tone, the depth of someone to root for and just to add good measure, we see a hint of the old Rob laughing and saying he wants to win this game. On top of that, two contestants were heard that the state of the tribe is utterly dependent on Rob. What a vast difference in Rob’s edit this season; why, he is practically heroic! At this rate (should it keep going) Rob could be either at end game or the editors are trying to create that character that will be beloved. Often times, whoever created the situation for the audience to lose that character is then disliked. I won’t repeat what I said in my prior post but the subliminal messages are that we find ourselves “liking” someone who was crucial in the demise of someone disliked and we find ourselves “disliking” someone who was crucial in the demise of someone liked. Should Rob not be at end game, his edit strongly suggests that it is who is responsible for his demise may be pivotal at end game and we don’t want to like him or her Rob receives a nice greeting back and even Russell’s confessional dared to appear appreciative that Rob was staying (at least for now) Russell (conf) “….he’s not out of the game, everything’s cool. Even though I’m the villain, I still worry a little bit bout stuff like that” “Besides, he’s strong, it gives us a better shot to win the challenges” Challenge Highlights -No big shock to the villains of Sugar’s exit
-Heroes stating they have to sit out one of their strongest
-Rupert: “I don’t know that I can run as well with a broken toe”
-Randy and Courtney chosen to sit out
-JT confessing if they lose they will be in bad shape (sitting around stones, buff on head, no shirt - different confessional setting then the others)
-One voice!
-Parvati getting slammed
-Randy: “Roll it on Rupert’s toe”
-Rupert being shown extremely vocal on the sidelines
-Rob “leading” his tribe through puzzle and JT “leading” the heroes
-Rob yelling but we are also meant to see his apologizing
-James yelling to shut up
-Tyson telling Rob to go home and relax
-Stephenie: “James I don’t care who you are… you just don’t talk to people like that. The problem is that Rupert already has it out for me. For whatever reason, maybe I threaten his popularity… so I’m just trying to say as little as possible”
-Parvati does tell the heroes good job and Sandra states peace out
-James: “Stephenie has been the only person…. to lose every person in her tribe where she is the only one left, she is obviously the problem….wow you need to go home” The parallels between the challenges and the tribes are incredible. The Heroes get a massive lead using their brawn (physical portion of the challenge) then fail miserably as the villains use their brains (the puzzle part of the challenge) This should be watched carefully as we already saw references to this sub-theme (Russell stating that he will use his mind, James mentioning it’s the talkers that people need to worry about, etc.) More references about ego that continue from the first episode (Rob mentions it at the onset of the game, Rupert mentions it when discussing how they thought they had it in the bag and now Amanda in the next scene mentions about checking their egos) I also am still a bit perplexed over the somewhat forced plot that involved Rupert and Stephenie. Clearly this was not showcased as a real issue in the first episode (we saw more vulnerability for Stephenie through Cirie) but suddenly it pops up in this episode with a focus on Rupert appearing a bit childish then Stephenie mentioning that he may feel threatened. Thereafter, it was ALL James in the quest for Stephenie to leave. There was a lot of disconnect in the heroes storyline. Considering that both James and Rupert are not exactly appearing as “stellar” as their previous incarnations, I have a bit of a raised eyebrow as to whether they were highlighted like this (Rupert moreso than James since we saw James extremely vocal at Tribal Council) to put a bit of stain on their characters. Changes in edit can be a good thing but both of these individuals were extremely popular with the audience so any negativity attached to them has me concerned. I would suspect that if either of these two popular individuals were at end game, their edit would not be shaped like this (and as early as episode two) – we may also want to see who may be the person (or people) that attempt to eliminate them. As stated, those who are credited for eliminating someone with negativity around them may then be viewed positively by the audience and/or it won't be held against them (and such as the potential case with Rob if he is not end game, the reverse would occur) The Heroes JT (conf) “The challenge really sucked…The last time we failed on the puzzle no one really stepped up… but I’d be the man to do the puzzle but there was a few people (inserted shot of Stephenie) who had to say please, please listen to me but it would have been a lot easier is people would have been listening instead of telling me what to do” JT “Look I stepped up to the puzzle” (Stephenie is shown as JT is heard saying this with words on screen) “We didn’t win” “I take responsibility” Amanda and James heard saying that no one was listening. Rupert states Rob is great at puzzles and he yelled, he told them to shut up and they all listened. JT replies he could have done that and they may have won. Amanda makes mention of egos and checking them at the door. James rants about “one voice” and how he has never lost this much in his life (as shots of all the contestants are shown with tense music) Tom (conf) “That panicked scream and anguished cry from James, alright great you’ve been a winner all your life? I doubt it. I’d love to tell him what a winner is and what a loser is and where he fits into that equation. Once again, I’ve got to hold my tongue and not respond to that? It kills me out here.” A nice parallel shown here by Tom and Rob’s words – both decree their diplomat status. With Rob, he acknowledges that it is making him sick and will be what everyone wants (and what he was labeled) a villain. Tom is dying to break the bonds of the label he has (or else why not just let loose and respond?) but he is restraining himself The Villains What an upbeat musical introduction to the villains and a nice surprise since I wasn’t sure we would be visiting the villains again. (I will have to brush up on prior seasons to see how often the winning IC tribe is visited after the challenge) We now see the villains getting to work and almost “trade” places with what we saw of the heroes; working cohesively with good karma. Coach “Winning the challenge today was awesome. Not only because we avoided tribal but because we got a tarp so hat’s off to Boston Rob” and “Boston Rob worked his a—- off today at the challenge, no question about it. I respect that” Rob shows up with fishing gear and a short, fun scene follows with Rob telling Jerri to touch his clam. Russell naturally is out to prove something as he then goes in search of chicken which he catches. Russell (conf) “Boston Rob thinks he’s in charge. I’m starting to think this is not working out. I didn’t know his personality was that strong!” “But you know what, this is where I’m in charge, I am King Russell from Samoa” (This is the same confessional as when he spoke about Rob still in the game and that he worries about that stuff and Rob is good in challenges) Scenes reflecting Russell catching the chicken with Tyson and Parvati appearing to look on as we hear Parvati state they can make soup as Russell tells the camera: Russell (conf) “They’re trying to catch fish? You gotta catch real food!” More shades of the Russell and Rob “meeting” are inserted. There was absolutely no need for this scene to even occur but it was shown most likely to keep the audience abreast of something looming down the pike. It is of no surprise that Russell would have misgivings about Rob as the Rob we are seeing is being hailed as the conquering hero (isn’t he a villain?) and a threat to Russell. I would hope the pay off regarding this showdown is compelling The Heroes Of note – alliances and/or voting contingents with James, Amanda, Rupert, JT versus Colby, Stephenie and Tom with two wildcards of Cirie and Candice. With the outcome as we saw, “the lines are drawn” with Cirie and Candice joining Amanda, Rupert, JT and James opposing Tom and Colby leaving Tom and Colby in a precarious situation however we can’t be sure exactly where Candice and Cirie stand since we saw a hint of dynamic with Colby and Candice and we also know that Amanda and James are very close with Cirie communicating moreseo with Amanda than James. However, with Cirie expressing to Sugar and now Candice her fear (as well as what was stated in Tribal Council) Cirie may be open to other alliances than hitching her wagon solely to Micronesia. Additionally, I found it a bit interesting that JT indicates HE can bring Cirie and Candice along to whichever alliance he ends up going with. Therefore, there may be some other relationships at work that are either being kept back burnered as they are not significant to the storyline or they are being only teased to be shaped for a longer term story. James is on a rant as we see him telling Candice that Stephenie’s teams never win. We then see Tom and Stephenie where she states if they get rid of her over Amanda and they lost two as Tom replies she is in a bad spot. James continues on about Stephenie and her past as the sole member of her tribe. This is now directed to JT, Amanda, Cirie, Candice JT (conf) “This vote is a lot different than the first cuz everyone was okay with Sugar going home; she was not part of any solid alliance. Now we’re looking at a whole different ball game cause after tonight I’m in one alliance in this game. I can either go with James, Rupert and Amanda and bring Cirie and Candice along or I can go with Colby, Tom and Stephenie and bring Candice and Cirie along. One thing that I do know, gonna ##### some people off” JT again is receiving a substantial edit with a key theme to this season as he is letting us know that he does not intend to be the “good guy” we saw in Tocantins. We have had good, solid confessionals from him that are not just situational but have insight and some conflict. The biggest question to ask is whether JT is capable of playing the role he is not familiar with. Compare and contrast this to Rob’s situation; he found out readily that being a better man is extremely difficult to the point of making him sick although he acknowledges that quite some time has gone by since he played and his life has changed drastically in the interim. There seems to be some characters who are conflicted with the roles they were labeled, the roles they want to play and perhaps changes in them along the way. JT most definitely has a key edit in the heroes camp as well as a few others who seem to be featured in some capacity. Then there are those that are lacking in some development and others who are being reflected in a manner which the audience may not be quite used to seeing and this is being done quite deliberately. JT and Rupert now discuss how that challenge should have been won as Colby looks on and tells Tom and Stephenie that Rupert and JT are talking Stephenie “They’re all..”
Tom “Yeah, we are the three on the outs”
(Tom’s confessional shown)
Tom “The order’s going to be Stephenie, me, you” (to Colby) “We have to convince Candice and Cirie (I find that amusing due to the nature of the first episode where Tom was gunning for Cirie and Cirie wanted to break up Tom/Stephenie immediately – as we see Cirie got her wish this episode) that the order’s gonna be Stephenie, Cirie and Candice”
(More of Tom’s confessional)
Tom (conf) “It’s all on the line today; we know what we’re up against and I don’t have any false illusions of loyalty from JT at this point” and “If I can get Cirie and Candice to switch over with our threesome and send Amanda home, then we’re controlling this game” Possible alliance of Tom and JT as shown in the first episode can now be disbanded. The prior winner connection was made and negated immediately – we have not seen this occur yet with the prior winners of Sandra and Parvati at the villains so as a possible storyline that was discussed, it will be interesting to see if they recognize what their prior status could imply for them. I am a bit perplexed how uninvolved Amanda was in an episode that she was deemed the other target. Amanda had a decent showing in the first episode and I was nicely surprised that her direct cause for losing her seasons was addressed but it doesn’t do her longevity any service to not hear any type of insight from her whatsoever knowing she was being targeted. I don’t want to rule her out of any long term story yet as she is associated with Micronesia and I feel that their season has some input in this season as it was referenced by both tribes as was Palau. Stephenie then approaches Cirie about making a deal. Stephenie “Can we make a deal right now like we get together and we can get Amanda off (Amanda shown) You go in with them and I can guarantee it’s gonna be you and Candice next. I promise you that. It’ll be you, me, Candice”
(Stephenie’s confessional)
Stephenie “If I go and I’m outnumbered, that’s one thing. I can guarantee you’re next; I can promise you that”
Stephenie (conf) “So, the plan is to get rid of the weakest first so that would help us if we got rid of Amanda. The problem with that plan is we don’t know if JT is with us or not (JT shown inserted) so if Tom, Colby and myself pull in Cirie and Candice, maybe I am safe and we are gonna get our five strong and come out of this alright tonight”
Lots of boot orders being thrown out with Tom citing that Stephenie, himself and Colby would go in that order then with Stephenie telling Cirie (we know that she is to tell her this) that it will be Cirie and Candice after Stephenie followed by Tom selling Candice on the boot order as Stephenie then Candice and Cirie (either order). More times than not, the “list of boot orders” do not turn out to be the order in which they are designated Now Tom and Candice are shown together with Tom making his “pitch” Tom “I imagine the boot order is Stephenie tonight, either you or Cirie if we have to go to another Tribal Council and then whoever’s left of that pair and I think we got a better deal for you”
(Candice’s confessional shown)
Candice “I’m really not in a good position anyways”
Tom “I think you’re in the position, you’re the swing vote tonight”
Candice “Everybody wants me to vote one way tonight but what about me down the road you know?”
Tom “Right”
Candice “So I really gotta think what’s best for me”
Tom “So one assurance that you have is they all go home before you ever go home, you’re not gonna get that deal on their side. I’m not even gonna ask you what you’re gonna do; you and Cirie are gonna have to decide if this is a move that makes sense to you. Tom, Colby, Stephenie writing Amanda’s name down. I’m trusting my gut on this and I think you should trust your gut on this too and see where it takes you” Candice (conf) “This vote is crucial because the line will be drawn in the sand and you’ll be on one side or the other and I feel like I’m on the bottom of either alliance so I’m like which way do I go, which way is worse? I don’t know.” Candice again pursues a storyline of not knowing anyone, not connected with anyone and not sure what this means for her. Like the last episode, while Candice will probably never be a contestant that can take center stage, I do feel she has been given some depth to her characterization. The problem with Candice is that because she is a lower level personality, the editors can’t make something out of nothing. Some personalities are just low key with minimal flair or lack of “shtick” so one can only do so much regardless of their longevity. Think of the Danielle’s, Becky’s, etc. Candice may be a character that would be the hardest to read in an edit but I would suggest that she could be completely ignored and she isn’t; whether this is indicative of a short term story solely designed with the heroes or one that contains the villains is yet to be seen Of note – possible alliance of Candice and Cirie due to the nature of where they stand in the Heroes Now Cire and Candice compare notes Cirie “Alright, so what’s the deal… I just want to do what’s best…for the long run, for now. The problem with this decision is once this decision is made, all the cards are out”
Candice “I know you guys are all tight, I don’t know, like any of you guys before…”
Cirie “That’s the problem, I don’t know why everybody thinks we are so tight, I mean yeah me and Amanda made it to the end but Amanda chose Parvati over me. Amanda cost me a million dollars (Candice shown while Cirie says this) so it’s not like that” (Again, the premise of past relationships come into play – can they hurt you or help you?)
Candice “I need somebody that I can trust” (Cirie says she does too) “I don’t really have anything else going on for me” (Cirie gestures same with her)
Cirie “I think we have some common denominators” (they nod to each other)
Candice “So who goes first?”
Cirie “Honestly, as long as it’s not us, it don’t much matter to me” (A nice remembrance of Sandra’s “play book”) I am a little disappointed thus far with Cirie’s lack of showing although events have occurred around her involving her. We saw absolutely nothing from Cirie with respect to this big decision to be made and her confessionals could have been very meaty (I acknowledge that there was no decision and Amanda being voted by Cirie was utterly ridiculous). But, there is a contradiction to what we heard last episode and now. Amanda cited that her and Cirie were out for blood and we saw them interacting last episode. Cirie is suddenly a wildcard that Tom felt could be pulled into voting out what was reflected to be her strongest ally, Amanda. Certainly, Cirie and Amanda could be acting extremely careful to take the “heat” off of them and Cirie was extremely intelligent in explaining how Amanda is not the ally everyone thinks as she cost her a million dollars. Realistically, Amanda is a good candidate for anyone to take to the end due to her lack of effective communication skills so I would be hard pressed to believe that Cirie was being truthful at the Tribal Council. Regardless, we got to see Candice’s thought process of the situation at hand but nothing from Cirie who is always good for interesting confessionals. We also saw nothing from her regarding the taint of the Micronesia connection as we did from Amanda. Thus far, she made a random comment about Sandra, discussed why she wanted to keep Sugar/break up Tom/Stephenie and observing Rupert and his ego. For Candice to receive a confessional over this situation and not Cirie seems to, at the very least, appear problematic for Cirie. I am sure she was questioned as to problems she may be facing being associated with the Micronesia group and the editors could have easily inserted that but they are not choosing to do so. Tribal Council A very explosive one at that. While James had some visual/audio to back up his criticism of Stephenie, we have seen James before not happy with certain state of affairs but not quite to this degree. Obviously, there had to be shown some semblance of reason behind Stephenie’s boot but editing did not cast James in a very good light about it. The Tribal Council also showcased two “heroic” players (recall Jeff introducing them in the premiere as extremely popular players) taking on James about his behavior. Jeff remarks to JT about the “misfit” villains (misfit?) taking them to the cleaners (group shot of JT/Candice/Stephenie which then pans to a solo Tom)
JT “It was pretty embarrassing; I stepped up today, we didn’t come through so I feel bad about that. But you know no one was listening (focus on Stephenie which then moves to James) and I noticed Boston Rob…. telling them to shut up (Colby) maybe I should have done that (Stephenie/JT/Candice) Jeff notes that James was as frustrated as he ever saw him….
James “There should have been only one voice talking and there wasn’t (solo on Stephenie again) and I’m trying to make sure everybody’s being quiet and there’s a certain individual who voiced out there opinion they were being quiet” (Jeff asks who this was) “Stephenie.” (shot to Stephenie) “I said everybody be quiet…oh I’m not talking, baby I’m not talking to you”
Stephenie “It was after the challenge was over” (James says yes as solo shot on Cirie) “You looked at me and you said hey ya’ll” (solo on Tom)
James “Your name is not ya’ll” (Stephenie says alright) “Be damned if anyone named ya’ll…” (Stephenie tries to cut it short while solo shot of Amanda amused)
Stephenie “You’re trying to blame this entire challenge on me?” (voice heard while shot pans to Colby)
James “Baby it’s not about you” (while Stephenie states the challenge was over as the camera then features them) “No matter how much you want it to be….” (Stephenie tells him to move on, more bickering as solo shot on Rupert) “He asked the question I answered the question” (shot on Jeff) “And the person who tries to cover their backs is usually the one that has to” “You’ve lost your entire team” (shot on Stephenie smiling but obviously with disgust) “I don’t want that to happen” “Yeah, it was very “romantic” you survived all your teammates…”
Stephenie “James this isn’t about me, I thought we said this isn’t about me…”
James “You wouldn’t had said something, I would have still been talking about ya’ll!”
Colby “James, you just attacked her and you expect her to sit there and defend herself?” (Stephenie laughing and shaking head) “You just told Probst (shot of Jeff) there was one person who cost us the challenge so you can’t expect her to sit there and defend herself James!”
James “And I expected her to defend herself!”
Colby “And you’re continuing to attack her, now you’re getting back to her past seasons” (Again the past is relevant to this season) “Just let it be bro!”
James “The two of ya’ll, how bout that” “Is that good enough?” (Colby fed up)
Tom “Make it three of ya’ll okay?” (Steph solo) “Alliances have been made” (Cirie solo) “Divisions have been cast in the tribe” (JT solo) “You repeating things and just bullying people” (James said he isn’t) “You just bullied Stephenie” (Stephenie solo and James saying he wasn’t) “Jeff asked who you were speaking about and you said her name, that does mean her, it doesn’t mean ya’ll, it means Stephenie”
James “That’s how it goes. If you walk up to somebody and they said they weren’t doing it usually they’re doing something” (note how James tone got very low and almost respectful to Tom, note also that James was not quite as blustery when called out by Colby. James seems much more comfortable not happy with women yet ironically is that he has been “played” by them)
Tom “Maybe in your world James. I dunno, I don’t live in your world” (cymbal noise as James is shown solo) “Anyway.”
Stephenie “This is unbelievable” Jeff says to Colby this must be alarming how everything is going (solo on JT)
Colby “I had no idea it would shift from that team mentality (Amanda) to the self preservation this early” (Candice) Jeff then asks Stephenie how concerned is she about past relationships and hurting her
Stephenie “Absolutely.” (shot on Candice) “Yeah we’re friends (Tom) but I played against him, merged with him then he cut my throat….” (Tom) Jeff mentions to Cirie about her past with Amanda and James (shot on Amanda, James, Candice) and what do you do to deflect that (again nothing from James on his past relationships)
Amanda “Like Stephenie said, she played with Tom who cut her throat in the end; the same thing kinda happened with me and Amanda at the very end” (Amanda uncomfortable) “Amanda chose Parvati over me so if you think that’s the route that I wanna (Cirie/Tom/Amanda) again, obviously you don’t know me” (Interesting that Cirie’s own personal theme is how these players don’t know her yet she has an extremely notable reputation) Jeff now asks Amanda over her concern about past relationships
Amanda “Legitimately concerned.” (Colby/Stephenie) “I’ve been hearing my name bounced around (Tom solo) and it’s alarming (Amanda/James/Candice) and you get really nervous” (JT then Candice) “You just hope you made the right choices and the right alliances and that’s all you can do” (Ringing sound with shot to James who raises eyebrow to Cirie) Stephenie is voted out with some parting words about using the term “ya’ll” and James responds with “Keep your mouth shut” to which Tom responds with “Come on!” Crucial dynamics have been exposed on the heroes tribe as we see “divisions” have been made clearly allowing the audience to see that Tom and Colby are in supposed danger. Tom and JT received consistent edits from episode one. James and Rupert have dipped in terms of what we have previously seen of them which suggests that they may not be getting the normally positive edit in their past seasons. Interestingly, they are both players that won the audience over and received money for their trouble (or characterization) and that is very curious. While Rupert at least received a large role in the first episode, James was essentially neglected with respect to important subject matters but with the concerted effort to tinge these normally popular players with negativity does not appear to bode well for either of them. The question now (as already discussed) is to determine (as the storylines progress) whether or not this is to benefit other players that end up directly involved with them or manipulate the audience to not be affected if they are voted off because in these particular cases, both were enormously liked by the viewers. Much like the extremely manipulated “good” edit for Rob, we need to determine if this is because Rob is at end game or we are meant to be “angry” at whoever takes him off our screen. The females were somewhat neglected this episode but we have possible upcoming stories and/or alliances on possible hold for them - Amanda/Cirie and Micronesia (although Amanda feels more invested in this by her confessionals and Cirie seems to be shown more in the light of attempting to discard this past connection and we know this appears to be very relevant in how contestants’ fare this season – we can’t also forget that Micronesia has been thrown about on various occurrences) Candice (and her concern over NOT having any past ties) so only time will tell if these are short term or long term situations. JT has now made his choice so that particular storyline is over (insofar as two prior winners working together and to a degree, his statement that he is going to make alliances with everyone although we still have a lot of time to see if he continues with this if he makes merger) Colby took a backseat this episode but he had a very good showing in episode one with a possible arc involving how far he can get after all this time and being a defender at Tribal Council kept him visible (the exchange with Jerri still may indicate a meeting with them as well) Naturally the villains would not be invested as much but there were hints of some discord Rob has with certain individuals (the scene inserted with some of the women “lazing” around) as well as the continuing “plug” for a showdown brewing with Russell and Rob. Jerri and Coach were also shown together again furthering their potential relationship and we must back burner scenes shown in the first episode as they are also on holding patterns (Danielle/Parvati and Russell, Sandra and Rob) until it is necessary to show their development. Randy, Courtney and Tyson have been severely neglected with absolutely no potential storyline investment made whatsoever other than a small little “tiff” that could develop with Courtney and Randy since both were highlighted in speaking about the other negatively. Tyson and Coach, who were closely allied are practically acting like strangers - it is hard to believe neither of them were asked about their relationship and it hasn't been brought up by their own tribe so it seems apparent that Jerri and Coach's relationship has more bearing than Tyson and Coach. Since Coach has been nicely invested thus far, Tyson seems to be on the losing end of that past pair. Perhaps Return, Revenge, Redemption has more of a concrete meaning this season. With past relationships, past reputations, mistakes in past playing, time passing for some of them - it seems that some may be solely returning and playing, some may be out for a perceived revenge and some solely for some type of redemption. I am just going to keep an eye on this a bit since I would suspect those who are playing for revenge OR redemption (i.e. emotional players) may be the ones that will not be victorious and, whomever is just returning to play the game with no ulterior motives, emotions or entanglements other than winning the money (clinical players), will prove to be the most successful.
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SquidProQuo 2526 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Survivor-themed Cruise Spokesperson"
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02-23-10, 00:14 AM (EST)
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28. "RE: Editing Thoughts - Episode 2" |
Wow, Veruca Salt, I didn't realize you were back -- how terrific!! This is such an epic season, so glad you're here to provide analysis along with Michel. I've been away so will need a couple days to read this entire thread over more closely, but just a couple quick reactions and comments to your most recent post:-- Totally agree that Boston Rob is getting the golden edit...and unfortunately I fear that your comment that we're being set up to dislike the player(s) who takes him out is correct. On the flip side, I feel that whomever is aligned with Rob could get some of his halo effect once he's gone....and based on the edit so far, that could very well be Sandra (she has even compared her game to his). It will be interesting to see how that plays out. The other person shown as closely allied/taking care of Rob is Jerri...and everything so far is pointing to a redemptive edit for her. -- I thought there were some striking parallels between Boston Rob and Tom this episode. Both were trying to restrain aspects of their personalities, but in the end, both had to speak up and be true to themselves (even if it probably hurts their games in the long run). Both were heroic in their own ways and the audience is meant to like them. -- Agreed that James and Rupert are both taking a huge negative turn. And next week's previews point to more of the same, especially for James. This ties back to the whole notion of labels and whether heroes can be villains and vice versa. -- Definitely agree that the girls on the beach are getting the 90210 party/mean girls edit. I'm hoping this week we get to know the Villains tribe a little more and that there's more to them. -- Coach's edit is interesting. Especially in week 1, I felt like he was only there for comic relief (and even the music seemed to support this)...but then he comes up with these important nuggets like the mind quote you mentioned...so we'll have to see how this plays out. I certainly think he is redeeming himself from a physical/challenge aspect. -- I feel like there have been hints (white hat/black hat, etc.) that there is some unfinished business between Colby and Jerri...or perhaps just parallel situations down the road. -- Between this past episode and next week's previews, the editors are laying the groundwork for some epic showdowns, including Russell vs. Rob and Jerri vs. Parvarti. Underlying these showdowns is another emerging theme of old guard vs. new guard. Gotta say, I am loving this season! And the editing in particular (music...visual symbolism....sharp cuts to contrast the 2 tribes) have been truly excellent -- definitely worthy of an Emmy!
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michel 10958 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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02-23-10, 10:46 PM (EST)
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30. "RE: Editing Thoughts - Episode 2" |
Always a pleasure to read your comments, Veruca. A few things:Returning to the winning tribe after the IC is unusual nowadays except when there is only 1 challenge as we saw this time. We had a combined RC and IC so we "had" to see the Villains enjoying their reward. This brings me to the following which touches again on the theme of "Old Guard" vs "New Guard": Why kill yourself to build a great shelter or risk breaking your neck to collect palm fronds in a tree when all you have to do is win a challenge? So, I'd agree with: "Parvati, Courtney and Danielle on the beach as Parvati states: “Why can’t we have James and Colby, Tom and Rupert” as Courtney replies: “How did they get every awesome guy and we get Randy!”...I also found this scene remniscient of “lazy girls” most notable in Cook Islands, not a good shading on Parvati first and foremost..." IF we didn't have the reward scene where, calypso music playing in the background, the "lazy girls" were hard at work installing the tarp. Enough to erase all the negativity? Maybe not yet but it relates to the theme so I'll wait to see what develops. As for "Often times, whoever created the situation for the audience to lose that character is then disliked... we find ourselves “liking” someone who was crucial in the demise of someone disliked and we find ourselves “disliking” someone who was crucial in the demise of someone liked. Should Rob not be at end game, his edit strongly suggests that it is who is responsible for his demise may be pivotal at end game and we don’t want to like him or her..." I'm totally with you on that. I usually put it as "Winners vote out dumb players, villains and threats, not victims or heroes." So, if Rob gets voted out, the player shown as being responsible will be seen as evil and won't be our winner. That is IF Rob leaves early. After the merge however, Rob becomes a threat and the audience could understand if he were to go. It all depends on how it's presented. If Rob goes after someone first then that person will be seen as being right to go after Rob.
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VerucaSalt 1580 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Peanut Festival Grand Marshall"
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02-28-10, 10:10 AM (EST)
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34. "Episode 3 - Editing Thoughts" |
Finally we get to see the other half go to Tribal Council and what immediately struck me was that the heroes did not receive a post immunity challenge scene. For the heroes, this challenge was everything; they had been down by a two challenge deficit, their camp was fractured, they were demoralized and they just came off an excruciating Tribal Council. Not only do they win the challenge but they “slayed” the villains. Surely the editors would give the audience a sneak peek into the heroes camp and show us how they relished this victory? No, they did not. That alone has made me question ultimately how important the heroes are in the progression of the game. While I do believe there are some budding storylines for some of the heroes, the lack of focus on the once downtrodden and now victorious heroes, does make me question how important (as a whole) they are to how the season plays out. I am also going to back burner those individuals that are being given very big edits being the opposite of what they are supposed to be, most notably JT and Rob. Both of these individuals are probably receiving the most deliberately handled edits to represent the opposite of how they were cast (others as well but those two are prominently featured) and interestingly enough they are specifically being shown to the audience as the polar opposite of what they are labeled. Rob is the hero who has won the challenges, built their camp, etc. and JT is strategizing his way through multiple alliances and both are given specific voiceovers by Jeff capitalizing on what the edit is trying to portray. I won’t reiterate the thought process that I have for them but it is probably very important to make note of who is their enemy (Rob) and who may put him in his place or who they betray (JT). If we are to believe that one cannot stray from one’s true nature, will Rob and JT reflect that in being something they are not? However they place, Rob and JT are being invested in heavily even when there is not much of a story around them. The narration is making a point of really honing in on embracing or negating your label as well as past relationships (Micronesia rears its head once again) Past relationships are slowly becoming extremely relevant and prevalent as we see from this episode.
Recap When the tribes hit the beach, they stayed true to their nature…. The heroes overcame injuries to win the first challenge; they also worked tirelessly to build a great camp. Rupert “Watching these guys….. it’s good to be a hero” (Last week Rupert told us good will win, this week good to be a hero – perhaps nothing, perhaps something. Could “good” win? Possibly. Could “good” of the “bad” win? Possibly. I would prefer to think right now that the potential winner of a season such as this will not be someone who will one dimensionally into the labels they were provided) The villains did not work together and complained about everything (Sandra’s statement about taking steps backward) It was the perfect environment for Russell to work his black magic Russell made deals with anyone who would listen (shown with Danielle) and even roped in Parvati Russell “This is what I want, I want me and you to go to the top two” While it stands to reason we would assume that Russell’s alliances have legs, that small introduction (along with the rest of the episode) should indicate that the pairing he made with Parvati would have a bigger impact on any storyline than the one with Danielle. There would be no need to highlight the alliance he made with Parvati should the one he made with Danielle have more relevance. Being that Danielle has also been virtually ignored, any possible longevity on Danielle’s part is probably due more to Russell than Danielle herself. There is a bit of irony in Jeff’s words also that Russell “roped” in Parvati when the episode itself suggested the opposite may be more accurate. I would also suggest that Russell’s success THIS season may have to be acknowledged by Russell to be a result of a woman, time will tell on that but how ironic would that be considering how he utilized the women. By day 2, the game started to change…. JT embraced the dark side by making conflicting deals with James and Tom (JT shown making his alliances) At the villains camp, Boston Rob behaved heroically He worked hard around camp and even built a fire without flint and after getting sick…. he got up and led his tribe in a come from behind victory…. After their second defeat, the heroes were demoralized and James lashed out (James at the challenge) At Tribal Council, James continued his tirade and JT’s duplicity was revealed when he chose not to honor his alliance with Tom by voting out Tom’s closest ally, Stephenie. The above is a very interesting narrative. Notice that “duplicity” is attached to JT choosing the path he did and also the words of “honoring” in conjunction with Tom. The effect is subtle but I do question this bit of stain on JT and the description of how he implemented his strategy. Perhaps we need to revisit this description at the end of the season. There is no question that Tom (and Colby) are being highlighted with integrity and morals – perhaps the stain on JT is to cast him somewhat negatively due to Tom being shaped so positively? If so, that may not bode so well for JT although I do feel that JT has legs. Now, the term “duplicity” is very curious as in another instance, one could have described it as strategy or craftiness – surely the editing would want to describe JT’s “moves” in different terms should it end up serving him very well the entire length of the game? Assigning the word “duplicity” immediately reflects him as someone who is two faced and a liar whereas swap that adjective for “craftiness” or “cunning” and JT is a strategic game player. One can say the same for the word “honor” as well; that word implies a lot of trust and integrity but if one substituted it for a simpler word such as “keep” or “continue” it certainly doesn’t sound as harsh. Again, this could be solely how the editors want us to feel about Tom but one has to question that if JT made it to end game and had that stain of betraying someone like Tom, a somewhat less harsh descriptive could have been used. Obviously, this is something I enjoy looking back upon after the season to see if it had bearing OR (as I often do) read too much into a very innocent description Tribal Council Aftermath Regardless of my concern that the Heroes are not quite enjoying the multitude of shaping that I think the villains are, it would have been extremely remiss of the editors to not show the heroes after that explosive Tribal Council. However, despite James being included in this scene, I felt this scene was more about Tom and Colby and specifically the struggle they are having with integrity and the game. Recall one of the premises of this season discussed was "time division" in Survivor terms. The game has gotten more cutthroat and those such as Tom, Colby, Rob, Jerri and even Rupert (in terms of his worth) have all touched upon differences from when they played and the present. Since I do not find James to have any depth whatsoever and would not be at all surprised if he is short term (only the Micronesia storyline keeps him alive for me) regardless that James seems well insulated – we have no insight or any depth from him and there is no question that whatever shining edit they have given to him in the past, the editors prefer to polish someone else with it. Fungus and rats are assigned symbolically to the heroes as they arrive back from Tribal Council. James is shown saying “we can’t lose to these people, I just want to win ya’ll” and asks if he said it wrong. Tom attempts to keep everything in check and advise James things needed to be said but it could have been done gentler as JT and Colby are present in the discussion. Various shots of the female players are inserted at times. Tom (conf) “….just a nasty turn; alright Steph’s going and James got to bring down nasty, brutish bullying down on her. The vibe now is everybody comes home, puts on a happy face and tries to make it as pleasant as possible.” We now see JT giving Tom his due as a gentleman (again furthering the “heroic” outline of Tom) JT “I respect you a lot….here’s the thing, I’m sorry for everything; when we made that alliance that was the first and only alliance I had” (Perhaps said onscreen due to problems with understanding JT or to reinforce that what JT is saying is completely untrue and the audience very well knows this) “When I found out we were in the bottom of the totem pole, I knew I had to do something” (Interestingly, Colby shown with those last few words on screen and italicized. Considering that Tom and Colby are in dire straits, perhaps JT’s words apply to them, or specifically Colby since the words were shown with him inserted) Tom “Sometimes that’s the way the numbers on the dice come up. I’m a big boy….” JT apologizes again and hugs Tom who says it’s all good Tom (conf) “I feel betrayed by JT but if he really does feel bad about it he might be the guy to keep me alive a little bit longer, buy me some extra time if I need it.” (Foreshadowing?) Colby “You know Tom I don’t know whether this game is for me, just in terms of, I don’t really want to be a part of it”
Tom “It’s hard to play nice after a scene like that but that’s exactly what we need to do. Right?”
Colby “Yeah”
Tom “To be fair, the game has been ugly so maybe we were naïve to think we could come back and it was going to be….everybody fighting fair so we know the guys that are playing the game and be smarter. Be smarter” (Colby agrees) Continuing on, this scene could have reflected insight from James and how he behaved, it could have reflected insight from JT and perhaps given a firm rational for his decision (thereby making it a strategic and sound move as opposed to a betrayal as mentioned by Tom) but the scene was all about the words exchanged between Tom and Colby as there is a direct correlation to their words and what this season involves. I actually found that small exchange to be very, very powerful Who’s Snuggling Whom? Much like the scene with the heroes, this scene provided some good insight into camp dynamics. The scene was ridiculously over the top in showcasing the relationship between Russell and Parvati (with some nice inserts of Rob, Jerri, Tyson, Sandra obviously annoyed) Such irony between Russell from Samoa and Russell currently 9despite the editing attempting to practically duplicate his strategy from last season) as we learned first hand from Russell how he feels towards women yet he is practically giggling like a school girl while cuddling with Parvati. We may recall how Russell mentioned at the onset of the season about being star struck and specifically mentions Parvati and Boston Rob. It is interesting that BOTH of these individuals are having a tremendous influence on him. Parvati (despite Russell’s words to the contrary) is clearly wrapping him around her finger (something she is very reputable at doing and did provide her a good portion of her winning strategy) and Rob is clearly touching upon Russell’s enormous ego so while Russell may be shaped very similar to Samoa there are two people this season who are influencing Russell in a manner he has never dealt with before Rob (conf) “I mean at the end of the day, I wanted to see what would develop and you notice things around camp. I mean the clearest sign, for anybody that is going to play Survivor in the future, I’m going to give you the key to figuring out who’s on what team. Watch how they sleep at night. Whoever’s sleeping next to who and I’m even guilty of it (someone may want to assist and let me know WHO they showed next to Rob as originally we do see Rob situated next to Danielle who is next to Russell who is next to Parvati as she “got in there” but I could not tell who was on the other side of Rob) will tell you who is aligned with who” (Coach and Jerri then shown together and very sweetly Coach does rub Jerri’s hair) “Because at night when you go to sleep you don’t usually go to sleep next to the guy who you want to vote off” (we then see Danielle apologizing as she is seen on the other side of Russell) “I don’t trust Russell’s a-- at all, at all! I mean he’s running around with puppy dog eyes over Parvati since the minute we landed here; he won’t do anything without her. He has to sleep next to her every night. Coach and Jerri are trying to do the same thing; that could be dangerous. I know, I’ve been there and I know how powerful that kind of alliance is” Rob continues to deliver great confessionals with a lot of insight in a very engaging manner. There is no question the editors want to highlight Rob greatly, the question is why and how would this relate to end game. I won’t repeat my thought process with respect to Rob as it hasn’t changed and I was longwinded enough about it last episode. Suffice it to say, Rob let us know about two key partnerships – Jerri and Coach and Parvati and Russell (again Danielle’s partnership with Russell only seems relevant in terms of Russell, not Danielle) however it seems readily apparent that Parvati and Russell’s relationship is one of importance (whether short or long term is not yet determined) and we may also question whether Parvati ends up being the bane of Russell’s success (Rob potentially seems to figure into this as well) The particulars remain to be seen but we received a hefty dose of this pairing along with a 2x4 of Parvati and the practically bewitching powers she appears to have. While Parvati did not receive a positive edit (in fact it was coated with quite a bit of negative stain as carried over by the prior episode) there is no question the editors are letting the audience know that Parvati is extremely dangerous and if not taken care of soon, she will take care of you. This is very parallel to Tom’s words about Cirie – he wanted to move quickly on Cirie as someone like that is very dangerous and did not want to have any regrets as his cast did by not getting rid of him. How ironic are those words should the villains not have the same thought process Chickens Are Symbolic Soft, melancholy music directs our attention to a low key and fractured Heroes tribe. James working alone, Candice sitting and drinking, Tom working, Amanda watching and Rupert commenting: Rupert (conf) “Our tribe has not been solid since we’ve been together (Cirie) that’s why I was kinda hoping for a rainy day (James) so it would force us in the shelter all day today, play games and talk and do some bonding (Colby) and do some empowerment stuff” Tom and Amanda give JT props over his coop which unfortunately does not hold the chickens Rupert (conf) “If we don’t become a good, cohesive team, we will continue to lose” (Foreshadowing?) The tribe then bands together in the pursuit of fowl as Tom shows that he still has some spunk in his step as Colby, Rupert and JT all give him high fives for landing the chicken” Rupert (conf) “It was a neat experience wrangling the chickens….that’s what we needed (James shown) so in that sense the chickens getting out was supposed to happen to help us bond” James laughing over the occurrence as we see “I don’t know about this bunch of dummies” and “Holding these sons of bitches sure make me hungry” A nice moment mainly just to build upon the victory that the heroes ultimately received this episode or a bit of symbolism thrown in? The chickens have certainly made the heroes work and frankly they have made the heroes run around like chickens without their heads. Rupert is a natural narrator and is used quite often to describe the dynamics of the tribe itself, their moral and their thought process and regardless that I find Rupert’s edit to be a bit lacking (as compared to the massive edits he received in prior seasons) but there appears to be a concerted effort to showcase him even if only to provide a narration of events. However, what used to feel viable about Rupert insofar as a long term story, is lacking this season. It is almost as if the editors are trying their best to make an arc for Rupert but it comes about forced (his toe, his provider role, his issue with Stephenie) so any longevity to Rupert may solely be incidental. I see no manipulation in relationships or unnecessary conversations involving Rupert; as of now he is our guide on heroics but I don’t get any real personal sense out of it We now move on to the villains and their chicken procuring and it is interesting to note how these chickens are just sitting there waiting to be killed; no fight in them as mentioned by Coach as “they are just sitting there dude” Considering the potential symbolism, we may want to look back on these scenes to see if there are parallels to the villains and their chickens, the heroes and their chickens and the outcome of the season. Do the heroes’ chickens (i.e. villains) give them a run for their money, have them running around like a “bunch of dummies” or do the villains’ chickens (i.e. the heroes) remain passive and practically invite the villains to kill them off? It will be interesting to see if a chicken by any other name is just a chicken or these scenes are meant to symbolically reflect the tribes and the prey involved Coach tells Russell that “the first vote is the most important vote” (Again, another nugget of how the villains may have made a big mistake in not getting rid of Parvati as noted throughout the episode) “You got to be careful, that’s what I want to talk to you about” (a shot of a light chicken and a dark chicken) “People want to have any excuse, any excuse to not be the vote; they’ll use that excuse. Oh Russell and Parvati are together, whatever it is, everybody is going to use an excuse…..”
(Coach’s confessional shown)
Russell “It’s not that we’re not cool, or nothing, me and Parvati (background shot of Tyson walking) it’s because she’s a good asset to the team”
(More Coach confessional) Coach (conf) “Russell is walking on very thin ice. Parvati, in my opinion, is the most dangerous player on our tribe” and “For him to be following around Parvati, is no strategy at all, it’s puppy love!” “She’s got the charm (Parvati making dance moves on beach) she’s got the smile, for some reason when she pays attention to you (Rob inserted and shown laughing/smiling) you feel like you light up (Parvati now shown on beach with Randy as she jumps on a tree limb) and it’s not that people don’t see it, it’s just that they are allured by her charm and they’re taken by it, they’re smitten” (Parvati and Randy walk off as the tree limb goes up and down) “It’s unbelievable” Rob now approaches Coach and Russell and asks what is the deal and Russell informs him they are just talking as Coach explains he is trying to get a feel for Russell and what he is thinking about insofar as Parvati…. Rob “Not for nothing but I’ve seen this go down before and you gotta be careful, the way, hanging out with her and everything. She might not be the strongest but she’s got a lot of friends on the other side” (More past relationship references and specifically Micronesia again) “We see you marching around with her, you have to understand our concerns” Russell “I understand it”
Rob “Am I right or am I right?”
Coach “You’re totally right and it’s like ostracizing you and you gotta be cool on that man”
Russell “Yeah”
Rob “I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt one time” (said on screen but camera on Russell- italicized – perhaps a pertinent remark) “I mean what else can we do”
Russell “I don’t got no choice, that would be the end of my game right there” (Rob leaves and Coach and Russell shake hands) Russell (conf) “Everybody knows that Coach is a big joke; he can go around flapping his big jaws all he wants. The thing with Rob, he thinks he is the boss of the camp, like that’s my daddy. Well, I’m the daddy around here but I got to listen to this, this fool, like he’s in control, like he’s in control (Tyson and Rob together as Russell appears alone on the water) but that’s what I have to do to get to the top, that’s what I’m gonna have to do until he’s gone. He don’t know who he’s messing with, nobody knows who they messing with around here, it’s Russell Hantz, give me a break!” Obviously a very big scene and extremely relevant to what occurs this episode and it appears the editors deliberately took this out of sequence and put it at the beginning of the episode to really start hammering home the message they wanted to deliver. We received an extremely descriptive commentary about Parvati from Coach and the danger in keeping someone like her around. He also advises us that Russell (despite our seeing him take charge in arranging the alliance and “roping Parvati in”) appears to be the submissive in that pairing and Parvati is the one who is really pulling the strings of Russell. Additionally, their relationship continues to be noticed by the camp as told to us by Rob earlier and now Coach. It must have grated on Russell’s nerves to no end to allow Rob and Coach to lecture him but wisely Russell kept his comments to himself. For what it is worth, he has the wherewithal to not laugh in their faces as he, himself says he will need to keep quiet for the time being. However, his ego is still in rare form in the privacy of confessionals and it seems a foregone conclusion that Rob and Russell are going to have a very monumental opposition at some point. If, in fact, the sequence of events was changed then we have to assume that Rob has put Russell on notice and therefore both he and Parvati are in trouble. However since Rob did put him on notice, it does shed some light that despite Russell’s animosity towards both of them, he appears to have some relationship with them or else they would not bring him into any discussion about their “concerns” (I would assume concern over his working with them?) Russell now is shown with Parvati and he tells her that he went up to Coach and said “you think I should stop hanging out with her?” (this is said onscreen) “He said, no, she’ll know something’s coming then”
Russell “Just keep doing what you doing brother, keep doing what you doing”
Parvati “Wow, he’s demented”
Russell “He’s after you. I didn’t want your name to even be on the block, it worries me because of that”
Parvati “I’m used to it honestly” “I’ve dodged a few bullets”
(Parvati’s confessional shown)
Russell “Rob came up there and said give us your word you’ll get rid of her and I’m like dude you seriously think I’m here to hook up with a girl? I mean, please” (Parvati shown as Russell is stating this)
(More of Parvati’s confessional)
Russell “I said I’ll show you I’ll get rid of her and we’ll get rid of her and ya’ll can trust me then so she’s gone”
Parvati “If I’m gone, you’re gone next” (Russell says yes)
They both part ways with Parvati shown walking down the beach Parvati (conf) “Why do they always want to vote me out? I don’t know. I’m just a sweet, innocent little girl, really” (giggles) and “I made an alliance really early on with Russell so I don’t know what I’m going to have to do (Randy walks by) but who else am I going to be with right now? Besides, Russell, I don’t trust anyone! I actually do trust him even though he’s a lunatic” Out of sequence scenes right at the beginning with so much emphasis around one person - this is classic manipulation of a character who really hasn’t even been shown DOING anything however she must be to be the focus of so many discussions! The conversations seemed very unusual for when they supposedly happened so I do believe all of them were after they lost the challenge but the editors went out of the way to throw a lot of this at the audience immediately. Parvati laughingly protests ignorance over why everybody always wants her voted off and the audience knows perfectly well that she knows why she would be a target. There is nothing exactly positive about Parvati but there is an inordinate amount of material about Parvati that is daring the audience to try and forget her as a player regardless that we are being shown that she doesn’t care much about “surviving” per se. We already know that she is established in a potentially meaty storyline with Russell and an even further meaty storyline with Micronesia; there also seems to be a little bit of warfare brewing with her and Jerri and let’s not forget that she is contending with the stigma of being a prior winner (I’m still very intrigued that there has been no mention by Sandra or Parvati on their status and how they can help one another. That is a red flag to me that we may visit that situation later as logic dictates it had to be mentioned (as it was with JT and Tom) by these women.) This episode was full of concern over Parvati and what could happen if she is not eliminated and this did not come to pass. What does that mean for this tribe then or the players who are concerned? Ironically, Parvati was the star of this episode and she barely needed to be there. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say she managed to work her magic on the editing department as well. What is the most fascinating item about this character shaping is how they managed to taint her (the laziness, catty remarks, overt feminine wiles) but they simultaneously and subliminally managed to create an aura around her that the audience can’t help but perhaps be impressed by whatever she is doing as well (much like Jerri commented) That is not an easy editing feat to do and it was done quite brilliantly. That is a heavy investment and I can only assume at this time, it is done due to Parvati’s longevity and most likely being crucial to some big stories. What is also quite interesting is that we heard quite a bit about brains vs. brawns and we noted that brawn has not been very successful and to watch out for the brains/talkers/strategists – Parvati has clearly shown she is not one for physical success but she surely knows how to play “mind games” The question remains though if the editors want to establish their winner in this regard but that is something to ponder if you like figuring out the winner of each season. Coach is then shown (as in Tocantins) telling the camp stories as Rob jokingly asks if this is the same story as last time. They banter a bit as the set up is established for Russell to go and hide the machete. Of note, Rob is shown next to Parvati (for those of us who like to note the irony of statements and then actions) Russell (conf) “Rob thinks he’s running the show and Coach thinks he’s running the show but I’m gonna take control of that. They wanna play rough? I can play rough. King Russell can get rid of the machete; you know what happens then? Getting rid of the machete will cause conflict in this camp, Rob’s going to go crazy…. Everything’s going to go haywire…. and that’s a good thing” “This is going to be wonderful because it’s not just gonna be the machete, ole Boston Rob likes that hat don’t he; I think he’ll go nuts without his little “B” hat. I don’t even like the Boston Red Sox, it’s the Houston Astros baby!” Well that was most definitely the Russell we know and…. know. Russell again is laying out his plans as he has been every week since the series began. Rob is the bane of his existence yet in public he appears very submissive to him and most likely is following Rob’s lead. We have a “coup” of sorts appearing to be planned and the question is whether it is successful or not. Coach is also on this “hit list” but we see the true ego bruising of Russell through Rob. It is hard to say (due to Rob’s edit) who will outlast the other as both of them are getting stellar edits that could place them at end game BUT the difference in how they fare end game is a result of their edits. Rob is being set up for a beautiful finish if the editors continue his edit on the trek they are or we are seeing the foundation for others who are directly involved with him. More of classic Coach is shown as the edit reverts back to Tocantins reflecting Coach in his yoga posing glory with fancy cinema angles of the sun as well as appropriate music. This was a random scene probably shown for no other purpose but to remind us that Coach is still alive and well. Randy finally graces our screen after all this time which only confirms my concern over the likes of Courtney and Tyson who do not even have a potential storyline to hold onto. He offers up the giant claim he caught to Russell, Rob, Parvati (who smiles unconvincingly), Courtney (who appears sullen and shown that way twice – which is probably the only pay off I will be getting from the tension that appeared to be brewing with the two of them) Tyson (who makes a snide remark) and Jerri (who is silent but does give Tyson an uncomfortable look) The scene is awkward and uncomfortable and (like the Rupert vs. Stephenie scene) seemed to come out of nowhere for Randy. His lack of presence certainly foretold him as a short term player but there was nothing truly building upon it. Randy looks for the machete as Jerri tells him he has to smash it with a rock which he cannot do. Randy (conf) “I did find one giant claim… nobody cared. I’m used to seeing Survivor where somebody brings a fish in this size and the entire tribe swarm and you don’t ask questions cuz you don’t where your next food is coming from” and “Survivor in so many ways is like the real world; you don’t get ahead by being smart, clever, hardworking, you get ahead unfortunately with a pretty smile (Parvati shown walking away from them on the beach) and being able to schmooze people and Parvati is the queen” Sandra is shown joining Randy on the beach and assisting him with the clam as the scene then shows Parvati attempting to chew on the clam as Sandra states it cuts good. The music has changed to a very hillbilly type sound as Parvati gives up on the clam while Sandra offers up another piece to try. Parvati is shown spitting out her piece and this visual nicely reflects what Randy discusses and the route Sandra took and the route Parvati took. Sandra “We’re not going to waste this on you”
Parvati “Don’t do it”
Sandra “We won’t”
They laugh
(More of Randy’s confessional) In case we weren’t aware of it, another commentary is made about Parvati and her capabilities in getting ahead – Randy unfortunately speaks prophetically as we see that despite his working to provide, he ultimately is booted as Parvati stays on. This scene was very random and didn’t need to be presented other than to set up Randy’s ultimate downfall and reinforce again how powerful Parvati can be Randy “This whole is designed to mess with everybody’s nerves and it works”
Coach “Team’s only good as its weakest player and that’s why we never get anything done around camp cause the weakest players just sit there, think they can look pretty and cute and have everything handed to them” (As if we don’t know who this is about – again, fascinating edit – negative spin but impressive as it apparently works)
Randy “Well, let’s vote em out!” Coach (conf) “I personally can’t stand it when I see people who are loafers and people that are weak; it’s unfair, it’s simply unjust and it’s selfish and it’s egotistical (camera now shown scaling over Parvati’s body as she lays on the beach – distinct musical change as well) that I can do nothing, sit back, feed me grapes like a greek goddess, the whole thing just stinks” Yet again, more emphasis placed on Parvati and while it is clearly a negative light encircling her; not only is no one doing anything to stop it but even those who are critical seem to be “bamboozled” by it (as we see later). There was entirely too much emphasis on Parvati and realistically there didn’t need to be. She was the potential boot candidate but we only know this because we were told this; the vote never reflected it and that could have been cloaked easily. Therefore, a big investment is being made in Parvati as a big threat, Parvati needing to be taken out and the ramifications if it is not done – all of this hardly seems necessary for only a short term storyline I Call This The I Can’t Explain Why But It’s Obviously Important Scene We are greeted again by the heroes tribe with a randomly placed shot of Amanda alone on the shore as Candice and JT are seen talking. Of note, this is the first time, we have seen Candice and JT shown alone as a possible voting/alliance partnership however we also know that JT is not truly invested but we can recall how JT is the one who stated HE could bring Cirie and Candice along to any group he chose so we can possibly assume that JT is also reaching into his playbook with those two (or just Candice as shown below) as well Candice “You know, I think you’re a great player (shot still on Amanda) and I’d like to make it to the end with you but if somebody’s not talking to me strategy (JT) they’re talking to somebody else (random inserted shot of Amanda again) and when you come talking to somebody on the day we’re going to Tribal Council, it doesn’t count, you know what I mean? Cuz you need a favor then.”
(JT’s confessional shown)
Candice “I think Cirie’s trustworthy if she feels safe within…” (JT nods)
(More of JT’s confessional) JT (conf) “Candice is beginning to scare me a lot; she’s much more strategical than I give her credit for to begin with” and “Candice might be the next one to go in my opinion but it’s not all up to me in this group” Note that JT’s confessionals were pieced together and, in fact, two separate confessionals. We may want to review his confessional locations the next time the Heroes have to go back to Tribal Council as (like I mentioned in a prior episode) there really was no reason to even show this scene since the Heroes end up winning the immunity challenge and do not go to Tribal Council. Therefore, it is possible these confessionals were taken from the time period following the Heroes’ next loss. This scene and the next scene are very random and I call them the “I can’t explain why but it’s obviously important scenes” as they are random, seemingly misplaced but obviously put in the episode for a reason and we may not know the importance until later on. We can perhaps assume that this is laying some groundwork for Candice to be possibly be in trouble and JT is establishing with us now that Candice is pretty good at this game and he would like her gone but it’s not entirely up to him. It may also be setting up a potential division with Candice and Cirie which may cause an issue in terms of a voting majority. So it would not be any surprise if Candice is shown as a potential candidate to leave the next Tribal Council they encounter which is a rather interesting dynamic since as we witnessed last, Tom and Colby are the ones that appeared to be in the most danger. A possible scenario for this conversation could be JT’s worry over Candice and Cirie as the two of them could join up with Tom and Colby and forcing a tie against James, Amanda, JT and Rupert. JT may feel Candice is a bit too smart and possibly should go home before Tom and/or Colby. I do not like to analyze next boot scenarios so I will stop short there but this scene seemed entirely misplaced for what occurs this episode. The next scene also seems misplaced and all about Candice again and I am very curious to compare these scenes to the next time Heroes lose their immunity challenge. Cirie “What’re your thoughts; everything’s still good?”
JT “It’s hard to trust anyone out here”
Cirie “Tell me about it”
Amanda “What was Candice talking to you about” (on screen)
JT “Candice said she don’t fully trust Cirie” (on screen – this is important)
Cirie “Okay!” (laughs) JT (conf) “I got her, I can get rid of her; I can tell a story when I need to, I think my lying ability is probably better than it should be considering I don’t do it very much in everyday life but I’m pretty good at it here” (Note that this is the same confessional setting as the first part of his earlier confessional and that Candice is scaring him and she is more strategic then he gave her credit. I’m actually curious if he is still talking about Candice in this statement though) Cirie and Candice now talk Cirie “I’m nervous now”
Candice “About what”
Cirie “About us!”
Candice “You’re nervous about me and you?” (Cirie says yeah and Candice asks why)
Cirie “I hear stuff”
Candice “Tell me what you hear”
Cirie “That you don’t trust me and…” (Candice wants to know who said this, Cirie doesn’t want to tell)
Candice “Well it doesn’t matter who said it, it’s not true” Candice (conf) “I’m thinking, where did that come from because I have never said that; either somebody is trying to make sure that (JT shown) she and I don’t trust each other or I’m thinking something weird is going on” (We may want to mentally note Candice’s confessional place as well in case this was also culled from another time period) Candice then goes to Tom and asks if he did it and he denies it
Candice then shown talking to Amanda and Amanda validates Candice
Candice then goes to James who is clearly impatient with her and tells her to “chill out for a second and then we’d be alright” James words to Candice are strange unless there is something going on that the audience is not yet privy to – the entire segment is nonsensical – I found it amusing to hear James of all people to tell someone to chill out as well. Clearly we are meant to see Candice very nervous and worried; it may even be a bit annoying but the editing validated that she does have something to worry about as we saw JT sabotage her. Luckily for JT’s edit, more damage could have been made on him, the admittance to lying was offset by his “aw shucks” demeanor with his contention that he never does this in real life – in essence while the audience is probably feeling a bit badly for Candice, I don’t believe we are meant to hate JT because of it James (conf) “Candice, I mean she’s a nut (Amanda and Cirie shown) she’s hustling a little bit too much, I don’t know what’s wrong with the girl; I mean I don’t even care, we can’t focus on all that stuff right now, it’s pointless….. I just want to get to challenges and win” Rupert and Colby were non existent in all this and essentially kept out of the fray in the matter, why is not known yet as I’m sure Candice approached both of them as well. This was a set up for Candice much like a set up was established for Parvati at the villains tribe but this was even more perplexing since they had no reason to show this for this episode. JT is attempting to put cracks in the relationship of Cirie and Candice possibly out of concern that if the two of them stay together they can control a voting aspect between the two “sides” Be that as it may, if something is not going to come of this, it would have remained on the cutting room floor. This scene is also precisely why I am concerned for Cirie as we received no insight whatsoever from her over what occurred and Cirie is someone the editors could always be certain to get an entertaining and well thought out confessional Brawns Now Beats Brains Of note in the challenge --Parvati says Stephenie and is very surprised as she looks up at Danielle who is also shocked; group shot shows Jerri also surprised and Courtney with an expression that makes it seem the heroes were fools. -- Luxury items (James’ items was comical I must say) -- Sandra and Courtney sit out -- Tom vs. Russell with Rupert telling Tom to do it (Tom noted to have done this challenge before) -- Tom wins easily and Colby is extremely pumped up by this -- Parvati dances her way to the challenge against Candice as Rupert says to be strong and Colby tells Candice to attack her. Rob tells Parvati to keep fighting, Candice wins -- Colby again is pumped up and this time Jerri appears to notice that and says “Wow” (yet a gentle connection again between those two?) -- A fitting pair of Rupert and Coach fighting with JT screaming for Rupert. Coach fails to adhere to the rules and pushes Rupert off with his hand and is so busy warrior posing that he fails to hear Jeff call the round null and void -- James on screen saying no karate chopping and Coach giving Jeff the finger. Jeff handles it with humor and tells Coach to take the anger out on the pirate. Rob tells Coach to finish the job and JT screams at Rupert to get low. An overdone cinematic slow motion start to the next round ensues and Rupert wins. James again onscreen telling Coach to “get your ##### up” -- Jerri and Cirie against each other with James shown telling Cirie to “whoop her #####” and Jerri loses easily -- JT and Tyson (old tribemates) take on each other as Danielle is shown cheering Tyson on; they both egg each other on a bit with Courtney shown laughing and later cheering Tyson. Tyson, in true Tyson fashion, gives JT a hug and a smooch at the end (another subtle and possible connection?) with Rupert inserted laughing -- Danielle vs. Amanda (Rupert telling Amanda to “come on!”) Amanda throws Danielle down and throws her pillow down and we see Rupert doing his “scream” in victory to her as a close up of Danielle defeated is shown -- Colby takes on Rob and a tough battle is shown with Colby victorious. Rupert again does his primal roar as Danielle is shown onscreen stating “This sucks” -- Rupert jokingly telling James good luck due to the strong opponent he is going to have (Randy) and Jerri shown onscreen telling Randy to fight “as dirty as you can” -- Sandra heard somewhat laughingly saying “Do your best Randy!” with James telling Randy to get down there and Randy replying that James likes to pick on the old man --James pushes Randy into the mud easily but is shown to throw the pillow straight down on Randy lying in the mud. Courtney is heard saying “that was real heroesque” as Randy says “that was real classy” James mouths off as Courtney tells James that “I told you, you were on the wrong team James” A bit more furthering of the route the editors appear to be taking with James which is not the direction taken in the past. A little nod to a theme of the season with Courtney telling James he was on the wrong tribe. As we can see, in a pure physical matchup the heroes do quite well, the concern is their fate when their minds need to come into play and that also has been developed as a possible theme for this season Prelude to A Tribal Council I must say that was possibly one of the strangest looking and sounding walks from an immunity challenge I’ve ever seen We see the villains banding together in the water to clean off and their mood seems to a bit improved Tyson (conf) “Yeah those heroes were waiting to wallop on us a bit; I guess they must have all eaten steroid sandwiches right before the challenge; they were all crazy eyed and it was almost scary to look in their faces not that it was intimidating but I worried for their sanity” At least he got a confessional. Situational yes, good sound bite yes, anything to let the audience know that he is an investment, no. Courtney cleans Rob, Sandra cleans Tyson as Randy presumably watches on Randy (conf) “You don’t even have to be told your name is on the block, you can just sense it. I’m the oldest guy in the game, the oldest guy in this tribe and Russell and Boston Rob (cleaned off by Courtney) and probably Tyson (cleaned off by Sandra) are falling for the oldest trick in the book since caveman days (Danielle’s assets which then pans to Russell) that these girls can get what they want if they bat their eyes and flirt” Ironically, Randy is then shown in the water as Parvati gets cleaned off a bit by him. Randy (conf) “Parvati is a threat right now even though she may be in a minority in this tribe but if we overlook her cause she’s got a pretty smile and a nice wiggle, she’s gonna be trouble when she meets up with her old friends (Jerri shown then shot moves to Rob which cuts to Parvati in water) James, Cirie and Amanda and we can all pay dearly (Parvati washes and the shot then moves back to Rob) for not taking care of business right now and by taking care of business I mean getting her out of here as soon as possible” The two confessionals by Randy were done in separate locations. Obviously the first confessional focused on the women in general but we are meant to believe the confessional is really about Parvati marginally when, in fact, it was from two different time periods. The second confessional about Parvati was taken from his statements earlier in the episode when he discussed her as well. Again, we are told how dangerous she is and we also found out “she may be in a minority in this tribe” and we were again reminded of her “past relationships” with the Micronesia group at the Heroes’ tribe. There is too much overkill over the Micronesia connection for there to not be some payoff. This is a good confessional to file away to see if this was indeed foreshadowing that the villains will pay dearly for not getting rid of her or not (much like the confessionals from Courtney and Jerri that the camp would implode without Rob). The earlier scenes with Coach, Rob and Russell and then Russell and Parvati make quite a lot of sense in light of the following scene – it is interesting they showed all this out of order possibly for even more emphasis Parvati “Are you voting for me or not?”
Coach “I’ve not made my bed yet” (Parvati tells him to answer the question)
Parvati “You haven’t been trying to get people to vote for me?”
Coach “I hardly have even talked strategy! The only people I’ve talked strategy with is Randy because he’s a superfan”
Parvati “Oh come on Coach, everytime I see you, you’re running around trying to grab someone”
Coach “That’s totally not true. I don’t lie”
(Coach’s confessional shown)
Parvati “I don’t want to go, I don’t think I’m the weakest, I think I would be a poor choice to go, I think you could use me to your advantage”
(More Coach)
Parvati “Of what I know about you, I don’t think fear’s ever controlled you” (said on screen as the audience more than likely shakes their head when reading it)
Coach “Fear has never controlled me and flirting has never controlled me” “I’m my own man. I’m going to make my own decisions”
Parvati “I don’t think any flirting controls anyone” (Coach sidles up to her) “I think it’s ridiculous if you think that” (She pushes his head in the water as he laughs and she giggles)
(More Coach) Coach (conf) “You know Parvati came at me real aggressively in the water today saying are you targeting me? I kept trying to fend off her questions and yet she thinks she can bat her eyelashes and wiggle her hips and roll down a very short bathing suit already to make it even more skimpy and everybody will follow her around; well maybe Russell will, maybe other people will, maybe Tyson will, I sure as hell won’t” and “That stuff doesn’t work on me; I’ve been coaching college soccer for women for 13 years and I’ve never had one of those girls bat their eyelashes at me and make a difference in their playing time” and “So out here with a million dollars on the line, certainly isn’t going to happen and anybody who lets it happen will be a fool” The confessional ends with a long shot of Parvati and Coach in the water. Of note this is the same confessional spot where we heard Coach in the beginning of the show state how dangerous Parvati is with Russell following her and how it is unbelievable how people are smitten. We also are clearly shown that despite Coach’s resolve, he is not immune to Parvati’s charms as further evidenced by the music that accompanied his confessional. I don’t attempt to find the winner in this show; only end game players and possibly those who may reach it and fail (goats help in this assessment as do foils) and Parvati certainly has legs in this regard. However, I see more Cook Islands Parvati than Micronesia Parvati so she may be tainted a bit for a reason however it solely depends who she progresses with and how they are portrayed. As of now her “stock” continues to rise. Even though Rob took center stage (with Russell and Coach not far behind) in the first two episodes, Parvati was subtly tied into long term stories (alliance with Russell where Russell even tells her and us that she can help at the merger, Sandra reciting those from Micronesia as Parvati quickly deflects it with Sandra emphatically stating it comes down to who you know, the heroes with their subtle references to Micronesia such a Cirie saying they are a target and let’s not forget being a prior winner) – she is now getting a big push and it seems clear the editors are trying to tell the audience that the villains (or some of them) are going to wish they eliminated her. Tyson “Parvati has too many friends on the other side and they’re controlling that game over there” (Jerri shown as part of the conversation which moves to Rob in the scene next to Tyson) “Randy has no friends anywhere, here or there. She’s dangerous, Randy’s not dangerous, what do you think?” Jerri and Danielle are panned over seemingly in the conversation as Rob specifically calls Sandra over but I’m not entirely sure Jerri and Danielle are actually there. Again alliance/relationship on hold as we identified that Rob and Sandra may be close as we established already in past scenes along with Coach/Jerri, Danielle/Russell, Parvati/Russell. We may now want to include a majority grouping since Randy deemed Parvati in a minority – we know of Russell only for sure. Rob is sitting with Tyson, Sandra, Courtney (Jerri/Danielle on the fringes or not there at all as I did not actually see them with the others and we know that Coach is enamored with Rob but very close with Jerri.) There seems to be a varying amount of dynamics with the villains whereas last week the lines were drawn rather clearly for us in terms of the heroes Sandra “I heard him; it has to be a group effort, it can’t be two or three (of note Courtney is now firmly in the scene) or one, you know what I’m saying, it has to be the majority and what is the majority? Randy’s weak, why would we want to weaken our tribe?”
Tyson “Just know (Jerri shown with Danielle’s back) she has a ton of friends over there”
Rob “I’d rather take Randy out over Parvati” (This is interesting since we did see Rob warn Russell about his relationship with Parvati and it was his only warning to him)
Tyson “So let’s make a decision; people are coming” (again focus on Jerri’s face as the camera then cuts to Parvati and Coach walking together – a bit of jealously perhaps?) Jerri (conf) “Parvati is like a virus; that girl needs to go! She has a way of just roping people in (Coach/Parvati shown) even when they don’t want anything to do with her. (Coach/Parvati part ways) I want to find a way to bottle that up and use it in my real life cause it’s pretty powerful stuff” Even Jerri admits as does practically the whole tribe that Parvati is dangerous and while we may not be meant to like Parvati, this continues to impress upon us that perhaps we should at least be impressed by her Coach “I’m safe tonight, you’re safe tonight. We know the two people’s names… and I don’t know what to do so I don’t know where you’re at” (Rob is positioned away from them purportedly watching Sandra and Coach together)
Sandra “I’m gonna tell you like this, I’m not in trouble (Rob still shown appearing to listen) therefore I don’t need (Coach agrees for him) therefore all I’m gonna do is where’s everybody at, boom, that’s it, done. If they all want him out, that’s who I’ll write, if they all want her, that’s who I’ll write, that’s it. Let me go do this thing….” Sandra gets ready to leave and tells Coach on screen “I’m trying to stay as long as I can” (Rob then shown to walk away supposedly from this secret conversation) Ah, some shades of the Sandra that we knew and loved from her season. Coach apparently felt he could take Sandra into his confidence but we were meant to see a “suspicious” Rob watching on. This was yet another scene that one can’t really explain but there was a feeling that somehow it could be important. Was it important only to feature Sandra in some capacity since we have not really seen her and the audience once again sees that Sandra is implementing her strategy of “as long as it’s not me”? Was it important to show some hint of a storyline brewing that involves Coach, Rob and Sandra which may involve some mistrust by Rob? Was it simply just filler that I may be overanalyzing? We’ll know later. Danielle “It doesn’t matter to me either but he’s obviously the weakest link (Jerri shown on camera as Danielle speaks) so…”
Jerri “Yeah”
Danielle “We don’t have to play that card but a lot of people want to”
Jerri “I know, I’m just going to say it again because everyone has their own strength” (Parvati shown and one can see the side of Coach’s arm as well)
Parvati then mentions if they vote Randy out, the heroes would have to sit out one of their strong guys and that would give them a fighting chance (Sandra inserted as this is said)
Jerri “But we don’t know” (Danielle echoes her)
Parvati “So who would you think then instead?” (said on screen as Danielle is shown)
Parvati “Well if you’re going to say not Randy then you’re going to have to say someone else”
Jerri “I don’t have to say”
Parvati “Why not?’
Jerri “Because I don’t know. I’m just trying to figure out what’s going on” (Parvati keeps pushing and Jerri pushes back) Jerri (conf) “Moments like that drive me up the wall; that girl, she thinks that she can make people do whatever she wants and people are! But I’m not! I am not. I’m at the point right now where every time I’m around here I just want to punch her in the face, that’s all I can think about is taking her down; I’ll tell you what” Parvati (conf) “Jerri’s annoying (giggles) I mean she’s the fakest, fakey magee… I know she’s running around my back talking about me. She’s just like a bitter old cougar and her days are numbered too” Well we may have yet another showdown coming down the pike with these two – both are given confessionals that clearly state they want to eliminate the other. I would say that Jerri has received a surprisingly positive edit thus far in the season and coupled that with Parvati’s burning edit, the audience is more than likely meant to commiserate with Jerri. These two (much like Rob and Russell) need to be watched as something is obviously brewing. It is very interesting also that Russell took an enormous backseat the remainder of the episode despite the fact the audience was thrown in the water head first with respect to Parvati and Russell’s relationship and his thought process. Yet we heard nothing from Russell about his ally being on the chopping block. As mentioned, it seems fairly obvious the early scenes were inserted out of order to set up the flow of the episode but I was a bit curious that Russell offered no insight later on as to Parvati being in danger Randy and Coach now talk Randy “I loved it when I saw Stephenie gone because that should make it clear to you what’s going on, it should make it clear to Rob…. if you guys don’t see that, you’re next. I don’t have a clue what you were talking to Parvati about…. but this is Micronesia 2.0 and if you guys don’t see that I don’t want to play the game with you anymore, I really don’t. I’m not going to scramble today like dead man walking…”
Coach “I’m gonna be scrambling”
Randy “….because if I am dead man walking then all my friends are next and I’ll see you in loser’s lodge and buy you a beer” Coach (conf) “There’s nobody out here who’s honorable; there’s nobody out here who’s honorable anymore except for me” (Of note this is the same confessional spot where Coach talks about Russell on thin ice and how Parvati is luring everyone in that we saw in the beginning of the episode; since he goes on to discuss saving Randy then it seems reasonable that all the earlier segments were out of sequence. “I hate to pontificate about that but you know Martin Luther King says that the greatest measure of a man is not in the way he handles in times of comfort but in the way he rises with controversy and challenge…. there’s always hope… that the impossible happens that we dare to dream that Randy’s gonna wake up in this camp tomorrow so yes there’s still hope while I still have a breath and a brain cell in my brain, I will fight for him” A lovely little sequence which starts off with Randy again stressing that we are revisiting Micronesia if someone doesn’t wake up – we do know Coach is listening as this scene may have actually occurred prior to when he talked to Sandra. Randy states that he may see his friends in Loser Lodge so we do know that Coach is one of them (I would assume Jerri as well) so it appears that there are quite a number of factions in the villains. Tribal Council Jeff immediately brings up the question of the season and asks Sandra about past relationships and its importance
Sandra “There’s a lot of things we take into consideration, who’s won before, who’s been out here three times (Parvati shown) who has friends on another tribe (shot moves to Jerri) For instance with Parvati, we’re thinking okay Cirie is over there, James is over there (Parvati), Amanda is over there (Randy nodding, shot moves to Coach) How far do we want them to go then once we merge are we screwed” (Parvati shakes head)
Parvati “Yeah everyone’s nervous about me flipping once merge comes (Russell) and all I can say is that I want to stick true to this tribe (Coach then a quizzical Jerri) but it’s words and in this game your word doesn’t mean that much, it’s really your actions (Parvati/Rob/Randy) that matter.” Jeff asks Russell what kind of weight he gives past relationships
Russell “I think it is a huge advantage that somebody might know three or four people (Parvati) on the other tribe; that’s a huge advantage” (Coach amused) Jeff asks Jerri if the vote tonight should be about performances at challenges
Jerri “I think the physical side of this (Rob) is very important for us, this is our first loss and we don’t want to lose anymore (Sandra then Randy) but I know myself I’m still taking into account all the other factors, relationships and all that sort of thing” (Parvati)
Jeff then asks her if past relationships (either in or out of tribe) is a big factor?
Jerri “I think it should be a big factor for everyone”(Jerri/Coach/Danielle – camera moves to Rob then Randy) Jeff asks Sandra if there is a leader on the tribe
Sandra (Coach) “Well it all depends on what we’re doing (Sandra/Rob/Parvati) and if we’re building the shelter, we start listening to him (points at Rob) then when it gets too much (Rob) we go off on our own and then Coach will delegate you do this and we’ll go do that (Coach drinking) but when you look Coach is gone (Sandra/Rob laughing/Parvat then laughs) two miles out” (musical change)
Coach “Sandra you only mention me in that and I don’t know whether that’s a jibe at me (Sandra) but that’s a bunch of bull, I collected (Coach/Randy/Jerri) firewood for three hours thank you very much, no one is collecting (Russell) wood like I am (Courtney smiling and shaking her head) I’ve been working hard around camp and I resent you saying that, in fact why do you (Sandra) think we have the worse shelter in Suvivor history? Because it’s like herding cats!”
Jerr “It’s not the worse shelter in Survivor history, I was in that one actually” (Jeff smiles)
Courtney “I’d argue that I was also part of those contenders” (Jeff smiles) Coach “I want to say to Sandra if you think I’m not pulling my weight around camp and the challenges then put my name down on the paper tonight”
Sandra “No, no, no no, that’s not what I’m saying”
Coach “That’s what you made it sound like….”
Sandra “I’m just saying I get stuck with you and you guys roll out” (Coach talks over her)
Sandra “And we ain’t got a machete!” (Russell smiles) “We haven’t had a machete all day!” (Jeff asks what do you mean) “It grew legs and walked off!” (Jeff laughs, the group laughing) Jeff notes to Parvati that everyone is laughing about how bad it is at camp (Coach shakes his head)
Parvati “We’re kinda a tribe of misfits Jeff. We’re the villains” (musical change) Jeff asks Russell what he makes of this tribe
Russell “It’s definitely different; the do do’s I played with last time (Jeff smiling) they couldn’t hold a candle to anyone of these players (Russell/Courtney “awww”/Tyson) so it’s fun (Parvati) but it’s a lot harder (Sandra nodding) cause you got everybody playing the game but that’s what I like, that’s what I want to see and that’s what I respect” (Coach) Jeff asks Rob about doing well at challenges vs. lack of cohesiveness at camp
Rob “I think when we have a challenge we know what we have to do (Coach nods) and we figure out a way very quickly how to accomplish it (Russell can’t argue) and at camp it’s a different story (Sandra/Rob/Parvati) there’s nobody to tell us (Jerri) you need to make a shelter (Sandra nods) or you need to collect firewood, there’s not that sense of urgency (Coach) so I don’t think it will change” (musical change – Randy nods – back to Rob) Parvati lets Randy know she wasn’t going to go down without a fight which she apparently did quite well and Randy gets voted out but not before he sends a bullet to Rob and a nice throw of his buff into the fire. Jeff tells them that if they don’t get their camp life together, it will essentially cause them to come back to Tribal Council (a bit of an odd statement). Note again the heroes did not receive a scene after they won their first immunity challenge which is a bit of a concern since it was done with the villains tribe. Also noted at Tribal Council is the concern that we have mentioned as potential themes of the season and interestingly enough “past relationships” seem to be more impactful than being a prior winner. Sandra brought up three criteria (coincidentally all fit Parvati) and one of them involved her as a prior winner but Jeff skipped over that and continued hammering about relationships. We heard nothing from Courtney which only reinforces her short term arc in my estimation and aside from Tyson advising Rob (yet another partnership of sorts) that Parvati may be the one to get rid of, Tyson was not relevant to anything (other than the humorous sound bite) nor is he relevant to anything that appears to be shaped for the future. Again, Russell was curiously absent from the “nitty gritty” that occurred prior to Tribal Council and it stands to reason he was involved in some of the discussion as well as talking with Parvati – therefore we were probably shown some of the discussions out of place (in the beginning of the episode) but it was curious that the editors wanted to remove Russell from any real pre Tribal Council talk. Coach continues with a consistent edit (if not shaping its way towards the Coach of Tocantins) and while Rob took a backseat (as compared to his stellar first two episodes) there was still enough of him to make an impact as well as vocalizing at the Tribal Council. We also can’t forget that Russell continues to reinforce to the audience that Rob is in charge (or thinks he is) and he will change that. Jerri has also been pleasantly consistent especially considering the females are lacking somewhat on the villains tribe (and she also was recognized at Tribal Council). Danielle’s saving grace appears to be the alliance she made with Russell but one has to wonder if Danielle’s is merely an extension to Russell’s storyline as we really do not see any definitive associations with anyone else and there has not been any real value to her when she is on the screen; the editors could easily throw a confessional in by her or show a question she answered at Tribal Council. Parvati received an inordinate amount of investment this episode which could be problematic for her however I do feel she is tied to quite a few of the long term stories and themes of the season so I would suspect she will at least be seeing her Micronesia counterparts. I am a bit suspicious as to the shaping of Parvati and I suspect this is being done for a very specific reason although for now, we cannot know what that is. While Sandra is relatively low key, we do see that she is associated with key people (Rob, Coach) and interestingly enough both of them asked her opinion about the state of events regarding the boot. She also was given her due at Tribal Council which always helps in visibility. I don’t think we can forget also her statement about Rob and playing with him (and Rob is a player who appears very essential to story progression) until she “cuts his throat.” At this point, Courtney and Tyson seem to be in the most danger as short term players as I found nothing to tie them into anything long term (minor associations with those on the other tribe do not seem quite enough compared to the manipulation utilized with others, i.e. Parvati and her Micronesia players, Colby and Jerri…) and they were not even granted a question at Tribal Council which is a very simple way of keeping a contestant visible. Over with the heroes, Rupert continues as the overall story teller of the heroes’ existence which at least bodes well for him in the short term but we do sometimes see pre merge narrators leave shortly after a merger. Rupert will be highlighted regardless however but I do find his “edit” a bit lacking this season. Candice is getting some manipulated screen time as she is not a dynamic player compared to others but the editors are making a point of putting her on the screen (recall she was asked two questions at Tribal Council – that could have easily been done with Courtney, Tyson or Danielle but was not) and we are seeing some nuggets of a story for her (although it appears that it may be short term) JT is getting a very meaty edit and the question may be whether JT can be a villain? James’ edit is dreadfully one dimensional and is not the James that won him fan favorite therefore I feel that he is not essential to the progression of this season whatsoever. Amanda is relatively low key but if any Micronesia player on the heroes side has investment, it would be Amanda. She had key confessionals over the likes of James and Cirie although I am concerned that little was made of her when she was a boot target. I don’t think the editors would overlook highlighting her as a boot target if she was at end game. Cirie is such an amazing character but I feel that she is not being given the time and care she could have and I highly doubt Cirie has nothing to say. Tom and Colby are relatively low key although Tom is being given some nice confessionals and narration although both seem to encompass a personal storyline more, i.e. has this game changed too much for them? (I do wonder if Rob fits in that regard also) Regardless of where they place, I do think they will be given very good edits in terms of keeping true to the label they were given. If not for the subtle hints that Jerri and Colby may meet up, I would say that Colby could be short term however I do believe those hints reflect they do meet up with each other so Colby may be in decent shape at least for any merger. Apparently the idol comes back to play again and this obviously throws a wrench into many of the characterizations since that, in it of itself, is almost another character and someone who may be vulnerable suddenly is there for the duration.
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michel 10958 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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02-28-10, 03:19 PM (EST)
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36. "RE: Episode 3 - Editing Thoughts" |
LAST EDITED ON 02-28-10 AT 03:48 PM (EST)Here's what I saw:
During the recap, Jeff told us that the Heroes stayed true to their nature…overcame injuries and worked tirelessly together to build a great camp.
<Rupert’s confessional saying “it’s good to be a Hero”.>
The Villains did not work together and complained about everything.
<Sandra talking about taking 4 steps back>
It was the perfect environment for Russell to work his black magic so he made deals with anyone who would listen…
<Danielle shown making an alliance>
…and even roped in Parvati.
I guess this means Danielle represents anyone while Parvati is someone that counts. By day 2, the game began to change:
- JT embraced the dark side by making conflicting deals with James and Tom.
- Boston Rob behaved heroically…he even built a fire without flint and, after getting sick and passing out, he led his tribe to a come from behind victory at the immunity challenge. The Heroes were demoralized and James lashed out…At Tribal council, James continued his tirade and JT’s duplicity was revealed when he chose not to honor his alliance with Tom by voting out Tom’s closest ally. Jeff continues to push the Old Guard versus New Guard Theme by bringing up the work ethics of a few and the devious play of others. Note that JT’s duplicity was revealed while Russell was still working his magic from behind the scene. This episode would change that except for 1 big difference… Heroes
Night 6: Don’t Go to Bed Mad Tom : “Tribal council tonight took a nasty turn. Steph’s going but James just had to bring down his nasty, brutish bullying on her.” JT told Tom: “When we made that alliance, that was the first and only alliance I had. When I found out we were in the bottom of the totem pole I knew I had to do something.”
The two men hugged, saying they were good. Tom’s confessional went on: “I feel betrayed by JT but if he really feels bad about it, he may be the guy to keep me alive a little longer and buy me some extra time if I need it.” Tom and Colby reflected on how the game wasn’t about fighting fair. They decided to “be smarter”. Villains
Night 6: Cuddling Rob :”You notice different things around camp…I’m gonna give you the key to figuring out who’s on what team: Watch how they sleep at night, whoever’s sleeping next to who, and I’m even guilty of it, will tell you who is aligned with who. When you go to sleep, you don’t usually sleep next to the guy who you want to vote off.” <We saw Parvati and Russell enjoying each other’s company, Coach seen stroking Jerri’s hair and Danielle scooting over for a “ménage à trois” with Russ and Parv.> “I don’t trust Russell’s ass at all. At All! He’s running around with puppy dog eyes over Parvati since the minute we landed. He won’t do anything without her. He has to sleep next to her every night. Coach and Jerri are trying to do the same thing. That can be dangerous; I know. I’ve been there and I know how powerful that kind of an alliance is.” Note that the laughs shared by Parvati and Russell weren’t discussed as being annoying and keeping everybody up like we had heard about Sugar. Instead, they became part of game strategy. Heroes
Day 7: Redemption Rupert : “Our tribe hasn’t been solid since we have been together. I was hoping for a rainy day that would force us all in the shelter, to play games and talk and do some bonding…If we don’t become a good cohesive team, we will continue to lose.” JT built a chicken cage that simply wasn’t. The tribe had to scramble to catch the chickens and the exercise brought them together as Rupert told us. Villains: Entering the Battlefield Coach : “Russell is walking on very thin ice. Parvati, in my opinion, is the most dangerous player on our tribe. For him to be following around Parvati is no strategy at all: It’s puppy love. She’s got the charm, she’s got the smile and if she pays attention to you, you light up. It’s not that people don’t see it, it’s just that people are allured by her charm. It’s just that they are smitten by it.”  (Just then, we saw that big branch sticking up in the air after Parvati had jumped on it! What do you suppose that it represented?!!)
Rob joined Coach and Russell and expressed his own concerns about Parvati. He concluded by telling Russell: “I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt one time.”
(Will it be one time too many?)
Russell : “Everybody knows that Coach is a big joke…The thing with Rob is he thinks he’s the boss of the camp like that’s my daddy. I’m the daddy around here but I have to listen to this fool like he’s in control but that’s what I have to do to get to the top. That’s what I’ll have to do until he’s gone. He doesn’t know who he’s messing with. Nobody knows who they are messing with around here. It’s Russell Hantz: Give me a break!” After showing waves crashing around, we joined Parvati and Russell who were discussing the situation. Russell said that Coach was after her.
She replied: “He is demented.” Parvati : “Why is everyone trying to vote me out? I don’t know. I’m just a sweet, innocent little girl! <Laughs> “I made an alliance really early on with Russell but I don’t know what I’ll have to do. <A shot of Randy shown> Who else am I going to be with right now besides Russell? I don’t trust anyone and I actually do trust him even though he’s a lunatic.” Villains
Night 7 Coach was telling one of his tales when Rob <sleeping between Parvati and Danielle!> asked if it was the same story as the previous night.
Russell used the time to repeat his old tactics. Russell : “Rob thinks he’s running the show and Coach thinks he’s running the show. I’m going to take control of that. They want to play rough, I can play rough. King Russell can get rid of the machete. Getting rid of the machete will cause conflict in this camp.” <Another shot of Rob sleeping next to Parvati> “Rob is going to go crazy, the tribe is going to go crazy…That’s a good thing… It’s not just going to be the machete: Boston Rob loves that hat, don’t he? I think he’s going to go nuts without his little “B” hat. Anyway, I don’t even like the Red Sox; it’s the Houston Astros baby!” Villains
Day 8
We saw Coach doing some exercise.
Can anyone explain this image?
 Randy tried to be the provider for a tribe that didn’t want his provisions. Courtney’s stone face indicated what the tribe thought of Randy's clam: 
This scene didn’t happen first thing in the morning because the tribe had already figured the machete was gone. This means that Russell’s plan wasn’t shown to be successful: We didn’t see the tribe going crazy over this scheme. In Samoa, the burning socks led to Jaison’s complaints and the dumping of the water partly led to Marisa’s elimination. Not showing a single argument about the missing machete is not really good for Russell’s story.
Randy : “I did find one giant clam…but nobody cared. I’m used to seeing survivor when one brings a fish this big and the entire tribe swarms…You eat what you can when you can get it and you don’t ask questions because you don’t know when your next food is coming from.” <Sandra took a bite as did Parvati who couldn’t swallow the raw clam> “Survivor is like the real world: You don’t get ahead by being smart, clever or hard working. You get ahead unfortunately with a pretty smile and being able to schmooze people. Parvati is the queen.” Randy got Coach to agree with him to vote out those who weren’t workers.
Coach : “I personally can’t stand it when I see people who are loafers and people that are weak. It’s not fair, it is simply unjust.” <We had a prolonged shot of Parvati’s body as she laid on the beach, tanning herself.> “It’s selfish, it’s egotistical that I can just sit there and do nothing but lay back while you feed me grapes like a Greek Goddess. The whole thing just stinks.” A lot has been done to put a target on Parvati and one can certainly say that showing her this way and hearing the words spoken about her is bad for her future in the game. However, do those rules apply to her? She represents the New Guard that takes care of the game rather than the work. Anyway, those who hate her felt like Coach well before he had this confessional, those who like her won’t care. The very few who are neutral will appreciate that the battle has been set: Does Parvati have what it takes to be the queen once more or will someone stop “the most dangerous player in this tribe”? Heroes
Day 8 Candice was talking strategy with JT, telling him that if people don’t talk strategy with her then they are talking with somebody else. The camera told us she meant Amanda who was doing her laundry in the ocean while the words were spoken. JT : “Candice is beginning to scare me a lot. She is much more strategic than I had given her credit for.” The next part was taken from a different confessional but added here for reinforcement: “Candice may be the next to go in my opinion but it’s not up to me, not in this group.” To rattle some players, JT told Cirie and Amanda: “Candice said she doesn’t fully trust Cirie.” His confessional continued: “I got her; I can get rid of her. I can tell a story when I need to. I think my lying ability is probably better than it should be... I’m pretty good at it here.” Cirie told Candice that she was nervous about what she heard. Candice said it didn’t matter who said it because it wasn’t true. Candice : “I’m thinking where did that come from because I have never said that. Either somebody is trying to make sure that she and I don’t trust each other or I’m thinking there’s something weird going on.” Not following on her first instincts, Candice tried to find out who said that she didn’t trust Cirie. She confronted Tom, Amanda and James who told her to chill out. James : “Candice, she’s a nut. Everyone is getting upset with Candice because she’s nervous too much. I don’t know what’s wrong with the girl, I don’t even care. We can’t even focus on all that stuff now… I just want to get to challenges and win.”
(Yes, James, we know) The Challenge Even before Jeff said it, Parvati realized that Stephenie had been voted out. That surprised her as she looked over to Danielle:  
As for luxury items, I laughed when I saw that James brought one of his Hidden immunity idols from China! 
The challenge wasn’t close:
- Tom, “not messing around”, clobbered Russell.
- A dancing Parvati took on Candice. It was one of the better matches that Candice won.
- Rupert faced the Dragon slayer who thought he had won the match until Jeff called for a replay, Coach using his arm to send the Pirate in the mud. The Pirate took his revenge.
- Cirie, who people see as weak, dispatched Jerri in a few seconds.
- JT took on Tyson who made Courtney laugh by getting rid of his mud on h his opponents spot. This was another good match that went to the Heroes, JT receiving a kiss from Tyson afterwards.
- Danielle faced Amanda in one of the closest matches of the evening. Amanda, having a few inches on Danielle, won the match. “This sucks” said a muddy Danielle, barely recognizable.
- Colby fought against Boston Rob and won after a tough struggle.
- Finally, James faced Randy… Did James really have to throw his muddy bag in Randy’s face? The number of occasions where the Heroes don’t behave heroically continues to grow. Courtney was right: “I told you; you were on the wrong team, James!”
Note all the attention Colby received as he cheered from the sidelines. Even Jerri was seen looking over at him in shock as he jumped up and down in the bleachers:  
 Letting us see that much emotion could only make him look like a rowdy fan, a hooligan almost as bad as James and his lack of sportsmanship. Villains
Day 8
Note that we would not return to the Heroes’ camp as we had done for the Villains last week. That’s another clear indication as to which tribe is the important one. Tyson : “Those Heroes were waiting to wallop on us a bit. I guess they must have been eating steroid sandwiches before the challenge. They were all crazy-eyed; it was almost scary to look in their faces. It’s not that it was intimidating but I worried for their sanity.” Randy : “You don’t even have to be told that your name is on the block, you can just sense it…I’m the oldest guy in this tribe. Russell, Boston Rob and Tyson are falling for the oldest trick in the book, since caveman days, these girls can get what they want if they bat their eyes and flirt. Parvati is a threat right now even though she may be in a minority in this tribe but, if we overlook her because she has a pretty smile and a nice wiggle, she’s going to be trouble when she meets up with her old friends; James, Cirie and Amanda. We can pay dearly if we don’t take care of business and… I mean by getting rid of her as soon as possible. After another shot of crashing waves... 
...Parvati was shown talking strategy with Coach, asking if he was trying to get her voted out. Coach : “Parvati came at me real aggressive in the water today, saying “are you targeting me?” I kept trying to fend off her questions yet she thinks she can bat her eyelashes and wiggle her hips and roll down a very short bathing suit already to make it even more skimpy and everybody will follow her around. Well, maybe Russell will, maybe other people will, maybe Tyson will but I sure as hell won’t. That stuff doesn’t work on me. I’ve been coaching college soccer for women for 13 years and I never had one of those girls bat their eyes at me and make a difference in their playing time. So here, with a million dollars on the line, it won’t happen. Anybody that lets it happen will be a fool.” Yes, Coach we saw how flirting doesn’t work on you! 
Tyson was talking to Rob, Jerri and Danielle saying: “Parvati has too many friends on the other side and they are controlling that game over there. Randy has no friends. She’s dangerous. Randy’s not dangerous.”
Rob turned to Sandra who had just arrived with Courtney: “Sandra, are you hearing this?”
Sandra said: “It has to be a group effort.”
Rob: “I’d rather take Randy out than Parvati.”
Tyson: “Lets make a decision, people are coming.”
Jerri : “Parvati is like a virus. That girl needs to go. She keeps roping people in even when they don’t want anything to do with her. I want to find out how to bottle that up and use it in my real life because it’s pretty powerful stuff.” Observed by Rob in the distance, Coach talked to Sandra who answered: “All I’m gonna do is where is everybody at, then that’s it. If they all want him out, that’s who I’ll write. If they all want her out, that’s who I’ll write. That’s it. I’m trying to stay as long as I can.”
Danielle and Parvati talked to Jerri about Randy being the weakest. Sandra and Coach were also listening in. Parvati brought a good point, saying that voting Randy out would force the Heroes to sit out one of their strong guys in the next challenge. When Jerri couldn’t commit on Randy, Parvati confronted her: “If you’re not going to say Randy, you will have to say someone else.” Jerri tried to wiggle out of naming anyone.
Jerri : “Moments like that drive me up the wall. That girl; she thinks that she can make people do whatever she wants and people are but I’m not. I am not. Every time I’m around here, I want to punch her in the face. All I can think about is taking her down.” Parvati : “Jerri is annoying. <Laughs> She’s just the fakest (?) I ever met. I know she’s running around to people behind my back. She’s like a bitter old cougar and I think her days are numbered too.”
Randy brought up that Steph leaving meant that this was Micronesia 2.0. Coach : “There’s nobody out here that is honorable…except for me.” He went on to quote Martin Luther King about rising from controversy and challenges. “All we have is hope… that Randy will wake up in this camp tomorrow… As long as I have a breath…I will fight for him.” Tribal Council Sandra talked about considering who has won, who has played 3 times who has friends. “With Parvati: Cirie is over there, so his James and Amanda…Once we merge, are we screwed?”
Parvati replied: “Everybody is nervous about me flipping…All I want to say is that I want to stay true to this tribe.”
Russell: “I think it’s a huge advantage that somebody might know 3 or 4 people on the other tribe.”
Jerri: “This is our first loss and we don’t want to lose anymore but I’m still taking into account all the other factors.”
Asked about a leader, Sandra said: “It depends on what we’re doing: If we are building the shelter we start listening to him (points to Rob) then, when it gets too much, we go off on our own, then Coach delegates…but when you look Coach is gone.”
Coach: “I don’t know if that's a jab at me but it’s a bunch of bull… I worked hard at camp. Why do we have the worst shelter in Survivor history? It’s like herding cats.”
That made Courtney’s eyes roll, Sandra frown and Jerri say: “That’s not the worst shelter in Survivor history. I was in that one actually.” Even Courtney said she had a worse shelter.
Coach: “I want to say to Sandra that, if you think I don’t pull my weight…you can put my name down.”
Sandra: “That’s not what I am saying …We ain’t got a machete! It grew legs and walked off.”
Parvati explained the laughter: “We have a tribe full of misfits: We’re the Villains!”
Russell: “It’s definitely different. The dodos I played with last time couldn’t hold a candle to anyone of these players. <Courtney and Parvati smiled> It’s fun but it’s a lot harder because you have everybody playing the game. That’s what I like, that’s what I want to see and that’s what I respect.” <That seemed to touch Coach>
To Jeff’s comment about being surprised at their lack of cohesiveness, Rob said that it won’t change, that they know what to do in challenges: “We figure out what to do and we do it. At camp…there’s not that sense of urgency.”
Sounds a lot like Casaya to me! Randy walked off in disgust throwing his buff in the fire after the unanimous vote against him. Jerri and Coach looked troubled. Rob, Parvati and Russell looked pleased. Jeff told them: “If you don’t get your camp life together, it will catch up to you, you will be coming back to tribal and more people will be going home.” The Story of the Heroes Without them going to tribal council, they were much more neglected than the Villains had been in the first two episodes. We had a good glimpse of the aftermath of their previous vote, a bonding exercise over the escaped chickens, we saw their strong but unsportsmanlike performance at the challenge and the conflict between Candice and Cirie. Note that there was a common denominator in their 3 camp scenes: JT. He had turned the vote against Steph so he had to make peace with Tom. He built the chicken cage that let the chicken escape and he’s the one who told Cirie that Candice didn’t trust her. Because of that, I feel that last scene was much more important for JT than it was for Candice, especially since the Heroes weren’t going to TC. It was more important to see JT as a devious player, a “villainous” one in the good sense of the term within the context of Survivor, than to paint Candice as an underdog. Unless Candice does much more to save herself than look like a nut, JT’s story will be much more meaningful to the evolution of this season than what happens to Candice. As for the challenge, it really only served to paint James and Colby as villainous players in the true sense of the term. James is becoming a one note player, a brute only concerned about challenge wins even during a confessional about Candice. From the start, Colby has had more development so showing his bad side isn’t as troubling but hardly the way our Cowboy would be portrayed were he to come out on top. The Story of the Villains There seems to be only 6 players in this group, 3 men and 3 women: Coach, Rob, Russell, Parvati, Sandra and Jerri. Tyson and Courtney have been ignored so what happens to them probably won’t be significant in the long run. Danielle is shown as part of the discussions but not as a driving force more like a spectator. Coach and Rob seemed to be on the same page regarding Russell and Parvati but the vote revealed that Rob was with Russell and Parvati. Was it only for this round because we heard Rob say he wanted Randy voted out or was there a deal struck? If there was a deal, it’s troubling that we didn’t see Rob involved in the scheming. Coach, for a man that was above falling for a flirt, enjoyed the attention he received from Parvati. And, for an honorable man, he quickly went against his vow to fight for Randy to the last breath. Something or rather someone, rattled him.This man, used to leading, was brought back to earth. Russell became a target: He’s walking on thin ice according to Coach and he isn’t trusted by Rob. That could be great for his long term story. He’s still up to his old tricks even if hiding the machete was treated more as a joke than a successful ploy and he’s still working in the shadows, perceived more as tagging along Parvati than taking control. That is part of the difference between Russell and JT that I mentioned after the recap. The other part is, contrary to JT, Russell managed to get everyone to vote against Randy. The Villains may appear to be divided but their vote showed more cohesion than the Heroes’ last one. Jerri's role seems to be to push the story along rather than being the story herself. If a two-person alliance is supposed to be powerful, her alliance with Coach isn’t presented as such. I feel we only see it for its oddity rather than its importance down the line. A lot was made of Parvati being a dangerous player, much more than just a normal decoy boot option, especially since she received no votes. Parvati is a villainous player who uses all her tools to get ahead and she is part of the key alliance with Russell but she isn’t shown as part of the majority alliance. Will it be enough for her to win? The “Femme Fatale” rarely wins but she did it once. Once more, she told us that, despite trusting Russell, she knows who she’s dealing with, a lunatic in this case. Being associated with such a powerful image as crashing waves is also a good sign for her if the editors continue with the pattern. We’ll have to keep an eye on that. Sandra didn’t have a confessional but she was clearly the driving force in 3 key scenes:
Rob turned to her when Tyson asked for the group’s decision.
Coach turned to her for advice on who to vote.
She dominated the Tribal Council, first telling Jeff how Micronesia could screw them after the merge, then rattling Coach with her comments about leadership and then making Jeff laugh about the machete with legs.
Her subtle attack on Coach is probably what caused him to change his vote. Having already been singled out, I’d say he wouldn’t want to stand out even more. That’s very interesting for a winner whose main critic was that she had no control over the events in Pearl Islands.
Now, I'll have to read what you had to say, Veruca.
Thanks to Immunityidol.net for the vidcaps.
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flystorms 212 desperate attention whore postings
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02-28-10, 03:47 PM (EST)
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37. "RE: Episode 3 - Editing Thoughts" |
Great stuff Veruca! As I watched this episode I couldn't help but think that this laid the foundation for a Parvati win. This time instead of the million dollar quote coming from the winner, it came from someone who was about to be booted, Randy. When he said, "Survivor in so many ways is like the real world; you don’t get ahead by being smart, clever, hardworking, you get ahead unfortunately with a pretty smile (Parvati shown walking away from them on the beach) and being able to schmooze people and Parvati is the queen” I immediately thought that this was the quote of the season. Everything else people said was the supporting documentation. I'll be very curious to see how the rest of the season plays out with Parv as the star and the rest of the All-Star cast as supporting players. On a side note, I was at the Toncantins finale and remember seeing Parvati there both during and after the show. After the show, you could tell that she was definitely the ringleader in her clique of former contestants. She hammed it up a bit for the crowd, batting her eyes at James who puppy-dogged right behind her. For sure, she has a power in the game as well as outside of it. The outside relationships are certainly going to play out in this. Her connections will help her in the end, I'm sure. Great stuff, y'all! Keep it up! I love reading all of this each week when I have time.
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katethegreat 207 desperate attention whore postings
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03-01-10, 08:16 AM (EST)
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39. "RE: Episode 3 - Editing Thoughts" |
I love this thread. I have a question - do you ever consider the Insider Clips in your analysis? Interestingly, there was a clip which did highlight the "aftermath" of the hidden machete - apparently, many members believed that Randy hid it, upset about the impending vote. Randy was pissed off about that! Even Coach grilled him about it. I was surpirsed that this scene was left out in favor of all of the Parvati development.
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SquidProQuo 2526 desperate attention whore postings
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03-04-10, 10:58 AM (EST)
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41. "RE: Episode 3 - Editing Thoughts" |
Thanks so much Veruca and Michel -- great stuff as always!!! Just want you to know that we appreciate the considerable time and effort you put into this thread.A few brief comments: - Definitely agree that JT being devious was a key theme this week and something to be watched closely. - Veruca, I was so glad to see your comments about the JT/Candice scene. You summed up my feelings exactly...I had commented in the Live show thread last week that it just felt weird and manipulated and somehow important but I couldn't put my finger on it. I'm guessing it was a set-up for what will happen tonight, but we shall see. - Michel, the one thing I disagree with you about is Colby. I feel he's being edited as a white hat/hero and don't see the negativity that you do. In fact, I feel he's perhaps being set up for the Fan Favorite this season. In Ep 1, I don't think it was a negative thing at all when he talked about Sugar, because this season she wasn't given a good edit and the audience was meant to agree how annoying she was. If anything, it showed that flirting doesn't work on Colby (which is another whole story . It also brought back shades of Jerri chasing him in Australia....seems like the editors are trying to subtly play up the Jerri/Colby relationship, so my gut is telling me it must come into play post merge. And in this past episode, I didn't take Colby's being pumped up at the challenge as negative at all -- I took it as a positive, that perhaps he's back to the old Colby days of IC wins. I certainly would NOT put him in the same sentence as James (although I just did as being edited negatively in this challenge. The vibe to me was that he's stepping up and redeeming himself physically at a challenge and he's into the game this season (vs. All Stars). And the cut-in shot of Jerri was more of an admiring thing and again shows the editors trying to link those two. The litmus test for me is often my 11 year old son (average viewer mentality) -- after this episode, he hated James and didn't understand why he was so mean; meanwhile he's rooting for the good guys Tom and Colby (and Rupert to a lesser extent). Thanks again!
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michel 10958 desperate attention whore postings
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03-04-10, 05:47 PM (EST)
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42. "RE: Episode 3 - Editing Thoughts" |
LAST EDITED ON 03-04-10 AT 05:56 PM (EST)"...Colby. I feel he's being edited as a white hat/hero and don't see the negativity that you do...seems like the editors are trying to subtly play up the Jerri/Colby relationship, so my gut is telling me it must come into play post merge"
Colby having a certain level of negativity doesn't prevent the set-up of the Colby/Jerri relationship after a swap or a merge. Maybe this time however, the viewers won't all be agreeing with Colby. Everyone complained about Sugar's behavior but only Colby was heard. It doesn't make him a monster or even a James, but, from my POV, it put a stain on that white hat.
During the challenges, those close-ups weren't flattering. You saw Jerri's reaction as admiration? I can't read her thoughts but it sure looked like she was thinking "what the hell was that?" I felt we were supposed to think along those lines and I can easily imagine Colby watching at home and being embarrassed by what he saw. He looked stupid. You do bring a good point about him playing harder than in @SS but wouldn't that be better served by hearing his game plan? Right now, Colby's game plan has been presented by Tom. Colby's been saying “You know Tom I don’t know whether this game is for me, just in terms of, I don’t really want to be a part of it” So which is it? Is he playing harder or is he giving up? Or is he bipolar?  Veruca, I wanted to say I really liked your observation about the chickens. Survivor loves to put those contrasts in subsequent scenes and they're always important.
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VerucaSalt 1580 desperate attention whore postings
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03-08-10, 12:51 PM (EST)
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50. "RE: Episode 3 - Editing Thoughts" |
kate - thank you so much for popping in and I do hope you share your thoughts As far the Insider clips, I personally do not view them however when they are mentioned I do find it fascinating as to what is omitted and that is a useful tool. With your comments about Randy and what they believed that certainly sheds some light on what the editors are choosing to air. What you and I feel would be something that appears important to air, it ONLY would be IF the progression of the story dictates it to be aired. What is more powerful - (I am basing this off what you state is on the clip) showing the audience that Randy's elimination was a "done deal" and everyone believed he hid the machete therefore the collective decision to vote him off is a sound decision (therefore making it solely about Randy) OR some mystery that also involves this magical hold Parvati has on people? Parvati's storyline (and/or those she is directly involved with in that storyline) is more important than validating Randy's boot. I hope to see more of you
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flystorms 212 desperate attention whore postings
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03-05-10, 07:48 PM (EST)
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47. "RE: Episode 3 - Editing Thoughts" |
Hi Squid! Love your stuff along with the others in here. It's a bright group.The finale is definitely worth going to, especially if you're a fan. It's a bit harder to see the cast and Jeff than on TV, but it's so exciting to be so close those who played the game. Unfortunately, I missed an opportunity to talk with the cast, but still was able to see a lot of them as they left the building after their interviews. Former season contestants were scattered throughout the audience. Parvati and James especially were nearby each other hanging around, talking to a few people in the crowd. They were definitely guiding all the other former contestants to the party spot. She was the belle of the ball, just barely letting JT into his own winner's spotlight. JT was kind enough to stop to take some pics with the few stragglers left behind waiting to see their favorites. He was obviously still riding the wave of finding out he was now a millionaire. So yes, if you get a chance to get tickets, you should go for sure. I don't know how LA is set up, but in NYC, the Ed Sullivan theatre is small and there isn't a bad seat. We were able to walk around and even get close enough to the state to take pictures and touch parts of the set. A few of the contestant's family were there as well.
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SquidProQuo 2526 desperate attention whore postings
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03-08-10, 10:20 PM (EST)
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52. "RE: Episode 3 - Editing Thoughts" |
Flystorms, thanks for the scoop! Sounds like a fun night. I am going to check into getting tix this year but I'm sure it'll be tough in LA, esp. for an AllStars season!
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michel 10958 desperate attention whore postings
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03-06-10, 02:02 PM (EST)
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49. "Episode #4: Editing Thoughts " |
Previously, the Heroes had lost 2 challenges and were beaten and demoralized
<Rupert noting that they will continue to lose if they don’t become cohesive>
Things were so bad that some of the Heroes started to behave like villains: James bullied the tribe and JT was equally villainous.
<JT: “I’m going to form alliances with everyone I can.”>At the Villains’ camp, Rob’s heroic actions made him the de facto tribe leader.
<Coach showing his admiration, Russell his annoyance>
Russell got fed up with his tribe following Rob and staged a rebellion by hiding the machete. At the last immunity challenge, everything changed: The Heroes destroyed the Villains in a huge blow-out.
At Tribal Council, Sandra called out Coach for being lazy, but in the end, the entire tribe voted out their oldest and most abrasive member. Just like in this episode, Parvati’s huge role in the previous episode was ignored in the recap. Jeff’s words were entirely used to set-up the upcoming episode. Villains
Night 8: Drama Queen Coach : “Sandra tried to call me out at Tribal tonight. It was very disheartening. I’m sensitive…I hide it behind things that I’ve done… and a lot of machismo.”” Tyson listened to Coach’s act and gave him some overdue advice: “Stop wearing your feathers, stop telling your stories and do your tai-chi in private.
Coach said he may just leave tonight. Tyson : “Coach pulled me aside and said he wanted to go home but the Villains do need Coach in the game. He’s much, much stronger than the last time he played, physically and that’s what we need right now.” Note the break between “physically and / that’s what we need”. Tyson probably pointed out something else about Coach that the villains needed but we weren’t supposed to hear it. Day 9 Tyson : “Coach broke down in tears and said the game didn’t deserve his nobility and he wanted to quit the game. I told him to stick in there. He knew what he was getting into. It’s not like any of us are Survivor virgins.” Tyson told the tribe about it. Rob : “This morning, there was a little bit of an attitude shift. Coach had a sob session with Tyson saying he wanted to quit the game. I don’t know: That’s not much of a coach if you ask me.” Coach told Rob he felt like an outsider. Rob told him he wasn’t but that Coach had to trust him.
So Coach is in Rob’s alliance. With Tyson saying that they needed Coach, we are seeing the outline of that group even if it hasn’t been spelled out on the show. Coach told us that some great novels have been written about his legend. We were then witness to another session of Tai Chi complete with slow-mo, special effects and commentary by Confucius himself!
(In private Coach… Please!) Heroes Day 9:
Amanda did a commercial for Sears: “We’re more united and I think it has changed us as a tribe. If the Villains walk away with the Sears stuff, I’m going to be mad because I don’t want to lose momentum.” Incredible that this is all we got from the Heroes before the Reward challenge and it was all for irony because they didn’t get what they selected. Reward Challenge : The slip n’ slide was an occasion to admire James, Candice, Danielle, Amanda and Jerri’s bodies but not much else.
- The fierce warrior beat Tom
- Russell, “not messing around” beat Cirie.
- Candice, looking hot, and Courtney, looking not, faced off. Candice won on her first shot, Courtney once more unable to really participate!
- Jerri won her match against Amanda.
- Sandra took on James who probably won on form points alone.
- Rupert with his broken toe beat Danielle who seemed more preoccupied with keeping her bikini top in place.
- Last round matched Colby and Tyson (funny that, with 8 players to a side, they played 7 matches. I suspected that it probably was first to 5 or something but that we had seen enough oiled bodies and, in fact, we can see that the balls under #8 and #13 were missing even if they weren’t called out.) Tyson won reward for the Villains. We couldn’t leave the challenge area without someone saying: “Sears! Woooo!” Villains
Day 9: Marked Man To tribal chants, the Villains returned to camp, the missing machete no longer a concern. Coach : “The challenge was great and the dragon slayer is feeling top-notch. I’m ready to move forward. Will I change? No. Will I be the dragon slayer and slay everybody? Yes. Will I wear my heart on my sleeve? Absolutely: Yes” Russell: “I opened the tools, I grabbed this serrated blade and I noticed something in it immediately… I wasn’t thinking. Man! I just blew it.” Rob picked up the fallen note and read the message telling everyone about the HII. Rob : “I grabbed the note. Little did I know it was a clue to a hidden immunity idol. Who knew? There were never any immunity idols when I played the game.”
Sandra suggested they “throw it in the ocean ‘cause whoever gets it is marked…It’s not fair for 1 person to have an immunity idol.”
(We saw how that worked for Marcus and Randy) Russell : “Rob says we’ll find the immunity idol all together and we’ll get rid of it but they are too dumb to walk down the beach. This is a bunch of idiots. Man! If I can find that immunity idol, I will become powerful in this game. There’s no way I can get a clue to an immunity idol and not find it.” While everyone was working on the shelter, Russell went “for a walk”.
Rob sent Sandra to spy on him. Returning to the shelter, she told the tribe: “Russell sealed his own fate.”
Everyone agreed. Rob : “Russell’s a bonehead. He’s like the hobbit on crack. I don’t trust Russell’s ass at all. The safest thing to do with someone like that is to just get rid of him right away.” It’s interesting that Rob said the same thing about himself but that “they never do”. Will he? Heroes
Day 10: Always a Step Behind! Tom and JT took out the coffee they had won a few days ago and finally realized that they too had a message. Tom : “This morning, everything changed. As we were pouring out the coffee, we found a clue to a hidden immunity idol. Colby and I are on the outs with this tribe with no way to get in. So, we need this to stay alive in this game.” The scramble was on. “We searched the first clearing, I moved to the next one. I immediately saw a leaning tree, a fallen tree and a standing tree forming a triangle. Everybody was going to see it so I to got down and tried to get it first. James arrived so I moved to a different spot and saw the sand was loose. I knew I was on it so I dug quickly and, while nobody was looking, I found the idol and dropped it into my sock. Now, a few more people are on the scene; Candice is over there so it’s getting a little more crowded and I have no idea what to do with this thing.” Amanda : “Tom was acting a little funny and, when I came on him, I saw him put something into his sock and then he went behind a tree. I knew he had it.” Amanda told Candice and JT that Tom had it. Cirie and Rupert were also told.
Tom told Colby he had it but that Amanda had seen him stash it.
We should note that Colby was never shown looking for the idol even if he was right there when they read the message and he’s also in danger. Colby : “The hidden immunity idol changed the whole playing field and that’s all we needed. We needed an opening. Tom and I needed an opening to get back in this game. Tom and I, we aren’t comfortable but we are in a little better position than we were a couple of days ago.” The Immunity Challenge Jeff said: “Stepping up and leading for the Villains is Rob. Calling the shots for the Heroes is Tom.” That is pretty much what happened in the episode, not just the challenge!
During the race we heard Rob saying it was wide open but still “Rob took a big hit on that tree.”
(Hummm…)
Note that, despite a lip-out, Tom felt the need to apologize afterwards to his team. It makes me wonder if the Heroes were really that close or if that shot was put in to make us think it was closer than it really was. Cirie : “We’re going back to tribal council. Getting rid of Tom or Colby tonight would be the smart thing to do. They’ve been on the outs with our tribe since day 3 and, for my game, I need some of these strong people gone.” Heroes
Day 11: Cracks Tom : “The challenge was a heart-breaker. Colby and I are at the low-men on the totem pole within the tribe and the last thing I need is to be marching off to tribal council. I have the immunity idol but I’m still a target because they know it’s in my possession. My game right now is biding my time and looking for that little crack in their alliance that we can use to save our necks.” Cirie and Candice, still trusting each other, decided they had to break the Colby/Tom thing. Candice proposed Cao Boi’s tactic of splitting the votes 3-3 so that, even if Tom didn’t play the idol, one of them would leave on the re-vote. Candice : “We’re going to tribal council tonight and we have a plan of what we want to do. Tom has the idol so we need to be extra careful right now but, as long as we’re all on the same page, theoretically, it should work out.” JT told Amanda that Candice was the one he feared.
JT : “I would love to have Tom and his idol in an alliance with me, no doubt. Tom and Colby are both straight shooting kind of guys. They look you in the eyes, shake your hand and tell you how they feel and you can take it to the bank. I’d rather have guys like that I can count on but Candice, the scrambling, the running around she’s done the last couple of days: I don’t trust her as far as I can throw her.” Tom tried to sell his point to JT and Amanda even offering to play the idol as a committee or even giving it to one of them. Amanda : “With Tom having the immunity idol, he is either a big threat or someone great to work with. I’m a little leery of him because he voted for me but he was ready to give us the idol and there’s part of him that I do feel is honest.” James joined in, wanting to know who was being voted out.
Amanda said Candice could go because she was too scatter-brain.
James just wanted to win.
We know James, we know.
Amanda told Tom she trusted him and gave him a hug. Tom shook James’ hand. Tom : “I’m trying to ingratiate myself with the powers at be and I had a little something to bring to the table at this point. A supposed new alliance was born but I don’t really trust anybody in this game so, we’ll see.” Again, there was a marked break after the “alliance was born”. The rest was spliced in. Speaking of things spliced in, we can note once more that Colby wasn’t present during this important discussion and the editors didn’t bother trying to make us think he was there. Amanda told Cirie about the plan and that everyone wanted Candice out.
Cirie told Amanda that her plan was dumb and proved it by asking if Tom had given her the idol. The camera underlined Amanda’s deer in the headlights look.
Cirie: “These are the same people that wanted you gone desperately and now you’re going to save them? This is so stupid. Tom and Colby are much bigger threats than she is. Can you beat them?”
Amanda looked lost. Cirie : “Amanda, I love her to death but she is not the sharpest tool in the shed. My alliance, they are so wishy-washy like, these people panic and do crazy stuff.” Cirie told James and Rupert that she couldn’t believe the plan had changed.
Rupert looked lost. Up on the hill, JT was apparently listening to everything that Cirie was saying. Cirie : “Tom is very charismatic, he’s very athletic. He’s already won this game once before. Why keep someone like that in the game? It makes no sense.” JT told Tom things weren’t looking good. He advised Tom to get his idol because: “I ain’t got any control anymore. Cirie is the mastermind behind this whole deal.” Tom : “You know, I thought we had this thing solid this afternoon. Amanda, after she talked to Cirie, she broke faith and the deal is off. Cirie is the puppet-master; she’s got her arm jammed up there so it can be the end of us.” Tom summed up the plan to JT and Colby: “If you flip your vote, the three of us vote Cirie and I play the idol. Cirie goes home, not him. Tomorrow we make our apologies, tonight we make our move.”
Great Line JT: “I’ve got to make a decision, a very big decision. I’ve seen Cirie operate, I know how she plays. It won’t be long before she gets rid of someone like me. My gut is telling me to go with the flow and write Colby’s name down and don’t ##### everybody off. My heart’s telling me to keep the good guys in the game and get rid of Cirie. If you listen to your heart, you get hurt out here. It’s all up to me. I know how everybody out here is voting, except me.”
Even greater line! This scrambling took a lot more time than what we saw because note the many wardrobe changes by Candice: She’s seen with her blue bikini, her black one and then later with her buff around her waist. Tribal Council Tom told Jeff that Stephenie was on the wrong side of the numbers.
Colby said that it was unfortunate but that some great people were going to leave because of alliances.
(What’s with this “great people”, Jeff? He’s obviously taking sides.)
JT said it was way too early to vote people who could help beat the other tribe. Wisely, he added: “All these people here are good…I’ll vote with who will stick with what they promised.”
Rupert wanted to figure out how to bond together. He added: “I made alliances and promises that I want to keep.”
Jeff turned it into meaning that Rupert would keep his word even if it wasn’t the best vote.
Rupert agreed.
Jeff was astonished: “Wow. What part of that makes sense? Keeping your word in a game called Outwit, Outplay, Outlast? Keeping your word because I’m an honorable man and I want people to see me that way?” Cirie said she was always worried about being voted out.
Tom said that Cirie wasn’t worried.
Colby said it would “take a bold move to save me tonight.”
<The camera went to JT biting his nails.>
James repeated: “We need to win.”
Tom asked him if he was basing his vote on that.
James said “yes. I just want everybody to stop this crazy stuff and to win.”
According to James, the crazy stuff “is the whole social game. It’s a distraction.”
Colby interjected: “It’s a necessity if your name is on the top of the list to go home.”
JT felt he wasn’t going home. “If I didn’t put my trust in the people that I put my trust in tonight, I’d probably already be gone. I trust these people I’m in an alliance with tonight.” Candice voted Tom, hoping it wouldn’t be her going home.
Tom voted Cirie: “Loveliest person but you are way too good at wrapping some of these really weak minds around your little finger.” When Tom stood to play the idol we saw Rupert and Candice smile, Cirie looking serious.
The camera focused once more on Candice and Rupert as Jeff read the last vote.
The Story: There is something lacking to the Heroes’ story: We only join them when we have to. Their scramble for the idol would have made a good early scene especially since they had received the coffee reward in the previous episode but we saw the Villains reactions to the idol message first. There aren’t many mysteries in this tribe so that makes for little future conflicts.
We saw the limitations of Amanda’s game when she was confronted by Cirie. Showing her making a deal with Tom then breaking faith is as bad for her edit as it his for her game. Rupert and James play puppets really well. That’s quite a downturn for 2 of the most popular players ever. Candice is shown as a smart but nervous player. The question of trust with Cirie amounted to nothing because they were the first 2 seen discussing the split vote strategy. The problems for Candice all come from JT. The conflict between these two not-quite-Heroes (JT by his own game strategy, Candice by her weird placement in that tribe) should be the focus of the heroes’ short term story. With the fracture in the tribe, Candice could become the swing vote between the 2 groups of 3 or she could suffer the fate of poor little Dolly! Colby is in the group of “good guys” by reputation, by association with Tom and by JT’s own words but he was strangely removed from all the action in camp. At TC, we heard him say that the social game was a necessity when your name is on the line but Colby’s social game, from what the cameras showed, was limited to talking with Tom.There was a lot of early investment in Colby, we even saw that he wasn’t simply a caricature of the “Cowboy in a white hat” because he had some negative moments but showing him simply riding Tom’s coat-tails was a little disappointing for his story. Tom is portrayed as the good guy with game. If the story is that “Good always wins in the end” then Tom is the one that best fits this theme. There is still the question of his troubled alliance with JT: The game between the 2 Hero-Winners is the long term story for this tribe. Since cohesion is a main theme for the Heroes (also brought up by our narrating puppet Rupert) it is reasonable to assume that they’d need to remain united to have a chance. JT has a marvelous story. Now that we aren’t subjected to the clutter of a cross-tribal alliance, we clearly see why he was so good in Tocantins. From him, we receive character development, outstanding game strategy and a laugh all in one quote. If the story is that “Heroes need to become Villains to Win” then he’s got his hand on the check already. The problem with JT is that he wanted an alliance with Tom and his idol (maybe not in that order!) but Tom had to use the idol in order to save the alliance. The 4 remaining members of the Micronesia 2.0 alliance could get their revenge and vote him out but we heard how wishy-washy that alliance was. I don’t think JT will have to worry about the puppets making a stand. In the Villains’ camp, we had the continuation of Coach’s story and the making of another underdog story. Compared to the obvious ones in the Heroes’ tribe, alliances in this tribe have been left in shadows. We have seen outlines of a women’s alliance between Parvati, Danielle and Courtney, we have a connection between Rob and Sandra, (note Rob trusted Sandra to spy on Coach), we have the Tocantins connection between Tyson and Coach which was finally touched upon (funny that Tyson coached Coach!) and we heard Rob telling Coach that he wasn’t an outsider. Rob, Coach, Tyson, Jerri and Sandra would be a powerful alliance if they focus on one target. Last week’s target, Parvati , didn’t reflect on her precarious situation. Was her story just put on hold or was that all there was to it. We heard she was in the minority of her tribe but it seems that no one is sure where the majority stands. Jerri’s story with Coach could have led to a scene between her and the troubled legend but, much like Colby, she was removed from the story in this episode. She isn’t the caricature of the “Cowboy in the black hat” because we saw some positive moments from her but it seems her own story is on hold. Courtney’s story is much like her participation in the challenges: Waiting on the sidelines. Will it end before it starts like what happened when Candice made her basket before Courtney reached the free-throw line? It seems possible. Tyson was involved in one of the 2 big scenes of the Villains camp and it gave the impression that he is in an alliance with Rob. It would mean that the discussion we saw on the beach last week was more than just agreeing on a vote. Are we starting to see a good guy edit for Tyson? That’s what a villain would need to fit a winning theme but his scene with Coach wasn’t really about Tyson himself. We’d need to hear other people commenting on Tyson’s character and that has been clearly missing. Coach is a legend, we get it. Sandra continues to receive nods to her Pearl Island story, spying Russell in the bushes just like she had with Burton and Dalton. We see that she is a no-nonsense type of player who tells it straight except she doesn’t tell us often about it. All her comments are made to the tribe, not directly to the viewers. We saw what happened to women who went against Russell last season. Are we supposed to think she’s putting herself in danger? Not with Russell’s focus set on Rob but a conflict with Russell could develop. Rob was a big part of both scenes in the villains’ camp. The “heroic” villain fits a theme of the season but he seems to be too confident. I found it interesting that he talked about Russell the same way he had spoken about himself: That he shouldn’t be trusted and should be voted out first. He added that they wouldn’t vote him out, they never do so that suggest he won’t do it either. Russell finds himself on familiar ground: A group of people gunning for him while he’s looking for an idol. He sees his opponents as being dumb just like last time but will it play out like last time? It should make for an interesting battle. If Coach, Rob and Tyson are seen by the tribe as being tight like we were shown then Russell becomes valuable to others.
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VerucaSalt 1580 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Peanut Festival Grand Marshall"
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03-09-10, 01:22 PM (EST)
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53. " Episode 4: Editing Thoughts " |
A very nice analysis Michel. Since I did not bother with all the minutia that I normally do (although the length still is mind boggling) it was nice to read the segments and we agree that there is something a bit missing from the heroes tribe which may assist in determining how the season plays out.I hope to see more input from others (if you are reading) There were some very noticeable items in this episode particularly; once again, for an episode that should feel very “heroic” considering they went to Tribal Council, the villains seem to be unnecessarily shown. This is not to say there aren’t particular heroes that are focused upon, or at least a storyline involving them, but en masse, the villains are receiving manipulation when none is needed. At the recap, once again, Rupert is featured giving the audience the shaping the heroes need. We have heard him cite that it is good to be a hero, good guys win and now how they need to be cohesive to be successful. Rupert seems to be our “poster child” for the heroes which is not surprising considering how the editors have always skewed his edit for the audience. We were again reminded that heroes are behaving like villains. James and JT were designated as such and I must say that this reminder now borders on suspicious editing. This is not just a storyline reminder; the writers are forcing the “villain” label on us about JT and James. As I’ve stated in prior writings, James is not only being neglected in the edit but has been given an overhaul (a flat one at that) which leads me to believe that he is not long term AND that the editors do not want him to be popular with the audience (this is either because of what he does or who he is associated with and their story). Insofar as JT, up until the last episode, I had very high hopes for JT as an end game player but I almost feel the editors are trying too hard to show us how JT is a villain on the heroes tribe but suddenly redemption this episode. (this is different than showing James and/or Rupert as they are just showing them as flat negatives in situations-they are not well rounded edits)
Is JT really a villain or a five year old playing dress up? JT is playing the game of Survivor yet there have been no description of JT other than of him embracing the “villain” label – what ever happened to being strategic or smart or any other commentary that is supposed to reflect positive on a hard playing contestant. The mere fact that the word villain is being used to describe JT more than some of the “real” villains makes me suspicious. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Rob gets another recap of his “heroic” side and I had mentioned before that like JT, Rob is getting a very meaty and well tended edit with a lot of insight and attention but are we being shown this due to his end game status or for other reasons? It had been called to our attention of the time that has passed since Rob played this game, we know that Rob is not the same individual he was (despite his saying he is just going to be the Rob he was) and like JT, we are almost being hit over the head that Rob is a hero and we see also that his nemesis is the ultimate villain, Russell. Something HAS to play out with this. With Rob’s edit, he is either at end game or he is the smoke and mirrors being used to manipulate the audience for others’ edits. I also did find it interesting that Sandra was called out in the recap for her admonishment of Coach especially in light of the fact that the females at the villains’ camp were severely neglected this episode; this coupled with some manipulation of her edit this episode seems to bode well for Sandra’s potential longevity as I have always felt unnecessary manipulation of a character is an extremely reliable tool in determining longevity. We can assume that Sandra was mentioned because of the following scene with Coach but it was also the way Sandra was handled. She was not given a negative spin on what she said about Coach. Jeff indicates she called out Coach for being lazy; we then heard what she had to say but there were no subtle comments by Jeff indicating she was negative in what she said nor anyone (not even Coach) being shown negating what she said. I also found it extremely curious that Parvati was completely ignored in the recap (except for that one shot of her at the end of the recap which did not appear necessary as Jeff states: “the heroes will even the score”) after receiving a ridiculous amount of attention in the last episode. We were shown Parvati last week for a reason; we were shown her to that extent for a reason – the question is why? That episode about Parvati needs to be backburnered much like certain relationships and certain “head scratching” scenes as they are significant. I am withholding any commentary about Tom due to the post that was made in this thread The Characters Coach gave me some hope but is descending into the caricature that we are familiar with as evidenced by the visuals and the monologues. No doubt, Coach is a character that needs to be highlighted; he is an editors’ dream but the substance behind the edit is non existent. There is no reason to believe that Coach is at end game unless he is carried along by someone else and this season would never showcase a winner as they are showing Coach. His scene with Rob was in the category of “this is important but I don’t know why" and I will back burner this as there is a relevance there but it doesn’t necessarily have to do with Coach himself. At this juncture, Coach has “legs” but he has progressed one dimensional although I do feel he is relevant, i.e. his relationship with Jerri, his admiration and feelings regarding Rob, a potential issue with Russell (although Russell and Rob’s relationship certainly is more palpable) are some storylines although they could be short term. Coach could have been very sympathetic this episode but the editors don’t want that as the Coach caricature was thrown at us after the segments with Tyson, Tyson telling the group and Rob and Coach’s scene as if to throw water on the audience and remind them not to feel too bad, remember, this is Coach as he reminds us later. Coach is Coach is Coach. Tyson is a character that I’ve already decided his status and his showing in the last episode is solely due to the events that occurred. Unfortunately for Tyson, he is not relevant to anything down the pike and his only significance is a good sound bite and what appears to be a relationship with Coach and a potential voting block with Rob. Certainly we would see Tyson engaged more should he be involved in a relevant story for the season. Recall Tocantins and note the difference in how he was showcased and what he said to the audience. He was not at end game but he was relatively important to some storyline issues; he has not been given any of that in this season. Tyson’s confessional was about Coach and purely situational. Rob got himself a good confessional early on with respect to his insight on Coach and then we saw an extremely strange scene. Obviously we are not being let in on everything as this scene was about Coach wanting a stronger bond with Rob yet that is not the impression we were first given on why Coach was bothered so obviously there are some missing pieces not being shown. Rob is being tended very well by the editors – the “old” Rob probably would never have given Coach a pep talk but we were shown Rob telling Coach he is not on the outside and reassuring Coach (and not too sappy as we saw Rob telling Coach to snap out of it) Suddenly, Coach is a new man (or rather the old Coach) I go back to Rob telling us that time has passed since he played and a lot has changed in his life but he is still the same Rob. I disagree and I think the editors want us to see the “new and improved” Rob and to really like him but also keep reminding us of the time passing for Rob. A perfect example was Rob’s insignificant confessional about the hidden idol. It was not necessary that Rob tell us that there were no idols around when he played but again the audience is being told how much has changed since Rob played – this “time division” theme is important to Rob’s persona and may directly correlate on his outcome. Rob “feels” very important to this season (as does JT) but are they important because they are at end game OR by what they are representing in terms of their edit? After the reward challenge, we visited the victorious villains – of note was the maniacal male laughter highlighted – yet still a subtle but effective tweaking of the villains that appears lacking with the heroes Russell Is it any wonder that Russell is involved with a hidden immunity idol? Of course not! We have yet another storyline involving Russell (alliances with Parvati and Danielle, battle with Rob, hidden idol) and considering it was left unfinished but brought up in the first place, it stands to reason the idol will be relevant at the villains’ camp. We are back to the old Russell who cites everyone as an idiot – the “shtick” has not changed as we know so what worked nicely for him last season may, in fact, work nicely again BUT we also know he did not win. His confessional about finding the idol will give him power seems eerily reminiscent and I imagine there is going to be some payoff to this statement. Sandra is one that I am commenting on next due to the fact that everyone else on the villains’ tribe was severely underused this episode other than those already mentioned and while Sandra was not given any confessionals, she was given unnecessary air time that we have seen before with her (her conversation with Coach that appears to be one of importance but cannot be explained at this time, her “betting” scene with Rob over Coach in the tree that did not have to be inserted which was interestingly coupled with her confessional over her relating to Rob prior to slitting his throat) and this is clear manipulation of a character even if on the surface there does not appear to be a clear storyline. Sandra is clearly tied to one of the important themes of this season (past winners) and she clearly defined for us that she has no issue with doing what a villain needs to do (this was furthered by Cirie’s random comment – yet another unnecessary manipulation of Sandra)and what proved successful for Sandra in the past seems to be shown again this season her voting strategy was noted, her "spying" that she also did on PI) To cap off, every single female on the villains side this episode was neglected but for Sandra – this is where one must consider Sandra’s longevity. I am also still extremely suspicious over the lack of mention by Parvati and/or Sandra over their common issue as I can’t fathom that they have not spoke of it. We then hear Rob advise the others of Russell’s “fate” as it was made very clear the person who went looking for the idol is in dire straits. Knowing this, we are to “assume” Russell is in real danger the next time the Villains are going to Tribal Council so we will probably see this take on more shape. Taking a look at the remaining villains for this episode we have Courtney, Danielle, Jerri and Parvati and what a sad state that they were overlooked and they all happen to be female (although I would say Tyson is still lacking and only shown because he happened to be there when Coach had his breakdown which parlayed nicely into a confessional for Tyson – again though this was more about Coach then Tyson) However as I stated pre-season, one cannot discount completely those who are under the radar players especially the women as the women have had the success in these seasons and with big personalities and big egos, that is an editing tool that can severely impair how a lower level player will be shown. With that said though, Courtney has no ties to any storyline and she is a big personality so I would safely assume her to be short term. The three other ladies neglected this episode all have ties to story lines so one can't rule them out of end game although there could have been more manipulation done with some like it was done with others. Jerri could have had a very substantial edit this episode since her friend Coach had a breakdown. The season introduced them as a possible couple, we heard insight about each other from both of them, we heard information about them from others and Jerri is not even given a moment to discuss her opinion about Coach’s state? That gives me slight concern for Jerri as we even heard her tell Coach that she is essentially counting on him as she feels somewhat alone – yet we hear nothing from her about Coach possibly quitting which could affect her. It is possible that their relationship ultimately has no true impact on their individual progression? Possibly but it seems a bit remiss on the editors’ part to not invest some time to Jerri even with a brief confessional about Coach and that concerns me although I do feel Jerri will meet up with Colby therefore she does have a modicum of longevity but to ignore a perfect opportunity to flesh out Jerri more does raise an eyebrow for me as to her impact on how this season ends. The most notable item about Jerri this week was Amanda being shown telling her she did a nice job at the challenge. I will keep Jerri on hold though as there was definitely an undercurrent with Jerri and Parvati and I already believe that Jerri and Colby should meet up again so there are events for Jerri that could bear fruit but she could have easily been further developed this week and she wasn’t – interestingly enough I find her and Colby relatively similar in their shaping and both are not easy to read. Jerri and Colby both appear a bit out of their element and I feel are very representative of the issue of time on Survivor. Both Jerri and Colby could easily have been ignored the way others are being ignored yet they are not quite being ignored. Twice there were subtle hints of a possible meeting and they are both being handled in a very low key and subtle manner but when they are on screen it doesn’t feel like “fluff” but rather the editors are attempting to give them a bit of tone so I won’t rule Jerri out completely but I did find this episode a perfect opportunity for Jerri and it was overlooked. Courtney is once again appearing to be a short term character. While one doesn’t forget she is on the tribe, her quick wit and snarky commentary would be very easy to utilize at any given moment and yet it has not been. Sadly, in a group of high level contestants such as the villains (or the majority of them) for someone like Courtney not to be highlighted makes it abundantly clear she is not relevant to this season whatsoever. She is ignored at Tribal Council, ignored at the recap and only shown once in a while visually and normally it does not appear manipulated (i.e. inserted on purpose when in reality might not even be in the scene, etc.) Unfortunately, it would be very surprising to me if Courtney lasts longer than any other villain (although Tyson and Courtney are almost equal to me in how they fare this season so they are essentially interchangeable) Danielle is a character that concerned me pre-season in attempting to successfully follow her editing (as is Candice) for the sheer fact that she is just not as dynamic as all the other characters. Her edit on her original season attested to that yet she was the runner up! Therefore, I suspect that Danielle is an editing anomaly and will be shown the same way if she left us first or ended up at the end. However, I would say that something should occur with her alliance formed with Russell or there was no need to show it (especially since the alliance he formed with Parvati bore more substantive value) so Danielle has some semblance of a story but it is a story that seems to be more about Russell and what happens to Danielle as a result of it than anything directly from Danielle. Should Danielle have been fleshed out since the first episode, my feelings on her as end game would obviously be different but there has been nothing furthered in her edit and much has been furthered with Russell leading me to believe any alliance formed is more about Russell this season than Danielle. Once we see her story with Russell resolved, I would not be surprised if Danielle is gone soon after. Parvati was quite a conundrum this episode considering the overkill done on her editing last episode. The femme fatale who practically took up an entire episode was barely a blip on the radar screen this episode and I find that extremely peculiar. I cannot discount Parvati from any long term status however due to the fact that she is extremely immersed in quite a bit of storyline progression. She is a prior winner (again I am most suspicious that there has been nothing addressed between her and Sandra unless this is being withheld for reasons unknown at this time) and her ties to Micronesia have been addressed. She has been tied strongly to Russell and we can see that the editors are building a prominent role for Russell this season and one can’t overlook that Parvati may be the one calling some shots in that relationship. She was cited as very dangerous and at least one person (Jerri) is ready to do battle with her. Although Cirie is gone, Parvati’s relationships with Amanda and James may still be relevant (I would cite Amanda, not James in that regard though) and she also embodies the thematic look at reputation being very powerful in this season. I do take issue with the way she was being shaped and what this could mean for her at end game but in terms of being relevant to the season, she certainly has legs. Therefore, I was very perplexed by the lack of visibility for her this episode. She, like Jerri could have received a “fluff” appearance but it was not done and while I only am interested in end game participants – for those who like to secure the winner may want to remember that both of these women were ignored this episode despite being well established prior thereto. Going to the Heroes side of camp, we witnessed a different approach to the immunity idol and once again the treatment of certain items may be indicative of how the tribes fare. The villains were very cut and dry about the idol and treated it very seriously and whoever had that idol would be targeted. The heroes laughed about the situation and how it fell in their laps but all immediately went looking for it with no discussion. I find that an interesting parallel and sets a tone about the dynamics of each tribe Tom received his fair share of highlighting this episode and narrated the occurrence. On that note, I will move on to the other heroes not already discussed. Amanda was our first hero to speak when the reward challenge tree mail was read. The confessional was repetitive; we heard Amanda speak before about the good karma of the heroes and working together and this confessional was a continuation of the situation at hand. It seems that whenever Amanda tells us about the good aura surrounding the heroes, something goes terribly wrong whereas Rupert lays out what will happen if the tribe does not get their act together and it occurs. Amanda is later cited to be a little “flaky” and while I am probably giving the editors too much credit, it almost seems like they have been letting us know this by showing us her words then showing us how wrong she always seems to be and I’m not sure the editors would portray anyone this season as not being too bright. I had already felt that Cirie would be short term and James is without question unimportant to the season so by default Amanda would be the Micronesia contestant (along with Parvati) to reflect some longevity for this storyline. She has been shown at times rather unnecessarily and I do find it interesting that there was specific mention at her Tribal Council that she has learned a bit in answering questions so there is something there to keep an eye upon for further development. She appears to also have some power at her tribe and she and JT appeared very close and we know that James and Amanda are extremely close as well. Colby (like Jerri) is a very interesting character and I’m very curious as to how they will flesh him out. Often times, he feels on the perimeter of all the action with no real development then suddenly he is thrown somewhere and is remembered. There is no question that Colby is being deemed as one of the “good guys” and there is no wavering from that. He and Tom are firmly ensconced in that role which is problematic for Colby in terms of end game (logically speaking) as we witnessed in Australia. Therefore, Colby could very well be end game but logically those who pick winners may want to hold off on believing it could be him. I would suggest the editors are not presenting the winner as so heroic to win and but not get their hands a bit dirty and Colby is shown having issues with that aspect of the game (which does present a nice journey storyline for him) Colby was given a brief confessional about Tom finding the idol and it gives them a tiny bit of leeway to get back into the game. This confessional did not need to be shown for Colby so it is more suggestive that the confessional was given to Colby because he may be long term as opposed to short term since this storyline could have easily been dictated solely by Tom on “their side” Cirie was given the next private moment after the immunity challenge (where once again, brains beat brawn so the producers may want to throw another pure physical challenge in there to keep the heroes alive lol) and the bane of her existence since episode one was to get rid of strong players in order for her to stay in the game. Unfortunately Cirie’s edit told the tale for her longevity and it was no surprise that she left this early on. Whether the situation was accurate in its depiction or not, Cirie was edited to be extremely headstrong in getting rid of the strong player grouping of Stephenie, Colby and Tom and nothing else. Candice was shown to us (after one of those moments shown last week) as articulating a good plan to Cirie in how to get rid of Tom or Colby. Candice’s edit is curious to me and that probably isn’t a bad thing in Survivor. She is another contestant that receives manipulation tactics and in Candice’s case, I’m sure it is the intent of the editors to make sure the audience recalls who she is along a sea of stronger personalities. Should Candice leave next week, I would doubt the editors would reach into their bag of footage to present the audience with a confessional of Candice explaining how things will work out if everyone is on the same page as I am sure someone else said this also. Candice may be important enough to the long term that we need to keep her in our sights. There also is that lingering issue with JT and Candice that may need further development. Why go to all the trouble of showcasing this last week when nothing came of it? Perhaps this was a building block to a storyline that will be presented later on. I still am keeping the conversation Colby and Candice had on the back burner as well because it really didn’t need to be shown (however the importance may have been more about what was said as opposed to Colby and Candice sharing a moment) yet it was. In any event, Candice seems to be garnering some unnecessary attention and I do think she bears watching. JT has been a contestant that I already mentioned quite a bit. There is no question JT is extremely relevant to this season – it depends on how far his relevance reaches. JT is clearly being shown as a heavyweight on the heroes tribe. There are many positives to JT’s edit; a big one being that he fits nicely into a lot of the thematic approaches this season is taking on but as stated earlier, the editors/writers seem to be trying too hard to throw a villainous label on him yet interestingly enough, redemption was carried out at the last minute for him in this episode. I had mentioned pre-season of various situations that could occur; one being how difficult will it be to wear a label, perhaps try a new tactic and find out how difficult being something you aren’t truly is. With JT, there is an irony being presented. JT tells us immediately he is thrilled to be with the heroes and take on the villains. We then are shown and told that JT wants to be a villain (note also that they keep hammering the “villain” term and have put a bit of a negative stain on him for it) and then he decides to save the “good guys” because they are honest and he can trust them as opposed to Candice who has been scrambling and running around and he can’t trust her (isn’t JT doing precisely that?) He clearly had a lot of control over the dynamics at camp and made his choices but we are suddenly shown JT choosing to be with Tom and Colby (the honorable players) because while his gut tells him to go with the flow his heart says to keep the good guys in the game. So who is JT? The villain that the editors/writers keep drilling into our heads or the nice guy that we were shown in Tocantins who is trying to play a role that he really isn’t capable of doing? If the answer to that question is resolved soon, then JT’s story may be short term. Like Rob, JT is invoking traits that are opposite of what was labeled and it will be interesting to see how both these individuals fare in light of this. The main difference though is that Rob seems to just have changed and matured and “outgrew” that villainous attitude and is a “good guy” whereas JT is attempting to try on being a villain like a suit when, in reality, he probably is the good guy that he was labeled. If that is the case, then can either of them be successful being something they aren’t? (Rob any longer and JT never was)
Rupert again is the voice of the tribe and I’ve come to count on him letting me know how the heroes will fare each episode. While not a big presence, the camera makes attempts to keep him around and every once in a while he will pop up with a commentary to be remembered. He was the voice acknowledging that Cirie was right in trying to get rid of Tom or Colby instead of Candice, he was the voice telling Tom that he had the hardest job at the challenge, he was the voice who stated that the idol is going to cause everyone to go crazy when they were getting along and I think his words resonated the loudest at Tribal Council. Shockingly, Rupert doesn’t have any real storyline – he is clearly aligned with certain people but we are not receiving the trumpets blaring Rupert edit that we normally do but I do feel that Rupert may be around for a bit and it could possibly focus upon his issues on playing this game which I believe is another relevant theme to this season in terms of being saddled with such a strong label as a hero or a villain. Tribal Council was a very powerful segment outside of the idol being played. There was a strong message that was sent – if this game is already about alliances then great people could be sent home and you will continue to lose. Tom touched upon it, Colby touched upon it, JT touched upon and Jeff made certain that the words Rupert spoke were shocking to him and he reinforced the theory that Rupert is wearing his “hero” label close to his chest and this may prevent him from being successful in this game. James sounded extremely hypocritical in his discussion at Tribal Council and again Tom and Colby call him out on his statements – this seems to help further separate James “bad guy” vs. Tom and Colby “good guys” and only Candice and Amanda were ignored with questions. However, Candice was shown in her vote against Tom which didn’t necessarily have to occur since it was Cirie who ended up going home. Candice is still showing us she is vulnerable and this may be prevalent in her storyline. I found it interesting that Tom’s vote for Cirie came with a voice over by Tom calling those “weak minds” (James, Amanda, Candice, Rupert) and suggest that because it came from Tom, the audience is meant to agree. That may not bode too well for the four listed for end game purposes (I would discount James long before that regardless) in that it seems doubtful the editors would want to reflect any winner as weak minded although it certainly could be attributed to someone sitting at the end and losing. JT is not considered in that category but we do see that our villain on the hero side is not quite the villain he thinks he is. Additionally Jeff mentioned “first blindside” and as I recall, the last time we heard Jeff say those words, there were plenty of blindsides so I am preparing for that to happen. I do think the aftermath of this Tribal Council will be quite telling for some of the heroes’ edits and we will get a clearer picture on whether they are long term players as this was a big shift in the dynamics.
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suzzee 5961 desperate attention whore postings
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03-10-10, 11:28 AM (EST)
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55. "RE: Episode 4: Editing Thoughts " |
Of course I'm reading, so are a bunch of others but between you and michel there's only some proverbial crumbs that are left. Besides that, it is really tough to keep spoiler influences out of the replies. (i feel so dirty). Never fear, even knowing what's supposed to be coming it is interesting to compare editing opinions with what is expected to happen. Is JT really a villain or a five year old playing dress up? Yes that's the question. Makes me wonder why the answer isn't apparent. He's like a double agent, is he truly allied with Tom and Colby and playing their infiltrator to the Cirie alliance intentionally or is he playing for himself using his position to his advantage (that's the JT from Toncatins IMO). I think Tom isn't sure (remembering the confessional after JT defected for the Stephanie vote)what JT is doing but it is to his advantage to keep another Hero winner around. As far as JT's reason for being with Tom/Colby, "he decides to save the “good guys” because they are honest and he can trust them as opposed to Candice who has been scrambling and running around and he can’t trust her. Tom/Colby are predictable, JT can figure out where they will stand and what tactics to use to influence their vote. Candace on the other hand is erratic in her game play and that could be dangerous to someone trying to work both sides. 
Bad girls have all the fun 
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suzzee 5961 desperate attention whore postings
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03-10-10, 10:58 AM (EST)
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54. "RE: Episode #4: Editing Thoughts " |
michel's post (excellent read btw ) So Coach is in Rob’s alliance. With Tyson saying that they needed Coach, we are seeing the outline of that group even if it hasn’t been spelled out on the show. Since Jerri broke up with Coach she apparently is not with the Rob/Sandra/Coach alliance. Does Russell go with them as well and is Parvati with Russell siding with the Rob alliance leaving Danielle, Courtney, Tyson and Jerri as an alliance within the Villains? Russell's quote of the season? "I wasn’t thinking. Man! I just blew it." did he blow it again? It would make sense if Tyson was trying to lock Coach in with them to make it 5 to 4. Then he blows it by blabbing to the Rob alliance (Jerri wasn't there, did she go off with coach then?)which makes it important for Rob to speak with Coach telling him to trust him yet doesn't tell him the "master plan" so he wants Coach for the majority within the Villains yet he isn't quite in the core of the alliance.
Bad girls have all the fun
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Slider 29 desperate attention whore postings
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03-10-10, 01:56 PM (EST)
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56. "RE: Episode #4: Editing Thoughts " |
Excellent analysis everyone! I have been intriqued by the long term editing this season. Obviously, there are 20 big personalities, so there are hours of great moments to choose from each week. Why do they show us what they do?We have have been shown hero alliances for weeks. Maybe because they are discussed so openly, especially in tribal council, but maybe because it is not important to the editors to hide them. The villians, on the other hand, are still a mystery to me. We have been shown several alliances, but are they real? for instance, Iltarion made the following observation in the fanatic forum: "The editing has shown Danielle in nearly every discussion involving Rob's alliance. In fact, when Sandra came back to camp saying Russell had buried himself by looking for the idol, it was Danielle who replied off camera that Russell was gone because that was what they agreed to. Watch it again. It is obvious it is Danielle talking though she is not pictured." So, is Danielle really in an alliance with Russell, or is she with Rob's group? Are Jerri and Coach really tight? As stated before, Sandra and Parvarti must have discussed the fact that they are the only two villian winners. Why are they hiding that? We have also been shown some heavily edited footage which seemed manipulated and unnecessary at the time. For instance, Candace seemed paranoid a few weeks ago. That must have been to give us an alternate boot this last week, as well as tie to next week (as seen in end of episode pre-views) Other manipulated footage I hope is resolved: What was up with the hot/cold Parvarti edit? Why was Rob shown spying on Sandra and Coach? It seems evident that the producers want us to see these players as villians: Parvarti, Sandra (as described by Cerie), Russell. The "hit over the head" heros: Tom, Colby, and probably Stephanie. The rest have been shown more well rounded. Tyson was kind with Coach, but reported all later. Rob is being edited as a hero. Jerri stated that she felt like Mother Theresa around the other villians. JT has been shown to embrace his inner villian, but as stated before, it feels manipulated. Cerie was devious, James is just a bully. Candice is conflicted and trying to survive. Rupert has blind loyalty, and Amanda is easily manipulated. In the end, is this important? Like Veruca, I feel it must be or why are we being hit over the head with it? Anyway, I seem to have more questions than answers, but I love this thread! Thanks to all who contribute, especially Veruca and Michel. Slider
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michel 10958 desperate attention whore postings
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03-10-10, 08:32 PM (EST)
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59. "RE: Episode #4: Editing Thoughts " |
Thanks Suzzee and Slider. I enjoyed reading Veruca and your thoughts.I have been trying to figure out the Villains' alliances also and I've come to the conclusion that there is a very good reason why they are mysterious: The players don't know themselves! How often have we heard the issue of trust surface for a tribe that had an obvious first boot and has been to TC only once in a fortnight? - Parvati has no one to trust except the "lunatic". - Rob wants Coach to trust him. (BTW: I think that's the main message of that scene: Rob feels Coach should trust him but he doesn't give him much reason to.) - Randy told Coach to be careful who he trusts and then pointed out Rob as the dangerous one with his TC vote. - Rob seems to trust Sandra but she told us she wants to slit his throat. - Jerri feels alone without Coach. - Courtney, Danielle and Parvati are together but don't talk about strategy, just girl-talk. I think they are still in the feeling out stage, knowing they are all ready and willing to backstab each other. If JT is nervous about Candice, then the villains beach is full of Candices!
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SquidProQuo 2526 desperate attention whore postings
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03-10-10, 10:34 PM (EST)
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60. "RE: Episode #4: Editing Thoughts " |
Hey guys, just wanted to pop in and say hi and thanks! Crazy week so I've only had time for skimming (no in-depth reading or posting), but a couple quick things:-- Veruca, please keep posting! I'm new and don't know all the history here, but I really don't think your posts are keeping others from contributing. I think most threads are that way (more lurkers than contributors). You have such great insights and I'd hate to see them go. -- Michel, I agree with you that the point of the Coach/Rob scene was that Rob made Coach more worried. (The "man up" quote was a classic!) Coach really came across as needy this episode (his need for approval is his Achilles' heel and what's turning him back into a caricature). Meanwhile, Rob's "no nonsense" approach is not going to reassure him. I definitely got the vibe that this scene will have significance down the road...and then lo and behold, the new promo came out this week where Russell says he's got Dragonslayer on his side. Would Coach ever side with evil???!! Or is Coach the man in the middle between the 2 alpha male villains? Maybe Russell offers Coach more reassurance than Rob? Can't wait to see how it all plays out. -- Danielle is definitely a mystery! As one of you noted, we hear others talking about her but we don't get anything straight from the horses' mouth (sorry, some might take that as a bad joke - wasn't intended . I keep wondering if she's getting a Tina/Vescepia type of invisible edit? Or is she truly insignificant? Originally I thought she'd be set up as the female Rob (and perhaps a foe for Rob, leading the girl power effort), but that doesn't seem to be happening at all. I guess we'll have to wait and see. That pathetic image of her in the mud challenge is the only significant thing so far this season! -- Definitely agree with you, Veruca, that we're getting pounded over the head with the "time division" quotes (esp. Rob, Tom and Colby). Sure seems like they're setting up the show-down as Russell knows how to play the "new school" game with the HII while Rob is too old school. And I also loved the contrast between how the 2 tribes handled the idol! -- Very curious indeed that Parv and Sandra never talk about the prior winners thing...they don't seem to talk much at all. Are they allies or foes? Or somewhere in between? At this point they seem to be the main 2 women on that tribe who have any power. Of course it's hard to make your mark with all the alpha males! Looking forward to tomorrow night!
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SquidProQuo 2526 desperate attention whore postings
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03-13-10, 00:04 AM (EST)
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62. "Episode 5 - Editing Thoughts " |
Just a few off-the-cuff observations about last night's episode:"PREVIOUSLY" NARRATION
Once again, Jeff's recap narration underscored the stark contrast between the 2 tribes: - Jeff tells us that the Heroes tribe "scattered" when they found the HII clue and "SELFISHLY" looked on their own for the idol
- Meanwhile, the Villains tribe "stuck together" -- except for Russell of course This ties in with the recurring theme that Heroes are playing the game more like Villains...and the Villains can be heroic. Also, Jeff's narration pointedly said that JT "betrayed" his alliance. Overall, while JT is certainly central as the deciding vote this episode, I felt like this was a big downturn in his edit vs. last episode (more on that below). Russell finding the HII
Big contrast between the tribe on the beach doing silly Tai Chi while Russell is playing the game/looking for the HII. And Russell's quote that "Rob is not in control" anymore seems to be very telling. Also, wasn't this the 2nd time they showed us the exact same (or near same) Rob quote about how in his day, they didn't have the HII? Sure seems like the editors are pounding us over the head with this message! Rob is "old school" and basically wants to ignore the HII; meanwhile Russell is "new school" and knows how to work it to his advantage. Will this be the critical difference in their upcoming showdown? REWARD CHALLENGE
I suppose the scene at the start where Colby and the Heroes refuse to take the chocolate was supposed to make them look serious and focused...but I think in the end it was edited to make them look silly and superficial. The Rupert/Jerri scene really stood out to me. Rupert comes across as a bully (a mini version of James in the prior mud challenge), even though he apologizes. Moxie points to Jerri for bouncing right back and then scoring the winning shot. Overall, a positive episode for Jerri from an editing perspective. VILLAINS ON REWARD
Parv's quote "I don't ride coattails, baby" was one of the most powerful lines, at least to me, of the entire episode. A great contrast to Natalie from last season! I think this was definitely foreshadowing how Parv is going to play her own game and won't be the little woman behind Russell. I felt like this was setting up the dynamic between the two of them -- will be very interesting to see how he'll react to a strong woman as an ally! I'm not going to comment much on the Coach/Russell scene, other than to say that suddenly several past scenes from prior episodes became much more clear to me and took on greater significance:
- E.g., Sandra picking on Coach at TC
- Coach crying about possibly quitting to Tyson and then Tyson and the group making fun of him
- Rob telling Coach to "man up" and not giving Coach the reassurance he needed
The message to me was that a vote is a vote, and by alienating Coach, the *majority* alliance may have carelessly pushed him into the clutches of the enemy. The crazy thing is, Coach is so transparent and can be easily led (e.g., JT/Stephen in Tocantins) but I don't think Rob and crew know how to "play" him. Meanwhile, gotta give Russell credit for realizing not only who to approach but also how to approach him. He played it beautifully. Immunity Challenge
Rob standing at the top of the boxes was really symbolic to me and underscored how he has helped the Villains to dominate in challenges. James was edited as an angry bully when doing the calling for his tribe. And when he yelled shut up during the puzzle I felt like it was the Steph boot deja vu. Back at Hero Camp
The shot of the Starfish in the water really stood out as symbolic to me...can't wait to see what Veruca and Michel think about it! I was thinking maybe it was Tom/Colby as the last 2 remaining good guys...but maybe I'm reading too much into it! Candice's scene with JT and Rupert was key. I felt like she was being edited as the voice of reason, and her line "Are we being stupid?" should have been the episode title! My memory is a bit vague and I didn't take notes, but I think they even captioned it just to make sure the audience got the message that the Heroes tribe is unraveling due to their own stupidity. CLOSING THOUGHTS ABOUT SOME PLAYERS JT: Still central power player on the Heroes tribe, but his edit obviously took a turn for the worse this episode. Colby's quote pretty much summed it up (I'm paraphrasing since I didn't take notes or rewatch): "JT is wishy washy and flip flops and it will come back to bite him." (Amanda's quote that she doesn't trust JT and that he lies was also noteworthy.) Amanda: Obviously got her way this episode and is the puppet master of James and Rupert. Her "game on" confessional quote about JT bodes well. Rupert and James: Both had overall negative edits this week. Parv and Jerri both had overall positive/significant edits this week (contrast to invisible Danielle and Courtney). Russell: More of the same...obviously the big show down with Rob is still brewing. Rob: Even though I really loved the shot of him on top of the puzzle, overall I felt like there was a bit of a downturn in his edit this week. Russell's making moves behind his back and Rob *might* just be a step behind. Can't wait to see what Veruca and Michel have to say!
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michel 10958 desperate attention whore postings
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03-13-10, 05:08 PM (EST)
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63. "RE: Episode 5 - Editing Thoughts " |
Thanks for starting this squid. I'm sorry if I repeat anything you've said but I wanted to make my post vbefore reading outside information. I'll be happy to comment on your ideas afterwards.
Here are my thoughts:
Previously; “The Heroes discovered a clue to the hidden immunity idol, the entire tribe scattered across the beach, each person selfishly looking for the idol alone.
Tom was the one to find it.
<Tom told us everyone knew he had it>
Conversely, the Villains agreed to stick together and ignore the clue entirely…
<Sandra told everyone that it isn’t fair to have an idol>
…except for Russell who searched for the idol but couldn’t find it…
<Sandra was shown again spying on him and calling him a stupid a$$.>
…and instead, found himself on the outs with his tribe.
<Rob heard saying: “If you go for it, then you seal your fate” with Coach and Tyson agreeing.> At the immunity challenge, Boston Rob once again led the villains to victory.
At the Heroes’ camp, JT agreed to vote with Cirie and the majority of the tribe to take out Tom but, at tribal council, JT betrayed his alliance and voted for Cirie. When Tom played the hidden immunity idol, Cirie was sent home. Very interesting choice of words in this recap: The Heroes are called selfish but, conversely, the Villains stick together. Also, “betrayal” was used to describe JT’s action. Jeff could have said that JT changed his mind, reconsidered his options or even simply decided to save the good guys but no, he betrayed his alliance. A Hero smartly using some of the Villains’ tricks would have made for a great winning story according to the themes of the season but the way JT’s actions were described seemed to go too far on that theme. Heroes
Night 11 Colby : “Tonight, JT is a hero. I really believed my days were done on the beach but JT did. At this point, it’s all about strategy. They made it very clear they wanted me and Tom gone. We’re not gone yet, we aren’t planning on going anywhere.” But JT wasn’t a Hero according to Jeff just seconds before this confessional and JT wouldn’t be a Hero later on. I feel it makes Colby look rather naïve to jump to conclusions so quickly JT told his tribe: “Everything I done was for the team…Cirie’s game is to stay loyal until things get rough after the merge and, the way things are going, it’s going to get rough for us.” Rupert : “I’m a little pissed off right now…I don’t know as much about JT as I did a few hours ago.” The next morning, JT told Amanda he only did it to get Cirie when he had a chance; that he would never lie. Amanda : “JT can tell me everything he wants to tell me but I see right through him. In the back of my mind, I know he will lie and he makes alliances like they’re yesterday’s news. He’s probably made twenty alliances already. If he wants to play this game: Game on! Bring it on!” Amanda said the exact same thing after Parvati eliminated Ozzy and, while she did step up her game a notch, she never made Parvati pay for it. Is this more of the same? Showing JT lurking in Amanda’s back right after seemed to answer that question and we’d get another clue later on.  Villains
Day 12  Coach : “I led the tribe out to the beach this morning to do some “dragon slayer chi”…It’s complete body control… They all seemed willing to go. They all did except for Russell.” 
 Russell : “Everybody walks out to the beach to do their Coach-chiing in a circle. You know; all that meditating crap. While they’re meditating and getting ready for the challenge… I’m looking for the immunity idol.” Note that inserting this nice visual at the beginning of the episode reinforces the recap’s message that the Villains are sticking together. We still see the villains’ fun side through Courtney and Parvati’s expressions while Sandra couldn’t keep from laughing. It is becoming a theme on its own: The Villain women keep laughing at their male counterparts. Remember Rob said that their women were much stronger than their opposition. And, even if Russell didn’t approve, he did give a better ring to the scene than Shambo had last season in very similar circumstances: It was to get ready for a challenge so it wasn’t a waste of time, the tribe isn’t at a Club Med. With the music becoming very rhythmic, we joined Russell in his search: “It’s a very important tool so I’m going to get it, I’m going to find it... Today, everything changes. Rob’s not in control of this game right now. This is my key right here and here it goes again!” Immunity Challenge
We saw Parvati’s expression when Jeff announced that Cirie was gone as we expected. What was less predictable was seeing Coach apparently looking back at Parvati with a surprised expression. 
 When Jeff announced the reward would be a feast of chocolate, the cameraman remembered Jerri’s passion for it and we saw her enthusiastic reaction. “That’s the only thing I crave out here".  The Heroes were less enthusiastic. Colby, JT and James just passed the plate that Jeff had offered, not touching the chocolate. Jerri wanted to take their plate but Jeff took it back. He turned to Colby: “You have a look on your face like this is annoying, or this is insulting.” 
Colby: “I’m not annoyed with you; I’m ready to get to the challenge…Let’s go.”
Jeff: “I got the message, brother. We’ll go when I’m ready.”
Courtney and Parvati said hoooooh at that!
Rupert wanted to show their focus: “We don’t care about the reward; we just want to win the challenge.”
Courtney’s look showed how dumb it is to want to win a reward challenge if you don’t care for the reward!
Russell had a good response: “We’re always focused when it comes to the challenges. That’s why we keep on winning.”With Colby sitting out, we saw the flaw in the Heroes’ strategy of voting out all their women and it showed once more the oddity in Colby’s edit. I had called it negativity before but it’s more incongruities in his story. Rupert handed the plate back to Jeff so his words about focus could have been enough for that scene but the editors added Colby’s stubborn behavior for a reward that apparently didn’t interest them. Odd for a “good guy” to be made to look dumb and that’s what Courtney’s expressions were meant to convey. After James went for a rebound and fell awkwardly, JT had a confessional: “Another tough challenge, physical, just like we wanted but, right off the bat, James got hurt. I’m not sure what he’s done to his knee but it doesn’t look good. If James is pulled from this game, a lot of my strategy’s changed.” In what could be seen as an unfair decision, the Heroes couldn’t substitute Colby for James and the round started from the start, the three balls back at mid-court even if the Heroes had 2 of those balls on their platform. At least they won that first point on a nice toss by Amanda. In the second round, we had “JT takes down Rob”, “Another battle between Rob and JT”. “Rob and JT going at it, JT not letting go of the ball, Russell gets pulled off the platform”, “Coach gets hit hard by JT” and, after Tyson made his shot, we saw Rupert slamming Jerri into a post. He apologized, saying he didn’t mean to do that but she was mad at him and only replied: “I’m fine. Whatever.” 
<Note that Parvati was wearing Hantz’s hat>In the third round, JT blocked a shot from Rob by throwing a ball at the incoming one and soon Rob returned the favor. Danielle recovered a rebound, threw it to Jerri who scored the winning point. JT : “I hope James comes back to camp because we really need him. To lose one of our best competitors would be heartbreaking. It would be a tragedy.” The Reward Parvati congratulated everyone as they sat for their reward. Russell : “It’s nice winning rewards. We have two good things happening at once: We got rid of the big guy, James, maybe and we got to eat all the chocolate.” Jerri : “I’ve never eaten so much chocolate…I’m like in a mix of chocolate euphoria and sickness.” They next went for a swim in a pretty amazing spot:  Rob : “In the middle of the grounds, there’s this huge hole in the earth. There’s 40 feet from the top to the bottom of this cave and it’s full of cold salt water…”
Asked who had stayed behind, Rob was told Russell and Parvati. He said: “We’re going to look dumb if he ends up playing us all.”
Sandra added: “He digged for the idol all day yesterday, so he got it.”
<Coach shown as this is being said.>
Rob repeated his confessional about idols being all new to him. He added: “At the end of the day, we have to bust it out. The only way to do that is to vote for him.” Russell told Parvati that he had the idol. Parvati : “Russell having the idol puts me in a better position in the game, gives me a stronger footing because, right now, everyone’s still trying to vote me out. They all think I’m the biggest threat for some reason. I’m like some evil mastermind who is going to screw all of them over so that the only way is to vote me out now. So, Russell having the idol is good. He’s a great ally.” Russell told Parvati: “Just ride on my coattails, girl.”
Parvati quickly replied (with words shown on screen): “I don’t ride coattails, baby.”
When Russell proposed to tell Coach, Parvati agreed: “Show it to Coach and he’ll do whatever you want. He’s a scared little puppy.”
Russell added: “And then we’ll get rid of Rob.”
Parvati was happy to hear that. Very important scene considering how Jeff and, presumably, all of the editing staff don’t respect players who ride coattails. Note also that we were shown in advance how Parvati worked with Russell on what to tell Coach, how she gave her input. Russell : “I’m going to have to convince Coach to join on my side so that we can get the numbers over here. I have a powerful tool and that’s the immunity idol.” After being told about the idol, and hearing Russell’s promise they’d use the idol together Coach had a confessional: “Wow! This is crazy. I do want to play the game with Boston Rob but, for Russell to trust me with that, is huge on his part. I’m the type of person that, if you give me your loyalty, it’s almost impossible for me to betray that trust.” Being knighted by “King Russell”, Coach said this was a monumental moment and it seemed to apply to the whole season. With the image we had of Boston Rob’s back when his name was mentioned, there is little doubt as to how it will turn out:  We could have seen Rob from any angle but we saw his blindside! We also have the explanation to last week’s scene between Coach and Rob. Not understanding Coach’s needs, the Robfather played it backwards, asking for Coach’s trust instead of giving him his own trust first.
Russell : “Coach bows down to me. He was the one kneeling to me as the king that I am: I knight the dragon-slayer to be part of my kingdom. I have the dragon-slayer on my side then we’ll weed out little Rob’s group. It’s personal between me and Rob. I don’t think he knows who he’s dealing with. He thinks he’s tough? Alright, may the best man win! Let’s do this.”
Heroes
Day 12 A Reunion Amanda : “It’s so frustrating…James wants to be here so bad and he looks out for me. I’m like his little sister… If James doesn’t come back, what am I going to do? I just hope that tonight, I see him walk down the beach.” Tom : “James and I have our differences and, I’m not rooting against a team mate but in the game of Survivor, somebody else being hobbled in some ways, is your advantage.” Tom saw him in the distance and, in a toneless voice, told the group about it. The music lit up as did Amanda’s face. We had a very touching reunion scene with everyone running down the beach to embrace the wounded warrior, Amanda leading the way.  Imagine how more touching this would have been if James hadn’t been made to look so bad previously. Opportunity missed? Not entirely as it helps to balance out his story a bit. Amanda : “James is back and I’m so happy.” James : “It felt good coming back into camp. We’ll see how it goes. Hopefully, my alliance sticks together and keeps me around until my knee heals up. I got to make it work with what I got.” Candice : “If we lose the next immunity challenge, there’s no question in my mind that James got to go. There shouldn’t be any questions in anybody’s mind. We can’t be lugging around dead-weight and James is a lot of dead-weight!” Candice has often been heard speaking words of wisdom but isn’t being heard. Is that developing into a theme of its own? We’d have to look closer at all her previous scenes to see if it leads us anywhere. Immunity Challenge Coach told the audience how to react to James’ return; “I’m glad James is back because you don’t want a worthy competitor falling out like that.” In a familiar role, Jerri called the shots for the Villains while James had to do it for the Heroes.
As soon as we heard James shouting “JT go straight” JT banged into a barrel!
(Funny how some allies worked together: Tom and Colby, Russell and Parvati, JT and Amanda were paired so what can be said of the Rob-Courtney pair? Alliance not revealed or not worth revealing?)
With James feverishly clapping, his voice getting raspier by the second, Rupert and Candice brought their last piece while Sandra and the Villains were still “tangled in the weeds.” Then the puzzle started and Tom was clearly heard leading the effort while Candice kept saying: “It’s not right.” The Villains soon caught up, Russell took a big role at the start. Sandra got some pieces together and made Danielle laugh from the sidelines by saying “that’s the one I said went on the corner and they told me no” and Rob once more finished the job, winning the challenge for the Villains.
(Jerri didn’t receive a bucket of water after this one!)
James : “I got them to where they need to go, in the lead. Me, injured, is already proven to be better than Tom. He hasn’t done anything in challenges but cause confusion in the puzzle area. What’s his excuse? He has a good knees but he still messed up.” The Conniving Starts Tom and Colby talked about voting James.
Rupert told JT and Candice it had to be Tom
Candice responded: “I feel like it’s the dumbest move.”
James walked up to the trio saying he was good. JT : “Logically, I should vote out James tonight but, if I were to try anything snaky again around Rupert, James and Amanda, that would put myself in a bad spot.” Rupert told Amanda: “Candice is pushing hard for James. If we are going on strength, Candice’s butt is the weakest.”
Amanda answered: “I say Tom first then Candice. We’re not voting James. JT is OK, right?” JT and Candice talked about voting out James, JT adding: “You and I are in control now because we can go either way.”
Another lack of continuity in the story: After a few episodes of JT being nervous about Candice, where did this come from? When did they make up? Amanda : “This is so stupid because JT didn’t vote with us at the last tribal council but I’m really depending on JT’s vote tonight because, if he doesn’t vote with us, that means he’s voting with Tom, Colby and Candice against James.” Here’s the second clue that Amanda will not be able to “Bring it On”. She hasn’t stepped up her game because she still needs JT. Tom listened to Candice and JT as they considered voting James. Tom : “I got another noose around my neck but, until the votes come up and you hear your name 4 times, you’re still alive in this game. I need JT and Candice to see the logic in sticking with Colby and I and eliminating James tonight. I’m pretty sure Candice (notice the splicing of the words) is with us. I’m hoping that JT sees the light.” What did Tom really say about Candice? The splicing made it appear that Candice was smart in Tom’s eyes but was that what he really said? Anyway, it’s good for Candice that she was spared the ignominy of wanting to vote out “Great Guy” Tom. Rupert made sure one last time that JT was voting Tom. JT agreed: “We’re together.”
JT told Colby it was logical to vote James. Colby : “we’re going to another tribal council and most everybody is looking to JT for a vote and the reason for that is that JT is so wishy-washy. JT flip-flops at every opportunity that he has because, clearly, he’s just playing the hand that suits him today. I don’t know what he is telling everybody else but, if he is making deals with everyone in that posse, I can guarantee that it will come back to bite him.” I’m sure JT could have been considered strategic by some of the Heroes but we heard from Colby that JT doesn’t really have a plan, that he’s wishy-washy. That’s not good for our villainous hero! I’d listen to Colby’s guarantee Tribal Council James explained his injury.
Jeff said his niece could beat James in a race. James disagreed, saying he could still beat Jeff in a race making our host laugh.
Rupert agreed that James was still strong.
<Tom shook his head>
JT understood James but was still concerned: “We got to win. Our backs are against the wall.”
Looking in Tom’s direction, James explained that “everybody went willy-nilly.” He pointed out Tom and Candice to Jeff.
Candice said: “He’s mad because we are thinking about whether it makes sense to keep him with the bum knee or not.”
James replied that she was just hustling: “I’m tired of both of y’all.”
<JT looked troubled>
Tom said it was all non-sense: “He isn’t kept for any physical ability; he’s being kept because he is a loyal vote.”
Amanda countered: “Tom’s putting the blame but he tried to vote me out and I don’t think I’m a weak player.”
Tom didn’t think he needed to shut up, he said that it was James’ voting strategy: “Somebody tells him to shut up <Amanda shown displeased> just vote the way I’m telling you. It’s not his game strategy. If he’s quiet during the challenges it’s probably because he doesn’t know what’s going on.”
JT said it wasn’t right to point the blame for their losses.
Tom said he was going unless some “good people” vote for the team and for our unity and not for the numbers.
<Candice looked troubled>
James countered: “If you all think that that guy can outperform me then vote for me. I want y’all to win and if you think you can win with him, go ahead.”
(Aren’t these the nice guys?!) Tom voted, saying: “James: All mass, no class.”
After snuffing out the torch of our first past winner, Jeff said that their decision would be put to the test soon. The Story: With the possible exception of Candice who has received a very substantial edit, I don’t see any of the Heroes as winning this season. The way they voted out Tom is just too damaging for those that were in on it. Amanda and Rupert were shown to be unable to change their strategy. Even if they considered other options like voting out Candice, they stubbornly stuck to the plan leaving them completely exposed to JT’s maneuvers. For Amanda, it was particularly damning in an episode where she wanted the game to be played hard. JT is seemingly set up to be the one voted out at the merge. When he gave his reason for voting out Cirie, saying she becomes dangerous at the merge, it could have given the editors a nice chance to prepare us for his own fate. The challenge showed JT fighting hard against the Villains, Rob in particular but Coach and Russell as well. In Tocantins, JT stepped up his game at the merge and he may think he can pull it off again but will his old partners greet him the same way they did last time? I think we’ve just been told that it won’t happen. Colby was on Tom’s side so, editorially, he wasn’t affected negatively by that decision. It should even make him the underdog but there are too many incongruities in his story to consider Colby as a “Good Guy” winner. If he is the winner, we wouldn’t have seen him going so strongly against Sugar, we wouldn’t have seen him as a crazed fan during the sumo challenge, he wouldn’t have been kept out of all the discussions to save himself last time and we wouldn’t have heard him acting dumb with Jeff before the challenge. Candice was the voice of reason during the episode and during tribal council where she was the focus of many reaction shots. We heard she’s next in the boot order but I doubt that it will happen. During the break, I propose to watch again the first 4 episodes, the premiere in particular, to see what Candice’s role is this season. There seems to be a very interesting story there. On the Villains’ side, the duel is clearly set. Note that Russell wants to weed out Rob’s little group which would be smart if he can keep Rob for his challenge strength, dangerous if he leaves an opening for Rob after the merge. Unlike Rob, Russell knew how to handle Coach and the scene that started by his discussion with Parvati about the idol and ended with him knighting Coach seemed like the key scene of the season. All the events we’ve seen in the Villains’ camp culminated in these two exchanges. Russell is playing his game and Rob tells us he isn’t ready for this new game. As he said: “Everything’s changed.” Parvati, however, is quite familiar with this type of game. Parvati saying to Russell that she doesn’t ride coattails was so important that it had to be subtitled. We heard Russell say that she will be well served by following him but Parvati’s story has hinted that she knows who she’s dealing with and could surprise him before the end. She is part of the group of girls that have often been shown laughing at the men, both in their camp and on the other side. With history on their side in seasons with repeat players and this new development, it seems to point to a woman winning this season. Coach being called a scared little puppy would have surprised us if we hadn’t seen his breakdown in the previous episode. His vow to trust Russell indicates he will be a very useful tool to the king but, like so many knights, he could die doing so. Rob, for all his challenge success, is shown to be oblivious to what is really happening inside his tribe. He tells everyone what to do but we don’t hear anyone saying they will follow Rob. From a very promising start, his story is stalling, reduced to his conflict with Russell. Sandra has been kept somewhat in the background but we see that she’s part of the women laughing at the men, first at Russell searching for the idol, then at Coach on the beach, and finally at Russell and Rob when they tried to take control of the puzzle. She is part of Rob’s little group so it will be interesting to see what she does to prevent being weeded out. Jerri’s lost all her initial momentum. She was only showcased in this episode as a wink to the old-time Survivor fans. An episode with chocolate had to feature Jerri. That reward was probably designed with her and Colby in mind. Courtney, Tyson and Danielle are still only extras in the story even if Courtney was used to influence how certain scenes should be interpreted.
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mysticjay 28 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Beauty Pageant Celebrity Judge"
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03-15-10, 10:53 AM (EST)
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65. "RE: Episode 5 - Editing Thoughts " |
I am trying very hard to avoid any of the boot order information because I know it's all out there, so I am disappointed to see it brought in here about the next episode. Can we please leave all of that outside this thread so that those of us who want to watch the story unfold can do that without already knowing who goes next.
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PepeLePew13 26134 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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03-15-10, 11:12 AM (EST)
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66. "RE: Episode 5 - Editing Thoughts " |
I've just re-read michel's post and I don't see where he has said definitively who the next boot is.The closest thing that I could find is this:
Rupert told Amanda: “Candice is pushing hard for James. If we are going on strength, Candice’s butt is the weakest.”
Amanda answered: “I say Tom first then Candice. We’re not voting James. JT is OK, right?” ... Candice was the voice of reason during the episode and during tribal council where she was the focus of many reaction shots. We heard she’s next in the boot order but I doubt that it will happen. During the break, I propose to watch again the first 4 episodes, the premiere in particular, to see what Candice’s role is this season. There seems to be a very interesting story there. This is not in relation to any boot lists out there, but merely michel's take on the editing of the show that was given to us. Was there something else that made you think a boot list was being revealed other than what I just highlighted?
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mysticjay 28 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Beauty Pageant Celebrity Judge"
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03-15-10, 01:06 PM (EST)
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67. "RE: Episode 5 - Editing Thoughts " |
>...We heard she’s next
>in the boot order but
>I doubt that it will
>happen. If, as you suggest, Michael was talking about his own boot order, based on editing, this sentence would not read "we heard..." As written, the sentence implies the he, being part of the we, heard from some other source. It was jarring to see it. As I said, I am avoiding spoilers, and thought this thread was safe, as it has traditionally been in the past.
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ohmyheck 1919 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Herbal Healing Drugs Endorser"
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03-15-10, 01:10 PM (EST)
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68. "RE: Episode 5 - Editing Thoughts " |
He said 'We heard', because Amanda told us that she's next. There was no spoiler.
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mysticjay 28 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Beauty Pageant Celebrity Judge"
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03-16-10, 10:01 AM (EST)
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76. "RE: Episode 5 - Editing Thoughts " |
Thank you, Michael, for the clarification. Others were speaking for you, but it means more that it comes from you. I have this forum bookmarked so I don't have to wade through the spoilers forum and accidentally see something I don't wish to see. I enjoy your insights very much! Keep them coming. >Absolutely, when I said "we heard"
>I meant Amanda and Rupert
>told us that Candice should
>be next. I doubted it
>because boot orders given on
>the show rarely turn out
>to be correct.
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Tublecane 141 desperate attention whore postings
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03-15-10, 04:06 PM (EST)
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71. "RE: Episode 5 - Editing Thoughts " |
If you wanna be safe from spoilers, I'd suggest avoiding the "Spoilers Forum". You know, because it has the word "spoiler" in it.
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michel 10958 desperate attention whore postings
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03-15-10, 06:14 PM (EST)
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73. "Comments" |
Great comments, Squid.I see we have the same take on many players. I'm not sure about Jerri though. I had these vidcaps ready to build her story: 
But then I realized something was missing: No one commented on the hit, on her injury and Jeff didn't even ask her if she was alright. All we had was Parvati's "It's not bleeding." We didn't even hear anything on her winning shot. They owed their reward to Jerri but not a single "Yeah for Jerri" was heard. Overall, a very neglected story. On James, I don't think his edit THIS episode was overall negative. I'd say there was enough emotions shown to soften his overall edit. Coach's words also showed what we were supposed to feel for James: He shouldn't have left that way.
As for the starfish, I missed it but I'll keep an eye on it in the future.
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SquidProQuo 2526 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Survivor-themed Cruise Spokesperson"
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03-15-10, 08:24 PM (EST)
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74. "RE: Comments" |
Hi Michel,Yes, looks like we agree on most things this week! I don't take much in the way of notes or rewatch the episode, so I'm sure your recollection of James' and Jerri's editing is much stronger than mine...but here's what I do recall about each: JAMES:
- He seemed angry and was yelling and losing his voice during the challenge where he did the "calling"
- Candice called him "dead weight"
- At TC, he argued with Jeff (re the niece comment, which in and of itself was a bit of a dis, coming from the host)
- At TC, he unnecessarily called out Tom and Candice and blamed them for losing the puzzle part of the challenge...and seemed in general to be attacking the Tom, the person the audience is supposed to like as the good guy/hero To me, all of the above = an overall continued negative edit for James...but I do agree with you that they softened it a bit with the Amanda hug, etc. He certainly didn't come across as much as a bully as he did in past episodes, so I guess it's all relative...but you certainly wouldn't call this week a hero's edit or redemption for him. (Will be very interesting to see his edit next week, depending on whether his injury gets better or worse. The last time when he had to be medvac'd, everyone felt sorry for him and he went out a hero...what will happen if he doesn't get better this time? Wonder how he'll handle it?) JERRI:
- I felt like that whole Rupert/Jerri scene wasn't instrumental to the challenge itself, but yet the editors chose to show it. Part of the reason was perhaps to put a stain on Rupert/the Heroes' style of play...but I also felt it was to show that Jerri's tough and playing the game hard. (I do agree that it would be even better for her edit if others commented on how great she did.)
- Jerri made the winning shot
- Jerri did the calling for the Villains in the other challenge and did well enough (stayed calm, etc. vs. James)
- The Jerri/Colby chocolate thing (seems to be one "throwaway" shot linking them just about every episode) Granted, she didn't have a lot of confessionals, etc. and I'm not saying she's getting a winning edit (I don't look for that per se). But at least in actions/deeds, Jerri was shown to be important to the tribe this week, esp. compared to most of the other Villain women. With all the alpha males dominating the screen time this season, and the Rob/Russell show down brewing, I felt like Jerri at least had a presence and and held her own. Other than Parv's big "I don't ride coattails" quote and a couple throwaway comments from Sandra, Jerri is one of the few women on her tribe to at least get some development and she seems like "she has legs." Contrast to Danielle, who is still the total invisible woman, and Courtney, who is good for 1-liner of comic relief per episode, but that's about it .
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michel 10958 desperate attention whore postings
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03-15-10, 10:03 PM (EST)
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75. "RE: Comments" |
That's the beauty of editing, we can all see things differently. I try to see what surrounds a scene, its context and/or its outcome, to determine what the editors wanted to tell us. I know I could be wrong but I like to try!
So, regarding a couple of points:>JAMES:
>- He seemed angry and was
>yelling and losing his voice
>during the challenge where he
>did the "calling" James' only story before the injury was: "I want to win" and he wanted it so badly that he acted like a bully. This time, however, he was simply very motivated to do whatever he could to help his team. I perceived the repetitive clapping and screaming as a positive, a coach urging his team to victory.
>- At TC, he argued with
>Jeff (re the niece comment,
>which in and of itself
>was a bit of a
>dis, coming from the host)
But, in the end, Jeff is shown laughing, enjoying James' reply. >- At TC, he unnecessarily called
>out Tom and Candice and
>blamed them for losing the
>puzzle part of the challenge...and
>seemed in general to be
>attacking the Tom, the person
>the audience is supposed to
>like as the good guy/hero But the microphones made sure we heard Tom and Candice going on and on about "this way", "no, this isn't right". Were Tom's comments at TC heroic? There was a nastiness about the "shut-up and vote this way" remark. About Jerri, all I'm saying is that her story stalled. Remember how Jeff made a big point about the fat lip Parvati got during a Micronesia challenge and how he ignored Jerri this time. I wonder if we didn't hear any "poor Jerri" comments after the scene simply because they wanted some of the audience to remember the Outback challenge where Colby slammed Jerri to the ground and wanted to leave the door open to laugh at her again.
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Chez 777 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Fitness Correspondent"
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03-16-10, 11:23 AM (EST)
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77. "RE: Comments" |
I felt James' facial expressions during TC and especially when the votes were being read, were edited quite negatively. He only received the 2 votes (Tom and Colby), but at each one (especially the 2nd one) he acted as if it was the insult to end all insults. Come on! It's Tribal Council - you have to be able to accept that you might get a couple votes! I thought his facial and body expressions (pulling the hat down) were just more of the negative editing he is receiving this season.
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VerucaSalt 1580 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Peanut Festival Grand Marshall"
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03-19-10, 11:51 AM (EST)
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78. "Episode 5 Editing Thoughts" |
I glanced over the posts and would rather respond to them individually than in my post. I'm just happy to see others are posting Recap The heroes were lambasted for “selfishly” looking for the idol while the villains were not stained as they were stated to “stick together” and not looking for it out of fairness except for Russell (Sandra noted to calling him a stupid a--) who found himself on the outs with his tribe (Rob noted to say fate is sealed if you go for the idol) Rob noted to lead his tribe to victory again. JT called out again for “betraying” and Jeff heard to say that this qualified as the “first blindside” An interesting recap in terms of how the heroes and villains are meant to be shown with respect to the handling of the idol. Words have a big impact and to use the word “selfishly” is extremely purposeful. Logically speaking, why wouldn’t anyone go look for the idol on their own? It is almost ridiculous for anyone to think otherwise but the editors want the audience to feel the heroes acted selfishly and the villains (except for Russell) were working as a team. What irony considering the labels they were given. Subtle but very effective manipulation on the editor’s part to want the audience to have a better attitude of the villains over the heroes en masse (except Russell) and I remember noting to myself pre-season that I would take a look at how the editors would showcase the tribes as a whole and not just as the individual characters. For the writers/editors to use that terminology over the hidden idol has me concerned for the heroes. I would also like to believe that the footage would have possibly separated a hero from this description if they were at end game. Easily the editing/writing could have stated - "The heroes acted selfishly.... BUT "contestant" felt he/she had no choice to look for it then. This is the type of footage I look back on at the end of the season to see if it did indeed bear out my suspicious or I overthought it. Also, JT is once again being highlighted in all his “glory” and the editors are not even trying to hide that he is just one betrayal after another. Combine this with the remainder of the episode and I think the editors are attempting to show that JT doesn’t know what he is supposed to be and is now just fumbling around playing villain - this is central to the many themes discussed as the label one is given and how they are portrayed, how they attempt to negate the label or how they try to embrace it and the impact it has. Tribal Council Aftermath Colby (conf) “…JT is a hero I really believed my days were done… but JT did it. At this point, it’s all about strategy (Colby rubbing his chin) They made it very clear (Amanda/James) they wanted me and Tom gone; we’re not gone yet, we’re not planning on going anywhere…” In hindsight, it now seems obvious why they chose Colby and not Tom to give a confessional about the events – when Colby was shown on screen I was immediately surprised by this as Tom seemed the better choice – we know why this was done however. Interesting that JT is labeled a hero by Colby; there may be some subtle manipulation here in that if JT stands by Tom/Colby he is "good" but if he doesn't, he is a "villain." Again though, this may be my penchant for overthinking. JT “I didn’t do anything for personal reasons tonight. (Colby then Rupert) Everything I’ve done was for the team and everybody would’ve known had I made my mind up before Tribal Council. (Amanda/James) Cirie’s game has always been she stays loyal until things get rough after the merge and the way things are going, things are going to get rough for us. I hope everyone realizes I did it for the team….” (Rupert) Rupert (conf) “I’m a little pissed off right now; I’m a lot pissed off right now. Don’t know about JT as much as I did a few hours ago” The scene helped to continue with the storyline that has been established for JT – the hero playing at villain but apparently not doing a very good job at it. JT’s edit is very strong orally and visually and plays a big role (although it could definitively end at merger as early, big edits can) but his edit is so clearly undefined (quite a contradiction in terms) He lets us know strategies, goes against them, goes back to them and the audience can't help but scratch their heads as to what exactly he is doing. All we know for sure is that he wants everyone to trust him; the irony is that he is doing the exact opposite. It takes a lot of finesse to form alliances with everyone and not get caught and JT appears to have bitten off more than he can chew. At this point, I am not even sure what his plan is and the editors seem to be alluding to the fact that JT may not even know anymore. As we can see, even Amanda (who is cited as not the sharpest tool in the shed) isn’t buying what JT is selling Amanda “So what’s up with everything now?”
JT “They think I saved them, I didn’t. I got rid of Cirie while I had the chance and I swear I will never turn on you guys, never” (Amanda’s not convinced and JT swears up and down to her) Amanda (conf) “JT can tell me everything he wants to tell me and I see right through him. In the back of my mind I know that he will lie and he makes alliances like they were yesterday’s news; I think he made twenty alliances already. If he wants to play this game, game on. Bring it on!” Amanda and JT are obviously a tight pair in the alliance of JT/James/Rupert and Amanda (or they were) as we have seen their closeness last episode as well. Interesting to note that Rupert and Amanda had their perspective shown on what JT did but James did not which only furthers the obvious fact that the editors are not investing much in James’ edit nor do they want him to even be positive while he is there; his injury may be the reason. Perhaps there will be some upcoming battle between Amanda and JT should JT pull another stunt with Amanda involved. Amanda has had a very nice edit thus far and I cannot see how she won’t play a role in rounding out the Micronesia connection that has to be fulfilled by way of merger. My biggest issue that I back burnered with Amanda was the lack of showing from her when she was the boot candidate. We heard nothing from her about this whatsoever and I would suspect that if she was end game, this was a golden opportunity the editors would never pass up. Vulnerability is a wonderful route for end game players and she was completely overlooked that episode however I cannot rule Amanda out of any long term standing right now compared to some others The Villains How could one not include Coach leading the tribe in martial arts movements. This is an editing opportunity one would never pass up. Coach (conf) “I led the tribe out to the beach to do some dragonslayer chi…. It’s complete body control, it fuses everything together… “ “It basically tells your mind and body to get on the same page” (While Coach is wearing the same items, he is standing in one part of the confessional and sitting in the other so the confessional appears spliced) Of note, Coach decidedly ignored Tyson’s suggestion from last episode and to add proof to Tyson’s words of wisdom, Sandra, Courtney and Parvati were shown rather amused at Coach’s antics. Any doubts that the Coach of Tocantins was being phased out this season has been removed but I would say in this setting, he is easier to digest. Thus, one can only assume that Coach will continue on his nonsensical path, make decisions that may seem inconceivable and probably get betrayed by those he puts his trust in. As proof, Coach told us at the onset of the show he would not trust anyone and yet he is shown bowing down to Russell and seems overwhelmed by the trust exchanged between the two. Coach is ready for another eye opener it seems Coach notes that everyone but Russell joined in to which a noticeable change in music occurs. Russell (conf) “Everybody this morning walks out on the beach doing a little co-chi in a circle, you know all that meditating crap. (Danielle honed in on with the frame then moving to a long shot of Parvati) While they meditating and getting ready for the challenge…. I’m looking for the hidden immunity idol” (Russell searching) “It’s a very important tool so I’m gonna get it, I’m going to find it” (Russell finds it) “Today everything changes, everything, Rob’s not in control of this game right now” and “This is my key, this is my key right here. Here it goes again.” Note that when Russell speaks about Rob, it is done in voice over then the shot moves to Russell holding the idol indicating that it is his “key.” The confessionals prior were at a different time as well. The voice over about Rob was obviously done at a different time and spliced in which indicates that yet again, we are being told emphatically there is going to be a stand off with Rob and Russell – there is no question that this will occur in light of the repeated mentions by Rob, Russell and others. With Coach now being added into the mix of this plot (shown later with Russell) one has to assume this is certainly being built into a very important storyline. Not surprising since Russell and Rob are two of the biggest characters on the villains tribe and this season for that matter. It stands to reason that since this “battle” has been already planted, watered and grown, it will be occurring in the short term as opposed to long term as there is no subtlety behind it, no touching upon then leaving; this is a showdown that is imminent and obviously one of them should fall victim. Compare to Jerri and Parvati’s tension that was shown – we saw it briefly and it has been put to the side or the relationship with Coach and Jerri – again we saw it and it has now been put to the side. This indicates that either it has just been shelved and the only reason it was shown in the first place was to build the individuals’ characterization for some reason (after the season ends one can determine if it had to do with juror/finalist connection) OR this is something to backburner because it contains a storyline that will occur later on. The Rob and Russell storyline has been cultivated immediately and Russell finding the idol seems to indicate it may be involved since the idol has been tied to Russell being marked now. Both Rob and Russell have enormous edits and polar opposite – the editors want the audience to enjoy Rob and continue the dislike for Russell therefore whomever is attached to the other by association may be a long term player as well depending on the outcome of this “battle.” Reward Challenge Of note: Parvati’s reaction shown as well as Coach’s reaction when Cirie was announced gone with a final shot on Amanda looking down. Parvati, Jerri and Danielle exuberant over chocolate with Jerri mentioning that is what she is craving as James looks over, rather stoic. The heroes passing on the chocolate while the villain women sans Sandra are shown enjoying their chocolate and Jerri stating they will take the heroes’ chocolate Jeff noting Colby’s reaction with Colby stating he isn’t annoyed with Jeff but wants to get to the challenge and the ensuing “snark” that resulted. Courtney and Parvati shown reacting to this exchange. Rupert then explains to Jeff they want to show they are focused and do not care about this reward (with a shot on James which moves to Courtney who doesn’t take Rupert seriously) Russell responding to Rupert’s remarks that “we are always focused when it comes to the challenge, that’s why we keep on winning” (Amanda then honed in on) Sandra, Courtney, Parvati and Colby are sitting out James injured and the ensuing medical examination JT confesses that if James is pulled from the game, a lot of my strategy has changed (This may be an interesting statement to back burner) JT slams Coach Rupert slams Jerri with a bit of “talk” after Parvati wears Russell’s hat JT in same confessional spot narrating the hope James comes back because they need him and “to lose one of our best competitors would be heartbreaking… tragedy” (More focus on JT when not necessary as this comment could have been made by Amanda, Rupert or even Candice but JT is shown again) James being shown attended to by the medic again leaving the audience questioning whether he will be coming back or not A Rewarding Afternoon Of note, it certainly never hurts when a contestant is given a reward confessional. Does it assist in the edit? Not always but it never hurts an individual and for those who need the visual/auditory push, it helps. It would have been nice to see Courtney and Tyson receive some air time which they easily could have with a “fluff” confessional but they were not given the opportunity which only furthers the suspicion that they are short term players. Danielle has substance due to Russell’s approaching her for an alliance and her association to a big character, i.e. Russell and Sandra has substance as she is one of the few contestants who was discussed by an opposing tribe member, was part of the opening confessionals and had her own confessionals about strategy as well as an association to a big character, i.e. Rob. Russell (conf) “…we got two good things happen at one time. We got rid of the big boy, James and we got to eat chocolates” Jerri (conf) “I have never eaten so much chocolate in one sitting…. I’m like in a mix of chocolate euphoria and sickness” Rob “In the middle of the ground there’s this huge hole in the earth…it’s like something I’ve never seen before” The group is in the water and it is noted on screen that Parvati and Russell are together elsewhere Rob “We’re going to feel real dumb if he’s out there playing us all” (Foreshadowing?)
Sandra “He digged for the idol all day yesterday so he got it” (Coach shown)
Rob “He got it right away”
Jerri “I guarantee you” Rob (conf) “When I played Survivor, there were no hidden immunity idols then so this is all new to me. I’m just trying to adjust as I go along. But at the end of the day we have to flush it out, the only way to do that is to vote for him” More fleshing out of the theme with some of the players/ Rob’s “time difference” in Survivor and how much things have changed (and the edit reflects that he has changed despite what he says to the contrary) and how that could be a big issue for Rob. Additionally, as already mentioned, JT and Rob’s edits are very similar but also completely different. JT is being shown playing a villain with a hero label and despite his really trying, he just doesn’t seem cut out for it and Rob who is labeled as a villain perhaps has evolved in the “time difference” and is now a pretty “good guy” who has grown out of the game. JT is play acting and Rob has matured – both very different edits but remarkably parallel as well. Both of these contestants have edits thus far where I cannot fathom that they are not involved in impactful storylines – the question remains is whether it is a story that impacts the fate of others (should they be short term characters) or themselves for end game. My concern for Rob is threefold. It is clearly obvious he and Russell will have a showdown. That in it of itself proves nothing since Rob has a very strong edit alongside Russell. But, couple this with the editors’ deliberate attempts to tell the audience that Rob has changed since he first played is problematic. Couple that with showcasing Russell as the Russell we saw in Samoa who reached end game is problematic. Couple this with a very significant bridge to Parvati who seems likely to have her own longevity are all concerns that Russell may outlast Rob. While the last point could also be made for Rob (Rob has a bridge to Sandra who may have legs) the issue is that we have NEVER heard Rob discuss his bridge with Sandra; we only heard Sandra discuss it. Russell/Parvati are clearly connected coming from both parties where we only know from Sandra her connection to Rob. For all intents and purposes, as much as Rob is being given a lot of time and care, Russell’s edit is actually the meatier one in terms of plot lines. Russell made alliances with two women, Russell found the idol, Russell is a marked man, Russell is now aligning with Coach, Russell wants to take Rob down are all stories that we see being developed. Rob’s biggest story is how important he is to the tribe, how much Russell wants him gone and how much he has grown since we last saw him on Survivor. He is being herald by the editors but the substance of his edit is actually limited in terms of plot. Rob’s plotline is being served to us moreseo from Russell (for that matter, from other contestants as well) than Rob himself and that concerns me for Rob’s end game status. But, the editors are making very sure the audience likes Rob a lot so regardless where he stands, his "character" may be extremely important to the season somehow. Russell “Things are changing cuz I have the idol” (Parvati on screen)
Parvati “Cheers!” (giggles and toasts Russells) Parvati (conf) “Russell have the idol puts me in a better position in the game, gives me a little stronger footing cause right now everyone’s still trying to vote me out. They all think I’m the biggest threat; for some reason I’m like some evil mastermind who’s going to screw all of them over so they all want to vote me out now. So Russell having the idol is definitely a good, he’s a great ally for me” A little prophecy for Parvati? Or irony? Of note, parts of the confessional may have been spliced in as not everything was shown in the confessional setting. A very interesting confessional and certainly differentiates once again the vast differences that the editors are trying to show with Parvati and Russell and the small scene with Danielle and Russell. Clearly this is the “money” alliance and both these characters are receiving an insurmountable investment. What remains to be seen is if they are the “foil” to another party or if one of them is the foil to the other. We are being reminded again that Parvati is someone that, if left to her devices, is a roadblock for anyone. Russell is being showcased as the diabolical player who won’t let anyone or anything stand in his way to win this game. With that said, are they each others’ obstacle or are they obstacles for someone else? That is a big question to ponder because it means all the difference in the world as to end game players. I'm also not sure if there is a final two or final three and that could make quite the difference as well. Russell “Just grab onto my coattails girl”
Parvati “I don’t ride coattails baby” The above was said onscreen and I must say this may be a very significant comment in light of how last season was edited and the issues made about how Samoa turned out, i.e. Natalie riding Russell’s coattails. With this statement made to be shown clearly on the television, it appears the editors want to make perfectly clear that even if Russell does any dirty work, Parvati is NOT riding his coattails. I felt this was a deliberate statement highlighted Russell “You will”
Parvati “I don’t”
Russell “You’ll ride these; you’re going to be okay. Nobody can know this but somebody has to know with me so we can work it; I’m going to show Coach, I’m going to say…”
Parvati “He’s scared. Coach will do whatever you want. He’s a scared little puppy.”
Russell “And then we can blindside and get rid of Rob”
Parvati “Yay!”
(Russell’s confessional) I found this also interesting that Coach is stated to be scared. Other than the issue that occurred at Tribal Council with Sandra “calling him out” I have not seen any hint of vulnerability by Coach in terms of his place on the tribe OTHER than with Rob and how would Parvati be aware of that. Something is brewing other than what has been presented in terms of relationships on the villains tribe that I can’t put my finger exactly on which tells me that there is a lot of complexity within the villains tribe that is being masked currently. Compare that to the heroes tribe where the “line is clearly drawn” and the only individual who fluctuates appears to be JT – the heroes are very simplistic in this regard whereas the villain seem to be operating on quite a few levels that we haven’t been privy to Russell (conf) “I’m gonna have to convince Coach to come to my side so we can get numbers here. I have a powerful tool and that is the hidden immunity idol” (Last portion seen in confessional; early statement said in voice over) Russell “I have the idol, and now we have the idol, so we get to the merge, we have to be able to get to the merge, we can blindside whoever we want at any time we want and let me tell you something, on my life, that’s the way I play to keep MY numbers to get further in the game, I don’t have any problem to give it to you to get further in the game with the votes”
And the fix is in….
(Coach confessional shown)
Russell “Dude, it took me three days” (Coach reacts) “Digging and digging…”
(More of Coach)
Coach “I feel like I got to do something monumental like knights of the round table…. You knight me just like that” (The “knighting” is shown) “I feel like this is a monumental moment and I honor you for trusting me”
Russell “I would have never come to you and told you if I didn’t trust you”
(Russell confessional shown)
Russell “The king and the dragon slayer” (they touch hands)
Coach “This just blows my mind”
(More Russell)
Coach (conf) “Wow! I mean this is crazy!” and “I do want to play the game with Boston Rob a nice shot of Rob thrown in – with his back turned no less, a nice bit of symbolism perhaps?) but for Russell to trust me with that is huge on his part because I’m the kind of person if you give me your loyalty, it’s almost impossible for me to betray that trust” Russell (conf) “Coach bows down to me; he was the one kneeling to me and I knight him as the king that I am. I knight the dragon slayer to be part of my kingdom” and “I have the dragon slayer on my side, then we’ll weed out little Rob’s group; (the girls are shown with Rob) it’s personal with me and Rob. I don’t think he knows who he’s dealing with, he thinks he’s tough? Alright, let the best man win! Let’s do this!” Of note, this portion of the confessional was in the same spot as when he mentioned that he had the idol which was a powerful tool. The set up to the “showdown” is in full force. Rob is flushing the idol out and Russell wants to blindside Rob and having Coach on his side seems to indicate it will allow him to do this. At this juncture the editing shows that Rob has everyone with him except Russell and Parvati. We can perhaps assume Danielle is with them as well although Danielle is not even given the luxury of telling us this. Russell feels by bringing Coach into the fold, he can “take down” Rob. For a tribe that didn’t go to Tribal Council, there certainly was a lot of strategy talk and talk of the idol which only further reinforces that perhaps the villain tribe en masse is the tribe the editors want the audience to invest more time getting to know and most certainly this plotline is a HUGE investment for the editors. The Heroes Amanda and Candice tell each other how frustrated they are.
Amanda “If he gets taken out, this will be the second time he’s been taken out for an injury”
Candice “I know”
Amanda “So sad”
(Amanda’s confessional)
Amanda “He could have a serious injury…”
Candice “It’s just a ligament I think”
Amanda “Really?”
(More Amanda) Amanda (conf) “I’m so frustrated. You know, it’s a reward challenge for chocolate and James gets hurt again” and “James wants to be here so bad and he looks out for me. I’m like his little sister so it’s like, I don’t know, it’s just hard. I was trying to make myself think okay if James doesn’t come back, what am I going to do and I can’t even think about it right now. I just hope tonight I see him walk down that beach, I really do.” Clearly we are meant to sympathize with Amanda; not necessarily because of James himself but rather HER feelings about James and it did give off sincerity. That contrasted nicely with her awareness of JT earlier in the episode with her game playing commentary. Amanda certainly seems to be faring better than James insofar as the Micronesia contingent goes and she certainly appears to be faring better than some other women this season. However, and again, my biggest concern is the complete lack of showing when she was the boot target which was an extremely important moment for Amanda’s edit to be showcased. One can brush this aside and state there were bigger issues to deal with but there weren’t. In addition, being the focus of elimination is a huge issue for one’s character so Amanda is a bit of a conundrum for me although I can't see anything right now to suspect Amanda is in any danger JT “I don’t think James is coming back”
Rupert “James has been gone way too long; if he was coming back they would have braced his knee and sent him home” (Tom and Amanda shown)
(Tom’s confessional)
Rupert “I mean that’s something that can affect him the rest of his life”
JT “Heartbreaking”
(James is then noted to be walking down the beach) A definitive change in music; somewhat uplifting is played as Amanda makes her way down the beach and runs to James to hug him. She tearfully asks him if he is okay and once again, my thoughts are that we are to be more affected by Amanda with respect to James than James himself being injured. This is furthered even more by Amanda’s additional confessional. The group all join James and ask how he is doing as he indicates to them that the medics don’t know what is wrong with his leg. (James confessional shown)
James, Amanda and Candice are then shown discussing his leg under the shelter and circumstances surrounding what could happen.
(Candice’s confessional shown) Tom (conf) “James and I have our differences and I’m not rooting against a teammate (JT) but in the game of Survivor, somebody else being hobbled in some ways is to your advantage” (Methodical, factual confessional; one can’t argue the point Tom is making. Unfortunately it made no difference for him) Amanda (conf) “James is back and I’m so happy!” James (conf) “It felt good coming back into camp. I mean we’ll see how things go. Hopefully my alliance will stick together and keep me around till my knee heals up. Have to work with what I got, make some lemonade out of this lemon knee” A rather out of place confessional, I would suspect this was probably stated after the immunity challenge had been lost but inserted here for better flow of events. As one can see, this was certainly not as impactful as Amanda’s confessional; ironically she got two of them about James and James only got one about himself. Candice (conf) “If we lose the next immunity challenge, there’s no question in my mind James has got to go; it shouldn’t be a question in anybody’s mind. I mean you can’t lug around dead weight and James is a lot of dead weight” A confessional that could perhaps have been taken from footage not yet seen but this is debatable. While it is conceivable Candice discussed getting rid of James prior to the immunity challenge and that James is dead weight, it seems to me that this is something she may be more emphatic about post Tom where the option to keep James is almost impossible but in order to have some sense of "surprise" the editors placed this confessional in this episode to make it appear that Tom may be safe. Colby would be the next person to eliminate since he is outside the alliance so it is conceivable that Candice may be discussing the situation in terms of James truly being the only option since Colby is young and strong. I’ll be curious to see if upcoming footage shows Candice in the same confessional spot. Immunity Challenge Of note: A little nod between Coach and JT Coach commenting he is glad a worthy competitor (James) is not out of the game Jerri and James as the designated callers Amanda called out to have to find her right partner James incredibly hoarse from calling Sandra having issues with her team and Danielle trying to play diplomat JerriRussell advising to calm down Rob up top “calling the shots” Colby’s anger Sandra “Nobody going home ya’ll” James “I got them where they need to go… me injured has already proved to be better than Tom; he hasn’t done anything in challenges but cause confusion in the puzzle area, what’s his excuses? He has a good knee and is still messed up…” Prelude to Tribal Council Tom notes that it has been established the villains can beat them in puzzles, JT reiterates this with Colby stating “or baskets” as JT then says “or pretty much anything except sumo wrestling” Tom “Now the conniving starts” (Colby agrees as we see Amanda machete a coconut – another nice bit of symbolism)
Tom “What do you think?”
Colby “James”
Tom “That’s the consensus or do you think…”
Colby “I think JT will go along with it” JT “We’re not changing are we? Tom?”
Rupert “Tom!”
JT “No matter what’s wrong with James’ knee”
Rupert “He’s still stronger than Tom”
Candice “Why? I feel like that’s the dumbest move; he can’t even run! Are we being stupid?”
Rupert “I can’t run, If that’s the criteria you should have put me out”
Candice “I feel like that’s a really risky move”
JT “Maybe, let’s really think about it hard. We got the afternoon to think about it” James walks over to the group and a minute discussion occurs over his leg JT (conf) “Logically I should vote out James tonight” (That should have been the biggest clue that James would not get voted out – logic has not played much of a role in the heroes decisions via the editing) “But if I were to try anything snaky again around Rupert, James and Amanda that would put me in a bad spot” Rupert “Candice is pushing hard for James. If we’re going totally on strength, Candice’s butt is the weakest. Vote Candice’s butt out”
Amanda “Yup”
Rupert “I still say Tom but I would vote for Candice now too” (Amanda brushes something off Rupert’s face)
Amanda “I say Tom first then Candice. We’re not going to get rid of James, JT is okay right?”
Rupert “No. I don’t know” JT “It’s just more logical to do, vote James out”
Candice “That’s the way the cookie crumbles… James is the one who’s injured.”
JT “You and I could go either way” Amanda “I hope JT is good”
Rupert “JT cannot cross us” Amanda (conf) “This is so stupid. Because JT didn’t vote with us last Tribal Council but I’m really depending on his vote tonight cause if he doesn’t vote with us that means he’s voting with Tom, Colby and Candice against James” JT “It makes perfect sense to get rid of James. To me there’s no logic to keep James and getting rid of you. You don’t even have to plead your story”
Candice agrees and Tom advises them it makes him happy to hear that. Tom “I’ve got a noose around my neck and until the votes come up and they read your name four times, you’re still alive. I need JT and Candice to see the logic in sticking with Colby and eliminating James tonight. I’m pretty sure Candice (very strange splice occurs between “Candice” and “is” – the editors did a very sloppy job putting the first half of his sentence with the other half) is with us. I’m hoping JT sees the light.” Rupert asks JT who is he is voting for and JT assures him he is voting their way. Rupert asks if Candice or Tom but feels Tom is the better choice
JT “We’re together” Tom “JT’s the one; he’s the swing. I’m sure Candice is with us”
Colby “Where’s JT on this?”
Tom “JT says that he is with us” Rupert “JT looked me in the eye and swore he’s writing Tom’s name down” (to Amanda and James) Colby “What’s the word?”
JT tells Colby it’s James to which Colby replies James should be the one
JT “Makes all the logical sense to get rid of James” Colby (conf) “We’re going to another Tribal Council and most everybody is looking to JT for a vote and the reason for that is because JT is so wishy washy. JT flip flops at every opportunity that he has because he’s clearly just playing the hand that suits him today” (JT shown telling Amanda he swears) “I don’t know what he is telling everybody else but if he’s making deals with everybody in this posse, I can guarantee that will come back to bite him” Interesting that Colby’s confessional ended with Amanda being honed in on as he stated that JT’s antics will come back to bite him. Couple that with Amanda’s earlier remark about bringing it with JT and there may be a situation where Amanda could be the reason for JT’s downfall. Colby getting a confessional in all this muck helps to keep him in the mix for now although I don't see him leaving anytime soon as I do feel certain that Colby and Jerri need to connect again based on those subtle touches the editors are giving their relationship Tribal Council Jeff asks James what happened at the reward challenge
James “….it popped, I thought I was okay… it doesn’t hurt, it just right now it’s not listening” Jeff notes to Rupert that it is unusual for someone to be in the game but immobilized and his niece could beat James in a race to which James replies “No she couldn’t.” Jeff advises he saw James walk and James states with this brace it is harder “but you couldn’t beat me in a race man.” Jeff laughs at this
Rupert “James still has some strength in there. (James agrees) I want to believe James is going to be okay.” (Tom shakes his head) Jeff asks JT if he can understand where James is coming from in his comments
JT “I understand exactly what he is saying; there’s no way I’d ever say vote me out… I don’t care if I had a cast and my leg was broke” (Colby shown)
Jeff asks about the concern that despite his spirit, physically can he perform.
JT “….high level of concern, I mean we gotta win, our back’s against the wall, we cannot lose anymore.” (Candice shown) Jeff asks James what happened at the challenge as James got them to the puzzle
James “We started alright at the beginning then after that everybody went haywire and did their own thing. Over here everybody went willy nilly (group shot of Tom, JT, Candice) and tried to solve the puzzle on each side”
Jeff notes that James keeps looking in one direction and James points out he is looking at Tom and Candice
Candice “He’s mad because we’re thinking about whether it makes sense to keep him with the bum knee or not….” (James interrupts with “Baby you just hustling for your next thing”)
James “I’m tired of arguing with ya’ll; I’m honestly over both of ya’ll” (JT rubbing his face) “It’s whatever”
Tom “Jeff all this pretense about whether or not it’s his physical condition and Rupert saying well we think he’s gonna be okay (Rupert smiling) it’s all nonsense (James looks surprised) he’s not being kept for any physical ability; he’s being kept because he’s a loyal vote”
Amanda “Well it looks like Tom’s putting the blame but also he (James tries to talk as well) tried to vote me out and I don’t think I’m a weak player in this game so it’s visa versa” Jeff notes to Tom fingers are being pointed at him at being one who won’t shut up and just do.
Tom “I don’t see that, not during the challenges, I don’t see it playing out that way (James not buying it) and when he talks about shutting up and doing what you’re told, that’s his voting strategy (Amanda) Somebody tells him shut up (Amanda) and just vote the way I’m telling you (Rupert) It’s not his game strategy; if he’s quiet during the challenges it’s probably cause he doesn’t know what’s going on” (James not happy) Jeff asks JT if that was a fair comment that James says shut up to Tom
JT “I wouldn’t say it was causing us to lose no (Tom) I don’t think it’s right for nobody pointing blame cause none of us can win” (James not happy) Jeff points out to Tom that he played the idol last TC and is he concerned it is him tonight
Tom “Absolutely. It’s me tonight unless a couple of good people vote for the team/strength (JT) and for our unity (Candice) and not for the numbers. If somebody here thinks that James with a busted knee is going to do more in the competitions than (James shocked) I am then I don’t think their being sincere, I just think they are voting keeping their numbers together”
James “If ya’ll really think that guy can outperform me vote for me, put me out (Rupert) I want ya’ll to win and if ya’ll really think you can win with him follow him, go ahead, we’re still gonna be cool” The votes are cast and Tom is eliminated with his telling them to be safe. Jeff has them pondering that their decision will be put to the test since the tribe believes an injured James is still more valuable than Tom In terms of the heroes and their edits, Rupert was a bit ignored (in terms of how Rupert is normally edited) as he has been to varying degrees and his edit is noticeably different than his past seasons. There are the usual hints that Rupert is an honorable man and takes the label hero seriously but the editing does not appear to be going to the great lengths it has in the past to make Rupert the endearing, insecure big guy that we have seen done in the past. Something is removed from his edit and considering this is Rupert they have stripped down somewhat, I am of the mindset that regardless how he fares, HE is not what impacts the season nor do they want him to be. JT is now being called out by Colby to be wishy washy and how all this alliance flopping is getting tiresome and it seems the editing is attempting to make that happen as well; there really is no finesse to JT playing a villain and this comes across so any attempts JT makes to play villain will probably be his downfall (again it will be interesting to see if we can attribute any of it to Amanda as reflected in her confessional and visual) James was virtually ignored even though a majority of this episode revolved around him. Even prior to the injury event, James was neglected and it continues to seem apparent that he is a short term character especially since they are not crafting him to be this endearing big man of the past. I’m not sure what to make of Candice (much like Colby) as both of them are not “feature” characters but the editors are making attempts to keep them visible. Candice is one of the players that I made mention of an edit that would be the hardest to place should she be long term as she is a low level persona so her visibility does suggest that a concerted effort is being made to keep her visible. I do believe Colby will most definitely meet up again with Jerri and while I think there has been sufficient enough manipulation of Colby for him to not leave right away, it would be hard to believe that the editors would “market” Colby in this manner if he were at end game. The premiere episode told us that Colby was so popular that children were named after him, he is infamous for his selection of his final two partner because of his ethics and he is easily a player that the editors would jump at a chance to showcase in a golden boy/underdog persona but there is an overcast to his edit that I feel the editors would hide if he were at end game. Colby let us know initially that it’s been a long time since he played and this is “a test to see if I still got it” so perhaps that will be the bane of Colby’s edit as opposed to end game as he (like a few other notable contestants) is not being shaped in the manner that I believe the editors would take advantage of if Colby was sitting at end game. Again, Amanda is very consistent and I believe very relevant to quite a few stories. It seems very clear that she is central to the alliance on the heroes tribe and aside from Colby, has been key in interactions with the rest of the contestants. I won't repeat for the third time my stickler on her edit but Amanda is being featured quite nicely. What is interesting about the villains is that they are loaded with enormous characterizations this season so those that have been low leveled but appear to have some legs (Jerri, Danielle and Sandra) cannot be ruled out of any long term status. We have seen time and time again huge characters take the focus off of end game players. Russell, Coach, Parvati and Rob are huge characters and they are going to be featured so for those such as Jerri, Danielle and Sandra (I state these three as they all have potential in their edits/stories/relationships to not discount them from end game) we cannot dismiss them. They are just not going to get the same attention as the four characters I mentioned. Look at the past and we have seen it time and time again. Rupert was the big persona during PI yet Sandra won (and was closely tied to him) Terri was the big persona during EI yet Aras won (the tie was incidental/they also were not on the same tribe but Shane was very much highlighted and Aras was connected with him as was Cirie who ended up very notable) YauMan/Dreamz were big characters yet Earl won (and he was tied to both of them)Ozzy was highlighted greatly yet Yul won (Ozzy also was end game so that is another issue altogether but he and Yul worked directly together; I'd say Jonathan made a big splash and was tied to Yul as well) and the most notable would be last season with Russell being an enormous character yet Natalie won (Russell was at end game so, like Ozzy, that is another issue as well but he and Natalie were tied directly together) This is not a hard and fast rule but in terms of editing one cannot discount the way a character is featured so as of now only Tyson and Courtney appear to be short term characters for the villains; the remainder all have potential for longevity. This could also be said for some heroes as well. Only James at this point seems destined for short term status; the other characters do have potential but as a whole I find the villains to be more complex which makes me question how relevant the heroes are to the outcome of the season regardless if one of them is at end game.
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michel 10958 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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03-27-10, 05:17 PM (EST)
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79. "Episode #6: Editing Thoughts " |
LAST EDITED ON 03-27-10 AT 05:40 PM (EST)To remind us of previous events, Jeff said: “By day 12, it was all out war between the Heroes and the Villains and James was the latest casualty.
The biggest battle was back in the Villains’ camp where Parvati was fighting for her life.
<Coach’s confessional about Parvati being the most dangerous player>
Russell and Rob battled it out for tribal supremacy.
<Russell’s confessional about it being personal>
Russell believed he was in an alliance with Danielle and Parvati and he had the HII.
Rob believed he was aligned with everyone else. When Rob led the Villains to yet another victory, his battle with Russell was postponed.
While the Heroes were marching into another vote, James’ injury made him a liability and Candice considered voting with the outsiders, Tom and Colby.
<Candice heard saying that James was a lot of dead weight.>
But, at tribal council, she played it safe and went with the majority to take out Tom leaving Colby as the odd man out in a tribe going nowhere fast. The thing that jumps out of this narration is the absence of JT’s role in Tom’s elimination. As a corollary, we didn’t hear that the Heroes were behaving like villains, continuing the redemption of James. It was also quite noticeable how the Cook Islands women, Candice and Parvati were singled out. Of all the previous relationships, it’s curious that this one has never been mentioned and now both are starting to be seen as underdogs. And, if we thought the alliances were hazy in the Villains’ tribe, Jeff cleared that up for us. I would have titled this episode: "Welcome to the Big Leagues”It applied equally to the Heroes and the main alliance on the Villains side. Heroes
Night 14 Candice : “At tribal tonight, Tom went home and I voted for him because there’s no reason to throw a vote away and make the people that are coming home tonight mad at me.”
<Note that, while Colby, the outsider, was being consoled by others, Candice was shown sitting alone on the beach.> 
Amanda : “Everyone worries about Candice. In reality, nobody trusts her. She was gunning for James. I’m so sick of Candice right now so Candice has to go.” A new Hero sees her uniform getting tarnished. Amanda’s confessional could only serve to make her look bad and create some sympathy for Candice. Note that, in a rare editing choice, we went to the Villains’ camp before the credits. The editors can’t get enough of those Villains! In a scene straight out of those old black and white movies, we had Russell and Rob engaged in major league talks. Russell : “I decided to have a conversation with Rob to make him think that I’m not after him which I am. I don’t care who he is, how strong he is: When you threaten Russell Hantz, when you do that; you go.” Rob : “Russell is going to find out soon enough that he’s out of his league. I just did everything that I could to make him as paranoid as he could, to see him run around like a crazy man. He’s not playing with the amateurs anymore; he’s playing with the big boys now.” Rob concluded by saying: “A lot of people are mad that you went for that idol and they want you out. Watch your back, man.”
Russell replied: “Same thing for you: Watch your back.” Heroes
Day 15 Colby : “Tree mail’s a bit vague this morning. We don’t know whether it’s reward, immunity or both. The biggest question to me is: What does it mean for James? I will put a whole lot of money on the fact that there will be challenges in our future that James simply will not be able to do because of his injury.” With that, we saw James grab a banana. 
Immunity and Reward As Jeff mentioned that Tom was voted out, Parvati looked at Danielle and said: “James is still there.” 
Jeff said: “Danielle; surprised at this vote?”
Danielle answered: “Yes, definitely! We thought for sure James would be gone so he must have a strong alliance on the other side.” During the Heroes’ round we heard:
- James, even with a bad knee, is fighting to stay in this.”
- Courtney: “What a trooper” to which someone replied: “Wow!” 
- Amanda now in the lead, Candice right there in it.”
- “James now in the lead. Who would have ever predicted this?”
- Courtney: “Amazing.”
- Colby still stuck in the middle, hung up, Amanda falling behind…
- It’s JT and Candice. Candice wins individual immunity.” She received a nice hug from our host. 
JT : “Candice was the only thing stopping Colby from going home next. When she won immunity, he had to be thinking: I just done me in.” When the Villains’ turn came we heard:
- “Let’s see if they learned anything by watching the Heroes do it first.” (Hum…)
- Rob and Tyson throwing themselves at this challenge, Russell squirming through. Danielle trying to make a go of it, Parvati right there in it. Sandra stuck early, Jerri struggling to get through.” 
- “Right off the bat, it is Rob, Tyson and Russell. Parvati doing very well! Sandra making no progress at all.”
After Rob won immunity, we had the showdown round where we “heard a lot of support from both tribes.”
Note that Jerri and Amanda were the ones most often heard. In Amanda’s case it makes her look a little hypocritical after saying she wanted Candice gone. 
When Rob won, we heard Sandra saying: “You get the biggest hot-dog!” Colby : “I can certainly see where the tribe might decide I’m the weak link. My gut is telling me that I’ll be going home tonight but you never know what your future holds. There’s so much that’s up to those you are playing with.” Villains Parvati after congratulating Rob: “I went into that immunity challenge thinking I have to win this one and then Rob wins. What? No!! 
"Rob having the immunity necklace puts him in a big position of power.” 
<Rob shown talking to Tyson first and then gathering his alliance>
Coach : “Russell sucks me this way and Tyson and Boston Rob pull me this way. I’m totally the middle-man. I’m smack dab in the center of 2 alliances. But we all know that the Dragon Slayer is a man of his word and when he says he’s going in this direction, come hell or high water, that’s who I’m voting for. I’m voting for Parvati.”
Who else thinks that Coach may have been the one to spill the beans to Russell, saying too much about how the vote was being split? Jerri and Sandra agreed that they wanted to get Parvati. The clouds were shown quickly moving in until Russell appeared on screen, talking with Rob.
- “If you really don’t have that idol, you need to go get it.”
- “I don’t have it.”
- “Then, (laughing) it’s been real. It’s better to play with me than against me.”
There was definite cockiness shown on Rob’s part in this little exchange. Our Villain turned Hero didn’t completely change. Russell: “Boston Rob tells me “it’s better to play with me than against me.” Oh! Really? I believe I’m going to get him to eat those words.” Russell went to Danielle and Parvati, telling them exactly how the vote was shaping up. He added: “I want to put Tyson’s name down and I’m going to give you the idol tonight. If it doesn’t work I go home but I ain’t that stupid. They’re trying to blindside me.” Heroes Colby: “I needed an A+ performance today and it didn’t happen. James, with a brace and all, managed to beat me.” As the tribe walked back in to camp, we again saw James picking a banana, the microphone turned up to make sure we’d hear the sound as it broke from the bunch. 
Colby told the tribe: “I know I’m going home tonight so there’s no need for any scrambling…there’s no hard feelings on my part. Let’s just have a good relaxed afternoon and, going in tonight, I say we give them as little information as we can.”
Colby : “I see the pecking order and since Candice sealed up immunity, I’m the next one to go.” Colby made peace with James who told him that he wouldn’t mind if the “Great Colby” would turn it on to help them win but “if it’s the old sleepy @ss Colby, you know, that gets beat by a fat man and a cripple, that ain’t right.” James : “Colby doesn’t want to be here. There’s no way that’s the Colby of old; one of the baddest competitors ever. He has not done anything. It’s almost brought me to tears to think that my superman sucks. All his muscles are gone so it’s very disappointing to see a grown man giving up like that.” The other 4 were also baffled by the lack of results shown by Colby while we saw him lying in the ocean. 
JT and Rupert brought up the fact that James eats more than anyone. Amanda went to James, telling him he’d have to show what he could do and to beware of the “Banana etiquette”. Amanda : “James just has to prove that he’s ok. They are also mad because James does tend to take a lot of bananas because he’s a big guy and he gets hungry but you’re out here with no food so it’s a big deal to people.” James went along, saying they were going to have the Hero Olympics. Rupert : “Who do we keep? James, who is fighting to stay in the game or Colby, who is ready to walk out? 
We had another shot of a resigned Colby in the water, as if the camera wanted to tell us that the Heroes made another wrong choice.
Rupert : “I don’t want to see James go. James is 100% an ally on my side, Colby is not. James is a fighter, Colby is not. James is power, Colby is not.” After losing the race, James had a small stumble but he said his knee didn’t hurt.
JT : “James is not the kind of person that’s going to say: “You know what? I can’t go anymore.” You will never know it until the man was in a stretcher that he was hurt. We have to see the big picture here; look outside of our friendships and find the winning combination.” 
<Once more, Colby is shown floating adrift in the ocean>
Showing a sense of humor, James asked: “JT, would you like a banana?”
Was it simply a funny comment or were we being told that JT was solely responsible for making another questionable decision? Villains 
Tyson said: “I realized that, if Parvati can vote Russell, I think…
Rob interrupted him: “No. We need to split the vote…” 
Courtney was shown listening to Rob’s plan and, seeing how it turned out, it could have been to tell us she’ll blame Rob for the results. Rob: “I was just thinking to myself: Tyson is one of my allies and if it was me that didn’t win immunity, they’d be coming after me. I know they’re coming after him and I was just thinking of a way so that Russell doesn’t get the better of us if he does have the idol. Basically, I threw out an insurance policy if you will; there’s no way they can back-door us with the idol. We’ll all be safe.” Tyson : “I think the vote is going to be pretty straight-forward tonight. Rob, myself, Sandra we’re voting for Russell, Courtney, Coach and Jerri are voting for Parvati. It’s not rocket-science but I don’t have immunity and, every time I don’t have immunity, I feel a little uneasy.” Russell went up to the group and asked to talk to Tyson. 
Once they were alone, he told him he’d be voting for Parvati adding: “If there was any way I could save her, I would have but I have to start playing the game for myself.” 
We had an image of Parvati looking defeated. Was it part of the ploy? Tyson: “Russell came out and told me that he wanted to vote out Parvati I thought it was actually an excellent opportunity // maybe I flop my vote to Parvati. I mean, I // want her out. I hope there isn’t a revote. I just want to get it over with and get some hot-dog in my mouth.”
There were at least 2 very strange splicing of the words together during this confessional. What did Tyson really say? Probably that it was an excellent opportunity to make a deal with Russell for later on. Anyway, Tyson made his wish come through: He got to eat! As they walked off, Tyson said: “We’re tight, dude”
I really suspect that Russell made some sort of fake alliance deal with Tyson for after Parvati’s elimination and Tyson bought it. Russell: “The smartest thing for them to do is to make it a 3-way tie. That would force the idol and then they can play it however they want to play on the second vote. That would be a genius move. I don’t know if they’re that smart. I don’t know if it would be the right thing // giving Parvati the idol it’s a really tough decision here, way worse than last time. It is really bad.”
The editing of this scene told us that Russell gambled his future. Knowing that, if they were that smart, he wouldn’t stand a chance to go much further than this anyway, he bet on ‘dumb’ and won. How much more did he know? Tribal Council Jerri said the difference between Survivor then and now: “You get out here and it’s game on trying to make alliances…right from the get-go.”
 Rob added: “Hidden immunity idols. That puts another twist in the game…We don’t know if somebody has it or not.”
Sandra interrupted: “We all know who has it.
 "Russell, if you don’t have it and you didn’t find it, you best look for it. Point blank.”
Russell shrugged it off: “If you don’t have it, you can’t play it.”
Tyson said: “…When the numbers are this big, it’s not going to be beneficial.”
Asked about Tyson, Parvati said: “Tyson’s a threat because he is really charming, he’s funny and also he has connections with Coach, he’s got JT on the other side, he’s tight with Rob, he’s tight with Sandra. Tyson is a huge threat.”
Asked about Parvati, Sandra said: “We keep going back that she has connections on the other side.”
On Rob, Courtney pointed out: “He seems to have a polarizing effect. People really like him or they’re really bugged by him. He’s at the center of controversy a lot of times.” Rob voted by welcoming Russell to the big leagues.
Coach said Parvati was so charming it made her dangerous
Sandra said she couldn’t stand Russell, that he needed to get in the ocean and wash his a$$! So adios, go home. After a commercial break to accentuate the drama, Russell stood up to play the idol.
“I think I’m gonna take the target off of my back.
Rob and Sandra thought they were geniuses! 
Russell walked over to Jeff but he changed his mind and said: “No. Not this way. You know Coach, you always say, loyal, honesty and trust is the best thing. No matter how this comes out tonight, I’m going to stick to that. Parvati…”
Tyson looked astonished, Rob couldn’t believe it but he still knew is plan was fool-proof.
Jeff smiled as Parvati handed the HII over.
Coach smiled as Parvati said: “Such a gentleman.”
The looks on Rob’s and Coach’s face changed when a 4th vote for Parvati appeared.
With only 3 votes, his own assuring his elimination, Tyson was voted out.
Danielle and Parvati were laughing, Danielle saying:
"What just happened?" The Heroes’ Turn. JT’s reaction was shown as the Heroes realized Tyson had been voted out.
As they went for hot-dogs, Courtney said: “This is so evil.”
 Judging by the looks on James, Colby and Rupert’s face, it was!
Rupert commented: “The line between Hero and villain is so blurred right now. The Villains are showing the Heroes how the hell this game is supposed to be played.”
James explained he had to race JT; “and I lost.”
He added: “I really want the best for the tribe. I will not obligate anybody to keep me here.”
Amanda said James’ condition was on everyone’s mind.
By his line of questioning, Jeff told the Villains that Colby had been outside of the conversation and had disagreed with the votes.
Colby said he wanted to stay in the game.
James said that for one of the baddest survivors ever, Colby got slammed by the Dragon Slayer… today he got beat by a cripple and a fat dude. It’s like finding out that Superman is a big girl... It’s like he’s wearing a fat suit. Honestly, do you want to be here because, if not, I’m going to stay here.” James went on to explain the banana etiquette which made everyone laugh, Danielle in particular. 
Jeff asked Colby: What’s it like hearing James say Superman is wearing a fat suit?”
Colby: “…It’s a reality. Up to this point, I haven’t performed as well as I had hoped to.” With that, the Villains left and the Heroes voted. The results were much less dramatic.
Jeff said that the vote showed “an alliance was broken and, hopefully, a tribe was unified.” The Story Rupert said it best: The Villains are showing the Heroes how the hell this game is supposed to be played.
Colby’s odd edit received an explanation this week: He was one of the “good guys” only because he was with Tom. Alone, we saw that he wasn’t up to playing this game. The repeated shots of him floating in the ocean while the foursome decided his fate showed how much of a non-factor he will be. Superman is a girl.
So, Rupert, is Colby the winner? “Colby is not.” Rupert was called the “fat guy” and no one objected. That’s pretty bad for a fan favorite. Amanda may have wanted to step up her game but she couldn’t save her #1 ally. Is she still in the leadership position or has the power shifted away from her group? After his role was ignored during the recap, JT was given the blame for voting out James. That would be good if James was still considered a bully but his last two episodes redeemed his story. He really was all about the tribe and we heard that he still wanted to be there even if he probably knew he had to go. Even if the vote was done to put James out of his misery, JT still received blame. Not very good for his long term prospect even if he’s the only strong guy left on his tribe. Of all the Heroes, Candice’s story is the most interesting. From the focus she received from Jeff in the recap and Amanda isolating her in the opening scene, we saw that she had fight left in her when she won immunity. She may still be the next one on the block but I found it interesting that we didn’t hear anything said about the next vote. If the power has shifted inside the tribe then maybe she’s found her way to the top. If she managed to get in an alliance with Colby and JT, it would not only explain her episode #1 scene with Colby where she told him about the overall dynamics but it would also give a new dimension to the scenes where JT targeted her. For the Villains, I think Courtney’s TC intervention was the key: “Rob seems to have a polarizing effect. People really like him or they’re really bugged by him. He’s at the center of controversy a lot of times.”
How will the Villains react to the failure of a plan that was squarely put on Rob’s shoulders? The fact that Russell told us the alliance wouldn’t be smart enough to split the votes makes me think that the comment will resonate with his rivals as much as the audience. About Courtney herself, she seemed to be the one that will reassess her position with respect to Rob. Why else include her comments about Rob, negative comments at that, when Rob couldn’t be considered as a vote option? With Rob being polarizing while Tyson was “very charming”, it’s possible that Tyson was the glue holding this alliance together. Sandra showed that the “anybody but me” strategy was never her game until she didn’t have a game left to play. She always picks sides and she’s not shy to let her opponents know where she stands. It seems unlikely that she’ll ever be able to influence Russell’s thinking much less join him in an alliance. Just like she got stuck during the challenge, this tribal council was almost as much her failure as it was Rob’s. Those strong words she uttered while voting and her reaction shots told us that: She wasn’t gunning for just anybody, she was gunning for Russell. He answered. Jerri’s role was only to remind us she wanted Parvati voted out. Coach was in the middle of 2 alliances but how much was due to Tyson being on Rob’s side? The little speech that Russell made at TC is the stuff that could influence Coach into choosing a different side for the next vote. Danielle had some interesting connections with Parvati in this episode. Those two are closer than just being 2 sides of a triangle with Russell. We saw that during the IC where they shared a reaction shot and during TC. Danielle’s words at the challenge told everyone what to think of James surviving the vote. Although her lack of story is troublesome when considering her for end game player, she seems to have a role to play in the story. Parvati, unlike Colby, still had a smile on her face when she realized she was in danger. For someone that didn’t want to ride coat-tails, she wasn’t shown doing anything to save herself besides listening to Russell. On the other hand, she was shown looking defeated as Russell built up his ploy to trick Tyson. It would have been nice to hear her say it was part of the plan but, as of now, all aspects of the plan were credited to Russell. The best thing about her presentation this week was that she wasn’t only the bait to flush out the idol; she was the most dangerous player on the tribe. Coach and Sandra both said so. Russell showed that he was smarter than your average castaway. He’s still clearly in the minority so the question is: Can he use this new momentum to turn the tide? If Rob is a polarizing figure, I’d say the ground has been set for us to expect some players to change allegiance. That could be all what Russell needs because he does have the alliance with the one that has the connections. It’s the Russell-show…again.
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Slider 29 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Beauty Pageant Celebrity Judge"
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03-29-10, 03:10 PM (EST)
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80. "RE: Episode #6: Editing Thoughts " |
Great thoughts, Michel! I loved your comment wondering if Coach was the one who spilled the beans to Russell. I agree that a lot was left out. Also, I agree that nothing has been brought out about Parvarti and Candice and their prior relationship.On the hero's side, a couple of things jump out at me: VS, you have discussed JT as a villian. I think that he was devious in Tocantins, but he was in the minority. We understood that he was just trying to keep his minority alliance alive. Here, he is not going along with his alliance, and we don't understand his motivation. In Micronesia, when James was voted off, it was decided between Cerie and Parvarti, not just one person, and it was explained later to Amanda that they did it so she would not feel bad about James being voted off. Not sure she bought it, but she had to go along because she then needed them. On a side note, was there a person watching who did not know that James was going home when we saw Amanda's "sad face" during the entire tribal council? Did she go along with this, or did she knuckle under to the others? Why, exactly, did they change their minds? I am no fan of Russell's, but I have to give him some due the last couple of weeks. First of all, he is playing Coach perfectly. He is buttering him up, first with telling him about the idol and "knighting him", and then again before giving Parvarti the idol. Secondly, he managed to confuse Tyson, and I agree with Michel that there had to be more to that then we heard. Obviously, we were meant to think that Russell was a mastermind. Given the information we had, it seems that Russell was lucky. Slider
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suzzee 5961 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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03-30-10, 12:20 PM (EST)
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81. "RE: Episode #6: Editing Thoughts " |
Nice job of putting that craziness together. Here's some Courtney was shown listening to Rob’s plan and, seeing how it turned out, it could have been to tell us she’ll blame Rob for the results. That makes sense. It was Rob's plan and they beat us over the head with that. His plan, it failed, he's not looking so smaht this week. We had an image of Parvati looking defeated. Was it part of the ploy? I had that same thought when she was at tribal and acted really surprised that Russell gave the HII to her. Seemed too rehearsed to me and if they're hiding their alliance to draw votes it certainly worked on Tyson. The editing of this scene told us that Russell gambled his future. Knowing that, if they were that smart, he wouldn’t stand a chance to go much further than this anyway, he bet on ‘dumb’ and won. How much more did he know? Michel, you are right in my head here, I wondered myself how sure he was of the vote especially with his performance in front of Jeff. I don't think he's a grandstander back in camp there were some comments that he was rather quiet in camp or was I mistaken. Anyway that's what bothered me about Parvati acting so "Are you kidding me?" when he handed the idol over. They might be doing a great job of alliance hiding. 
I live in the penthouse of Loser Lodge
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michel 10958 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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04-03-10, 05:58 PM (EST)
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82. "RE: The Players, The Game, The Editing - Survivor Heroes vs. Villains " |
LAST EDITED ON 04-04-10 AT 02:34 AM (EST)Previously, on Survivor, for 3 long weeks, the Heroes had been perfecting the art of failure.
<Rupert shown kicking the puzzle square in frustration>
To make matters worse, Colby a consistent winner in seasons past, was tangled in mediocrity.
<James telling us his Superman sucks>
Meanwhile the Villains appeared to be invincible but the announcement of a double tribal council exposed the Villains Achilles’ heel, a riff between Russell and Boston Rob.
Danielle and Parvati were firmly in Russell’s camp with Sandra, Courtney and Tyson in Rob’s. Both sides were vying for the attention of the Dragon Slayer and his fair maiden but right before Tribal Council, Russell planted a seed in Tyson’s head, suggesting he’d vote out Parvati.
<We heard Tyson use the word “Deal” with Russell so there was more to what we had heard previously.>
At the Villains’ Tribal Council, Russell pulled a double-cross by giving Parvati his hidden immunity idol. She played the idol, Tyson took the bait and Boston Rob’s closest ally went home. Later, when the Heroes took their seat at Tribal Council, Colby dodged a bullet when the tribe voted out James because he was injured. Only five Heroes remain against 8 Villains… More proof that the Heroes aren’t the important tribe by the way their tribal council was merely an afterthought. There were no manipulations done to picture them as underdog. More was to come in this episode that should have been titled: The Clash of the Titans
Villains
Day 16
Rob looked worried: 
“I’ve played Survivor 3 times now and, for the first time in all of those times, I was shocked last night. I can’t believe we didn’t know what happened. The more I think about it, something doesn’t feel right.” That’s a pretty huge compliment the editors paid Russell by letting us hear Rob’s shocked reaction. Courtney explained that Tyson freaked out. Courtney: “It’s no secret that Russell has a little boy crush on Parvati. Let’s face it;
he’s like a bandy-legged little troll. He scampers around with his tooth missing, he’s in and out of the bushes and he never washes and she pays attention to him and she has no problem flirting with clearly anything that walks.” Parvati was seen running to Russell, calling him “my Hero”. 
Russell told Parvati and Danielle they had to work on Jerri.
Parvati didn’t look too pleased at the prospect but laughed at the idea of getting rid of them. 
Rob could hear the laughter and said: “I don’t understand how they can be so cocky right now, making fun of people. How can they do that Jerri? There’s 3 of them, there’s 5 of us.”
Rob: “To me, it’s ridiculous that 3 people would have so much confidence unless something else was going on. <Parvati heard saying: “I’m so crafty!> I don’t know if they were just excited because they pulled a big stupid move or if they think they have numbers on the other side and the merge is coming soon or, possibly, if 2 of those people who are sitting with me in the tent, pretending to be mad at the other three, are actually with them and the joke’s on me.” Big waves and villainous plans 
(Note that the wave seemed to be directed at the turtle whereas, last season, the sea was in turmoil but the turtle swam in calm waters below the surface. It could be a sign that someone making waves will win this season.) Russell talked to Jerri under the watchful eyes of Danielle and Parvati. 
Danielle said: “If you have a tight alliance with 4 people, 5 people, you can get all the way to the end. If we stick together we will get far in this game.” Russell: “I think Jerri has all kind of respect for me now because I put my butt on the line for somebody else. Now, she has an alliance that she has to start a relationship with. Jerri hated Parvati. I brought them together. I’m that good that I can bring people together in this game for my good.” Jerri, speaking to Parvati: “I’m afraid to commit… I’ve had my trepidations with you from the beginning.”
Parvati: “If people are afraid about me, what can I say? I’ve been the target of every single vote because everyone thinks I will get with my people. Why would I do that? It doesn’t make sense for me to do that.” Parvati: “Jerri is completely non-committal. I thought I was non-committal but she’s just like: “People have hurt my feelings in the past and I’ve not gotten over that for 38 years. I’ve been harboring resentment for the people that have lied to me and hurt my feelings.” Well, listen crazy-pants, it’s a 3-3 split right now: It’s me, Russell and Danielle on one side Rob, Sandra and Courtney on the other side with Coach and Jerri right in the middle. They don’t know which way to go.” Parvati, talking to Jerri: “I will give you my word that I will take you to the four…I did it for the girls in Micronesia…We can’t do anything else. Top 4, that’s it.” <Interestingly, the camera cut to Russell who didn’t seem worried at all about talks of a women’s alliance.> Parvati: “I think Jerri is leaning more towards coming with us because she saw what Russell did for me and I think Jerri’s a little bit jealous that a man hasn’t done that for her. I think she wants to take a chance that Russell will save her life and she can have a hero.” That’s twice we’ve heard Russell compared to a Hero. I guess that, just like Rob said in the season’s opener, it’s all about perspective. This new characterization bodes extremely well for Russell. Heroes
Day 16: Still Around? Colby got up to funereal music. 
Candace and Amanda were keeping each other as warm as possible while Rupert said: “Everything sucks… We need Colby to step up today.” Rupert: “Tribal Council, last night, we ended up putting James out of our camp. I don’t know exactly if that was the right decision or not but we have to keep strong, we cannot let the Villains keep winning.” Colby: “Unbelievable! I have survived two if not 3 huge tribal councils where, going in to them, I was convinced I was going home but here I am. There’s a little bit of pressure on me to perform because clearly, if James’ knee had held up, I wouldn’t be here. So, now it’s put up or shut up time for Colby.” That’s all there was to the Heroes’ story. We heard nothing from Amanda who lost her big brother and nothing from JT and Candace who may have taken over after the vote. Only Rupert keeps his one tone narration of “good must win” and Colby to set up the challenge. Reward Challenge: NCAA Final 4?! April Fool! We saw Parvati looking anxiously over at the Heroes as they walked in. 
Courtney and Russell were shown smiling while Amanda looked defeated when Jeff announced that James had been voted out.
Having to sit out 3 women, Sandra and Courtney immediately volunteered while Parvati, after a pause, said: “Me” giving the impression she wanted to play.
Round 1:
- Rupert has it for the Heroes, Russell can’t even catch him…Coach with a free shot: Not even close. Coach with the rebound and another opportunity to score but he blows it. Colby knocks Coach down, races to the hoop…Colby scores for the Heroes. Not a very flattering editing for Coach and it was editing because, seconds before Colby knocked Coach down, he was tangled up with Rob. How did he suddenly get free? It probably lasted longer than what we saw. Round 2:
- Candace knocks Danielle down, leaving Amanda open. Once again Colby and Coach matching up. Colby has had Coach’s number in this challenge… Colby comes up short. Coach now with the ball… 
<As Candace tackled him we heard Courtney hollering: “Coach; it’s a chick. Come on!”> Colby takes it from Jerri, over to Candace. Candace: In and out!
Colby just tosses Jerri out of the way. (Outback flashback!) Heroes are much more aggressive in this challenge. Colby to a wide open Amanda. Danielle blocks Amanda twice. Candace has it for the Heroes. Candace scores.
As the Heroes congratulated each other, Sandra was heard saying: “We might be eating chicken from the camp” making Parvati laugh. Round 3:
- JT sprints to that ball, no one even close to him.
 Russell takes Rupert down and they’re going at it. JT passes to Colby underneath the goal: This challenge is over.
After it was over, we saw Rupert and Russell still fighting and Colby giving a hug and feeling up Candace! “Redemption baby!” he yelled. 
Leaving the challenge, his arm wrapped around Candace
 Colby, in confessional, said: “We dropped the hammer on the villains and, for me personally, I had a lot riding on this. A win like that, not only buys me a little more time, but it relieves the tension in my tribe.” Reward JT: “Today just proves were are a family, we are together. We are much stronger than they are right now. We got them on their heels and it’s time for a little redemption.” While everyone went for the food, Candace spotted something: 
“Oh, what’s this? You guys, there’s another immunity idol at our beach. Do you want to wait for later and we’ll all read it?”
They agreed.
Rupert: “When Candace pulled that letter out, it brought the game back home. Before then we were out of the game, we were having a meal, we were having a nice time as our fantastic five."
<We saw Amanda get up and walk over to get the clue.>
"Of course, we tried to ignore the clue. We had such a good time going for a few minutes and the game creeps back in.” After Amanda read the clue, JT said: “Let’s not let that come between us. If you want, we’re going to look for it together. That is for us to use against the Villains.”
Colby: “The cool thing was; immediately all 5 players agreed. When we do find it, we will find it as a tribe and that is a unified front and we’re all in agreement on that. We are now fighting the good fight as a team and that is the most positive thing to come out of today is realizing that we are now a tribe of 5 that is very ready to take on the Villains.” Since that is the only thing to come out this day for the Heroes, how many think that Colby’s nice words won’t come true? The presentation of the scene gave me the impression this idol will come back to bite one of them, more likely JT or Colby, in the butt or that this five isn’t as unified as we are being led to believe. Villains With Coach standing close by, Jerri and Russell were talking on the beach.
Russell told Jerri he wanted to go to the end with her and Coach.
Jerri invited Coach to join them.
Russell said: “Coach, I don’t know how else to explain to you that you can trust me. You and Jerri, I want to take to the top 3, that’s what I want. Parvati? I don’t think I can beat her for the million.” Coach: “Russell is empowered by this game because, with all the gullible people out here, he thinks he can out-talk anybody. So, the next thing I know when I join the conversation, after I am beckoned over because I don’t want to go over and seem paranoid…Russell is spinning a pure line of gold and Jerri is just hook, line and sinker…Yeah, Jerri and I are honor-bound to play this game together but if Jerri says “I’m in this wholeheartedly with Russell”, I have no choice. I don’t know, the waters are so muddy right now and Jerri has muddied them.”
As Russell left, Coach sat next to Jerri.
(For fans of Lost, notice that Coach, dressed in black, was holding a white rock!
*Cue the “Twilight Zone” music*!!!) Jerri said: “What Russell pulled off at Tribal Council, it took huge balls. I don’t trust Rob, we have a history and we’re old-school players… and I wanted to trust him because of that but I realize Rob is not trustworthy. He’s proved it”
Coach: “He proved it 6 years ago when he was playing a different game and every time he says he’s going to vote for somebody in this game so far, he’s done it… I’m kinda hurt because you sit there in front of Russell and me and say: “Russell, I’m in and I just hope Coach is in too”… You didn’t talk to me first. That’s what hurts: Putting me and Russell together in terms of trust.” Jerri: “As much as I like Coach, that guy is so naïve. Russell is in this game to play it and he’s in it to win it and you know what? So am I. So, as much as I like Coach and as much as I trust him, I mean I don’t see someone who gets it like in the grand scheme of this game. He’s almost dead-set against manipulating anybody. He wants to be the good guy to everyone but you can’t. You can’t be the good guy to everyone and win this game.” Throughout this whole scene, the music was really subdued, almost inaudible but it had a definite “end of innocence” feel to it. This episode saw the end of one of the most memorable players ever but it’s as if this scene was saying goodbye to “Coach-The Legend” who will now be “Coach-The Little Man.” The Immunity Challenge Russell didn’t seem to happy when Jerri told Jeff he’d be sitting out along with Danielle.
Parvati gave the Villains a lead over Rupert.
Courtney kept the lead over Candace who “lost some time for the Heroes.”
“Parvati has to go high now, way up there. She has it and drops on her booty and pops right up.”
“Courtney again falls. Candace is running it.
She’s learned from her first time Candace has made up a lot of times for the Heroes. Courtney is struggling… Courtney lost a ton of time for the Villains.”
Jerri: “It’s a puzzle you guys. We have it!”
“It’s no secret: Rob very good at puzzle.”
“JT and Amanda starting to piece it together, getting closer, Rob and Sandra falling behind. JT and Amanda doing a great job on this puzzle. Rob and Sandra switching sides. Will it help? Rob and Sandra, struggling, scrambling, it’s not going to matter.”
Russell: “We got whooped.” Coach: “I thought Courtney was lagging. Poor girl, you know, she was like almost broken in half out there. We need to get rid of Courtney tonight, she’s the weak link.” 
Courtney’s smile showed she wasn't worried.
Villains
Day 18 Russell: “We just got back from our immunity challenge and got our butts kicked. Rob got his butt kicked today."
"Sandra <shown falling face first on the beach> didn’t do anything on the puzzle, Courtney looked like she was about to break in half."
 <Courtney was then shown laughing>
"It was one of the more pitiful performances I have ever seen. (Coming from an ex-Foa Foa that says something!) Right now, the Heroes are starting to win. We have to do something.” With that, Russell and Rob had a talk.
Rob: “What do you think?”
Russell: “I think we have to weed off the weak.”
Rob: “Who do you suggest?”
Russell simply answers: “One of these” and the camera shows that Courtney and Sandra had been sitting right there in front of the 2 guys!!!
 Rob: “One of who?”
Russell points: “Right here.”
The scene went on and it was Russell pointing out it wasn’t about hard feelings, just a game. Sandra got her hair tied back by Courtney. It didn’t make either of them look like they were fighting to prove Russell wrong.
 Courtney did have a point: “If he was going to vote for us, he wouldn’t say it in front of us.” Russell: “All Rob wants is to keep his alliance strong which I understand cause he knows, once Courtney leaves, he’s at my mercy. I’m after him, he’s after me. May the best man win. Whoever is better at the game, that is who is going to be here longer. It’s going to be me and he sees it coming.” Rob went to Coach and asked: “What are you gonna do? What’s the plan?”
Coach answered: “We have two decisions: Blindside Parvati or get rid of Courtney and regroup the alliance.”
Rob shook his head.
Coach: “Courtney, man! I don’t know what you see. We have to dance around every challenge because of Courtney and Sandra.”
Rob: “She’s loyal. That’s something that you value, right? That’s something I value too. You really think Parvati is more of a threat than Russell at this point? I make a strong case for Russell because I think he’s dangerous and, from day 1, I haven’t trusted him.” They shook hand on voting for Russell, Coach adding: “Let’s get that little bastard out of here.”
Rob: “One way to get people to do what you want them to do is to find what they hold dear. With Coach, it’s his reputation for being loyal…You better say what you said you’d do or let it be known that you’re a liar.” Coach joined Russell, Jerri and Danielle who told him: “It will be Courtney tonight and then it will be Sandra. Get rid of those 2 snakes right off the bat. As far as I’m concerned, Rob could go home.”
Coach replied: “I know he’s been after you since day 1 and it takes a pretty big man not to target him.”
Russell: “I’m trying to keep the team strong and he’s constantly trying to get rid of me. Let’s blindside Rob.”
Even if he understood Russell, Coach still felt that the thing to do was voting out Courtney. Danielle contributed her thoughts on voting out Rob and Jerri agreed with it. This montage showed 2 things: Russell was playing Survivor according to the wishes of Probst, trying to keep the tribe strong, while Rob was going down the way of alliances. It took the blame off of Russell’s shoulders for targeting Rob. Also it showed that Russell understood Coach better than Rob did. Russell knew that Coach was all about the warrior mantra. Coach looked lost when he said:
“I came here to win the game but not at all cost. I don’t want Boston Rob to go home…I can’t go back on my word because Russell crammed it down our throats and Jerri’s being gullible and I’m sitting there like a fish out of water.” Rob had a talk with Jerri in the shelter, telling her to do what is best for her and that she knew what to do. Rob showed his pain, Jerri's face showed no sympathy.
 After he left, Jerri told Coach what had transpired and she concluded by saying: “I’m not a good Villain.” At that point, the camera showed Russell roaming around, telling us who is a good villain.
 Tribal Council Asked how the vote would be different, Sandra said: “They’re will all kinds of names and numbers; I don't know what to tell you.
Coach: “At the dawn of every morning, hope springs eternal. I personally saw, with the absence of Tyson, not only a competitor but also someone who could bridge the gap…Everybody is going in different directions and Tyson was the guy that bridged that gap.”
Danielle and Russell disagreed, Russell saying it solidified a group. 
Rob couldn’t believe it and Jeff said that confirmed what Coach said.
Danielle answered: “People can have different opinions even if they’re on the same tribe.”
Jeff told Rob the previous TC was one of the craziest in 20 seasons.
<Parvati and Russell loved that!>
Rob: “This is not a tribe that’s working together. I agree with Coach that losing Tyson was a big mistake and it hurt us tremendously.”
Russell: “I could have blindsided anybody that night. My alliance, Parvati, was about to go home. I made the best move that I thought was possible. It was my decision.
Parvati added: “A lot of people are mad about it and they haven’t gotten over it and it showed in the challenges.”
Coach: “I don’t think that’s true. I think a lot of us are giving 100%. Everybody is so damn paranoid about alliances and it’s going to continue to be like that.”
Rob: “It’s catastrophic because some people are thinking in terms of keeping their alliance strong instead of keeping the team strong.”
Russell: “You know what, he put my name down. He didn’t know I was going to blindside Tyson. That’s keeping the team strong?”
Rob: “I think it is.”
Russell: “I’m going to use Rob’s quote: “If you ain’t with me, you’re against me.”
Rob: “That’s right and you are against me. That’s clear and there’s been no secret about that. What I’m saying is that my idea of trust and loyalty is different from Russell’s.”
Russell: “Loyalty? I put my butt on the line for my people. I was ready to go home. If that’s not being loyal, I don’t know what is. You don't have the guts to do what I did…If you’re gunning for me; you’re not going to get what you want, not with me. You’re going to have to go.”
Coach: “I see two soldiers on opposite ends of the spectrum… The lines have been drawn in the sand today. I’m begging you guys to reconsider and keep this tribe strong. We can still win every single challenge but not if our best competitors are going to be at war with each other.”
Rob: “At some point, you pick someone to trust and you go with that… I think tonight’s vote is going to be to bring this tribe closer together.”
Jerri: “I’ve been confronted, one by one, with everybody in this tribe. Both sides have positives and negatives and I've tried to weigh both. So, I’m forced to make a decision and I’m hoping it’s the right one and I don't know for sure if it is at times but I have decided that I have to believe it is.”
Jeff sent them to vote noting this will be a turning point for the tribe.
We didn’t see Jerri’s vote but we heard her say: “I’m making a choice tonight in the hope it will be right for me in the end.” When Rob stood to get his torch, he hugged Jerri but brushed off Coach by saying: “You’re a little man.” Jeff left them by saying this was the biggest move yet and it won’t be long to see if voting out Rob brings the tribe together or destroys it.
The previews seemed to answer that question but…I’ll wait and see.
The StoryThe Heroes had their own turning point in this episode and have finally been presented as a unified team but so much was said about it by so few that it leaves the impression that not everything is right. Will Candace forget that Amanda wanted her voted out? Will Colby suddenly trust the wishy-washy Colby? We weren’t shown any reconciliation talks between the members of the tribe, just isolated confessionals and a celebration during the feast that was interrupted by Amanda’s curiosity. There are still tensions there and none were really addressed, just brushed under the carpet by two challenge wins. They’ll need many more and time is running out. Colby had a great episode if we are to forget that, of those 3 huge tribal councils he survived, he hadn’t done anything before day 16. His story is full of ups and downs with most of the manipulations done to make him look bad as we’ve noted along the way. Candace should have had a great episode: She’s the one that scored the critical second point, the one that was the most contested and she’s the one that bridged the gap during the immunity challenge, catching up and passing Courtney. All she really had was Jeff’s: “She learned something from her first time” which could be taken as an allusion to her improvement over her original season. We also saw how close she was to Colby by the hug they shared after the basketball game. For all this, we didn’t hear much from her tribe mates, saying she isn’t weak. In fact, I suspect that many viewers, because of Rupert’s confessional, will blame Candace for ending the Heroes’ party by finding the clue when it really was Amanda that was the party pooper. Since absolutely nothing has been said about her connection to Parvati, I’ll be extremely curious to see what she does at the merge. Amanda had a very poor episode, not even talking about how James’ departure affected her game or how she perceived Tyson’s elimination since it saved a potential ally, Parvati. It makes me wonder if it was to tell us she doesn’t have a game to play anymore. JT is now the leader of the Heroes. If he wants to get rid of Colby or Candace, he can stick with Amanda and Rupert. If he wants to get rid of Amanda or Rupert, he has an opening with Candace and Colby. The two pairs could join to eliminate JT as seen in Colby’s criticism about JT being wishy-washy and Amanda knowing he has many alliances but seems unlikely. JT lost a potential ally in Tyson but we heard nothing about it. JT has been shown to be the main driving force on the Heroes so he ain’t with Russell and we know what happens to those opposing the “bandy-legged troll”. JT’s story seems to be that of the player who gets eliminated at the merge. Will it be because his tribe isn’t the family he now thinks it is or is it because someone goes against his wishes and uses the idol against him instead of the Villains? I wouldn’t be surprised by either outcome. Rupert must be very popular with the kids but he only tells us about the Heroes’ story. He has none of his own. The Villains showed their Achilles’ heel and appear to be in complete disarray. Is it a catastrophic situation like Rob said? They still have the numbers and two easy targets. An early merge could be more catastrophic than a couple of challenge losses! Despite all the comments that the editors let us hear about the importance of challenges, the key is, as always, the votes. When it comes to that, we have seen that the Villains are much more decisive than the Heroes. Sandra and Courtney are now in the minority and, even if the two other factions haven’t firmly gelled, they both agree that the two women should go first. I found it very troubling to show them more interesting in fixing their hair rather than fighting against Russell. Contrary to Rob, we have seen someone point the finger at other tribe mates before: Aras and Shane pointing at Cirie and Melinda. Dreamz who said he didn’t want to point fingers but still ended up pointing one at Lisi and Cassandra. Note that, each time, one went early while one went very far!
Sandra has had a more consistent edit and her connection with Rupert has also been kept quiet. Her presence at Tribal Council is always noted and that’s where it counts. If Sandra is to outlast the next few votes then we have to consider that Cirie had a much more substantial episode when she was put on the block. We heard her mock the alliance of nutballs and say they should let Shane quit. Sandra just sat there, not shown as a fighter. The editing up to now makes me think that this season’s winner will have to make some big moves, create big waves, not just surf on them. Sandra still has time to make those moves but she hasn’t been shown as being able to do that.
Coach had trouble coping with Sandra’s criticism during their first tribal council, how will he survive the death blow to his ego delivered by Rob. I don’t think he will because his talk with Jerri felt like an ending. Jerri’s confessional ended Coach’s story on Survivor: “That guy is so naïve…I don’t see someone who gets it like in the grand scheme of this game.” Turn out the lights. Danielle’s influence on the alliance was shown a bit more in this episode when she helped Russell and Parvati convince Jerri but she still doesn’t get any airtime to tell us about her thoughts. She plays a role in the story but it isn’t her story. Jerri had a very interesting episode and we really felt her turmoil. Did she make the right decision? Being 5th in an alliance solely led by Rob isn’t a very good position. With Russell and Parvati, there could be more room to create conflicts and find an opening. The problem is that we heard from Coach that Jerri was being gullible and from Parvati that she was acting emotionally, desperately wanting a man to be her hero. It makes us think that her decision won’t pay off in the end. Parvati received some interesting manipulation during this episode. Her “I’m so crafty” was totally out of place but gave her a role in this turning point. Rob was worried when he heard her laugh and thought the joke could be on him. Since the events proved him right, the montage made it look like she knew the plan would work. Even if Russell said he was good for bringing the two together, it was Parvati that finally convinced Jerri to commit and she got the confessional to talk about it. If we see her “making waves” meaning not riding Russell’s coattails but actually making decisions, her story could lead her to victory. We heard Russell saying he couldn't beat her for the million. If they make it to the end together, is he right? Up to now, Russell has been making the moves and there isn’t as much negativity around him as in S19. At least, he hasn’t stood up for a bully like Ben. Even Coach was heard saying that Russell was a big man for not going after Rob immediately like Rob had done. Where Marisa and Betty were victims of the troll, Tyson was a victim of his own stupidity. Russell had to vote them out. That is how a winner making decision is portrayed. For the season’s theme, we had Parvati calling him a hero showing that labels are dependant on perspective and, when Jerri said she wasn’t a good villain, the camera told us who was.
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BPNM 5 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "American Cancer Society Spokesperson"
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04-04-10, 02:25 AM (EST)
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84. "RE: The Players, The Game, The Editing - Survivor Heroes vs. Villains " |
I've been lurking and reading the editing thread on this board for a couple of seasons now. I usually don't have especially good intuition on how the editing is being done but I do appreciate reading what other people have to say about it. Michel, as always, you did an thoroughly excellent job of analyzing all the main points of the episode. I get the feeling that from what's been presented so far, Russell and Parvati are being set up as the players who are the most likely to make it far in the game. Before I get too deep into this, I will freely admit that I am not a huge Russell fan, so my objectivity may be suffering here. With that said...I think that the scene with Russell telling Rob that he thinks Courtney or Sandra should go while both women are sitting right there deserves a little more attention. So far, I have noticed two things in Survivor that are almost always presented to make someone look foolish: being credited with making your tribe throw a challenge, and remorselessly telling someone to their face that you are planning to vote them out. Rarely do people portrayed as foolish win the game. Time and time again, survivors who have directly told others that they would be voting them out have not won. Lex told Jerri (and maybe others too, I can't remember) that she would be going in All-Stars, and he was gone in the merge episode. Susie told Corinne that she was thinking of voting for Corinne to her face, and ultimately Susie lost to Bob. While Susie was not portrayed as being a particularly bad player (she was hardly portrayed at all), I feel pretty certain that had she won, that scene would not have been included, or would have at least been edited a bit differently (showing not only Corinne being bitchy but the Onion Alliance as a whole being much more overconfident/evil, etc). As you mentioned, Dre singled out Cass and Lisi, which built up his character as being two-faced and contradictory. The Fiji jury really hit him hard for that, and ended up giving Earl the sweep. Aras is really the only one of the famous vote-revealers to win, but in his case he was overshadowed by Shane, who not only told Cirie and Melinda that they were being targeted but also said that he didn't care which one of them went first. Aras came off as a bit more apologetic and didn't make Cirie and Melinda seem interchangable. And of course, he later formed an important relationship with Cirie, which could be read as an indication that he had made a turnaround and matured. Aras' winner story seemed largely about looking good by comparison (both to the other non-Terry contestants and himself earlier in the game), perhaps moreso than any other winner there has been so far. Anyway, looking at the Russell targeting Courtney/Sandra scene again, I can't see how Russell is going to ever show remorse for that. He's just too arrogant and proud - I am reminded of the Samoa finale when he basically told Natalie and Mick that there was nothing they could do in the final tribal council to beat him. I also don't think that he's going to look good by comparison - strategically, he'll probably look great, but as several players in this game have noted (especially Rob!), there are egos in play. As the rest of the survivors go down, they'll want to fall as gracefully as possible, and Russell won't allow for that. He may be coming off slightly better than last time (he is playing with a bunch of villains, after all), but to me his edit is just not different enough compared to Samoa to carry him to victory. If the villains are shown to be free of conflict in the next episdoe, I might buy into the argument that Russell actually did what was good for the tribe by booting Rob. However, the previews are already hinting otherwise, so I have little faith that Russell will come out of this looking especially good. As with all editing analysis, only time will tell if anything I said is right or if I'm completely off my rocker. I hope that this doesn't sound like too much of an attack on what you wrote, Michel - you've got way more insight into this than I do!
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BPNM 5 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "American Cancer Society Spokesperson"
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04-04-10, 02:15 PM (EST)
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89. "RE: The Players, The Game, The Editing - Survivor Heroes vs. Villains " |
Sure, Russell said that he wanted to vote out the weak. But he didn't actually adopt that as his course of action. He tried to sway Coach by saying they should vote off Courtney then Sandra, but then immediately pivoted to trying to blindside Rob. Coach called Russell a big man for not targeting Rob earlier - but is he really in a position to judge who is a big man, and who is not? By his own admission, he is a fish out of water, and he claims to value honesty and loyalty but his actions don't align with his words, either - he tells Rob that they should get the "little bastard" out of there, but then is trapped by Russell, Danielle, and Jerri into making a promise that he immmediately regrets. Can anything Coach says be taken seriously at all, or is he simply sputtering almost completely nonsensically into defeat (as he did in Tocantins)?Also of note: Russell promises Coach that the two of them can take on any two men that the Heroes put up against them. I'll be interested to see how that plays out. So far, the villains have been at their best working all together on the puzzles - with Rob leading the way, and Sandra also playing a significant role! Rob and Sandra didn't do as well with the puzzle this episode, but the overall implication was that only Russell seriously blamed Rob for the failure (surprise, surprise!) and everyone else thought that Courtney had been the biggest contributor to the loss. Coach has really only had two good challenge moments this season - owning Colby in the first challenge, and then making the basket in the slip and slide. Since then, JT has owned him in the pit brawl, Colby has picked up momentum, and even Candice gave him a huge amount of trouble in the water basketbrawl. As for Russell, he can take Tom or Rupert out of the action in the brawl challenges - at the cost of being completely disinvolved himself. And then he doesn't know when to quit when it is over, with two cuts back to him tangling with Rupert after Probst declared the Heroes won reward. Russell can say "vote out the weak" all he likes, but if in the end he votes out Rob instead of Courtney when he had the votes to do whatever he wanted, is he really setting himself up for anything besides more pitiful challenge losses? Sure, from Russell's point of view, it made sense to boot Rob - and I admit that had I been in his position, I would have given it strong consideration - with a little less bravado. Rob was painted as having not trusted Russell from day 1 - which was probably true - but in the course of this season, wasn't it Russell who was painted as the first aggressor, admitting that he had it in for Rob? His confessionals in the first episode or two indicated that he was jealous of Rob's leadership moreso than wary of Rob wanting him out (and Rob didn't bring up Russell until the villains were actually faced with tribal council). Russell surely did not ruthlessly kill a well-liked character, as Rob ultimately voted for him first, but he wasn't portrayed as the source of absolute right, either. Rob wanted to keep Courtney, which some viewers may have seen as a mistake, but he was allowed to articulate why he thought that was a good move, and I can see some people agreeing with him. Rob's personal reasons for wanting to keep Courtney are at least as valid as Russell ultimately deciding to want Rob out, as on a tribal level, Rob was portrayed as being more valuable overall. The editors have built up to this boot all along - it was pretty obvious that at some point either Russell or Rob would come out on top. It sure would have been nice to hear Courtney or Sandra in a confessional after Russell openly targeted them. However, unlike the situation with Cirie and Melinda, neither one of them was voted out in this episode. It does seem likely that, should the villains return to tribal council before the merge, one of them will probably leave soon, if not both. However (and perhaps I am reading too much into this), I did not see the scene with Sandra falling as indicating that she is a Dumb Player soon to leave. I saw it mostly as comic relief, and maybe even an indication that she would take a hit this episode with the loss of Rob (in some ways similar to the vote in which she lost Rupert in the Pearl Islands), but would not be completely done for. Although she didn't have a large presence in the Russell telling Rob to vote out the weak scene, she could still be heard saying she didn't like Russell's plan. She may have lost this battle, but she's still fighting the war. Hopefully, she can tell us more next episode. As for Chez's comment regarding possible spoiling, I reread parts of your long post for the episode, and I think it has to do with your paragraph about Sandra near the end. You used the words "this season's winner" within that paragraph, and you were a little ambiguous about whether you meant that you were somehow confident that Sandra would be the winner, or that you just expected whoever won would give more insight than she has shown so far. When I read it the first time, it did not make me think that you had nailed down Sandra as the winner - I instead thought that you were mostly discounting her chances since she's been so quiet since Episode 1. So I guess it's mostly a matter of interpretation.
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SquidProQuo 2526 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Survivor-themed Cruise Spokesperson"
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04-09-10, 03:11 AM (EST)
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91. "Some initial reactions to Ep. 8 " |
I just posted a few things in the Ep. 8 Live thread but realized they probably fit better here since they have to do with editing:Jeff's recap at the top of the show tonight seemed to be very telling about this season's storyline, and it confirmed what Veruca Salt predicted was going to happen: Rob got the "golden edit" as the Villain who learned from his past and transformed himself into a hero who puts his tribe first. Meanwhile, Russell was portrayed very negatively for taking Rob out and in so doing, undermining his tribe. Jeff's recap remarks do not bode well for Russell at all. For example, Jeff says: - Russell "used lies, intimidation and chaos for his own self interest "
- Russell was "motivated by jealousy"
AND
- "Russell's ego may have put the Villains in a hole they can't get out of." This was then followed by Coach saying that Russell is a bully and Jerri saying she hopes they didn't make a big mistake. I think SEG pretty much knocked us over the head tonight that Russell's move was a huge mistake. (Interesting that Parv didn't get any credit/stain for taking Rob out.) A couple of other quick observations: - Obviously a great edit for Sandra tonight! Interesting how she is planting her own "Sandra seeds" and making Russell paranoid...as this week's promo states, has Russell finally met his match? - BPMN, your comment about how we shouldn't write off Courtney and Sandra based on last week's beach scene was obviously right on, as they both showed a lot of fight tonight and the fist bump at TC pretty much told the audience who they should be rooting for. (By the way, welcome to the boards BPMN! Really enjoyed your posts -- wish I had time to read them earlier.) - Michel, unfortunately I didn't have time this past week to read your excellent post about last episode, but one thing that caught my eye tonight was the bit about Parv calling Russell a hero last week. I don't think the audience was supposed to take that at face value (which you allude to when you say it's dependent on perspective). I read that scene as a humorous wink from the editors to show us how what Courtney was saying was true (i.e., that Russell is a disgusting bandy-legged troll and Parv is a shameless flirt). I think that entire sequence of Courtney's snarky comments juxtaposed with shots of Russell and Parv doing the very things that C is talking about was brilliant editing....and very negative for Russell and to a lesser extent Parv. Coupled with this week's continued negative edit for Russell, I really feel like he can't be the winner this season unless he gets some serious redemption in upcoming episodes.
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BPNM 5 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "American Cancer Society Spokesperson"
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04-10-10, 05:25 PM (EST)
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93. "RE: Some initial reactions to Ep. 8 " |
Thanks, SquidProQuo! I'm glad that I was able to contribute something helpful to the discussion.With respect to episode 8: -It looks like I was wrong about doubting Russell and Coach's abilities to match up one-on-one with the Heroes' men. Russell was the only one to score a point for the Villains in bowling (versus Colby), and Coach of course scored the only point for the Villains in the immunity mud crawl (versus Rupert). Coach v. Rupert was closer than it maybe should have been, considering Coach is thinner than Rupert and and didn't have a broken toe to worry about (which was clearly shown to still be an issue in the grab-puzzle-bags-off-the-net challenge). The margin of victory doesn't really matter, of course, but I just found it interesting. On another relatively inconsequential note: does anyone else think that the villians screwed up strategically not just once, but twice, in this past episode? Obviously, Sandra and Courtney should have bowled. But since they didn't, they should have been put together as a pair in the immunity challenge. The villains would have basically been conceding a point, but because both members of a team of two need to be strong in that sort of challenge, I think it would have been closer if Parv and Russell had paired up against Colby and JT. They still probably would have lost, but it might have been closer. -What is of more consequence is the way Coach's boot was portrayed. Russell was shown to be willing to boot Coach at first, but then seemed to change his mind, annoying Danielle. On the whole, Danielle has been relatively absent so far, so I don't think that the average viewer has much of a reaction to her. In addition to all the negative comments about Russell in the beginning of the recap (well documented, SquidProQuo!), I think this scene could be another reason why Russell may not win this season. My thinking is that neutrally portrayed characters (like Danielle) and positively portrayed characters normally do not get angry when a master strategist who ultimately wins changes their mind about a boot. Either they aren't shown to react at all, building up the master strategist as someone who keeps their cards close to their vest until the axe falls, or they are shown to react positively, emphasizing the master strategist as someone who is capable of making the right moves at the right time. I don't think that Danielle's reaction is the one that Russell would get if he was the winner - especially because voting out Courtney (shown to be weak two weeks in a row) would have been the right move to keep the villains as strong as possible. The only winner I can remember who had people shown as annoyed with his paranoia was Todd, and his paranoia was perhaps a bit more justified. It was most prevalent in his decision to boot Jean-Robert, who was portrayed as his most dangerous strategic opponent. Coach was somewhat of a strategic loose cannon, but he would never have voted for Russell to leave before the merge. -Of course, I did notice that Russell did not vote for Coach in the end. During Coach's final words, it was shown that Jerri, Coach, and Russell voted for Courtney, while Danielle/Parv/Sandra/Courtney voted for Coach. I felt going into tribal council (and I could have missed something) that Russell's vote was still very much in the air - maybe it was just because Danielle hinted at his indecisiveness and paranoia, but I was not at all sure that Russell actually wanted to keep Coach. Part of this can probably be chalked up to the fact that the editors wanted the boot to be suspenseful. However, I can't help wondering if there is more going on here, such as: Did the editors want the viewers to think that Russell is still responsible for Coach's boot, or are they keeping up Russell's portrayal as someone who always get to boot whoever he wants? I doubt that casual fans focus really hard on their TV screens when everyone's vote is shown.
Did Russell really want Coach out, and only put Courtney's name down because he suspected that Coach would be on the jury? Of all the Survivors out there now, Parvati and Russell should have been most aware of the possibility that the jury started with this boot, as the jury began with 12 Survivors left in both of their original seasons.
If Russell faces the jury in the end, will he try to point out his loyalty to Coach, only to have Coach throw it back in his face and claim that Russell could have pulled strings to save him? Coach seemed pretty angry about being booted at this point, angrier than he was at the end of his stay in Tocantins if I remember correctly. Only time will tell if any of this matters, but it might be something to keep an eye on. -I also thought that Sandra had a really interesting episode. She finally got confessionals (yay!), and they were all pretty noteworthy. In one of them, she states that she hates Coach, Jerri, Danielle, and Russell - but what about Parvati? The two of them never voted together before this boot. I don't know what to make of that. Also, in her last confessional before tribal council, she seemed to be unsure if her plan to boot Coach and save Courtney would work. Some may see that as weak strategy, not being in control of the game. However, I have to wonder if having that doubt might be good for Sandra's chances. A theme of this episode was that the game often doesn't conform to one's expectations - total control really isn't possible. You can scheme and strategize all you want, but in the end sometimes all you can do is hope that things go your way. Now, I remember that Russell was actually shown to be in a little bit of doubt before the Tyson boot - he knew that he was down in numbers, and he had to hope that the rest of the villains wouldn't use a top-notch strategy against him. However, it seems that he has left all of his inner doubts behind now and is confident that things will go his way. I think that whoever is shown to be strategizing without ever getting overconfident will win the game. It could be Sandra, but it could also be someone like Candice, who has shown pretty good awareness of what is going on in the Heroes camp (she had a particularly astute confessional analyzing JT in this last episode). It could also be Parvati, who is deeply connected to the negativity that is Russell but has also been shown as aware of her position in the game (being a target for the majority of the villains' boots) and only celebrating after someone gets voted out.
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michel 10958 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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04-12-10, 01:03 AM (EST)
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94. "Episode 8 Editing Thoughts: " |
I'm a little late because I had the fun task of writing the summary for this week. You can read it here:http://community.realitytvworld.com/boards/DCForumID1/4040.shtml Here are my (somewhat less crazy) thoughts on the episode: In the recap, Jeff practically enshrined Boston Rob into the Survivor Hall of Fame. According to Jeff, Mariano recreated himself as a Hero leading his tribe by being a straight-shooter and working hard. Because of his efforts, the tribe flourished. Russell was described as the enemy, a person who used lies, intimidation and chaos to further his own self interests. Motivated by jealousy, he gathered enough votes to get rid of Boston Rob. The Bully’s ego put the villains in a hole they can’t get out of. The Heroes were simply described as a tribe making a come-back because of Rob’s elimination. We also saw them receiving a clue to the HII and JT saying they would look for it together.
Stupid PlayersVillains
Night 18
Russell and Parvati were enjoying their victory.
“He tried, poor guy. He gave it his all.”
“That was awesome. I knew I picked the right guy.” Russell : “Boston Rob was after me. I just won…I’m in control of this game; I’ll take care of them one at a time. This is Russell Hantz, if you ain’t with me, you’re against me.” Parvati and Danielle were enjoying blindsiding people. Danielle adding: “I like doing it to people who deserve it.” Coach: “I didn’t want Rob out. They screwed up the whole tribe. It’s ridiculous how they are cowards and they voted out Boston Rob because Russell is a bully…I feel that Jerri made a mistake aligning with Russell. Now I’m forced to go with it but I feel it’s an alliance based on lies.” Jerri told Coach: “I didn’t want to do it. I’m really upset about it.”
Coach’s look told us what he thought of that. He asked her if she was planning on going to the F5 with Russell.
She answered: “I say we see what happens at the merge.” Coach: “The Villains are in the crapper. I don’t think we win another challenge. We’re done. Pray for the merge.” Heroes Colby was busy fixing the shelter with Rupert.
Candace asked Amanda if she had seen JT. JT was off looking for the idol on his own. He said: “The best thing for me is to make sure I know where it’s at. This is Survivor and you don’t know what these other people are thinking around here.” Amanda asked Candace: “Where’s everyone disappearing to?” She went looking for JT. Searching in a swamp, JT found the idol, tucked it in his pants and tried to flee the scene when Amanda showed up. She asked “What are you doing?”
JT showed her the idol. JT: “Immediately after I found the Hidden Immunity idol, I was like I better get out of here because I wasn’t sure if I wanted to tell anyone but before I could even move, Amanda walked up so I showed it to her. Immediately after, Candace showed up so I was: If I come clean, our tribe will come together. No one will vote me out because I have it.”
That seems like a dumb statement! JT showed the idol to Rupert and Colby saying: “The first one of us that needs it after the merge will use it.” The two women didn’t look too happy.
Candace, with a knowing glance, told Amanda: “Good thing you walked up. How close was that?”
“Close” replied Amanda. Candace: “JT found the Immunity Idol which is not so great in my book because JT is the slimiest guy out here. He’s running the tribe. He’s got a little best friend interest with everybody and every vote, he’s running back and forth and everybody’s coming to him trying to figure which way JT is going to go and nobody calls him out.” In the shelter, Candace asked Amanda: “I’m afraid of saying anything about JT because he’s like the Golden Boy. He’s always right about everything. He’s always in with everybody, right? Is he in with you?” Amanda looked surprised but had to agree. She asked: “Is he in with you?”
Candace nodded and added: “Is he in with Rupert? Is he in with Colby?”
Amanda had to admit that it was true. Candace concluded: “It would be in Amanda’s best interest to work with me to get rid of him and the idol or to get rid of the idol. Either way, JT is dangerous.”
Tree Mail
Russell was cooking crabs and giving some to Danielle who said: “I’m ruining my teeth with this. I need some real food.”
Jerri didn’t even have the strength to get food: “We’re all gonna die.”
Coach told us: “It’s unbelievable. We are starving…It’s do or die.” Parvati read tree mail: “Now for a challenge that’s good clean fun;
no oil, no mud, no brawling.
It’s not who strike first but who strikes most:
Your best meal yet is calling.” How does that translate to merge? Russell figured it was individual, Coach said “Merge”. Parvati: “Today the villains are all hoping that it’s a merge. It’s a challenge of good clean fun and our best meal yet so, I’m happy about that.” Danielle: “I’m hoping and praying it’s a merge and we don’t know where we’re going to end up. So we definitely want to get all of our stuff together and take the tools, the tarp and all our belongings because we could end up somewhere else.” They did go to the trouble of dismantling their camp to bring everything with them. The Faux-Merge The setting was perfect: A nice hut to sit in and enjoy a feast fit for 12. A table full of all the usual favourites and benches for the tired players to sit on, relax, chat and get to know each other.
As the tribes walked in, the Heroes got their first look at the new Villains’ tribe with Rob voted out.
Rupert and Amanda couldn’t believe it. Colby noticed to tools and the tarp, saying: “It looks like we’re merging.”
Jiffy went to Rupert first, asking for his reaction at seeing Boston Rob gone.
Rupert said: “It sure looks like they’ve got a women’s alliance.”
Russell was interested to hear that news.
Like Bubba to Chris, JT sent a message to the other team. His words of encouragement were addressed to Russell: “Hang in there.” Russell: “When I found out that the Hero tribe thinks that this was an all-girl alliance, I thought they were making a huge mistake. This isn’t an all-girl alliance out here, Rob got voted out because of me. Now, if we merge, the Heroes will tell me who they are voting for because they think I’ll be the one to flop. Why wouldn’t I flop if I’m in trouble? I’ll be like “Help!” Probst then asked Russell about bringing all their stuff. To underline Jeff’s comment, we even heard a chicken clucking!
Russell answered: “If there is a merge, we’re prepared and they’re not.” Colby: “The first thought I had when we saw them walk in with their tool box in hand was go back through your mind. You read the same clue they did. What did I not pick up on?” Jeff said: “You survived 18 days out here, you survived 8 tribal councils and it does seem that you deserve a bit of a break. As you have all seen behind you is a nice feast. You will all have an opportunity to enjoy this feast.”
“Before we go any further, let me answer the question on everybody’s mind: Everybody, drop your…<People, mainly Danielle, Parvati, Jerri and Courtney cheered> Expectations.”
Courtney yelled: “Evil!”
Parvati added: Wah-wah-wah…”
I guess Jeff also enjoys a good blindside! So, after his little prank, Jeff explained the Reward challenge while the pizzas were getting cold and colonies of ants were merging right on top of that table. Having to sit two people out, Coach started asking who wants to bowl. Parvati told him to think about the next challenge but Coach wanted to win this feast. He decided Courtney and Sandra would sit. Parvati and Russell exchanged a disappointed look.
The only interesting comment seemed to be: “Russell is the last chance for the Villains...”
The Heroes won. Reward Amanda made a toast saying: “I love you all. Best team ever on Survivor.”
Rupert agreed: “The Fantastic Five!” Amanda: “I don’t want to jinx us here but we are on a little bit of a roll. The Villains still have the numbers so we are still catching up. We don’t want to get over-confident; we just want to keep it going.” Rupert wasn’t ready for the merge since he wanted to knock two more of them out.
He added: “How about Boston Rob? Insane voting him out.” JT: “The moment Boston Rob left the game; I knew the guys were not in control because he was their best competitor. So, it’s obvious, there’s an all-women’s alliance over there.” Rupert told the tribe: “The girls are going to expect you guys to jump in their alliance.”
Candace agreed: “We’ll be the first to find out who they are voting for!” JT concluded: “Now Coach and Russell are on the outs over there. They are sitting ducks. If we merge now, we have them on our side in a heartbeat. I say we stick to our plan. We are dominating. We’re still losing but we got them on their heels.” With this confessional and the general laughter, we saw a clear example of over-confidence. Villains Jerri: “Every single person on this team is an idiot. I’m furious! It’s the silliest thing packing up this whole camp, just assuming there is going to be a merge…Sandra and Courtney should have been playing and we would have strong people in the immunity challenge.”
Danielle asked why Sandra and Courtney sat out.
Jerri said it was because they were just sitting there, saying they didn’t know what to do.
Sandra replied: “I’m standing right here. I never said a word, I said “Whatever”
She went on: “So now, it’s me and Courtney’s fault that we lost the challenge?”
Finally, the blame fell on Coach. Sandra: “The worst tribe ever put together is the Villains’ tribe. I should not even be here. I should be with the Heroes. I can’t stand Jerri, I hate Coach, I hate Danielle and I hate Russell even more. So, any of those four, I’m not going to pick one above the other because I equally hate them all.” Remember way back when Jerri received a lot of criticism for naming who she liked. Funny but I believe Sandra will receive a lot of love for naming who she hates. And, notice that, just like Jerri unexpectedly left out Tina, Sandra left out Parvati. There has to be a reason why Sandra didn’t mention Parvati. Courtney was complaining to Sandra about being down 5-2.
Sandra had a plan: “Do you want to get even with Coach? Russell is the kind of person who, if he finds out someone is gunning for him, he’ll take them out… We could put a bug in his ear that Coach is gunning for him.” Sandra: “I will be like “Russell, Coach wants you gone” and I bet you that Russell will believe me and get rid of Coach. Me and Courtney will be saved again.”
Great plan and the execution that followed was perfect, Sandra. Just one problem, that’s what Russell wanted to do anyway! Why not put a bug in his ear about one of his true allies? On day 20, Coach had a talk with Courtney: “I hate playing this game with these people.”
<With the camera focused on Russell, we knew exactly who Coach meant>
“I didn’t want to play this game without Tyson (and) Boston Rob but it looks like all of that is out the window.”
Courtney replied: “I get that you feel guilty or something but I know I’m the next to be voted out so what else is there to say. It’s based on Russell’s idea of what he wants his Survivor to be like and everyone goes along with it out of fear or something.”
Coach agreed: “It sucks” Russell talked with Sandra: “She was over there talking to Coach. It doesn’t matter… I will tell them this is how we are voting and that is how it’s gonna be.”
Sandra said: “At the same time, I heard Coach say he made a mistake and wishes he could go back…He told her that he wanted to get rid of you. I don’t know about your homeboy.”
Russell was quick to react: “He ain’t my homeboy. I don’t trust him…He’s digging his own grave just like Rob did.” Sandra: “Russell is so stupid, he ate that crap up… So, Russell, he doesn’t know how to play this game. Yeah, he’s done good so far but, with me, he don’t know what he got himself into.” Russell went to Parvati: “He’s going to flip. He’s mad at me for getting rid of Rob so now he’s trying to stab me in the back.”
Parvati asked: “Who does he think he is?”
Russell answered with a question of his own: “Do you know the beautiful thing? If he goes, there’s only 1 guy left and there’s no doubt in their minds…”
“That it’s a girls alliance” said Parvati.
Russell nodded: “Once we merge, they won’t talk to the girls, they’ll be scared to death of you but they sure are going to talk to me.”
Parvati, putting her hands together in her familiar villain pose, concluded: “Perfect! It’s all falling into place perfectly.” Immunity Challenge. Parvati’s look before the challenge and Russell’s look during the first leg told us what the Villains thought of their chances.
Sandra looked as helpless as Lydia had been and Jeff pointed out she was stuck.
As for the showdown between Coach and Rupert, that was the second leg only because a third wouldn’t have been necessary.
When you have Parvati and Courtney in a race against JT and Colby, you know it isn’t really a challenge.
Courtney twisted her ankle but didn’t require any medical help. Danielle: “I want Courtney gone. I’m a competitor, I hate losing. It’s not fair to keep people in this game that have no physical abilities at all.” The defeated tribe went to wash in the ocean.
Coach: “This is like going to the spa. Everybody’s down, everybody’s hurting… and the Dragon-Slayer is just coming into his own. It’s time for me to shine…I should get rid of Russell… but to keep the weaker girls could be a mistake. I’m going to stay with the Forced Five alliance and vote out Courtney.” Coach asked Russell if any funny stuff was going on.
Russell’s reply had double meaning: “I get my mind set on one thing and I do it. If I can’t trust ‘em, I gotta get rid of ‘em.” Russell: “Coach; Sandra said he wants me gone but I have the power to send home who I want to send home. I’ve already talked with Parvati and she is really on board with voting for Coach. Sandra and Courtney, they’ll put Coach’s name down for sure. The Coach-man, the Dragon-Slayer, he’s going home tonight.” Danielle wasn’t so much on board, saying they had to keep Coach in case there wasn’t a merge.
Russell argued they were losing with Coach anyway. He told her: “That is a stupid move. I don’t know how you’re playing right now.”
Freaking out, they butted heads but they eventually went their own way, still fuming at each other. Danielle: “I think it’s stupid to get rid of another strong player. Sandra and Courtney are useless in challenges they’ve proven that to us a million times. Courtney is just pathetic and I think we have a shot at least with Coach. So, I threw that out there and Russell freaked out and screamed at me because he is so in control of this game and everything has to be the way he wants it to be. So, I’m up in the air right now and I have to think about what I am going to do.” Sandra and Courtney realized that Danielle was the roadblock in their plan.
Sandra: “If my plan to vote out Coach doesn’t work, I think Courtney is going home…Russell was talking to Danielle and the conversation was going back and forth. All I can do is hope that Coach goes home.” After a while, Russell went back to Parvati and Danielle: “I may have had a change of heart. I think Danielle may be right. We can take him out any time we want. We should vote out Courtney.” Parvati: “It’s absurd…This tribe cannot get its act together. That is a problem. We cannot make a decision as a cohesive unit to save our lives.” Just then, Danielle was shown talking to Courtney and Sandra, asking them if they were cool. Sandra replied they couldn’t be any cooler.
Doesn’t that tell us that there is indeed a women’s alliance in place? Courtney: “Hopefully, we all come together and vote off the Dragon-Slayer but who knows? They might still get together and vote out the weakest.” Tribal Council Jeff went directly to Danielle to know if there were regrets in voting out Tyson and Rob.
Danielle said the decisions were made considering they were threats so “It is what it is. We thought what we did was the right thing to do.”
Jeff said that Coach was the only one to win a point in a physical challenge.
Coach smiled
Jeff continued: “If given the choice of either Boston Rob or Tyson over, say Courtney, 99 out of a hundred people would pick Boston Rob or Tyson. No disrespect to Courtney.”
Coldly, Courtney replied: “Thank you Jeffrey. That’s what the team wanted to do... I wasn’t part of the decision to vote out Tyson or Rob and I’m sad that they are both gone but insulting me isn’t going to bring them back.” Coach said: “People are probably laughing at us right now and saying we deserve it… I was trying to energize people...”
Courtney wasn’t having any of that: “When it’s a reward challenge and you have Coach saying “I wanna eat so “A” squad on and I don’t care about the immunity challenge” so we’ll put the two weak people in there because obviously it’s going to be one of us going home.”
Coach wanted to know if she meant he was the reason the tribe was demoralized.
Jeff answered: “That’s what I heard.”
Coach replied: “That’s crazy…What we all want as a tribe is for Courtney to say: “I want to do that because I can beat that challenge.”
Courtney simply said: “Thanks Dad.”
Danielle came to his defence: “He’s a coach, that’s what he does.”
Coach vehemently denied he was demoralizing the tribe.
Parvati seemed deep in thoughts which Jeff noticed. She said: “I don’t think it’s that hard to see that we are definitely less athletic than them so, if we continue to do these physical challenges, they are going to slaughter us and we are going to go, one by one, down that trail and our torches are going to be put out by you.”
When Jeff pointed that they were making decisions based on assumptions of a merge and alliances, Courtney jumped in saying that “Everyone is talking about a merge and, all of a sudden, there isn’t going to be a merge so it’s target the weak and, since I’m the poster child for weak survivors…But I’m still here over a bunch of strong survivors so, twisted ankle, skinny chick whatever, I’m a determined little b*tch and I’ll put up with a lot of crap to get to the end.”
Sandra liked that and they bumped fists in agreement.
Russell said: “If you can keep the tribe stronger and keep the trust in place; that’s what you need to do. That’s what I’m doing tonight.” Jeff sent them to vote.
Courtney voted Coach saying: “You’re a freaking lunatic. I’m just glad I don’t have to live with you anymore. Nice feather in your hair!”
Coach looked surprised. He left shaking Russell’s hands and hugging Jerri. Besides those two, there wasn’t any particular emphasis placed on any other player as Coach left. Jeff left them by saying that the problem with trust is you don’t know it’s gone before it’s too late.
The StoryEven if Rupert nicknamed the Heroes as the Fantastic Five and they won both challenges, the Heroes weren’t portrayed as the likable underdogs. Instead, we saw their division and we heard the mistake they made in analyzing the dynamics of the opposing tribe. The exchange between Jeff and Rupert and the one between JT and Russell didn’t have to be shown and it wouldn’t have been shown if it didn’t come into play somehow. With so much emphasis put on mistakes and stupid moves, the Heroes are set up for a fall. Rupert still only talks about the tribe’s situation. That usually translates into elimination soon after the merge. Colby was completely insignificant to the story this week. Now that he has escaped from being on the block, his story has been dropped. JT was finally unmasked as an unreliable player, the “slimiest guy” out there. His solo search for the idol after we were reminded of his promise to search as a team could serve to explain his elimination. However, the exchange he had at the Reward challenge (even if he probably addressed Coach instead of Russell as it was portrayed) sets him up to fall to a double-cross by the Villains. Let’s wait and see how it develops next week but, with so many foreshadowing-knives directed in his direction, JT’s fall seems imminent. Amanda had told us she was ready to face whatever JT could bring. She even realized that JT tried to keep the HII a secret. Despite that, we saw her expression of complete surprise when Candace told her about JT’s duplicity. I may not be able to explain properly what her edit tells me but I see it as the editors telling us she is not sharp enough to win this very strategic season. Everyone has been made to look foolish at times so maybe it isn’t so bad to be portrayed as being relatively slow to catch on but it seems different for Amanda. Where others are made to look foolish but still escaping dangerous situations, Amanda has been enjoying smooth sailing up to now. It has to catch up to her at some point. The game will get very complicated after the merge and I believe we will see Amanda being unable to react correctly. Candace has a fascinating story. She is still presented as being in danger inside the Heroes tribe, she tells us how dangerous JT is, she is portrayed as the smartest Hero, the one that understands exactly what is going on yet we don’t hear any thoughts from her about flipping to the Villains. A women’s alliance which features her old ally Parvati should at least merit a mention in confessional so why is it masked? I’d guess that Candace plays a vital role down the line. The Villains may be going on an extended losing stretch as Parvati suggested but they have been able to hide their inner dynamics. Seeing the confidence displayed by the Heroes about flipping votes at the merge bodes very well for the Villains’ chances. Courtney is such a fun personality when the editors give her some airtime. I smiled when she reacted to Jeffrey’s insult. She really is a determined little b*tch but the odds are against her. The Villains could eliminate 1 woman and maintain the appearance of a women’s alliance by simply saying they needed 1 guy, a Rory, to work around camp. Her lack of airtime in the first 7 episodes and her physical weakness leave her in danger. Jerri saw her closest ally voted out but, despite her sad look at TC, she helped put the target on Coach’s back by insisting it was a mistake to sit down the weak ones at the reward challenge. After that, she was barely visible which doesn’t bode well for her. Danielle was one of the players made to look foolish with the merge debacle. Courtney was shown cheering and Russell was heard commenting to Jeff that they were ready for a merge but Danielle had one of the two confessionals to set up that mistake. However, looking dumb isn’t the most troublesome part of her edit, her lack of airtime before this episode is. On the positive side, her argument with Russell was a reminder of her battles with Shane. Her position was sound so it was nice that she was given the opportunity to defend it even if she didn’t follow through with her vote. Her brief exchange with Courtney and Sandra didn’t seem to mean much but I think it could be the key to the Villains’ strategy. Sandra recovered from a poor episode with a very strong showing. Her plan to place a bug in Russell’s ear worked perfectly as she was able to save Courtney, keeping a buffer for herself. Will this move leave her stuck in an alliance just like she was in the muddy challenge? Like Russell said, the Heroes will be very careful dealing with the Villain women so maybe that will limit her options. Russell, even if he was part of the dumb players that jumped the gun on the idea of a merge, showed how quickly he can profit from the smallest error in strategy. The harsh words used during the recap cannot be ignored when considering his chances of winning however voting out Coach to reinforce the idea of a women’s alliance is one of the shrewdest moves I can recall. Some will wonder if he messed up that brilliant move by voting to keep Coach in the game but I think it was all part of the plan. There was flaw in the original plan and the way the vote was done may have just fixed it. If it did, it probably had a lot to do with Parvati. Of course, it was very troubling for her story that she was so front and center on the merge fiasco. The camera focused on her as she carried the heavy tool box around. It certainly wasn’t only for product placement. This foolish move has to be added to her early portrayal as someone who didn’t work around camp. The editors didn’t show much of her actions when it came to the vote but we had just enough hints to tell us what happened: First, Russell told us that Parvati was completely on board to vote out Coach. While she wasn’t part of the disagreement between Russell and Danielle, her confessional about the lack of cohesiveness in her tribe told us that she must have said something to get the vote to go the way she wanted. Also, we had an indication that Sandra and Courtney were cool with Danielle. Since Sandra didn’t name Parvati as one of the people she hated, I think that Parvati did set up a women’s side-alliance. If so, that repaired the flaw in the plan. Now, Courtney and Sandra cannot deny its existence. Russell, by voting with Jerri, can even use Coach’s fair maiden to pretend he really was on the outside. If it did happen this way, it was brilliant and Parvati was in a unique position to bring everyone together. Now that the need for suspense has disappeared, will she get credit for it?
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michel 10958 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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04-18-10, 02:35 AM (EST)
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95. "Episode #9 Editing Thoughts " |
LAST EDITED ON 04-18-10 AT 10:06 AM (EST)Previously on Survivor, the Heroes unity was only an illusion because, when JT found the hidden immunity idol, Candice and Amanda decided he wasn’t as trustworthy as they thought.
<Candice: “JT is the slimiest guy out here”.>
The Heroes had also convinced themselves that the Villains’ tribe was completely controlled by women…
<Rupert said it was a woman’s alliance>
…but there was no women’s alliance.
In fact, two of the women, Sandra and Courtney were in the greatest danger.
When the Heroes won the 4th challenge in a row, Courtney was the next to go but Sandra made a brilliant move to save her friend. She convinced Russell that Coach had turned on him.
<Sandra repeating that Russell was so stupid>
Her plan worked: Courtney was spared and Coach was voted out, leaving Jerri without her closest ally. Candice wasn't credited for knowing all along about JT’s duplicity and for being the one to convince Amanda about it. Also, Coach’s elimination was only credited to Sandra and her brilliant move. No mention that it fit perfectly in Russell and Parvati’s plan. Villains
Night 21 Sandra: “We went ahead and voted out Coach because I told Russell that Coach was going to vote for him. That’s why Coach now, he’s probably out there looking at the sky, wondering where everything went wrong.” Jerri: “I didn’t see that coming at all. I had no idea that Coach was going tonight, not a clue.”
She was reassured by Danielle that she wasn’t going next.
Jerri added: “Coach was my one and only serious alliance, the only person I trusted out here that I really trusted. So, I’m going to stick true to the alliance that I created with Russell, Parvati and Danielle. At this point that’s all I got.” Russell lied to Jerri, saying he had a feeling that it was coming down but that he wasn’t writing his name down. Russell: “Coach betrayed me by telling Sandra that he was trying to blindside me tonight. We got 5 girls on my tribe now. I feel great about it because I trust 3 of them. I don’t trust Sandra and Courtney so they’ll be the next to go. I promise you that.” I can’t help but think back to Australia and the aftermath of Mitchell’s elimination. The editors back then didn’t let us hear Tina rejoicing over that move and we certainly didn’t feel Jerri’s pain at losing her closest ally. Different season, different themes because, even if we heard her comments, I don’t see Sandra being portrayed as a bully anymore than Tina was and Coach, like Mitchell, wasn't a victim. Sandra’s confessional may be overkill and come off as arrogance to some but, for Coach to be seen as a victim, he’d have to have been well-liked. Even if there was an attempt to make him seem almost human (!) he was still the Dragon Slayer, the buffoon, the legend in his own mind. A victim is helpless against his tormentor (Margaret versus Judd or Anthony versus Rocky for examples) and Coach wasn’t really helpless. In the recent seasons, where blindsides are so valued, it was more important for Sandra to get the credit even if some blame can be assigned.
The key point for Russell was showing he was able to keep Jerri’s trust.
Note that Danielle’s key role in deciding that Coach would go home wasn’t explained at all except for her words to Jerri that it was all last minute.
Getting an almost intimate look at Jerri’s pain is much better for her than what we had in S2.
You may ask about Parvati so I’ll say that she got no credit and no blame which isn’t good but isn’t bad either! (I’m practicing to answer Jeff’s TC questions!) Tree Mail
Note that the Villains were shown to understand the challenge (the game?) much better than the Heroes, Jerri, notably saying that “all the girls should play. We are lighter”. Sandra added that “we have the upper hand against them” which seems to be foreshadowing of more than this challenge. Think back to Boston Rob’s first episode comment that he had no doubt the Villains’ women were much stronger than the Heroes. Rupert looked particularly foolish, his confessional coming right after Jerri had said: “They will put their guys at the top because…You know: The guys with big egos”. Rupert (partly in confessional, partly talking to the tribe): “I’ll be able to do great at this… I think I’m the strongest of all 11 of us still left…I would love to see all 5 of us still up there and three of them just drop out. It would make a statement. ”
Indeed it did but not the one Rupert expected! The Challenge Even before Jeff could say that Coach had become the first member of the jury, we saw JT’s reaction.
Asked to comment, Rupert said: “Cannot believe Coach is gone. That women’s alliance looks very strong.”
Sandra’s mocking reaction seemed meant to confirm their strength.
 Russell liked that and he enjoyed it even more when JT said he knew one of Coach or Russell would be gone.
As Jeff described the challenge, JT commented: “It’s ours for the taking.”
Likable Underdogs are never shown to be so arrogant.
We had interesting match-ups (maybe too interesting, bordering on pre-arranged) from weakest to strongest:
- Rupert/Sandra (who blew off Rupert’s I love you. )
 - Colby/Jerri (who teased the Cowboy with a little hello)
 - JT/Parvati
- Amanda/Courtney
- Candice/Danielle. Jeff noted Amanda’s 100 days on Survivor.
After congratulating Amanda, Sandra said that: “I love Outback Steakhouse. Before my husband went to Afghanistan, that whole week, twice we went there.”
Tough to analyze this as it is as much publicity for the sponsor as development of a character.
From his perch, JT told Russell to “Hang in there.”
From the sidelines, Russell showed he was praying to do just that.
 Russell: “The fact that JT thinks this is an all-girl alliance gives me a perfect opportunity, once we merge, to make him think that I’m flipping. I planted that little Russell-seed in their minds and it’s taken root and they believe it.”
Jerri scored the first point for the Villains and, when Rupert started having problems, she encouraged Sandra: “Hang on Sandra. You popped out some babies, this is nothing.”
Sandra smiled: “Two of them and didn’t even get an aspirin.”
Jeff smiled in turn.
 When Rupert fell, Sandra told Jeff she’d stay: “One more minute” making Jerri laugh.
People who never saw PI would think she’s a tough competitor! But this little banter was definitely good for Sandra’s edit. After the villains won, JT shook Russell’s hand, telling him once more to hang in there.
 Note that Russell went to the Heroes, a gesture symbolizing what he would do after the merge. His move may have also contributed to JT’s upcoming plan, showing him how the transfer could be done.
Sandra and Parvati had a lot of fun seeing the Heroes leave empty-handed.
 The Reward Sandra: “My husband is a soldier in the army and I kinda felt bad I was without my husband and I’m sure he wishes he was at Outback Steakhouse too because we… always go to Outback. But he’s got to do his job and I have to do what I have to do on Survivor.” That was more than just a commercial. It could have been cut after “always go to Outback” but letting us hear that Sandra was as determined to do her job as her soldier husband was very important. Parvati: “After the drinks we go to our table…Everyone is diving into their salad so I picked my napkin and flipped it over and this little rolled up clue was inside my napkin..."
 "...I hoped no one saw that so I stuffed it into my underwear as fast as I could. I knew it was a clue to a hidden immunity idol and I thought I am crazy-lucky because I sat in the corner next to Danielle and I am super-lucky it was in my napkin.” Jerri found it funny that everyone on the other side was thinking it was a women’s alliance, Courtney gave us a Rupert impression.
"That women's alliance sure looks strong."Jerri: “All the Heroes see is an all-girl alliance. First of all there is no girls’ alliance and second of all, Russell is running the show. They have no idea what is going on over here. It’s awesome!”
 With a “Pardonnez-moi”, Parvati left the table and went to read her clue. Danielle accompanied her. 
"Look what I got!"Parvati: “I checked the clue with Danielle just so Danielle knows that I am on her side. I want Danielle to feel tighter with me than she is with anyone else. It was part of my plan to make Danielle really connected to me so that, at the end of the game, she feels more loyal to me so she will protect me over Russell. We’ll fill Russell in on a need-to-know basis and, right now, Russell doesn’t need to know so he’s not going to know.” 
Good Hiding Spot!Heroes JT: “To hear that there were steaks up for grabs was tough…We didn’t come out here to win steaks, we came out here to win the big prize.” JT talked to Colby: “If we win the next immunity challenge, I got a plan.”
Colby found it funny: “Oh! Oh! JT’s got a plan!”
Colby explained his plan ending with a “Parvati’s gone, pick them off like sitting ducks and vote Russell’s ass out sixth.” Amanda: “I think it’s really crazy to give Russell the idol. You don’t know what is going on over there. He could be in with all the girls for all we know. We don’t know.” Although this removes her from the crazy move, I found it interesting that we didn’t hear Amanda’s other concern: JT’s plan was targeting Parvati, a potential ally for Amanda. Maybe she doesn’t react so strongly if JT targets Danielle, Jerri or Sandra. Candice joined Amanda in the jungle and her face told us she didn’t like the idea much either...
 ...but she put a positive spin to it: “It could give us the numbers and it gets the idol away from him. He just gives it up.”
Villains
Parvati (while Russell was just staring out at the ocean): “Danielle and I woke up early this morning and we were like quiet little mice, running around because there is an hidden immunity idol at our camp.”
As the girls started digging, we saw Russell on the prowl, the intent clearly to make us think they could be in danger of being discovered.
Parvati: “I am the happiest girl in the world that I found the idol because it gives me control of the game right now. I’m not going to tell Russell about the idol right now. I want Russell to be out of the loop for a little bit. I don’t see anything wrong in making him wait. It doesn’t mean I don’t trust him; it’s just that I want to see him squirm a little bit. It’s fun! It’s not all Russell running the show around here; he isn’t the king of Survivor. I’m the queen! And usually the king does what the queen says anyway so, I’m cool.” The last images showed that the girls successfully pulled it off behind Russell’s back.
 The Message
JT wrote that he felt he could trust Russell, that they would merge at 10 where the 5 Heroes would stick with him, that he should write Parvati’s name down and that they will work on getting to the Final 3. Colby thought it would make Survivor History.
JT: “I’m really nervous. I’m always nervous but I am really nervous today because I want to try a big plan today. If we win, I’m going to try to give Russell my immunity idol. Based on me guessing that he’s on the outs like I really feel he is that will give us the numbers going into the merge.” Immunity Challenge
There was another prolonged look between Russell and JT.
 When Jeff said “you will have a 1 in 10 shot at winning a million bucks”, Parvati was shown on screen.
Running the anchor leg for their respective team, Colby and Russell had time to chat apart from the others:
Colby: “Hey Russell: You going home tonight?”
Russell: “Mm, Hmmm.”
Colby: “Listen; when the challenge is over, go to JT. He’s gonna give you something. Use it tonight, protect yourself and get rid of one of them. You come on board with us.”
Russell: “Who should I get rid of?”
Colby: “Parvati.”
Russell: “She’s running the show.”
Colby: “Get rid of her ass.”
(Strange how Candice got mixed up in this by the camera work. Does she fall victim of the scheme?)
Russell: “I wish I could shake your hand.”
Colby: “We’ll have plenty of time for that later.” The Heroes completed the totem puzzle before Russell could make it to the beach.
All the players gathered to congratulate each other and JT discretely slipped the idol out of his shoes and into Russell’s hands.
 As Russell walked back to his mat, you could read the surprise in his eyes.(Unfortunately, I don't have a good vidcap of it) Russell: “Now, I don’t even have to find idols! People are actually giving me idols. You don’t hand the enemy the idol, especially when his name is Russell Hantz. You don’t do that. That’s a no no!” Heroes
Going back to the winning tribe was a break in the usual pattern but the editors couldn’t pass up the chance to show how happy the Heroes were about their big plan.
JT: “Damn, we did it!”
Rupert: “With Russell getting the hidden immunity idol, he’s probably beaming with excitement. Russell is probably having trouble containing himself.” Rupert was right but for the wrong reason…again! Villains 
Sitting next to Russell, Parvati was reading JT’s note and having a lot of fun at his expense by dramatically underlining the key points and adding some of her own: “Play the idol tonight to save yourself because, clearly you are on the outside of an all-devouring female alliance… I think you should write Parvati’s name down and send her home. Why is everyone always throwing me under the bus?”
Russell: “How do you give the idol-king an idol? I think JT just handed me a million dollars. Hey! I guess he can afford it!” Parvati: “Why would you hand a villain your heart? JT gave Russell his heart today and Russell is just going to stab it a million times over and then he’s going to give it to me and I’m going to eat it.” The scene concluded with Parvati saying: “What are we: In fifth grade passing notes? What is wrong with him? I cannot believe that kid won.” Sandra and Courtney had more immediate concerns.
Sandra: “Me and Courtney, our moral is really low because it is inevitable that one of us is going home. I’m really sad because me without Courtney is like rice without beans. It’s up to Parvati, Danielle and Russell who they are going to vote out.”
Right then, we heard Russell, Danielle and Parvati agreeing on Courtney. Russell: “Now that we lost the challenge, we’re gonna get rid of Courtney. I don’t trust Courtney or Sandra but I don’t like Courtney because I think she will flip.” Courtney went to talk to Parvati, telling her that Amanda could come to her because she trusts her. Courtney added she would stay with Parvati.
Parvati considered Courtney’s offer and said she would see what she could do. Parvati: “Courtney and I have become really close and I want Courtney here because once there is a merge, she would stay more loyal to me than Russell. I want to keep myself lower key on this one because if I try to save her too much, people are going to think that I have something on the side with Courtney.” With Parvati sitting next to him, Russell showed Danielle and Jerri that the Heroes had given him their idol. They couldn’t believe it.
 Parvati used the occasion to try to save Courtney, saying Sandra makes up lies for no reason.
That and Danielle’s TC comment seem to indicate that Sandra’s move to get Coach voted out is known but we haven’t heard anything directly about it which is good for Sandra.
The foursome agreed that both were flip risks, Danielle pointing out that Sandra would be harder to beat than Courtney. Just then, the camera showed Parvati deep in thoughts as if it was her problem to consider.
The scene ended with Parvati saying she thought she could keep Courtney in check more than Sandra. They all looked uncertain. Tribal Council Sandra was asked about trust and she nicely avoided the question by saying: “When I’m sitting in my living room, whoever Jeff asks the trust question to, that is the last person that should be answering that question…Today, it is between me and Courtney.”
Courtney simply agreed.
Russell said: “It’s always the same question: Who can I trust the most.”
Danielle said that Sandra’s name came up because: “She’s not in my alliance. I’ve seen how she’s playing the game and she’s able to manipulate people.”
Jeff and Sandra wanted an example of that: “I’ve seen you put in to people’s mind things that maybe weren’t true just to stir the pot up…Rob and you decided not to talk to me and you pulled in Courtney and Tyson and I had nowhere to go. What was I supposed to do?”
S: “That had nothing to do with me. Why should I say hello to you when you didn’t say hello to me.”
D: “You were Rob’s little side-kick.”
S: “That’s what you do with Parvati. She’s the boss and you do what she says.”
D: “She doesn’t tell me to do anything. I’m my own person.”
Asked by Jeff is she was the boss, Parvati, who had been thoroughly enjoying that little exchange said: “Of course! If you ask the Heroes, I’m the boss and I’m running a crazy women’s alliance over here.”
Asked about Courtney’s trustworthiness, Parvati said: “For me, it isn’t about trustworthiness, it’s about alliances. At the beginning of this game, there was a strong division: Boston Rob’s girls versus Russell’s girls and Rob is gone.”
Russell interjected: “I will tell you what trust will do. We had a group of 10 and we had a group of 3 that really trusted each other. We are still sitting here. If you really believe it and it’s true, you can make it to the end in this game.”
Courtney pointed out: “There is a tight alliance that formed and you can’t hate on them. I stuck with Rob when I knew he was going to go. That was the beginning of the end for me and Sandra’s side which Jerri was a part of and Coach was a part of.”
Jerri had to say: “I didn’t ask to be a part of that group.”
Courtney countered: “You didn’t vote against Parvati? You voted against the alliance you are a part of now and you flipped to save your butt. Good for you but I didn’t flip quick enough so that’s why me and Sandra are in trouble.” After snuffing Courtney’s torch, Jeff left them by saying “time will tell if you made the right choice. One thing is for sure, there are 5 Villains and 5 Heroes left.”
He also noted that Parvati was going to join Amanda as being the only ones to have played 100 days.
The StoryThe Heroes are set up for a big surprise once the merge comes. Showing how confident they were that their plan would work tells us it most likely won’t.
Rupert, JT and Colby are all set to see that big plan explode in their face. Amanda told us that giving the idol to the enemy was a bad idea but she didn’t get to tell us the main draw-back for her in JT’s plan. Eliminating Parvati before getting a chance to talk to her would have forced Amanda to stay with JT. She was in the best position to convince JT not to go ahead with the risky move but we only heard her asking how he would do it. Candice wasn’t in as good a position to influence JT. It seemed that, once she realized JT was committed to his course of action, she made the best of it, figuring it would remove the idol from the hands of a very powerful adversary. She was one of the first victims of the idol so she should know. Jerri must have enjoyed watching this episode. Her confessional about Coach made her sympathetic to the audience and her victory over Colby must have felt good. Seeing Colby playing such a big part in the big plan must have felt good also. Otherwise, like her TC performance, her showing lacked in substance. Jerri and Courtney were left out of most of the Tribal Council discussion. Troubling considering those two were the ones receiving votes. Danielle was the key vote in eliminating Coach after wanting to vote Courtney out. She didn’t receive any confessionals to explain her decision just like she didn’t receive any confessionals about the hidden immunity idol. She continued to express the voice of reason in booting decisions even if it didn’t go her way. The conflict that was built between her and Sandra during the Council was also good. Sandra’s more substantial edit should tell us who will come out victorious in that conflict. Will Sandra be able to manipulate Russell to get rid of Danielle? It seems to be pointing that way. Russell, strangely, didn’t appear to be the star of the episode. Maybe it’s because we are used to All-Russell all the time but Sandra overshadowed him during the first part of the show, Parvati dominated the middle segment and she overshadowed him during his moment of glory. Knowing Russell, he must have known a clue was available during their reward celebration but we heard nothing about it. Maybe he will make Parvati pay for keeping him in the dark but normally Russell tells us what he plans on doing. There’s nothing that subtle about him. Sandra is edited to be a major force in this game. Note that she received the confessional after the challenge loss, not Courtney and, once more, she starred during Tribal Council. Like I wrote earlier, she did have a touch of arrogance surrounding Coach’s elimination but it mainly made her look like a player. Her exchanges with Jeff developed her character even more than we had seen in PI. All the reaction shots we saw from her after some of the Heroes remarks, Rupert in particular, trouble me. It was as if to tell us she’s forgetting that she’ll need to convince them. We didn’t see her do anything to save herself, leaving it all in Russell, Parvati and Danielle’s hands and, while Courtney was heard saying she wouldn’t throw Sandra under the bus, Sandra wasn’t given an opportunity to excuse her vote. Parvati had a strong episode being both called the boss and the one thrown under the bus. Note that, not only she received all the confessional time for her idol, leaving none to Danielle, she had equal billing regarding Russell’s idol. She is also building an alliance to counter Russell’s plans. For once, we see someone being able to plot behind Russell’s back, leaving him out of the loop about an idol no less. Will this battle that started as Rob’s girls versus Russell’s girls end up in a win for Parvati’s girls? Maybe she is shown being too confident but the story, going all the way back to Rob’s initial comment on the Villain women, seem to be pointing in her favor.
Veruca, if you read this, maybe you could open a new thread by next Thursday so we could start fresh with the merge and Act II.
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suzzee 5961 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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04-21-10, 01:53 PM (EST)
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96. "RE: Episode #9 Editing Thoughts " |
Hi Michel, your comparisons to earlier seasons amazes me. I can barely remember who was on this season  On Sandra: People who never saw PI would think she’s a tough competitor! But this little banter was definitely good for Sandra’s edit. It's always good to make a plug for sponsor and it doesn't hurt to show a good patriotic connection. I had to laugh when in Jeff's blog he commented on Sandra's determination and the effort's she's willing to go to in a challenge. On Amanda, she commented that it was good that the idol was out of JT's hands probably because she assumed that it would be played and hidden again. I think she is counting on a woman's alliance that she can join up with. It's probably why she is connecting with Parvati in the previews. Anyway great job on this, it was a good lunchtime read
agman makes me hot
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michel 10958 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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04-24-10, 08:28 PM (EST)
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97. "RE: The Players, The Game, The Editing - Survivor Heroes vs. Villains " |
LAST EDITED ON 04-25-10 AT 10:35 AM (EST)
Where is everyone?
Oh well, I guess I'll continue just for you Suzzee!
Previously, the Villains were making plans for a possible merge.
Russell thought he was pulling all the strings but Parvati made moves of her own.
She tracked down a hidden immunity idol, telling only her friend, Danielle.
Parvati: “Right now, Russell doesn’t need to know.”
The outcasts, Courtney and Sandra merely wanted to survive.
Sandra: “It’s inevitable that me or Courtney are going home.”
The Heroes were equally sure a merge was coming and even more sure that Russell was on the outs with the Villains.
Rupert: “That women’s alliance looks very strong.”
They came up with a plan to pull in Russell by giving him an idol with instructions to take out Parvati.
At the last immunity challenge, the Heroes celebrated another win as JT gave Russell an idol and a chance to become a Hero.
But Russell’s a Villain.
Russell: “You don’t hand the enemy an idol.”
In a brilliant double-cross, Russell kept both the idol and his ally, Parvati as he and his female accomplices laughed all the way to Tribal Council where they voted out Courtney.
Sandra was left all alone, angry at her own tribe. Suddenly, JT’s plan is turned into the Heroes’ plan. Amanda’s reservations weren’t even mentioned. That’s an interesting manipulation, telling us that others besides JT will have to pay for the mistake. Also, we really are supposed to see Sandra as an outsider on the Villains’ side, the camera even used Parvati’s sad look at seeing Courtney voted out to make it look like a mocking expression of Sandra’s anger. This episode should have been titled: “While Some Were Counting Bananas…”Heroes
Day 25 JT: “It’s day 25. Something’s got to happen, you know. Please, give us a merge, give us a challenge, give us anything. Us five, the family, have been together a very long time now. It’s taking its toll on us.” Rupert and Amanda found a locked box with a message telling them “company will be arriving soon.” Villains: Russell: “We just got tree mail and it comes with a map to our new home. If it is a merge, it’s ok with me because it’s right up my alley. We are going to the Heroes’ home turf and weed them off one at a time.” Back in their familiar “war room” by the beach, Russell told them how he would explain the previous vote. Danielle and Parvati fine tuned the plan with him while Jerri sat next to them.
Suddenly, Sandra was shown approaching their position...
 Danielle warned everyone to be quiet.
 Again, we see Danielle and Sandra in opposition. An occasion was lost to make Sandra look clever by showing that she was caught by Danielle so that she didn’t hear anything. Russell: “Right now, I think that I do have the only immunity idol in pocket. The people that know about it are the ones that need to know about it: My whole tribe except for Sandra. We aren’t going to tell her anything. That idol is going to help the Villain tribe weed out someone on the Heroes’ tribe. I’m going to have them eating out of my hands.”
Russell is slipping, unable to keep track of the idols! As the Villains packed up their bags for the second time, we heard Parvati in an unusual voice-over: “Five of us, five of them. They are going down in Villains’ flames!”
 Parvati was obviously addressing her tribe when she said these words but it was heard while the tribe was shown from above as they walked down their beach. That certainly looked like a winning helicopter shot edited just for her! Heroes Camp The music announced that a big event was about to happen. The camera focused on Parvati’s smile while the Heroes, represented by Rupert, were seen through clouds of smoke as if lost in the fogs of war!!
 Parvati: The Heroes are going to have to watch out; the Villains are coming. Right now, me and Russell, we have both of the hidden immunity idol in this game which puts us in the king and queen positions. The queen has to keep some secrets so I like to keep my hidden immunity idol a secret to everyone. Only my lady in waiting, Danielle knows about it and the king won’t know about my immunity idol until the time is right.” Sandra yelled out for help carrying their luggage and JT asked: “Is that Parvati?” JT: “The first thing I noticed when I looked down the beach and saw the Villains coming was Parvati. Then I saw Russell’s legs behind the Sears box so I said thank God! So I figured Russell played the idol, Parvati had to have played an idol therefore there’s no idol in the game and Parvati’s got to be the first to go. It’s a known fact.” It’s not too hard to sell an argument if the customer is already set up to buy it!
No one in particular was singled out during the opening of the box but we only saw women. JT was shown from behind as he read the note and Rupert was seen only later, while eating. The women are the ones celebrating this season!
 Colby: “When the box got sprung open and the vegetables and fruits were flying, you still, in the back of your mind, think we’re still 2 tribes. When the black buffs came out, that tells you real quick that the old tribes are done. It’s a whole new ball game.”
I don’t think so Colby, the old tribes are still very much alive and represented by Russell who was circling the group like a vulture while part of this interview was heard in voice-over! Someone proposed Yin Yang for the new name but Jerri proposed “All Villains” which didn’t appeal to Colby and Rupert. Rupert: “We’re all winners, we’re all All-Stars. Why not something good and positive. Why do you have to keep the villain attitude? But, I guess, that’s what villains do.” There was a prolonged scene where everyone was heard chatting while Parvati sat alone in the shelter. She was certainly being shown as the target.
We then see her on the beach with Danielle who asked if she was fine. Parvati: “None of the Heroes are happy that I’m here. They wanted to get rid of me before and they’re probably all shocked that I’m still here. I definitely don’t feel part of this tribe so I’m thinking they are going to vote for me because they want me gone… (the scene with Danielle was shown at this point before Parvati went on) I’m offended by how the Heroes are treating me. They don’t know it yet but they are about to be picked off one by one.” Parvati asked Danielle: “Do these people think I’m stupid?”
Danielle answered: “They think they have this game right now let them think that.” In the shelter, Russell was swearing on his kids that he was “on board with y’all.”
JT believed the good-old country boy. JT: “Giving Russell the immunity idol could blow up in my face, I mean he could have never been going home and he could be the leader of all the girls over there. Do I believe it? Not a chance.” Russell: “Hook, line and sinker. They are believing everything I tell ‘em. This is going to be way easier than I thought.” Sandra ran into Rupert on the beach, telling him she was the last of her alliance.
Sandra: “Some people forgive but don’t forget well I don’t forgive and I don’t forget. The Heroes don’t know that Russell is the kingpin and that Parvati’s his right hand man. Russell is trying to play this thing like all these women are trying to get rid of him. I hope I get my revenge cause it’s going to be good.” Rupert: “Sandra just gave me some really good information. Russell told us that Parvati used her immunity idol last night but that is not true. I don’t know if we are getting played or not but Russell might be running the show. If Sandra is true and I have to believe Sandra, Russell is playing us. Boy! This is where the game gets crazy.” After breakfast, Parvati and Danielle wanted a banana which upset the Heroes, Rupert in particular.
Rupert: “In our Hero tribe, coconuts are a plenty…but with the other food, the bananas, the papayas, we divide that up 100% even. I cannot wait to start voting some of these villains out of our camp. I’m already tired of them and they’ve only been here two days.”
Parvati and Danielle were shown being picky about their bananas. In the jungle, Rupert told JT, Amanda and Candice about his doubts concerning Russell and Parvati.
JT and Amanda didn’t believe him.
Rupert said: “He’s on the villain side for a reason.” Rupert: “JT believes wholeheartedly that Russell is on our side and indebted to us now. I don’t.” Amanda: “Rupert is very skeptical of Russell so, just to make sure Rupert is ok, the Heroes are going to tell Russell we are voting for someone and then the five of us are going to vote for someone else. It’s just a test. We don’t want to make this dumb decision and then lose our lead. That would be awful.” JT: “There’s a reason why I have been doing Rupert’s strategic thinking…Do you believe what Sandra told you or do you believe the obvious truth? If Sandra is telling the truth…that means I could be going home the next round…” Yin Yang
Day 27 Parvati and Amanda had a little talk, Amanda saying everyone was gunning for Parvati but she was working really hard to get rid of Sandra. Parvati: “Amanda and I got a chance to talk for the first time since the merge and I think I got probably half of her story so I haven’t decided what is the best plan yet. I don’t know if she’s telling me the truth or not.” Parvati got Amanda to promise she would tell her who they were voting for. Amanda agreed so Parvati told her: “I have an idol… I’m crafty.” Amanda: “I had a conversation with Parvati. I didn’t tell her everything but I told her enough to get her to trust me and she told me she has the idol. I like Parvati and everything but, if she gets to the end of this game, she’s going to win again.” Parvati: “However the vote shakes down, I’m going to make sure that my butt is safe no matter what and I’m going to try to make it work that none of our villains are going anywhere tonight.” The Immunity Challenge Russell told Jeff the new tribe name adding it meant Good and Evil.
Jeff noted: “We are down to 4 people left in this challenge and they are all women. Candice is the lone remaining Hero.”
Is that how the season will go?
After 1 hour and 30 minutes, Parvati surprised Jerri: “How in the heck are you staying on like that? Wow!”
 The Heroes had been wondering about how Parvati could be staying in the game as well!
That convinced Jerri she was done. As she stepped down saying she was dehydrated, Sandra told her they had drank her water!
Candice wished everyone good luck before starting to go down. That surprised Jeff who asked: “Why, in a challenge for immunity in which… you were the odds on favorite, you are going to bow out for no good reason?”
Candice could only say that they looked like they could go on for a while.
Jeff: “All the Heroes are gone…Two villains left and immediately, they start to talk.”
Danielle said she wanted immunity since Parvati had the idol.
 Parvati stepped down.
Rupert saw through the scheme: “I think Parvati is going to come up with a hidden immunity idol tonight or Parvati wouldn’t have walked off that pole but I don’t know. That’s all part of the plan tonight to see if I can oust Russell for the weasel that he is.”
After returning to camp, JT: “It’s kinda strange how Parvati stepped out at the end of the challenge. She’s in such danger and she knows it…(We) write down Sandra or Jerri’s name.”
Colby said they should write Sandra’s name but that he was cool with Jerri too.
Sandra and Jerri were also cool as long as it wasn’t them.
Sandra: “When I first got here, I tried to tell Rupert that Russell was running this whole show. We talked really, really quick and that was it. I don’t want my big mouth to get me in trouble. I still want Russell out bad but right now, I’m stuck with Russell.”
It seems that Sandra didn’t use her opportunity to talk to Colby when both fell out of the challenge early. Was it to prevent any talks that Russell fell out so fast himself? Russell: “My plan A is to give the idol to Parvati so that she can save herself and vote out JT. I don’t have a plan B but I hope for the second time, I’m going to save her with an immunity idol. If it was just me, it would be just me but I have to keep these 4 girls on my villains tribe so that I can get rid of JT.”
 (Note the splicing of this interview together. His voice changes after Plan B so he probably had something else brewing.) Parvati: “Russell just gave me his immunity idol. That keeps me safe for tonight, and I have my own immunity idol, that also makes me safe for the rest of the game. Two little green men protecting me. Everyone else in this game is desperate to get rid of me, thinking I’m the most dangerous player out here so I guess they are right. I really didn’t think they were right until right now but I think they are right.” Parvati and Amanda had another talk, Amanda saying it was weird and that she didn’t know how they could play together.
Amanda: “The idea is to have Parvati play her idol and vote out either Sandra or Jerri. It will be really crazy tonight if Parvati gives her idol to somebody. I hope she doesn’t, I hope she plays it for herself just so…it’s always good. Too many idols floating around just ruin things.” Then added as in afterthought: “She’s so dangerous.” Amanda told Parvati to play the idol “just to be safe. If we don’t talk again, play it for you.” Parvati: “I knew that Amanda was lying to me when she told me they were voting for me. I know you’re trying to get rid of me but I’ll just play along for now. Thanks for looking out for me, buddy!”
Parvati ended by telling Amanda to “let them vote me and go along with them and then we’ll take it from there.” 
Yin Yang: One who is good at reading people and one who isn’t! One cool under pressure one whose head hurts! Parvati; “Don’t they know who they are voting for? If they are saying they are voting me and vote someone else and I play the idol then the idol is gone. So, it’s pretty risky…. Unless you pick the right person, I hope.” Tribal Council Rupert said camp life “is an adjustment. It’s all about the banana etiquette thing.”
Danielle responded: “There are so many plantains and green bananas that I don’t think we should be penalized for wanting to cook a plantain…”
Russell argued: “It’s the ripe bananas” making Sandra and Parvati think he was bananas!
 Danielle: “I always feel like I’m walking on eggshells around camp… We have to find a way to come together so that it works out for everybody.”
Russell interjected: “I think nothing is going to change. There are two separate tribes; the game is on. Forget about the bananas, let’s play the game…Tonight’s vote will dictate the rest of the game. This is the most important vote that I have been a part of.”
JT hoped that was true adding: “I hope that it’s a villain that goes home.”
Jerri said that they had set a wall up, JT in particular.
Russell said it was all paranoia.
Sandra said she tried to talk to everyone, get to know them but “as far as strategy, nobody said anything to me so I didn’t say anything to them.”
Parvati said: “I feel everyone has been avoiding me. I feel like a leper on this tribe.”
Jeff asked: “But isn’t that just because you’re used to getting attention all the time in life”
That cracked up Coach and Courtney and almost everyone else.
 Parvati responded: “No Jeff but you’re right! But no, I think it’s because everyone thinks I’m such a threat and no one wants to be associated with me.”
Rupert and Colby weren’t amused.
Colby, trying to plant a seed of doubt: “Or maybe we haven’t approached Parvati yet because we know she’ll be around a few more days and we’ll have that opportunity.”
JT said the idols were a big topic of discussion.
Parvati agreed: “We’ve seen what idols can do: On the villains’ tribe, it broke a solid alliance and turned the game.” Russell voted JT saying it was a real dumb move to give him the idol.
Parvati said her vote was a love letter to JT and blew him a kiss.
Jerri voted JT hoping her name didn’t come up.
So, right then, Amanda was shown voting Jerri followed by Rupert who said he was hoping Parvati would play the idol to show Russell was a liar. Candice added that Jerri was the least likely person they would give it to. When Jeff asked if anyone wanted to play an idol, Parvati said: “You know what Jeff; I think it would be downright depressing to sit and watch green bananas turn yellow without my little villains so, Sandra, that’s for you...
(The Heroes still looked happy)
...and Jeff, I would like to increase our odds so Jerri, that one’s for you.”
 JT said it best: “Damn it.”
 The Heroes and Russell were stunned but not as much as Jerri.
Her surprise increased with each vote cast against her. Five of them that didn’t count until JT’s name appeared. 
Well done
 Very interestingly, when JT saw a second vote for him he said: “Well done” and his movement told us he was shaking Russell’s hand but we never saw Russell. Instead, the camera switched over to a beaming Parvati, giving her all the credit for this move. When JT stood up, we heard Russell telling Parvati: “You got some explaining to do” to which she simply responded: “Secret” with a smile. Jeff left them saying this was one of the craziest moves ever and that “The villains appear to have the upper hand but you know better than anybody else that anything can and probably will still happen in this game.”
The StoryThe tribe may be named Yin Yang but, as the edit had told us a long time ago, the two factions are quite unbalanced. As we saw during the conversations between Amanda and Parvati and their dueling interviews, one side read the situation perfectly while the other was completely fooled, even buying the lies before they were delivered. Rupert: Strangely, he became the voice of reason for the Heroes after Sandra talked with him but his Tribal Council discussion about bananas shows he is still not really equipped for this game. I think it’s more troubling than anything that is edit took an upswing. Candice: She wasn’t even shown talking to her Cook Island buddy Parvati. Her story has been completely dropped after an interesting start. Colby: He was absent from most of the discussions about the vote only to say they weren’t two tribes anymore and he appeared less than brilliant during Tribal Council. Amanda: She was shown to have been completely fooled by her ex-alliance mate. Those scenes between the two Micronesia finalists were the key to the episode and they showed how the Villains have had the upper hand from the start. What lead Amanda?! Jerri: She was the target of the Heroes but she did nothing on screen to save herself. Her survival was portrayed as an early Christmas gift. Her previous connection to Colby amounted to nothing in this episode and it’s hard to see how they can play together now that Jerri saw Colby had no problem voting against her. Just like she only sits by while the villains have their war room discussions, Jerri won’t be a big player down the line. Danielle: After sparring with Sandra during the Villains’ TC now she’s arguing with Rupert. Imagine how much fun she would have been in Pearl Islands! But, unfortunately, that seems to be her only role here, to argue during TC. Her IC win was completely overshadowed by the way Parvati stepped down. Danielle winning IC enabled Parvati to make sure none of her friends were going home but it wasn’t mentioned at all. Did Parvati discuss her move with her lady in waiting? It seems probable but Danielle wasn’t going to get any credit. Sandra: She has an interesting dual edit. On one side, she’s seen as an underdog, the last one of her alliance, someone in danger even with the Heroes but on the other, she’s shown as the Villains’ biggest problem. She can’t be both but she seems to have settled into that dual role. Will she get her revenge on Russell? If we’d only see her as an underdog, the answer would be simple but if she’s also scheming with the Heroes, she puts the Villains in the underdog position. On the positive side, we did hear her say that she took the time to get to know everyone. That could come into play later on.
Russell: As he said, fooling the Heroes was easy but he was also fooled into thinking Parvati was the target. Russell has rarely been out of touch with events on his tribe. How will he react at being kept in the dark after giving Parvati 2 idols? If he doesn’t forgive her, he could cause her trouble down the line. Parvati: She received the winner’s edit in this episode. We heard her talking about taking down the Heroes during the famous helicopter shot. Amanda said she will win if she gets to the end. The camera often showed her isolated, a target. The only troubling thing is that we see her laughing carelessly around camp, falling on people’s nerves. She’s also got to worry about Russell’s wrath but that’s more of a positive. She promised she wouldn’t ride his coat tails and we see she’s definitely making her own moves. Her strategy interviews are rarely given to anyone else but the winner.
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ginger0226 32 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Beauty Pageant Celebrity Judge"
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04-24-10, 11:45 PM (EST)
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98. "RE: The Players, The Game, The Editing - Survivor Heroes vs. Villains " |
Thanks for your efforts Michel, I always enjoy reading your posts! Just wanted you to know someone else was reading you thoughtful insights into the editing of this crazy season....
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tmontgomery71 7 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "American Cancer Society Spokesperson"
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04-25-10, 11:56 AM (EST)
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100. "RE: The Players, The Game, The Editing - Survivor Heroes vs. Villains " |
The editing posts are my favorite read of the week. Great job Michael!
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michel 10958 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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05-01-10, 08:40 PM (EST)
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102. "RE: The Players, The Game, The Editing - Survivor Heroes vs. Villains " |
Previously…the Heroes and the Villains merged with even numbers.
The Heroes thought they had the upper hand when Russell promised his allegiance…
But he was only reeling them in.
Sandra warned the Heroes not to trust Russell but only Rupert believed her.
At the last immunity challenge, Danielle got the immunity necklace around her neck and the Heroes tried to put a noose around Parvati’s
Russell gave up his immunity idol to save his queen but Parvati was only using him as a pawn.
Unbeknownst to him, she had a second, secret idol of her own.
At a game changing tribal council, the Heroes switched their votes to Jerri.
Parvati, sensing that something was wrong, made a huge move.
<Parvati and Amanda exchanging glances>
She played both her idols to save the Villains…
<Courtney applauded the move>
Sending home JT, leaving Russell wondering who is really in charge.
<The camera told us it was Parvati who we saw her flashing #1 to the jurors.Note that we only heard Sandra saying that Russell was the kingpin, not that Parvati was his second-in-command. This makes the game changing TC as much Parvati taking over the game from Russell as the Villains gaining the advantage on the Heroes. Coupled with the new images of Courtney clapping and Parvati smiling at the jury tells us she scored an important point against Russell. That Dumb BlondeYin Yang
Night 27 While Candice was saying it was a nice move, Russell was asking if Sandra knew about Parvati’s idol. He wasn’t happy that they were keeping secrets. Parvati: “Russell likes to be in control because he thinks he’s the godfather of this game. I think me having an idol that he didn’t know about made him feel like he wasn’t in control and he’s scared a little bit but that is kind of what I wanted anyways. (Laughs) Rupert: “When they first came over, I had a chance with Sandra. I went to the Heroes and I tried to tell them not to trust Russell. My Heroes did not want to believe me. With all that is happened, I don’t know how easy it will be to pull Sandra back in. She opened the door once; my only hope is to get Sandra to open the door again.” I found it very interesting that the only discussion from the Villains side was to put Russell and Parvati in opposition. Parvati’s words sounded over-confident but, to those who know Russell, it also put her in danger which puts doubt on her chances and that us always good. Sandra, on the other hand, is shown as the last hope for the Heroes. Does it mean that their fall will be her fault? Maybe it was but the blame was put on someone else. The next morning, Candice was telling Russell she was impressed but, to the villain, it was just “a regular vote, a regular night.”
He told her the ship was sinking and one person had to jump. Russell: “We don’t trust Sandra right now so that’s why I need to pull somebody else in. I think I can trust Candice because Candice knows her butt’s in the sling right now she has no other way to go.” Russell said she wouldn’t go at sixth; that he couldn’t promise top 3 but it was a strong possibility.
After telling his allies that Candice was the way to go, Russell’s interview continued: “It’s huge in the game that we have numbers. Now, it doesn’t even matter what Sandra wants to do because Candice is going to flip.” The Reward Challenge Parvati: “They’ll probably be a clue to a hidden immunity idol at today’s reward so I’m hoping and praying that myself, Danielle, Russell or Jerri goes on that reward and finds that clue just to keep the power in our hands.” Candice, Parvati and Jerri were the Black team.
Rupert, Russell and Sandra were the Red team.
Colby, Amanda and Danielle were the Blue team. With her first toss, Candice was right down the middle, in a good spot but could get knocked around a little bit
(Isn’t that the truth?!)
Sandra was off the board.
Danielle came up short.
Russell had a nice shot.
Amanda came up short.
(We know)
Rupert was very close.
Colby wasn’t quite close enough.
Candice was trying to knock those Reds (are they representing the Heroes now?) right off the board. Good idea but it didn’t work.
Sandra just had a wasted shot.
Danielle had a nice toss, knocking one red out of the way but the other is still the closest.
(Will it come that close for her?)
Nothing changed after Parvati’s last shot.
Russell shot was short. Parvati said it was lame but Jeff thought it was on purpose. Russell explained it blocked the whole center of the board.
(Will Parvati misread his strategy down the road? )
Amanda came up short a second time.
(We know Jeff. Or are you already tallying up the votes?)
With Jerri’s last shot, the black team was out <Parvati shown grimacing> unless something happens.
 Colby won it for his Blue team.
(It’s official, Colby, as shuffle board champ, is a senior citizen!) As the winners left for reward, Sandra told them: “We’ll be eating all the rice so don’t come back looking for it!” If the game turns out like this shuffle board foreshadowing, Parvati could fall victim to a strange move by Russell unless something happens to change the course of events. For Colby…Haven’t we seen long ago that the game of Survivor has passed him by? Is Sandra wasting her shot? It’s twice now that she’s had snarky remarks after a challenge; first telling Jerri they had drank her water and now this about the rice. As Cirie said in episode #1, Sandra is truly a villain but a funny one. The Reward Amanda: “At the reward, my main focus was finding the clue to the immunity idol…I have to get it. Sitting on the bed, watching “Treasure Island”, I didn’t enjoy any of it… It’s got to be in this room.” Just then Colby gave everyone, including Danielle a clue to the clue: “Popcorn’s good.” Danielle: “Wow! I found the clue in the bowl of popcorn. I am freaking out! This is so much power in my hand. This could be a million dollars.”
(Then why did you put it on the floor?)
Amanda saw her movement and asked: “What are you hiding under the bed?”
She went over and picked up the clue. A fight soon followed both girls grabbing the clue.
Asked to be the referee, Colby said he didn’t see what happened but, like many referees, it didn’t prevent him from making a call: “It’s your clue, Danielle.”
Amanda: “In the end, I gave the clue back to Danielle like an idiot.” There was something bothering me about that scene: Amanda did get up to sit on the floor right where Danielle had put the clue but she stayed there a while without picking up the clue. Danielle saw her coming so why did she leave the clue there? And why didn’t Amanda find it right away? Simply because the clue wasn't left there.
We see Amanda sitting, Danielle not moving, Amanda getting up and kneeling back down and only then does a hand reach for the clue on the floor but it’s Danielle’s hand. If you look at the scene very carefully, you see that Amanda doesn’t take the clue off the floor but from underneath Danielle’s pillow. 
That makes a much stronger case for possession by Danielle so I wonder if it was only edited that way for entertainment or if there was indeed a ruling made by production. Either way, it didn’t make Colby look very smart. But what if he was? If Amanda had kept the clue, the Villains would have targeted someone else! Maybe Colby is playing a sneakier game than the editing is showing. Even so, not hearing about it still means it wouldn’t amount to much.
The three players returned to a rain-soaked camp.
Colby complained that he had to share a bed in which he barely fit in with the 2 girls while Russell kept staring at Danielle.
After the rain ended, the 4 Villains gathered outside the shelter and Danielle told them she had found the clue. She added: “Amanda grabbed it from underneath me and ran to the other side of the room. I jumped up and I pulled it out of her hand. I wrestled her to the ground and ripped it out of her hand.”
Russell: “ It says on the clue something about a stream…Danielle’s looking on one side, I’m looking on the other side. I pick up a rock…there it is. She turns her back to me, I pick it up, throw it to the side, I sit on it. I hid it in my pocket and I wanted to break away from her immediately because they hid an immunity idol from me, they didn’t let me know about it. I’m not letting them know about it. I am the King of immunity idols.”
He left the area saying he didn’t want the Heroes seeing them looking at the rocks.
Despite showing Danielle continuing her search, Russell, by leaving, must have revealed that he had found it. Russell told Candice he had the HII. She insisted on seeing it. Candice: “Knowing that Russell has the idol could be a little bit of ammunition for me but, right now, I can’t tell anybody because I can’t trust anybody to not take a little bit of information that they get and use it against me. I’m not sure that I trust Russell 100% but it’s a big thing for me that he showed me the idol. It’s really tough; it’s a tough decision to make.”
Russell told Candice the idol would take them to the final 3. Yin Yang
Day 30
Sandra after talking with Colby in the jungle: “When Tyson went and Boston Rob went and then Courtney left, I was like, I’m done. But, now that they took out JT, I can jump to them and be 5 against 4, now is the perfect time for me to make my move.” Colby: “I know that Danielle has the immunity idol or she will because she has the clue. We have to assume that she will find it and will have it in her possession. The timing of this scene for Sandra is very troubling. I feel it would have been much better if it had been presented before Russell made his deal with Candice. Now it showed her being a step behind. Russell then had a talk with Sandra.
She told him Colby hadn’t talked to her because he was uptight and didn’t have much personality.
Russell then told her the Villains had 6 votes. After saying they had 1 person from their tribe voting with them, Russell told Sandra he trusted her. Sandra: “If I stay with the Villains, I’m top 5. I’m not moving up from there. They are not willing to get rid of Russell. That’s why I have to flip to the Heroes because I need to get Russell out.” Rupert: “My gosh! All that it would take is for Sandra to come to our side. There’s 5 votes for Russell. We could get Russell out of this game. The guy is a piece of garbage.” Colby after talking to Amanda: “If Sandra is telling me the truth - who knows she could be playing me for the Villains - and the truth is that she’s ready to come on board with us then that changes everything in a hurry. What we have to do is go to immunity and win it to prevent the Villains from getting it. We are hoping Sandra is telling us the truth and if that is the case we will either vote out Russell or Parvati tonight.” Immunity Challenge
A House of Cards
Jeff said: “There were lots of different strategies… you could crash and burn a few times.”
Just then, Sandra’s house collapsed.
It got down to Russell and Jerri who were neck and neck but “Russell is out of cards.”
That certainly sounded like foreshadowing!
Jerri won her first immunity ever. Sandra: “I’m voting for Russell because I’ve been waiting to take him down for 30 days; 30 days too long. It’s time for revenge and this is for Courtney, Boston Rob, Tyson and even Coach who I don’t care about but I’ll stick him in there too.” Jerri: “I’m having an amazing day! This is the first time I ever had immunity so I’m trying to appreciate and live in the extreme high I’m experiencing right now. It feels good!” Russell: “I’m fine with Jerri winning. Anyone of my team mates could have won it and I would have been fine with it. I mean, look at the other side: Rupert and Colby; they are done and they look done. Candice thinks I’m going to take her to the top three. I haven’t really made the decision yet. Amanda is really an aggressive, strategic player; she’s kinda Boston Rob in a girl’s body so she has to go.” Russell talked with Candice about voting out Amanda while Parvati appeared to be listening in and standing guard.
 It’s tough to tell if Parvati was really there because we never had a wide angle showing all 3 and Candice never looked anywhere else than at Russell. Whether or not she was there, it seemed important to show her playing a part in this. That kind of manipulation always perks my interest. Candice: “Going to tribal, I knew that either way that I chose could be really the beginning of the end for me because I was going to make people really mad on either side and just the fact that Russell had the immunity idol and could pass it to anyone made me nervous about not voting with the Villains. So I felt I had to go with the plan that was the most solid.
This interview sounded like it was done the day after the tribal Council, doesn’t it? If so then she still felt the pressure of things turning on her at that point. That wouldn’t be very good for her next TC. The 4 Heroes and, apparently, Sandra then gathered in the shelter.
Rupert told us he had left PI without packing because he felt safe.
We heard Sandra saying: “We got lucky (she probably meant about the IC) because Russell is going home tonight.”
 Note the direction Colby is looking when we hear Sandra's words. The camera then moved in that direction and we see only the 4 Heroes playing cards. Sandra wasn’t even there. This kind of manipulation is different because it made the plan sound less solid from Candice’s POV because she knew Russell had the idol. Candice then told Russell his name was being written that night.
Parvati told Candice: “I was telling Russell I’ve never seen Amanda just, like, lie down and die like this.”
Candice replied: “She’s not giving up. She thinks she’s safe.”
Parvati agreed: “That makes more sense to me.”
With Sandra observing from the shelter, Russell asked: “Did Sandra say she was safe.”
Candice nodded in agreement. Russell rushed down the beach to meet Sandra while Candice followed him from a distance. Russell asked if Sandra was voting for him.
Sandra denied it, adding: “Amanda is going home.”
Russell then warned that an idol was getting played that night. Russell: “I believe that Candice thinks this his her only option and Sandra thinks the same thing. They have to make the decision to get Amanda out of here. If Candice and Sandra flip on me today, then I go home. They both would have to have some genius plan to flip on me tonight and go to the beat-up Heroes. If they do that, then more power to them.” Sandra told Rupert that they were back to square 1 because of Candice.
Sandra: “Candice went and told Russell every single thing that was said including that I was on board with Rupert, Amanda and the rest of them. Now, we’re screwed because they don’t trust us anymore after this.” With Candice sitting between Rupert and Colby, Sandra asked her why she was switching.
 Candice denied it.
Colby said: “She is totally with us.”
Sandra wasn’t sure: “Don’t hang me out to dry.”
Colby intervened: “We’re Ok. Sandra you’re good. Candice is on our side. We are voting for Parvati.” Rupert: “My God! We are trying like heck to keep everybody calm. Russell got wind of our plan and has convinced Danielle to give the idol to him but the greed inside of her is going to make her not want to give it away. If we vote for Danielle, they’ve still won. If we vote for Russell and Danielle does give it away, they’ve still won. So maybe we throw out Parvati and just vote for her because nobody’s got her on the radar. It’s extremely crazy now. There’s 3 days of scrambling going on in 3 minutes.” The foursome split after Sandra and Candice agreed to it and Colby noted: “If this doesn’t work, it’s Candice’s fault. No, really, if this doesn’t work then Candice is the one that spilled the beans.” Sandra then had a private talk with Candice: “We need to do this. We need to vote out Parvati and we’ll be right on track. If you are scared that Russell will write your name down then don’t. I guarantee you 100% that Danielle will not give him the idol.”
Sandra went on about risking her neck for her but Candice just said: “They have the idol. Just vote off Amanda.” Tribal Council Rupert: “For one of the Villains to jump ship right now, they’re still going to feel they are fifth.”
Sandra: “The best bet is to stay with those who you are with.”
 <Russell and Parvati were interested listeners>
Sandra went on: “The Heroes have talked to me because they sense that I’m on the outside because I even know I’m on the outside.”
Asked what could be done to get Sandra on her side, Amanda said: “We offer them a better deal.”
Danielle pointed out: “How do you know the deal she has now isn’t the best deal?”
Russell agreed: “She might have the best deal. She’s weak in challenges, she’s easy to beat for the vote.
<the jury didn’t seem to agree> Sounds like someone I would want to take to the jury.”
Sandra: “There are so many times when I feel like I’m not wanted. I have a sense of frustration within my own alliance.”
Jeff pointed out it wasn’t paradise on the Villains’ tribe.
Russell: “First of all, we play completely different… Danielle is real aggressive…I’m aggressive too. Jerri… she is calm one of the whole bunch. Parvati is the charming one of the whole bunch.”
Sandra: “What about me? You didn’t include me.”
Russell: “Sandra, she’s just there with us.”
 Courtney’s eyes reflected Jeff’s words: “That’s a big statement.”
Rupert: “I wish I had known there was distrust before right now.”
Asked if Danielle’s aggressive play could hurt her chances, Russell said: “She’s fighting to get further in the game. If she gets further in the game, I get further in the game… She got the clue to the hidden immunity idol and she had to be very aggressive to get it.”
Colby and Rupert both said: “Danielle has it.”
That led to Parvati saying: “I definitely feel vulnerable. I’m trusting my alliance to stay with me but if somebody flips and they try to make it interesting, then I have no protection because I’ve given my protection away.”
Russell added: “Unless I find an idol <that made Parvati roll her eyes: She knew> I’m gone. I take risks in the game and if you get caught with your hand in the cookie jar, you’re going home. I’m well aware of that and I’ll take risks all day long to get further in the game.” Russell, saying he knew what was going on; that someone had flipped so played his idol. Courtney found it hilarious that Russell wasn’t getting any votes.
He even showed his surprise by letting out a “damn it”. In the end however, he got his way. Amanda was voted out 6-3.
As Amanda walked out, Russell turned to Parvati saying: “I had to. I’m never that nervous.” 
Parvati simply answered: “You wasted one.”
With the camera focusing on Sandra, Jeff said that the Heroes are not one big happy family.
The StoryI found this to be a very disjointed episode with even some scenes created out of nothing. This isn’t a place to analyze game play, only editing but it’s difficult to separate the two. Jerri: Her reaction about being saved during the “game changing tribal Council” wasn’t even shown. That tells us the change it the game wasn’t about her. Would she even have received any airtime if she hadn’t won the immunity necklace? Rupert: He was again the Hero that made the most sense which redeems his earlier story but isn’t enough to make us hold out hope for his future. Colby: This must have been a painful episode to watch for Colby. Despite winning the reward, he appeared to be completely done as Russell said. Maybe he had an ulterior motive to let Danielle have the clue, maybe they didn’t even have a choice but to give it back to her (I take everything Jeff blogs about with a grain of salt) but it was edited to make him look dumb, more interested in the movie than the game. Even his words that Candice was with them made him look out of touch. Poor Colby. Danielle: On the one side, she was portrayed as the aggressive player she always claimed to be but was rarely given the occasion to show. On the other she wasn’t shown as being very smart if she thought the floor was a good hiding place even if she didn’t leave the clue on the floor and it wasn’t much better when she was seen continuing to search for an idol in the pouring rain after Russell had found it. Interesting that Jeff asked Russell if Danielle’s aggressive play could prevent her from getting votes. I’m thinking Russell would prevent Danielle from reaching the end just because he can’t have an aggressive player up there casting shadows over his own game. Candice: Every time she’s made a big move, it’s been portrayed as a mistake. All I see is that she had no chance of winning a vote against Rupert, Colby or even Amanda but she could against Russell and maybe the other villainess. Her moves were presented as flip-flopping, as being wishy-washy even if she probably had her mind made up all along. Her interview about making everyone mad at her sounded like it was taken from the next cycle, as if she was reflecting on the TC. In her eyes, I imagine that the plan that looked more solid was Russell’s because the heroes were certain Danielle had the idol. Amanda saying she made a better offer than 5th to Sandra could have only come at Candice’s expense. And, seeing that Sandra didn’t know about Russell’s idol indicated she was higher up on the totem pole with the Villains. But, the way the scenes were presented and the fact that she didn’t even get to talk at the Tribal Council where her vote was crucial tells us this is indeed the beginning of the end for her. Russell: He’s still presented as the master tactician but he makes errors in calculations and is shown to be a step behind in figuring out what was going on at TC again. Will he come up with a strange move that blocks Parvati’s way to the end like the shuffleboard game suggested? His move was lame as Parvati suggested because Colby had no problem going around it. Parvati and Sandra: They are the two sides of the same coin:
- The Micronesia Sole Survivor is strongly inside the alliance. She is shown to know everything that is going on but she may have no protection against the wrath of the biggest Villain ever.
-The Pearl Island Sole survivor is completely outside the alliance. She doesn’t know what is going on but she openly targets the biggest Villain ever.
Both have doubts surrounding their edit, both have strong stories that make us think they will be there at the end. Both have manipulated scenes to make them stand out over the others and both get positive reactions from the jury. The only problem I see with Sandra’s edit is that she's only focused on getting rid of Russell. Parvati has had the quotes about being the winner if she makes it to the end.
One of the season’s themes is “Revenge” so maybe that is enough for Sandra but another is “Redemption” and Parvati is redeeming every winner that was accused of riding coat tails by showing how you can use the horse.
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michel 10958 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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05-09-10, 00:48 AM (EST)
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104. "Episode #12 Editing Thoughts " |
Only one thing was certain: Anyone who targeted Russell found themselves blindsided instead: Tyson, Boston Rob, Coach and Courtney.
He achieved his goals with lies and deception.
<We see Hantz swearing on his kids’ lives to be on board with the Heroes>
The only person to cross Russell and still survive was Sandra.
<We hear her laughing as if at Russell>
Behind his back, she convinced the Heroes to join forces with her and take him out but Candice saw an opportunity to further her own game and joined up with Russell, warning him he was in trouble.
With her plans betrayed, Sandra was forced to rejoin the Villains.
At Tribal Council, a frightened Russell played the immunity idol.
<Parvati in interview said: “Russell is super-paranoid and that is going to be his downfall.”>
Russell wasted his idol because both Candice and Sandra voted with the Villains leaving the Heroes in their toughest position so far. Why doesn’t Jeff simply say who is going to win and save us the trouble of analyzing all this? At least Parvati understands what will cause Russell’s fall but the recap was practically a panegyric for Sandra.
I think the theme of this episode was: That’s Messed Up Yin Yang
Night 31 Jerri: “Tribal Council was interesting. Candice; she helped us out with that one vote to get the numbers and now she’s a threat. Someone who flips over that quickly to our side will just as easily flip-flop back. We don’t need her anymore.” Rupert and Colby were talking about Candice while we saw her sitting alone in the dark.
Rupert: “We were this close to having it back.”
Colby: “Candice is so weak, so pathetic.”
Rupert: “Self-centered, greedy, manipulative. She killed us.” Rupert: “Candice was a pitiful player and she just proved it to me tonight. She deserves to be on the Villains’ tribe. Colby and I are standing on a sinking ship now. There are no other Heroes.” 
In an individual game where Jeff himself has always said that: “If you find yourself at the bottom of the alliance, you switch” this was a character assassination done on Candice. She didn’t get to explain why and we only hear from those who want her out. Survivor thrives on moves like the one she just made and we’d be seeing a completely different edit if this had worked out better for her. The goal is to kill an alliance that doesn’t suit you and some, like Cesternino, get praised for doing it. Candice doesn’t earn such respect for even trying. The end justifies the means and that’s why analyzing the editing works. Russell was telling Sandra that the game would be fun from now on while Rupert observed. Rupert: “I think Russell is a deceitful person. Anything he says is a lie. He could be worse than Johnny Fairplay! He is. With all this building inside of me, I have to say something to Russell. My only hope is to show the villains that disgusting side and ask them if they truly want to be involved in that.” Rupert and Russell had it out in front of everyone. 
Russell: “I don’t want Rupert here because he is trying to stir up stuff, trying to make me mad. I’m just telling him to pack your stuff…Get your tie-dye ready because you are going home.” Immunity Challenge Parvati was the one shown reacting to the “surprise” announcement that this was for immunity and that someone was going home that night.
 Everyone had to know it was for immunity. Why else would Jerri have brought the necklace? Parvati’s reaction was either scripted or taken out of context. Actually, her frown was identical to the one when Jeff revealed that there would be a secret twist. Sometimes this show is exasperating.
Jeff: “Rupert competed in a variation of this challenge. He lasted a couple of hours. Parvati won this challenge…lasting over 6 hours.”
Sandra’s reaction to that information told us she wasn’t going to stay that long and, after 1 minute, she told Jeff she wanted the mystery item. Russell wanted it also and stepped down.
Jeff gave them a hard time about it but it wouldn’t be brought up again at TC so we can’t make too much of it. It’s not like Panama where Jeff’s berating of Danielle and Shane told us they couldn’t win.
After 20 minutes, we heard Parvati saying: “Oh, Oh! He’s back!” Colby took the 4 doughnuts.
After 35 minutes, Candice turned to Danielle, asking: “Will Parvati hang on? Someone has to beat Rupert.”
Danielle, Candice and Jerri went for the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
Jerri noted that Danielle’s pants came off.
Parvati said: “I hate you b*tches” because she was left alone against Rupert.
Sandra informed Parvati that Rupert looked to be in trouble and he fell off.
Jeff noted that Parvati had a 1 in 7 shot at winning this game for a second time. Jeff said the twist was a clue to a hidden immunity idol. He read the clue: “Go to your nearest convenience store and grab the new idol. Hurry, quantities are limited.”
(I know that’s not what it said but I had to vent. The players don’t even have to do a thing now to get those clues. Ridiculous.) Sandra: “The minute we get to camp, people started running. Candice and Russell started digging where there was a big red bush but across from there is another red bush and I see it…I think I’m gonna keep it for myself ‘cause I’m so damn greedy! I got to read it later.”
She hid the idol under another bush.
(What happened to the idol being unfair?!) Rupert: “Even if I don’t have the idol, maybe I can play like I do. I’m stuffing a rock in my pocket, making it look a little dangly. This isn’t my first game of Survivor. I’m just trying to stay in it another day.”
He slowly walked into camp under the watchful eyes of Russell and Parvati. Russell: “I have a lot of experience with idols. Rupert has a big bulky thing in his pocket. It’s the idol wrapped up in the paper. Now we have to get rid of the idol… It’s easy. We’ll split the votes tonight. If he doesn’t play it, he goes home.”
He told Sandra he knew Rupert had it. Sandra: “Russell swears that Rupert found the idol. Of course, I know that’s a lie because I have the freaking immunity idol. If they think Rupert has it, that’s good for Sandra so I’m not going to say nothing.” Parvati and Danielle told Jerri that they would split the votes 3-3 between Rupert and Colby so that Colby would go home if Rupert played the idol. 
Jerri responded: “I want Candice. We got to get Candice out.”
Things have changed since the end of Outback! Jerri saving Colby??
Danielle: “Colby and Candice are both threats in different ways. That’s why it’s a hard decision. Candice voted with us to vote out Amanda and I really think she’s gonna stay loyal to us. Colby isn’t doing any kind of strategizing so I feel I can get him to do whatever. I don’t know. Either way, we are rolling the dice.”
This bad decision was put on Jerri and Danielle’s shoulders. For one, having another woman in camp could have helped Danielle in the next vote. Colby, finally strategizing, told Rupert that it would be a split vote and that it could go either on him or Candice. They agreed to vote Candice to give themselves a shot. Tribal Council All dressed in black, the jury, the dragonz, paraded into Tribal Council.
Rupert said “We realized there are only 2 Heroes left.”
Candice replied: “It was obvious that Amanda was going to go home whether I voted for her or not.” 
<Amanda didn’t appreciate that>
Colby: “I have no respect for the excuses.”
Candice: “It’s not going to get me further in the game by going down on a sinking ship.”
Colby: “That’s what you should have said: This is a game for a million dollars, this is my best play.”
Russell: “It’s her best move. She goes to the villains’ side at number 6 and, unless you are going to give all the villains a million dollars, something’s got to break within the villains. She could have made a great move…We have 2 heroes that will have to go sooner or later and the consensus is that Rupert goes.”
Rupert hinted he had the idol by saying: “I took off my sandals, went off into the jungle and stayed until I felt comfortable.”
Colby voted by saying: “I can honestly say I’m proud of the way I played this game. Can you?”
Candice voted Rupert: “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” When Jeff asked if anyone wanted to play the idol, Rupert made a move to his pocket but remained seated.
With Candice walking out, Jeff said: “It’s a risky move when you betray trust to gain trust.” Arriving back in camp, Russell had an interview: “We just blew it. We were supposed to split the votes for Rupert and Colby and it didn’t happen. It was a terrible decision; the girls got their hearts involved in the game and they wanted Candice out of here because they didn’t like her so everybody blew it and I’m one of them. I should have sat them down and said this is what we are going to do.” Russell had a talk with Jerri and Danielle, the two women edited as being responsible for the move. His confessional went on: “I’m not fully in control of this game now. Me and Parvati are equally in control and that makes me a little worried. I’m going to take control of this game so fast they won’t even know what hit ‘em.” Immunity Challenge Jeff said Parvati looked to be ready to give (the immunity necklace) up.
Everybody was on the maze but Colby. Rupert, Sandra (who couldn’t believe it), Russell, Parvati and Danielle made it through to the next round.
Still proud of your game, Cowboy?! In the next round, Russell, Rupert and Parvati moved on while Sandra wondered how she would get down.
Note that we always get a post-challenge comment from Sandra, like the star of the game getting a post-game interview. Parvati was falling out of it...
Danielle encouraged Russell and he won immunity. When Jeff handed him the necklace, we heard Danielle congratulating him, proving the editors can be cruel sometimes. Rupert: “I was thinking as I walked out of that darn challenge: You made it so far and still came up short. I have to believe in myself because just the lie of a rock in your pocket is not going to save you tonight.”
That’s how you edit the winner of the fan vote at the end of the season. Any doubters? Parvati: “I want Rupert to go home tonight. He’s a hero, he’s not part of our original tribe of villains and I’m pretty sure Rupert doesn’t have the idol. So, I don’t feel bad for Rupert at all. I think he dug his own grave. The villain invasion happened and now the villains are running this place. There aren’t going to be any Heroes left. No Heroes.” Parvati told Russell and Danielle they had to be a solid 5 because they didn’t stand a chance if either hero made it to the end. Russell: “Parvati and Danielle are a team when it’s supposed to be me and Parvati. That’s a problem. So, the only thing I can think up right now is to break up that couple.” To Danielle, he said: “If (Parvati) tries to get rid of either of us, we can blindside her.” Danielle: “Russell brought up that he wants to get rid of Parvati but I don’t know if we should do that. Parvati’s been my alliance since the beginning and if we are going to ever do that, which I don’t know if I am because I am in a tight alliance with her, but if we are, now is not the time.” To Parvati he said: “Danielle came to me and she wants to vote you off when it comes down to 5 or 6.”
Parvati was either stunned or wasn’t buying it: “Why would she want to do that?” Russell: “I’m working Parvati, I’m working Danielle. I’m telling Parvati that we got to get rid of Danielle and I’m telling Danielle we got to get rid of Parvati. So, by working both of them, I got both of them under control. Parvati’s not gonna to tell Danielle, Danielle’s not gonna tell Parvati because it will mess both of their games.” Parvati: “Well, I want to talk to Danielle.” (!!) “You cannot come to me and tell me that my final 3 from day 1 wants me out and you think I’m not going to talk to her.” Parvati: “Today should have been Rupert: Done. Russell comes out of nowhere and says they are blindsiding you. I’m like I’m not voting Danielle tonight; I don’t care what you say. I’m not doing it.” Russell: “It could be dangerous if Parvati would talk to Danielle about what I told her…It could turn into a problem.”
Russell isn’t dealing with a dumbass girl this time! Note the difference between Parvati and Danielle’s reactions.
With Danielle looking frazzled and Parvati questioning Russell, I’d say that is the difference between a winner and a player who gets outwitted. Parvati remained calm and thought it through rather than panicking and not knowing what to do. The two women talked and discovered what the villain had been up to. Russell: “I’m going to get Danielle off tonight because it eliminates that pair. As soon as we get rid of Danielle, Parvati is going to be so scared of me she will stick to me like glue and she’s going to vote the way I tell her to vote.” Russell made the rounds to the Heroes, surprising them with a new plan.
Now Rupert was bumping fists with the one he saw as the scoundrel. Parvati: “Russell running around double-talking is hurting his game. He is getting outplayed by me and Danielle at this point and it’s making him a little bit crazy.” Parvati and Danielle went to secure Jerri’s vote, telling her Russell was going insane.
Jerri said: “Danielle, I’m not changing my vote. I am voting for Rupert.” Russell threatened Jerri saying: “If you don’t get rid of Danielle, you will be next after her”
He made no sense. How would she be next after Danielle if Danielle doesn’t leave? That was another example that Russell isn’t a real good liar. Still Jerri bought it. Tribal Council Asked who was running the show, Rupert said: “I don’t know. It’s probably between Parvati and Russell.”
Danielle countered: “I think the Villains make decisions together.”
Jeff found it hard to believe they all agreed.
Danielle said: “We’re still all together, aren’t we?”
Jeff wasn’t convinced: “That doesn’t mean you agree.”
Jerri gave the answer Jeff wanted: “It’s never been quiet since day 1 playing this game and it certainly isn’t quiet right now.”
Danielle said it was just miscommunication. “It was mad chaos.”
Parvati added: “Crazy could not describe what happened today…Danielle and I were pitted against each other.”
<Rupert liked that>
Parvati gave a rundown of the events to Jeff: “Russell came to me and told me Danielle was trying to blindside me. She told me it was not true and it went crazy. Russell is trying to test loyalty.”
<Jerri, the eventual swing vote got a lot of camera focus during this exchange, showing it was critical to her and may be more so down the line.>
Jeff turned to Russell saying he got caught.
Russell denied it saying Danielle came to him first. She interrupted him, calling him a liar.
Russell went on saying his loyalty was to Parvati.
Danielle argued: “The three of us are in an alliance so I don’t understand why… I haven’t done anything to be disloyal to him; I don’t understand why he would be testing me.”
That answer turned a lot of heads. Jeff didn’t say a word so, in tears, Danielle added: “I can’t believe I’m crying. I’m such a freaking wreck, I’m so exhausted, this is too much for me right now.”
Russell turned the blade in the wound: “I don’t understand how she’s just putting it on me.”
Danielle sealed her faith when she said: “It wouldn’t have happened because I’m closer to Parvati than you think.”
Russell turned to Jerri and simply whispered Danielle.
Note how the camera showed Parvati not getting mixed up in this fight even if she was sitting between the two pugilists. Jerri voted saying: “I have absolutely no idea what happened but with this vote, I am sealing my fate.” We’d eventually find out she voted Danielle.
As Jeff revealed the final vote, Parvati turned to Russell saying: “That’s messed up.” The Story: It’s always hard to move forward in this game if you actually play it. Quite often it’s better to let others make the moves so that they eventually get themselves voted out. I find it a bad editing choice however to hang those active players out to dry by not letting us hear more of their plans and motivations. Candice and Danielle played 2 solid games but most people will remember them as failing, making stupid mistakes. At least, we heard Russell saying Candice move was good and we did get to hear how pathetic Colby has been. However, showing him smiling through Tribal Council will be enough for his fans to forget how poorly he has played. Rupert: When Russell told him to vote against “Danellie”, maybe it wouldn’t have been wise for Rupert to go to Parvati to turn the vote against the player who was even worse than Fairplay but it would have been heroic. For a guy who started the episode only wanting to show how terrible it was to align with Russell, he quickly renounced his principles. Yet, the editors are probably assuring he will win his second fan vote. Jerri: With her early interview about not needing Candice, changing the way that vote went and then making the crucial vote against Danielle, Jerri was the key to both TCs yet she received very little airtime. Did she want Candice out to save Colby or did she simply not like her as Russell suggested? Did she go along with eliminating Danielle because she saw the danger the pair represented or did she just give in to Russell’s threats? It seems that what she thinks isn’t important. Russell: He should have simply planted a seed in Danielle’s head and leave it at that. Telling two allies two different things is a big mistake. Even if he was able to survive, he made an enemy of his closest ally. I think he’s completely misreading her if he still thinks that she will vote the way he tells her to. Sandra: The recap alone was great for Sandra’s edit. She was presented as being the only one to go against Russell and survive. What more did she need? Well, she continued to get fun, lippy comments after each challenge, reminding the audience she is a character and she one-upped Russell by finding an idol almost under his nose and keeping it secret from him. Her role in the second half of the episode was much less important but, since she voted against her old friend and huge fan favorite Rupert, maybe it was better that we didn’t hear her plans. Parvati: Her role in standing up to Russell was completely forgotten during the recap. Was it because it won’t matter down the line? I think it may have been to give more importance to her stance in this episode. How often have viewers asked: Why don’t they compare notes? Parvati caught Russell in his lies but she stayed calm which seems to be her game plan. Of course, Russell won this round so Parvati was wrong when she said he was being outplayed by her and Danielle. However, she also told us something that gives her a big advantage over Russell: It would be suicidal for him to take any of his two new best friends to the end. She understands him and always has. If the second Tribal Council was edited to represent how the season will unfold then it will strictly be a battle between Russell and Parvati, the others only playing supporting roles or those two will cancel each other out, enabling Sandra to slip by. Heads or tails?
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BPNM 5 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "American Cancer Society Spokesperson"
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05-09-10, 04:52 AM (EST)
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105. "RE: Episode #12 Editing Thoughts " |
Another well-written post, Michel. I've been reading everything you've written so far, but I haven't had a chance to reply until now due to finals.Anyway, of the two options you listed at the end of your post, I have to think that the second is more likely: Sandra will slip by, just as she has all season. She slipped by into the merge, she slipped by to get the idol, and all that remains is for her to slip by and win. I can't see Parvati winning when her main confessional this episode was: “I want Rupert to go home tonight. He’s a hero, he’s not part of our original tribe of villains and I’m pretty sure Rupert doesn’t have the idol. So, I don’t feel bad for Rupert at all. I think he dug his own grave. The villain invasion happened and now the villains are running this place. There aren’t going to be any Heroes left. No Heroes.” Complete with her giggle. I agree with you that the editors want Rupert to be the fan favorite. Because of this, I don't see why they would give Parvati this confessional when they could have given her more time to diss Russell or explain the Candice vs. Rupert vote in the first tribal council. One casual fan I know once asked me, "What does Parvati bring to the table?" Obviously, strategy; Parvati had a big moment when she pulled off the double-idol play to save Jerri. But I can't help but think that if she won, she would have a little more positivity around her. A little less emphasis on her flirting, a little less giggling, and a little more humbleness. I agree with your point that Jerri probably won't win because we rarely, if ever, get to hear her thoughts about important matters. She's had a few "evil" confessionals (i.e. after she knew J.T. gave Russell the idol), but every time she goes to tribal council, she isn't shown arguing unnecessarily or celebrating as she is voting. Rather, she is shown to be playing the game seriously, and not taking anything for granted. I think it would be good for Parvati if she had a moment where she seemed a little bit humbled, but all we get from her is straight strategy, and a "That's messed up" when things don't go her way. Now, I suppose there's still time for her to have a good moment next episode, but it's a longshot at best. Also, I don't think that Russell is equipped to go toe-to-toe with Parvati in the final vote either. In his little showdown with Rupert, he proved that he does not know how to play the social game (I mean, we all knew that already, but I think that this was one of the clearest examples we've been shown so far). Russell won't win and get away with calling Rupert an #####.
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michel 10958 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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05-09-10, 12:40 PM (EST)
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107. "RE: Episode #12 Editing Thoughts " |
Thank you BPNM. It's fun to read another opinion.
You write:
Anyway, of the two options...I have to think that the second is more likely: Sandra will slip by, just as she has all season. She slipped by into the merge, she slipped by to get the idol, and all that remains is for her to slip by and win."It's very possible but I want to point out that Sandra, like Parvati, has holes in her story: We have only heard that she wants her revenge on Russell and vote him out. Even if that is a lofty goal it falls short of a plan to win the game. Also, after being so adamant that the idol was an unfair advantage and accepting Parvati's gift, letting us hear her say that she is greedy and will keep the idol for herself isn't quite stellar behavior. Not to say it isn't smart, just a stain on her character. And, maybe the biggest hole in her story is that there is no end game build-up from others. No one has mentioned taking her to the end or avoiding taking her. No one has mentioned if they fear her jury potential or think they could beat her. There was doubt around Sandra before the merge and usually that grows after the merge for the winners. Those who see the doubt diminish after the merge and start looking like a sure thing usually end up just short of the goal. Look at the doubts surrounding Parvati: It was huge at the start, faded just before the merge only to return with a flurry when she hid her idol from Russell and he started going around saying she couldn't be beat, threatening to vote her out. It's almost as if now Sandra creates doubt while Parvati receives doubt. If the outcome is supposed to be a surprise (to the unspoiled!) then both would fit the bill. Sandra because of her outsider position from the start, Parvati for her rivalry with Russell. Which one has been more manipulated? You add:
"I can't see Parvati winning when her main confessional this episode was: “I want Rupert to go home tonight... There aren’t going to be any Heroes left. No Heroes.” Complete with her giggle." One must be careful with "elimination moments" or things that kill a story. I remember Parvati's confessional in Micronesia where, after making a deal with Natalie and Alexis which led to the formation of the black widow brigade, she said: "All the others? They are dead to me!" Complete with her giggle. Since those others included fan favorites AND allies James and Ozzy, many saw it has the confessional that ended her story. Too confident they said, it will come back to haunt her. I didn't see it that way then and I don't here either. Why?
- Eliminating Rupert was the right move. It had to be shown to show Russell's mistake.
- Parvati has always been treated differently by the editors than the other female winners. She's the only woman to have won while receiving a man's edit. Those words could have come from Todd's mouth without a problem.
- Rupert, although he has had a late redemption which will suffice to get his thousands of fans to vote for him, hasn't had a stellar edit this season. Just remember how he treated Stephenie and Tom to see that he did dig his own grave, editorially speaking. Of course, not eliminating her isn't the same as crowning her. We'll have to wait and see unless the next episode tells us something different. And, even then, some have a theory that the penultimate episode is edited specifically to hide the winner.
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Georjanna 1316 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Beef Jerky Spokesperson"
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05-09-10, 06:38 AM (EST)
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106. "RE: Episode #12 Editing Thoughts " |
LAST EDITED ON 05-09-10 AT 11:22 AM (EST)
Michel,
As I do every Season, I've really appreciated your analyses this Season. I think that your inclusion of judicially selected vidcaps has been a great addition to the thread. I also think that it is a darned shame that you've done some of your best work (and that's a tough standard) in a Season that has been so - purportedly - thoroughly source-spoiled. And I said that not because I think that the sourced spoilers have made this thread irrelevant this Season but because I do think that they've been a very regrettable distraction from (and impediment to) the very informative conversations that are usually - exclusively - hosted here. Now, I have a question that requires a fairly lengthy preface: I presume that the primary motive for casting 'All-Star' Seasons is to capture, or re-capture, audiences with established prejudices and expectations. But that advantage becomes a two-edged sword: how do you keep those audiences tuned-in when their reason for doing so in the first place leaves the Game in Episode 1, 2 ... 5? So, I've also presumed that an 'All-Star' Season involves more editorial manipulation (designed to manage those prejudices and expectations by shifting them from one player to another) than does a 'regular' one. For example: If Tom Westman had lasted far into the Game, would Rob would have received the 'redemptive' edit that he did? Has Sandra's edit been influenced by the fact that Cirie left so quickly? Have we seen a 'different' Jerri (who finally won her first individual Challenge in Heroes vs Villains) because Stephenie (who finally won her first in Guatemala) left in Episode Two? Or am I the only one who was impressed by the mirrored quality of the edit of Jerri's reaction to her victory? And speaking of Stephenie's edit: In one of his pre-season interviews, JP noted that the dislocation of her shoulder was a 'pre-existing condition': something that she had experienced several times in her real-life past. And in his column following the episode in which the Villains were held responsible for/credited with her injury, Dalton Ross (who was present when the Challenge was filmed) reported that 1) the Challenge involved many more match-ups than those seen by the viewers and that 2) Stephenie's injury occurred when she reached for the mat during a point that she won: that the action shots shown were from a subsequent round to which the injury frames from the earlier point were added. He concluded: "I'm actually surprised they edited it this way because watching Stephenie dislocating it as she won, and then coming back to compete after injuring it was pretty dramatic in itself." So, I wonder: had this been a 'regular' season and Stephenie a first-time player, would the audience have been permitted a greater investment in her fortunes? And finally: In her exit interviews, Sugar made it a point to 'approve' of an edit that she considered a charitable version of her weaknesses: hinting - 'I really am as dumb as I look' - that there was a lot more about Sugar's performance in Samoa that was deliberately blurred than we know. And finally, the question: Are we seeing a different editing pattern than the 'norm'? G PS: I've tried very hard to present my examples via storylines that are no longer in play. I hope that I've done that successfully.
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michel 10958 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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05-09-10, 01:47 PM (EST)
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108. "RE: Episode #12 Editing Thoughts " |
LAST EDITED ON 05-09-10 AT 01:49 PM (EST)Thank you Georgianna.
You know I always enjoy the way you write and express your views.
About this thread being irrelevant? I must say that I felt that way and was tempted to skip this season when the People's Choice Awards spoiled 5 of the final 6 as OFG revealed. I must say I really wasn't expecting Rupert to be the 6th! Still, it was almost impossible to avoid spoilers and have fun on these boards. I tried to put blinkers on and go ahead anyway because spoilers don't tell a story and I like the stories. Spoilers are like a map: You see how to get from A to B but only taking the road trip itself lets you enjoy the sights. I liked your parallels between Tom and Rob and, even more, Jerri and Stephenie. Our own Krautboy is an exaqmple of old fans returning to see their favorites once more. I have a friend who had stopped watching around CI return mostly for Stephenie. To take your questions in order:
"If Tom Westman had lasted far into the Game, would Rob would have received the 'redemptive' edit that he did?" I think you once said you didn't see Marquesas and @ss#1. Rob has always been an editor's favorite so I think Rob's edit was always going to be that way. Anyway, I didn't see much manipulation in his story. He did collapse from overwork and he did lead the Villains to victory. I think they would have loved to see the clash of titans if Rob and Tom had led their tribes to the merge but... We had a clash of newbies JT and Russell instead. "Has Sandra's edit been influenced by the fact that Cirie left so quickly?" How so? If anything, Amanda's edit grew after Cirie's departure, showing more of her worries and plans. Sandra has always been like that. The editors just have given us a more coherent look at her actions than during PI. "Have we seen a 'different' Jerri (who finally won her first individual Challenge in Heroes vs Villains) because Stephenie (who finally won her first in Guatemala) left in Episode Two? Or am I the only one who was impressed by the mirrored quality of the edit of Jerri's reaction to her victory?" Love it! You weren't alone, I can assure you. I even tried to count how many ICs Steph and Jerri had lost before their first win. I think Steph participated in 9 individual challenges before winning one while Jerri, who didn't make the merge in @ss, only had 6 opportunities. That being said, I think the editors still had a debt to honor with Jerri who they had completely destroyed in Australia. Even her redemption story in All-Stars wasn't enough judging by the audience reaction at that reunion! Also, I have doubts that Steph's fans would transpose their love to Jerri. "had this been a 'regular' season and Stephenie a first-time player, would the audience have been permitted a greater investment in her fortunes?" With medical called in, they'd want to show something but Steph was irrelevant to the season as a whole so I'm not surprised they glossed over it. I'd think a first-timer could have received even less sympathy (see Chet). It mostly served to make the Villain women look strong. Remember, that was a theme delivered by Boston Rob and, edited as it was, we quickly saw what he meant. Regarding Sugar, I can only say that, if there was more to her than shown: Thank you editors. What a waste she had been using the game as a way to promote herself. As for your big question:
Are we seeing a different editing pattern than the 'norm'?" I would say yes but then ask what is the norm? Each season has its own editing patterns and themes so this isn't different. With returning players we do have previous storylines that influence editing but, just as they haven't influenced the game as much as we thought (what happened to the Micronesia powerhouse alliance?!) the editors haven't shown much of the interactions between old friends and enemies. Have we seen Colby and Jerri exchange a single conversation since the merge? The story is still evolving around episode #1 themes: The Villains are stronger than the Heroes because they didn't have the Heroes' egos to deal with and the villain women are stronger. Mix Russell in there and that's the season in an nutshell.
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michel 10958 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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05-15-10, 07:24 PM (EST)
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110. "Thoughts before the Finale:" |
In just over 30 days, the alliance of Parvati, Danielle and Russell built an empire.
<Parvati: “It’s all falling together perfectly.” Danielle smiled.>
They have coerced Jerri and Sandra into voting with them and whittled the Heroes down to only two members.
But Sandra had been secretly working against Russell’s alliance.
<Sandra: “You want Russell gone? Russell’s gone.>
She had just found an immunity idol which she kept secret.
When Rupert lost the last immunity challenge, it was clear he was the next to go.
But Russell saw Danielle and Parvati growing too close for comfort…so he targeted his own alliance.
He secured votes from the Heroes and tried to get one from Jerri.
At Tribal council, Danielle broke down and let slip how tight her alliance was with Parvati.
<Parvati shown reacting to Danielle’s revelation>
So Russell gave the signal (whispering to Jerri) and brought his empire crashing to the ground.
Now everyone is left to scramble for new alliances.
Blowholes and BlowhardsYin Yang
Day 33 Rupert: “It was a wonderful tribal council once again for me…” Parvati was talking to Sandra and Jerri about the vote.
Jerri explained she had changed her vote: “Russell threatened me: Or you’re next.”
Parvati responded: “He uses scare tactics… If those two guys make it to the end, they’re winning.” Parvati: “I think Russell was jealous of my relationship with Danielle. He wanted to make sure it was he and I that were the closest two. The move that Russell made tonight has made me completely distrust him. Russell’s the biggest villain this game as ever seen. I need to be nice to Russell because I still need to get Colby and Rupert off before anyone else. Then I can deal with Russell after that.” Russell repeated his lie that it was Danielle who wanted Parvati voted out.
Parvati said things were crazy so she just wanted to be sure no one was going after her or Sandra. Russell: “I believe that the decision today saved my butt. When Danielle said we are closer than you think Russell, the switch went off in my head: Oh! Really? Did she just say that to me? I don’t know if I believe Parvati anymore. All of a sudden she worries she’s next. That tells me that Parvati and Danielle were a strong team. That was her main alliance. Now she has no one else to lean her head on but me.” Parvati had a very detailed game confessional and her future in the game was put in doubt right from the start. The second part of Russell’s confessional didn’t need to be inserted at all except to raise the danger level around Parvati. Tree mail Parvati: “Tree mail was very different today. It was so exciting! We… find out what’s in today’s challenge… we get to the videos.” Rupert: “I cannot wait to get out there.” The challenge Parvati’s dad said: “Play to win.”
She answered: “Let’s win it.”
Sandra: “When my mother passed, she was with him. She couldn’t have been with a better person.” During the challenge, we heard mainly “Colby blaming everything on his big brother…He’s been that way 34 days.”
(That’s probably the last nail in the coffin of Colby’s story. He’s no longer a Hero.)
We also heard a little more of the villainous Sandra speaking Spanish:
 “When he throws their water, grab theirs.” 
Her uncle laughed at that but he tried to get some of Melanie’s water. “Jerri and Jennifer (won) reward!”
Melanie told Russell: “You did good” which, even if it’s nice to say, always goes to the loser.
As Russell pleaded,
Jerri chose Parvati.
 After asking to take one more person, she picked Sandra.
Russell reacted by telling his wife: 
“She’s in trouble now…She screwed up.”
To Jeff, he added: “It’s fine. I’m back to playing the game.”
As he left, he turned to Rupert and Colby: “That was a terrible strategic move. All three girls? Good thing I got rid of Danielle last night, partners.”
The Reward – Blowholes: Parvati: “We started walking towards the blowholes and this tiny little man is throwing coconuts in them. They go shooting up like a firework. It was really cool! Honestly, one of the best part was that Jerri had that phone because she was taking pictures of us the whole time and then we see this huge spread of food. It was amazing”
Someone said: “You can do it, Parv!”
They were talking about throwing a coconut but did it mean more than that?! As they watched the videos, Sandra had an interview: “My uncle is here only because my mom passed away (tears) and he’s my favorite uncle…It’s been a year and a week since my mother passed so that’s why I write: “Mom, send help from above”. My husband cannot be here because he is in Afghanistan so having my uncle here… if it ends for me, I’m happy now.”
The truth is much more effective than a lie. Sandra has to know that her written messages work on the players’ sentiments. Usually when players talk about their family members and how important they are to them, it’s an indication that their journey will end once they’ve made them proud. Not so for Sandra but is it all she will have to make her happy? Jerri pointed the obvious: “I know Russell is going to be really, really mad.”
Parvati answered: “Who cares? What can he do?”
Once more Parvati is shown being able to contain Russell. Jerri: “I’m very concerned that Russell would be so upset that I didn’t take him on the reward that he would take it out on me in the game.” 
The scene ended with another helicopter shot while Parvati was the one talking: “Jerri, you’re fine. You’re under mine and Sandra’s full protection.” After the scene where the Villains were off to the merge, that’s the second time the helicopter was used while she spoke.
Camp – More Blowholes!
Russell and Rupert couldn’t understand Jerri’s choices. Rupert: “When Jerri got to announce who she would bring, I was fully expecting her to bring me. Why wouldn’t she? I’ve been taking care of Jerri this entire time. She’s not going to take me? Parvati would have done the same thing and not chose me. I saved Parvati’s ass, I saved Jerri’s ass, I dragging them both through the mud in a million dollar game. These girls are a bunch of unappreciative little bitches.”
To the guys he said: “I hope that burger tastes like a million dollars because that was a million dollar decision.” He added: “It is time to regroup. I know I’m a villain and I lied in the game but I want to trust you to the final 3.”
All 3 men shook on it.
Rupert: “Russell is hot and heavy on us three…being solid. I want to believe him but he is a villain but he is the best villain I got. If I can take the best villain with me to the final 3, I think that guarantees me the million dollars.”
Unfortunately Rupert, it’s much too late for the million dollar quote! Note that he has completely abandoned any hope of being with Sandra so he has learned something.
Colby agreed they could use Jerri just for one vote.
Russell reasoned: “And then Parvati goes home.”
This would have been soon enough to put Parvati in danger in the viewers’ mind but she had been from the start. Adding this scene to the episode’s opening really reinforced just how much Parvati’s at risk. That has been her recurring theme from the first episode. She does have another theme that came from the season’s opening which will be revisited at TC. Russell: “Even though I am pissed off at Jerri, I know I can definitely control her the most. In fact, when she comes back I want to make sure she is tight with me. I have to think about winning this game and Parvati is a huge threat for the million dollars she’s the only one that can give me a shot for it in my mind. So, if Parvati doesn’t win immunity, she is going home.”
He is forgetting about the other person that would be in the final 3. Is this setting the stage to explain Parvati’s win or is this irony to show that Russell didn’t have a shot either way? Jerri: “When I returned to camp, I wanted to talk to Russell but Russell and Colby were sleeping so, I tried to sleep.” Accompanied by cartoon-type music, Rupert was making noise. “Rupert is loud, obnoxious, selfish and totally inconsiderate…I have never, in my life, seen anybody that inconsiderate. I don’t know if it’s incredible cockiness or just complete stupidity. I am leaning more towards stupidity quite frankly. I want to kill Rupert right now…I couldn’t sleep so I went to talk to Russell”
With that, another Hero’s story gets thrown in the garbage. Rupert’s adventure on Survivor will end on quite a negative moment. We had quite a group of Heroes haven’t we?! Unless the Hero was in the wrong tribe all along! Russell brushed off his anger by saying he just wanted to see his wife. He added: “All I want is to get us two to the top.” Russell: “I talked to Jerri when she came back and I’m back on board with her. That makes me and Jerri very powerful in this game and I control it ‘cause I control Jerri. I’m not gonna tell Jerri anything about voting Parvati out. We’ll just go to the immunity and hopefully one of the guys wins it and I’ll deal with Jerri’s vote just before we go to Tribal Council.” Immunity Challenge: Crystal’s Favorite.
Colby fell out 15 seconds into the challenge, followed by Sandra, less than a minute later.
Jeff said: “Both of Jerri’s poles are dead center. She has not moved.”
Of course, just as he said that, her right pole fell.
I think that could symbolize her future in the game: She’s looking solid right now but her season long edit has been very weak and should be ready to fall. Once more it was down to Rupert and Parvati. Rupert was “right on the edge of elimination.” As Parvati won immunity, we saw Russell shaking his head in frustration if not disgust.
 We also saw Rupert going to shake her hand but the scene was cut short.
Rupert: “Parvati saved herself 100% today. So, hopefully plan B: Sandra goes home.” Russell: “Parvati wins immunity so I don’t have to make a tough decision tonight ‘cause if she wouldn’t have won she would have went home. That makes my decision very easy tonight. It’s Rupert for sure. The way I see, since I cannot get rid of Parvati, I’m going to have to flip on these guys. I have to go back to the girls.” Sandra went to Rupert saying she hated Russell and wanted to take him out.
Rupert: “Sandra came to me saying we have to get rid of Russell so I went immediately over to Russell.”
Quite a change for someone who hated that disgusting villain just an episode ago!
With the words written on screen to make sure we got it, Rupert said: “The girls are still talking about getting rid of you.” In the shelter, Parvati was asking Sandra if she had said something to Rupert that would explain the discussion between the 2 guys.
Russell went to ask Sandra: “Are you with me or against me?”
Sandra, in a scene reminiscent to the one when she made that promise to Fairplay, didn’t lie this time: “I’m against you Russell.”
Their little exchange made Parvati laugh.
After he left, Sandra turned to Rupert and said: “Loose lips sink ships.”
Parvati mocked Russell: “Who invited Boston Rob back to the party? Are you with me or are you against me?” Jerri: “I don’t understand what’s going on right now. This camp has turned into crazy town. I spent the entire night listening to Rupert make loud noises and now, Sandra and Parvati push Russell’s buttons? Are you kidding me? Don’t get Russell riled up and against you.” Russell: “You start aggravating me, going crazy and I won’t trust you and I’ll be gunning for you. That’s what Sandra did. Yes, we’ll have to get rid of Rupert but we might have to wait and get rid of Sandra. I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
Sandra: “Parvati was saying: “Don’t worry Sandra because I’m not going to write your name down and neither is Jerri so Rupert is going to go home even if Russell is upset. It’s day 36, the last day for me to use the idol. I might bring it with me to tribal council but I don’t know that I have anything to worry about. I’d rather not use it. That is how confident I am that I’m not going home.”
Instead of crossing her fingers like in PI, she gave the finger in direction of the guys.
Tribal Council
Sandra: “A light bulb went off in Rupert’s head that, if me and Russell fought, he’d be saved again. We had a few words exchanged and then Rupert went to Russell and Russell went to me: Are you with me or against me? So, of course, I was upset.”
Rupert didn’t look as if he appreciated Sandra’s words.
Russell: “Rupert told me that Sandra was trying to throw me under the bus…so immediately I go to my alliance, Sandra, and find out what is going on.”
Jeff asked how Russell handled the situation.
Sandra intervened with a smile: “He said are you with me or against me because you could be going home next like Danielle.”
Russell countered: “She has written my name down twice…so, should I trust her all the way? I asked if she was with me or against me?”
Jeff reasoned: “Then I guess she said she was with you.”
Russell replied: “She said she was not with me.”
Jeff: “Wow!”
Sandra: “Is that what I said?”
Parvati, while pulling an imaginary villain’s mustache,
said:
“I’m against you.” Asked if it was still heroes versus villains, Parvati answered: “Obviously not. With Danielle going home, and she was a solid villain for me since the first day, there’s definitely room for switching it up. I don’t see any benefit in voting out another villain. When it gets down to the final 3, I think it needs to be all villains. If a hero squeezes in there, they have a lot of friends on the jury.”
Rupert: “You want to show that you were either the top villain or the top hero. You want to show you had the game play to get you there and you even turned on your own to get you there. That is the game.”
Parvati turned her head at Russell which Jeff noted was almost like the exorcist.
 Parvati: “I found that he was speaking directly to Russell. You want to prove that you are the top villain and turn on your own? That’s pretty obvious.”
Rupert asked her: “You don’t think you are the top villain?”
Parvati: “No I don’t. I’m a hero on the inside.
(This ties in marvelously with her first comment during the season’s introduction when she asked why she was a villain.)
Asked who he was talking about, Rupert said: “Any of the villains that sit here and want to show they are the top.” During the vote we heard:
Sandra: “I’ll write your name again and, if I’m up there in the final 3, you’ll still give me the million dollar vote.”
Rupert: “Now I wrote your name down too.”
When Russell went to vote...
we saw Danielle pretending to throw up which could indicate the general humor of the jury.
When Jeff returned, he went to ask about the idol but Sandra snapped to her feet: “Should I let you finish? I wasn’t going to play the idol but, because I got mixed feelings at this tribal council, I would hate to go home with the idol in my bra.” 
The jury clapped at that.
Russell bent over to Parvati: “Did you know?”
Parvati: “I had no idea.”
Russell: “She’s bad.”
Rupert left with an extremely angry look. Was it at Russell or Sandra?
So, with the table set, who wins? From episode #1, we knew the Villains had the advantage because they didn’t have to deal with the egos that were on the Heroes’ tribe.
Anyway, with Colby being so irrelevant for most of the season and looking bad when he was featured without Tom to prop him up, we don’t have to wonder why we heard those comments from Boston Rob. If those words are true, then his words that the Villain women were the strongest should also be true. That theme had guided us to think a woman from that tribe would win.
Russell, for all his ability to dominate the game for the first 38 days, still doesn’t know how to stick the landing. For all his triple axels and quads, he seems destined to fall flat on his face once more. His dealings with Rupert show what kind of impression he makes on jurors. Jerri had a very good episode. It would fit for a winner if she hadn’t been ignored most of the season. As she said in episode #1, she has been very nice compared to the other villains even if Rupert’s fans may not agree. Too little too late, I’d say. So, it comes down to Sandra and Parvati.
Sandra’s fans will be happy to note that Russell always neglects to consider her as deserving to win. That’s how he lost Samoa. The editors have shown that Sandra was indeed a villain, from the moment she ripped Sugar’s bra to the moment she took out an idol out of hers, she’s been bad but in a very amusing way. Troubling to me is that all we ever heard of her game plan was to get rid of Russell but her plans have always failed and were even treated as a joke during the latest tribal council. We’ve heard a lot from Sandra’s personal life and it should impact the jury in some way. I consider her voting comment towards Rupert as an indication that she doesn’t get his vote. I may be wrong but I never heard any more arrogance than that. So, I think Parvati will be the winner. We had a sense that a winner should either be a Hero that was ready to do some dirty work or a Villain that would be like a Hero. When asked if the players believed they were on the wrong tribe, it was Parvati who was heard speaking up. We even heard Jeff having to explain it. To come full circle in the next to last episode where we hear her say she was a hero on the inside seems like it fits in the winner’s story. Also, we had manipulated scenes to make her appear to be in danger. In episode 1 she was already telling us that she is used to being the target. Now Russell wanted her out and he had the Heroes on board until she saved herself. Russell still thinks she has to go if he is to win the game. After ending a season where Jeff said the wrong person won, it would also be fitting if Parvati did as Rupert told us: “Parvati saved herself 100%.” What if she does it again? If she wins her way to the end, Russell and Jeff would have to say she deserved it. That was the only way a Hero was going to make it to the end afterall!
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DRONES 615 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Reality Show Commentator"
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05-18-10, 02:17 AM (EST)
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112. "RE: Thoughts before the Finale:" |
"So, it comes down to Sandra and Parvati.
Sandra’s fans will be happy to note that Russell always neglects to consider her as deserving to win. That’s how he lost Samoa. The editors have shown that Sandra was indeed a villain, from the moment she ripped Sugar’s bra to the moment she took out an idol out of hers, she’s been bad but in a very amusing way. Troubling to me is that all we ever heard of her game plan was to get rid of Russell but her plans have always failed and were even treated as a joke during the latest tribal council. We’ve heard a lot from Sandra’s personal life and it should impact the jury in some way. I consider her voting comment towards Rupert as an indication that she doesn’t get his vote. I may be wrong but I never heard any more arrogance than that."To me it came down to who was Russell's equal this season. Who was the one person who never backed down to him...not once. In the end it was Sandra who had to do it all on her own. Everyone knows that Sandra is a horrible physical player, yet during challenges no significant commentary from Jeff about this, only from the other competitors. Parv's downfall is simple, "If you dance with the devil, the devil won't change. It will change you." On her own, hidden from the light, Parv's devious character didn't shine as bright as it did when she was aligned with Russell. I went back and forth between Parv and Sandra and tried to comeup with a tie breaker and in the end that tie breaker was Russell. Great job Vercu, michael and everyone else who contributed to this thread during the season.  DRONES
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BPNM 5 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "American Cancer Society Spokesperson"
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05-21-10, 05:05 AM (EST)
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113. "Thoughts after the Finale" |
Your analysis of the penultimate episode was excellent as usual, Michel. Thanks for keeping this thread going throughout the season!I have a few comments now that we have the benefit of looking at this season as a whole. Parvati's edit was very good from an analysis standpoint - she had focus early on as being the immediate threat in the Villains tribe, then played very strategically just before and just after the merge, and finished with a very solid physical game near the end. There really was very little missing from her edit, if anything at all. The one thing that I think she might have gotten if she was a winner was a confessional explaining plainly and directly why she wanted to win. Parvati had plenty of strategic confessionals explaining how she was dealing with Russell, how she read Amanda, and so on, but I don't think I ever heard her say why she came to play. Now, I know that not every winner gets something like that, but I do recall that Parvati got a very solid confessional about winning in the beginning of Micronesia/Fans vs. Favorites. I know that this season, Parvati seemed somewhat driven to prove that she wasn't a villian, but that wasn't unique to her; Sandra raised her hand first when the question was asked in episode 1. In addition, many of Parvati's confessionals showed quite plainly that she was happy being a villian. Sandra also fell into the villain role quite comfortably despite her initial complaint about being on the villains, but she was shown to have another reason to want to win: she had to take care of business in Survivor just like her husband had to take care of business in Afghanistan, and she wanted to win to support her family. Most of the other late-game characters also were allowed to spell out why they were playing/wanted to win, for example: *Russell wanted to show he was the best of the best.
*Colby wanted to show that he still could hang in the game after being away from it for 6 years.
*Rupert wanted to show that good will always win.
*Jerri wanted to win while being herself, villain if necessary, and not try to conform to what anyone else expected. I never heard anything quite like this from Parvati. Of course, I suppose one might have thought that Parvati really didn't need to explain herself on an All-Stars season like this, but I don't know how else to explain what I felt was missing from Parvati's edit all season. Michel, regarding your comment about not counting anyone out based on one moment/confessional alone, I agree. I was a bit harsh at that point, and I don't think I gave Parvati enough of a chance - she did come within two votes of winning. I also forgot about that giggle confessional in Fans vs. Favorites. However, I think that confessional was slightly different. For one, she only mentioned her friends by name in that confessional, as opposed to mentioning someone she disliked as she did with Rupert. Given that Rupert had the underdog edit and has repeatedly referenced being the one who was picked on as a kid, I kind of thought that the editing was hinting that Parvati was picking on him again. Yes, Rupert made lots and lots of mistakes, but his edit was pretty much all positive from the merge until Jerri got to call him out in confessionals for his inexplicable wood chopping late at night in his boot episode (the episode AFTER Parvati giggled about getting rid of him). Also, with respect to James and Ozzy in Fans vs. Favorites: Parvati wasn't given the satisfaction of directly backstabbing James - he became "dead" in the game due to an injury, not anything Parvati did. And as for Ozzy, I never particularly cared for him - he always came off as arrogant to me, so I didn't feel that Parvati knocking him off was especially evil. Maybe my personal biases play too much of a role in my thinking about that, but I think most of what I said makes sense.
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