Well that was certainly an interesting and entertaining episode. We got to see more characters fleshed out a bit to question their role this season and despite some characterizations that the editing is trying to portray, there is a sense that the editors could make more of it should they choose but they aren’t which then tells me perhaps they are being shaped for a long term reason. Are certain characters integral to the progression of the story and the themes? Are some merely distractions that will play their role and have us bide our time until the *real* characters take shape? I am very pleasantly surprised that the editors seem to be attempting an equalization amongst most the contestants – therefore, those that appear severely neglected will not fare well for victory.

Previously

Jud was revisited in his commentary about this being “real” (perhaps something that goes along with his edit which does correlate to Jeff’s words to him at TC – i.e. buckle up Jud because your optimism that things can be sanguine isn’t going to happen on this show)

Jimmy J. was revisited with his commentary about hoping to have some of the young people carry him (Since I am of the opinion that Jimmy J. is going to be utilized by the editors despite whatever longevity he produces I would be hard pressed to give any valid opinion on the merits of his edit. Regardless of standing, Jimmy J. would receive a stellar edit and like Kelly B. either they have to be stopped early or they will land at the end.)

Jeff mentions that Jimmy J. has been very influential over his tribe mates with Tyrone expressing his pleasure over getting a pep talk from him.

Shannon is shown as “alpha” male and creating a strong male alliance with Chase
(A potential nugget is Shannon stating that without himself or Chase the tribe is “screwed so it will be interesting to see how this plays out due to the events that occurred”)

Chase is said to be taken with Brenda citing she is a ‘cute’ girl and created an alliance with her because for whatever reason he trusts her. (Declaration of trust are always fodder for a good storyline and considering the outcome of this episode, there are hints of furthering this issue and their relationship.)

Brenda “….he’s cluelessl” (If Chase is shown further down the road “wising up” it could bode well in his favor but for now, the emphasis on his blind trust in someone taking him for a ride seems worrisome. The fact that Chase’s edit has been given a bit more depth than Brenda’s seems promising but we can’t rule out the possibility that he could end up regretting his decision)

Alina and Kelly B. were shown finding the clue whereupon Jeff adds it was a stroke a luck for Kelly B. as she is a target (Of note is that we did NOT hear Alina express that she was bothered about finding the clue with Kelly B; we only heard Shannon’s narrative about her threat status – perhaps Alina and Kelly B. do forge a greater bond since only the clue to the HII was narrated upon and this could provide an upcoming chapter)

A bit of slow motion action showcased the medallion circling Marty’s neck. Whether Yve’s words last week regarding a winner wearing gold has any bearing, Marty still appears to be in very good standing editing wise and seems connected to some promising stories.

Brenda reiterating that the older tribe should not have kept the medallion “because you are here to win (Marty shown) why take chances?” (Brenda and Marty had very strong showings in both episodes, I would be hard pressed to believe that their characters won’t be significant to this season although Brenda’s overall edit is a tad bit hollow.)

Jimmy J. is noted to peg Wendy as the weakest link which concerned Holly because of her alliance with Wendy and at TC “Holly turned her back on her ally and sided with Coach Jimmy and the rest of her tribe” (This seems to have been included for transition purposes since Holly had a bit of a melt down commencing with her “betrayal” of Wendy - Holly was thrown an editing softball in the narration of events or even this small narration by Jeff as we did not hear stronger words like betrayal or stab in the back which may be indicative of some length to her stay coupled with the remainder of the episode)

Tribal Council Aftemath

Soft music accompanied Holly’s words regarding the Tribal Council

Holly (conf) “I kind feel like I’m on the outs and I know my tribe senses I am; I just felt bad making the alliance with Wendy and then of course I went in with everybody else to vote her out!” (This confessional did not have to be shown necessarily and does seem to give Holly a bit of a softer touch as she is expressing remorse over betraying Wendy)

(Holly then shown stating this was basically a team decision and it clearly affected her)

Holly (conf) “I know it’s part of the game to lie and that’s part of the strategy so I think my next step is to rethink everything (very obvious splicing occurs now) cause I would like to show these people that I can kick their ##### on Survivor”

Plenty of meat coming from Holly this episode if not a bit all over the map. I do think that the editing was not as harsh on her as it could have been which may bode well for her longer term. She was shown remorseful but then unstable and then getting her act together – how long she can keep it together may be the question.

Espada

Marty (conf) “Plan for today is to get to a better place in regards to sleep; people up all night, haven’t slept really at all….”

(Again, Marty helps the narration for his tribe, however, he also provides personal narration about his strategy and plans so I do not attribute the typical “pre-merge” narrator status to Marty. He seems to have carefully inserted himself with most of his tribe and we later see that he is, indeed, following through on allowing someone else to be the overt leader while he works the scenes in the background)

Jill (conf) “Morning meeting went pretty good…. Coach gave us our assignments (shot of Jill smiling up at him)

Jimmy T. is shown discussing the idea to fish as Tyrone interrupts him to “stay on task” as diplomatically as possible

Jimmy T. (conf) “Jimmy’s the man now – everybody’s buying him hook, line and sinker. (camera goes to Tyrone) So now he’s gonna have TD doing this and Marty doing that. I’m sitting in the corner, no one says hey Jimmy T. what do you think and it’s starting to wear on me”

(Further progression from the first episode whereupon we witnessed Jimmy T. and his issues with Jimmy J. which may be indicative of a short term plot device with one Jimmy pitted against the other Jimmy)

On the flip side, Jimmy J. instructs Marty about the shelter as Marty complies but then gives us this insight….

Marty (conf) “Jimmy J. is jumping in and trying to give direction to the whole tribe and I just sat back and said okay…put the pressure on him… I’m not going to be putting my face out there anymore… I think I can use that to my advantage in the event we have to vote somebody else off” (shot of Jimmy J.)

What a contrast between Jimmy T and Marty’s confessionals and again we see seeds being planted as a plot device. Marty is playing very clinically and the editing is showing this – with consistent visuals, narration that encompasses events and personal insight and what appears to be sound relationships he is building, Marty looks very good on editing paper. We can’t also forget Alina’s words from the first episode regarding Marty and this may be a set up to a future plot device which may reflect long term status for both Marty and Alina

LaFlor

Purple Kelly is heard{!) stating that she has never gone this long without showering or brushing to which Jud responds on screen “I have” which results in laughter.

Sash and Naonka are then shown at the beach which is the commencement of the story that played out this episode and showcased the creation of another alliance forming…

Sash “I know all five of the guys are strong, you’re strong”
Naonka “Why everybody say I’m strong?”
(They joke)
Naonka “But no guys have came and talked to me, approached me…”
(Naonka’s confessional)
Sash “You know I’m half black… so I’d love to bring as many minorities to the end as much as possible”
Naonka “I won’t shake your hand but I’ll wink at ya”
Sash “When the time is right we can try and bring in Brenda; I think she is the smartest person here and could be a good asset”
{Sash’s confessional)
Sash “I think it’s important to try and make friends with as many people as possible because it’s a numbers game”
(this conversation obviously was continued later as the setting and clothing changed and perhaps some of this conversation was part/parcel with issues that Naonka was involved with that we witnessed during the episode)
Naonka “How do you feel about Kelly B.?”
Sash “Kelly B. is a big threat because if she can make it to the end, it’s a huge accomplishment”
Naonka “I already told myself is there’s a challenge where we are going to have to race (close up on Kelly’s leg) and that leg falls off, she’s out of here” (noted on screen)
Sash laughs and Naonka states: “For real”
(Second Naonka confessional)

Naonka (conf) “I like Sash a whole lot; he’s really down to earth, he has that million dollar smile and seems like we have a good vibe, a lot of chemistry” and “Kelly B… she’s a charity case, she has the heart, she has the mind but she doesn’t have 100 percent of the body and that’s going to hurt us”

Sash (conf) “Being minorities, we have a bond that no one else share; if we can work together on this, we can dominate this game. Now it’s just up to the Asian sensation if she is willing to align with us or not so we’ll have to see”

Naonka didn’t receive any editing favors with her discussion about Kelly B. but her statements make good television and it appears that this is setting up some situation that could involve Naonka and Kelly B. considering this is the second episode and both episodes showed Naonka discussing Kelly B. Additionally, Naonka received a bit of egg on her face since Kelly B. was shown to perform extremely well in the challenge negating what Naonka stated. Sash is getting fleshed out a bit more from his first episode where he was shown only to state that everything was beautiful, including the women (perhaps designed to reflect his budding alliance with females?) but he got a beauty of a confessional assigned to him reflecting upon “his million dollar smile” and in a show like Survivor, one can NEVER discount sound bites such as this especially since we do see him spearheading an alliance and coming off very nicely in the tirade that Shannon created at Tribal Council. At this time we can’t be sure how important Sash may be since alliances created can fall by the wayside easily but if we continue to see a slow process building Sash’s character it could bode well for him. I find it highly ironic that Sash could be connected to Shannon’s statements first episode about not wanting a girl to win this and his desire for an “alpha” male to take this. The complete irony to his statements would be Sash being victorious as he is not female but not the alpha male Shannon identified. I would have liked a bit more depth to his confessional and I question if his confessional is more about him or whether Brenda commits fully to this alliance since we know she also is utilizing Chase.

Espada

Holly confesses to us the situation with respect to Jill and the snails

(of note this is the same confessional spot as earlier)

A spat ensues with Jill and Holly and Jimmy T. is present asking if “she is having a meltdown”

Jimmy T. (conf) “Holly, I think is a very nice person but she’s off the deep end; she needs to do well in this game and she’s not….”

Jill furthers this with “….her mental state is not good and in Survivor you don’t want to come across as mentally unstable”

Jill narrates the incident as Jane asked if they were edible to which Jill replied they were with Jane adding she thought they were (thereby negating Holly’s little tirade)

Jimmy J. (conf) “Holly snapped at Jill and it was really a bizarre type thing; I’m just keeping my fingers crossed that she can turn it around before it’s too late”

Dan is shown stating that Holly is crazy whereby Holly is shown noting that she was aware what was said adding that “and Dan was making fun of me and that gets under my skin so the best way for me to handle the situation with Dan is try to release my anger”

Holly is then shown sabotaging Dan’s shoes “I’m not going to sit back anymore and rub things in my face…. I’ve been too nice but the game has just begun”

Obviously the shoe incident is made for Survivor and the editors would never give up this gem especially since it surrounded a big storyline for this episode and required showing regardless. Again, this was dealt with a rather soft hand as Holly was shown later acknowledging she was losing it and being up front and honest with Dan; she also was shown considering, BUT NOT quitting and in Survivor giving up is paramount to disaster so it is possible this was more of a message to send to all quitters and thus, received a lot of television attention.

Dan searches for shoes that no one in their right mind should bring to Survivor (and the mention of the cost of the shoes may have taken the sting out of the incident as I for one, expressed disbelief that someone would bring expensive shoes like that to this environment)

Dan (conf) “So I woke up this morning and looked in my bag and my shoes are missing” (Yve is shocked, Jill is shocked moreso at the cost and Jimmy T. surmises that someone sabotaged him and wants to play games to which Jimmy J. replies it is too early to play games)

Again, more soft music accompanies Holly’s descent into temporary madness: “Right now I am struggling emotionally and turning me into someone I am not. (A nice confessional that makes Holly a bit more sympathetic to the viewer) I’m realizing this might not be for me. It’s best I come clean”

Dan looks rather frightened when Holly puts her hands on his knees and confesses to what she did and apologizes.

Dan (conf) “She stole my shoes (stated three times) ….if she were a guy I’d knock her right out” to which he repeats this to Holly.

Jill attempts to play mediator and Tryone adds some comic relief citing “Holly keeps getting stranger and stranger, every time she speaks it becomes more evident she is crazy so I’m going to keep one eye on her and one eye on my shoes”

Holly states she wants to leave this game with honesty and integrity and Jimmy T. responds favorably. However Dan does not “She’s not going to get any forgiveness from me” (Perhaps setting up some future discord between the two)

La Flor

The stealing parlays to the younger tribe as Naonka advises that her socks are now missing and with the visuals expressed by her tribe readily apparent to us, she is not to be showcased in any other light but a handful.

Shannon (conf) “Naonka, she lost one of her socks and now she thinks someone took her socks, playing tricks with her which is crap”

Naonka (conf) “If there’s somebody that is either after me or irritate me, if they want to play dirty I can play dirty too; I found another pair of socks and I took them”

Shown on screen is Shannon citing that the socks she took were Fabio’s with the words “Shows what she really is” shown on screen

Jud “I can’t find my spare pair of socks”
Shannon “Nay’s wearing them, dummy”
Jud “Is she?” (Alina and Benry there as well) “That makes me mad”

Alina (conf) “La Flor’s definitely getting into high school drama; Nay she swears somebody tried to sabotage her socks, which is crazy and now she stole Fabio’s socks; she’s just a loose cannon”

A snit ensues between Jud and Naonka which ends with Jud throwing his hands over his face.
(Jud’s confessional shown)
More of the tirade continues where Jud is fed up and Naonka is holding her ground
(Naonka’s confessional)

Jud (conf) “I was going to ask her, hey do you think you accidently took my socks but before I get to say anything she went crazy”

Naonka (conf) “I don’t know what it is but Jud, I don’t like anything about him”

(Jud shown tending to the fire and not handling the smoke well)

Naonka (conf) “I don’t want people to think I am a B.I.T.C.H but the boy is stupid (scene) everybody thinks his jokes is funny, they’re laughing, heh heh heh, I’m laughing cause I’m about to vote you off”

(Jud then shown putting the snorkel mask on to deal with the fire. “Goofy” music accompanies the scene as Jud pulls back to not get burned as his tribe mates laugh as he asks if his dreadlock is okay)

Jud (to Chase) “Dude I can’t wait for her to go home man”

Another contrast in tribes and also subtle in reflecting where the editing sympathy lies. Holly was shown sabotaging the shoes yet came off rather well regardless of committing this act. On the flip side, Naonka was potentially the victim of someone stealing her socks but her edit did not evoke any sympathy whatsoever. Her words expressing that she doesn’t want people thinking she is a ##### most likely had many audience members saying, “Well you kind of are!” The reactionary shots did not help her case whatsoever. Jud received ample camera time this episode and I will assume (perhaps not a good thing) that the situation between Naonka and Jud was televised for a reason – perhaps setting up some future issue with the two of them (not to mention the exchange at TC). Clearly, we were not meant to sympathize with Naonka in this situation and regardless of the fumbling and bungling he is shown to do – I do feel the editing could make Jud look worse and turn him into a caricature of himself. Jud is obviously a free spirit and his actions provide entertaining television regardless of end game or not. His first episode confessional does help his case for longevity and I think that the editors could dial it up a notch on his “dumb blondeness” should that be the bane of his edit. Time will tell.

Espada

We revisit Holly’s story as she takes Jimmy J. aside to talk about how she is feeling.

Holly “I’m having a hard time”
Jimmy J. “I know and everybody’s concerned”

Ocean waves accompany Holly’s confession that she doesn’t know if she can do this as Jimmy J. gives her very subtle but effective encouragement thus solidifying the positive aura that the edit wishes to convey about him. Holly again is given a soft touch and we hear her cite that this could either carry her through or hurt her and she will wait and see.

Holly’s edit fares very well for thus far; she obviously would receive a good amount of attention in light of the events but I found this situation being “milked” a bit more than it needed to be and I plan on revisiting it later after learning her outcome. There were other characters that could have been featured as we barely saw or heard Tyrone, Yve or Jane and Dan was shown as he was connected to the incident. Jimmy J. is a solid narrator and will be shown regardless and only Jill, Jimmy T. and Marty were given some time that did not revolve around this particular issue and were shown involved or commenting on events that are potential plot devices (the idol, Jimmy T’s issue with Jimmy J. and so forth)

The Challenge

Once again, La Flor comes marching in with their created tribal chant/walk and at this point, I’m not entirely sure the audience is meant to enjoy it. Benry given the reaction visual upon hearing Wendy was voted out. He nods. Alina gives back the idol as a reactionary shot is made by Yve. Interesting visual of Jeff commenting that “losers go to TC” which shows a sidelong shot of Naonka and Jimmy J. which seemed a bit strange and Jeff’s words of voting someone out has the camera pan to Holly then Marty.

The Medallion rests on Jane’s neck and the tribe decides to use the Medallion therefore the Medallion moves over to the younger tribe and Naonka sits out this challenge as does Dan.

Of note that Holly struggles to find the ball and Jeff cites Kelly B’s leg not holding her back at all (helps to contradict Naonka’s statement) along with Benry’s frustration over missing his target which by the way he did not receive any negative backlash from and this is always helpful as backlash for challenge performances is a helpful tool in determining a character’s existence on the season.

Jill (conf): “Once we saw advantage and it was dual challenge it was a no brainer….”
Sash (conf) “We thought being young guys we could dominate the game from start to finish (perhaps nothing but it is interesting that the camera immediately panned to the tribe walking away with the focus on the back’s of the women) so today was a huge shock and disappointment and unfortunately we have to send someone home tonight and I’m not really sure how that’s going to play out”

Sash given some more air time again which bodes nicely and he touched upon one of the themes again citing the thought process that the young would dominate the old. I note again the reference to “guys” only which was done in the first episode as well which is normally just a lazy speak but with discussion about “boys’ alliances and Shannon not wanting a girl to win, it does make one pause.

Holly (conf) “To win the challenge today, I won’t lie, the first thing I thought of was, what if I would have left; it proves that if you don’t quit the pay off will be huge” (Again, this could solely be a bit of Survivor’s “homage” to someone who reconsidered quitting and reaped the rewards from not doing so but the editors still extended Holly’s short story as evidenced by Jimmy J.’s confessional)

Jimmy J. (conf) “Holly, she seems to be doing extremely well; everybody’s got their fingers crossed she’ll get back on the page but my past experience…. It’s easier to have a second setback, and so I think it will be a continual process for her” (perhaps the overkill to Holly’s breakdown is indicative that it will rear its head again?)

The clue for the hidden idol is found to which Jimmy T. advises us about as they brainstorm ideas about the clues. Jill confesses more about the clues and how she realized what they meant.

Jill (a bit surprisingly) lets Marty and Dan know what she figured out and directed Marty to “go get it”

Jill (conf) “Marty’s a smart guy with good ideas, I thought it would pay off in the long run to gain Marty’s trust by sharing that with him” (Some insight by another on Marty and also reflective of relationships that have formed that we have not clearly seen yet)

Marty takes off as the camera shows Dan lagging behind

Marty (conf) “I was really shocked that Jill gave me the key clue and Danny was with me… so he’s involved now but I like him and I think he could be pivotal; he could be dangerous later but he I think he could be pivotal if we find that idol. I think the tribe needs a jolt, I think the tribe needs a dramatic shift to get people whipped up and in line” and “I certainly would not have the idol if Jill had not given the clue…. The challenge now is how do we make it work”

Jill comes over to assist and she and Marty locate it

Marty: “The idol. Jill I got it, I got the idol baby! I got the first, WE got the idol (a nice save - which Jill repeats) Jill this is so money!”

Dan shown not exactly looking like he would be pivotal despite Marty saying otherwise but he may be tantamount to this storyline and it would appear that we have a budding situation that Dan, Marty and Jill are privy to. Jill potentially is being set up to regret putting her trust in Marty as it certainly did not go unnoticed that he kept using the word “I” until he caught himself and changed it to “we” but nonetheless Marty and Jill have been shown to be viable characters on the older tribe (moreso Marty last episode but Jill has certainly gained face time and is now involved in a good storyline) and Marty again seems to be very central this season in my opinion

La Flor

The three ladies (Kelly, Kelly and Alina) are shown heading to the water to clean up as Kelly B. states that it won’t be fun tonight.

Jud is then shown stating he doesn’t like this and to blame the medallion/that one ball as I believe Sash is heard saying the girls were awesome/savage as Chase is shown/heard stating that he was worried about Kelly B. but she dominated (visual cut to Naonka which again reflects poorly on her)

Alina “You could finally show that you are just as athletic…”

Naonka (conf) “Today I sat out the challenge to see if Kelly B. was going to use her leg as an excuse because it was a physical challenge; I was very proud of her, the fact she didn’t do that. I mean, she’s just awesome, I mean I don’t like her but she’s just awesome”

While credit is given to Naonka for acknowledging Kelly B. and her accomplishment a sticking point is that Naonka tells us she doesn’t like Kelly B. and there is nothing to support this dislike so it appears unfounded. Naonka’s dislike of Jud also appears to be one of just an innate dislike and the problem with this is that both Kelly B. and Jud have been shaped as likeable characters therefore the editing does not truly favor Naonka’s opinion as there has been nothing to reinforce her dislike of either of them.

Kelly B. “Who we voting”
Alina “We’re either going Brenda or Nay; the thing is nobody likes Nay right now”
Kelly B. “She looked like an idiot this morning”
Alina “But see that’s why it would be easier to get rid of the leader”
Kelly B. “Exactly”
Alina “So I think we better go with Brenda”

Alina (conf) “I think Brenda definitely has a thing for Chase so we’re kind of worried about them because he’s such a good guy and he’s gonna tell her things (splice heard) and they might try to work that angle so we have to break that up”

Shannon “Who do you want to get rid of?”
Jud “I think it’s obvious who I want to get rid of, I want to write down Naonka man”
Shannon “Chase?” (he nods)
(Sash is also there)
Shannon “Who are you writing down? Everybody’s saying they are writing down Nay”
Kelly B. “Why?” (Benry shown laying down under shelter as part of conversation) “Seems like you are being a little emotional doesn’t it?”
Jud “Who do you think would be a better choice?”
Kelly B. “I think Brenda’s gonna be more of a threat. We were just talking about that out there” (shown on screen with Chase shown)

Shannon (conf) “Chase is constantly going off with Brenda all the time. I mean I don’t know if he is getting blinded by a woman but Kelly B. and Alina, they were getting kind of nervous and I’m getting kind of worried about Brenda too” (detection of splicing in this confessional)

Shannon “I can feel that you don’t want to cut Brenda because ya’ll are becoming friends but their struggling right now being at three and they have four with Sash; they need ya’ll two” (directed to Chase and Benry) “Why do you think Brenda’s clinging to you; she’s trying to play your ##### and we’re too strong of a tribe to go screw this up and lose to these old asses”
Benry “We got to take Brenda out first”
Shannon “I hate to put you in that position by voting Brenda cause that’s your girl but”
(Chase’s confessional)
Shannon “I want to secure us to the final thing, that’s all I want to do”
(Shannon’s confessional)
Chase (conf) “I’m definitely in a mess right now; ever since the beginning of this game I prayed to God could give me someone I could trust (pan of Brenda – visual a bit sexy possibly negating that Chase is lulled more by her looks than trust) and I feel that Brenda was that person right from the start but at the same time I made an alliance with Shannon. He wants Brenda to go home first so I’m caught in the middle of two different alliances and (obvious splice) I really don’t know what I’m going to do”

Shannon (conf) “Chase, he feels bad about sending Brenda home…but Chase is my number on guy and if my alliance is doing what they say they are doing, Brenda’s the first one to go”

Naonka “Shannon would be the ringleader right now, he’s talking to everybody”
Brenda “Is he talking to you?”

They both agree that Shannon is not talking to them

Naonka “What I’m trying to do is get people to get Shannon out”
Brenda “Me too. He’s so cocky”
Naonka “And the second person I want is, what’s his name? Jude, Judd. Gone!” (Brenda likes her list)
(Naonka’s confessional)
Naonka “Sash, he hasn’t talked to you what he talked to me about…he wants to bring all of us minorities to the end” (sharp musical noise)

Brenda laughs and she likes the plan because “I like Sash” (said onscreen)
(Brenda’s confessional shown)

Brenda “Chase talks to me and I feel like he’s real. I do feel like he’s nervous though” (Kelly B. and Chase now walking together)
Naonka “I thought he was stronger than that”
Brenda “He’s not and it’s a shame because we can rule this!”
Naonka “But do I have your word?” (Shannon shown)

Brenda says definitely and they agree they are taking Shannon out

Naonka (conf) “Yesterday I went off on Fabio and it’s just because he rubbed me the wrong way, I can’t stand him, he can’t stand me so I want Fabio out of here but he doesn’t have to go out tonight because he’s not a threat to anyone. But Shannon, he’s making himself a threat right now…. just know that you built your own stepping stone to the grave”

Brenda (conf) “You want to know what’s funny? I have people on my side without doing anything. I get a good vibe from Nay, Sash was saying how he wants to be in an alliance. I feel like I can get Kelly Purple. I’m really tight with Chase. (Strange visual of Chase which has Kelly B. standing in the far background; the others she mentioned were shown as close individual shots but for whatever editing reason, Kelly B. was included in this frame showing Chase) and that makes five”

In the scheme of thematic connections, it is interesting that Naonka stated in her confessional the persona of Jud that was picked up from the first episode, i.e. Jud is not considered a threat which is the type of UTR player that I look for – I classify UTR differently than the Butch’s or Kim’s. My type of UTR is someone that could be athletic or can be social or can be loud but is completely off the radar due to something about them that is not considered any threat to win this game; in this case, the edit is showcasing Jud as a non threat because he is “dumb.” Jud is athletic, young and gregarious which is (on paper) threatening but Shannon dismissed him and now Naonka has also dismissed him. With respect to the conversations shown, it is clearly obvious this is all prelude to the TC yet we already know quite a bit of information – we have an alliance in the making of the minorities and this could prove to be significant. We know that Benry was involved in a “strong male alliance” yet he has never been shown his point of view which has me question how integral he really is – there has been no insight from him whatsoever. We do see that Kelly B. and Alina have forged a stronger bond while Brenda seemingly has been getting closer with purple Kelly yet nothing significant has come from this other Kelly. Naonka received ample screen time but like Shannon, I feel this is more about prelude to a fall as opposed to building a character who lasts the duration. Brenda has been given a characterization of a woman who is managing to work some magic and her and Chase’s relationship still appears to be built on a foundation of betrayal rather than loyalty. At this time, I’m not entirely sure what to make of Chase. His character is getting a nice fleshing out as we are seeing his insight and conflict but is his progression to be one who gets betrayed or wises up? Regardless, he is getting quite a bit of attention for now – but whether it is for short term story purposes needs to be determined. The bane of his edit thus far has been around being caught between two alliances and whether Brenda takes him for a ride but a bigger story involving Survivor is adaptability and it will be interesting to see if this becomes part of his edit.

Chase “They have Shannon, Alina, Fabio Ben and KB and they said they want you gone first”
(Chase’s confessionl)
Chase “I did not want to play this game this way; I thought I’d be able to come in, not talk much”
Brenda “Well it’s obvious that Shannon is the one calling all the shots so why wouldn’t you want to just take him out first” (musical change) “Why do you need him? Tell me a reason why you need him”
Chase “I don’t need him at all” (Brenda asks again then why would he keep him because he is the one calling the shots – as Brenda continues, Alina is shown overhearing the discussion)
Chase “Well we could; numbers, you, me, um” (Brenda states purple and includes Sash and Nay)
(Brenda’s confessional)

Chase (conf) “I’m so confused right now, ever since the beginning of this game, I’ve been trying to figure out who I can trust and who I can play the game with. I liked Shannon right away and he wanted to be aligned with me but there’s just a feeling that I have that is not right about him”

Brenda (conf) “I really didn’t expect someone to come up to me and say Shannon wants you out first and I don’t understand really why but Chase, I think he wants to keep me here because he just trusts me but it’s looking like it will be a tie; five for me and five for Shannon so who knows what’s going to happen”

Again, more emphasis to the audience that Chase is a bit in over his head and somewhat naïve as to how he thought this game would be played. While I do think the editors are giving him some care (especially in light of the somewhat hypocrisy he later displays since we hear him discuss truth and honesty but he was dishonest with Shannon) I find it quite amusing that he seems to be receiving an edit that is almost feminine in nature. How many times have we seen the female in Survivor wanting to do the right thing, conflicted by it, being influenced by others and somewhat naïve in the process. I don’t recall every seeing a male contestant shaped quite in this way. I do think there is investment in Chase but it is not clear if this is the bulk of his storyline. Brenda appears ripe for the future and is being touted as the big threat and while I do feel there is quite a bit down the pike with her, the soundbites used by the editors from her seem a bit hollow. Interestingly enough, she let us know in the first episode she was going to use the information from Chase to get to the end yet this information she received seems to have reach its conclusion.

Alina (conf) “When I heard their conversation I’m like we are screwed. Brenda convinced Chase to vote for Shannon (this was an obvious splice and probably a confessional that occurred after the TC) so Brenda has him by the cojones and I don’t know what we are going to do”

Shades of the Parvati/spider come to mind as a spider in its web is shown.

Alina “Guys, Chase is with them”
Jud “Are you sure about that?”
Alina “Yeah! Brenda stirred it up” (Kelly B. piping in as well) “She’s so much more of a threat; she has her little charm on him”
Jud “This sucks man, nothing is as it seems” (My downfall commencing with the “wink” is looking at commentary and over analyzing – but I do love the connection this comment makes with the theme of underestimation and it seems that there is a lot of subtle doses of “nothing is as it seems” by way of the game or the characters.)

Jud (conf) “We’re still not sure about Chase man as weird as it sounds and we’re wondering if Chase is going to lie to Brenda and vote her out or tell the four of us one thing and then flip” (Shannon, Jud, Kelly B. and Alina)

Alina “Chase is with them, if you go first we’re done, all of us” (These types of statements (much like boot order conversations are often quite useful in that what is said is not necessarily so)

Kelly B. “Look how much drama she stirred up in a day” (Jud states “I know”)

Shannon (conf) “You know it went from being six strong to like now, I don’t know what’s what. I don’t know who’s in my alliance, who to trust. If Chase is a man of his word then Brenda will go home tonight; if not I got a big target on my back” (Much innuendo surrounding Chase with respect to issues of trust and honesty again)

Shannon “Oh well, somebody gonna be eating peanut butter sandwich’s tonight”
Chase “Somebody will be”

Tribal Council

Jeff asks Shannon about how much more difficult this has been than imagined
Shannon “It’s been brutal… I’ll wing it out. We’ve had people say we’re all together then I’m coming to find out there’s no loyalty. He better hope his girlfriend stays with him… because he’ll be going home next” (Jeff is shocked and Chase acknowledges this is about him)

Jeff asks Chase who is his girlfriend to which Shannon “everybody knows it’s Brenda”
Chase “She’s not my girlfriend. From day one I trusted Brenda and Ben, those were the two people I trust the most”

Shannon “Can I say why it’s like this because I thought Chase had my back and I thought we were there and we’re not and it pisses me off. All you had to do was be honest and say you were with her and it would have been all good”
Chase “I’m coming out with the truth; I’ve been in between two alliances the whole time and before we came out here I was very unsure who I wanted to vote for…. That’s as honest as I can get”
Shannon “You started off with all your integrity, honesty and loyalty. Where has it been? You’ve been lying and going both ways! I just want to let everybody know how upset I am because I gave my word and I’d stick with Chase (Alina nods) all the way to the end”
(Jud raises his hand)
Jeff asks Jud what’s going on there
Jud “I’m just trying to tell Shannon to not make enemies, you know he just gets aggressive so quick and I’m trying to tell him that’s not smart man”
Shannon “Fabio, homeboy’s trying to vote me out man; I’m not making an enemy, he knows that if it doesn’t go down like that tonight, he’s next”

Jeff notes to Brenda she is in the center of everything with Shannon losing his mind
Brenda “I think that it just shows certain weaknesses have been exposed; it’s hard to trust him” (Shannon asks what he did and Chase replies no one trusts him)

Shannon “Fabio you don’t trust me?” (Shannon then moves to Benry, Alina and Kelly B. All seem uncomfortable but Kelly B. does state she trusts him out loud) “I’m not lying to anybody!”

Jeff then asks Shannon to understand that this may not be the wisest move to throw all of this out here before a vote (shot pans to Jud who essentially stated such to Shannon)
Shannon “I’m the type of person when I am upset and someone’s betrayed me like that I speak my mind and that’s what I’m doing”

Sash pipes in that Shannon is digging his own grave and in an extremely random and quite shocking move, Shannon asks Sash if he is gay. Jud is seen up in arms and purple Kelly rolls her eyes as Sash shakes his head and laughs with shots of Alina and Brenda and Naonka looking uncomfortable. The situation becomes more uncomfortable as Shannon continues with his commentary

Jud “Be quiet, dude! We’re on the same team for the next two, three weeks”

Jeff “Fabio, get your head out of the trees, this is a tribe completely divided and if experience means anything it’s going to be tough sailing for you guys”

Jeff asks Alina if it is foolish to trust someone six days in a million dollar game
Alina “It’s very foolish; I thought I trusted Chase too and it’s funny that everybody’s saying that Shannon is the one no one can trust but Shannon hasn’t said a lie to me but Chase has” (Shot of Chase looking uncomfortable)

Jeff asks Benry if he is surprised that there is such a big issue this fast
Benry “It happened so fast that all of sudden there is two alliances and you’re either on this side or this side so I don’t really know who to trust anymore either” (Shannon looks quizzical at this)

Jeff asks Brenda why is she a target
Brenda “I’m guessing because Shannon wants to take out a strong girl (reactionary shot of Alina) but I find it hard to believe he would choose someone like me because I’m really not sitting here plotting all day long”
Shannon “A bunch of people thought she was a threat, not just me (cymbal then pans to Brenda) and even today it was Nay as soon as we got back but it was changed because we felt Brenda would be a bigger threat to the girls in our alliance”

Jeff asks Naonka if this is news to her
Naonka “I thought maybe if they were going to vote me off it was because I didn’t do the challenge today (Purple Kelly nods) and I was hoping we were gonna win so we didn’t have to be here because (Sash nods) we were strong; I mean we were a unit.
Jeff begs to differ with her and that if she thinks that she needs to get out of the tree that Fabio’s up in

Naonka “Oh I don’t want to be up in that tree” (Jud shot to Jeff stating she doesn’t like Fabio)
Naonka “Nope” (Jeff asks what happened) “Every time I say something to him, he has something smart to say like I’m dumb and I’m not afraid to say how I feel about Fabio” (Purple Kelly laughs) “Fabio, I don’t like you” (musical change – clang)
Jud “That attitude has been present the whole time and I’ve tried to keep it cool but it’s been obviously hard to do that!”
Naonka “He don’t try hard enough” (Jud throws his arms up in the air)

Jeff asks Naonka if she is a little complicated
Naonka “Me? No. Am I? (Alina and Shannon shots with a change in the music)
Jud “Can we vote?”
Naonka “Can we?” (cymbal) (Alina laughing)

Jeff holds the phone and asks Kelly B. what the criteria for voting is to be.
Kelly B. “I’m kinda wondering what’s going to unify our tribe the most. I think we need unity as a tribe so we can go back and win the other challenges and that’s how people will vote tonight” (various threaded shots from Benry, Bendra, Shannon, Chase)

Jud is shown voting asking “I guess this is still our game plan? I don’t know” (This was a curious voting comment to put in and either it was shown solely to make the audience question the outcome as a whole for surprise value or establishing a certain edit for Jud. If one views Jud as the goofball with no game then it helps to reinforce it)
Brenda is shown voting Shannon establishing that it was between the two of them.
Shannon is merely shown writing Brenda’s name down.
Sash is shown to vote Shannon and commenting about messing with the biggest bachelor in NY (no doubt used for good sound bite purposes)
Benry is last vote and potentially the “swing vote” (due to his answer at TC) while he did get a good amount of visuals through TC and asked an important question, we didn’t see any insight from him at the height of the conflict before TC.

Jeff advises that their biggest enemy is themselves and while some conflict left with the vote, there is more conflict to be had.

Younger vs. old, male vs. female, underestimation and harsh reality of the game (along with the standard of trust) all seem to be shaping up and out nicely. Developing tribe/individual stories from the younger tribe that still need resolution are Brenda and Chase’s relationship, Naonka’s issues with Jud and Kelly B., the formation of a minority alliance, the foundation of Kelly B. as a threat, the hidden idol (involving Alina and Kelly B.) Benry and Purple Kelly are not central to any of these issues other than we know that Benry and Chase were part/parcel to a boy’s alliance with Shannon and that Brenda has a relationship of sorts with Kelly B. (however she would not be part of this minority alliance that Sash is trying to develop) Brenda *appears* to have dismantled the male alliance as of this episode. Alina continues as a fairly solid narrator and one can’t forget her commentary about Marty so I would expect there to be a meeting between these two characters. Chase is involved in quite some drama and his storyline of conflict has resolved to a degree but his character still invokes more questions regarding Brenda and his confusion on how he wanted to play this game. Kelly B. is deemed threatening and she is involved with Alina and the clues but with any large backstory, the editors will attempt to feature that person and other than her threatening status, Kelly B. has been on the peripherals of the edit as a whole. We did not even get her insight regarding the hidden idol clues; this was given to Alina so I am hesitant on her long term player status as her story seems to stem from others view of her threatening status. I would like to see more shaping to her edit other than her leg being the feature; it would be easier to determine her player status then. Jud’s persona is still being highlighted as carefree and goofy and we hear the term dumb and commentary that he is not a threat. Jud makes good television; he is someone who will be featured because he is a defined personality but I never discount anyone who is given extra time when not necessary and one can’t forget that he has been dismissed as dumb but we were told he does not care what others’ think because he is here for a million dollars. Sash had a nice second episode and ties to the themes as well with a budding storyline that could get him quite far with a subtle but effective description of his million dollar smile that one shouldn’t dismiss and his victory would be great irony to Shannon’s words. Brenda has much more storyline to go as she is involved with Chase and the question of betrayal as well as the potential of a minority alliance. I do think she could be a bit more well rounded but there is nothing to suggest that she is a short term player. Naonka, like Shannon, seems to be heading for a fall, it’s only a question of when. Her screen time is not kind to her. Purple Kelly and Benry have been severely neglected. It would be shocking if either of these two were end game players. Obviously we cannot forget those like Darrah or Brett but neither did win the game so I have no real faith in either of them being victorious especially in light of the fact that the editing is attempting to provide some modicum of screen time for most of the characters. At this juncture, Jud, Brenda, Chase, Sash and Alina are the five individuals that could have significant showings based on manipulation, storylines and ties to the themes. On the older tribe, the majority of this episode was dedicated to Holly and her breakdown and I am hesitant to completely assign long term status to Holly (despite the overkill) because of the subject matter she was involved. It has never been a secret that quitting on Survivor is a big “no no” and I still have suspicions that this may have been Survivor’s way of (forgive my repeating) paying homage to someone who pulled through and realized what they could have lost if they left. Jimmy J. is getting a stellar edit and he, like Kelly B. is the “big threat” but like Kelly B., Jimmy J. would be highlighted regardless so one can be deceived by that type of edit. I don’t feel there has been much invested in Jimmy T. except for his wish to get rid of Jimmy J. so that might be a short term storyline and Dan, Yve and Tyrone do not seem to invoke much storyline (except Dan being a tool to be used by Marty). Jill has been a good tribe narrator but that is what all she appears to be for me right now. Even the idol storyline seems more about how Marty plans on utilizing it as opposed to Jill. Jane had a wonderful first episode but insignificant in the second so the question for Jane is whether she will receive a slow build or just fade away but I still think Jane is in a nice position. Marty seems extremely relevant to what happens on his tribe and has potential for cross over in light of Alina’s first episode comments. We have heard his strategy and he is involved with the hidden idol and appears to be a significant character. At this time (and it is still much too early to assume anything, the younger tribe seems to hold more situations and conflict and overall ties to the themes. Wendy was a relatively easy choice so there would not be as much conflict shown in the tribe so it will be interesting to see if the older tribe is fleshed out more the next time they have to boot someone; that will be a better test to see who is relevant to the progression of the season