I agree with what I just read above as I felt the same question going through my mind with respect to Marty. I will be reading more later so I can respond to other insight that has been provided.

I do hope that the snippets I read will not prevent anyone from posting; it is unfortunate that there had to be disagreements.

Jimmy Johnson was a nice addition to the show and I would hazard a guess that the editors would have edited his persona the same exact way even if he would have reached end game. The question once would have been how would one edit him should he be at end game – now, we may have to ask the question how will Espada fare now that he is gone. There was an emphasis on his leadership skills and Jeff’s final question posed at TC may give us that answer. I do find it very interesting and perhaps a bit telling that there was quite a lot of meat given to La Flor despite the fact that they did not go to TC which then could have us wonder whether those players (along with perhaps one or two of Espada) are involved in the long term story as I found myself remembering much more of La Flor despite the fact that Espada was the tribe facing consequences.

Recap

Epic battle of young and old (more emphasis on the main theme) Jimmy Johnson emerged as the leader but Marty resented his star power. (Marty states he wants nothing to do with him in this game)

Balance of power shifted in Marty’s favor when and he Jill found the idol (Marty shown stating “This is so money” to Jill) then states that the challenge now is how to make it work

Shannon called the shots and aligned himself with Alina and Kelly B. who had a clue to the idol (of note that Jud, Benry and Chase were not mentioned as part of Shannon’s alliance despite the fact that Jud, at least, remained “true” to that alliance during the voting)

At the challenge, older tribe had Medallion. Playing it turned out to be a smart move and back at younger camp, Brenda is on hot seat. She conspired with Naonka to “dismantle” Shannon’s majority. At TC, Shannon went on a tirade that alienated almost all of his remaining allies (only Benry and Kelly B. shown) leaving Alina and Kelly B. in serious trouble.

Of note again, Jud, Benry and Chase were left out of the narration as part of Shannon’s majority and while we know that Benry and Chase jumped from that alliance, Jud was still not named and was not named as being in trouble – only Alina and Kelly B. were named. Jimmy was herald again as the leader and this recap was obviously a nice prelude to the upcoming events since Marty was shown as the catalyst to get Jimmy Johnson out. This was a very telling showing for Marty as what was viewed as a savvy, clinical player seemed to be shaped as more arrogant and even a bit jealous this time around. Does pride come before the fall? Marty still has an incredible edit surrounding him (and probably one of the best on his tribe which bodes well for him) but there was a palpable change in his dynamic and I question whether the ousting of Jimmy Johnson spearheaded by Marty will be reflected as a big mistake and THAT would not bode well for Marty end game. However, we certainly have seen arrogance in end game players so it would not so much be the shaping of his persona but rather whether this big move on a player that was clearly edited to be favorable is his fall from grace – that would be the difference and I’m sure we will see whether Marty taking the helm as leader is edited as successful or a complete failure. Ironically, the words that came from Alina the first episode about Marty are now appearing to take shape; as a fan of editing, I appreciate the connection that was made between that confessional and the progression of Marty’s character and a better understanding of why that confessional may have been shown

Tribal Council Aftermath

Considering the events that occurred this explosive TC, I am somewhat concerned and disappointed that we barely heard anything from two main components of that outcome, i.e. Chase and Brenda. Both of these characters have been nicely developed (with some issues but en masse, they were being shaped by editing without question) and it was a bit perplexing to not hear anything from them.

The group discusses the outcome and Benry is heard stating that regardless of who thinks what, the tribe got rid of the right person and on screen “And we need to go beat these old people” (more thematic connection) I believe Purple Kelly is heard saying we need to work at a team” while Alina is shown to say that “….it would be really cool if we finally unite.”

Naonka (conf) “Coming back to camp after TC was so fake…. Everybody acting like they are cool with each other…. No we are not, we’ve been divided, Alina, Kelly B. and Jud were in pure shock…. They had a plan and it didn’t work… just know that it will come back and bite you in the butt”

More venom from Naonka who, again, is NOT being shown in any way positive for her. The target of her wrath, namely Jud, Kelly B. and to a lesser degree, Alina have not been given comparative negative edits so we are not meant to side with Naonka in any form. This episode was full of Naonka and, like Shannon, appears to be waiting to get her comeuppance – her only saving grace is her insulation with the alliance that was formed but the focus on Naonka shows only someone who is essentially one dimensionally mean.

Espada

Marty starts us off narrating tribal events which has been consistent with his edit. Essentially this season was building upon the tribe dynamic that Jimmy Johnson is a force to be reckoned with and even has a bit of Dr. Doolittle in his arsenal and some of his tribe members are quite impressed with him.

Yve (conf) “I’m a little star struck…. he is hysterical, his soul is inspiring” (It was nice to see Yve make an appearance however it was the words that showcased her in this particular confessional not Yve herself)

Marty (conf) “…why did we get stuck with a celebrity on our team; everyone got glitter in their eyes (Yve shown) If Jimmy Johnson got up and walked across this lagoon right now they’d probably believe it”

(Here lies the nag in Marty’s characterization…. this confessional is NOT clinical, it is surrounded by emotional thinking; his ego is getting the better of him and it came off this way throughout the episode. Regardless that Jimmy Johnson agreed that he was one of the weakest members of his tribe, the edit showed that Dan should have left and therefore, Marty’s quest was not necessarily the most logical one based on his rationale. However, it also showed that Marty has quite a bit of influence on his tribe and being deemed “puppetmaster” can certainly bode well for him. We obviously know that Marty is utilizing Dan but there were other potential candidates so the feeling that seemed to be relayed to the audience was that this was personally motivated based on ego.)

Marty (conf) “He’s a threat, especially in a post merge situation, I think you take Jimmy Johnson into a merge? That would be a disaster”

(Are his words true? Possibly. However, the footage surrounding his decision seems not quite so matter of fact. Jimmy Johnson was obviously a well respected and admired contestant (by most) and it appeared through the editing that Marty wanted Jimmy gone so he can be in charge)

Marty “I still maintain that Coach is a real threat”
Jill “The thing is, this is so far in the future you just need to calm down. What we can’t do, is get everyone stirred up because everyone is about a strong tribe so I think we show the idol…”
(Jill confessional)
Jill “I think you should real quick go and show it to everybody and go from there”

Jill (conf) “Marty’s got the idol and I thought it would pay off dividends in the long run to gain everyone’s trust by sharing it now rather than later”

It will be interesting to see if Jill’s hope bears fruit – first by allowing Marty to get the idol and whether her advice to show her tribe the idol does pay off. Marty has given us every indication that this idol is his so it will be worth watching to see if Jill’s insight helps or hurts her game. My one concern for Jill is that her development seems entirely tied to Marty and Marty appears to have more meat surrounding his longevity so I question if Jill is only integral to this season for Marty’s purposes, not her own

La Flor

(Perhaps someone who has paid better attention can enlighten me as it may solely be a mistake on my part but I have noticed that the volcano visual seems to connect to this tribe which could prove to be some valid imagery – however, I could be mistaken on that correlation)

Once again we see Jud tending to the fire with his comedic way using the snorkel mask and while he does achieve fire, he coughs from the smoke. Benry asks if he is okay and Jud continues with some “spaced out” discussion which invokes laughter from his tribe.

Jud (conf) “My strategy bro is to be out in the open and kinda make people laugh and be all crazy but it goes deeper than just ha ha, let’s keep him around because he is funny (he then has to stop talking because he needs to kick a hermit crab off his foot) It’s like I want to be kept around for more than just cause I’m funny, I want to be kept around for my mentality, my spirit, whatever you want to call it”

This confessional *appears* to have been taken from an earlier time, I believe that his beard growth was less than the present episode but it is hard to be sure since he is so light. Regardless, I found this to be a *somewhat* important confessional but it is also mixed with a bit of contradiction and this is why I find Jud’s edit a bit perplexing and because of that, his edit does raise my brow. Again we are to hear from Naonka that Jud is stupid, we heard this from Shannon as well. These are the two characters that are extremely vocal and one is gone and the other is receiving an edit that cannot be good for her chances. Now, quite often, his televised moments would appear to support this. But, despite the comedic and “airheaded” persona that Jud receives (and it is enhanced by musicality and visuals) on two occasions Jud gave us insight that reflects his head is in the game. Despite Jeff even stating that Jud needs to get his head out of the trees in the hopes that everyone could get along, Jud was a voice of social logic despite that it may not be possible. There is no question Jud is being manipulated and I cannot forget that impressions and underestimation are themes being touched upon. Currently, his pressing storyline is the issue Naonka has with him but it is interesting that he was removed from the Shannon situation when he was, in fact, still aligned with Shannon at the Tribal Council. Kelly B. was lumped with Alina to be in a vulnerable spot yet Kelly didn’t vote for Brenda, Jud did. Jud’s character progression has done nothing to dissuade me thus far that he is long term and it would not surprise me if he is shown consistently and constantly underestimated. The contradiction would be that the editors are seemingly in love with the idea of reinforcing his goofiness; one might question if that is to just simply highlight an entertaining character despite duration or make a concerted effort to have the audience really like Jud – with the *taint* that Russell has provided audiences for the last two seasons (despite not winning) this could be a premeditated decision to bring back a breath of fresh air should Jud reach end game

Naonka (conf) “Jud, he’s so stupid, I can’t stand him… I know the first time I laid eyes on him, that I wasn’t going to like him, such an airhead… “ (More dislike coming from Naonka over Jud and again, the editing does not reflect that her opinion is validated as the tribe seems to like him and his characterization is not attempting to have the audience agree with Naonka)

Benry then lets Jud know he has face mask face and Jud laughs.

Espada

A bit of “Marty” music begins this sequence as the tribe sits to eat and Marty makes his announcement. He receives applause and tells them this will come into play at merge and play it when they think they need it. Jimmy T. gives Marty accolades for telling them.

Jimmy T. (conf) “When Marty announced he found the idol and wanted to share it with the tribe, I thought what a guy, I’m thinking he’s a nice guy, I wouldn’t do that…”

Jill expresses that if they are five on five, this will give them an advantage. (One may wonder if this is a bit of foreshadowing for events to come)

Jill (conf) “Marty’s stock went way up after that announcement. Jimmy T. was like what a great guy… I think he came out looking like a superstar so it’s good for me in the long run”

(Again more ties to Marty from Jill. I think I would be more inclined to believe Jill as a long term player in her own standing if we heard from her in another vein as opposed to her safety being solely at the hands of Marty since we know Marty would have no issue in dispensing whomever he wants. The editing surrounding Marty does feel like a movie where he is the hitman)

Tyrone (conf) “When Marty told everyone he found the idol, maybe he wanted some integrity points, some team points because people would perceive he is a team player… but I think he is shady and doing his own thing”

Jimmy T. waxes on how Marty did the right thing and it can only help the team.

Marty (conf) “It was not going to be a secret for long that I had the idol; the only way to play it was to make it appear that it was something for the tribe to use… but everyone knows the idol can only belong to one person and that person is me”

A nice little scene giving us clear indication of intent from Marty, hope from Jill, suspicion from Tyrone and naivety from Jimmy T. We heard nothing from Yve, Holly, Jimmy J., Jane and Dan and it may be solely because they are not going to be affected by this announcement. Jill is tied to Marty through the idol and consequently how Marty uses it may affect her. Jimmy J. was booted so it had no impact on him and this may be the case for Holly, Yve, Jane and Dan as well (in that his use of the idol or Marty’s “authority” does not impact them.) Tyrone may have been shown if his suspicious prove correctly and he and Marty square off because he is threatened by Tyrone. Jimmy T. may have been shown because of his naïve thinking that Marty is a great guy doing right by their tribe and finds himself sorely mistaken

Jane is shown a bit later doing laundry service and I was glad to see a bit of Jane this episode since I felt her first episode showing did bode well for her although it has been shelved for more pressing matters I suppose. One cannot make a *big* edit out of someone who just does not lend themselves to that type of edit so my impression of Jane has not changed and we may continue to only see a low key edit from Jane but that cannot discount her as a long term player and I still feel she is a viable contestant from that tribe.

Dan (conf) “I slept maybe two hours… not as easy as I thought it would be. I’m starting to get concerned that this tribe might think I’m weak link but I don’t consider myself a weak link”

Dan “Listen, this is the thing I signed up for so I’m gonna go with the flow” (shown to be said with Holly listening”

Dan (conf) “I mean I do have a bad knee but that doesn’t make me weak, I’m as strong as, I’m not as strong as Tryone obviously, I’m not gonna say that, you gotta be crazy but I’m strong as anyone of the women (Jill only shown) even though they, some of them are built like mooses” (This confessional also showed visual of Dan’s knee)

Yve then asks Dan to move a bucket for her and Dan replies he is moving a little slow today and Yve replies it is alright.

Yve (conf) “Danny is really struggling and I know he is doing a really good job of hiding it but he just, for whatever reason physically, he doesn’t have it so if in our next challenge he’s a rock star clearly he’s putting on a show but I don’t think so”

A little tribe insight on the state of Dan and how those around him are observing him lacking the physical strength for this game. It was also nice to see Yve with a confessional although the narration had nothing to do with her. Clearly, Dan is weak, visuals prove that and his confessional definitely puts forth some bravado and the audience is not meant to believe him. The scene is obviously a prerequisite for the coming events as Dan’s strength was called into question and was considered as the boot so this is all short story content

La Flor

An extremely spliced up scene on the beach that would indicate there is some importance on what was discussed for a future story within La Flor. The beach shows Benry, Brenda, Chase sitting down with Purple Kelly and Naonka approaching The ladies ask if this is a pow wow and suddenly Sash’s face in a close up is shown.

Brenda asks Chase (only two on camera) who would stir something up and he replies Alina unless the HII comes into play. There does not appear to be anyone around them.

At that moment, the scene appears completely shifts and we see Sash, Purple Kelly and I believe Chase sitting on the beach without the others that had been shown before

Sash “The thing is with Alina and Kelly B.we have an option right now so (at that moment on Sash and Purple Kelly are visible) it’s not clear cut which one we would vote for until tribal”

Alina (conf) “TC drew a line in the sand and I ended up on the wrong side of the line; they’re gonna need Fabio and Ben in the challenges so Kelly B. and I are not in the best position”

Purple Kelly “I trust us five (only Sash and Purple Kelly are shown) and that is it” (At that moment Alina shown on the beach and in the distance five individuals which appear to be Brenda, Naonka, Purple Kelly and two males) If I had anything to say about next TC, I would definitely, well either her or KB but she is the bigger threat just because she was right along with Shannon in the drama thing” (the scene then shows only Sash, Purple Kelly, Naonka and Chase)

Naonka (conf) “In my alliance right now it is Chase, Brenda, Sash, myself and Purple Kelly, that is our strong five (five shown on beach) and we got to get Alina out of here. If we get Alina out of here, we’ll send a shock wave to Kelly B. That’s what you get bitches!”

I’m not entirely sure why that scene was so choppy and spliced – what was probably the most perplexing was Benry shown at the beach with them initially but not even part of any discussion and was immediately taken out of the scene. Benry was inserted but then disappeared so obviously he was not there for some other conversation. Naonka even named her core alliance with no mention of Benry but Benry was put into the scene originally. Despite Jud being a vote with Shannon, he was removed from the “target” list (by the collective group) and Naonka didn’t mention him in her confessional so I do wonder if the venom that Naonka spews about Jud was taken from an earlier timeline and inserted presently because of some future happening. Alina is being shown as the main target and we hear the insight from her as well. This strikes me as a plan that probably will not happen, i.e. Alina is the intended target but it won’t come to fruition. It also appears that Kelly B. is not very relevant as she has not really provided any insight on the situation; Alina has been the spokesperson and it seems that her persona may only be about her leg and the threat she provides as opposed to any substantive long term game. She has been fairly removed from any storyline other than the HII but again, we don’t really hear any deep insight from her on it – it is solely about the hear and now

The Challenge

Of note:

La Flor did not dance and cheer to the challenge
Espada represented by Yve is surprised over Shannon’s departure.
La Flor decides to keep the Medallion as Benry feels confident.
Jimmy J. “coaching” the team (we hear Marty suggest to rotate and Sash discussing someone going if they are on a hot streak)
Jeff (sounding manipulated) claiming “Dan you need to do something!” (more filler for the issue for TC)
Tyrone extremely successful as Chase replaces Benry only for Benry to be put back in and being very successful
Jimmy T. heard stating he wants in since Tyrone peters out.
Jeff heard stating that Tyrone needs to move which then parlays to Jimmy T. wanting in again to which Tyrone needs him to be quiet
Jimmy T. telling Jimmy J. that he’s being wasted and Jimmy J. still not swapping Tyrone out
Jeff really creating “coach” imagery by stating Jimmy J. putting in Jimmy T.
Benry “dominating” the challenge

Kelly B. (conf) “After we won the challenge I went right for the fruit basket and immediately saw the clue…. I saw Nay look at it and thought shoot that’s not good”

Naonka (conf) “Kelly B. I can see the little wheels turning; she’s probably like dang of all people why did it have to be Naonka to see it so I have to come up with a game plan. As soon as we get back to our home I’m going for it. Damn the fruit, I’m going straight for the paper”

What I find notable is that often we get a confessional from someone from the losing tribe noting the loss and the conflict of having to vote someone off. Easily Tyrone, Jimmy T. and even Jimmy J. could have received a confessional since Tyrone was throwing, Jimmy T. wanted in and Jimmy J. essentially coached them but we didn’t get anything from Espada and that does concern me that more conflict and storyline is coming from La Flor than those at Espada. Again, Kelly B. is only giving relevance with here and now content and except for her insight about her leg and that she wants to prove herself, the editing is not really supporting a character that is integral to the long game. Naonka’s purpose seems to be one of “character highlighting” because of the television moments she is providing but her edit is very one dimensional and despite her “alliance” the bane of her edit seems more about her intense dislike for certain people. At some point it will come to a head and where will that leave her?

La Flor

The battle for the clue begins and it was certainly a doozy as the La Flor tribe is stymied over the two women creating a fruit salad for the clue. I will state that the scene itself was fair – Kelly B. was the first one to tell us that she did not want her handicap to reflect weak on her so fair is fair in the battle for the clue. What made the scene then reflect poorly on Naonka would be the words that the editors consciously chose to narrate the action – easily some of Naonka’s confessional could have been omitted but it did reflect some poor taste and words coming from Jud and another male stating it was not necessary did not support Naonka. The fight itself for the clue was what it was but Naonka’s callous remarks were a bit off color

(Naonka’s confessional shown)

Naonka “Sorry bout smushing the bananas”

The group still talks
Jud “There was a note?”
Benry “Come on Fabio!”
Jud “That’s why she just..”
Benry “She knocked her down and”
Kelly B. “She knocked me down…”
Jud “And you smush all the bananas?” (on screen)
Female – Kelly B.? “That sucks so bad”
(Focus on Jud at that point unhappy)
(Kelly B. confessional shown)
Jud? “I can’t believe that man”
Male voice “Completely uncalled for”
Jud “I’m just getting sick of it”
(More of Naonka’s confessional)

Scene then shifts to her reading the clue

Naonka (conf) “I wasn’t going to let Kelly B. out of my sight at all so I’m watching her… and she looks at me and I’m looking at her like yeah I see you, I know exactly what you’re doing, think I’m about to take my eyes off of it!” and “Cause I did what I had to do (Alina to Brenda who is smiling) That paper is a million dollars, that’s the lifeline in this game, getting the clue, that’s the lifeline” and “I saw them talking, that ##### Naonka got the clue! And I know Kelly B. is making it seem like she just pushed me out of the way! I didn’t even know what was going on! Go ahead be a fool; if it happens again, it happens again, I’m going to pull you again and I’m gonna push you so hard that damn leg will fly off!” and “You could say I got hood, I sure did! I got hood, I didn’t get ghetto, ghetto would have been girl you know I had to whoop that, I had to get that, girl you tripping girl. No! I just whoop. It’s the game (Alina and Kelly B.) she has one leg,, don’t think I’m going to be nice to you because you have one leg, I’m not going to be nice to you, my name is Naonka, not fool!”

Kelly B. (conf) “Naonka and I were carrying the fruit basket in and the next thing I know she just pummeled me, pushed me out of the way, went after the clue then kinda wandered off. I was pissed because Alina and I really need the immunity idol”

Elapsed time is shown as Brenda and Naonka walk together. Naonka takes Brenda into her confidence with respect to the clue. Brenda expresses that it was fortunate that Alina and Kelly B. didn’t get the clue. Naonka expresses that Alina is hanging on for dear life. (Another reference to Alina being the most vulnerable in that tribe which tells me that she probably won’t be the next victim)

Brenda (conf) “Nay showed it to me and I think I’m the only person she showed. She definitely in my eyes has the power right now and I’m keeping as tight with her as possible”

Brenda still fares well with her edit. We heard nothing from Naonka about her reasons for taking Brenda into her confidence and it was her clue. Brenda was given the insight confessional over the clue and her ideas about the situation. The editors are really not giving Naonka any help in shaping her and giving us her reasons for why she feels the way she does about anything

Espada

Jill gives more event narration by advising us about the mood of the tribe after losing the challenge.

Jimmy T. needs to air his grievances and wants Jimmy J. to evaluate him because “he’s got skills”

Jimmy T. (conf) “The guys that are leaders here are squelching me because I’m an obvious leader and they know it… (possible splicing) if these people knew what they were doing, I would be the leader of the tribe and I would lead them well, Jimmy Johnson may be catching up with Danny in the useless department…”

Jimmy T. continues that he has value as Marty steps in to talk as Tyrone defends himself which is followed by Jimmy J. explaining himself. Jimmy T. calls Tyrone out a bit and Tyrone is a bit offended.

Tyrone (conf) “Some people think I was mad at the rotation; I was cool with that, but do we want to win or everybody to touch the ball?”

Tyrone states it isn’t little league and Jimmy J. rebuts that when Tyrone started missing they put JT in and that was a good move. Tyrone insists it isn’t about him, he just wants to win..

Marty (conf) “It was a heated discussion, kinda enjoyable…. I hate to say it but I’m looking for Tribal Council, we’re finally gonna get this tribe to play the game; this is real and it starts now”

Later…

Marty “Are you still thinking same kind of thing, a strong tribe…?
Jimmy J. “I think if you can keep strong players around you just to win a challenge or two and win an individual immunity a time or two after the merge. I don’t know what Danny’s attitude is…”
Marty “He is trying in his own little ways, but his knees, back…”
Jimmy J. “Yeah, well ya’ll gotta have a strong team”

Marty (conf) “I’m worried about Jimmy Johnson… that whole hey I’m not gonna win, I just don’t buy that, I need to remove him so that people who’ll lose their daddy will either shake and crumble or come to me”

Marty “Coach has got to go”
Jill “Whatever, I don’t care” (Marty doesn’t like this)
Jill “Whatever you guys decide is fine”
Marty “You’re pivotal to this thing; I need you on board!”
Jill “In my mind, Danny, Coach and Holly are all the same person and it doesn’t matter to me what order. So you say Coach, I’m with Coach”
Marty “I disagree because I think he is way more strategic… and he needs to go first”
Jill “You tell me what to do”
(Jill confessional)
Jill “You’re the puppet master” (Interesting terminology that was shown to us)
Marty “Alright, that’s it. No more to talk about, then”

Jill (conf) “The way I see it Danny, Coach and Holly are all equally weak players, Marty for some reason sees Jimmy as a threat, thinks Jimmy will weasel his way into the merge. To be honest, I would prefer Dan. I don’t really follow his logic…. but whatever…”

Marty (the puppetmaster)”Can you imagine what your friends in Manhattan would say when you’ve blindsided Jimmy Johnson, okay? That’s all you’ve gotta think about”

Dan (conf) “Marty and I are very solid. I think the next one to go is gonna be Jimmy. I mean, you see him, I’m in much better shape (much, much, much) so when the smoke clears tonight we’re gonna know whether I go home or Jimmy goes home”

Marty “Are we sticking to the plan you know the same…”
Female “Stay strong?”
Jimmy T. “Yeah, you got any suggestions?”
Marty “Do you? For me it’s kinda obvious. Are we both talking the same thing?”
Jimmy T. “I feel bad because I like him but Coach it is for me. He was never a big Jimmy T. fan anyway”

Marty (conf) “There’s some people who are definitely smart, actually not that many (Jimmy T.) but I’ve got the strategy. Jimmy J.’s got to go first and it will shake the tribe to its core. I got Danny squared away and Jimmy T. and Jill she totally defers to me. People like Jane and Holly look at Jimmy J. like he were the pope so that is people being stupid”

Revealing dynamics on Espada are happening. Considering that Jill felt comfortable discussing Dan as a boot with Marty may be indicative that Marty and Dan’s relationship is not known to the extent it is with Jill. Marty has Dan and Jill under his thumb and he believes that Jimmy T. is completely impressionable. Jane and Holly (we see) are developing a relationship and Marty does not mention Yve whatsoever which could be telling. He does talk about Tyrone but later on when they have their conversation in later scenes and considering that everyone did vote for Jimmy J. we have to assume everyone spoke at some point.

Holly “I know my name is on the chopping block. Nobody’s brought up my name? (Jane says no) So you’re saying if my name comes up you’re gonna tell me? (Jane says yes) So who are you writing down?
Jane “I have a feeling it might be Danny”
(Jane confessional)
Holly “I got your back if you got mine” (Jane agrees)

Jane “I really would like to see the weakest player go home. I don’t know if Danny is having that great of a time He’s got an injured leg (scar) his spirits are getting a little low with the lack of food. Coach is kinda my fishing buddy so I really don’t want him to go at this point. I really don’t want Dan to go either but we will see what happens. I really don’t like going to TC, I hate it!”

Again, it’s nice to see Jane and while the confessional was basically generic, I’m glad that editors are not ignoring her as they could easily do. Holly did not get a confessional despite that we heard from her she feels vulnerable which I question. Jane is a very low key individual and seemingly not in any danger so despite her quiet showing, I am not too worried about a short term stay for Jane. She had a solid confessional in her first episode and one can’t discount that despite how lower level she is on screen. Like other long term players, Jane just does not provide “television moments” and if she isn’t in any danger, there won’t be any material to extract for the show. Holly, on the other hand is a bit of a mystery this episode considering the last episode and her vulnerability as a boot candidate and I question her longevity because of this

Jimmy J. “Girls, after tonight, I may not see ya’ll for awhile”
Yve “No, no, no, I hope not Coach….”
Jimmy J. “We’ll see what happens”
Holly “You never know what happens at TC”
Jimmy J. “I know. I said all along all I want is one of you to win a million bucks”
Yve “I know. You’re like my favorite person here. I don’t want to see you go” (visual on Holly)
(Jimmy J confessionl)
Jimmy J. “I’m going to go back up there”
(Holly shown throughout scene just watching)
(More of Jimmy)

Jimmy J. (conf) “I’m in trouble every single week we go to Tribal Council, I know that” and “I want to keep playing the game; it’s the toughest thing I’ve ever gone through….”

Marty “Dude can I count on you?”
Tyrone “For what?
Marty “For everything”
Tyrone “Oh for sure, I mean, I don’t, I mean, what is everything?”
Marty “Then write Coach’s name down tonight”
Tyrone “Well uh, I don’t know about that one cause I got somebody else (Dan shown) I don’t know about that one. Alright”
(Tyrone’s confessional)
Tyrone “You bring up some valid points for sure but it’s not that simple ‘cause I got some other people” (Dan again)
Marty “Alright”
(Marty’s confessional)

Tyrone (conf) “Marty’s paranoid but I think Marty is very much about Marty. I haven’t made up my mind yet but Jimmy Johnson’s life has been about motivating and leading man and I’m worried about Danny’s physical ability to help the team….”

Marty (conf) “There’s some people that are shying away from making the tough calls, Tyrone’s answer was nowhere near what I needed it to be, it shows me he’s just not thinking through this game at all. I think that’s a huge mistake” (Potential foreshadowing?)

Marty (conf) “I want Jimmy Johnson gone and those who want to play with me and want to play along, jump on board, do not mess around with me. I’m playing this game for real, and I’m playing a smart game here, I just hope it all goes the way I’m planning cause this is what needs to happen and it needs to happen now”

Wow! What a dynamic confessional from Marty and this should send huge signals to the audience. Marty, without question, is important to the editors and he is being unfolded with a bang, not a whimper. Marty is most definitely arrogant and we are seeing it increasingly but at this juncture, he has the tribe firmly in his pocket (or most of them) and we cannot forget Alina’s words about him. Marty has his own storyline going and others currently involved with him appear to be tied to his story. Marty is in great shape thus far for a long term story although I would hazard a guess that Marty would be edited in this matter despite how he fares.

Tribal Council

Jeff asks Marty what happened at the challenge (Jimmy T. on screen)
Marty “We had a little bit of a lead… lost some ground and couldn’t pull it together”

Jeff asks Jimmy T. about challenge frustration (Tyrone on screen)
Jimmy T. “As is my way, I always want a little more play time so I told the Coach right off the bat, these people have been with me for a week, they’ve seen my skill set so I don’t know why I’m not getting a little more court time if you will” (Jeff follows up with asking him whether he literally asked to be put in by the coach)
Jimmy T. “During the game I was like you are wasting me Coach, you are wasting me (laughter) and I think he knew, that’s why he put me in, he knows I got game”

Jeff talks to Jill about relying on Jimmy J. for challenges
Jill “Everybody here is a leader in their own field…. Sometimes that doesn’t all gel so (Jimmy T.) I guess he’s the most accomplished leader (Holly nods) of all us…”

Jeff asks Jimmy J. if his biggest accomplishment is forming the strategy of the challenge
Jimmy J. “I don’t really think I’m forming the strategy of the challenge, I think I’m listening to them (slight catch of Jimmy T. reaction) and letting them make the contribution. The other contribution I make is I help with the fishing and in the challenges they know I’m gonna give it my all”

Jeff asks Holly for Jimmy J.’s leadership skills
Holly “I think there’s been many times he steps forward (another Jimmy T. reactionary) and we are around the campfire, there’s times where he’ll say okay we need to have a team meeting; he tries to boost the moral (more Jimmy T.) as much as he can”

Jeff calls on Jimmy T’s reaction
Jimmy T. “I wanted to hear what the answer would be” (Jeff asks how he is getting along with Jimmy J.) “I don’t think me and Jimmy really had the chance to sit down and really talk, he never really approached me and I never really approached him” (Jimmy J. smiles)
Jeff follows up on this as he is shocked that Jimmy T. wouldn’t go to Jimmy J.
Jimmy T. “ Course I’m a big football fan. Maybe I’m a threat to his leadership role… maybe he didn’t want to be bothered with that” (various reactions not supportive of this and a big one from Tyrone)

Tyrone “Kinda baffling to me, thinks he’s a threat to his leadership role, I just found that interesting”
Jimmy J. isn’t threatened and thought he had a great relationship with Jimmy T…

Jeff asks Jill about her concern on losing the challenges
Jill “It weighs a lot, we are going up against really young, strong looking players and I think that’s what our motivation in needing the strongest tribe possible to go up against them.”

Jeff asks Dan about his strength.
Dan “I think I’m average, I’m not the top of the ladder but I’m not the bottom of the ladder”
Jill “Well sometimes around camp Dan seems a little stiff, maybe having problems getting up (slight nod from Holly) so being an older competitor it’s like are you gonna be able to bring it during a challenge”

Jeff asks Jane if she has noticed things about Dan
Jane “He’s got a big scar on one of his knees so he’s obviously had some sort of knee surgery so that might bother him getting up and down”

Jeff asks Dan if he is aware people are watching him
Dan “Yes but I’m there, I’ll come up to whatever I have to and if I don’t meet what they want me to do then I’ll be voted out but I’m there” (Holly with studied look)

Jeff asks Jimmy T. what went down after challenge
Jimmy T. “I think overall the tribe is planning on keeping its strongest players and remaining strong…. and I’m on board with that cause that that certainly won’t hurt me” (Jeff “confirms” that he isn’t one of the weaker players) “Absolutely not” (Jeff asks who are – sidelong shot from Tyrone) “I don’t want to call people out but I’ll tell you what, we got three, four weak players here, I’m just keeping it real man”

Jeff asks if they think they are a weak player
Holly “No, I don’t think I am”
Jane “I don’t think so” (I believe I detected Jimmy T. agreeing with her)
Marty “No, I don’t think so”
Yve “I don’t believe so”
Jill “No, not at all”
Tyrone “Negative”
Dan “I don’t think I am” (shot of Holly)
Jimmy J. “I’m the oldest player and one of the weakest too” (musical change – shot to Jimmy T., Marty who smiles then Holly looking pensive)

Jeff asks Tyrone if that was a free pass to vote out Jimmy J.
Tyrone “Definitely other dynamics but you asked Jimmy J. a direct question and he gave an answer based on self perception”

Jeff asks Marty about his vote and goal tonight
Marty “I think in part I’m anxious to get the game a little more accelerated, a little more engaged (Yve) people will have to start thinking about all facets of this game (Holly) and not just weakest, strongest…. There’s a lot going on here”

Jeff chides Marty for outing something that maybe shouldn’t have been
Marty “Well I think it just feels as if we’re doing a lot of waiting (wading?) around and now feel that the pace is picking up and going to TC is a big driver of that”

The vote is tallied and Jimmy J. is taken out of the game. We heard from Jimmy T. about his feelings which was interesting and maybe telling of how the editors are trying to shape Jimmy T. for the audience. Marty made it clear during the episode how he felt so it was a bit of a surprise that they did not show Marty’s vote but used Jimmy T. instead. Jeff questions them about voting out a proven leader and who will step in to fill those shoes. The question now for this tribe (as earlier stated) may be how will the tribe fare without Jimmy J. If editing is any indication (as he was fairly herald by the majority) the editors may revel in this tribe failing should that happen. Since Marty and Jimmy T. were the biggest voices about Jimmy J. their editing will be intriguing to watch as well. As of this episode, Jane and Marty still appear nicely constructed for who they are and their involvement in certain situations. Jill bothers me much like Kelly B. in that she feels like an extension to Marty’s story (as does Dan) Holly is a bit perplexing which could bode well for her but I do question the lack of involvement her character has unless it is directly related to her short term issues. Yve and Tyrone don’t appear in any immediate danger but I could see Tyrone and Marty coming to a stand off and with Marty being shaped as he is, Tyrone may be on the short end of that stick. Jimmy T. is being shaped as a ridiculous persona and the editing is consciously making the audience feel he is a fool which appears to be short term for him. While Yve appears in no immediate danger, I am bit disappointed at the lack of visibility she is receiving which has me concerned for any long term status for her. The younger tribe has some candidates for longer term and Jud seems to be the most manipulated and utilized across the board. Of everyone, he appears to me the best long term character on his tribe and I feel the editors are shaping him deliberately for use in the short term and for longevity. Brenda is most definitely another character that the editors are clearly investing in and had ties to many potential stories and relationships. I would not completely discount Sash, Alina and to a lesser degree Chase. Naonka is being pushed too hard on us so I question how long her stay is and Purple Kelly is of no consequence to any story – I would equate that observation for Benry as well but strength vs. weakness is part/parcel to this season and Benry should not be in any immediate danger but as of now there is no shaping of his character to merit confidence that the outcome of this season is to be shaped with him in mind (if one likes to work backwards)