LAST EDITED ON 10-05-14 AT 10:19 AM (EST)

Excellent read, michel! Very interesting indeed, and it will be so interesting to see how this is going to unfold! Love your ability to really see things, including possible omissions in the editing. It all adds up! Thanks!

Okay, my first thoughts post show are that the Coyopa Tribe is the new Crap for Brains Tribe....I’ll explain further as we go.

The intro was interesting. Jiffy reminded us that we started out with 9 pairs of loved ones, then touted the new twist of competing against your loved one for reward, noting that Jeremy wins. Wouldn’t that be something if Jeremy were the winner of the show....all spelled out for us in the very first intro. He goes on to tell us that Keith goes to EI with Val, and that relationships were forming at Coyopa, John and Wes, and we hear John note that, “he busted me”. Thus, begins the story arc for John Rocker.

I don’t see it as Coyopa is more important to the story of the season, I see it as Coyopa is more important to the story right now.

He continues that Val got a big piece with the clue, and Hunahpu won the IC, and it looked like the tribe divided between women vs. men but because of “one relationship”, Josh went rogue and Baylor voted for Nadiya, breaking up the woman’s alliance and leaving Jacklyn and Val all alone. Pretty much sets up the very next boot, nice and neat right in the intro.

We immediately see Josh explaining why he went “rogue” and voted for Baylor. She had a nice confessional at the end of it saying she understood but it was “scary and sketchy, and she really hopes that she can trust him”. Well, I think the lights are on, but I still don’t know if anybody is home. Clearly, she is sticking with Josh...And, Josh, he is at least for now seemingly the puppetmaster in Coyopa.

At Hunahpu we see Reed stretching in a very extreme way, and then Jon, the resident meat head is lifting what appears to be a tree stump...then Jeremy has a confessional which sounds like a narrator: “We’ve got Jon and Drew and they are like cartoon characters...I know all the girls can’t stand them already”, as we see Natalie give them some sh!t. Interesting that the camera focused on Reed and Jon, but Jeremy called out Drew and Jon. Why not say that Reed is a cartoon character, after all, he was the one that played Spiderman?

Then the girls look for the flint and cannot find it, noting that Jon had it last. Jon has a nice confessional that if you do something wrong you need to own it, if you are wrong, admit it. He joked around that it was like he was J’Tia right now as if this was as bad as pouring the rice out...we then hear him ask, “Do you need flint to make fire?” and comic relief, Keith, responds, “It helps”.

While Jon may come across as a meathead, I think the confessional that he had about his dad and now this one saying when you are wrong, admit it, shows he has more substance. I think there is more to this one than just a pretty face. If Jon turned out to be a winner, this is definitely someone underestimating him, perhaps....?

Next we have them arriving at the “hero” arena and they see that Nadiya has been voted out. Natalie cries, and she hasn’t cried in over 10 years, she notes that she and her sister have been together for 28 years.

Rocker, Rocker, Rocker. Certainly not the brightest player. Does rock/paper/scissors and wins and gets to choose who does the challenge, and he decides to do it. Now, sitting in the arena I assume they can see it. He can see the lay out that he will have to manuever UNDER poles. He was the tallest guy there, so likely the worst possible candidate to do this challenge....or, did he choose to go against his GF and give it to her? Clearly, this was not the best challenge suited to him.

EXCELLENT noting that Julie most likely had to start again as well, michel. However, I don’t know that it means she’s going to be an end game player, but I see it as they needed to make John look like a fool that he was for hastily volunteering for the duel that least suited him...his ego is getting in the way of his game. (I might add here that not only is Rocker being shown that he does not think before he acts and that directly leads to failure, later in the show Jiffy gets Alec to admit in TC that they don’t play strategically and they fail to discuss prior to going into challenges....this all underlines to me that the big guy, John, is the one that reacts instead of uses his head and that it’s leading to the demise of Coyopa. What will happen to this tribe when they are finally able to get rid of Rocker? That’s the question!)

Julie wins and chooses Jeremy to go with him, she states it was unusual for her to win vs. John, but John is mad he lost to a girl. After the challenge, Reed raises his hand and tells Jiffy they would like to barter for flint, they want to trade their old beans in for new flint...Jiffy admonishes them, and they end up getting flint but no fishing prize...it ends with another nice confessional from Jon, how it would have been huge to get the fishing gear, but it was his fault...owning it again!

Then, they go back with the winners and congratulate Julie, but it is more focused on Natalie. Missy has a confessional about how close twins are. Missy is the maternal voice in this season and appears very empathetic to her peers, a good quality, just ask Tina. Natalie has a nice confessional: she got voted off....good motivation for me to keep my head in the game and at least go as far as I can
With Nadiya gone, Natalie’s stock has just gone way up, her confessional could be forshadowing...

Back at Coyopa, they are talking about John being run out of the league by talking about ethnic issues in front of Val, we see her interested in what they are saying. They are not talking well of John, but Josh tells us in confessional that regardless if they don’t like him, he still wants to work with him. Josh is a player, knows he’s a great shield.

At EI, Jeremy continues narration telling us how desolate EI is and that it’s not a happy place, the icing on the top is that he is there with John Rocker. He knows him. Jeremy gets the clue and he shows Rocker, a MUCH smarter move than Val made, and contrasting with Val’s game. Jeremy has strategy, something that clearly Rocker lacks...“You take care of Val, I will take care of Julie”. “Done and done”, says Rocker. If not, Julie will be toast.

Nice pick up on the helicopter shot but I also see that as a way to isolate the players on EI. It was used extensively for Ozzy. I also remember the shots of Coach on EI, Tocantins, basking in the sun in his yoga outstretched arm pose. I think it was used alot in that sandy area in Tocantins. I agree though that so far Jeremy is a key player.

Next we have the IC, which Jiffy loves because it underlines the crux of the season, loved ones vs loved ones. We have brother vs. brother, boyfriend vs. boyfriend, and mother vs. daughter....so hard, Baylor cries because her mom smacks her in the nose, but Baylor outlasts her on the platform, will she outlast her in the game too?

Rocker being defeated by Jon got a “wow” from Julie. Interesting to note that Kelly lost the first round to Jacklyn but then won in the end when it counted even though she “was big”, Dale notes, it’s her birthday...also interesting that Wes states, “clash of the old guys” when Dale and Keith go at it....underlying the young vs. old division in Coyopa. One hundred percent agree, the “kiss of death” confessional after the IC goes to Val. She’s going to be toast!

Now comes the good part, back at Coyopa...John walks off with Val, while EVERYONE notices, and tells her that he enjoyed spending time with Jeremy, and she says you probably got a clue to the idol, he tells her no, Jeremy did and he shared it with me...we looked there but didn’t find it. Now, bright Val says there are 2...John now has a confessional about how he has no idols and better start looking for one, so he does. Did anyone notice how EASY it was for Rocker to find it....under the rock, and then very shallowly placed, there was no digging involved. I’m surprised the rock didn’t have a neon sign painted on it....clearly it seems to me that production wanted Rocker, the villain, to find this idol, just as they wanted Hantz to find it...ugh. Rocker has the confessional about it: “I found at least an extra 3 days in the game..wear it with pride, .the athlete types usually make it to right before merge, this has made me more time in the age, now I have to figure out how to protect Val”.

John concocts a plan and goes to Josh, the go-to boy, and tells him that Val told him she has 2 idols, one for her and one for Jacklyn, so they need to flush an idol and split votes evenly between Val and Baylor. Now this is where I start to get confused....Josh in conf: “If she does have 2 then one of us 5 guys is going home, so the only other way around that is not letting them know that 3 votes are going to Baylor”.

Then we see Val and John go off again...”We are splitting votes tonight, 3 to you, 3 to Baylor”....then it splits into a confessional from John: “I told Jeremy I would keep Val safe, I made a promise to him, so if she plays her idol she should be fine, I will keep her safe and he will keep Julie safe”...then we see him telling her to play her idol, and she says, OK. Then Val in conf: “I mean this is like an Oscar winning moment, I don't have the idol but it doesn't matter because if 3 of them vote Baylor and Jacklyn and I vote Baylor, we are safe”.

Val is the dumbest player of all time and clearly, from her actions from last week we should have noticed she wasn’t long at ALL for this game. All she had to do was to tell Rocker, she didn’t have the idol, and there would have been a different plan. Clearly, Josh and John knew that she and Jacklyn would be votes for Baylor...what was she possibly thinking with the 2 idols and I have them both lie? And, Rocker, come on, do you really think there are 3 idols available to your tribe only? I just cannot believe these people...Val deserved to go and imo is one of the worst players ever. Clearly John must have spoken with Josh to vote Val out if she didn’t play the idol....he was exasperated perhaps with her. Meanwhile through this we get yet another confessional from Josh telling us he will do what’s best for his game....hmmm?

At TC Alec made a nice point about their tribe not playing strategically and failing to discuss before they go up against the other tribe, a contrast to his brother in the other tribe being called the dumb guy. (Rocker being the poster boy for wreckless moves and no strategy whatsoever in challenges). Val calls out Baylor at TC, people trying to play both sides, and Val says that it was Baylor that told them to vote out Dale. Wes tells Jiffy that Val says that she has two idols and they want to draw one out...Baylor says it would not be good to see flipping because of some “crazy” talk...and they vote.

It’s a tie, then they revote minus Baylor and Val, and Val is out. Rocker says that she made him look like a liar to your husband....the arc is peaking and Rocker is in the spotlight.

Jiffy tells them that something has to change or they will all be out one by one....hmmmm.

So, to sum it up: Coyopa = Crap for Brains, Val = Crap for Brains, Rocker* = Crap for Brains, arc is climbing, clearly the villain, but now a villain with an HII. Josh = Coyopa puppetmaster, sees Rocker as a shield for himself. I agree with michel, setting up to be the villain behind the villain! Alec = smarter than Drew, Dale = expendable, Baylor = pawn, Jacklyn = she’s big and on the wrong side of the numbers, could being “big” help her? Expendable.

*Rocker: He’s an ex-professional athlete, he’s a big a$$ beast, he’s got a controversial past, he’s wreckless, he has a mouth....does sound like the perfect shield, but will he be the demise of his entire tribe, one by one as Jiffy notes? Apparently, Josh will be the one that determines Rockers fate, and right now Rocker has an idol, and he has Josh.

Regarding Hunahpu:

Jeremy: key player, alpha male, narrator, majority alliance. Shown in contrast to his wife...he is strategic and so far successful, while Val tried to be strategic but fails miserably. Natalie: stock rising, majority alliance. Missy: mother, empathetic, good social game, majority alliance. Kelly: a beta, follower, good in challenges, majority alliance. Jon: physical threat, depth, forthcoming. Drew: young, dumb? Reed: not called out by Jeremy as young, dumb, cartoon character, but shown to be. Shown being the one to ask Jeff about their pathetic deal, UTR. Julie: in jeopardy? Keith: UTR after good start. “It helps”.

A note to contemplate, one that michel so eloquently refers to in his assessments. The big difference in the B v W seasons in regard to regular seasons is that even if your tribe is being obliterated, you still have ties to the other tribe as long as your loved one is still in the game. Totally makes it a different game. Clearly, this must give Josh more ammunition to play boldly, to insist on keeping the Rockers in the game.