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SURVIVOR: PANAMA -
EXILE ISLAND
The Final Episode and the Reunion Show
CBS Production
"Burn baby burn! - Burn that
mother down"
I was really pushing for Cirie in the fire
making challenges so her loss/exit relatively early in this final episode did serve to
dampen my enthusiasm for the rest of the episode. However, Aras made for an ideal
secondary contestant to hang my hopes upon and so I can’t say I’m overly
disappointed by the final result. I mean once Danielle managed to win that final immunity
you knew that who ever she took with her was going to win the million dollars, as the
personality makeup of the jury made it pretty easy to figure out that Danielle was largely
viewed as a person who crack the final four simply because she wasn’t viewed as a
threat, and unlike previous players who played this strategy she would be entering the
final two with a player with the last surviving member of La Mina who would’ve won
the respect of the jury with his consecutive wins, or with a fellow member of the Casaya
alliance who was far more popular. With this in mind Danielle’s final choice was more
a damned if you do damned if you don’t choice, and here’s hoping that future
contestants who decide to employ the ever popular fly under everyone notice strategy
realize that they also have to at least make some effort to form relationships with the
people sitting on the jury. Instead it became increasingly clear that to most members of
the tribe Danielle was simply viewed as a place holder.
"The bigger they are, the harder
they fall"
Now I’m sure there will be fans of Terry
who will cry foul that the final immunity challenge was such that it ensured he
wouldn’t be the last man standing, as Danielle was far smaller than Terry so she
would have a far easier time of keeping her balance. However, the simple fact of the
matter is that if you find yourself in a challenge where you doubt you’ll be able to
win, than you start deal making and trying ensure that when you do fall you make it look
like it was by choice. I mean Aras was looking pretty shaky on that final platform, so he
smartly turned to Danielle and basically he managed to get a nod of the head that he could
cash in at a later date. I mean it’s not much and Aras would probably argue that his
jumping off was a strategic move, but it was pretty clear that Danielle was going to win
this challenge, and Terry simply didn’t play his final hand. In fact his game was
full of missed opportunities, as it was also all too clear that Danielle resented the fact
that Terry didn’t give her the hidden immunity idol, and when he realized that
Danielle was wavering on her promise to him, and she made it clear that not moving to
protect her with his hidden immunity idol was bugging her he didn’t even attempt to
explain himself. In other words Terry’s biggest failure is that he created the sense
that he didn’t trust her to linger, and Aras successfully guilt her into holding true
to his alliance.
"I’d like to teach the world
to sing"
Now the preview ads for this episode made a
big deal about how it featured a nail-biter challenge, and I have to say that while the
challenge in question was for a reward that didn’t make much of a lasting impact of
the final immunity challenge the simple fact of the matter is that it was a pretty
exciting back and forth contest between Aras & Terry where Aras managed to secure a
very slim lead in the final moments, but than lost this lead when he presumably panicked
and Terry kept his head. However, on the final immunity challenge it was obvious right
from the first platform that Terry was the most unsteady while Danielle was having an
easier time of it. This robbed the final challenge of a great deal of it’s drama,
though I have to confess I rather enjoyed the moment where Terry fell in the water. In
fact the only real moment of doubt in this challenge would be the moment where Aras jumped
in the water, as I found myself openly wondering why he trusted her to keep her word. As
for the final tribal council the only real surprise in that the only member of the jury
who really displayed any venom was Shane, and this robbed this questioning session of a
great deal of it’s entertainment value. Still, Aras and Danielle both acquitted
themselves well as they answered the largely soft questions that were lobbed their way,
and Aras managed to deliver the best final speech.
"Welcome back to that same old
place that you laughed about."
As for the reunion show this was a bit of a
love fest as most of the players were falling over themselves to talk about how happy they
were to take part in this season of Survivor, and Jeff was guilty of milking these glowing
praises for all they were worth. Still this season’s cast was made up of a solid mix
of personalities, and several of the more engaging players managed to make me smile, from
the glowing tribute to Cirie (who also managed to win herself a new car thanks to viewer
votes), to the very funny montage of Shane’s crazy guy moments, and his responses to
Jeff’s follow-up questions only reinforced my perception that he was a nice guy
posing as a villain. I do have to say that this season the final vote carried over into
the reunion show time slot, and this managed to play into my pet peeve about networks that
carry their shows past the top of the hour, so they can discourage viewers from changing
the channel. Still what can you do, as it’s clearly a successful marketing ploy that
hasn’t produced the backlash needed to get them to stop doing it. As for the sneak
peek at the next season of Survivor, it would appear that the rumour about the next season
being another All-Star season isn’t true as Jeff’s narration clearly states that
it’ll feature all new contestants. I have to say I’m not exactly jump for joy
about the return of Exile Island either as it was a rather humdrum addition to this
season’s game that added very little in the way of excitement. Still, I’ll be
back this fall for another dose of Survivor.
3.5 out of 5 Stars
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SURVIVOR: PANAMA - EXILE
ISLAND
Episode Thirteen
CBS Production
"By the skin o' my teeth"
You know you’re fully invested in the
dramatics of an episode when you’re actively annoyed when a "to be
continued" card flashes up on the screen, but since the opening moments of previous
Survivor season finals have always lacked a sense of drama I welcome this cliffhanger, as
I know have a very good reason to pay attention after they finish the extra long
"previously on" recap. Now the simple fact of the matter is that this fire
starting challenge is going to have a huge impact on the game as one would think that
Terry would’ve figured out that taking Danielle into the final two is his only shot
at taking home the million on a jury that will be made up of five Casaya members, so if
Danielle wins she’s got herself a seat in the final two, as I can’t see Aras
passing over the opportunity to keep Terry out of the final two given the opportunity. The
same rule holds true if Cirie wins as Aras has made it pretty clear he’s trying to
play a clean game so I can’t see him endangering this image by taking Terry over her,
and Terry has made it pretty clear that he’s not a card carrying member of Aras’
fan club so bringing Cirie into the final two would probably be his preferred opinion. In
any event the only way I can see Terry winning the million is if Danielle is sitting
beside him in the final two and even than it’s far from being a lock. In fact the
outcome of this fire starting challenge will probably determine who wins the million
dollar prize so making viewers wait for the outcome was a very clever move by the
producers.
"Oh Lord it's hard to be
humble"
While Terry certainly has put on an
impressive show with his string of individual immunity wins he has done a very poor job of
playing the other far more critical aspect of the game, as whenever a player makes the
statement that they didn’t come to the island to make friends than you know they have
completely missed the boat on one of the most important elements of the game of Survivor.
I mean when the jury who decides the final outcome of the game is made up of people who
were equally anxious to win that million dollars you had best hope that you have friends
on that jury and the way Terry’s played the game he’s been completely clueless
that he’s making it all too easy to cast a vote for the other person no matter who it
may be. Now if he makes the final two he could try and argue that he deserves the million
dollars as he played the entire second half with a bullseye on his back but the survival
of the fittest argument simply doesn’t wash in the game of Survivor. Cirie and Aras
on the other hand have both done a masterful job of deflecting the blame away from
themselves in spite of playing a role in the ousting of a couple of their tribe-mates, as
they’ve handily deflected the blame Danielle’s way as Courtney couldn’t be
more obvious about her delight when she saw Danielle’s name turn up at this episodes
vote. Than again Danielle didn’t exactly help her case by agreeing to take part in a
game turning alliance with Courtney, only to back out when Cirie convinced her it was a
dumb move.
"Fightin' fire with fire"
This episode also features a welcome
change as Terry not only loses the reward challenge but he also faile to secure the most
important individual immunity challenge of the game thus far, as Aras wins them both. Now
on the first loss Terry tries to take Jeff to task for not properly explaining the rules
of the game, but simple logic states that if Jeff doesn’t say you can’t do
something during a challenge than it’s allowed, and crying foul after the fact only
makes you look like a sore loser, so I couldn’t help but smile when Aras jumped at
the opportunity to point this out. As for the immunity challenge it was a nice white
knuckle affair as while Aras managed to build up a pretty good lead as he tackled the
final puzzle, Terry’s certainly made it a contest, and in my books this makes for
great television. Than we arrive at the tribal council and I pretty much knew right from
the outset that Terry hadn’t given Danielle the hidden immunity idol so in essence
the only role it played in the game was to get Terry past this vote. Still this vote did
have itself considerable drama as I’ve made no bones about the fact that I want Cirie
in the final two, and as such having her taking part in a tie breaker challenge can’t
help but have my undivided attention. In fact I almost wish the previews for the next
episode hadn’t shown Cirie with the bigger fire, as we know these teasers love to
jerk our chains. Still my fingers are crossed, and it would make for a lovely way to get
Circe into the final three.
4 out of 5 Stars
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SURVIVOR: PANAMA - EXILE
ISLAND
Episode Twelve
CBS Production
"I'll do anything I can ... the
wrong way"
When it was revealed that Shane was the one
voted off by the tribe I found myself thinking that it was a bit of a mistake on
Circe’s part, as when Shane was laying out his strategy he made it pretty clear that
Danielle and Aras were in his sights before Circe, and by openly lying to Shane, Circe
pretty much robbed herself of his vote and since she was responsible for Courtney’s
removal in the previous week she had now lost two vote on a seven member jury. However,
truth be told from a strategic standpoint Circe is probably better served by a final four
that doesn’t include Shane, as he was a little too vocal about his plan to enter the
final two with a player he considered to be jury bait, and Circe is smart enough to
realize that if is was left up to Shane to decide who to bring into the final two it would
not be her. Now of course one could argue that Shane’s performances in challenges has
been so pitiful that he would never be in the position to decide who he wants sitting
beside him. However, it was pretty clear in this episode that Terry was looking at Shane
as a possible final two choice that he felt he could beat, and since Terry is likely going
to hold a great deal of sway over the outcome of the next vote it’s always a wise
move to remove his preferred choice from the table.
"Your abuse of my trust, has
provoked my hate"
However in the final four Circe now has
herself a bit of a problem as Danielle now makes for the ideal person for Terry to have
sitting beside him, as both Aras and Circe would have the million dollar prize locked up
if they were sitting beside him in the final two, but lazy Danielle would be seen as being
carried into the final two, and her former tribe mates would likely give Terry the prize
before rewarding her. In fact if Circe was looking for a guaranteed spot in the final two
she would try to send Danielle home next as the rivalry between Terry and Aras looks to be
reaching a point where they would refuse to bring the other into the final two if they
placed in the position of choosing who they want beside them, and this ensures
Circe’s position. However the trick than becomes tricking Danielle into voting for
Circe, as we know Terry will be gunning for Aras, while Circe and Aras would use their two
votes against Danielle, and thus ensuring the outcome that would best suit Circe. Than
again pushing for a tie vote between Danielle and Aras might not be a bad move either for
Circe, as Aras could probably beat Danielle in a tie breaker challenge. In any event while
I realize that my reviews have become focused almost entirely upon Circe the simple truth
of the matter is she is easily one of the more engaging players to emerge from this
season’s batch of contestants and I’m eager to see her make the final two, as I
imagine she would do a masterful job of explaining her actions.
"Captain America what do you
see"
Still in the interest of actually offering up
a proper review, I guess I could comment on the reward and immunity challenges, with the
former being a massive obstacle course that involved a number of previous challenges, but
it was pretty easy to figure out the order in which the players would fall out of this
race, and truth be told this was a reward that I’m not really sure I’d want to
win, as it’s one that invites all manner of animosity from the people in your tribe.
In any event Terry’s victories have become a bit easy to see coming, and while I was
pushing for Aras as I’ll always cheer for the underdog, Terry has pretty much
established he’s the he-man of this season. Now he’s had a bit of an easy road
as Casaya took steps rather early on to eliminate members of their tribe that could posed
a physical threat (e.g. Bobby), but I have to give him full marks for winning five
immunity challenges in a row. Now this immunity challenge was a little more of an open
field, as Terry didn’t power his way past this challenge, but rather he was the first
to figure out the best method of pouring, and thus he gave him a bit of a jump over the
others. However, if he wants a shot at the million he really needs to stop rubbing his
victories in the faces of the people that he’s beating, as while he may feel in
control of the game right now, in the end sour grapes will make jury members extremely
reluctant to give him their vote.
3 out of 5 Stars
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SURVIVOR: PANAMA - EXILE
ISLAND
Episode Eleven
CBS Production
"Cause you know, I’m just
playing my game"
Ever since the first episode where she
engineered the votes against the strongest member of the older woman’s tribe, I told
myself that Circe was a player that I should keep my eye on, and the move that she pulls
off in this episode is a masterful stroke that firmly establishes her as this
season’s mastermind. Plus in a season that hasn’t really offer up much in the
way of double crosses and blind sided exits it’s great to see one of the remaining
players starting to play the game the way it should be played. In fact it’s well
worth noting that of all the remaining players Circe seems to be the only one with a
working knowledge of how this game is supposed to work, and she’s done a fabulous job
of recognizing which way the game was turning and nudging it back in the right direction.
I mean she’s quick to spot that while the current set up had her making it to the
final four she also wisely recognized that she would be the first to be voted off, and as
such she made a move to change the make up of the final four. What’s more while she
may have burned a bridge with Courtney and lost her vote on the jury, the simple fact of
the matter is that if Courtney was still in play in the final four, Circe’s chances
of making the final two would be non-existent. As it stands now I can easily see her
convincing Shane and Aras to boot off Danielle next, and she’ll enter the final four
with a much more stable alliance.
"Making all his nowhere plans for
nobody"
I also have to give Circe credit for taking
stock of who was going to vote for whom, and than pulling over enough votes to swing the
game in the direction she wanted it to go. Now I’m sure Shane will be annoyed that he
wasn’t brought up to speed on her plan, but Circe has also proven to be very good
when it comes to riding out the storm that is Shane, and I can’t see much developing
from this. She’s also managed to come up with a strategy that takes into account the
fact that Terry looks to be a lock for the final four, and while it’s entirely
possible that he could ride his immunity win streak right into the final two, Circe made a
move that robbed him of a invaluable ally, and pretty much rendered him a passenger of
this train. Plus given his hidden immunity idol does have an expiry date, Circe has
managed to render it a non-factor in the game. It’s also worth noting that by saving
Aras she’s kept alive the one player who might be able to beat him in a physical
challenge, and earned herself an invaluable ally who won’t be voting against her
anytime soon. In fact Circe has done a lovely job of keeping herself alive in the game,
while remaining on the good side of everyone she deals with, as her name is never
mentioned when players are discussing who to vote off, and she enters the final five with
two allies (Aras and Shane) who would never vote against her.
"Baby I am hanging by a
thread"
Now that I’m used up the first two
columns expressing my love for the way that Circe played the game, I really should use
this last one to discuss the rest of the episode. Now the reward challenge was a terribly
one sided affair, as you knew Circe, Shane and Aras had lost this challenge before it even
started, though the second reward challenge was noteworthy as Terry apparently
doesn’t believe in the power of the Survivor car curse. We also get a bit of comedy
back at camp, as Circe manages to catch a fish and it’s actually nice to see someone
out fishing who actually knows what they’re doing, plus her reaction after she
catches it had me smiling. As for the immunity challenge, it was a fairly intense
endurance challenge which had the players holding on to ropes as the weight pulling on
these ropes was steadily increased, and while Shane turned in a sad performance, the order
that the players fell out of the contest was pretty easy to see, with Terry’s victory
being rather predictable, though the preview ads tried their best to suggest otherwise.
The tribal council also had a little bit of drama to it, as Danielle’s vote was still
up in the air, and truth be told I’m not quite sure she made the right choice to
advance herself forward in the game, but I really don’t want her to crack the final
four so I’m happy she made the choice she did.
4 out of 5 Stars
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SURVIVOR: PANAMA - EXILE
ISLAND
Episode Ten
CBS Production
"Put the lime in the coconut, and
call me in the morning."
Note to self, if I ever find myself trapped
on a desert island and I’m offered a pig out meal of cheese burgers, I should turn
down the offer, as Bruce clearly paid the price for this sudden feast in the midst of the
famine that is part and parcel in the game of Survivor. Now I guess one could point out
that none of the others encountered similar difficulties but these types of health
problems tend to surface later in life so Circe, Shane, Danielle and Courtney should
probably be thanking their more youthful digestive systems for sparing them a similar
fate. In any event it’s a pretty crummy way of getting knocked out of the game, and
the only real comfort that Bruce can take is that this episode’s challenge made it
fairly clear that he was near the bottom of the pecking order, so chances were pretty good
that he wouldn’t have made it past the next tribal council. In fact I’m guessing
he was lined up to be the sacrificial lamb that is would’ve been offered up to remove
Terry’s hidden immunity idol from the table. In any event I’m glad he got the
medical attention he needed as it could’ve easily become a medical crisis that
could’ve endangered his life, and I hope to see him at the next tribal council.
"Born annoying"
This episode also offers up the challenge
that I had anticipated would be the one that would wrestle the immunity necklace away from
Terry, as the remaining contestants took part in a secret survey, and after they were
called upon to guess who had gained the most votes in a number of less than flattering
categories, such as the most annoying member, the laziest, and my personal favourite who
never shuts up. Needless to say Courtney is less than impressed when she ends up being the
correct answer on pretty much every one of these questions. This challenge also allowed
tribe members who guessed correctly to chop the rope of another player, and when all three
of their ropes were cut that player had to take a seat. Now as is the case with these
challenges a clear pecking order is established, and much to the annoyance of Shane he
discovers Circe has a secret alliance with Aras. Still if past seasons are any indication
this contest should serve to ruffle some feathers, and inspire some of the players who
discovered they are not going to be cracking the final four to start forging new
alliances. In fact the only real difference with this season is that they’ve already
reached the point where the alliance needed to start feasting on itself, so one would
already expect that smaller alliances would start to form. In fact I’ve been a little
surprised that this process hadn’t already started.
"When enemies can number more than
friends"
Now with no tribal council this week thanks
to Bruce’s removal from the game via a medical emergency, the editors had a little
more time to devote to the player’s various strategies, as Shane is on a bit of a
tear in this episode as he comes to believe that he’s not part of a new alliance that
has formed between Aras, Circe and Danielle. Now while it does look like he’s
placated in the latter part of the episode, I wouldn’t be surprised to see this new
alliance of three actually stick together, and take out Courtney and Shane, as Danielle
would be the ideal person to take into the final two. However if this new alliance has
been formed than Circe made a huge mistake revealing it’s existence while Shane still
had the numbers to turn the game to his advantage. However, Circe promised Shane that she
wouldn’t screw him over, using the lives of her children as collateral, and she
managed to secure a similar promise from Shane, so she had best think long and hard if she
plans on backing away from this promise. There’s also a nice little moment as we see
Shane confesses that his alliance with Courtney is a bit self-serving as he come to
realize that Courtney is the ideal person to bring with you into the final two. However,
Shane needs to stop with his temper tantrums even if they are largely an act, as in order
to make it into a position where he can bring her into the final two he needs to make
himself a less desirable target.
3 out of 5 Stars
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SURVIVOR: PANAMA - EXILE
ISLAND
Episode Nine
CBS Production
"If I go crazy then will you still
call me Superman"
Given they are made up of a rather unlikely
combination of personalities I have to say I’m genuinely surprised to see the Casayan
alliance has held together long enough to pretty much eliminate the entire La Mina tribe
(with the notable exception of Terry). I mean perhaps it’s simply a lack of ambition
among the Casayan members as they seem perfectly comfortable remaining true to their
alliance. Now while Courtney continues to make noise that she’s going to do something
that’ll drastically impact the game, and Shane promises in the preview for next week
that he’s going to make a move, the simple fact of the matter is that when it comes
to the tribal council none of them have wavered from the alliance of six. However I
suspect their loyalty owes more to the fact that La Mina attempts to pull one or more of
them over have been pretty pitiful, and in this episode Terry further alienate potential
allies with his claim that he’s going to win the game by winning every immunity
challenge left in the game, which is probably next to impossible, as this season has yet
to offer up the plate smashing challenge, where every member of the Casaya will be gunning
for Terry’s plates. In any event in spite of all his bravado I’d be surprised to
see Terry make the final four let alone ride into the final two by winning immunities.
"Don’t stop, thinking about
tomorrow"
On the other side of the fence in spite of
all his disastrous game play in the early episode where he was asking to be voted off, and
begging to be released from his alliance Shane has proven to be a surprisingly effective
leader of the alliance of six. Now one could argue that he’s not in control of the
Casayan alliance, but he’s the one who pulls them all together to discuss who
they’ll be voting off, and while they don’t always vote the way he wants them
to, one can’t deny the success rate of his I don’t care who we vote for as long
as it’s one of them mentality. Plus, he’s also doing a pretty effective job of
building bridges with the members of his alliance, as in the early going his name was
always mentioned as a person they’re looking to vote off, and now his name never
seems to get a mention. Plus, it always helps when you’re able to make the others
laugh, and Circe clearly has developed a genuine fondness toward Shane’s child
trapped in an adult boy persona, and his comments about over-performing at the immunity
challenge didn’t earn him too much ill-will. In fact the biggest blow that Terry
could’ve made to the Casayan alliance would been to play his hidden immunity idol and
made Shane the target, as he’s the glue that is holding it together.
"And another one gone, and another
one gone"
It’s been pretty clear right from the
outset that Terry’s wasn’t going to be giving up his hidden immunity idol to
protect any one but himself, as while he’s offered it up as bait a couple times in an
effort to lure a Casayan member over to his side, obviously his sales pitch has been
lacking, as it hasn’t proven to be the temptation one would expect it to be. Plus,
for all his confidence about his ability to win the immunity challenges, and the fact that
he’s won three in a row, I can’t help but get the sense that he knows the hidden
immunity idol makes one heck of a safety net, which would suggest that there is a level of
insecurity lurking just below the surface. In any event Sally’s exit was a forgone
conclusion once she didn’t win immunity, and if he didn’t play it at the
previous two votes where it’s impact would’ve been even more dramatic you could
be pretty sure that it wouldn’t be in play in this episode. In any event based on the
preview for next week’s episode Terry and the others might earn themselves a free
pass as Bruce looks to suffer the big medical emergency that’s been hovering over
this series for the past few episodes. I do hope whatever takes Bruce down isn’t too
serious though, as he seems like a genuinely nice guy.
3 out of 5 Stars
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SURVIVOR: PANAMA - EXILE
ISLAND
Episode Eight
CBS Production
"Give up resisting one by
one"
This episode had the potential of being the
point where the game completely shifted, as the three remaining La Mina members spent a
good chunk of the episode trying to pull over two members of the alliance of six and grab
control of the game. However, the biggest problem with their efforts is that they decided
to trust the information that Shane provided about which members of the final six
wouldn’t be part of the final four, and Shane steered Terry toward the two members
who clearly felt comfortable in the alliance. In any event I’ll go more into this in
the next paragraph, as I wanted to use this section to thank the producers of this episode
for providing a big laugh aloud moment thanks to the fact that the breakfast in bed reward
was so literal in it’s presentation, as the people that won the reward found
themselves sitting on a rain soaked bed in the middle of a beach. The editors have also
wisely figured out that the most entertaining camera confessionals moments come from Cirie
who can’t help but make you smile as she offers up her thoughts on the food stories
that come back to camp. However, the biggest laugh of the episode comes once again from
Shane who offers up the perfect response when they were discussing the problem of having
too much bacon to eat.
"Won’t someone throw me a
bone"
Someone really needs to sit down with Terry
and let him know that when you’re making an offer to potentially draw a player out of
an alliance of six, you have to offer up something a little more tempting than a
guaranteed spot in the top five, as the second you make this offer you’re telling the
person that they’ll be the first person kicked off the boat once they’re down to
five. Now he did a little better job with the offer he made to Danielle, as he offered up
his hidden immunity idol as bait but given she didn’t bite he made a pretty sizeable
error in letting her know that he had it as it’s no longer an uncertain element, and
after this week’s tribal council he made it pretty clear that he’s not willing
to sacrifice his idol in order to protect a member of his alliance, so all the alliance of
six has to do is wait until it’s down to Terry and than use the idol backlash to take
out the first member of the six that they were going to eject anyway by splitting their
votes 4 against Terry, and 2 against the first of the six to get the boot, though it might
be a little difficult to get the member of the alliance about to take the hit to take part
in this play. Plus the members of the alliance of six really need to step up to the plate
an keep Terry from winning immunity necklace, or he can simply ride his immunity wins into
the final three.
"You know we gotta stick
together"
While the editors thought they were playing a
fun little trick of the viewers by showing the start of Bruce’s vote, I have to say
all it really managed to do was tip me off that the alliance of six had decided to target
Austin, as Bruce’s response during the questioning session made it pretty clear he
hadn’t decided to flip. In fact the only real question that was left on the table was
whether Terry decided to give Austin the hidden immunity idol, and make an attempt at
grabbing control of the game. However, this was also telegraphed before the final vote was
offered up as Austin’s face was remarkably easy to read, and it was all too clear
that he didn’t have the protection of the hidden immunity idol, though he certainly
did a good job of making the alliance of six nervous when he delayed picking up his bag.
Now it is curious that the alliance of six decided to vote off Austin rather than Sally,
and Courney could be trying to fashion an all female alliance that would pull Sally, but
if I was Sally I’d be trying my heart out to win the next immunity challenge.
3.5 out of 5 Stars
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SURVIVOR: PANAMA - EXILE
ISLAND
Episode Seven
CBS Production
"I'd take you one chipped tooth at
a time"
While the contestant holding up his burned
hands still stands up as one of the most painful looking moments that Survivor has ever
caught on film, this episode does offer up a wince inducing moment, as Bruce accidentally
catches the business end of the machete in his mouth, though equal parts luck, and the
simple fact that the daily use of the machete has probably left it extremely dull made the
injury less severe than it could’ve been. Still, this episode does bring forward a
rather interesting question about how does the game deal with injury that wouldn’t
take the player out of the game, as if Bruce had needed to leave camp to get stitched up
would he have been let back in the game? I guess the medical emergency that is seemingly
looming on the horizon might answer this question, or if I was of the mind to I probably
could find the official rules of Survivor online, which probably address this very
question. In any event it was a dramatic moment that brought some excitement to what had
been a rather uneventful merge. One also has to give Bruce full marks for how well he
handled the injury, as he does look to have an extreme high pain tolerance.
"Offer me solutions, offer me
alternatives and I decline."
As I mentioned in the above paragraph this
episode offers up the two tribes merging, as right from the word go it’s painfully
obvious that the six members of Casaya are fully aware that they have the numbers
advantage over the four La Mina arrivals, and while Terry makes an effort to form a new
alliance he doesn’t make any real headway because he doesn’t offer them anything
of value. I mean if you’re looking to pull a player out of an alliance of six you
have to offer them something more than a promise that you’ll be on the bottom rung of
the alliance of six. I mean Terry and the other members of La Mina can make noise about
how Casaya is gloating over their power position, but it’s part of the game, and the
best way to combat it is to actually make smart moves. I mean Terry knew that Nick’s
head was on the chopping block so the smart play would’ve been to secretly give Nick
the hidden immunity idol, and than let the Casaya blunder their way into an encounter with
this little land mine. Now, I understand why Terry would be reluctant to give up this
advantage so early in the game, but a bold move was required to put a dent in the Casaya
armor, and Terry missed a golden opportunity to chop off the head of the Casaya alliance
and possibly grab control of the game.
"Just take your place in the
driver's seat"
Speaking of not so bright moves I have to ask
what the heck was Austin thinking when he decided to admit at tribal council that he
didn’t perform as well as he could’ve during the immunity challenge. I mean I
was prepared to give the guy full credit for making the smart move at the challenge by
presenting himself as a non-threat thus moving the target off his back, but I guess his
frail male ego overpowered his common sense when he got to the tribal council, as you
could practically see any edge that he might’ve gained instantly vanish when he
offered up this information, and what’s worse he did it before the vote. Now perhaps
he was hoping his admission would pull some Casaya votes away from Nick and this would
allow the four La Mina votes to be enough, but it clearly didn’t work, and he’s
essentially painted a big target on his back. It is worth noting that Shane is probably
thankful that Austin is such a big goof, as he mentioned that he didn’t trust Austin
when Casaya was discussing who they should kick off, and Austin offered up ample proof
that Shane was dead on the money. In fact the only La Mina player who looks to be sitting
pretty is Sally who I can easily see becoming part of an all woman alliance with the
Casaya women when the numbers get down to seven.
3 out of 5 Stars
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SURVIVOR: PANAMA -
EXILE ISLAND
The Clip Episode
CBS Production
"Memories are bittersweet, the
good times we can’t repeat"
I wasn’t really sure if I could either
be bothered to write up a review of this episode, as this episode was more about recapping
the series so far, and at least a good 60% of the episode is simply a replaying of clips.
However, the new material was nicely interspersed over the span of this hour as just when
I was getting bored of the play-by-play of the previous six episodes, along came a new
scene to grab my attention, and I have to say most of these new scenes were pretty
entertaining, from a laugh aloud exchange involving Bobby and Danielle that centres around
the proper way to place kindling on the fire, to an equally amusing bit involving the
establishing a bar of soap for the girls, as the girls find men in their tribe gross. We
also get an interesting little exchange that nicely explains why Austin suddenly became
Sally’s champion, and there’s also a couple scenes that serves to make Shane
into more than the crazed lunatic he’s been presented as in the regular episodes, as
we get an extended scene where we see Shane figures out that he’s missing his
son’s thirteenth birthday. There’s also a couple funny food gathering scenes, as
we join the young girl tribe on the opening day as they try and open a coconut, and in
what has to be one of the funniest hunter stalking his prey moments that Survivor has ever
offered up, we see Aras kills a snake. There’s also a couple moments where I did find
myself wondering why Bruce is still in the game, as he doesn’t seem to grasp the idea
that there are certain things you don’t do in the game of Survivor, such as washing
your hands with the tribe’s drinking water, when there’s a downpour taking place
outside that could do just as good a job cleaning your hands. In any event if there is one
thing that this clip show showed me it’s that Casaya is far and away the more
interesting tribe, as the vast majority of the clips come from their rather disharmonious
camp, while the only La Mina clip that I can really recall from this episode was the
conversation between Austen and Sally, which truth be told really should’ve been in
the original episode.
2.5 out of 5 Stars
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SURVIVOR: PANAMA - EXILE
ISLAND
Episode Six
CBS Production
"This one's for those who are
crazy!"
First off I have to give a tip of the hat to
the Survivor producers for not playing the hand I expected them to as we’re at the
point of the game where Jeff tells the tribes to toss down their buffs, and prepare to
play the mix the tribes up game, but now I’m thinking if they don’t do it in
this episode chances are pretty good that they won’t do it at all, and this puts a
new spin on the game. Of course I can still pat myself on the back for the prediction that
it was far too early in the game to be forming alliances, as the Casaya alliance crumbles
apart in this episode, and the La Mina tribe is forced to vote out a member of their own
alliance, when their preferred target is given immunity by the victorious Casaya. Now I
have to say for all the conflict and strife he generates among the members of his tribe I
find myself actually starting to push for Shane’s success as he’s playing the
game in a manner that runs completely counter intuitive (e.g. begging to be voted off,
asking to be let out of his alliance) and yet he’s not only still in the game, but he
seems to be able to rebuild the bridges he burns with surprising ease. If nothing else
he’s a wild card element in a game that has gotten a little too comfortable how
it’s players win the million dollar prize, and right now it’s looking pretty
good that he’ll at least make it to the merge unless of course he’s the
contestant who ends up needing medical assistance in the preview for the next episode.
"Like a snake I've been eating my
tail"
While he looks like one of the strongest
players left playing the game Terry made a big mistake in this episode in joining the
young men in voting out Dan. I mean after this vote we start to emerge into territory
where the tribes will merge, and of the remaining members of his tribe Dan was the only
member that Terry could’ve counted on not to vote against him, and while this might
not seem like much at this point of the game, it was still a bad move on his part. I mean
the two verses two tie vote shouldn’t have been enough to discourage Terry, as if it
came down to picking rocks he had the protection of his secret immunity idol, and if it
came down to a challenge between the two players whose names had been written down than he
could simply use the defence that he had given Dan his word, and if Dan lost than he would
still come across as a player who remains true to his word even when it is difficult to do
so, and this is an invaluable reputation to have in the game of Survivor. As it stands now
he’s made it clear to the younger men that he can be controlled, and unless his tribe
start winning some of these challenges, than his secret immunity idol is going to be
needed in pretty short order. Plus, if he thinks the young men are going to keep their
word than he’s never watched this series, as the minute the tribes merge those two
will quickly realize that Terry is a threat at the immunity challenges.
"Calling out to the
astronaut"
I will give Dan full marks for making what
has to be one of the more graceful exits that this series has ever offered up, and while
this doesn’t add up to much within the confines of the series, it’s still nice
to see that the nature of this game doesn’t completely erase the more admirable
qualities of a person. I mean the scene where Terry makes it clear to Dan that he’s
going to vote against him I have to confess I was fully prepared for Dan to remind Terry
that they made a promise not to turn on each other, but instead Dan actually gives Terry
an undeserved free pass to write his name down. Now perhaps he was trying to guilt Terry
into keeping his word by presenting himself as such an honest soul, but I’d feel
pretty safe putting my money on the fact that Dan simply decided to let Terry do what he
wanted to do free of any sense of guilt. His comments at tribal council made it pretty
clear that he was disappointed that Terry wasn’t going to push for a tie, and give
him a fighting chance to remain in the game but he didn’t overplay the guilt card,
and in the end Dan emerged out the other side of this game as one of the nicest people to
ever play Survivor. Of course one could also point out that this episode makes it all too
clear that being a nice guy and true to your word doesn’t really get one very far in
the game of Survivor.
3.5 out of 5 Stars
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SURVIVOR: PANAMA - EXILE
ISLAND
Episode Five
CBS Production
"I’ve got my pride, I drink
my wine"
This season of Survivor does seem to feature
a number of player who don’t quite seem to grasp how this game has played out in the
previous ten seasons, with Bobby being a prime example of this seemingly clueless player.
I mean people jumped all over Cirie for her fear of leaves, but at least she looks to have
a proper strategy when it comes to playing the game, as she’s laying low, and
sticking fairly close to the members of the power alliance, so that not only is she on
hand to spot the cracks in the alliance, but she’s also made herself available for
members of the alliance who are looking for a way to grab control of the game. Bobby on
the other hand seemed dead set on alienating himself from his tribe, and while strong
performance at the challenges will carry you so far, selfish behaviour back at camp
undercuts this advantage, and makes you an even bigger target as you close in on the
merge. I mean it’s all well and good to say that the weaker players ganged up against
you but it’s one of the dangers of the game if you a strong physical player, and a
smart player will take steps to counter it. In the end Bobby’s lack of success in
this game rests entirely at his own feet, as he made it very easy for the people looking
to vote him off to sell the idea to the people sitting on the fence. Plus, any man should
know you don’t steal wine from women, as it’s like the chocolate of the
alcoholic beverages group.
"Now I'm drowning in the
flood"
One does have to think that Mother Nature
loves to mess with Survivor players, as Casaya was a little too jubilant about their
victory at the reward challenge, so while Casaya was away from camp taking part in the
challenge their camp was completely flooded out. Now I’m a little puzzled why they
wouldn’t move their camp to higher ground based on the evidence that this little
event offers up that their current location fills with water, but Casaya members
haven’t exactly displayed an impressive work ethic away from the challenges, so I
guess one shouldn’t be surprised that they’re more invested in whine and moaning
about what happened than taking steps to see that it doesn’t happen again. This is
also a tribe that decides it’s a good idea to consume the fish they won raw, rather
than go out and gather some dry fire wood. I mean I’m been camping enough to know
that starting a fire with wet wood is next to impossible, but all you need is enough wood
to get the initial fire going, and pulling some of the trim off the outhouse would seem to
be an ideal starting point. You also have reams of toilet paper to provide the initial
starting source for the flame, and the outhouse trim would provide more that enough
kindling to get a good fire going so that you could have a good fire going in no time in
spite of the wet wood.
"The harder they come, the harder
they fall"
Voting out Bobby might’ve been a silly
move if the preview ads hadn’t made it look pretty obvious that next week will
feature the tribe mix-up, and as such there’s now one less player on the board that
can turn against the alliances that have been made. Now I’ve been saying right from
the word go that it’s far too early in the game to be forming alliances, as the
tribal mix-up will break apart these alliances, and the members players who were outside
these alliances would be fools not to work at dismantling these alliances when they no
longer had the security of numbers. Still, since Casaya’s alliance looks to be
crumbling with a new one emerging from the ruins I’m thinking that the women of
Casaya are going to emerge as the biggest benefactor of this upcoming mix-up as the men
who believe themselves to be controlling their respective alliance are going to go after
the top dogs, and with the merge on the horizon they’ll also be taking note of the
players that look to be more difficult to beat when it comes to the immunity challenges,
and in both cases the female power alliance that has formed at Casaya doesn’t look
like they’ll be drawing many votes over the next two tribal councils before the
tribes merge. Plus, one has to imagine it wouldn’t take much to draw Sally over from
La Mina after the merge as she’s very much the fifth wheel on her tribe. Still,
Courtney does draw unnecessary attention to herself, and this might derail a potential
alliance before it can grab control of the game.
3 out of 5 Stars
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SURVIVOR: PANAMA - EXILE
ISLAND
Episode Four
CBS Production
"Disobedience to me, is
disobedience to Him!"
While I still say it’s far too early in
the game to be making alliances it would the first cracks in the La Mina power alliance
appeared in this episode as we see Dan makes a promise to Ruth Marie to bring her into the
alliance, and Terry decides that loyalty takes a back-seat to one’s performance at
the challenges, and he’s able to swing the votes Ruth Marie’s way. Now speaking
as a viewer who has seen every season of Survivor I have to agree with Dan that having a
loyal member in one’s alliance is far better than a strong performer, especially when
one reaches the merge, as it never hurts to be the strongest player left standing. Than
again given we’re at the stage of the game where the team’s should be targeting
the members of the tribe that don’t improve one’s chances at the challenges than
it makes perfect sense that Ruth Marie ended up being the target, but truth be told if one
is basing one’s vote on the poorest performance at the challenge than Dan was clearly
the weak link, and given the immunity challenge had itself a nail-biter finish you
can’t really cling to the argument that Ruth Marie who hurt your tribe in that
challenge. Than again this was more a case of Sally proving her value to the tribe in
challenges than Ruth Marie costing them the challenge.
"And so it was done... Joseph the
betrayer was cast out."
Now at this point of the game it would appear
that it’s Terry’s game to lose, as not only is he locked into an alliance of
four, but this episode he also gets his hands on a very powerful hand that he can play
when his back looks to be up against the wall, as he manages to find the hidden immunity
idol on Exile Island. Now of course the question becomes will the producers let future
visitors to Exile Island know that there is no longer an immunity idol to be found, or
will they continue to provide clues in order to sell the illusion that it’s still in
play. Now if the clues stop coming than Terry’s secret hand doesn’t make him
untouchable, as you simply force his hand at a tribal council, and insure that the person
with the second most votes isn’t part of your alliance, and than take him out at the
next tribal council. Still, this does make for an extra hoop that one has to jump through
if one wants to take out Terry, and in a game of ever shifting loyalties this is all a
player needs to get their shot at the million dollar prize, as Danni managed to emerge as
the winner of the previous season thanks to a well-timed immunity necklace. However, Terry
had best hope that his strategy of taking out the weakest player pays off at the next
immunity challenge, as he could find his alliance of four forced to turn in on itself if
they lose the next two immunity challenges. Plus, as Dan pointed out five not four is the
magic number when it comes to the merge, and if you believe Sally won’t jump ship
given the opportunity to do so than you don’t know much about how this game is
played.
"I am the word and the giver of
his laws!"
Given I’ve already spent the first two
columns discussing the La Mina tribe as well as the results of the tribal council,
I’ll use this final bit to discuss Casaya as in spite of the fractured mix of
conflicting personalities that had me convinced that this tribe was a train wreck waiting
to happen, they proved in this episode that when it comes to the challenges they are just
a little bit better when it comes to working together, and in this game narrow victories
are just as good as blowing away the competition. I also have to say I’m rather
enjoying the idea that this tribe is proving to be so successful at the challenges as it
means that these people have to continue to interact with each other, and given this tribe
is full of some downright strange people how can one not love that the fact that
they’re stuck together. Even better is the fact that Shane decided to form a spur of
the moment alliance, and as he spends more time with these people he’s quickly
discovering that he absolutely despises some members of his alliance. However, given this
alliance hasn’t really been tested, one has to imagine that that the relatively
normal members of this alliance (Aras and Danielle) might decide to cut loose the more
contentious members of this alliance (Shane and Courtney), and form a new alliance of
four, or even better a group of five with the merge in mind. However, the tribe mix-up
that tends to occur before the merge might throw all these plans out the window.
3.5 out of 5 Stars
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SURVIVOR: PANAMA - EXILE
ISLAND
Episode Three
CBS Production
"Life is a game. So fight for
survival and see if you're worth it."
While the alliances in both tribes have
successfully voted off they set their sites upon I have to state once again my underlying
belief that it is far too early in the game to be locking oneself into a final four group,
as if nothing else these players should be well aware of the fact that Survivor has a
pattern of mixing up the two tribes before the merge, and chances are pretty good your
alliance is going to split apart when this happens and the animosity that you’ve
built up among the players that were outside your alliance will make you a very tempting
target. Now it’s entirely possible that the producers won’t play this card, and
these two groups of four might enter the merge intact, but until you hit the magic number
of seven doesn’t do you any favours, and it becomes a case of who did a better job of
keeping the swing votes on the outside of the alliance from jumping over to the other side
and rendering your alliance completely useless no matter how rock solid it may appear. In
fact while this may not look to be the case right now, in my mind the players outside the
alliances are in a much better position in the game, as they have the opportunity to make
a real impact on how the game plays out, while the others have foolishly locked themselves
into a little box at a point of the game where there was no need to do so.
"You just have to fight for
yourself. That's just life..."
Now this episode does offer up a pair of
challenges that do a pretty nice job of playing up the tribal unity card, as while the
reward challenge does offer up an element where an individual tribe member could put on a
show (e.g. I’m pretty sure Terry jumped for every ball that was put in the air), it
was also a challenge where the weaker players were able to make a real contribution.
I’m also quite surprised how even these challenges have been, as I have to confess I
had already written off Casaya as the tribe that was going to be at the losing end of most
of the challenges, but even in the challenges that they don’t win, such as the reward
challenge, they are able to put on a pretty good showing. Now the immunity challenge was a
bit of a mess, as neither tribe seemed to have much of a strategy, but rather it quickly
became simply a big mess of people tackling each other until one of the players happened
to luck out and slip free of the tangle of limbs. Still it made for one of the more
engaging challenges of the season, and there were some solid individual moments, such as
Bobby’s clever move at the end of the challenge which served to steal a victory for
his tribe. I mean you have to love any Survivor challenge where both tribes have such an
equal chance of victory.
"I just didn't want to be a loser
anymore."
This episode also looked to set up the format
for which players will be sent to Exile Island, as it would appear that the tribe that
wins the reward challenge will be able to pick which member of the losing tribe is sent to
Exile Island, and if that’s the case than poor Bruce had best hope his tribe starts
winning some of the reward challenges, as his tribe foolishly revealed he was the reason
why they were in such good spirits. Still with an immunity idol hidden on the island,
perhaps Bruce’s success in the game might hinge upon these continued visits to Exile
Island. As for the tribal council I have to confess I was a little surprised that Misty
was given the boot, as she didn’t seem to hurt her tribe at the immunity challenge in
spite of Austin’s claims that she did, but I have to confess my fondness for the
underdog left me rather pleased to see Ruth-Marie managed to survive this vote, and I have
to say once again that while her chances might not look all that good right now, being the
odd man out might work to her advantage as she hasn’t locked herself into any voting
group. Still, I’m a little curious why Austin decided to hitch his wagon to Terry and
Dan, when he could’ve kept his options open until the next vote.
3.5 out of 5 Stars
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SURVIVOR: PANAMA - EXILE
ISLAND
Episode Two
CBS Production
"I'm not into politics. I'm into
survival."
While it’s far too early in the game for
the players to be forming alliances as this game has a habit of mixing up the tribes
before the tribes merge it’s interesting to see the players bringing this aspect of
the game to the table so early, as if one was looking for some method of adding a level of
animosity to what has traditionally been the feeling out stage of the game than it would
be to actively encourage the formation of alliances. I mean it’s difficult not to
notice that after the initial four tribes are brought together to form two tribes both
groups can’t form their final four alliance quickly enough. Now if they expect these
alliances to hold up than they clearly haven’t watched any of the previous seasons,
as the only successful alliance of four to grab control of the game was on the first
season, and that was because to other players didn’t recognize that there was an
alliance in play until it was far too late to do anything about it. Still it’s nice
to see the players playing the game at so early in the season even if I think it’s
rather silly to be alienating members of your tribe when one is depending on them keep you
from making a steady parade to the tribal council. Than again perhaps knowing your head
may be on the chopping block at the next tribal council might inspire that extra effort
that will allow your tribe to win.
"Don't touch that dial!"
Now looking at the two tribes it’s
pretty clear that one of the tribes looks to be quite a bit more impressive from a
physical standpoint, and I wouldn’t be all that surprised to see Casaya continue the
losing ways that begin with this episode, as their second place performances took place
before Shane and Aras unwisely decided to fracture the tribe by exposing their alliance.
Now, Shane makes for a nice villain figure as he forms an alliance in a seemingly
haphazard manner, and than proceeds to annoy the heck out of the members of his alliance
by proving to be one of the most unreliable members of this alliance. In the end an
alliance of four is of no use if there are only four members in your tribe. As for the
other tribe, La Mina looks to have a bit more harmony, as while there are alliances being
formed, they look to be of the smaller variety that can easily detach themselves from one
alliance and hook up with another pair. I also have to say this episode makes it all too
clear that the most dangerous player in the game right now is nice guy Nick, as he looks
to be able to put the other players at ease, and he forms invaluable bonds with a couple
members of his tribe, that could allow him to emerge as a real power player. The only
concern that keeps me for putting my money on him to win the game as nice guys tend to
lack the will to play the game mean, and there are moments in the game where this is a
required aspect of one’s game.
"I don't do requests."
Now I have to give the producers credit for
coming up with a couple pretty cool challenges for the players to take part in, and while
the immunity challenge wasn’t even remotely close to being a contest, it was still a
pretty entertaining show that clearly exposed the weaknesses in Casaya. I also have to say
I was rather impressed by the sheer scale of the reward challenge course. Now as for the
tribal council while Shane’s alliance of four seemed to stick together for this first
vote it is worth noting that the faces of a couple members of this alliance clearly
displayed their discomfort at being part of this group, and if Cirie is a smart player
she’ll get together with the two other players on the outside of the alliance of
four, and work at luring one of Shane’s soldiers into this new alliance, with their
first target being Shane whose antics make him a very easy target. Now it is a little
curious that Melinda was the first target over Circe, as to me Circe seems to be the
greater liability at challenges, but I’m sure the reasoning for this choice was
explained during one of those conversations that the editors leave on the cutting room
floor as showing them might spoil to final outcome of the vote. It’s a bit of a shame
though as Melinda seemed like a genuinely nice person.
3.5 out of 5 Stars
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SURVIVOR: PANAMA - EXILE
ISLAND
Episode One
CBS Production
"We're from out of town."
I have to give the producers credit for the
way that they divided the tribes up in this opening episode as unlike previous seasons
where I found myself struggling to put faces to names, and inevitably it takes me several
episodes before I’ve picked out the players I’m going to be pulling for, by
splitting the sixteen contestants into four groups, there was little danger of any player
getting lost in the crowd of this opening episode. Now I have to confess the younger men
and women kind of blend together, as unless they did something delightfully bizarre like
Aras’ meditation circle, the only thing that really struck me about the younger
tribes is their collective ineptitude when it comes to their survival skills. Now part of
this could be due to that none of the younger players wants to step out of the crowd and
take a leadership position, but I have to confess this lack of willingness to step out
from the crowd made it harder to pick any favourites from the younger crop of players.
Still, Misty gets the distinction of being the first player to be left on Exile Island,
and she manages to come up with a somewhat gutsy bluff that could come back and bite her
later in the game. I’ll also give Nick credit for offering up the funniest line of
this opening episode as he offers up a very cute line of reasoning for why their shelter
is so pitiful.
"Man, who do I look like,
Christopher Columbo"
One the other side of the equation the pair
of older tribes played host to the more engaging personalities, and while it’s still
a little early in the game to be saying that these players will be my favourites for the
rest of the game, I have to say the older tribes provided me with several likely picks. I
mean while I realize that she’ll grate on the people at home I have to say I rather
enjoy Cirie, as she’s pretty much the Survivor fan who was pulled off the couch,
through the television screen and found herself taking part in a game that she has
business playing, though I will concede that she somehow managed to pull her head off the
chopping block by convincing the other members of her tribe to vote off their strongest
player. I also have to say I’m always pulling for the underdog in this game and Cirie
is a perfect candidate for this position with her fear of leaves. I also have to say I
have to really feel for Shane who is coming off a three-pack a day smoking habit, and
while he looks like a nice guy, it’s all too clear that he’s having the most
difficult time in the early stages of the game, especially since next week’s preview
makes it look like he’s blown apart by lightening from the heavens. There’s also
something inherently cool about having an Asian player sporting the name Bruce.
"She breathed on me! A dead person
breathed on me!"
As for the pair of challenges that this
opening episode offers up, the show gets off to a fairly quick start as we see the four
tribes take part in a race involving four players rushing to the other side of Exile
Island, but this didn’t really expose any weaknesses in the tribes as finding the
hidden medallion was more a matter of luck than skill. The more revealing challenge was
the immunity challenge, as the younger women blazed through the challenge to make up for
their last place performance in the reward challenge, while the younger men narrowly
avoided a trip to the first tribal council when one of their members fail to grasp the
concept of the clip that kept their raft attached to the ocean floor. One other note that
I’d make about this immunity challenge would have to be that Dan the Astronaut has to
be the whitest man in the entire world, and I’m already wincing at the painful
sunburn that is sure to follow. As for the tribal council I have to give the older women
full marks for offering up one of the most unexpected first ejection's that Survivor has
ever offered up, as Lumberjane Tina’s early exit caught me completely offguard,
though if I had to guess at the reason for her getting the votes it would have to be her
comments about the lack of work she was seeing from other members in her tribe.
3.5 out of 5 Stars
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