Friday, November 14, 2008
Survivor: Gabon - 1709
The main theme coming out of this week is how Kenny is really coming into his own at this game. He has changed so much since the show began it is amazing. He is really dictating his will and manipulating his own alliance as well as taking out the other tribe. But you can really see it when they came in for the reward challenge this week. The looks on the people's faces were priceless, Corinne was totally shocked and Matty was super-excited. But then when Corinnne started complaining that Marcus didn't deserve it, Kenny went right ahead and called her out. Kenny was right on with that. Marcus was a strong competitor but he got taken out - no one deserves to get taken out, but he put himself in that position with how he treated Susie and by being the biggest threat on the tribe.
Reward Challenge
I thought the concept of water balloon launcher golf was pretty cool. My original thoughts were that the close-in shots would be pretty tough to get the touch right. Little did I know that Randy and Matty would prove me so right.
The challenge was really built for 3 person teams and so would have been better with 3x3 teams. Just another reason to wonder whether the challenges were pre-scripted to have the merge last week but changed at the last minute. Bob did a great job again, launching 200 yd drives one after another. The real highlight had to be Randy and Matty mixing it up on the proper technique for making a 4 inch shot. Matty wanted to actually shoot it and Randy essentially wanting to just drop it in the whole. Randy is really not long for this show. He's really getting on people's nerves, I think that would have cost him even if his alliance were still in charge.
Bob got sent to Exile Island. I was half-expecting the producers to institute an immediate tribe shakeup so that Sugar would get sent one more time. Bob seemed very surprised that he couldn't find the idol, I would think that since it took him about 20 minutes to follow the three clues to their conclusion it would be obvious that Sugar had it. He did go on to make the best fake immunity idol ever (quick flashback to Eliza: "that's not the idol . . . it's a fucking stick!") Bob is going ahead and taking that thing back to camp with him right?
Immunity Challenge
Hooray the merge actually made it into this episode. This is when the game really gets interesting I think. The fire-making challenge I think is actually a good one for Survivor since it does test actual skills they use. That just makes me wonder how these people are so bad at the whole thing. Randy's comment that Crystal couldn't make a fire with matches and gasoline didn't end up being that far off but he didn't perform any better. (2nd gratuituos flashback - remember when Becky and Sundra couldn't build fire to make the final three and then actually ran out of matches? that was classic). In the end Susie and Sugar won the thing, what is this bizzaro Survivor? Maybe they've just been tanking this whole time.
Strategy Analysis
The remaining Kota 4 wanted to get Crystal out and seemed to be banking on Sugar. I was a little surprised that they didn't spend some more effort to try and pick up Matty. He seemed to me like a reasonable target, but then his dialogue with the Fang people did belie that a little bit. Sugar still seems so flaky and her "strategy" was really undercut on the last episode. She gives this look of a fish out of water. Now we'll get to see her make the final two and then try to explain to people how she was playing with strategy the whole time.
Really for Sugar coming down to it, going with the ex-Fang people is the right move. The Kota tribe were clearly tight and you would always be on the outs there. With the Fang tribe I guess that Kenny and Crystal are close but Matty and Susie are total wild cards. Once they take it down to 5 there could be a total free-for-all. Sugar probably made the right choice but I'll wait until we see some more tape before I give her a lot of credit for it.
My prediction:
Crystal. I thought that Sugar would still be mad at Kenny for duping her into voting out Ace - wrong again. And I don't recall ever seeing the vote comeback like that. From 0-4 to 5-4.
Season total: 1-6 (.143) I am very bad at this game. It's like my record of picking winnners on The Bachelor
Spell Check:
Right: 7
Wrong: 1 (Charley)
Other: 1 (C.C.)
Season total: 33-9-5 (.702)
Quick hit thoughts
Reward Challenge
I thought the concept of water balloon launcher golf was pretty cool. My original thoughts were that the close-in shots would be pretty tough to get the touch right. Little did I know that Randy and Matty would prove me so right.
The challenge was really built for 3 person teams and so would have been better with 3x3 teams. Just another reason to wonder whether the challenges were pre-scripted to have the merge last week but changed at the last minute. Bob did a great job again, launching 200 yd drives one after another. The real highlight had to be Randy and Matty mixing it up on the proper technique for making a 4 inch shot. Matty wanted to actually shoot it and Randy essentially wanting to just drop it in the whole. Randy is really not long for this show. He's really getting on people's nerves, I think that would have cost him even if his alliance were still in charge.
Bob got sent to Exile Island. I was half-expecting the producers to institute an immediate tribe shakeup so that Sugar would get sent one more time. Bob seemed very surprised that he couldn't find the idol, I would think that since it took him about 20 minutes to follow the three clues to their conclusion it would be obvious that Sugar had it. He did go on to make the best fake immunity idol ever (quick flashback to Eliza: "that's not the idol . . . it's a fucking stick!") Bob is going ahead and taking that thing back to camp with him right?
Immunity Challenge
Hooray the merge actually made it into this episode. This is when the game really gets interesting I think. The fire-making challenge I think is actually a good one for Survivor since it does test actual skills they use. That just makes me wonder how these people are so bad at the whole thing. Randy's comment that Crystal couldn't make a fire with matches and gasoline didn't end up being that far off but he didn't perform any better. (2nd gratuituos flashback - remember when Becky and Sundra couldn't build fire to make the final three and then actually ran out of matches? that was classic). In the end Susie and Sugar won the thing, what is this bizzaro Survivor? Maybe they've just been tanking this whole time.
Strategy Analysis
The remaining Kota 4 wanted to get Crystal out and seemed to be banking on Sugar. I was a little surprised that they didn't spend some more effort to try and pick up Matty. He seemed to me like a reasonable target, but then his dialogue with the Fang people did belie that a little bit. Sugar still seems so flaky and her "strategy" was really undercut on the last episode. She gives this look of a fish out of water. Now we'll get to see her make the final two and then try to explain to people how she was playing with strategy the whole time.
Really for Sugar coming down to it, going with the ex-Fang people is the right move. The Kota tribe were clearly tight and you would always be on the outs there. With the Fang tribe I guess that Kenny and Crystal are close but Matty and Susie are total wild cards. Once they take it down to 5 there could be a total free-for-all. Sugar probably made the right choice but I'll wait until we see some more tape before I give her a lot of credit for it.
My prediction:
Crystal. I thought that Sugar would still be mad at Kenny for duping her into voting out Ace - wrong again. And I don't recall ever seeing the vote comeback like that. From 0-4 to 5-4.
Season total: 1-6 (.143) I am very bad at this game. It's like my record of picking winnners on The Bachelor
Spell Check:
Right: 7
Wrong: 1 (Charley)
Other: 1 (C.C.)
Season total: 33-9-5 (.702)
Quick hit thoughts
- The new tribe flag that they made is pretty solid. I guess they don't have much else to do
- Clearly Matty didn't blow that inheritance on dance lessons - sweet moves!
- The in-episode ad for The Price is Right Salutes the Troops made me wonder whether they would be paying army prices for everything. One hammer - $500!
- Sugar cried again at tribal, who saw that coming?
- Charlie's parting words "You took out my Marcus" he deserves all the jokes we make
Labels: Survivor
# posted by Andy Hejl @ 3:32 PM 
Comments:
<< Home
Bob's idol = best ever. I so hope he gets the opportunity to fake somebody out with it. I was hoping that the merge didn't happen so that we could try to watch Bob intimidate Kenny and Crystal with the fake idol.
I still can't believe Susie won. After every tribal council, Kenny is the one re-lighting the fire, and he can't even light the grass?
I still can't believe Susie won. After every tribal council, Kenny is the one re-lighting the fire, and he can't even light the grass?
I agree that Bob's idol is the best fake idol ever. Crystal thought that the producers should make a crappy idol as the real idol sometime. I think that would be brilliant because people would question it validity when the find it/when its played/when it gets shown to other people. They need to do that.
Flashback time - C.C. = Goodbye Denver Deva
Flashback time - C.C. = Goodbye Denver Deva
# posted by 
: Sat Nov 29, 01:50:00 PM
: Sat Nov 29, 01:50:00 PM << Home
Post a Comment