Saturday, December 06, 2008
Survivor: Gabon - 1711
Was this episode showing Bob coming out as the power-player that the contestants have been describing him as? Repeatedly they talk about Bob as a powerhouse and one of the strongest contestants but he gets picked almost last when the reorganized the tribes. I think that Bob is interesting to watch and like the way that he's fascinated by all of the things out there but I agree with Kenny when he said that Bob is not really playing the game well at all. He's enjoying his time out there but in terms of the personal game play he's doing a poor job of it.
Reward Challenge
The messages from home/loved ones visit really isn't my favorite part of the show. As a viewer I find it hard to understand how emotional all of these people get every time their loved ones show up. With that said I thought that this time was one of the better loved ones episodes that we've seen, there was definitely some action.
The challenge was pretty interesting. That swamp was tough but the course must have been about 400 yards long because Crystal was fast the first time but for the second leg was really dogging it. The sprockets were pretty cool and Bob totally made up for his last puzzle disaster when he got taken to town by Kenny. Then in the finals he totally outclassed the field and the cameras barely had time to pan out before he finished that slide puzzle.
So I was surprised that Bob didn't get to take anyone with him on the reward, that seemed a little out of place. Looked like he was just going to get some pizza and beer and the message. I did enjoy how his wife came out from behind as Bob was wondering what she needed to show him. The thing really broke down though when all of the other loved ones got to come by the camp and spend time together. What was the point of winning the challenge? Bob really didn't get anything more than anyone else. No one even got sent to Exile. This was some sort of crazy hippie love-in instead of cutthroat Survivor, they're getting soft.
It was good to see Matty propose to his girlfriend, who he really seems taken with. Even Sugar's teary goodbye to her father's ashes was nice. Reminded me of the scene in Big Lebowski when they try to spread Donnie's ashes around. Kenny certainly didn't take any time off of the game as he immediately tells his sister how in control of the game he is. And then Corinne, Susie, and Crystal must have just been boring TV.
Immunity Challenge
OK, back to the game. I knew that all that time we spent playing horseshoes on the camping trip was going to pay off eventually. The questions seemed pretty easy. Poisonous snakes that aren't dangerous to people? How could you get that one wrong? I'm really not buying the question about gorillas being discovered in 1847. What does that even mean? No one had seen a gorilla before 1847? I'm sure that people had. This seemed like a very euro-centric question, there were people living in Gabon for quite a long time before that. I found this link that gives some interesting background on the history of gorilla discovery. It seems like 1847 was when the lowland gorilla was first cataloged by a Western scientist. I'd cry foul on that question.
Bob ended up winning the challenge throwing his ball closest to the middle of the circle. Once again he won this one but it doesn't really show him off as the physical powerhouse that he was touted as. He got taken down log-rolling by Sugar for crying out loud! They do want to take him out but he's clearly not as big a physical threat as Matty is.
Strategy Analysis
Well we got the answer to the cliffhanger of Bob finding Marcus's immunity idol - it didn't happen. That reassures me because there is no good reason for Marcus to give that idol to Bob or show him where it was hidden. Of course Bob somehow ends up making a fake immunity idol that's far better than the actual idol. Where did he get all of those beads and parts - Michael's?
His plan with Corinne to fake them out with one of them winning individual immunity really wasn't that bad. They needed to try anything they could to stick around anyway, otherwise they were going home one after another. I couldn't believe that Kenny would actually buy it though. Think about this. If Bob has an individual immunity idol and he wins individual immunity, why does he give the idol to Corinne when everyone thinks he's a huge threat? He takes that idol and tries his best to win individual immunity, banking that other immunity idol for when he loses. Maybe when the other people have to turn on each other he can work back in somehow.
Kenny really should have seen through this plan right away. And he says he's the best Survivor ever. Luckily he was smart enough to still have enough people vote for Corinne that she would have to use the idol to stay in the game. Why he continued to vote for Matty was perplexing. Based on the preview I can't wait to hear his reasoning for guilt-tripping Bob. It seems to me that Bob was doing the right thing, trying to get the game switched up and Kenny's got no leg to stand on.
My prediction:
Corinne. It was a valiant effort but too little too late to save her.
Season total: 3-6 (.333)
Spell Check:
Right: 6
Wrong: 1 (Corrine)
Other: 0
Season total: 46-11-5 (.741)
Quick hit thoughts
Reward Challenge
The messages from home/loved ones visit really isn't my favorite part of the show. As a viewer I find it hard to understand how emotional all of these people get every time their loved ones show up. With that said I thought that this time was one of the better loved ones episodes that we've seen, there was definitely some action.
The challenge was pretty interesting. That swamp was tough but the course must have been about 400 yards long because Crystal was fast the first time but for the second leg was really dogging it. The sprockets were pretty cool and Bob totally made up for his last puzzle disaster when he got taken to town by Kenny. Then in the finals he totally outclassed the field and the cameras barely had time to pan out before he finished that slide puzzle.
So I was surprised that Bob didn't get to take anyone with him on the reward, that seemed a little out of place. Looked like he was just going to get some pizza and beer and the message. I did enjoy how his wife came out from behind as Bob was wondering what she needed to show him. The thing really broke down though when all of the other loved ones got to come by the camp and spend time together. What was the point of winning the challenge? Bob really didn't get anything more than anyone else. No one even got sent to Exile. This was some sort of crazy hippie love-in instead of cutthroat Survivor, they're getting soft.
It was good to see Matty propose to his girlfriend, who he really seems taken with. Even Sugar's teary goodbye to her father's ashes was nice. Reminded me of the scene in Big Lebowski when they try to spread Donnie's ashes around. Kenny certainly didn't take any time off of the game as he immediately tells his sister how in control of the game he is. And then Corinne, Susie, and Crystal must have just been boring TV.
Immunity Challenge
OK, back to the game. I knew that all that time we spent playing horseshoes on the camping trip was going to pay off eventually. The questions seemed pretty easy. Poisonous snakes that aren't dangerous to people? How could you get that one wrong? I'm really not buying the question about gorillas being discovered in 1847. What does that even mean? No one had seen a gorilla before 1847? I'm sure that people had. This seemed like a very euro-centric question, there were people living in Gabon for quite a long time before that. I found this link that gives some interesting background on the history of gorilla discovery. It seems like 1847 was when the lowland gorilla was first cataloged by a Western scientist. I'd cry foul on that question.
Bob ended up winning the challenge throwing his ball closest to the middle of the circle. Once again he won this one but it doesn't really show him off as the physical powerhouse that he was touted as. He got taken down log-rolling by Sugar for crying out loud! They do want to take him out but he's clearly not as big a physical threat as Matty is.
Strategy Analysis
Well we got the answer to the cliffhanger of Bob finding Marcus's immunity idol - it didn't happen. That reassures me because there is no good reason for Marcus to give that idol to Bob or show him where it was hidden. Of course Bob somehow ends up making a fake immunity idol that's far better than the actual idol. Where did he get all of those beads and parts - Michael's?
His plan with Corinne to fake them out with one of them winning individual immunity really wasn't that bad. They needed to try anything they could to stick around anyway, otherwise they were going home one after another. I couldn't believe that Kenny would actually buy it though. Think about this. If Bob has an individual immunity idol and he wins individual immunity, why does he give the idol to Corinne when everyone thinks he's a huge threat? He takes that idol and tries his best to win individual immunity, banking that other immunity idol for when he loses. Maybe when the other people have to turn on each other he can work back in somehow.
Kenny really should have seen through this plan right away. And he says he's the best Survivor ever. Luckily he was smart enough to still have enough people vote for Corinne that she would have to use the idol to stay in the game. Why he continued to vote for Matty was perplexing. Based on the preview I can't wait to hear his reasoning for guilt-tripping Bob. It seems to me that Bob was doing the right thing, trying to get the game switched up and Kenny's got no leg to stand on.
My prediction:
Corinne. It was a valiant effort but too little too late to save her.
Season total: 3-6 (.333)
Spell Check:
Right: 6
Wrong: 1 (Corrine)
Other: 0
Season total: 46-11-5 (.741)
Quick hit thoughts
- No opening titles this week? How am I supposed to remember who everyone is?
- Understatement of the week - Kenny: "I'm not an outdoorsy person". A professional gamer, not outdoorsy, come on.
- What kind of beer did Bob win at the immunity challenge? The new Bud American ale? It certainly wasn't a Coors light.
- I liked at tribal how Sugar says that no one in her alliance should be gullible and get duped - pretty much like Kenny did to her when she voted off her closest ally Ace.
- Corinne - Why do you have to wish that the rest of the people lead miserable lives, live and let live. Just because you lost and don't like them doesn't mean you should wish sorrow on them. That's just plain uncalled for.
Labels: loved ones, Survivor
# posted by Andy Hejl @ 8:33 AM 
Comments:
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AH - you pretty much nailed everything about this episode on the head.
One tidbit I found interesting was the "C-O-R-I-N-N-E" spell-check in the tent. I guess this means that people are trying to spell names correctly, and yet someone still spelled her name wrong!
As for Bob's game, I always thought people referred to him as a "powerhouse" because he was so handy around camp. He is clearly the best Survivor in terms of actual survival skills, but his strategy basically consisted of being a boy scout and having fun.
I have to give props to Bob & Corinne for trying to keep themselves in the game. Much as Andy predicted, it made no sense that Bob would have the lost immunity idol (the one Charlie and Corinne didn't know about). Kenny should have seen through the ruse! But even worse than falling for the ruse was voting for Matty. That made no sense.
I'm already not looking forward to next week's scene where Kenny confronts Bob about his "lie." Uh... Kenny? Aren't you the best Survivor ever? Maybe no one mentioned the strategery aspect of this game.
Bob's wife may have been the first "loved one" in Survivor history to claim that their partner smelled good (like a campfire!) at the reunion.
Is it just me, or is Sugar getting hotter as the season goes along? I think it's really just the dearth of good-looking women this late in the season (bye, Corinne!).
Finally, I loved how Sprint stepped up their product placement with the video phone. Shouldn't Bob have been allowed to keep the phone as a prize?
One tidbit I found interesting was the "C-O-R-I-N-N-E" spell-check in the tent. I guess this means that people are trying to spell names correctly, and yet someone still spelled her name wrong!
As for Bob's game, I always thought people referred to him as a "powerhouse" because he was so handy around camp. He is clearly the best Survivor in terms of actual survival skills, but his strategy basically consisted of being a boy scout and having fun.
I have to give props to Bob & Corinne for trying to keep themselves in the game. Much as Andy predicted, it made no sense that Bob would have the lost immunity idol (the one Charlie and Corinne didn't know about). Kenny should have seen through the ruse! But even worse than falling for the ruse was voting for Matty. That made no sense.
I'm already not looking forward to next week's scene where Kenny confronts Bob about his "lie." Uh... Kenny? Aren't you the best Survivor ever? Maybe no one mentioned the strategery aspect of this game.
Bob's wife may have been the first "loved one" in Survivor history to claim that their partner smelled good (like a campfire!) at the reunion.
Is it just me, or is Sugar getting hotter as the season goes along? I think it's really just the dearth of good-looking women this late in the season (bye, Corinne!).
Finally, I loved how Sprint stepped up their product placement with the video phone. Shouldn't Bob have been allowed to keep the phone as a prize?
Here is my attempt to figure out Kenny's reasoning in voting out Matty.
He's ultimately trying to make it to the final three, so he can be up for the vote. If he believes that Bob has the idol and is giving it to Corinne then it's not a bad move to try and get them to flush it out at this point. I think that he votes for Matty so that if Corinne uses the idol and Matty goes home there is all of a sudden a switch where it is Kenny, Bob, Corinne and Crystal. But Kenny can always play that since Crystal didn't vote for Matty and he did he's closer in with Bob and Corinne so they should be the final three and get rid of Crystal.
It's really not much of a strategy.
Even better is going to be him confronting Bob. I can picture the conversation.
Kenny: You screwed up my strategy by making me vote for Matty since you didn't really have the immunity idol.
Bob: You screwed up my strategy when you voted out my allies Marcus, Charlie, Randy and Corinne.
Kenny: Yeah but I ended up voting for someone I didn't need to, and I'm the best Survivor ever.
He's ultimately trying to make it to the final three, so he can be up for the vote. If he believes that Bob has the idol and is giving it to Corinne then it's not a bad move to try and get them to flush it out at this point. I think that he votes for Matty so that if Corinne uses the idol and Matty goes home there is all of a sudden a switch where it is Kenny, Bob, Corinne and Crystal. But Kenny can always play that since Crystal didn't vote for Matty and he did he's closer in with Bob and Corinne so they should be the final three and get rid of Crystal.
It's really not much of a strategy.
Even better is going to be him confronting Bob. I can picture the conversation.
Kenny: You screwed up my strategy by making me vote for Matty since you didn't really have the immunity idol.
Bob: You screwed up my strategy when you voted out my allies Marcus, Charlie, Randy and Corinne.
Kenny: Yeah but I ended up voting for someone I didn't need to, and I'm the best Survivor ever.
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