Survivor Caramoan: Deciphering the Finale

My dry spell is over. I finally have a winning first pick in Survivor! For a die-hard Survivor fan, you'd think that I'd be better at choosing picks that are guaranteed to win. But who am I fooling? I easily fall for the hunky studs (*cough Bobby Jon, *cough Malcolm)! But I seriously thought I had it nailed last season with Malcolm since he is the ultimate combination of brains and brawns, and maybe a bit of charm that there wasn't a day since Malcolm first graced my TV screen that I didn't dream of him running away with the mill. But I digress, the star of this blog is supposed to be the newest winner - John Cochran! Cochran is the scrawny nerd who wrote papers on Survivor and I distinctively remembered asked Jeff during his first season to call him by his surname, just like he did with other Survivor greats. Jeff quipped to him, "Let's see if you earn it!". Fast forward to two years, here's a totally different Cochran who no longer just calls himself a "challenge beast" but also with the title Sole Survivor under his name.

The road to getting there was never easy. Cochran figured in one of the most controversy-ridden, twist-befuddled season that Jeff hyped up before premiere as better than the Philippines edition. For someone who loved the Philippines enough to relegate it as one of the top 3 seasons ever, I held high expectations.

Before the airing of the Finale episode, I had an inkling that Cochran had it in the bag. He had the advantage in jury votes in any given final 3 scenario. But I can't say I had some doubts lingering as the episode went by. This game seems to sneak up on you when you least expect it. And when you're complacent, it pulls the rug out of you. Just ask Andrea and Brenda. They got complacent and Cochran was smart enough to go after them because he knew either one of them would've given him a serious run for the money!

The first big twist of the finale episode was Erik's medical emergency. When the clip was shown last week, I knew it had to be Erik! They were building up this storyline of him being weak and out of his senses, especially since the timing was odd and it seemed even forced given that he basically had zero confessionals for the most part. It's like the editors forgot about him and they realized that he will be medevaced in the coming episode so they had to integrate that into the previous episode so it does not come as an entire shock to the audience.

The Erik situation gave Eddie a free pass to the Final Four. It's funny how Eddie thinks that if he can get to the finals that he has a shot at winning the million dollars. Who are you kidding, Eddie? I'm sure you're nice. But aside from flirting with any hot girl you can set your sights on and being bros with Malcolm and Reynold, you did nothing to merit a million dollar!

The first challenge promised a reward that was going to prep the winner for the challenge that matters - the final immunity challenge. Kinda anticlimactic, huh? I actually did not like this concept when they first used it in the Philippines. Jeff told the castaways that the winner of that challenge won an advantage to the Final Immunity Challenge! Hear me out here: it creates a sense of guarantee of winning the next challenge. I also feel it's a bit anticlimactic in a sense that their focus is torn between the current challenge and the one up ahead, which is the more important one. I'm sure it was a move done by the producers after Erik left rather unexpectedly due to medical reasons, since this was clearly being setup as another immunity challenge. Then again, Cochran ended up winning his third individual challenge and gets an advantage heading into the final immunity challenge that could seal his fate in the Final 3.

His advantage ended up being key to his final immunity win. I was expecting that the previous challenge would've worked more for a final immunity challenge than this win. Final immunity challenges typically require focus or endurance. This one was oddly similar to that same challenge that Malcolm won during the finale episode of Survivor: Philippines that earned him the advantage. But Cochran's advantage was huge! He struggled to figure out the puzzle early on such that Dawn ended up putting the first few pieces of her puzzle together. The competition might've kicked him into high gear as he ended up putting his puzzle pieces together quickly after he got the first one.

The Eddie vote at the Final Four tribal council was a feign attempt to make it seem as though Cochran will change things up. Earlier in the episode, we saw Cochran make a pact with Eddie about the Final 3 but we knew it was a defensive strategy on Cochran's part to secure his final three slot knowing that Eddie is the sole remaining threat to win immunity. And thus... the final three is Cochran, Sherri, and Dawn.

They celebrate with a feast in the morning before the real deal begins. Cochran delivered what I believe was one of the best opening speeches at tribal council. He covered all the grounds - he pointed out that he wasn't the best strategists nor was he the most physically competitive (although it's hard to ignore the fact that he won the most individual challenges this season!). He also pointed a realistic element to his gameplay that helped get him far and showed that he's a real smart player - timing. According to Cochran, his success in the game can be relegated to the fact that he managed to strike at his opponents before he can be struck at and he owned it!

Dawn took a beating at the final tribal council with several of the jury members thinking that she used relationships to gain an advantage in the game. However, she raised an essential point that these relationships were the key to the success of his alliance with Cochran because if it weren't for those relationships she built, she wouldn't have been able to gather the information needed to make their next big move.

Sherri, on the other hand, seemed to have been lost in the equation. The only memorable thing about her stint at the final tribal council would have to be her snide remark towards Erik who tried to ridicule her game and Eddie trying to make fun of her insistence that she got carried to the final 3.

However, nothing could've been more unforgettable as the Brenda-Dawn moment. Still reeling from the Dawn betrayal, Brenda refreshed everyone's memory of the day when Dawn lost her retainer and she dove in the water to get it. In doing so, she asked Dawn to take out her retainer so everyone would see what she looked like that day. Brenda lost a bit of favor with me for that particular move. While majority of the jury understood the strategy involved with taking them out, she seemed to take it the hardest and made an unconscionable move by asking Dawn to take out her teeth. We all know she voted for Cochran anyway, so what's the point with that? Apparently, she wanted to humiliate Dawn. And I think she crossed the line there. And the worst part of all, Jeff Probst even pushed Dawn (on live TV at that!) to apologize for Brenda! For someone whose seen this game first-hand and witnessed worst betrayals and backstabbing, I don't think Jeff was in a place to push Dawn to apologize for voting someone out! That's just plain ridiculous.

That moment, though, was only one of several awkward moments in what I thought was one of the worst reunion shows EVER! For someone whose seen all 26 seasons to date, it's saying a lot! After Cochran's announcement as the winner of Survivor Caramoan, the reunion show went downhill from there. Jeff had the decency to ask Dawn and Sherri for a short comment right before the reading of the votes. Little did we know that those were going to be Sherri's last words for the night!

It was also starkly obvious that the pre-jury members weren't on-stage. I thought that this was the setup during the reading of the votes, but as the show went on it was slowly dawning on us that the pre-jurors weren't going to have a part on the show. The worst part is that not even their presence were acknowledged! I understood the reason behind this was to make it less obvious that Brandon wasn't there - I caught word that he was banned by CBS from attending the reunion show! But who cares about Brandon? I'm sure a huge percentage of the fans would be pleased to know that the CBS producers finally got back to their right senses and not invite Brandon back! But what they had done to the pre-jury members was a disservice to those people who, regardless of how long or short they stayed in the game, were critical part to the journey.

While the pre-jury members were ignored, we got unnecessary airtime from Boston Rob (ugh), Richard, and Rudy, and some random girl. We know how great Boston Rob is and how Jeff Probst kisses the ground he walks on. But why not use that time instead to catch up on the Survivors that we haven't had much chance to see on the show? Do we really care about some stupid book that BRob is trying to promote?

The revelation of the Player of the Season was probably my only personal consolation during the finale. Malcolm won the title and the $100,000 that goes with it! I think it was well deserved because he undeniably played big. Come on, Episode 10 tribal council was memorable mainly for Malcolm! But above all the charades, he played a strong game but it just did not work out for him as he did not have enough people to make his plan work!

In conclusion, this reunion show did not do the season justice. It wasn't my favorite season despite the fact that I am ultimately satisfied with the winner and was entertained for the most part, although I would gladly do without the Phillip and Shamar antics, as well as all the drama with Brandon early on. But the strategy and gameplay at the latter part helped to save what would have been a disappointing season. I hope this only applies to this season's reunion show because it would be an insult for CBS to exclude the people who were out before the merge like they did this time out.

I'm sure most of you have an inkling as to what the next edition of Survivor is going to be, so I thought that teaser was pretty lame. What do you think of the concept for next season? As for me, it's something I'm not too excited about as with the Redemption Island concept, but this one might be worse. Share your thoughts below.

Survivor Caramoan Finale Preview

Following the blindside of Brenda Lowe at the previous episode of the ongoing Survivor Caramoan season, the Final 5 head into the finale wherein viewers will be treated to over 2 hours of show followed by the reunion show. A part of me is glad that we can finally crown a winner to what has been an unpredictable and emotional roller coaster ride of a season, which holds true for fans as it did for the castaways who competed.  There has been a lot of drama, memorable moments, crazy moves, blindsides, and so much more!

But it comes down to the Final 5: Eddie, Erik, Sherri, Dawn, and Cochran. It's safe to say that these are the 5 that most people wouldn't have predicted to make it this far.

image: blog.zap2it.com

Eddie, for instance, was on the outs since Day 1. He fell on the wrong side of the numbers going in as their Cool Kids alliance was picked off one by one. Somehow, he managed to survive along with his buddy, Reynold. But he is the lone amigo standing and he continues to evade having his torch snuffed. For how long? We've yet to find out.

Like Eddie, Erik also fell on the wrong side of the numbers after the first tribal council wherein he voted against Phillip. Erik eventually found his way back into the majority alliance and even earned a name under the Stealth R' Us crew. But his under-the-radar game has posed him as non-threat status and is slowly slipping into the finals again.

Sherri is the other fan who had managed to drizzle their way into the majority alliance post-merge. She was out on the loop for a while since Shamar got voted off. Then, she got a new lease in life at the game after Phillip brought her into the Stealth R' Us alliance to the point that she earned the nickname Tenacity. But can she hang on longer to make it to the finals?

Dawn is the emotional wreck this season. We've seen her breakdown at her previous season and things are no different this season. In fact, she probably holds the record for most breakdowns in one season... ever! But you can't deny that Dawn came into Survivor Caramoan with a different plan. She played hard and big! Case in point: taking out Brenda last episode because she was the biggest threat this deep into the game. Will that be enough to make her way into the finals and win?

Cochran has shown the biggest improvement out of all the returning castaways this season. He was a self-deprecating, non-athletic, and socially awkward player who is a self-confessed Survivor nerd during his first season. Remember the guy who asked Jeff to call him Cochran, his surname, instead of his actual name, John? Seems like he's lived up to it because he certainly didn't last time. In this season, Cochran has even dubbed himself a challenge beast after winning two immunity challenges! Heck, not even Malcolm can get one this season!

Of the final five, who do you think has the best chance to win? Be sure to comment your answers below and let's discuss!

Survivor Caramoan Episode 13: "Likability is a Liability"

Episode 13 was the turning point in the game because the next step is going to be the grand finale. And what better way to segue into the Final 5 than with a cruel blindside, right? I can't say we've had more tears in one episode for years, even beating Lisa's breakdown last season and her family visit! This episode is also much talked about in the social media sphere with fans and castaways alike having mixed emotions about what just happened.

Voting out Brenda was, as Cochran dubbed it, a "smart move" because the easy one wasn't, in reference to the Eddie vote. This episode had an uncharacteristically huge airtime for Brenda, which hinted that something was up as she had basically zero (or limited) airtime and confessionals for majority of the season. But the remainder of her alliance (mainly the trio that voted her off) stand firm in their decision to blindside Brenda as being a strong strategic move because of Brenda's actions that might have earned her goodwill, not just among the players left in the game but also with the jurors. But before we delve deeper into that, let's go back to the start of this episode...

The family visit is always an exciting time in the game. It's Day 35. Aside from the starvation and the harsh elements, there is probably one other thing that is beating the player's down - missing their loved ones. Seeing familiar faces of fathers, mothers, husbands, and brothers is enough to bring your spirit back up. It did the same for Erik! He admitted to being at the end of his rope but seeing his brother's video gave him the rejuvenation he needed.

This season also set another historic moment with Jeff tearing up for the first time in 26 seasons! The father-daughter connection must've rigged into his heart, especially knowing that Jeff just recently had a daughter. He must've been really touched as I also felt the same witnessing Brenda talk to his father. Then, the rest of the loved ones came out and you can't deny, and I am speaking as a fan of the show for years, that this is one of the most anticipated moments too! Suddenly, you get to see these cunning people as humans, not as players that are cold-blooded and heartless. Seeing those emotions in Cochran's eyes were touching. My favorite moment was when Cochran and his mom came in last at the challenge and Jeff attempted to make a comment, but Cochran cut him off saying, "Don't say anything about my mom!". Ha!

Brenda ended up winning the reward with his dad and invited Dawn to enjoy the reward at a floating backyard BBQ party. However, the rapid swift of emotions in Survivor is no longer alien. Just as they were rejoicing at the opportunity to spend some time with their loved ones and get some food, a sickening twist came right before Brenda's face as there is another set of loved ones waiting to spend time with the castaways. But here's the cruel twist: she can choose to go to the reward and see her second loved one, along with Dawn's, or give it up so the remaining four can enjoy theirs. Brenda ended up giving her reward which ended in the other four castaways giving Brenda kisses and hugs, while Dawn was bewildered.

Brenda put on a brave face about it, even though her stomach wasn't agreeing with her, as she claimed. But Dawn was more upset about it. She was crying, slamming bamboos against the shelter, and crying some more... She didn't even show a slight hint of gratitude for Brenda to have picked her for the reward, even though they didn't get to enjoy it. Just to know that she picked you was something to be grateful for. And I felt like Brenda should've been more upset because she won it, not you, crybaby.

If that's not enough favor, Brenda felt the need to appease Dawn during the immunity challenge. The goal is to hold on to a rope behind your back as a pulley will lower you down at an angle to the water. The men go down first and it was pointed out more than once during the challenge that Eddie had to win or he'll be going home. When it was only Brenda and Dawn left, they attempted to strike a deal. But Brenda refused because she wanted to "challenge herself", cited Dawn. No deal was made but Brenda ended up jumping in before Dawn. That was a good ploy by Brenda in terms of trying to win back Dawn's favor. She wanted to give the immunity to Dawn but did not let her know that she intended to jump in because she wanted her to be happy and feel good about herself. Again, instead of feeling grateful for it, she returned to camp and started plotting her move to blindside Brenda.

"Likability is a liability."

Cochran cited how Brenda is the most liked person in the island right now after she allowed them to spend time with their loved ones. This puts Cochran into full gear as he discusses with Dawn and Sherri the possibility of getting rid of Brenda when she least expects it. At this point, if you were Brenda, probably the decision to jump off wasn't smart at all. It is just one of a series of decisions she made in this episode that are adding up to the reasons to vote her off. As she earlier claimed, winning in Survivor is always a double-edged sword but having personal immunity is something that you'd be too dumb to give up. It ended up being a million dollar challenge for her!

Cochran's strategic maneuvering is also to be commended here. Early in the episode, as Dawn and Brenda discuss the next possible threat to be voted off, she cited Cochran. I surely expected more of it to factor into the episode but it seemed to have been lost in the daze and confusion of the loved ones visit. It requires masterful manipulation for Cochran to divert any attention off of him while everything of that is dumped into Brenda, at least in this particular episode. I also give props to Cochran for how he presented the Brenda vote to them as an option rather than a desperate move behind his personal vendetta to get rid of an end-game threat.

Tribal council was rather short this episode. Eddie seemed to bid his farewell, citing that this could be his final rodeo. But when the votes were revealed and Brenda got the majority, she left them with a message that put all of the remaining castaways, even the jury, speechless. As Jeff snuffed her torch, she went back a last time and tell them how much she was hurting for the blindside.

The human relationships and the bonds they formed complicate the game and what makes Survivor interesting all these years. Seeing Brenda break down like that is a testament to how real the emotions are involved here. I've been reading a lot of tweets from fans and former castaways about this episode and I've never heard fans been so vocal in the past. If anything, I think that Dawn lost a lot of favor from the jury, just as she did with the fans.

What did you think of the blindside? Was it the right move to get rid of Brenda?

Survivor Caramoan Episode 12: The Beginning of the End

The title episode for this week's Survivor cannot be more fitting - we are approaching the conclusion of this season and this also signals the start of the destruction of the tight alliance of Stealth R' Us. For the most part, Andrea, Dawn, and Cochran had been in the steering wheel, especially after Phillip left the game. But with the final 3 dawning on them, we suspected that a shift in the game is going to take place soon.

The episode featured two tribal councils in one episode. The first half was rather predictable and went by fast! Reynold and Eddie congratulate themselves for staying and while they were saddened by the fact that Malcolm was gone (meaning, their plan on turning the game around didn't pull through), the fact that they're still IN the game means they're still in the running. Reynold also points out something that is important - they are two guaranteed votes for anyone in the majority alliance looking to make a big move. However, Reynold's fate in the game has been clearly out in the open - he needs to wear the immunity necklace after the first immunity challenge or he's a goner.

And speaking of the first immunity challenge, it was a variation of the final immunity challenge on Pearl Islands wherein castaways had to balance themselves in a floating platform. Wind and wave both played a critical factor in the success of this challenge. I knew right there and then that the women had a better shot at winning this (smaller feet and women are generally better at balancing than men). But in hindsight, I wanted Reynold to win in order to shake things up. And c'mon, you have to feel bad for the guy. Since Day 1, nothing had worked out for him in this game!

But Eddie, the other less cerebral component of the Three Amigos alliance, wasn't feeling concerned at all. He jumped off the platform at the first chance Jeff offered them food. Erik jumped in, too, for a donut. But we know that Erik isn't in trouble until this next vote. So, why the hell Eddie jumped, I have no idea! The girls from the majority alliance egged him on with Dawn saying, "Go for it Eddie!".

Reynold, on the other hand, had two great saves just when I thought he was about to go down the water. But he kept fighting until he lost his balance and off to the water he went! Sherri had no shame at rejoicing at all when Reynold dove into the water. Andrea and Brenda ended up slugging it out for the immunity necklace. Attempt at negotiation was there, but no one would give in. Andrea even told Brenda, "You know you're safe". But apparently, there was no trust in there, no matter how tight their alliance seemed because they were willing to stay there for up to 3 hours! Jeff was so ecstatic that the girls ended up making their own rules, just for the sake of novelty, as they both decided to lift up one of their legs just to make the challenge harder as none of them would be willing to jump in. Ironically, Brenda lost despite choosing which leg to lift up. Andrea ended up having immunity for the first time. But the bigger picture dictates that it shows exactly how competitive these two girls are and it was only a matter of time until they're threatened by each other.

The producers tried their darnest (or not) to make the following sequences seem more strategic and dramatic than it actually is. But we all know that the smartest move for them is to get rid of Reynold. Even though he was a useful vote for anyone who is planning to stage an uprising, he's still a threat to go to the end and make a case for the win. So, Reynold becomes the fourth member of the jury leaving Eddie on his own. Will he be able to survive the next vote? Or are things going to shake up soon as per the titular foreshadowing?

But before that, Andrea shared the hidden immunity idol clue she won during the previous immunity challenge with the rest of her alliance. They dug for the clue together, only for Erik to find it. But just as quickly as he found that idol, he also handed it over to Andrea. Cochran, once again, voiced out my sentiments. Apparently, he has a thing for the idol that he ends up giving them away.. to a woman. Andrea quickly grabbed possession of the idol, which makes the plot to get rid of their biggest threat seemingly impossible. Andrea's aggressive gameplay hasn't escaped the observant eyes of his alliance mates but Cochran noted how timing is critical in every move in Survivor, which is why he will try to be as patient as he can be before making the so-called big move.

The second immunity challenge for this episode is a combination of basic Survivor challenge elements: moving a buoy through a series of ropes, untying knots, building a staircase puzzle, and raising a flag. Competition was tight but Erik, Andrea, and Brenda pulled ahead of the rest, with Erik solving his puzzle first and winning immunity for the first time.

Just as I was thinking the same, Jeff asked him about the idea of giving away his immunity necklace again (as if to forewarn him not to!). Erik quipped, "I'm too scared to do that this time." Still not the smartest answer as it indicated that he'd give away immunity if he felt safe. I seriously think that Erik has learned a lesson from last time. However, I don't totally count him out from making the same blunder again... whether or not by giving away his immunity, but I'm still not sure if he's totally grasped how you should play this game. Funny thing is, we hear him talk about being in control of the votes for the past few votes now. Just to clear it up, you're being TOLD who to vote for and you just pick which side to go to. That is NOT taking control of the vote (especially if you had to resort to pointing names in a flag!).

As soon as they're back to camp, Andrea goes to work. She worked on blindsiding Brenda because her previous performance in the challenges reveal she's a big threat for her competitiveness, plus she hasn't screwed anyone over (unlike her, or most of them, obviously). I felt a bit of haste in Andrea's move that she ended up confiding to the wrong person about her plans - Cochran. One of the biggest strategists this season, Cochran quickly caught on to Andrea's plan. He felt that if she should start targeting people she felt threatened by, it's only a matter of time until the bullet is pointed at him.

When the rest of their alliance caught wind of the plan to get rid of Brenda, they concoct a sub-plan to blindside Andrea. They are walking on egg shells, though, because she has the hidden immunity idol in her pocket. Thus, they worked on keeping the plan on the down low, reeling in both Sherri and Erik to split the votes between Andrea and Eddie, just in case she would play the idol. Once again, Erik had this soliloquy about being the swing vote and taking control over which side has the power on the coming days.

Tribal council was a wreck. With the finals looming, everyone had their sights on making it to the Final 3. Hence, Jeff brought up the possibility of castaways already thinking about who they can beat at the end, instead of sticking with their original alliance. Cochran openly stated making Final 3 promises to basically everyone, to which everybody else agreed on, including Andrea. But she also reiterated the fact that she had found the hidden immunity idol during tribal council, which is a nice ploy by the editing team. Andrea hinted that she will play the idol if she ever feels paranoid. Lots of nervous stares from the other people in her alliance while I can't read Erik's reaction. Cochran earlier noted that he was feeling nervous about putting the success of this plan on Erik's hand because he hasn't proven to be very good at the strategic side to this game. Nonetheless, Andrea ended up not playing the idol and we saw Dawn take a very deep breath as Jeff paused and the dramatic music cues us up for the reading of the votes. But after a few nerve-wracking seconds and Andrea did not play her idol, we see a smile register on both Andrea and Cochran's faces. Then, the reading of the votes came and Andrea looked confused when two Eddie votes came up and then her second vote came in... She dejected, "What????" to her alliance mates. She eventually became the first female jury member and fifth overall.

Aggressive play does have its price but you can't play too aggressively, or else your alliance mates will think you will be gunning for them next. I can't fault Andrea for trying to play big and playing to win in the end. Let's face it, sitting next to either Cochran, Dawn, or Brenda in the finals isn't going to be an easy win. Tagging Eddie along is a good plan but if you get too close to the enemies, your allies will be suspicious of your intent. And with that, Andrea also earns the distinction of being the first female to be voted off Survivor with a hidden immunity idol in their pocket.

Who do you think is the threat to win at this point? Be sure to comment below or vote on the poll.

Survivor Caramoan Episode 11: Thoughts on Why Malcolm Lost

A crazily hectic schedule and a crushed infatuated heart combined as to putting major delay in this post. It's no secret that I am a big Malcolm fan and that he is my no. 1 favorite this season (pun intended). Thus, it took me nearly a week after his torch was snuffed to finally make sense of what happened. But don't expect me to stoically discuss through this episode without feeling a slight tinge over the fact that he lost a second time when he fought valiantly particularly noting the big idol play last week.

Another reason why I did not want to skip this recap, albeit late, is the fact that Survivor hit it's highest viewer rating ever! It's the closest the viewing rating has gotten to American Idol, which speaks a lot to the longevity of the season and how its fan base has remained solid throughout the years. But with a sweet victory comes bittersweet memories as the majority alliance at the Enil Edam tribe, plus Sherri, finally voted off the game's biggest threat - Malcolm.

The episode started off with the remainder of Phillip's Stealth R' Us alliance making sense of what just happened at tribal. Most of them were giving congratulatory speeches to their nemesis, which I thought was kinda awkward. But Malcolm does this little speech about convincing one or two people to "come over to the dark side", so to speak because he believes he needed to escape one or two votes in order to regain control of this game.

Then comes the classic Survivor auction! This is usually a fun segment in the game wherein the castaways get to unwind and enjoy some food without competing for it in a challenge. But I have to note that there were a few misjudgments along the way. First off, I got quite the scare when Malcolm bid on the beer and nuts at the first chance Jeff revealed the item! Just when he delivered this confessional about keeping his money, even when he might be tempted for some food, in order to get an advantage or information. Thankfully, the other castaways, namely Andrea and Brenda (who had all their $500 at that point) weren't smart enough to outbid him at $480 for the immunity idol clue.

Dawn and Sherri both bid all of their money on food items, then wept annoyingly when they found out that all they needed was $20 in order to get letters from home. Seriously?! 26 seasons in and you still could not have seen that coming! At least for once, though, we get to see a valid reason for Dawn's tears. Ugh.

When Malcolm used up all his money on the idol clue, to which Jeff tried so hard to make it sound enigmatic by claiming "information in the game", it was Cochran who won the bid for the immunity challenge advantage. And he did not even have to spend his full $500 for it! What was Eddie doing? He was clearly on the minority and it did not even cross his mind to outbid Cochran for the advantage! During Malcolm's exit interview, he clearly pointed out how difficult it was to talk strategy with people, er allies, who don't know how to play the game (more insight on this later). But he jokingly said during his interview with Rob Cesternino on his podcast, "with allies like these, who needs enemies?". Well said!

To make a long story short, Cochran ended up winning the immunity, thanks to the advantage he bought at the auction. He used it during the early stage of the competition, which I believe was smart because he ended up not having to exert much effort, especially since he knows he is going up against a lot of brawny men in the likes of Malcolm, Eddie, and Reynold, that could potentially beat him even with the advantage. But producers managed to kill the suspense yet again by showing a confessional of Eddie pre-immunity challenge. He said that he'd have no trouble beating Cochran in any challenge, especially a physical one! But to everyone's surprise, or not, the self-proclaimed challenge beast has done it again. He beat out 8 others to get his second individual immunity win.

The standoff continues between the three amigos and the remaining six from Stealth R' Us. It started with Malcolm digging for the hidden immunity idol, which ironically he had the most difficult time finding even with a clue whereas the previous two he found without a single clue. To make matters worse, Andrea tried to stave off any attempt for Malcolm to dig and look for the idol. Many fans claim this was a fatal flaw in Malcolm's game but I was also partly torn as I felt he did not want to give away the exact location of the idol based on the clue he read, particularly since Andrea has caught up to the possibility that it could be somewhere near the well.

Malcolm came up with a back-up plan to bluff about having the idol. They were courting Sherri and Erik to jumpshift, although I was slightly put off by Reynold's approach while trying to bring Sherri into the fold. He told her, "worst case scenario is you got fourth or fifth". What an arrogant way to put it! And for someone who is trying to get to the finals, I don't think that would be the magic words to use to bring them over to your side. Thus, Malcolm was smart enough to tell Reynold and Eddie that they work on Erik while he talk to Sherri. Going back to what I said earlier, these two seem to bring nothing to their game. It was all Malcolm's work! Sherri sounded convinced but I was also a bit skeptical if she's totally in with the plan, especially since she already backstabbed Malcolm a few episodes ago! But what can Malcolm do? She's his only chance at making it at least past this one vote.

Erik, on the other hand, was being brought up by the remaining favorites as the most likely to switch. Cochran pointed out his vote for Phillip during last tribal and Andrea raised his previous season, which might make him skeptical about working with women.

During tribal council, however, it was clear that the two they were banking on (Erik and Sherri) were never really with them. Hence, it was a guessing game at that point as to whether or not Malcolm had in fact found the idol. When the votes were cast and Malcolm didn't play the idol, the remaining favorites gave out a relieved grin. Cochran, in his voting confessional, was relishing the possibility of voting out Malcolm. When they split the votes between Malcolm and Reynold, I knew at that point that Malcolm was done. I could not paint Reynold's face at this point - he was screwed many times over, it has proven to be a tough stretch for him!

During the re-vote, the vote unanimously went Malcolm's way. Even Eddie voted for his amigo. For the sake of those who are left in the game, it was the smartest move to make. With the previous tribal council idol fiasco that was spearheaded by Malcolm and him putting all of his money on the idol clue, he exposed himself as the savvier player than Reynold (and Eddie, duh). If they let him stay after this vote, who knew what he could've done! Plus, it'll only give him the opportunity to continue his dig for the idol. And they can't take that chance, especially if they wanted to keep the numbers and improve their chances at making the finals. But it's going to be a tight race - those 6 are going to turn on each other soon! Not sure if neither Reynold nor Eddie has the gusto to break up that clique, so taking out Malcolm was their best bet.


With the remaining players, here's a quick power ranking:

8. Eddie - Need I explain? The only way I believe for Eddie to survive the next vote is if, and only if, Reynold does not win immunity because the latter will be targeted first by the majority alliance. We're also too deep into the game for flirting to work his way. Sorry bud.

7. Reynold - Only because he is savvier than Eddie. Plus, he is also more competitive in challenges and is more likely to wear that immunity necklace again to save him another round.

6. Andrea - Even though Phillip took on the role of the leader to the Stealth R' Us alliance, Andrea was the secret ring leader. She also played an aggressive game from Day 1. But she's been targeted by her own alliance in the past, with Dawn wanting to vote her off because she felt like she was being too close with Reynold, Eddie and Malcolm. Unless she can win an immunity necklace soon, she might be next in the assembly line.

5. Erik - It's tough to rank Erik because we haven't heard about his strategy and what he plans on doing when it came down to just the six that makes up the majority alliance. His name has been brought up and the majority alliance might get suspicious of him, depending on how the tides turn in the next episode. But if he can prove them that he's worth their trust, he could be a key part of this alliance. The one thing that might work against his game, though, is that he might be perceived as a challenge treat. The majority might vote him off as soon as he doesn't win immunity.

4. Dawn - The crybaby. The only thing that's keeping her in this game is the fact that she has worked with Cochran in making strategic decision and they're part of the majority alliance. To be fair, she has played a better and more strategic game than last time. But she's like a ticking time bomb that's waiting to explode.

3. Sherri - I place her a bit higher in the ranking because she won't be perceived as a threat in the finals. She will be one of those that other castaways will be tagging along to get an easy pass for the mill. Plus, I also see Sherri being smart enough to exploit that. And since she's proven to be good at ass-kissing, she's in a good spot right now.

2. Brenda - If there is one thing I can use to describe Brenda's game, it would be patient. We know she's a power player in her previous season. But since being on the wrong side of the numbers, she's done an excellent job of playing under the radar. She also is likable enough for people to want to have her stick around. But while being invisible meant that she wasn't going home, it also indicated that she won't win as the editing did not build up her strategic game that would merit a win.

1. Cochran - At this stage in the game, I don't think anyone could beat Cochran in any Final 3 scenario. He has played a great strategic game wherein he pulled the strings together while making it seem that others were taking control. Also, he was sociable and lovable enough to be liked by his fellow tribemates. He also surprised many, including himself, at how well he's done with the challenges, managing to win a couple to date.

How would you rate this episode? 

Survivor Caramoan Episode 8: It's Blindside Time!

THIS is what fans came to watch Survivor for! I can't believe it took us 8 episodes to finally get down to the nitty-gritty of strategy, plotting, scheming, and blindsides. With 8 favorites and 4 fans heading into the merge, it's not all one happy bunch - and with a majority alliance consisting of two strong personalities in Corinne and Phillip, you know something's gotta give. And soon.

Tonight's episode of Survivor more than makes up for the boring, uneventful, and predictable episode last week that sent Julia packing. No matter how hard the producers tried, they couldn't have done any more tweaking to make that episode more interesting than it turned out to be. But little do I know that it was the proverbial calm before the storm. And boy do we have a mighty storm on our hands this week!

As many fans predicted, I also sensed that a favorite was going home tonight. But who? It was unclear until Corinne's confessional mentioning this week's title episode that I cringed a little. More on that later...

Within the first few minutes of the episode, we see a clearly relieved Michael thanking the favorites at Bikal for deciding to keep him. Then, Phillip quickly pulled the two girls aside to confess about his decision to throw the immunity challenge. Like most of us, they didn't buy it. When they probed, he told them that he decided to do it during the challenge itself. Corinne laughed it off and dubbed it "the biggest joke of the year" because it was clearly not lost on purpose and Phillip's ego just could not handle the fact that he failed at the challenge.

Moving on, another breakdown - featuring none other than Dawn. She walks to the well by herself and reflects on her time in the game now and that of her previous season. She reaffirmed the importance of making decisions for herself because those are people that end up winning the game. According to Dawn, you cannot let the game come to you. She should know better - her fate in South Pacific game turned on its head when Cochran betrayed their alliance. Dawn is clearly feeling a tinge of that.

Merge Time



Over at Gota, excitement filled up the camp when they saw this large boat heading to their island. Of course, with such an unlikely visit, everyone is anticipating a merge. When they read the note and it clearly indicated a merge, everyone went rejoicing but at the same time started thinking about strategy and numbers game in the back of their minds. Bikal welcomed the former Gota members to their camp and everyone was in temporary elation as they shared the feast! And as quickly as they consumed the food on the crate, they also went into game mode in a snap!

Malcolm had this ridiculous idea for the tribe name - Enil Edam - which according to him was his mother's name in reverse. Malcolm burst out laughing telling this story while Corinne is beyond herself as to how ridiculous the tribe name is. My only qualm is... why did everyone go with it? I kinda feel like Dangrayne sounds way cooler now. Sorry Malcolm, I'm with Corinne on this one. That officially takes the crown for the WORST tribe name in Survivor history! I'm sure your mom is a sweet lady but allow me to repeat - the WORST merged tribe name EVER! Okay, that feels better.

Phillip quickly pulled Andrea aside to re-confirm their alliance. Andrea was up for it and they even talked as far as Final 4 with Cochran and Dawn into the mix. Meanwhile, in another part of the island, Corinne is thrilled to be with Malcolm and vented about her frustrations with Phillip. They quickly concocted the plan to shift things up by working with Eddie and Reynold to vote off Phillip. But they agree to target Sherri first because she appears to be an easy vote until they can take down the Special Agent next. Malcolm has been itching to take over as he is clearly not happy with just playing along.

Immunity Challenge

It's immunity challenge time! And we have a gross food challenge again... quite excited for this as we haven't had one in a long while. As Cochran read the treemail to the entire tribe, there was a mixed reaction of excitement, fear, and agitation as most are surely not excited to be eating anything gross. What's more interesting, though, are the reactions that came after. Reynold admits to eating gross stuff as his weak link, while Eddie can only worry about what girls would think after eating something funky. Meanwhile, Cochran took on a comical approach at it saying this might be what he needed for his love life. That guy. Lovably hilarious.

The immunity challenge went through four different stages of elimination until there were two - Malcolm and Cochran. Even Jeff couldn't hide his surprise that Cochran was up at the finals with a shot for individual immunity, calling this match up as David vs Goliath. He ended up beating Malcolm at swallowing pig brain and got his first ever immunity challenge win. Cochran had his momentary high and relished the moment of victory. In his confessional, he admitted there was no regard for sportsmanship at that point, but no one really bothered. Everyone seemed to be in congratulatory mood but then he was quick to revert back to his self-deprecating comments claiming that he enjoyed the moment as it may never happen again.

Chaos at Camp

Corinne and Malcolm tried to play their efforts to flip things in the down low - they worked on bringing together their respective sub-alliances to form a majority. However, when Corinne proposed the idea to get rid of Sherri before Phillip, he was not on board as he feels like they should split the vote between Eddie and Reynold to flush an idol. And that is when things became really shaky. Corinne went back to Eddie and Reynold about them having enough numbers to flip and turn things in their favor.

However, Corinne makes the mistake of talking to Dawn about her plan to blindside Phillip because she goes on to tell everybody else in their alliance about the supposed plan. And now, they are suspicious of Corinne! Andrea is in on the plan to vote off Corinne because even before the tribal shuffle, she already felt threatened. Also, if they wanted to get rid of Phillip, then she is next on the line. They brought in Brenda, Sherri, and Erik into the plan.. but we also see Malcolm talking to Erik. Which side will he go with? Cochran quips, right before heading to tribal council, that leaving the fate of their plan to Erik is a scary thought given how (in Cochran's words) he has proven before that he is incapable of playing this game and playing it well. Ouch.

Tribal council was straightforward and at times indicatory as to how the vote will go and that of the succeeding votes. I suspected that at some point, Corinne's mouth is going to come back to haunt her. She exposed herself by claiming that she was willing to listen to those who would approach her. And Erik gets to speak for the first time tonight, although we got nothing more insightful from him except for a safe answer. Reynold, on the other hand, sounds psyched and enthusiastic about where things are going for him. He, too, hinted that there are going to be a few shocks in the coming votes - not tonight, but in the coming votes. Apparently, he was referring to the Sherri vote for tonight and then Phillip next. But the question there is, if the people with whom they thought was with them are going to stick to their votes tonight.

But Sherri, Brenda, and Erik ended up voting with Phillip and co. Corinne could not believe what she's hearing as Jeff read her name out loud as one parchment paper was revealed after another. Soon enough, she outnumbered Sherri's four votes that Jeff had read first. Predictable. Somehow, I knew that Sherri wouldn't be voted off tonight because she was practically invisible this episode.

Malcolm's jaw nearly dropped to the ground. Reynold was in total disbelief and felt like deja vu of the first few days at the old Fans tribe - just when he thinks he had the numbers on his side, he got a big punch to the face instead. The only thing more surprising than Corinne getting blindsided is the fact that she's not on the jury.

The moral of this episode (and note to future players): be careful who you spill your plans to. If you should talk, know how much to say and how to say it. Complicated, I know. But Corinne mismanaged the whole thing. Probably out of her excitement at how she would be in a good spot should the plan work out. But getting there is still a lot of work. 

What did you think of this episode? Do you think Corinne deserved to go? Sound off below in the comments section.

Survivor Caramoan Episode 6: Operation Thunder Dome

After all of the fireworks involved with Brandon's meltdown last week, I feared it will cast a dark shadow over Bikal (the Favorites tribe) and rattle the remaining castaways until the Fans would sneak up behind them to stage a huge comeback. But that is thinking too far ahead, though. The Favorites return to camp and discuss the aftermath of Brandon's tirade. Surprisingly, they appear to have a positive outlook. Even Dawn said it out loud that at least it was a "unified vote". It seemed to only further cement the strong tribe that they already are and not let the remaining six over at the Fans' tribe use this as an opportunity to shift the momentum.

Only a few minutes into the episode, Corinne was ranting about how Brandon singled her out, and Phillip, throughout his tirade. While attempting to wrap her head around the hate that Brandon has towards her, she complained that Dawn did not even said a word to defend her and Phillip in front of all the Fans. I'm still trying to guess, too, how it became Dawn's responsibility to defend her. For now, though, they swore to keep the tribal unity and kick the other tribe until they are down and out.

Meanwhile, the mood at the Fans' camp was sullen. Matt read the treemail indicating that they are heading over to the next reward challenge with a promise of a feast. But as it turns out, the feast did not happen as the tribes were switched instead. Everyone had to dig into a bag of egg at random and they will be assigned to the tribe as per represented by the color of egg they had. The result of the tribal mix-up seemed very odd, though. It was lopsided, to say the least, with Eddie, Reynold, Malcolm, Erik, Andrea, Brenda, and Sherri over at the new Gota tribe. Meanwhile, Matt, Mike, and Julia joined the remainder of the former Favorites tribe. Even Brenda agreed that they do have the advantage.

Before sending them off, Jeff also told the tribes that their bag of rice will be replenished and their flints are going to be replaced. A few years ago, this wasn't even going to happen. If you can recall way back in the season of Australian Outback when the Baramundi tribe had already exhausted their supply of rice. In exchange for a few bags of rice, Jeff had to ask for a trade and they ended up giving away their shelter. Thus, I find it hard to believe that they would just hand out rice that way - maybe they could've put it up as reward for the challenge? Or was it maybe because of the rice-dumping incident last week that tucked into the hearts of the producers and made them decide to hand out rice that easily? Somewhere, Brandon's smile must've been wiped off his face.

Typical Eddie goes on his rant, once again, about how they have the young, good looking people on their tribe. When will he stop? Nonetheless, the "bold and beautiful" tribe (according to Cochran) claimed they can't lose a challenge because they have the strong and athletic tribemates at Gota. Reynold could not have been more excited about the tribal shuffle. He was earlier seen giving a confessional asking for the game to shift because nothing is shifting in his old Gota camp. Wish granted right there. This feels like Day 1 for him and Eddie and they could not have waited longer to throw Sherri under the bus. Malcolm and Erik are in heaven about the idea that the former Fans' tribe members were spilling the beans to them without them even trying. Same goes for Sherri at the beach. She basically sold Reynold to the Favorites and even told them about playing his idol.

Malcolm, on the other hand, does a magnificent job of keeping his idol on the down low. Andrea told him about her dream that he had the idol, to which he vehemently denied. But he does it so casually that no one would've even suspected him of lying because he proudly claimed he is an "accomplished liar when it comes to women". What a charmer! They went on to map out their plan to split the votes in order to flush an idol, if either of the former Gota tribe members had it.

The immunity challenge was another classic - we've had several re-hash of the previous challenges this season. Thankfully, the puzzle element is finally back! Judging by the dynamics of this challenge, it was clear to see that Gota had a huge advantage as the crates were huge and heavy so it required brawns to tackle the first leg of the challenge. Gota did not mess around with Eddie and Erik setting a huge lead for the team, whereas Julia and Phillip struggled right off the bat. With each leg, Gota increased their lead and Malcolm's leadership at the puzzle portion proved to be the nail in the coffin. A clear breakdown in communication further ruined Bikal's slight chance of catching up.

Always the one quick to jump into the center of the conversation, Phillip gave some pep talk to the tribe upon return from the immunity challenge. But it wasn't long until they break up into groups trying to decide how they are going to approach this coming vote at the tribal council. Phillip approached both Matt and Mike wherein he told them about his Stealth 'R Us crew. He just wouldn't let up, would he? Matt basically voiced out my thoughts after Phillip briefed him of his mission, which (according to Phillip) also serves as his "test" if he is worthy enough to be inducted into the Stealth 'R Us alliance. He had a hard time keeping a straight face as I did containing my laughter listening to Phillip's antics. This guy is pure gold. Crazy, but pure gold.

For the first time in a long time, I am completely clueless about who is going home tonight. The editing needs a pat in the back for setting us up for a surprise. But Cochran earns a nod tonight for a smart strategic move in pointing out that the power duo of Mike and Matt need to be broken up. On the flip side, I thought that it would be Julia because this is the most amount of confessional and speaking lines she's had to date. The Favorites were also conflicted about which way to send the votes as they fear an idol might come into play. Again, Cochran was spot-on with his observation as he noted that Matt can't have the idol because he "reeks of desperation". Thus, I believe that Cochran had a huge hand in how the voting went down tonight. When I saw that Matt and Mike's vote for Julia were the only ones shown (along with Julia's vote for Dawn), I knew that something is definitely up. As Jeff read the first vote on Matt, it was clear right there and then that his torch was so close to getting snuffed.

This was a total blindside, not just for Matt, but for me as well. Kudos to the editors for playing us along!

Did you think this was a smart move for the new Bikal, especially since they are already at a disadvantage when it comes to challenge strength? Be sure to share your comments so we can discuss.

Disclaimer: Photos credit to CBS

Survivor Caramoan Episode 5: Persona Non Grata

Last week was personally devastating for me because I've lost one bet off of my favorites list. Laura has been one of my favorites on the Fans tribe but the game moves on, albeit without her, and because Jeff Probst hyped this episode shamelessly on Twitter and anywhere else online, I knew I had to tune in. And boy was it as crazy and momentous as Jeff claimed it would be!

I knew when casting was revealed that Brandon is going to bring in drama with him in one form or another. But I never expected it to be this chaotic. Given what he did, I just gained a whole new level of respect for how Russell played this game. Brandon's is just characterized by delirium and bipolarity. Clearly, there is some internal conflict brewing in there.. but more on that later.

During the first part of the episode, we then get another shot of the Fans tribe as they head back to camp from Tribal Council. It was a completely different mood than last time. Eddie and Reynold were all about kissing the others' behind, saying that they are going to rampage the Favorites from here on out. Hey, I love the unity and all, but Reynold is here to play this game. I don't see him being all nice to the other fans who screwed him over one too many times. Hopefully, the decision to get rid of Laura would not turn out for naught.

Still on the Fans camp, the rest of the tribe went on a mad hunt for the idol after Reynold played it last time. And while everybody else were digging and looking into branches and trees, Reynold effortlessly found it in a tree branch. Seriously?! Are the producers getting too lazy and uncreative that idols are that easy to find without even a single clue?

Also, I am against the idea of re-playing an idol once it was used during tribal council. I would probably only agree to do that in the instance that the person with the idol got blindsided. But since he already used it, why put out another idol? I understand that it does add another layer of complexity into the game but you have to allow the game to take its natural course. With Reynold finding the idol, this will give him enough leverage coming into the next episode as there might be a tribal shuffle coming our way. That is, if he is wittier than the last time when it comes to managing the idol. But since Laura is gone, he doesn't have to worry about anybody else checking out his bulges anymore.

Reward Challenge: Nut Bucket

The reward challenge involved two members from each team hanging on to a rope that is tied to a basket. The other four team members competing in this challenge are tasked of shooting coconuts into the basket until it gets too heavy for either one of the two to hold on to. We've seen this challenge from the original Fans vs Favorites and it had an exciting finish, although this one is slightly different because whereas the original Fans vs Favorites had four people hold on to one rope, this time around each tribe member has their designated baskets to carry.

It was a close fight, once again, with Brandon letting go of the rope first. However, all of the Favorites designated to shoot the coconuts had an equally good performance amongst themselves. Thus, it wasn't long after Brandon let go that Matt followed, too. Sherri was horrible at shooting the coconuts and was easily distracted by Phillip's antics. Nonetheless, Phillip was again the hero for the Favorites as he outlasted Mike.

Sherri was fuming mad about how the reward challenge turned out. She contemplates on whether voting off Laura was indeed the right move for them because they did not pull through with the reward even when they decided to keep the muscles.

The Big Meltdown

The preview following last week's episode promised a historic moment, not just for the season but for the game in general. We all should've seen the Brandon Hantz meltdown coming. But nobody would've been able to predict its magnitude. The first half of the episode set up the instability of Brandon's character, something of which is no secret to those that had been watching this season and that of his previous season. He went on this grand stand about possibly volunteering to exit should they go to their next tribal council after feeling remorse towards the idea of leaving his family behind. Sure, I buy that he truly cares for his family, but as Malcolm points out, that is something he should've given more forethought into before agreeing to return and play this game.

The morning after, in typical Brandon Hantz style, he snapped out of it and realized that he will want to continue playing the game because he's doing it for his family. Weh. There's a lot of foreshadowing going on here. First, he confesses about planning to burn down the camp and peeing in the rice, to which Corinne responded (via confessional) that if he had these thoughts, then she wants him out of the camp immediately because there is no telling what he'd do next. Plus, it is only a matter of time when something does happen!

The feud between Brandon and Phillip has always been there since the start. It started off when Brandon fell on the wrong side of the numbers that led to Francesca's ouster and him being outdone by the Stealth 'R Us that Phillip had started at the Favorites' camp during the first week. Then, Phillip told him that he is still at mid level management and not officially part of the Stealth 'R Us alliance just yet. Just when things were cool between them (Phillip even named him "The Conqueror") and Brandon initiated the apology, he catches word about Phillip's plan to throw the immunity challenge just so they can get rid of him. And from there, it basically was a domino effect. And when you have someone who is as unstable, unpredictable, and has "demons" (as Andrea would claim here), they're bound to snap eventually. Which is exactly what happened to Brandon!

To be fair, Brandon raised some valid points during his argument with Phillip. It was true that Phillip's Stealth 'R Us alliance is not just childish, but delusional to some extent. None of his tribemates liked their name but they just played along with it. Also, it was true that he made it to the finale during the Redemption Island season because Boston Rob carried him there, not out of his own merit or doing. But still, the ends does not always justify the means.

The Favorites forfeited the immunity challenge so that the Fans can get a free pass and they can get rid of the team's poison - Brandon. The tirade was as intense as we've seen on Survivor. I think Jeff Probst did a marvelous job of keeping things in order because Brandon was so close to getting physical (even he admitted it). Dawn probably said it best that "Brandon wasn't best for the tribe".


Brandon's meltdown this episode should be a lesson for the show's producers - he never should've been invited back to play the game. EVER. He was clearly unstable, mentally speaking. He is no Russell Hantz. He did not even exhibit the makings of a good player, to begin with, for him to merit an invite for another shot, except for the fact that he is a Hantz. The odd thing about this whole tirade is how Brandon repeatedly would claim that he wants to be the author of his own fate. Well, didn't do a good job there, buddy. If dumping rice and beans in a game of Survivor isn't stupid enough, he dug his own grave by claiming that he voted himself off the first time by giving away his immunity necklace as if it were a badge of honor.

With Brandon gone, the other Favorites can heave a sigh of relief knowing that there won't be anyone to sabotage them anymore. But the real question is: will this break their momentum or can this fuel them to fight even harder?

Survivor Caramoan Episode 4: Kill or Be Killed

The latest episode of Survivor Caramoan: Fans vs Favorites 2 was everything it was made to be.. and then some. Unlike last episode, this one was unpredictable, had more exciting challenges, and the same amount of drama. Shall we get started?

Post-Tribal Council

For the second straight time, both Eddie and Reynold return from tribal council feeling shocked and betrayed. Eddie was more vocal about it and chose to confront Sherri about where the tribe plans to go from there. When the talk of strength came into the picture once again, he pointed to Laura saying, "why is she still sitting there?", as if she wasn't even there. He reverts back to his douche self saying that Hope was voted off because she was the "prettiest" out there and that they felt "threatened". I had to do a double take just to make sure he really said that. Then, the two pretty boys went on a speech about the team being crippled in challenges without them because they, obviously, are the two strongest! Mike retorted with what I believe is one of the best things he ever said in the game to date: "We are not winning even with you guys!" Gawd, I love Mike.

Stealth R' Us New Recruits

During the second episode, Phillip had solidified his alliance of Stealth R' Us by naming the members of his alliance: Malcolm the Enforcer, Andrea the Eliminator, Corinne the Dominatrix, Dawn the True Grit, and Cochran the Inteligencia Atache. And of course, he is the self-proclaimed the Specialist. But he has pulled Brandon in to that claiming that he honors how he has excelled in recent challenges. And with that, he welcomes Brandon into the Stealth R' Us alliance as The Conqueror. Then, he goes on to dub Erik as The Silent One and Brenda as Serenity. Andrea isn't too happy about how liberal Phillip is in terms of assigning the others names. But this has temporarily sealed the unity within the tribe. However, this does not flatter Brandon the least bit. In fact, he is laughing behind Phillip's back about what a sucky special agent he might be for not seeing through the fact that he is merely playing along.

Reward Challenge and Tata The Bushman

This is another reinvented Survivor challenge that played out really well. I think the reason that the producers decided to bring it back is because this one requires true teamwork. The fans and favorites were forced to work together in order to win the reward. More than anything, it highlighted what a weak player Laura is in challenges. She is marked with tentativeness, timidity, and can't even balance for her life's sake! On the opposite end, Brenda and Andrea are attacking this challenge like they're known for. They had no trouble manuevering the platform, giving the favorites a slight edge heading into the final stage of the challenge, which is to get all of the tribe members up on the final platform.

Shamar had a pretty dumb strategy going into the last leg of the reward challenge. He crouched on top of the platform asking the girls to "get on top" of him. Uhm, you have approximately 2x2m platform that all 8 tribe members need to get on top of, and then you take up the whole floor space? Wow! Smart thinking Shamar! That left the others with barely any spot to place their foothold on! And to make matters worse, he screamed like a mad man when Jeff proclaimed the winner. Apparently, he thought he was on the favorites tribe. And when he realized that the other team won, he characteristically said, "I didn't win?". Yes, you're the  only one who competed in this freaking challenge, Shamar!

Over at the Bikal camp, Tata the Bushman stole the show. He was as animated as can be - even Cochran pointed out that they not only received a great meal for a reward, but also a great show! The Filipino Gollum is how Malcolm described him, which is definitely quite fitting with how he spoke enigmatically with his Gollum-esque voice. Man, that was a great reward! As Corinne pointed out in her confessional, it was a good reward because it is something that they can use and benefit from down the road, rather than sitting down to a meal that will last for only a few hours.

The End of the Shamar Show

Shamar goes back to his old ways when they returned to camp from the reward challenge - lying around at the shelter. When we thought we've seen the toll of his annoyance factor, he declared that his tribe mates should serve him rice once a day so he wouldn't quit. This was met with glares and confused stares from the others who listened to him as he walked off the shelter. Poor fans. They couldn't believe what they just heard!

If that's not enough, he also complained of a bamboo or sand (or whatever!) getting into his eyes causing him to itch and rub it. The following day, Shamar's eyes got really sore and he claimed that he cannot even open it without feeling pain. This prompted Probst to bring in medical team to check on him. After initial examination, the doctors decided to pull him from the game so he could go and see a specialist. Even when Shamar was annoying me, I felt for him as he teared up while Jeff was asking him about the doctor's decision to get him out of the game. Reynold and Eddie might've been relieved to see him go out that way because that means one less worry for them in terms of the numbers. But these two had a lot of work to do before they can whizzle their way back in because at this point the numbers are still lopsided at 5 and 2.

Immunity Challenge

This week's immunity challenge is another Survivor classic. Love the fact that there are more water challenges nowadays than we had at the same point during Survivor: Philippines and even in recent seasons. This same challenge was also ran at the original Fans vs Favorites edition. Right off the bat, the Favorites took advantage as they had five really good swimmers perform at this leg of the challenge. Meanwhile, Sherri screwed up at the beginning when she did not release the key on her first jump. By the time the favorites got all of their keys, they are one leg ahead of the fans. Laura once again proved to be a liability in the challenge as she had trouble doing the easiest part of the challenge - undoing the locks. I love Laura but it is hard to hide her weakness in the competition with so much blunders.

Once again, the final leg involved some kind of tossing. Again, I won't stop my petition for a puzzle or a change-up at the final leg of these challenges. It is quickly getting redundant! Reynold was once again the Fans' go-to guy - he must be a throwing champion, or what? He quickly caught up to the lead that the Favorites established. But the Favorites ended up winning their third immunity challenge in a row with the fans getting beatdown as they had to vote one more person despite having already lost one due to a medical evacuation.

Loyalty vs Strength

With Laura's weakness in challenges exposed, her own alliance (mainly Matt and Mike) are now contemplating on turning against her. The Cool Kids alliance have trickled down to the last two - Eddie and Reynold. Ironically, these are the two strongest performers in the competition. Hence, it is hard for the tribe to vote them off knowing that they will be further crippled in the challenges given the way the Favorites are currently dominating them.

Mike made a very important point as he contemplate the vote. He was leaning more towards keeping Laura because he trusts her - she is part of their core alliance. Meanwhile, Reynold is way too dangerous and there is too much bad blood brewing between the two guys versus the rest of the tribe that it is hard to tell if they can be trusted to work with them in the future. Also, one must not dismiss the fact that he still has the hidden immunity idol so that is a very powerful tool that can work against them. It is a tricky dilemma that they are dealing with here. Even Sherri is not on board with the plan.

During tribal council, Laura made a strong case for herself. And this is why I love Laura - you can tell that she knows a lot about the game. She pointed out the possibility of a switch pre-merge and even though both Eddie and Reynold might help them out in the challenges, there is always a black cloud rising above these two guys in terms of their loyalty to the fans. Meanwhile, she guarantees that loyalty to her alliance and questions if the other two can make the same reassurance. Once again, Reynold and Eddie makes their only argument - keeping the strength to win challenges or else they are going to be back at tribal council anyway.

Before the votes were read, Reynold presented his hidden immunity idol to Jeff. Uh-oh. Pure paranoia there. Reynold ended up getting played because he did not need to use the idol as Laura's was the only vote for him. And there goes the alliance... as Mike had said. 

Strategically, the decision to get rid off Laura made little sense to me. She made a strong argument earlier that I think the rest should've paid more attention to. In a game that is clouded with uncertainty, a switch could happen right after the bend and these two are sure to flip sides if they had the chance (if they're smart). Laura is a sure vote for Sherri and co.'s alliance. But Matt strongly campaigned to keep the tribe strong and that meant sacrificing Laura. And that officially means I have one bet off of my list. Insert sobs here.

Next week...

Wow, I've never been so intrigued by the "Next time on Survivor" preview like I did for this episode. Brandon has officially gone mad! Completely out of control! Some fans had pointed out that we haven't seen much of the Favorites tribe in the last two episodes and this might be a case of getting what you asked for! I sure am not going to miss that as it goes down...

What are your thoughts on this episode? Feel free to discuss below.

All images credit to CBS.com