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« Survivor: Micronesia - Fans vs. Favorites
Episode Recap: Like a Wide-Eyed Kid in the Candy Store!
What is going on here? I’m crying watching Survivor. Last week we had Jonathan’s heartbreaking leave from the game and this week Kathy had me ready to bawl with her total breakdown. It was so sad to watch, but for the first time ever I think viewers got a true taste of what the Survivor experience is like. I know if I had to sleep in that cave with the rats and the bats and the creepy crawlies in order to avoid the hours-long downpour outside I would have found myself in much the same condition as Kathy. Poor thing.
It is well documented how Jeff feels about quitters on this show, but when he sat on that log next to Kathy and said that he just wanted to understand you realize again why he’s the best host on TV. Kathy replied, “I don’t want anybody to think that I’m quitting,” and I completely teared up. And so another player leaves the game without benefit of a vote or a torch snuffing. I’ll miss the wackiness that Kathy brought to the show and I hope that she’s reading this in a warm dry place.
Over at Malakal Ozzy’s dominance became a problem for his tribe though he somehow seemed unaware of this. Perhaps that is because he was basking in the glow of Erik’s admiration. Cirie described that relationship best by likening the pair to Mufasa and Simba from Disney’s The Lion King. Up at the top of a coconut tree the view was great for Ozzy. From a tiny boat in the middle of the ocean, or from Exile Island things looked very different to Cirie and Tracy, each of whom had been forced into a situation not to their liking by His Ozness. Even Amanda admitted to being turned off by Ozzy’s attitude. And yet with all of those bad feelings wafting around camp Ozzy did not even consider using his idol at tribal council. An interesting choice considering all the double-crossing that was going on.
I admit I couldn’t keep up. After the phenomenally fun-looking immunity challenge (which I’m not convinced Cirie and Amanda didn’t throw) Amanda, Cirie and Ami were going to vote out Erik. But Ami plotted with Tracy and Erik to vote out Ozzy all the while letting Ozzy believe that he, Ami, Cirie and Amanda were voting out Tracy. After all that Tracy got voted out 5-1. I was like, what? As Jeff said earlier, “I just want to understand.”
What is clear to me is that, on Malakal at least, the Favorites are picking off the Fans. I feel bad for the fans because I think they are suffering from the season’s concept. It is 19 days into the show and there are still fans that we barely know. Who is the girl with the eyebrows? Anybody know? Previews for next week hint at some airtime for the nameless faceless few who have yet to make an impression with viewers, but tick-tock, time is running out for viewers to get attached to these players enough to root for them in the end.
Speaking of…I can’t end this recap without mentioning one of the most head-scratching cultural nuggets I’ve ever seen on Survivor: the Micronesian Moneystone. Just how big are these people’s wallets?
Granite currency aside, the show is gearing up for its second half where team play is eschewed and it becomes all about individual immunity. Did Malakal miss its chance to eliminate the island’s biggest threat? Will Amanda turn on Ozzy or is she (still) all talk and no action? And is Kathy right when she says, “Never in a million years would I ever do this again!” If you were a Survivor alum would you go back for a second tour?
Find more Survivor: Micronesia – Fans vs. Favorites clips at our online video guide.
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Mar 19, 2008 11:06 PM
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Not surprised Kathy walked away this week. I feel for her because I remember the misery of only one night at the river in the pouring rain. The game of Survivor is still the toughest game in town to me. I imagine it is very hard to comprehend how tough it really is until you are there. I see no shame in 'no mas' when the fight is over.
I was thinking, for a bit, that Ozzy was a goner but I think Probst managed to reveal the reason he stayed. The abilities of Ozzy will help his team at the merge. Tracy's abilities would not have helped. Right now it appears to be Ozzy's tribe versus James' tribe. Taking out the true leader of either side before the the merge amounts to certain failure at the merge. Of course if James and Ozzy and their women pair back up at the merge the rest are toast.
I find it interesting that the cosmos are keeping the tribes equal. That balance of nature has never really been such a factor in Survivor before this season. There was that one season where they appeared to piss of the Central American Gods of the Mayans (Coulda been Incan but my memory is not what it used to be) when they ate a sacred animal.
I also believe Ozzy is carrying too much of the load for his tribe. I believe you should always let the mules carry the workload and save the stallions for herding the mules. But then I can picture the Energizer Bunny watching Ozzy and saying, "Man, he really does keep going and going!"
Next week I think Jason might be forced to play the fake idol.
I would go back for more. In fact, I would do every season of Survivor and Big Brother until I won one of them, then concentrate on winning the other.
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Mar 20, 2008 12:02 AM
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I'm not surprised that Kathy left. She's a bit kooky and when you get lost in your head like she got, and your head is more kooky than most...bad combination.
I thought Ami's plan to take out Ozzy was pretty slick, but I'm glad that it didn't happen. I was long ago tired of Tracey walking around like she was Queen and she was just snotty.
I also have no idea who the 2 fan women are in Arai. I was like, who is that, and then and even less familiar one popped up. Wow. Sad, really.
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Mar 20, 2008 1:56 AM
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I think Kathy's problem is that she didn't realize it wasn't just a TV show. I have had some experience in the outdoors and I would never undertake Survivor unless I was in tip top physical and mental condition. That may be the problem with most of these fans. They simply don't understand how grueling it can really be. Obviously Chet had never faced such conditions.
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Mar 20, 2008 1:59 AM
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What girl with the eyebrows are you talking about?
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Mar 20, 2008 4:38 AM
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Wooo hooo... the one that thought she was all that...well her torch got snuffed out. For her to say that Ozzie is manipulative... Well.. you were twice the manipulative queen bee. But so sad for you, your torch gotsnuffed. Not Ozzy's....
Yeah Ozzy may come off as arrogant and all.. But if he's the one working his butt off for the team, got them in a nice lead, getting all the food.. Don't you think he has a right to feel the way he does after Cirie and Amanda lost it for the team. Yeah they "didn't" throw the game, they should have won it. So those 2 have no choice but to kiss the ground that Ozzy walks on. Because if it wasn't for him, they wouldn't be eating. I did have to say that Cirie's comments about Simba and Mufasa were hilarious though. Just had me crackin up. I swear, in the times of tense and competitiveness, Cirie has the time to just make me laugh. I just think that the Favorites should give a standing chance to some of the fans though.. Seems like yeah they are getting picked off one by one..
The fans shouldn't have ever let Mikey B or Joel go. That would have been some fun drama. That was their ultimate mistake. If they originally just voted Chet / Kathy / and Tracy out all in the first place, then we wouldn't have to see someone breaking down in the middle of the game. Don't get me wrong, I liked Kathy cuz yes, she was quirky. But hell even though the conditions are not ideal, hello.... that is survivor..
Does Survivor people who ultimately chooses who goes on that show not explain that the conditions change. Hello there could have been other people who could have gone on. What does Chet and Kathy think that Survivor is? Disneyland????
I would not go on that show because I know for myself I wouldnt be able to last that long without freaking out. But at least it would give someone else a fighting chance to be on the show instead of me wasting that space. I would just pick a game more suitable for me to handle.
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Mar 20, 2008 6:51 AM
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This is going to sound bad, but I wasn't sad for Kathy at all. I just wanted her to stop whining and was so relieved when Jeff came to take her away. "I'll never leave my family for that long again"...it had only been 19 days!!! I'm in college and have gone longer without seeing my family. If you're going to be on Survivor, you should be there till your torch gets snuffed (unless you get hurt, poor Jonathan, I miss him!). Just think of how many people want to be on Survivor. I'm sure there were plenty more "Fans" out there who coulda stuck it out longer than Kathy. I liked how when Jeff was explaining to the tribes what happened he emphasized "Kathy quit." She said she didn't want people to think she was a quitter and Jeff made sure people knew she was indeed a quitter.
I was getting nervous that Ozzy was going to get voted out. I was yelling at the TV for him to use the idol. There must've been some last-minute shuffling that we didn't get to see. Even Erik voted for Tracy!
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Mar 20, 2008 8:31 AM
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These fans--how much of the show did they watch? We have seen people puking from dehydration, hair falling out, rejoicing over drinking cow's blood. These fans didn't know that it might rain for days at a time? No excuse. They should have known. I already know I wouldn't last 30 mionutes on Survivor!
Stacy was doing all she could to try to stay in the game-I always admire the ones who try. I am sooooo glad it didn't work--they really need Ozzie right now. What a terrific season!!
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Mar 20, 2008 8:48 AM
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What exactly did Ozzie do that was so arrogant in regards to the boat? So he took them out to a reef, where 3 of the 4 people on board appeared to be having a blast, and only Cirie, due to irrational fears, was upset. To call the one person who feeds the entire tribe consistently "arrogant" seems a bit of an overreaction, or else the editors are doing a poor job of portraying Ozzie's true behavior. As it stands now, he seems to be the only one busting his butt for the team.
Also, I thought Tracy blew it at tribal council by basically losing her cool and revealing her hand to Ozzie that she was planning on voting him out. It was so obvious! I think the others all finally had to admit that if they got rid of Ozzie, then they stood no chance of winning challenges.
Buh bye Nips! 
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Mar 20, 2008 8:51 AM
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I'm glad that CBS is putting the episodes up online...I would have completely missed this episode.
I thought some of you guys might want to read an interview with Jonathan, in which he talks about his injury and other things. It turns out it took him like three weeks to get better, and yes, the problem was that they stitched his wound shut, encouraging an infection:
http://www.realitytvworld.com/news/exclusive-jonathan-penner-dishes-about-survivor-micronesia-6734.php
Is it just me, or does Cirie have some of the best zingers this season? I think she's a crack.
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Mar 20, 2008 8:57 AM
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Thank you emily86, I was thinking I was a little heartless for not feeling sad for Kathy. I kept screaming at the TV say "It's Survivor for goodness sake - suck it up! You can't tell me you didn't know it was going to be hard!". I was so glad when that fan (who I have no clue what her name is) basically told Kathy that everyone is in the same boat. What did Kathy think, that because the editing on past seasons only showed it raining for 30 seconds at a time that it was going to be like that for real? Did she think the Survivor producers really have that power?
But somehow I knew at the beginning of the season that Kathy was going to bow out before she got voted out. Just call it a hunch or something, but I knew she'd crack.
On a completely different subject, what is up with the casting (with the fans)this season? What was going on through the casting directors minds when they cast Kathy and Chet? I thought Kathy seemed like a really genuinely nice, caring, considerate person - one of those people that most people strive to be, but not Survivor material. And Chet, what a wimp! I just don't get how the heck these two were picked over the thousands of others that applied. Surely they could have found others more suited. Also, this fan vs. favorites was a fun idea at first, but now I just feel bad for the fans. They are just being picked off one by one, and I honestly don't think that keeping Josh and Mikey B in the game would have made any difference. Also, the editing hasn't been great either. The only fans we got to know are Kathy, Chet, and Tracy (ok, now I'm getting to know Jason and Erik a little more, but that's only been recently) and the only reason why we know them is because they whined all the time.
I think I'm in the minority in thinking they should have voted out Ozzy. Yes, for the team's sake, keeping Ozzy in was important. But once they merge, everyone but the couples are done for. Erik might have a fighting chance to stay the longest out of the fans (only because Ozzy has taken him under his wing - and yes, while Cirie has been my least favorite favorite, that Lion King comment was hilarious).
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Mar 20, 2008 9:15 AM
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Does anyone remember the season where a player quit and Jeff really let him have it? I think it was a guy and if my memory is correct it was a relatively big guy too. All I know is Jeff was ticked then and I was surprised at how nice he was last night. I think he saw how fragile she was though.
The parts with Erik and Ozzy cracked me up. Also James commenting about how this is Survivor and the girls needed to stop complaining. You've got to love James and his honesty!
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Mar 20, 2008 9:35 AM
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I think the "woman with the eyebrows" that Rhoda is referring to is Natalie.
I'm bummed, they had to excellent plans to blindside Ozzy the past 2 weeks and they didn't follow through.
The tribes are going to merge soon and it is time to get rid of the people who will dominate individual immunity.
According to the previews, it looks like Parvati is trying to put together a post-merge female alliance consisting of Alexis, Natalie and Amanda.
Also, it looks like Survivor won't be back for 2 weeks. According to my DVR it is not on Wednesday or Thursday next week.
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Mar 20, 2008 9:51 AM
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Kikki ~ I remember that ~ It was a big guy ~ and he didn't even last as long as Kathy did. Not even close.
Am I the only one who would have probably preferred to sleep in the rain? ~ OMG being in that cave with bats, rats and bugs ~ No thanks. And I too do not understand how these people can't know what to expect going on the show. It's basically torture ~ or for me it would be ~ no food, no bed/sleep and competitions that usually end up with physical injury of varying degrees. That's not even counting the rain. I'm not even sure I could endure it even if I was guaranteed to win!
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Mar 20, 2008 9:51 AM
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Ozzy..Ozzy..Ozzy..I love him and I think he is the true utimate survivor and he should win this thing. I do not get where his tribe could say he was arragant and what he says goes. I don't get that at all. He is getting the food. All we see is Ciria, Ami, Amanda just standing around. If Ozzy catches dinner, then they all eat. Just comman sense. And I do not think he is acting like "the king".
I thought Ozzy should of won on his season and I definaly think he should win this time.
Ozzy really hasent made any enemies and he tries to not do alot of backstabbing, and people generally really like him. And put him on a deserted island and he will clearly survive. Isin't that the point of survivor?
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Mar 20, 2008 10:29 AM
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