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« Survivor: Cook Islands
September 28, 2006: Survivors, Ready?
Survivor aficionados know there's a certain lingo that goes along with the show. For some it's comforting, for others, mind-numbingly repetitive. Me? I like it. Jeff's catchphrases are a constant that I can rely on each week as the number of castaways dwindles. That said...
First things first: We couldn't move on from last week's show without finishing up Billy's love story. Back at camp, Aitu continued to dismiss the love, and the next day, after the tribes merged, Cecilia went directly to Candice to get the scoop. Needless to say, this love was one-sided. Again, I cannot wait for the reunion show.
With that cleared up, Jeff uttered those three little words that change the game every single time. Drop your buffs! That's right, segregation is over. Survivor put as much effort into contriving the makeup of these two new tribes as they did with the first four. Grab a tile from the bag, do a schoolyard pick, but only choose a person who has yet to be represented on your new team. Squeeze the egg. This three-part tribe-picking was more complicated than putting together a desk from Ikea. The upside is that the game now feels like it has truly started. The stunts are behind us and we can get down to business. Or as Brad says, "It's a game and you're in it to win it for yourself and first and foremost, cash."
I am happy to have the tried-and-true Survivor back, but did they have to dredge up an old immunity challenge? The sandbag chain-gang challenge has been done before, and I daresay it was more entertaining with Tom the fireman in for the long haul than with all the Cook Islands women dropping out minutes into the race. Raro, now consisting of Stephannie, Rebecca, Cristina, Jenny, Pavarti, Brad, J.P., Nate and Adam beat Aitu, which is now made up of Cecilia, Jessica, Sundra, Becky, Candice, Jonathan, Yul, Ozzy and Cao Boi. I'm as much in the dark as Aitu is about Candice being sent to Exile Island, but so far none of those choices has made much sense to me.
With the teams now being a "melting pot," the show is livelier, and personalities are peeking through. And of course the hard-core strategizing has begun. Jonathan, who if you close your eyes sounds exactly like Alan Alda, is all about getting into an alliance of five with "a couple of the Asians," Candice and Jessica. Jess isn't convinced she wants to hook up with that crew, and I don't blame her. Jon's a little pushy and lot talky. Meanwhile, Ozzy now finds himself without the numbers and consequently has a lot less to say at tribal. Bet he's reconsidering last week's power play about now.
At tribal, I wondered if Yul really would have shared the immunity idol if the tribe had spoken to Becky instead of Cecilia. I’m with Jessica on the whole dangerous-Becky thing. That girl is super-competitive. Remember her reaction to Yul's idol revelation? "First day or second day?" Um, what does it matter when Yul found the idol?
Little things: Wow, Nate caught an octopus! Pavarti needs a new strategy since her current one is uncomfortably embarrassing to watch.... Jeff and Stephannie, I like you both but please lose the straw hats. I haven't had a chance to mention it before, but I love this season's tribal-council area. Very cool.
So there you have it, we're back to two tribes, there is scheming and allying, and next week, let's hope there's also a reward challenge in the mix. Survivors ready? Go!
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Sep 29, 2006 12:31 AM
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I have to disagree. I have thought since the beginning that Jonathan sounds just like Ray Romano. I'm also very excited that they're back to 2 tribes. The whole thing was stupid and not controversial to start with. I don't have a hands down favorite yet, which I usually do by now, but I probably will by next week.
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Sep 29, 2006 12:42 AM
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Well, I certainly have a hands-down favorite already. Yul!!!!! Man, he's got it all. Good-looking, incredible washboard abs, intelligence, and so far he seems pretty honest and straight-forward also. He's definitely impressed me more than anyone else.
And Jessica just made me giggle every time she was on. I wonder if she can possibly be as spaced out as she seems or is she putting on an act? I mean, seriously, she's not really there to play the game, just to make friends and see how it goes?
I'm glad to see the two tribes now too. They seem more competitive than the four smaller tribes were. Let the games begin!
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Sep 29, 2006 1:42 AM
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Very interesting ep. Ozzy is looking more and more stupid for his actions last week. I guess he thought the tribes would stay in groups of 4 for a lot longer. Boy was he wrong. I thought for a sec that they were dividing the tribes in male and female again. I am glad they didn't do that.
I definitely can hear Alan Alda in Jonathan. Good call Rhoda. I don't quite trust him. He just seems a bit sneaky and a little controling. I didn't really like that he thought the roller girl was clearly in his back pocket. He thought he could control her easily. I do have one question. What exactly does a roller girl do at work? Is it the girls who race around a circle and knock people down in a sporting event? Or something else. I naturally think of Heather Graham in Boogie Nights when I see roller girl. But she was called that because she always had roller skates. This girl I think it is her profession.
I think Yul is cool as well. He just seems like a genuine guy who will stand up for what he believes in.
I guess Billy was a bit wacko. The renuion should be spicy.
I am glad they got to 2 tribes. I didn't think it would happen for a couple weeks.
This was one of the first times that I can remember where Jeff didn't say, "Come on in guys." before an immunity challenge. I missed that this week. I think it was more of a a wave toward the water. Hopefully next week, the phrase will be back.
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Sep 29, 2006 2:26 AM
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Sorry I don't hear Ray Romano at all. That is definitely the voice of Alan Alda. I thought it right away. With Jonathon being an actor I wondered if it was put on, but seems genuine.
I think the tribes said it all. They loved merging and being done with the race thing. They said it was like being in America again. So much for the uproar and hype.
I think I like Yul the best also. Don't know why he'd give away that he'd found the idol. Not good game strategy, is it?
Well, maybe it's a way of keeping Becky in his alliance.
I wish this was on 3 times a week like Big Brother was. I can't get enough of my Survivor!!
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Sep 29, 2006 2:54 AM
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Another good episode! I was glad for the merge - there were definitely weak teams and strong teams early on and it would have been less interesting to form two tribes at a later time with certain groups less represented than others.
I was very surprised at the new Aitu's two choices for being voted off - Becky and Cecelia. Maybe they see something I don't but I thought Cao Boi showed that he is physically weak in the challenge and he also annoys the others. My other thought was Jessica or Flicka who I hope is not nearly as spacey and dumb as she acts. Her whole flip flop routine with the I don't know what to do and I just want to make friends would annoy and scare me as a fellow tribemate.
I am so glad you called Pavarti out on her flirting. It is one thing to flirt but another to be so blatantly obvious. "Oh Nate I bet you could eat all the meat on the octopus." Gag! I said to my husband that I will kick my 3 year old daughter's butt if she ever acts like that when she gets older.
Looking forward to next week!
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Sep 29, 2006 6:41 AM
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I loved this episode! I figured the merge would happen within the first 3 or 4 weeks so I wasn't surprised by the merge. I didn't see where the girl captains picked from a separate bowl of eggs than the men so I'm wondering if there was a chance that it could have ended up men vs women?
I love the new tribal councel area. It looks kind of spooky.
I am also confused on the choices for elimination. I think it would have been to Jonathan's benefit to tell his new tribe member's about Flicka and the chickens being let go. It might have made up for the fact that he stole the one chicken to begin with. I thought Flicka was going home for sure when they lost the challenge for being wishy washy. I was still holding out hope when the voting started but it was not to be.
I am really liking Yul! I was very glad that he won the immunity idol last week.
I think the purpose of sending someone to Exile Island now that the immunity idol is gone is to give that person at least one week of immunity without giving out the information that the idol is gone. If no one was sent to Exile it would give away the fact that Yul has the idol.
I wish this was on at least two nights a week. Monday's would be good since there are no other reality shows on. Of course, if that happened, the season would be over much too soon so I guess I can live with one night a week.
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Sep 29, 2006 7:45 AM
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I think Yul is this season's Tom (the fireman). I just hope he can actually pull off a win where Tom couldn't.
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Sep 29, 2006 9:02 AM
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I think they sent Candice to the island because they felt she was the weakest and most likely to be voted off; this forced them to choose a stronger competitor. Wasn't she the first to drop out of the immunity challenge?
I would have voted "chicken girl" Jessica or Cao Boi off if I had a vote. I don't know why Jonathan didn't tell the others about her.
It's really good that they seem to have enough to eat here; in Australia they were all but starving.
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Sep 29, 2006 9:15 AM
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Jonathan does sound exactly like Alan Alda! I realized the same thing last night.
I love Yul and was very glad that they didn't vote Becky off. I'm not sure how I feel about her yet, but at least right now, her staying could help Yul stay.
Pavarti is way too obvious in her flirting. "Uncomfortable" is the right word. Nate (who I also really like) seems to be immune to her "charm" and I hope it stays that way.
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Sep 29, 2006 9:15 AM
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Kikki -- "I think Yul is this season's Tom (the fireman). I just hope he can actually pull off a win where Tom couldn't." I'm a little confused -- Tom did win! He bought a new BBQ grill and a big screen TV for his fire house, then put the rest in his kids' college fund.
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Sep 29, 2006 9:53 AM
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Alan Alda, that's it! Thanks for putting a name to the voice! It was driving me crazy last night! Everytime he would say something, I would think about it, but my mind was still in overdrive from the long day, followed by my son's baseball practice which ran late, causing me to speed home and still miss the first 5-10 minutes! UGH!
Over all, good episode! I also like Yul, but I like Cao Boi too. But after next weeks previews, I'm not sure I'll like him any more! I also think it was a ver DUMB idea to spill about the idol so soon. Now, if Becky feels cornered, all she has to do is tell everyone else and they try to vote him off. He then has 2 choices; let himself be voted off, or use the idol. And once he uses it, he's then fair game for when they decide to start bumping off the stronger players before they get to individual immunity.
Good episode though, and I can't wait until next week.
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Sep 29, 2006 10:06 AM
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I loved the way they merged the tribes last night, very different and seemed like the fairest way they've used so far.
I enjoyed seeing the personalities working together. I was shocked to see how twilight zone Flicka was behaving. I do think she was shining Jonathan on a bit though. She seemed to understand things just fine when talking in confessional and with Cao Boi. I think she went into her ditzy routine so she wouldn't have to outright agree to align with J since she obviously had pretty strong feelings of distrust toward Becky. 'Course in the end, she did go with Jonathan, but I think it was a mistake for her. J and Yul were obviously planning on using Candice to round out their 5 and when she comes back, they really won't need Flicka anymore. Right now though it seems we do continue to have a racial split - Asian/white against hispanic/black which only makes since since it was both of those tribes that lost members in the first two tribals.
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Sep 29, 2006 10:12 AM
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Alan Alda...yes! I thought I had it pegged at Howard Stern, but my husband said the voice wasn't deep enough to be Howard's. Thank you for ending 3 weeks of craziness trying to figure out where I'd heard that voice before!
Have to agree with the posters lamenting Yul's decision to share news of him finding the idol. I do not think that was smart so early in the game. I really think he would have saved Becky, too. It's one thing to be a stand-up guy, which he obviously is...just don't be stupid, sweetie!
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Sep 29, 2006 10:18 AM
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To the commenter that asked about the bags, the men and women picked from separate bags, not the same one.
I'm glad they didn't vote off Becky. I thought they would have voted Cao Boi out.
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Sep 29, 2006 10:35 AM
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