Survivor Heroes Vs. Villains - I'll Have a Blindside to Go

Dear Survivor Gods, Producers, Jeff Probst, Cameramen, Editors, best boy grips - whoever - I implore you: never start another episode of Survivor with Coach. I'm not sure if the bit is supposed to be played for a laugh at his expense, but the first ten minutes of Coach whining and crying about his hurt feelings gave me nothing but the dry heaves. As you can tell, I'm not crazy about him and I cannot stand when he spouts platitudinous bromides that inspire no one but his deluded self. The only redeeming thing from this segment was Tyson's blunt advice to Coach and Boston Rob's reassuring pep talk (is it me, or is Boston Rob looking more like a stand up guy?).

I guess I should talk about the reward challenge here, but all I can really talk about is James' rippling muscles glistening with baby oil. baby oil. oh, baby... Where was I? Oh yeah, the Villains win another nifty reward challenge but even more telling and interesting is how each tribe acts when they discover the message about the hidden immunity idol. The Villains do a somewhat honorable thing and agree that no one go find it. It's also agreed that if someone does try to find the idol, their fate would be sealed and they would be flushed out. Guess who decides to go find the idol? Of course, Russell. And Boston Rob doesn't skip a beat when he notices Russell "go for a walk". Like the alpha male he is, he sends his minion out to spy on Russell, and "the hobbit on crack" (Rob's delicious nickname for him) is found out. Sandra is the queen of stealth, and I thoroughly enjoyed the edit cuts interchanging Russell and Sandra's crouching to get a better view of the other. The folks are onto Russell and though it's quickly determined that Russell needs to go, I'm afraid it won't be that simple. It's going to be interesting to see which one goes home first: Rob or Russell.

What do the Heroes do when they get the same message? Well, it would be tantamount to uttering the statement: "Screw you all. I'm looking for the idol". To watch all of them scramble for the idol was a bit comical, but it shows there are some serious rifts and egos that are dividing the heroes. I have to say that I never liked Tom in Palau. Everyone seemed to bow to his will and his win in that season was practically telegraphed; however, give him a bit of the underdog status and I find that I actually like the guy a lot. He's a smart player who actually plays with some social finesse and humility. Tom and Colby are dangerously on the outs, and with Tom handily finding the idol, he smartly leveraged his find as a bargaining chip to get himself and Colby back into an alliance with JT. At least for now.

I guess I should talk about the immunity challenge here, but all I can really talk about is James' bulging thighs. Thighs that could splinter an oak. Just splinter it into a million pieces... little toothpicks... Where was I? Oh yeah, the Villains win the immunity challenge - again, Rob to the rescue. The man is amazing and I'm really starting to cheer for Rob. He displays a level headedness and confidence that I see few people play in this game. Kudos to him.

But even more interesting and perhaps the tastiest part of this episode, and the most thrilling part of any Survivor episode, is the scrambling and strategizing before Tribal Council. Just as Tom buys some time for him and Colby, Cirie proves why she is the brilliant mastermind that she is. JT witnesses firsthand how dangerous Cirie is when she rallies the entire group and convinces them to vote out Colby or Tom instead of Candice. Up to then, JT was convinced that Candice was too scatter shot and needed to go. Cirie was not even on the radar until he saw the convocation from afar and realized that he needed to bolt over to Tom and Colby to get rid of Cirie - post-haste.

At Tribal Council, we are reminded again why Jeff Probst is the host extraordinaire. With incisive questioning, he finally gets Rupert to admit that his vote tonight is based on his word to his alliance rather than a vote that to make the tribe stronger in challenges. With that, the majority evened out their votes between Tom and Colby in case Tom was to play his idol. The outcome would have been either of these two men until JT flipped and cast his vote for Cirie, effectively ousting her when Tom invoked his idol.

Now don't get me wrong, I love, LOVE Cirie. She's proven time and again that she's brilliant at this game, which is why it was the perfect time to blindside her. You don't want someone like Cirie getting to the end when the playing gets more social and strategic. This is where she excels. You get someone like Cirie out at the beginning because you not only expunge the threat, but you strengthen the team at the same time. Cirie is not a terribly physical player - her brilliance lies in her manipulation and power of persuasion, as evidenced in the group powwow. In this regard, JT did the right thing by shifting his focus from Candice to Cirie. I'll definitely miss her presence in this game, but Cirie proved to be the good sport in her parting words at the end. It's too early to tell, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say that if the Heroes lose another immunity challenge, they may not have the numbers to go into the merge. It remains to be seen. Stay tuned. Anything can happen.

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