SURVIVOR: PHILIPPINES – 11/14/12

Penner strategizes himself, and his team, to an easy victory. Although, I’d like to say that not having Lisa on their team seemed to help a little, as well. If Lisa wasn’t on the other team, taking up all that time, who knows what would have happened. They may have gotten that second bag out of the mud before he had finished digging up all the bags, and then Probst and all of us would have been calling Penner an idiot for wasting all that time doing the same thing that the others would have had to do anyway. It’s not like he found those bags any quicker than the other people might have. Just saying. I did like the strategy, just don’t think it’s THE reason they won.

Not to hate on the nice thing that Survivor did for that village. But, instead of hula hoops and a soccer ball, perhaps they could have sent over a dentist with some toothbrushes and toothpaste. It seemed just about everyone in the village had some ganked up grills. Some of the kids had some nice teeth, so hopefully those weren’t extras from the last movie they filmed over there, and they actually were children in need! Just kidding. I think it’s a wonderful thing that they did. And, also, it’s nice to hear Malcolm express his interest in getting back to his roots of teaching overseas, but let’s catch up with him in a year or two and see if he’s lived up to it, and if he really did question what he’s been doing with his life since he left Micronesia.

Back at camp, Pete says that Lisa got obliterated at Tribal, yet I don’t remember reading Lisa’s name four times on paper! It was yours, Pete, I’d like to think that YOU, sir, got obliterated at Tribal. It’s YOU that people are gunning for, not Lisa. As much crap as she may have took for the things she said, the people still wrote down your name, not hers. So, yes, go ahead and make Skupin and Lisa feel comfortable in your alliance, because that’s definitely going to save you. If you truly want to make them feel comfortable, get rid of Abi. That girl is a straight up idiot! Wow. I absolutely can’t stand people like her. They never listen to a word people say, but act as if they hear, and understand, everything. Doesn’t she understand that she gave out just as much, if not more information to the other alliance than Lisa did. I mean, hell, you showed everyone you had the idol. Lisa didn’t even know you had that idol. You decided to show everyone that. I’m at a loss when it comes to that girl. But, she’s a useful tool in the game of Survivor. Nobody will vote for an idiot to win the game. That’s for sure. She’s guaranteed a spot in the final 3, no matter who the other two people left are.

At the Immunity challenge, who would have ever thought it would have been Skupin with the steady hands? He won that challenge by a wide margin. Pete had two balls in their spots, and I don’t believe anybody else had any. Wow. I didn’t see that one coming at all. Congratulations on the win, sir. Now, make a move here. You don’t want to play the game with the idiots you hate so much, so make a move and switch alliances. It’s the best for your game.

On the way back to camp, I still have to say I’m enamored with the fact that they walk in a single file line. I’m sure it’s because they’re told to, but I just don’t understand why. I guess it makes for a better shot on TV, but really, I don’t think we’d care if we saw them all walking in groups. Or, if we didn’t even see them walking back to camp at all, and just jumped straight from the competition to two people off in the woods, talking/scheming/pissing on each other.

Penner still believes he’s screwed, but Abi isn’t so sure he is. She thinks that there is still a chance that Skupin and Lisa could switch allegiances. For me, I think that it’s better for Skupin to switch alliances, but not for Lisa. I think that Lisa is safe if she stays with Abi, Artis, and Pete. For one, she’s the weakest link out of those four, so even if that alliance loses numbers, she’s still going to make it the furthest out of them. Plus, she has built relationships with some of the people in that other alliance (Penner & Malcolm – and Skupin, if he did switch), so it would almost be as if she’s playing both sides, which would garner her more votes from the jury if she did make final 3. If she moved over to Penner’s alliance, she’d definitely be at the bottom of it all, although with the relationships she has with Skupin and Penner, I think it would gain her a good standing in that alliance, as well. So, really, I guess I’m saying that Lisa may be in the best position, right now, to win this game. I know I said Denise a few weeks back, but she’s seemed to disappear. Although, I think that is also to her benefit. I still do believe Denise is on nobody’s radar right now, so she will definitely be sticking around to final 5, and from there, you have no clue what is going to happen. If she wins an immunity or two, it would only strengthen her chances. I’m liking the winner of this season to be one of Lisa, Denise, or Penner. I won’t go out on a limb and choose a winner, though. I can’t do it. Not yet.

Denise comes up with the plan to have everyone vote Artis out, just in case Abi gives Pete the idol. Sorry, Denise, but have you not been playing the same game we’ve been watching? You are a professional therapist and you’re telling me that you haven’t gotten a good enough read on Abi just yet to understand that she is NOT giving up that idol to anybody? Oy. I like the thinking behind this, but I just think it’s too much thinking. There is no way Abi is giving that idol to Pete. First, that alliance thinks they have it in the bag right now. They held strong last tribal when things were extremely weak between them. They have every right to think that it’s going to stay the same this time around, so there will definitely not be an idol played at this tribal.

Penner, ever desperate, pitches to Lisa that she should play to what the audience wants to see. Sorry, Pen, but the audience doesn’t have a say in who wins this game. It’s all about who you are sitting with at the end, and the relationships you have built with the members of the jury. Why should she care what we, at home, want to see? We’d like to see Angie skinny dipping with Katie and RC, we really don’t care what alliances stick together and who gets voted out when and where. Hell, Lisa could drown your ass in that little wave pool you’re sitting in and we’d enjoy it. Everyone likes good theater. We like to see fights at tribal, people acting a fool at camp, saying stupid things that make no sense, etc. While we do sometimes b*tch and moan about the people who do end up winning, we all still come back and watch. We’re the idiots.

He also makes his pitch to Skupin, who says he can’t make a decision without having Lisa on board, so he runs to her to see if it’s ok if he wipes his @ss after he drops a turd. They talk about who they can make it further in the game with, but we don’t get to hear what decision they come to. That’s because Tribal council is up next…