I was going to attempt to write this blog without taking notes while watching the show, but right after that opening scene, I realized that the notes were the only thing that truly made me pay attention to what was being said and what was going on. During the intro “song,” I tried to remember what it was Malcolm and the rest of the people had said and drew a COMPLETE blank, so I had to press pause and get the pen and paper out, otherwise the blog would have looked like this:
Malcolm said something.
Phillip is still crazy.
Such-and-such won Immunity.
Blank was voted out.
Until next week,
Although, truly, I believe that is basically what I write, just elongated sentences that last 3-4 pages on Steve’s blog pages.
Also, quick shout out to AT&T U-verse for having an On Demand section, because I totally deleted this from our DVR without even remembering that my wife perfectly told me before she went to sleep NOT to delete it so she could watch it tomorrow. So, I appreciate that. I pay you $140/month for something, right? Just please don’t take a full week to post that video, otherwise I’m still going to hear it from her…
Ok, now that that’s out of the way, let’s make the ever so easy transition to the episode.
We open with Malcolm telling us that he doesn’t believe he’s screwed just yet. He’s just happy that the rest of the favorites only think they cut the head off his snake. Soon they’ll know they didn’t. Sure, Malcolm. I believe you said something similar to them knowing you were running things about 4 episodes ago. Then 3 episodes ago, again. And, now tonight. I’m almost guaranteeing you do nothing tonight that makes it seem like you are running things. In fact, you’ll probably do something the exact opposite of that.
What ever happened to Phillip’s pink speedo? He was wearing it earlier this season, but we haven’t seen it since! The only reason I ask is because had he been wearing that, and only that, while he hit on Sherri’s fake breasts, those panties would’ve been ripped right off him because Sherri wouldn’t have been able to contain herself. And, gracing her with the name Tenacity? I didn’t know Sherri was trying out for American Gladiators. All Phillip was missing was that big body bag the Gladiators used to hold to push people around. Sherri has never felt so flattered before, I’m sure.
Something I’ve always wondered about Survivor is why they never show the “schoolyard pick.” If they did, that would open it up to some great commentary from Probst, and also from certain cast members. Can’t you just hear Probst with a quick whip, “And, Cochran, oozing masculinity after his big win at the last Immunity challenge, STILL picked last in this challenge.” Come on, Probst, you’re an Executive Producer, make this a part of some of the episodes. There are parts of episodes we don’t need to see where we’d rather see the picks, or “drawing for spots” happen. These people, for the most part, are damn boring anyway, so you might as well give us these scenes.
Speaking of this reward challenge, why bother with the goalie? After Eddie stupidly threw his first ball right at Malcolm, the rest of the group realized that all they needed to do was loft it over their head, because there was 20 feet of space between the goalie podium and the actual goal. Way to give the goalie absolutely not shot at making a save, Survivor! I like the game, but the goalie was pointless. We know you’re going to reuse this game in Season 36, so move the podium back a good six or seven feet and make it more interesting.
Okay, this is the way I saw it (you should go back and listen to the speech that Phillip gave at tribal, b/c it did indeed seem like they knew Malcolm was behind it and they were going to get rid of him. It either was Phillip shooting his mouth off, telling them that they knew, or a stealthy plan to get Reynolds idol played for sure – my gut tells me the former. But if they really had planned to vote off Malcolm, then Phillip had let the whole cat out of the bag in that speech).
Anyway, while Penner had no clue what he was doing last year and threw away that vote, but I believe what Malcolm was deliberate – was trying to have that man alliance without voting with his man alliance – the whole ‘don’t get blood on my hands’ thing. He was scrambling for the extra 2 votes, to make it 5 votes, without him having to vote Andrea out himself, so he can still claim he’s true to the favourites alliance if needed. Reynold, Eddie, Michael, Sherri and Dawn all vote Andrea, the remaining 6 (including Malcolm) split the vote 3 and 3 for Reynold and Eddie as the fav’s had planned. It had to be 5, otherwise there would only be 4 voting for Andrea and 4 for either Reynold or Eddie. So he voted for Reynold to preserve the ‘I voted with the favourites’ and throw Dawn and Sherri under, so the favourite alliance would target them for switching, instead of him. He was trying to be the head of the snake, without it being known he was the head of the snake. Lots of flaws in the plan. Like you said he’s overplaying – b/c I don’t know how that would have worked, if he would have gotten Dawn and Sherri, they just would have said Malcolm was the instigator – for that to work, for Dawn and Sherri to switch to the man alliance, it would have had to of been Eddie, Reynold or Michael to convince those two, not Malcolm, for him to keep his hands clean. He was the one talking to everyone, so I don’t know how he thought he’d get away with that.
He isn’t seeing straight, – Dawn said it – how dumb Malcolm was to depend on Dawn, when she’s historically proven to run to Phillip, unless somehow he didn’t know that. Malcolm has fallen victim to the attraction of one pulling off a game changing move – the pull and fame to be the mastermind – that he didn’t pay attention to all those details around him. He put (what he thought was) the perfect plan ahead of facts or reality. Downfall of many who want survivor fame – to be known for something big – which I think he wants as bad as Cochran does (or did).
Now I have to switch gears and ponder BB Canada strategy…I’m enjoying BB Canada as much as regular BB (surprised – very surprised) but its hard to watch both of these shows at the same time, I get myself mixed up!
Cndgirl, that totally makes sense. I was super confused why Malcolm would vote reynold. Thanks for that analogy!
I get what you’re saying, Cndgirl, but if he truly did believe that Phillip and the rest of the gang JUST got done outing him as “the head of the snake” and were going to vote him out, why would he stick with the plan and vote Reynold if he KNEW that he was getting voted for? Why wouldn’t he still vote Andrea and hope it works? Just none of it made any sense to me, because if he truly thought he was going home, why wouldn’t he have used his idol first? I know that maybe he figured Reynold was going to use it and he’d try and talk him into giving it to him, but what if that didn’t work, either. I don’t think he had any plan to play HIS idol, so it just didn’t make any sense that he got done listening to people talk about him being voted out that night, but he goes and votes Reynold, then has no plan to use his idol. Maybe I’m just lost. Even typing this, I’m lost. So, I ask myself, Scott, why care? Doesn’t matter anymore… 🙂
Well, then, you might be over it, but I’ll respond anyway – I think he was just really confused when he went to go vote. He knew something was up, but was unsure of what, hadn’t put all the pieces together yet. When he went to vote, he even said “I don’t know what’s happening, this is supposed to be a throw away vote, but from what was said at tribal I’m confused’ or something close. I think he just didn’t put it together by then, so he just stuck to what his plan was going into tribal, then changed his mind after, while he had more time to think when everyone was voting, he realized he was in danger. He might have stood up and used his idol if Reynold didn’t, but I actually thought it was kind of a brilliant move to make Reynold give him his idol to use, while saving his idol that no one knows about for some other time. Sucks for Reynold, but Malcolm still has another idol to use.
I know I’m making a lot of assumptions of what he’s thinking – but I’m right, I know I am 🙂
Haha Cndgirl, you may be right. You never know. No doubt it was a brilliant move to make Reynold give him his idol, but I happen to believe that Malcolm didn’t even bring his to tribal. That’s why he looked so worried. Who knows, though – I think I have to give up on trying to figure out what these people are doing. 🙂