SURVIVOR: BLOOD VS WATER – 9/18/13

Aras & Vytas:
I liked…let’s say, respected…the game Aras played when he won in Panama. He just had a chill vibe that does well on the island. Look at guys like Malcolm, Fabio, Ozzy, there’s just something about a beachy mentality that puts people at ease. His brother, Vytas, looks to be physically able to withstand the pressure cooker, and maybe his Yoga lifestyle (and having defeated heroin) will allow him to keep cool in the fray.

Candice & John:
Hard to remember the first time Candice played, or the second time for that matter. She’s back for a third, so she’s doing something right. The fact she’s a doctor means she’s got a head on her shoulders, but it may also put a target on her back (success in real life is bad!) but I’m still liking her chances because her SO seems to be a guy who’d jump at the chance to save her. Watching their interview, they have a very low-key attitude that typically does well (see above), and from what they said in their interview, they were already discussing deep levels of game play before the game even started. I think they have a chance to go pretty far, assuming they don’t end up on the wrong side of an alliance the deeper into game they go. I like their chances…

Colton & Caleb:
[Just want to say something upfront. When Colton was on the show previously, I was one of those viewers who just wanted him…gone. I didn’t care how it happened, hell, he could have fallen off a cliff or been eaten by a shark, and I would’ve been happy! I just didn’t want to look at, or more so, LISTEN to that redneck bigot any more. I was like many people — many, many people — who thought his time on the show was second only to Russell Hantz as the most despicable person that has ever been on Survivor. His incredibly asinine, immature, and racist views were not only uneasy to watch, it made me think the producers were taking Survivor in the same direction as many other reality shows. If you think about it, reality programming has evolved from mere competitions (think early Survivor and American Idol) to where shows were simply looking for the most outlandish behavior, thinking that’s what America tuned in to see every week.

Let’s hope he’s gained some in the 2 years since he played. Hell, if you read the comments on the CBS site over the past week people are STILL up in arms that he was invited back. Makes me wonder how ratings will be this season as long as he’s on the show. We’ll see if ratings increase when he’s eliminated, or stay up if he lasts a while. I just hope the show doesn’t prod him to be the same a**hole he was before in hope of increased ratings.]

So, that said if I had to take a guess at how long I think Colton will last this season, I would say — and I would hope — that he goes first. I’m assuming that everyone on the island is aware of his previous season, and I can’t see anyone wanting him to stick around too long. Chances are, like Candice and John, his SO, Caleb, would throw himself on the fire to save Colton (shout out to Christina Cha!). I’m just praying the other contestants are smart enough to NOT keep someone like him around too long, because evil people have a way of staying around longer than expected. I’m already grossed out by Caleb’s “I spit on his fuse” reference in his intro video, which just seems weird to me. Regardless, I hope they go 1-2, just to put a final nail in the Colton Cumbie 15 minutes of fame coffin. Good night!

Gervase & Marissa:
Can’t say I remember exactly what kind of game Gervase had in Season 1, but chances are he’s not the same guy he was 13 years ago. He says he’s been watching every season since he played, so maybe he’s studied the show and thought about what he’d do differently this time. I hope he does well. His SO, Marissa, may be young (21) but she looks like she’s got a head on her shoulders. Let’s hope she avoids the drama and blends with the others. Evidently, she’s athletic too, so this could be a good team. I don’t see the same “trade places with you” mentality that other teams may encounter, so let’s see what they can do. I’m pulling for them…

Kat & Hayden:
First time she played, I wasn’t a big fan of Kat on Survivor: One World. She just seemed too ditzy for me to get behind and rout for. That all turned around at Tribal Council when she revealed her medical condition, her forgiveness of the other girls for voting her out, and just her all-around great attitude and perspective that a few days at Ponderosa provided her. I hope her SO Hayden isn’t what holds her back. As a winner on Big Brother (I have never seen that show so I can’t even begin to compare the two shows) that could be what spells their doom. Not sure if that info will come out on Blood vs. Water, but once people smell money, they cast a vote somewhere else. However, that may benefit Kat, who could stay in the game longer if Hayden steps up and saves her at a RI challenge. And, after watching their initial interviews, I actually like Hayden’s vibe. He seems to get that you have to be constantly playing, and having won on BB, he knows that you can’t ever let your guard down. Don’t know if they’ll go fast or go long, either way, it’s good to see Kat back on the beach…

Laura & Ciera:
Laura is another one who I can’t recall what type of player she was on Survivor: Samoa. Maybe the fact that so much of that season centered on Russell Hantz, many other players were simply left in his wake. Oddly, I glanced at a list of the other contestants from that season and I could barely recall anything about them. That being said, it’s always nice to see some normal, nice girls on the beach (rather than girls like Abi, Alicia, and NaOnka) and I hope they enjoy their time in the game. This is one of those “teams” that you just can’t see winning it all, but with all the twists this season, who knows how it’ll play out. At least Laura seems to have her thinking cap on, so let’s see how she actually plays the game. With teams not knowing that they’re being split up, it could change a lot of the “pre-game” talk that they’re showing in their interviews. And if Ciera is as nice as her mom thinks she is, the game’ll probably swallow her. You need to be a strong woman to win Survivor (or you need to sit next to Russell at final Tribal!).

Monica & Brad:
On paper, I liked this team just because of how screwed Monica got last time around. Now, after seeing their interview, I’m not so sure I like them as much. I really don’t think either can win, but I’d like to see them to go far. I always like when people come back on the show with something to prove (i.e. Monica after being blindsided by Colton) so it’ll be interesting to see if she can come back and kick some ass. I can’t wait to see how Colton and Monica and/or Brad interact, because it could make for some interesting conversations (hopefully on episode 1 only!). Again, with Brad being a former NFL player (should be no secret to the other players) his past success could be his downfall. However, since he’s now a trial attorney, he may be able to deflect attention away from himself and to someone else. I do think he’ll be one of the SO to trade places with Monica to save her, because you know no husband wants to come back home after NOT saving his wife on national TV. Could be an interesting team to watch.

Rupert & Laura:
You know, I’ve never been a huge fan of Rupert’s. Just something about the tie-dye shirts, the crazy eyes, the peculiar exuberance, the beard! I don’t know what it is. I know he’s done some wonderful charity and mentoring work and he’s probably the nicest guy alive, but I just never GOT him. I know people will love him, and he should last a while, but I’m just over the whole Rupert-thing. His wife, Laura, may talk a big game about being able to help out around camp and more, but I just don’t see them going far. I think she’ll sacrifice herself for Rupert to go far in the game, but I just don’t see either of them winning it. He did win a million bucks, and that’s something that can get in the way of winning a second million bucks. We’ll see…

Tina & Katie:
I don’t think Tina has what it takes to win the show anymore. Besides the fact she’s a past winner, her age and SO may be what spells her doom. I actually like Katie’s chances better than her mother’s. She seems like a smart, diverse girl, with both sides of her brain working. I’d like to see how she does for a couple episodes before I pass judgment…

Tyson & Rachel:
I got to say that I hope Tyson goes far in the game. From the previous times he played, he just seemed to do it right: “Let’s go on a show, play some games, have an adventure, and say funny s**t on camera along the way. Whether or not he’s really like that, I don’t care. I simply enjoyed the 2 seasons he was on that much more because he made me realize you don’t have to be playing the game all the time while you’re on the show. Plus, he used the word “rad” when he described why he wanted to return to Survivor. I just like that. Hopefully, his SO Rachel will be able to stay strong and bond with her tribe mates. In her initial interview, she didn’t strike me as a power player by any means, but maybe she’ll benefit from the advice Tyson has given her. Perhaps her life experience as a cocktail waitress will come in handy when banana martinis are needed. Nothing against cocktails waitress, of course…

Like many of you, I had a chance to review the first 7 minutes of the show TWO NIGHTS’S AGO and can honestly say I didn’t learn anything I didn’t already know. We learned that the RP would actually be playing against their SOs, so that didn’t throw me too much. I think the biggest curveball was learning the survivors had to spend a night…alone…with their SO on the first night. As a historian of the show, we know that one of the first rites of passage is building a shelter, so how do you think the “teams” felt when they realized night was falling and they weren’t going to be building a palm frond lean-to on Night 1? With the shots of ants and clams scurrying about, I would guess that many of them didn’t get too much sleep on the first night.

The one thing that did jump out to me in the opening was Gervase supposedly implying that his niece “…is a threat to me. At some point in time I’m going to have to get rid of her.” So, yes, if you show a clip of his niece just before he says this, we think he’s speaking of her, but that ITM could be from anywhere in the season, and he could just as well be talking about Tina, Candice, or Colton…