Super excited to be bringing this week’s recap to you for a couple reasons. First of all, it’s Survivor, and we’re junkies. More importantly, I finally get to reveal my BIG ANNOUNCEMENT that I’ve been teasing for weeks. You’re gonna have to wait until the end of the column to read it (or just skip to the end) but I think your patience will be rewarded. Seriously, I believe if you’re a hardcore fan of the show, you might dig it…. So let’s get cracking on this week’s episode.
Frankly, I didn’t scour the CBS site for previews of tonight’s episode. I fully expect to see a lot of commercials in the coming weeks since I’ll be watching a lot of March Madness on CBS. I’m a huge fan of the show, but I’m also a huge fan of March Madness. It’s the one tourney that I really look forward to every year. I run pools, I do the brackets, and I’m always disappointed in my picks. Happens every year… But, I’m usually able to pick a relatively good bracket for one of my sons, so – unbeknownst to them – their winnings goes toward a bottle of something good for daddy…
Public Service Announcement: Gambling and Alcoholism are two serious issues. If YOU have a problem with gambling or drinking…do them simultaneously and it won’t be a problem…
Alrighty then, we know a tribe swap is happening, so let’s hope that breathes a little life into the remaining Brains. Something tells me that everyone’s alliances are going to be thrown for a loop as castaways find themselves in very different situations. I wonder who’s going to benefit and who’ll suffer? With all the reviewing I’ve been doing of past seasons, I’ve been reminded of how serious a tribe shake-up can affect a season, so I’m anxious to see how tonight’s episode will play out.
As the 3 remaining Brains (we’ll call them that again until they lose the title) return from voting X’XXX out, the players find their unattended fire is still lit, which Kass believes is a sign that things are turning around for them. Personally, I’d chalk that up to all the rice that’s still smoldering in the pit… Spencer is feeling rejuvenated and needs to hug it out with the ladies for saving his butt. Most would be happy just to TELL their tribe how thankful they are, but I think Spencer was looking for a little boob graze from Tasha…
It comes out that the decision to keep Spencer over X’XXX was actually a late decision by the girls, who stupidly thought that “that other person” may have served their purposes better. But thankfully, they came to their senses and realized they’d be back in front of Jeff 3 days later if they did. So they might as well start – I don’t know – playing the game…
Next morning, Treemail announces what appears to be a Reward Challenge involving food, and all three Brainiacs are excited to put their new tribe mantra into effect…
“I’m gonna wash that X’XXX right outta my hair…”
At the challenge, Jeff calls everyone in and immediately announces the big news…
“Drop your buffs…Brains, Brawn and Beauty is no more…!”
And just like that, the production staff begins to scramble as all the Survivor letterhead and insignias needed to be changed. Wonder what the season is going to be called from hereon out…
After everyone draws new buffs, the new tribe lineups are:
APARRI
Sarah (formerly Brawn)
Spencer (Brain)
Tasha (Brain)
Kass (Brain)
Morgan (Beauty)
Jeremiah (Beauty)
Alexis (Beauty)
SOLANA
Batman (Brawn)
Robin (Brawn)
Trish (Brawn)
Tony (Brawn)
Lindsey (Brawn)
LJ (Beauty)
Jefra (Beauty)
So right off the bat, I’m thinking that everyone on the Brawn tribe, save Sarah, is happy with the new tribes. Having a 5-on-3 advantage, even if those 5 weren’t always playing together, is a huge advantage in this stage of the game. Morgan should also consider herself lucky, because she’s now suddenly able to play with the other members of the Beauty tribe in the hope of keeping their numbers strong. And while Sarah may be all alone on her new tribe, she could also play an interesting role by becoming a swing vote for either alliance. But once she makes that decision, it may put her #4 in an alliance with 3 others. Can’t wait to see how all that plays out…
Jeff reveals what the challenge involves and no surprise we’ve seen it in a previous season. One member will hold onto a pole while two members of the opposite tribe try to pull them off and drag them across the finish line. We’ve seen this challenge in Survivor: Gabon and if that season is any indication, it should end up in a dogfight. There are a lot of big bodies in today’s game; I can’t wait to see how vicious this gets.
First round is women only so I expect a lot of tickling and pillow fights… What? No pillows!? That’s not right. Oh, well, looks like it’s now become a catfight.
Trish and Jefra will be trying to extricate Tash, while Sarah and Coconuts (only using that nickname since they’ll come into play here) will try to remove Lindsey. Both “pole grabbers” are holding on tight (can I use that phrase on this site?). You’d think with all of Sarah’s police training, she should be able to handle Lindsey on her own. However, Morgan’s tactic of sticking her boobs in Lindsey’s face is just the sort of strategy that reality shows need…to boost ratings. Well played, Coconuts! Score one for Aparri.
Round 2 involves Jeremiah and Spencer trying to remove Cliff, and LJ and Trish attempting to remove Alexis. I THINK I know who’s going to win this one… And sure enough, Alexis might as well have simply gotten up and walked to the line as she’s out in about 10 seconds. Aparri 1 – Solana 1.
Final round: Spencer and Jeremiah trying to get Cliff off the pole again, with Tony and Lindsey attempting to get Sarah. Something’s wrong in how the tribes decided to pick who takes on whom, but let’s see how it plays out. I’m guessing Tony and Lindsey are going to remove Sarah first…
And…that wasn’t too well thought out, was it, Aparri? Solana wins, 2 to 1. I guess with a guy like Cliff, there’s no way that ANYONE was going to get his ass off the pole, but that’s what happens when you have a dude who’s 6’-9”… They should keep his big ole butt on this tribe for awhile, right?
And with that, the tribe comprised of Brawn and Beauty win the reward of doughnuts and cookies. Something tells me that’s not their usual dietary intake, but I’m sure they were happy…
Loved the play by play of your thoughts during the tribal council. I could not believe that LJ didn’t play his idol. There must have been more behind the scenes that we didn’t get to see that made him that confident . . . or he was just lucky! Because what we were shown did not have me convinced that Tony was going to swing and go with them.
And I really had to laugh at everyone trying to get Cliff off the pole. He almost looked a little bored with their efforts.
Thanks for the great recap!
Nice job. As always, we obviously aren’t seeing everything otherwise LJ would have played the idol. He had to know for sure he was safe.
Can’t wait to see your list. As a baseball junkie I’m definitely a stats girl so this should be good!
Hey, Thanks for the “man boob” shout out! Enjoyed the recap as always. A few questions….Did you think it was dumb to get rid of Cliff? I don’t get why you vote out Cliff and keep Trish (both are from the same tribe)????? Also, did I hear right…did Spencer mention after the merge that Garrett had an idol? How did he know that? Can’t wait to see the list and where you place Russell. He’s my all time favorite…I don’t honestly get why so many viewers hate him. He’s the one that made the show fun again.
(rsanon) Thanks for all your support! Yeah, it must be they’re holding back some footage (obviously) but it’s like they’re holding back some PRETTY IMPORTANT FOOTAGE. Ya know? If LJ was totally buying what Tony is selling, it would be nice to know that, but I understand they gotta weave a story…
(ericah) I’m getting “goosies” (sorry, JLo!) just thinking of the first reveal. Pretty cool we get to start with the “Worst Survivor Player of All Time.” Do you know who it might be?
And I’ve always been a stats guy — dating back to when I’d scour the NEWSPAPER daily for baseball game stats. The good old days…
(kinbville) My pleasure! (I couldn’t resist…) And yeah, it was dumb to get rid of him so early. As I said in my Fish Rules: Keep your tribe strong! If they had no consideration of hidden immunity idols – which it appears they did – it makes more sense to get rid of Jefra and keep the tribe strong. Everyone is so juiced to make a big play and get rid of a big threat, but is THE FORMER NBA PLAYER really a threat to win it all? I think not… Keep the tribe strong, avoid tribal council, possibly DEVELOP A SOLID TOP 4 OR 5 ALLIANCE and get to the merge and dominate. Seems crazy that no one ever grasps that concept…
And yeah, I seem to recall hearing Spencer say that, but it didn’t occur to me how he knew. I’ll try to do some digging on that…
I can tell you that Russell did pretty well in The List, but his early exit in Redemption Island hurt him. I’ve always hated him just because he seemed very misogynistic and a bully. 2 qualities I HATE in people. True, he made for good TV, but I’ve always been a bigger fan of guys like Ozzy (great in challenges and a lover of nature) than guys like Russell who just thought they were great players. I’ve always appreciated the “survival” aspect of Survivor, so I gravitate towards the heroes/puzzlers/naturists kinda players… And the girls with boob jobs… 😉