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Friday, September 15, 2006
8:34 pm
58 Comments
After weeks of drama and anticipation, Survivor: Cook Islands finally premiered last night and for once, America was treated to an hour of uninhibited segregation. For those of you who’ve spent this summer in a cave (or in the Big Brother house), Mark Burnett decided to stir things up this season and divide the tribes into four groups based on ethnicity. This meant our normal gaggle of whites, blacks, Latinos, and Asians were all kept away from each other except for the inevitable challenge when they were all pitted against each other in a battle of racial supremacy that would finally set the record straight as to who was the strongest race IN THE WORLD!!!!
Or something like that. Turns out this “social experiment” was — surprise — no big deal. The general consensus amongst most the players was that they cared more about the quality of the people on their tribes, not their skin color. A good lesson for all of us. Thanks CBS!This season’s obligatory, ostentatious intro began on board a seafaring vessel. I’m not totally down with my maritime terminology, but I believe the tribes were on a schooner of some sort, specifically, the S. S. Probst. Sure enough, our khaki-clad host was on board too, and while the cast members scurried about the deck, collecting as many supplies as possible in two minutes, Jeff yelled at us about how rigorous the game was and yada yada yada. At one point, a chicken went wandering into the ocean, causing an angry Probst to bellow, “YOU NEED TO CATCH THAT CHICKEN!!!!” All poultry MUST be accounted for! Cut to later that night, as Probst wakes up in a cold sweat and laments, “I could have saved that chicken. I could have saved it. I promised father I’d always save the chickens, but I didn’t. I didn’t. He then sobs in Julie’s arms.
When he wasn’t busy coordinating a chicken rescue mission, Probst revealed to us the twist of this season: “They’ve been divided into four very unique tribes.” Yes, unique. It’s a season of uniqueness! Let’s celebrate!
In a preemptive effort to stave off criticism, Probst then tried to play up the non-racist angle. “This is a social experiment unlike ever before,” he said, sadly stealing a page from Ashton Kutcher’s Beauty & The Geek. Maybe with any luck, Richard Rubin will appear on the island and serve up more of his HI-larious high-jinks. Actually, next season, I recommend jocks vs. geeks. That would be amazing.
Anyway, time was running out for the survivors to collect as many items as possible. Everyone was in such a rush to grab supplies that even poor Jeff nearly got knocked over. Maybe that’s why he seemed particularly prickly moments later when he barked, “Thirty seconds! LET’S GO!!!” Maybe it’s too early to say, but I think “LET’S GO!!!” is rapidly becoming the “But First” of Jeff Probst.
Finally, time expired, and as you can imagine, Jeff Probst was none too shy about announcing it. “GET OVERBOARD!!!!” he yelled as if he were about to pull out a machine gun and plow them all down. We then segued into the opening credits, featuring an incredibly unflattering slow-mo shot of a woman in leggings plummeting into the sea. Ah yes. This was going to be a good season.
After the credits, we gazed upon the Cook Islands which were presented to us with the sort of pomp and circumstance befitting a royal procession. The teams paddled to their campsites, and as they braved the waves, everyone commented on this season’s wacky segregationist twist. “When I saw the tribes were split right along racial lines, I was like ‘Oh God. This was going to be hard,’” said Latino Ozzy, who added, “I knew it would be hard because we Latinos are very lazy.” Just kidding! Having some stereotype fun! Oh, don’t get mad at me. Pretend there’s moody music in the background. Then it’ll feel like I’m a deleted scene from Crash!
Sundra (black) then noted that skin color didn’t matter (oops. Pretend I didn’t just say “black”). She observed that when it comes to surviving, it’s a “human effort.” I then expected to see a shooting rainbow star fly across the screen, followed by the words “The More You Know,” but alas, it never happened. To make myself feel better, I did watch Donald Trump’s anti-smoking PSA. Smoking sucks… the air right out of your lungs! And you’re going to need them FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!!! I could watch that all day.
But enough tangental Trump. Over on the Asian tribe, Yul noted “on the one hand, I think it’s a great opportunity… at the same time, I’m a little worried that it might play out to caricatures and stereotypes.” Caricatures and stereotypes on reality TV? NEVER!
Finally, weighing in from the crackers was a girl named Parvati (not to be confused with Pavarotti. Or Havarti cheese, for that matter). She kind of shrugged nervously and said she wasn’t sure if all this was “kosher.” Hey, was that her way of making fun of my people, The Jews, for being excluded from this multi-cultural event? Sound the shofar! I’M STARTING A LETTER-WRITING CAMPAIGN!
Anyway, the first tribe to reach land were the Latinos, who shall heretofore be known as “Aitu,” which is Survivor-ese for “Latino.” Billy, a heavy metal musician / buffet-enthusiast, boasted that the Latinos would have an impressive advantage because they all had tropical roots. And as we all know, being born in the tropics gives you an innate ability to start fire, hunt food, and gallop through obstacle courses with ease! Just like the way my Jewish roots make me a natural bagel maker. Granted, I’ve never made one before, but if I were to try, I’d surely be wonderful!
Well, Billy alerted his tribe that he knew exactly how to make a shelter and toilet. And by that, he meant he knew how to bang branches against trees — because that’s all he did. Luckily, Ozzy stepped up and took over the shelter building. He was also the first person this season to climb up a tree and kick coconuts down to the thankful people below. Oh, what a joyful day for the Aitu folk.
Over at Puka (Asian peeps), an old hippie dude named Cao Boi (pronounced Cowboy) began making Asian jokes right off the bat. “No more Asian jokes!” one girl demanded. But Cao Boi could not be stopped.
“All that rice!” he said, referring to Puka’s inability to paddle quickly or something like that.
“Don’t make stereotypes!” the girl then responded. It was so Don Cheadle and Jennifer Esposito. I wanted to hand over an academy award right then and there.
Anyway, this Cao Boi dude was actually pretty funny. He noted that he’s not first generation Asian nor is he an immigrant. He was a straight up refugee from Vietnam, and he liked nothing more than to play with Asian stereotypes. “Nobody suspects these little people with slanted eyes to see anything… people always underestimate the Asians,” he said. I can guarantee that my friend Eunnok was probably clapping enthusiastically at this point, possibly waving a flag.
Well, with his ethnic humor and hippie mentality, Cao Boi quickly became the crazy old coot that the young’ns can’t stand. This wasn’t a surprise to him though. He explained that he’s never fit in with the Asian community because of his hippie looks. He just doesn’t match the perception of the white-collar Asian male, he commented. I wonder if he’s a good driver?
Over at Hiki, the black tribe, everyone felt a desire to “represent.” A woman named Rebecca expressed pressure to show that “black people do swim. Yes, black people do know how to get on a boat and paddle. I mean, we don’t just run track.” Let’s just say, it’s a good thing that Osten wasn’t on this cast.
Unfortunately, what Hiki “represented” was total disorganization. It was a classic case of too many cooks in the kitchen, causing an affable guy named Nate told us, “Black people don’t like being told what to do.” Don’t perpetuate stereotypes to me, NATE! I am trying to learn and grow from this experience like a mighty daffodil! Don’t wilt me with your caricatures!
Luckily, a hefty man named Sekou stepped up, or so he said, and led the way towards building a shelter. Unfortunately, the little hut looked like it would probably buckle under the weight of a single raindrop. Once again — it’s been about six years since the original Survivor aired. You’d think people would bone up on this stuff before coming on.
Finally, we headed over to the Raro tribe, home to the white folk. Spirits were high over here, especially since the group had managed to procure two of those chickens Jeff Probst had gotten so riled up about. The guys stuffed the chicken in a dark crate, and then everyone assembled to pat themselves on the back. “I think we should have a coconut and toast to our victory,” one girl said, never really clarifying what victory she was referring to. Maybe their triumph over the chickens? Bravo indeed!
Nevertheless, the Raro tribe did a little toast to “the whiteys,” and just when everything seemed to be all fine and dandy, a dreadlocked girl named Jessica (or Flicka — her nickname) decided to lift up a crate, and oops! There go the chickens! Yes, those birds went running out of there so fast it was like we were at the poultry Olympics. Everyone chased the chickens into the jungle, but it was not meant to be. Flicka had fucka’d up, raising the ire of everyone, particularly one surly fella named Jonathan. He’d never forget, he said. NEVER!
Chicken Run!
We then went to commercial, and when we returned, we were greeted by a giant moray eel which graciously opened its cavernous mouth and tried to bite off the camera. Clearly, it wasn’t a fan of racial Survivor.
“Greetings!”
Anyway, there was excitement over at Hiki (black tribe) as the ladies found a giant barrel of water, which was then followed by some general female bonding. Well, at least female bonding for two people. Rebecca and Sundra instantly clicked, what with them both being from New York, but Stephannie (with two n’s, dammit!) was left out of the lovefest. Never a good position to be in.
A little later on, we watched the traditional exercise in futility: the Survivor fire-making sequence. Once again, I couldn’t help wondering why no one had boned up on their fire research. Time and time again, it’s always the same “push one stick against another,” and to this day, I’m pretty sure we’ve never seen anyone successfully execute this technique. There’s got to be a better way, yes?
Well, Stephannie may have been annoyed that she wasn’t part of the Rebecca and Sundra’s growing friendship, but she was even more furious that Sekou, the so-called leader, was taking breaks from camp chores nonstop. “I’m not going to say anything more to him right now because I’m in a state of piss-tation!” she declared, coining my favorite new phrase of the week.
Meanwhile, over at the whiteys, everyone cozied up together in the shelter, huddling close for warmth. The group complained about the frigid temperatures, but at the same time, the men all seemed to be shirtless. I’ll just have to assume their vestments were still damp and unpleasant. Otherwise, they’re all idiots (which is not out of the question yet). “This is officially a cuddle puddle,” one girl announced. Later, she found out that her cuddle puddle was merely just a pool of monkey urine.
Well, the temperature may have been cool, but things were certainly getting hot. We learned that pretty Candace seemed to like hunky Adam, and hunky Adam seemed to like pretty Candace. The first signs of a new Survivor showmance? Possibly. We’ll keep you updated!
The next morning, over at the Asian tribe, Brad (who I think might go to my gym) complained of a throbbing headache, but silly him. It wasn’t a headache! It was just a case of bad wind! According to Cao Boi, Brad’s pain was caused by a build up of “bad wind” which he proceeded to pull out by essentially squishing Brad’s face like a stress toy. I kind of wanted to laugh at it all, but then I felt badly since this was some sort of Vietnamese/cultural/homeopathic/Eastern medicine thing. Either way, when Cao Boi was done breaking wind (chuckle), Brad’s face was left with a nasty red welt in between the eyes, or as Cao Boi called it, an “indicator.” He assured Brad that it would fade away after a day or so (you know, the way MOST blemishes do), and I couldn’t help feeling like he was making up all this bad wind stuff on the spot.
When the other tribe mates snickered at Brad’s face, Cao Boi explained to us that they just didn’t understand. They had been raised around antibiotics and whatnot and had lost their Asian roots. Suddenly, Yul appeared on screen with what looked like a spontaneous mole on his nose (or it could have been a beetle). Let’s hope he rid himself of it quickly because as we’ve quickly discovered, his tribe has no tolerance for facial imperfections!
After the commercial break, it was time for our first immunity challenge of the season, and here’s a shocker: it was an overly elaborate and convoluted obstacle/puzzle course. But before we learned the rules, Probst asked Yul about the chicken he had supposedly left the ship with. Turns out that Jonathan over on the white tribe had stolen it inadvertently. Typical white man’s greed.
Anyway, today big challenge required the tribes to assemble a “puzzle boat,” get seven braces to keep the puzzle boat in one piece, paddle out into the ocean with the puzzle boat, light a torch, return to shore, remove the braces, and race to the starting mat. But wait! There’s more! At the starting mat, teams would find four puzzles in the form of North, South, East, and West. Once the puzzles were solved, teams then had to use the braces as ladder rungs, climb up a wall, placing the solved compass puzzle pieces in designated spots all along, and then light a flag on top. First three tribes with all its members at the top with a lit flag would win immunity. They’d also receive fire for their camps, and the first team to complete the challenge would get a fire-making kit. Probst then revealed that there was one more twist, which had been written on a teeny-tiny piece of paper — but he wouldn’t reveal it until after the challenge. Oooh! Maybe there was a fifth tribe! Eskimos!
Well, right off the bat, the Latinos took an early lead putting together their puzzle boat, which they had in the water in no time. The Asians held a close second place, followed by the whites, and then the blacks. Sadly, the Hiki tribe was unable to put together its puzzle boat, possibly the easiest part of the challenge. Jeff Probst soon scolded them, yelling, “LET’S GO!!!” I love when he turns into a gym teacher!
Meanwhile, in the water, the white people’s raft began to fall apart, and for a moment, it looked like Hiki was closing the gap. But alas, they were still quite far behind. Aitu and Puka arrived at the puzzle station at nearly the same time, and sure enough, the Asians rocked this section and moved ahead. For those of you keeping score, what we’ve learned so far is that Latinos are great at building rafts, Asians are great at puzzles, black people suck at water stuff, and white people steal from minorities. Yay!
(And by the way, if you’re about to write me a nasty email, save yourself the energy. It was a joke! I feel like I’m going to have to include disclaimers all season long).
Well, the Asian tribe easily made it to the top of their ladder first, securing immunity and a fire kit for themselves. They were followed by the Latinos, leaving the whites and the blacks to battle it out. Side note: the NAACP said it was going to reserve judgment of Survivor: Cook Islands until after the show airs. Something tells me they won’t be too happy with this scenario.
Anyway, the Raro folk struggled with their puzzles (obvious misdirection), but sure enough, they zipped ahead to their ladder first. But wait! They had forgotten their puzzle pieces! Silly white people! I think we were supposed to believe that this challenge was close enough that Hiki might just come from behind and win, but sadly, it wasn’t. Raro comfortably claimed the third immunity spot, which meant that this first time out, the blacks proved to be the weakest race of the week. Damn this show for perpetuating the stereotype that black people can never put together puzzle boats, secure them with braces, paddle out to a buoy and back, race to a puzzle, put it together, assemble a ladder, climb up high, and light a torch!
However, there was good news for Hiki. Probst opened up his dainty note and revealed that the losing tribe could send any one person from the other three tribes to Exile Island (yes!).
“That’s what I’m talking about!” said Nate proudly, clearly forgetting that he was about to face ELIMINATION.
Jeff Probst then reminded us that the hidden immunity idol would be back, and let there be no confusion: he said it would be good through the final four. Well, who to send to Exile? In a striking move, Nate and Sekou suddenly removed themselves from their tribe, conferred, and decided to send Jonathan away as payback for his chicken thievery. Our curious host then commented, “It was interesting to note that the two guys came out here and made the decision, and the women stayed back.” Probst LOVES social psychology!
After the break, we saw Exile Island for the first time this season, and it looked even more bare than the last time around. Jonathan wasn’t sure why he had been picked, but he surmised, “I think it was because I took the Asian guy’s chicken that the African American guys chose me.” Actually, that’s exactly what they said when they picked you. Well deduced!
Jonathan then received his first idol clue, which cryptically said, “To make a top grade, stand in a line. If the Southern isle vanishes, a salvation you’ll find.” I love how mysterious these clues start off. By the third week, they’re always like “Look under the rock.”
Over at Hiki, it was time for the game to truly begin. Sekou and Nate quickly noticed the way Sundra and Rebecca had bonded together. The guys said they’d be stupid if they were to gang up on them, only because they’d need all the brute force they could get. However, the girls were quite eager to get rid of the boys. And so began a battle of the sexes amidst our battle of the races. Stick that in your pipe and smoke it, Probst!
It became very obvious that Stephannie was now the swing vote in this tribe. Sekou tried to win her over to the men’s side by saying that if she were to stay with the women, she’d be the third wheel and out in two weeks (unlike if she were aligned with the men?). He then made an even more appealing pitch by saying, “When I build a fire, y’all better keep it going because y’all boot me out there, there aint’ going to be no more fire.” Stephannie quickly reminded him that he hadn’t actually built a fire yet, but whatever. Details shmetails. I love how Sekou basically just tried to sell himself on skills he only potentially had.
The gang then headed up to Tribal Council, which, this year, was housed in an old pirate ship of some sort. Nothing too exciting happened at this first Tribal Council. Rebecca noted that Sekou had stepped up as a leader right away, and then Nate praised his tribe for having a “beautiful spirit.” Probst tried to work his instigative magic by noting that Stephannie was the odd man out, but it didn’t really amount to anything.
Finally, it was time to vote. Sekou wrote down Sundra’s name, although he spelled it “Sandra,” and Rebecca wrote down Sekou’s name, although she spelled it “Seko.” Something tells me we’re going to be in for a lot of misspellings this season. When it came time for Stephannie to vote, all we saw was her writing an “S,” which is Mark Burnett’s favorite trick in the book. He loves nothing more than to fake us out with the ambiguous letters.
Well, no surprise on the voting: two for Sundra, two for Sekou. But what of Stephannie’s swing vote? SEKOU.
And just like that, we had our first Survivor casualty of the season. Which race will persevere next week? I guess we’ll just have to tune in to find out!
What did you think about the premiere? Was it a whole lot of controversy over nothing really? Or did this absolutely scandalize your soul?
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58 Comments
Whitey has the first comment!
I thought it was great. The Racially divided tribes play into their own sterotypes for laughs so why shouldn’t we? I like the Asian tribe best. So far b/c they seem to work the best together. Picking Jonathan to go to Exile Island was stupid. Why wouldn’t they send someone from the WINNING team to weaken them for a little while? Instead they sent someone from the team that came in third. Stupid move.
Pretty much much ado about nothing. But I like it. The most interesting part is that within the tribes, everyone is pairing up along the same old Survivor lines: sex and age. As a “social experiment,” whether that schism continues seems a lot more interesting than the race schism. And B-Side, I may be wrong (deleted it off my Tivo), but I’m almost positive the crazy old Viet Nam hippie guy was wearing a Star of David in one at least one scene – Oi – Burnett has thought of everything.
Pretty much much ado about nothing. But I like it. The most interesting part is that within the tribes, everyone is pairing up along the same old Survivor lines: sex and age. As a “social experiment,” whether that schism continues seems a lot more interesting than the race schism. And B-Side, I may be wrong (deleted it off my Tivo), but I’m almost positive the crazy old Viet Nam hippie guy was wearing a Star of David in at least one scene – Oi – Burnett has thought of everything.
Wow, it’s like a tomb in here. Saturday morning and only three posts. You know why? Cuz people know when they’re being manipulated. This ain’t the ’50′s, when folks would watch any damn thing the networks threw up on the screen. Burnett is now my choice to become the long-awaited “Producer-Who-Brings-Us-A-Real-Live-Murder-In-Prime-Time”.
Idiot. Les Moonves is an idiot also. No wonder his network’s dead last. I can only hope and pray that NO ONE watches this crap.
I really liked it. Though, everytime I hear the tribe name Aitu being called out I think they are saying iTunes, and it really annoys me! I also think it would be funny if on the way to tribal council, somebody asked Sekou how to spell his name!
Stop praying G-Money ‘cuz I’m watching this “crap” al the way til the end.
I think it would have been funny if all the tribes’ buffs were color coordinated to compliment their ethnicities.
W00t! Survivor! Cao Boi is definitely my home boiii. I love him!
We are white but are rooting for the black people because they have a better sense of humor. We like funny people. I guess the Asians are second funniest.
Hey B-side, you inferred your friend Eunnok was Asian. I think he’s a Klingon.
The premiere was great. I loved all the chicken action. It made me very… joyful.
Uhm, G-Money, CBS is the number one network because of the CSI franchise. You must be thinking of their nightly news ratings.
I liked the premiere. I’ll definitely be watching it the whole way through. The man-candy doesn’t hurt either. There are lots this year: Ozzy(Bobby Jon redux), Yul(Lost Jin’s cousin), Adam(BB Howie’s brother), Brad(the token gay guy), and JP(who I heard is bisexual and is dating Brad now after having a “showmance” on the show with a woman(just a rumor by the way)).
Anyway, I like Cao Boi, Ozzy, Jenny, and JP for now. Cao Boi is hilarious. His teammates, however, are too self aware and cant take a joke. Jenny(Filipino girl) is pretty intense which is cool. JP seems like a nice guy and Ozzy’s adorable.
I thought Nate and Sekou seperating themselves and making the decision of sending Jonathan into “Exile” without the including the women, was pretty stupid. That’s why one of them got sent home.
“For those of you keeping score, what we’ve learned so far is that Latinos are great at building rafts, Asians are great at puzzles, black people suck at water stuff, and white people steal from minorities. Yay!”
That made me LOL…
so did
“I love how mysterious these clues start off. By the third week, they’re always like “Look under the rock.” ”
HAHAHA…. TOO FUNNY!!
Anywho.. I thought the premiere was pretty good. Just like any other Survivor. After a while I didn’t even notice they were seperated by race.
Right now I’m cheering for ole hippy asian guy, Cao Boi. He seems like a cool guy that has a great time no matter where he is.
Cao Boi is now my 2nd favorite reality Cowboy. This one speaks English better.
At the end of the immunity challenge I had a flashback of “Black family, you have been eliminated”.
The whiteys are BORING. Flicka, seriously, wtf did you lift the crate? What good ever came from crate lifting?
Their attempts at orginality look more ad more desperate. How else will they divide up the teams in the future? On the basis of hair colour, social class? Personality (sanguine, melancholic, phlegmatic, choleric) or sexuality (gay, straight, bi, trans)? In 5 years expect Survivor: Naked Zombie Island.
Maybe they should throw some Flavor of Love girls in.. I’d love to see New York try and start a fire and go without make-up for a few weeks.
I like the Asian Rupert and the Latino Ethan.
hb
Despite all the controversy, it really is just like any season of Survivor. Though I feel like maybe they went out of their way to make the White team look dopey, just to skirt any accusations of favoritism. I find Cao Boi kind of annoying, though his boasting and such reminds me a lot of Bruce from last season.
I find myself less annnoyed with the publicity ploy and more irritated by the sheer amount of STUFF everyone is given on Survivor nowadays. What happened to the days of having to eat rats and bugs and being forced to actually build a shelter out of nothing but what could be found? Survivor is getting bloody cushy.
“Maybe they should throw some Flavor of Love girls in.. I’d love to see New York try and start a fire and go without make-up for a few weeks.”
I would pay money to see New York and Bootz asses on SURVIVOR. Their fat mouths wouldn’t be running as much.
The CBS morning show on Friday showed an interview of Sekou and I happened to catch it. Sekou said that he didn’t apply – he was recruited in some way – and that it happened very quickly prior to the Survivors getting sequestered just before they start filming. Which left him no time to bone up on Survivor issues or study how to make fire and shelter and stuff.
It seems to me that a lot – or maybe even all, but I’m not sure yet – of the Survivors aren’t that familiar with previous seasons, which I think is even cooler than the ethnic tribe social experiment thingy. There was something quite interesting about Rob Cesternino, a self-described Survivor buff (as in a huge fan of the show, not to be confused with the ring-o-stretchy-fabric type of buff), played the game several season ago, especially how he manipulated…crap, what was that guy’s name that made it to F2 with Jenna?…Matthew? Anyway, Matthew was a complete Survivor novice and Rob tried to take Matthew under his Survivor wing and teach him the finer points about playing the game, but in the end, the novice got a lot farther and the “expert” got booted early.
*Brief tangent – my Dad always joked that he never wanted to be known as an expert because an “ex” is a has-been and a “spurt” is just a drip under pressure. teehee. Tangent over.*
But I digress. If, in fact, this batch of Survivors have been recruited instead of being hard-core Survivor fans who went to the extreme to make a tape and stand in lines and whatnot, this season will be especially fun for us hardcore fans to watch. They will be cocky and make wild assumptions and huge mistakes. And most especially, we’ll all enjoy making fun of them like B-Side did so wittily in this recap.
Where’s the Arab team, damnit?
Maybe that’s next season, they’ll bring out the other nationalities: Arab, Indian, Native American and White. Cause ya can’t have a show without Caucasians…
I think the race card was pretty much a flop. It’s just like the other episodes. They need to do something to boost the ratings. phone.
Maybe next season they have audience voting, yaknow, like “You have 2 hours to text your vote over your
Or maybe it’s time for Survivor: Antartica
I think the race card was pretty much a flop. It’s just like the other episodes. They need to do something to boost the ratings.
Maybe next season they have audience voting, yaknow, like “You have 2 hours to text your vote over your [blatant advertiser plug] phone. ”
Or maybe it’s time for Survivor: Antartica
“I am trying to learn and grow from this experience like a mighty daffodil! Don’t wilt me with your caricatures!” Oh lord, B-Side, you crack me up.
I agree that the race thing isn’t that big a deal. On each tribe you’ve got someone who thinks they can do everything, someone who’s an idiot, someone who’s too intense and so on. It’s just like any other Survivor.
Flicka- you friggin’ idiot! Did you forget the chickens were under there? Or did you think they weren’t going to run if they got the chance? If she isn’t the first whitey voted off I will be shocked.
Oh and everyone please stop refering to Cao Boi as old. He is only 42! I’m older than he is so you’re making me cranky!
Mazel tov, B-Side, your megillah had this shikse laughing with nachas until I was shvitsn, you mensch!
Oh, and Adam’s a bastard.
I think it just proves that race isn’t a factor when it comes to Survivor…..It’s more like high school…who’s more popular, who’s the geek, the brain, the outcast etc….the only prejudice I saw was that the fat guys are considered lazy and useless !!!!! The nerve…
Ah…good old Survivor. How I have missed thee…
My favorites are Cao Boi, Jonathan, Ozzy and Becky. I also like Parvati and Cristina. And Nate, because he kind of reminds me of Anthony Anderson. I think it’s the hair.
Cao Boi is kind of like the Rupert/Bruce of this season, and Flicka is this season’s Courtney. Seriously..she has dreads, she’s a “performance artist” and she’s really weird. Not to mention she’s an idiot.
Excellent recap! Go Cao Boi!! (by the way, he was wearing a Star of David in one take, I’m sure of it)
~Georgia~
Yay, Survivor is back! And the Amazing Race 10 starts tomorrow night! This is a great weekend.
I like a lot of people this season. But I think I love Ozzy (Aitu/ Hispanic tribe) already. I haven’t spotted someone who has annoyed me yet but Jessica lost points for being so dumb with the chickens. What was she looking for under that crate??? Let’s hope she’s not just like Courtney from last season because that would be very sad.
Funny recap, B-Side!! Thanks!
zoobabe: “stop praying”? Does this mean that I can continue to hope?
Hey, whatever floats people’s boats. We all have our viewing vices, I certainly have mine. However, the whole color thing has been beaten to death, resurrected and beaten again. There are things that humanity really needs to get over. Separation from one another because of our race, nationality, religion, food-eating habits, whatever, is what continues to hold us back from creating the kind of world that so many claim to want to have.
Until we recognize that we are ONE and revel in our commonality instead of wallowing pridefully in our perceived “differences”, there will always be war, violence, deceit, miscegenation and disregard for our brother/sister, the very things many claim that they want to do away with.
There are those in high places who want us to remain separate and apart from one another, who wish to keep us divided against ourselves, making it easier to control us. Like cattle being led to slaughter, we cluelessly fall into the trap every time.
We must be careful of what we accept into our minds. We are what we think.
G-Money–
Dude, it’s just a TV show, get over yourself.
crazee4mullets:
Your dopey reponse was not unexpected. You’re one of those people who hate to use their brain unless it’s for wrestling or pornography.
Go back to sleep. Call back when you get a clue…dude.
Next season – Survivor:Battle of Religions. They will divide the tribes into Muslims, Jews, Evangelical Christians and Scientologists. Which tribe would be the villains?
Howie and Adam are separated at birth… look at their official photos on CBS.com… eerily similar.
Oh,man…I sat down to watch Survivor and discovered I hadn’t set it to tape! Thanks for the great recap! I feel like I know what’s going on now!
BTW: Is there something that looks like the letter “A” on Exile Island? I think the first clue is referring to the crossbar on the letter “A” (which is the “top grade”) Just a thought. (If I’m way off…oh,well…I’m a teacher…which explains why I’ve got grades on my mind.)
G-Money is it really necessary to insult people? Why do you even come to this site? You must be aware that it’s a site devoted to enjoying television, right? The people who log on want to enjoy reading about their favorite shows, not be told how worthless they are for watching tv. If you want to preach, stand on a street corner somewhere and let the rest of us have some fun.
yeah G-money, you can keep hoping…to get a sense of humor. Racial sterotypes exist b/c at SOME point, there was a bit of truth to them. Of course they don’t describe EVERY person of that race and that’s why it’s funny to make fun of the sterotype for it’s pure existence. Comedians have been doing it for years. Anyone with a sense of humor can tell the difference between laughing at yourself and mean-spirited bigotry. Don’t get all high and mighty when the pure fun of this “social experiment” is to snark on it’s naivete.
B-side loved the recap, I think the media hype was unnecessary. IMO the only way MB/CBS was going to get more than one or two ethnic minorities on the show would be to create a premise where they could avoid illegal discrimination.
Cao Boi Rocks. Although I think his team will vote him off at their first opportunity. I think they are embarrassed by him and don’t want to give him too much air time. ( It’s a minority thing. If you belong to a minority group you probably understand. It’s what the Black team referred to as ‘Representing’).
Finally I noticed the Star of David on one of the guys on the Asian team also but I though it was the head ache guy.
I hate to sound cynical, but when Jeff was screaming at them to “get that chicken!” I thought he was desperate to keep the PETA freaks off their backs. Imagine if it got out that Survivor put defenseless fowl adrift on open seas?
I loved how Sekou kept saying he’d keep the fire going if they didn’t kick him out. He kept mentioning fire, like he was the fire master. If dude had shut his mouth and actually made a fire, he wouldn’t have been the first one auf’d.
G-Money, we get it. You hate this show. So stop posting here, it’s contrary to your stated logic.
Susanarosa: my question too! Where’s the Arab/Muslim tribe??
Dang. Why can’t we all just get along? (Grin) G-Money, let it be. Like it’s been pointed out, we’re just a bunch of people who are attracted to certain TV shows and enjoy the recapping and commenting. Like some said, if you don’t like it, then please use the door. There are shows being recapped here that I don’t like, so I don’t watch them and I don’t bitch about them. Hm. Isn’t that what tolerance is all about? Practice what you preach…now go home and get your shoe shine box.
For thos eof you looking for the Muslim representation, stay tuned for AR10 tonight. Running across the globe in a robe.
There’s noting wrong with watching television or even enjoying it, for that matter. What’s off-putting is when it’s watched with one’s brain turned off.
And it’s funny whenever a person says something that’s contrary to the status quo, he’s “preaching”, or “high-and-mighty”. I came here to voice my displeasure with the concept for a particular show, something I’ve seen done on this great website a thousand times. And I’ll continue to express my opinion as long as I have one. If what I have to say bothers someone, then perhaps that person ought to take a look within themselves to see why they are feeling a certain way.
And zevonia, when someone tells me to “Get over myself”, I feel that person has kinda forfeited their right to a civil response.
zoobabe: I’m disapppointed in your simplistic view of racial stereotypes. Racial stereotypes exist not because they are “true” but because there are people who erroneously feel “superior” to other people for various “reasons”. And one way to bolster that feeling of superiority over another is to denigrate another. BTW, I have a great sense of humor…but not everything in this world is ha-ha funny.
Memememe: Stop callin’ me out and I’ll stop postin’. I liked the show, but they’re desperate now, and that’s when I know it’s time to stop watching. You obviously have a higher threshold for manipulation than I do.
A point this show seems to be making already is that you can group people together by racial/ethnic groups, but there are still differences. Like the Asian team, for example. They don’t see themselves as really all that similar. They noted there are people from Korea, Japan, etc. Some were probably born in the U.S. Coi Boy (sp?) was a refuge. I think you would find similar differences in the other tribes. What about AR? I applaud them for more diversity, but what two teams are the first to go?
Great recap B-Side!
Yes, Coi Boy was wearing a Star of David – with his whole “bad wind” thing I am guessing he considers himself a new age healer type and embraces all religions. He is a trip and I believe will be a target within his own tribe. I thought Brad was going to cry when he didnt know how long the “hickey” Coi Boy gave him would last.
Here’s my stereotypical wisdom – Asians are very regimented and proud – they wont like Coi Boys over the top unconventional approach. He is a definate Bruce type mixed with some Courtney.
The Latino team seems pretty strong although Billy is their anchor and I loved B-Sides comment about his Buffet tendancies.
The Caucasian team was a hot bed of sexual attraction and stupidity. The cuddle puddle will lead to hut shenanigans for sure (what can we call them?).
The African American team was too A-typical. Leaving the girls out of the decision making was so blatent that I was stunned – how much was editing and how much just stupidity? That teams social dynamics will interest me the most only to see how they will function with 3 strong women and now only one man.
All in all, I enjoyed the social experiment and while I know it is for hype, I find it interesting and am so looking forward to this season.
Anyone else stunned that there is another Excile Island this season? I didnt know it was coming back and I never liked it – I know it breeds distrust and can add drama but I think it is a stupid twist to the whole survivor experiment.
Hm, I disagree with G-Money, but come on guys. His (her?) criticisms have been directed at the show, not anyone in particular, except for the person how told them to “get over yourself”. I think the response has been disproportionate to anything he/she has said.
I wasn’t bothered by the race thing; it’s not much different than men vs women, young vs old. They’ll probably mix the tribes next week anyway. btw, anyone else notice that the top tribes were the ones with 3-2 men/women. It was an advantage.
But really, the chicken RULED. Even though you know it’s gonna get eaten anyway, it really just didn’t seem right watching it being yanked around by the neck and dunked in the ocean, then stuck in small, fully enclosed box. GO CHICKEN!
“Look under the rock!” haha!
Sekou was an idiot. I loved the sight of him sprawled out on his docked raft.
Aitu, etu, etu, Aitu!
Doesn’t anyone do research? Can you only get picked for Survivor if you promise not to look up “How to Survive in the Wilderness for XX days” or google how to make fire?
And bad move Hiki! C’mon now, a lazy big guy might step it up on competitions and win you something better than a woman will. Hate to sound sexist but Sekou was stronger. He shouldn’t of been the first voted off.
Mr.C gets rid of my sinus headaches the same way Cao Bai does less a hickey on my face. Oh he doesn’t do the chanting. And he doesn’t expell out the bad energy. OK, maybe it isn’t the same but he can rub out a headache. Survivor’s been over how many days now and every time I think back to that “what happened to your face?!!!” I can’t stop giggling. People are looking at me wierd but I hope you all will understand.
Watching Survivor makes me feel like I’ve wasted three months of valuable brain cells on BB All Stars. Glad a real reality show is back on tv.
Loved this episode and loved that the tribes are split along racial lines. What’s all the hooplah about? Hell we live in our own self imposed segregated communites, keep our own self-imposed segregated friends. Who cares that the tribes are split along racial lines. It says a lot about a society that can’t even tolerate being grouped seperately on a tv show just to see how the interactions and social functions will turn out.
I say good luck Burnett. Let’s all sit back, enjoy the show, and find out if we’re all as fucked up as we all pretend NOT to be.
I tend to be sensitive to racial stereotypes, but so far so good . . . I was howling at this recap B-side . . . you are soooo wry!
Actually, I thought the “older” reference from last season was more offensive, and I did note, instead of using “African-American” team the first episode, he went straight to the meaningless, tribe names. Where do they get them!?
I’m very impressed with all of your abilites at name recall here, I’ve got few visuals on some of them, but only know a few. I didn’t really like Cowboy, but I respect that he removed the bad wind better than a black bean burrito. I like Sundra too . . . .was surprised she was singled out first time out.
NO JUDD’s this season, ugh!!!! Hopefully y’all wont attack me for criticizing the Survivor Gods for ignoring my plea for some beefy eye candy–any race would have done!!!! (middle eastern would have been a plus)
Will be interesting to see the dynamics when they start mixing tribes.
beachbound, you nailed it, w/out even viewing, they showed him make an A with an arch, but not sure he found it underneath.
I’m gonna side with zoobabe and zevonia, and all here trying to keep it fun . . . I swear, I watch these shows so I can snark it up with you people!!!!
I love the new format! What’s next, sexual preference??? It’s fun and twisty…..I’m anticipating what will happen when everyone is thrown together in the mix. Should be an exciting season.
Juddfan – the names are from the islands, Rarotonga, Atiutaki, Manihiki and Pukapuka. It is absolutely beautiful in the Cooks. The people are a beautiful blend of rather large, Samoan and Polynesian types. I just loved the fact they were larger than me – I felt so petite.
i’d watch that.
Thanks for the call out Belinda, and now I say, hmmm, beautiful islands, perhaps the show is getting too cushy!!!
Maybe Johnathan should have mentioned that the chickens escaped–doesn’t that mean his Karma already was abysmal!
juddfan-not liking your type myself, it seems like jonathan the chicken thief would fall into that.
I am not crazy about them bringing back the immunity idol or exile island elements. I’m sure they are running out of ideas, but they were never really great elements to begin with.
Last season when the tribes were divided by age and gender, that only lasted one episode-so we’ll see how long this race thing lasts.
Beachbound, I saw the A as well, but I got sidetracked thinking how close it was to “the Big W” from It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad Mad World. If you remember, the money WAS buried under the Big W…
I can’t root for Adam because he’s a fucking Hokie. It’s against my beliefs. So, that means I’m stuck with Cowboy since he’s the next closest to me. And B-side, he’s either a nail technician or nail shop owner, one of the two in Northern VA. I forget what occupation you said he did earlier.
I wish Victoria, and yeah, he does kind of, perhaps he’ll grow on me, but there’s something just now working with him (for me–or you!!!)
CB is a nail salon owner according to the captions . . .
Funny how adam is getting attention, I had to rewind to see who he was again. I’m thinking, saying he’s related to Howie is an insult to him and a compliment to Howie, but what would I know with my taste . . .
juddfan- the Latino rock guitarist (Billy?) isn’t pot-bellied enough for you?
B-Side, once again you crack me up!
I also really liked the show. I’m excited to see how they can tiptoe around all this controversy but still make it exciting.
B-side… I fell in love with you during BB allstars, but after Sound the Shofars, I’m officially a fan for life. Way to “represent” for the tribe, and when they have Survivor, Hebe edition, I’ll be your showmance. xoxo
Fantastic recap B-Side, it just makes the good shows better and the great shows fantastic.
I agree with the people who said much ado about nothing. The segregation hype was a marketing ploy to get people to watch the first episode (typically a boring one because they are trying to introduce everyone), generate some buzz to get some new viewers or to maybe get some of the lapsed Survivor fans back. This will not get interesting till they integrate the tribes. That could happen for all we know by the next show as it did with the last Survivor. Maybe they wait till there are 18 people and divide the tribes into three teams of six or two teams of nine. However it’s done I don’t think we will have to wait long.
You had to know that as soon as you saw the African American woman talk about showing people that they could swim and paddle a boat it was foreshadowing the coming of a challenge that took place on and/or in the water and that her team was going to lose.
Dr. Grissom:
I agree that Survivor is getting pretty cushy and it’s been that way for quite some time. Remember in the All-Star edition when the reward for winning the challenge was to have the home depot guys come in and build the winning teams shelter. When I saw that thing I thought what next cable TV and Internet. Did see the so-called “fire starting kit” the challenge winners got. It looked like a giant ball of very dry tumbleweed; kerosene and they also had flint. Why cheep out there, have the winning tribe paddle back and they have a stone fireplace built for them along with a native to tend it for them.
I remember one guy who brought a telescope or pair of binoculars as a personal item and that tribe used the lens to get a fire started without flint.
Very early after the first Survivor they were thinking of doing a Survivor Yukon but that was quickly nixed because it would defeat the primary purpose of survivor. If its cold you cant get the eye candy to wear a bikini or take their shirt off. Everybody looks very much the same with three layers of cloths on covered by a parka.
Some ways to make Survivor more difficult. This way you could really separate the wheat from the chaff when it came to people who really wanted to stay. 1) No flint or help with making a fire EVER. The teams make fire on their own or go cold. 2) Put the survivors in a place with water and food but don’t give it to them make them go get it. This has been done to a certain degree on some Survivors already. 3) The reward challenges are the only time you are ever given food. If you run out you are SOL. Again done to a certain extent on some of the previous episodes. 4) No help with the shelters (see Survivor All Stars for abuse of this rule).
Woot… finally a thread I can comment on!
On racial dividedness, I for one am glad they did something not-so-PC. Of course it will be skewed for TV and probably someone will be misconstrued for some comment at some point… but well, that’s reality TV in general for you. What I like is that they didn’t gratuitously add some racial supremicist on or something… they put in people who as far as I could tell, are cognizant of their ethnic background, but were in the middle parts of the spectrum as far as how much they wanted to “represent”.
On hippy Cao Boi and his “star of David”, I’m definitely going to have to watch that. I’m always a little cautious with religious symbols, because sometimes similar ones can have very different meanings that could be wrongly interpreted. For example, the Buddhist swastika is a symbol of good fortune, and perverted by Nazis when they put it backwards, to have the evil connotations it has today.
On Yul… can I just say how much I LOVE LOVE LOVE him! I think he is one smart, sexy, cool cat
I love that he found the immunity idol from that one clue. My boyfriend is going to be jealous of him real soon….