Facing The Fire

Survivor

By B-Side | Friday, May 12, 2006 | 7:42 pm | 42 Comments

These past few weeks of Survivor have been so great, and heading into Sunday’s finale, I couldn’t be more excited. I’m not just saying that because last night’s episode ended on such a wonderfully frustrating note. I am genuinely excited to see how this season will end. I could try predicting it, but honestly, my guess is as good as yours (I assume your guess is pretty bad too, right?). Anyway, it was another fun episode, and with any luck, Sunday’s extravaganza should be all that with a bag of chips. What? I’m not allowed to throw around some ’90s slang? That’s whack!Last night’s episode began with the Gitanos tribe returning to camp after the dumping of crazy Shane at Tribal Council. Whenever anyone goes home, we always have to brace for bickering and yelling around camp, but tonight was different. I mean, there was bickering and yelling, but not about Shane. Instead, the controversy focused on Cirie and her selfish torch-putting-down-habits. Apparently it was really, really dark at camp, and not knowing where to put her torch, Cirie simply put it down by some tree. Seems harmless enough. Too bad she didn’t realize that His Holiness Terry was walking right through the prime torch real estate. He tripped, and instead of asking Cirie not to leave her torch lying around willy-nilly, he put on his whiny dad voice and asked, “Who dropped their thing right in the middle of the way?”

Cirie said that she had, and again, Terry adopted a totally condescending stance, asking, “Is this where it goes?” Shut up, Terry. She’s not eight years old. Just tell her to leave her torch elsewhere.

Well, Cirie was not about to take any of Terry’s shit. “Here comes Captain America,” she explained, “and he’s like, ‘Well, who dropped their torch in the middle of the–’ I don’t even know. Middle of what? We have like fifty miles of beach!” She did have a point. It’s not like the torch being next to that tree was particularly in the way of anything. And besides, what’s the big deal? So Terry tripped on a torch. GET OVER IT.

Cirie then told Terry to stop talking to her like one of his kids, and he came back that she’s acting like one of them and that he expected a lot more out of her. It’s true. When Terry first laid eyes on Cirie on day one, I’m sure he said, “I hope she never, ever fecklessly leaves her torch lying about. Otherwise, I’ll be devastated.”

Nevertheless, Terry continued to harp on this, and Cirie replied, “I’m sorry, King Terry, that this torch is where you were walking.” I’m shocked he didn’t insist she call him Sir King Terry. It was obvious to everyone that Terry was just bitter because his new ally, Shane, had been voted out, but that wasn’t a reason to be such a buzzkill. At least, according to Aras.

“Don’t ruin our night, tonight, Terry. All right? Don’t do that,” Aras said. Seriously, Terry. F-you. They had a delightful evening of snail tasting prepared, and now it’s all gone to shit. Are you proud of yourself? Are you proud?

Terry then told us that he felt like a human pin cushion and that everyone was ganging up on him about the torch. No, dude, they were ganging up on your total asshole attitude. Some people have claimed that Terry has a right to be a dick with the way these people have treated him, but don’t you think they’d be more receptive to him if he weren’t always so condescending and cocky to them? I mean, since the merge he’s acted that way. No wonder why they’ve reacted so negatively against him.

Anyway, Aras was still totally bummed about Terry’s torch antics. He seethed, “We could have come back here and celebrated our final four, but you knocked Cirie RIGHT AWAY!” Poor Aras. He just wanted to celebrate. You know that he’d made his faux-hawk all nice and tall for the occasion too. Sorry, dude. This party was ruined. It was like a starving beach version of My Super Sweet 16.

The next day at the reward challenge, the cameras whizzed by tons of ropes and creatures and items of that ilk. What convoluted, elaborate event would be in store? Well, quite a good one, if I do say so myself. Here’s the deal. Each player would be attached by a carabiner to ropes, and the ropes would lead to six stations. At each station, there were things to count (branches, rocks, iguanas, etc. — yes, I said iguanas). Players had to memorize the quantities and then race back to the start, find an “answer tile” that corresponded to the number, and then place the number into a combination grid. Still following? Once the players had all the numbers, they’d use the grid to open padlocks and long story short, first one to open up all three locks would cause a flag to unfurl and would win the reward. And what would that reward be? A trip down the Panama canal on a yacht. Yay!

With Probst getting all sweaty in his midsection, he flapped his arms and the game began. Oh yeah, one nuance to this: everyone was attached to the same ropes, which meant there were opportunities for gridlock along the way. Right off the bat, Terry was battling for position, but Cirie pulled some sort of defensive move and pulled ahead of the pack. Yes! (Btw, to all the Terry lovers who read this, I apologize. Just pretend everything I say about Terry is good, and everything I say about Cirie is bad).

Anyway, we then watched the survivors running from station to station, memorizing numbers and trying to get by each other. If I were one of the Casaya three, I probably would have started yelling random numbers when Terry was near his home base, just to screw him up. Either way, the sun started to really beat down on everyone, and as people began to slow down, resident gym teacher / drill sergeant Jeff Probst told them to hurry up, yelling, “You can sleep on the yacht!!!”

The challenge went on and on (not saying it was boring. It was anything but), and eventually, the Casayans began ganging up on Terry a little. Cirie happily acted as a roadblock, stopping all forward Terry progress. Later, Danielle tried to be a similar obstacle, but she was terrible at it and wound up delaying everyone else. Worst roadblock EVER! Soon, the group became totally entangled, and we could tell Jeff was having the best time ever as he recited a super intense play-by-play. And then suddenly, tensions boiled over. Terry was absolutely trapped by Aras, and so he did what any frustrated airline pilot would do: he shoved Aras out of the way. Probst scolded the guys, told them to settle down, but then he couldn’t help but take joy in the action, happily saying, “Two battering rams!” Inside, Jeff was probably thinking to himself, “Pure poetry, Jeff. Pure poetry.”

Soon, Terry and Aras were working to open their locks, and before long, each of them had their first open. Danielle and Cirie were not far behind either. This was still anyone’s game. That second lock, however, was being stubborn for everyone, and eventually, they all returned to the course to do some recounts. Everyone carefully scanned the items, and the first one back was Terry who — sorry, guys — still didn’t have the right numbers. As he headed back into the woods, he noticed that everyone else had been out there way too long. They were looking at multiple stations! Terry instantly complained to Jeff that they were supposed to look at one station and then come back immediately, but the host said no, after the first round, people could take as many looks as they wanted prior to returning. Haha. In your face, TERRY.

“Oh, you didn’t tell us that!” Terry complained. Shut your whiny mouth and just start counting.

Aras actually had the best comeback when he yelled out, “Somebody call a wah-mbluance. Terry’s crying on the course!” Who said anything about a wah-mbulance. I think we need a ZINGbulance!

(BTW, I just checked my Tivo. CBS titled this episode “Call the Whambulance,” which is sort of funny because I spelled it “Wah-mbulance.” Their way reads like some sort of vehicle that provides emergency doses of Wham!. “I need ‘Careless Whisper.’ Call the Whambulance!” I guess that would be Wham!bulance though.)

Well, Aras returned to his locks and managed to open the second and third one. He won! Excellent! But not victory goes uncontested with Terry. He didn’t complain, per se, to Probst, but he asked our host to verify the rules in a really snotty tone of voice. Probst just stared blankly at him, almost as if to say, “Do you want me to kick your ass? Because I’ll do it. I’m Jeff Probst.”

“Terry, every time somebody else wins, are you going to say that you got hosed?” Aras asked. Wow, the yoga instructor was on a roll today.

“That’s only the first time I lost,” Terry replied. Well, it’s the first time he lost, if you don’t count all those other times he LOST. Look — he’s not undefeated with reward challenges. He can’t act like he is. I guess he just really, really wanted to see the Panama Canal.

Anyway, Aras continued his rant, saying, “Every time you don’t win something, you complain about it. Every time… what are you going to do? Say something bad about women? Do I have to worry about that?” I wasn’t quite sure what he meant by that, but I liked the general bitterness behind it; so I was happy.

As the winner of the reward, Aras of course got to choose someone to share it with. What he didn’t expect was that both people he didn’t pick would have to spend the next few days on Exile Island. No surprise here: Aras picked Cirie, a potentially dangerous move. After all, Danielle has proven herself to be pretty savvy in regards to promoting her longevity in the game, and if she sensed that she was the third wheel, she would have no problem shifting alliances — as she should. I just wouldn’t want her to shift towards Terry because I can’t stand him.

Well, Cirie and Aras went off on their yacht where they promptly got drunk on champagne. This led to them making fun of Terry (hilarious — I mean, AWFUL! That’s for the Terry lovers. I want everyone to feel welcome here). Aras then began babbling in his typically idiotic way, this time telling us, “What I try to practice is love and compassion, and I haven’t practiced love and compassion with Terry recently. It’s been ego. It’s been all my ego.” And faux-hawk. Lots and lots of faux-hawk. By the way, why does such a student of “love and compassion” ever go on Survivor? It just doesn’t make sense.

Meanwhile, on Exile Island, Terry vented to Danielle about how emotional Aras was becoming lately. The outburst after the reward challenge was totally uncalled for, he believed. “I was just trying to get a final ruling on how I basically messed up,” Terry explained. Yeah, he was just innocently asking for clarification… in an obnoxious, snotty, petulant way. I don’t know what Aras was feeding off of.

Anyway, Terry again showed Danielle his hidden immunity idol, but this time he showed more than just the tuft of hair she’d seen several weeks ago. This time she got to see the whole thing. Sometimes, I wonder if Terry shows off his car the same way he shows off that idol. I bet his neighbors secretly can’t stand him. Oh, there goes Terry showing off his car again. No, Terry, we don’t want to come over and look at your car. He’s totally the suburban competitor. Well, he and Danielle made a pact to go to the final two, and if he won immunity, he’d give her the hidden immunity tonight — which we learned was the last night to use it. I found this laughable. After all, Terry would never part with that thing, even if he had every reason to. But then again, it would be now or never. Maybe he actually would give it away…

We then cut back to Aras and Cirie who were presently enjoying the glory of the canal’s locks system. It was very cool, but seriously, why were we watching this. I could turn to the National Geographic channel if I wanted to learn about locks. And didn’t we see this last season on The Amazing Race anyway — complete with time lapse photography that shows the boats going up and down and whatnot?

Finally, we returned to camp where Aras promptly farted up a storm. I never saw him as the farting type. Apparently he practices love, compassion, and flatulence too. If only Terry were around. He was really missing out on some prime fart-reprimanding opportunities. A little later, whilst dearest Aras napped, Cirie decided to start a fire for the first time. She’d never done it before, and she decided it was time to challenge herself. It was sort of a touching moment, watching her struggle with it and finally succeed. I also couldn’t help thinking that this was setting us up for some tie-break scenario. When Steph and Bobbie Jon squared off last year, we watched a whole segment about how Steph just could not start a fire (but of course, during the challenge she did and it was awesome. That was pre-Guatemala when we still liked her).

We then headed off to the immunity challenge which was just a chock full o’ puzzles. If Danielle or Terry won, I’d be particularly upset. I didn’t want to see Cirie in danger. Anyway, the task at hand required the survivors to solve three puzzles. Each puzzle would give “coordinates” that the survivors would use to drape ropes over a circle in the sand (just like the one in the Belinda Carlisle song). Where the ropes intersected would be where a bag of puzzle pieces would be buried. Those pieces, when put together, would reveal more coordinates and so on and so forth. First person to completely the puzzles would win.

With my heart thumping (I REALLY didn’t want Terry to win. I mean, yes, I wanted him to win!), the challenge began, and right from the start, Aras actually had a lead. He found his bag super quickly, and within what seemed like seconds (probably minutes in real life), he put together his first puzzle and had his next set of coordinates. He began digging again, and while he had a comfortable lead, Terry was still threatening. Suddenly, Aras had his second bag and again completed the puzzle in no time. Do not mess up, Aras. PLEASE.

Speaking of messing up, Danielle was totally retarded. I don’t know what she had done, but she had dug a huge crater in the sand and still hadn’t found her bag. Maybe it’s time you reexamined your coordinates? “I don’t get it,” she said, baring her huge teeth in protest.

“You’re getting sloppy with the ropes. You’re not gonna find it!” Probst then yelled. He really does love rubbing salt in the wounds. That’s why he gets the big bucks.

Aras meanwhile had his third and final bag. All that was left was for him to solve the puzzle. He had a big lead, but we’ve seen puzzles take down even the most sizable of advantages. Hurry, Aras! Hurry! If he lost this, I would have flipped out.

Anyway, Terry started coming on strong, but in the end, Aras finally pulled out his A-Game and won. YES! The reign of terror was finally over! Albeit, perhaps too late, but it was over. And here’s a shocker: Terry didn’t complain to Probst either. Wow. Maybe he was ill.

Afterwards in camp, Terry pulled Aras aside and confronted him about those post reward challenge comments, particularly the ones about him disrespecting women. He wanted an apology, and being a servant to love and compassion, Aras gave one to him wholeheartedly. Aww. Meanwhile, the two women saw the guys talking off in the woods and began to wonder. What were they talking about? Were they aligning each other? If this misunderstanding turned into a game-changing event, that would be awesome.

But it didn’t. It was just a passing suspicion. Soon everyone realized that Tribal Council was going to come down to Cirie versus Danielle, and if that were the case, we’d be looking at a fire-building competition. In preparation, Terry began teaching Danielle the ways of fire-making, but if he were really smart, he’d just slip her the idol and trick everyone into voting for her. That would essentially eliminate the uncertainty of the fire battle and send Cirie packing. Later, Danielle even raised this idea to Terry, but we couldn’t tell if he were for it or not. Once again, probably not. He will never let go of that idol.

Cirie, meanwhile, was taking tips from Aras as to how to start a fire. His biggest piece of advice: “Hey, and have fun while you do it too!” Yes, I’m sure she’ll have a barrel of laughs. Only a million bucks on the line. No big whoop!

At Tribal Council, we saw our jury, which now featured Shane. I don’t know how he did it, but he went from a walking skeleton to fat overnight. Then again, maybe he was just puffing his stomach out as he is wont to do. Either way, he should have buttoned up his shirt. This was Tribal Council, not Club Med.

Anyway, Probst asked Terry if he felt vulnerable tonight, and with a typically smug look on his face, he said no, he did not feel vulnerable at all. Hmmm… that was too obvious. He probably wanted people to think he had the idol when in fact he had already slipped it to Danielle. But then again, he’ll never give it up. Hard to predict this one, I must admit.

Danielle then said that Terry will OBVIOUSLY use the idol on himself. Okay, they were trying too hard to establish that he had the idol. I didn’t buy it for a second. But then again, maybe they were trying to over bluff it so that Cirie and Aras would think that Danielle actually had it, and so they’d vote for Terry instead — thinking they were one step ahead of the game — but in fact, Terry would have it all along. Sorry, it’s all getting too convoluted. I can’t help trying to guess the outcome!

Cirie then talked about how much she’s grown, which drew warm looks from Courtney. However, when Danielle talked about her experience, Courtney commenced a marathon of eye-rolling which was nicely complimented by Shane’s general sneering and angriness. Then again, Shane could have been reacting to the voices in his head. The ones that use WOODEN BLACKBERRIES!

Everyone then voted, and then Jeff announced the results. First vote: Danielle. Second vote: Cirie. Third vote: Danielle (in bubble letters. So dumb, but of course, Courtney smiled in the jury). Fourth vote… Cirie. It was a tie! Now the big question was whether or not Danielle had the hidden immunity idol. Did she? Did she? Nope. Terry STILL wouldn’t let go of it. I guess it’s understandable. Why jeopardize himself? FYI — if the producers use the hidden idol twist again (and they definitely should), I don’t think it should be usable after final five. Fire tie-breakers are cool, but not as cool as watching people scheme and manipulate.

**2006′s answer to Natural Born Killers?**

Well, Probst announced that we would in fact be faced with a fire tie breaker, and in reaction, Shane puffed up his stomach to maximum distended-ness. The women took their seats before the fire contraptions, and then… TO BE CONTINUED! Ahhh! I had a feeling that would happen, but still, it always gets you.

So what do you think? Who’s gonna go home? Some people have said the previews for Sunday’s finale spoil the outcome; so I avoided them.

As you comment please remember, NO SPOILERS. And also be respectful to the West Coast viewers who will not know the winner until about 1:10 AM EST on Monday. Feel free to chat about spoilers and stuff like that in the forums.

Comments (42)
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42 Comments

1

eellsinoc

Posted May 12, 2006 at 7:57 pm

I got a little obsessed with my TIVO remote and rewound and rewound the previews for Sunday night’s finale. It really looks like Cirie has it on the fire challenge. I mean her fire is flaming away at her rope and Danielle is still trying to get hers going.

If Cirie doesn’t win – I think I might have a heartattack from screaming at the screen.
2

Lizardqueen

Posted May 12, 2006 at 7:59 pm

What’s the use? Everyone already knows I can’t stand Terry, right? Use the idol, for something, a baseball, anything! How much do you think it’s gonna go for on Ebay? Terry, you are so annoying and nerve wracking. If you win good job and STFU.

I wonder if Danielle had implant chaffing. She seemed to be wearing only a buff all episode.

Aras should’ve definitely taken someone besides Cerie on the trip. But people always take their buddies. Has anyone ever strategically given a reward to someone they weren’t aligned with or pals with? The faux-hawk is out of control. It is the gayest thing in all the land. At least it was educational to watch how the cocaine barges go through the Panama Canal.

Well I can’t wait for Sunday. I haven’t been this excited since I got QUAHOG on a triple word score!
3

Victoria

Posted May 12, 2006 at 8:04 pm

If anyone had told me when this thing started that I would be rooting for Aras to win immunity, I would have said they were out of their minds. I think it is hysterical that Terry and Aras are essentially wearing the same outfit-they should find out they are in actuality father and son at the final. I hope Cirie can pull off this fire-building challenge, and then Aras wins the final immunity and takes Cirie to the final 2 and she wins! I hope, I hope. Go Cirie!
4

joyfulchicken

Posted May 12, 2006 at 8:21 pm

Courtney has got to be the most hyperactive jury member ever. The bitch just couldn’t sit still. And the green tanktop… she looked like a little leprechaun.

Anyone else think that the fire-making contraptions looked like sewing machines? A sewing contest to break the tie… fun!
5

Ozone Dude

Posted May 12, 2006 at 8:33 pm

Well, I had Terry’s back, but now I don’t. Way over the attitude line this episode. Seems to be angling for future endorsements, as he freaked over Aras’ admittedly dumb “woman defamation comment.” But I really don’t like Cirie and Aras either, as they are just too smug, and Cirie has done nothing but ride coattails to get this far. I guess the smugness of Aras and Cirie gets me only because they’ve pissed off so many members of their original tribe — I’m not sure if they have the votes anymore to beat Terry, whose audacity may remain largely unknown to the jury. So I guess this leaves me with Danielle, as the lesser of all evils, who kind’ve got what she deserved when Terry bailed on her at this Tribal Council. Why not? She did it to him multiple times.
6

HoneyBunny

Posted May 12, 2006 at 8:34 pm

Soooo – - Terry’s excuse for being a whiny ass when he lost the Reward Challenge was that he just wanted “Feedback”???

I will be so not happy if Cirie loses the tie breaker – of the final four she is the only one I think deserves to go all the way.

hb
7

mikey

Posted May 12, 2006 at 9:55 pm

I had been behind Terry since the merge, but his boorish behavior last night left me feeling perfectly happy for one of the other three to take the $1M home.

I don’t think this is a spoiler, as it will require effort on the part of those who are interested: If you want to know who wins the tie-breaker, you can watch the Sunday finale’s preview in slo-mo and see 3 players competing in a challenge. From that, you can figure out who didn’t get her fire started in time.
8

chronic

Posted May 12, 2006 at 10:27 pm

Aww, B-Side very considerate of you to give something for everyone. For the record, I’m not so much a Terry lover, as I just think he’s entitled to play the game however he wants. And if he loses in the end, then fine. I have no problems with knocking him if he’s being an ass.

Some pretty epic bickering all in all. The Wah-mbulance (Whaaambulance?) line was hysterical (and no, Whambulance doesn’t work). I shall be using that from now on (doubly effective as none of my friends would ever deign to watch Survivor).

Terry’s complaints were ridiculous, but I could understand him being pissed at misunderstanding the somewhat vague rules. But it was just for reward, so he shouldn’t have been kicking up a fuss. And Aras should’ve shut the eff up….. and Cirie should’ve made a quick apology right away, seems it was a bit thoughtless of her, and Terry should’ve let it go once she didn’t. Jeez. But whatever, these guys have a million bucks on the line, and fuses are bound to get short.

Only non-bickering person, Danielle, who I think has turned out to be a pretty savvy player. I’m kinda rooting for her to win the fire-challenge. She’s been at the mercy of the Cirie/Aras alliance, and well, they’re pretty smug (yes, Cirie, I get it for the thousandth time, you’ve come so far, never thought you could do it), and I’m getting a bit sick of them.

Oh, and thanks Aras for explaining how canal locks work. Dufus.
9

boomersmommy

Posted May 12, 2006 at 10:59 pm

Aras still wants his mommy.
What a tool.
10

Tabby Lavalamp

Posted May 12, 2006 at 11:04 pm

Ozone Dude (#5) – Cirie’s been riding coattails? What show are you watching? She may suck in challenges, but at camp she’s been getting it done from day one when she, as the obvious choice for elimination, talked the others in voting out Tina. She wanted Courtney gone, Courtney’s gone. Someone who’s riding coattails doesn’t and can’t shake things up like that. She’s working hard and playing smart, and should she win she’ll be a deserving winner.

One thing she said this episode bothered me though, when she commented about tie-breakers “always” being fire challenges. Um, no. That’s happened all of once as far as I can remember. They started out with the person with the most cumulative votes going. Then they changed it to a random draw with a purple rock. That random draw created a near paralyzing fear of ties in future seasons. Hopefully with this fire challenge we’ll see less of that fear in upcoming seasons.
11

Zharak

Posted May 13, 2006 at 12:06 am

Cirie’s playing smart alright but working hard? She was detrimental to her team in tribe challenges, has yet to win anykind of invidual challenge (besides the one with the ropes, but that is more luck based than skill) and even gave up on a couple of those, like the one with the hamburgers.

But then again most Casayan idiots did give up too on that one, which is why I believe (although I don’t like him) Aras should be the winner. If it wasn’t for him, and even some bootees agree, that tribe would have collapsed and gotten picked off one by one by Terry and his gang.
12

Ash

Posted May 13, 2006 at 12:29 am

Honestly, I wouldn’t mind of Terry won, but he was being stupid on this episode. However, I CAN’T STAND Aras and would rather anyone won besides him. I wish Terry had given the idol to Danielle, it would’ve made things so interesting! Yay for the finale in 1 day!
13

Steve

Posted May 13, 2006 at 12:59 am

This was a kick ass episode to the fullest extent. I won’t comment on the finale preview (even though someone probably already has and I loaded this page 4 hours ago before I myself got loaded) but whatever. I know this is mutually exclusive but I love B-Side and I love Terry. He is the ULTIMATE survivor, he wins every damn reward (except this one) and he has the right to be cocky. If anyone doesn’t vote for him they are lying to themselves.

P.s. courtney sucks and her vote shouldn’t even count. if it is up to Terry and Cirie in the finals and some one doesn’t vote for Terry they are absolutely insane.
14

zoobabe

Posted May 13, 2006 at 1:25 am

there really does seem to be a great divide between the Terry haters/lovers as well as with Cirie. We’ll have to wait to see what kind of game play the final two admit to during their jury questioning, but it’s definitely been an interesting season with no clear fan frontrunner.

The mere fact that Terry couldn’t give that idol up to further his own last ditch attempt at strategy just shows what a selfish bastard he is to me. There’s way too much of a phallic comparison with that hairy litle head (the idol) and the way Terry seems to let it peek out, pull it out all the way, and then keep it all to himself when his manhood/dominance is threatened.
15

Tabby Lavalamp

Posted May 13, 2006 at 4:58 am

“Cirie’s playing smart alright but working hard? She was detrimental to her team in tribe challenges, has yet to win anykind of invidual challenge (besides the one with the ropes, but that is more luck based than skill) and even gave up on a couple of those, like the one with the hamburgers.”

Again, working hard doesn’t have to refer to the challenges. In this case, I was talking about how she’s working hard on the strategizing and working people.

Judging from some of the posts here (particularly Steve’s, two posts back) CBS might as well start posting a new requirement to be on Survivor – must be very athletic as you don’t deserve to win if you don’t win challenges.

Really, Terry is the ultimate Survivor? I wasn’t a fan of Tom’s, but he came a lot closer to that title, even though he didn’t win as many challenges. At least he was capable of working the people. Terry couldn’t Outwit himself out of a wet paper bag. He may have been Outplaying in the challenges, but those are only part of Survivor gameplay.
In fact, I have to say that the challenges are only a very small part of Survivor gameplay, though they can be an important part (I’d like to see players take a more intelligent, far-reaching approach to the reward challenges).
In fact, some of the greatest Survivors sucked in challenges, starting with Richard Hatch on day one.

This last episode was a great example of why Terry sucks as a Survivor in any way other than the challenges. He could have guaranteed himself and Danielle in the final three. It would have been a bit of a gamble, but that’s the thing about the show, sometimes you need to take that gamble. I actually thought that not slipping the hidden idol to Danielle was a little bit cowardly (and I know that will get some reaction from fans of Mr. Air Force Pilot). A million dollars may be at stake, but he’s taking as much of a chance that he may be in the final three with Aras and Cirie, and he shouldn’t want either of them, particularly Cirie, in the final two with him. His best chance of winning was against Danielle, and pending the outcome of the tiebreaker, he may have blown it.
That man is so far from being the ultimate Survivor it’s not even funny.

On another note, speaking of Danielle, even though it was Cirie who worked Courtney’s ouster, it appears Danielle has taken more of the blame for it. That could work well for Cirie if she makes it to the final two.
16

KatiesHole

Posted May 13, 2006 at 5:02 am

I dont think Cirie will win, but probably should.

Here’s my prediction:

1. Cirie will not win the fire challenge, even though we are led to believe she does.

2. Danielle, Aras and Terry will do final endurance challenge. Terry will win.

3. Terry will vote off Aras. Thinking he has a better chance of winning against Danielle, since she is not liked by the others.

4. The others will award Danielle with the $1M.

Totally predictable!

KH
17

Wizzard

Posted May 13, 2006 at 6:04 am

Up until now I’ve sort of been indifferent to Terry. I kind of viewed him as a good old-fashioned, competitive, athletic guy that’s just doing the best he can to win the game. I didn’t hate him nor did I have a particular liking for him either. This week showed exactly how much of a sore loser he is and that doesn’t sit too well with me. The fact that Aras won the competitions really put Terry in a snit and I finally got to see how arrogant he really is. Good on him if he loses.
18

mokod

Posted May 13, 2006 at 7:07 am

I think Aras is young and his personality flaws on the show may be because of that. He seems to realize he has some flaws which at least show some signs of hope. I give him a tool minus rating.

Terry on the other hand is a major (his rank?) tool. A very athletic tool. He entered the merge on the wrong side of the divide, but it is clear his personality has been the real limiter this late in the game.

For those who say Terry’s performance in challenges gives him the right to be cocky and arrogant…Do you all understand this is a social dynamics game? That the people Terry is arrogant around are the same people that get to decide first and second place? I think people like Cirie really understand the game and she is overcoming her shortcomings because of that knowledge. Terry should probably try and get on a show like American Gladiator or Fear Factor? He either does not understand the point of survivor or he can’t help himself. Neither excuse washes.
19

laura

Posted May 13, 2006 at 7:37 am

I have to believe that based on the “To be continued…” that Cirie does not win the fire tie-breaker. I think Mark Burnett is savvy enough to know that watching 2 hours of a final 3 consisting of Terry, Danielle and Aras isn’t exactly a ratings bonanza. I think he wanted to give all us Cirie lovers a glimmer of hope that she makes it to 3.

If she is ousted, my only joy will be in watching Terry “Fireman Tom Part 2: Electric Bugaloo” lose.
20

Rob

Posted May 13, 2006 at 8:26 am

“One thing she said this episode bothered me though, when she commented about tie-breakers “always” being fire challenges. Um, no. That’s happened all of once as far as I can remember.”

It was used as a tie-breaker twice during the Palau season: once between Steph and BJ as mentioned, and once between Jenn and Ian, if I remember correctly.
21

chronic

Posted May 13, 2006 at 8:33 am

#14, keeping the idol does not make Terry selfish. Maybe a bit too cautious, but he doesn’t owe Danielle squat. It was a shell game, and even though it was likely Cirie/Aras would vote for Danielle, if they were wrong, he’s out completely. Not a gamble I would’ve made (bear in mind, I’m so averse to gambling I can’t even watch Deal or No Deal). Keeping it, he still has a 50/50 chance of Danielle winning, and he’s still in the final 3.

#15, probably there was a way to successfully fake Cirie/Aras out, but Terry does not have this ability. As has already been clearly demonstrated time and again. I think we all already know that Terry can’t outwit for shit. I dunno, I know I couldn’t outwit my way out of a paper bag either, which is why I probably don’t hold it against him.

As for the Terry tantrums, feel free to bash away.
22

dizzlevizzle

Posted May 13, 2006 at 8:38 am

Have to agree with Tabby Lavalamp…not only did Terry screw up BIG by not giving away his precious hairy idol, but I think Aras screwed up by not inviting Danielle on the reward. Not only would it have been great to see Terry and Cirie alone on Exile Island together (along with plenty of Terry trying in vain to form an alliance with her…or anyone. Anyone? Hello?), but Aras could have “blocked” the Danielle/Terry bonding time on Exile Island.
He should have figured that Danielle would have to align herself with Terry if she hoped to win it all, because she sure wasn’t getting in between Cirie and Aras if they could help it. By taking Danielle on the yacht, he could have kept the “unflippable” Cirie alone with Terry, and ensured Terry remained the odd man out.

But Terry’s gaffe was MUCH, MUCH worse. Outwit, man! Outwit!
23

chronic

Posted May 13, 2006 at 8:47 am

Terry’s gaffe is much much worse, only IF Danielle loses. If she wins, doesn’t matter. Hindsight is 20/20. Would’ve been an even bigger gaffe if he got voted out.

Outwit? Terry? Hahaha. You can’t get blood from a stone.
24

Summer

Posted May 13, 2006 at 9:27 am

Don’t read this SPOILER if you haven’t heard it.

–comment deleted —

NO SPOILERS, PEOPLE
25

trock

Posted May 13, 2006 at 9:55 am

mikey,

I think the Sunday preview is misleading. although it shows Danielle competing, if you look closely you will see it is the coordinates challenge that served as the immunity challenge in this episode. Just re-using old tape to mislead.
26

dahrache

Posted May 13, 2006 at 11:05 am

I built myself up for the ultimate takedown but it didn’t happen. As much as I’m over Terry, I wonder if he thought of it too and that’s why he didn’t give Danielle the idol.

I was really hoping that Danielle would talk him into giving her the idol then she would go to Aras and Cirie and tell them she had it. Then they could pretend like they didn’t know and promptly vote off Terry. Oh, that would have been so sweet. Can you just imagine Terry’s face?!
27

Lizardqueen

Posted May 13, 2006 at 11:14 am

What the fuck is the matter with you dumbasses? “As you comment please remember, NO SPOILERS. And also be respectful to the West Coast viewers who will not know the winner until about 1:10 AM EST on Monday. Feel free to chat about spoilers and stuff like that in the forums.”
28

kategal

Posted May 13, 2006 at 11:38 am

None of us have been living for a month with these people and what we see of Terry and the others is what Suvivors wants us to see. Perhaps Terry explodes after he’s at his limit with the rest of the group. It cannot be easy being on the outside like he has been. And just as some people have said that it’s HIS fault, it could be that the others have worked towards making him feel that way. I still like Terry because he is the ultimate competitor and he never does anything half-ass. People like that succeed and they piss off people who want to be handed things without working for them. That doesn’t mean I don’t like Cirie because I do. And I like Aras too although he seems to be a bit whiny. Danielle is very savvy and has been the entire game. I say Cirie goes home on this fire challenge.
29

zevonia

Posted May 13, 2006 at 12:09 pm

All you Terry-haters slay me. Why should he give up the idol to Danielle and risk being voted off? As darache pointed out Danielle would have gone to the others and told them then they would have voted Terry off. Can’t win the million if you aren’t there.
Kategal, very good point. Editing is a big part of this. I think perspective is, as well. If you hate Terry then everything he does is wrong. Now admit it, Terry-haters, you know that it’s true. For instance, B-side felt Terry was verifying the rules with Jeff in a very snotty voice. I didn’t hear that. I heard a perfectionist in shock that he lost and was trying to figure out where he screwed up. On any reality show, once you’ve made up your mind about someone, it can be very hard to be “fair and balanced” (no lawsuits, please). I admit Terry went on about the torch too long but as chronic pointed out “these guys have a million bucks on the line, and fuses are bound to get short.” I’d like to see how any of us would behave after this long a time deprived of good food, good sleep, etc. It’s a tense time and people will over-react. That being said, Aras is still a whiny Momma’s boy with a crappy faux-hawk. ;b
30

chick110

Posted May 13, 2006 at 12:45 pm

Glad I’m not the only one with hate for Aras’ faux-hawk. I’m ready to get the weed-whacker to his head and get rid of that god-awful thing!

But seriously, wishing for that is about the one thing that has given me any excitement for this season. Bleah and predictable. Too much like previous Survivors. Hopefully, they won’t mess with the formula and do couple Survivors because I’m sure to bring the ratings up, they would either let Jonathan and Victoria or Alison and whatever the heck her stupid boyfriend was from TAR come on.
31

HoneyBunny

Posted May 13, 2006 at 1:58 pm

LQ (#27) As a West Coaster I appreciate your reiterating what B-Side had asked – to keep this clean of Spoilers.

dizzlevizzle (#22) Terry can be a nitwit, half-wit and even witless, but he CANNOT outwit!

hb
32

TWilliams

Posted May 13, 2006 at 4:49 pm

“Don’t read this if you don’t want to be spoiled.” How about don’t type it in the first place? Go to spoiler sites you asshole.

I know people don’t have to read it and it is our own choice to do so, but seriously . . . do your shits and giggles come that easily to you? Puh-lease.

Of course, the spoiler could be a big lie and the D, T, A and C might not stand for Danielle, Terry, Aras and Cirie. But still . . . Here’s a spoiler for you; but don’t read it if you don’t want to know — the ship Posiedon flips over because of a rogue wave. Haha, hope I ruined that one for you and my entire life is now complete because I typed something on a webpage to spoil everyone’s weekends. I can’t believe some people . . .

And now, I will actually address the few points I was going to make before I ran across the idiot and the spoiler:

Terry does annoy me and he is somewhat selfish. His comment to Cirie was in-the-right; but at the same time he made way too much of it. Couldn’t he just ask her if she had meant on tripping him and injuring him to make it easier on the other 3? I do understand why he’d get mad at Aras for his stupid comment about Terry making a woman-bashing comment. It was out of line and Aras showed his immaturity with that line (although I found it funny that Terry said he never talked down to or belittled women and flight attendants — shamey, shamey Terry since there are male flight attendants too).

I think Aras is a spoiled brat. I cannot stand him and I think he is one of the most loathed contestants I have ever had on a season of Survivor. And he did make a HUGE mistake showing Danielle that him and Cirie are their ideal Final 2.

I am rooting for Danielle. I wasn’t until these last two episodes. She has drawn good alliances and knew when to keep and break them (although she only “broke” the one with Courtney in actuality but it can be explained away by telling her that she was TOLD by others that her and Terry had a final 2 pact).

Cirie has NOT ridden any coattails and I think the past few weeks allowed us to see who had been in charge for quite some time. Cirie was on the chopping block from day one and she played everyone very well. She has been a very smart player.

And Courtneys behavior on the jury . . . what the?!? Do we have a Sue Hawk on our hands?
33

B-Side

Posted May 13, 2006 at 5:04 pm

I deleted Summer’s spoiler.

Again, if you have heard spoilers or want to talk about gambling sites that have been shut down, please do so in the FORUMS, not here.

No spoilers or you will be banned
34

Lizardqueen

Posted May 13, 2006 at 5:11 pm

Whoa B-Side! When you got all rough it made me tingle. I’m thinking about breaking up with EdHill and flying out to L.A.
35

B-Side

Posted May 13, 2006 at 5:45 pm

I’m a calm man. But push me too far, and I will unleash my inner boldface warrior.
36

HoneyBunny

Posted May 13, 2006 at 6:39 pm

After either Danielle or Cirie goes and it is just the final three – does that mean Terry’s Immunity Idol is null and void?

I hope the final 2 get to burn the camp and we get to see Shane’s Blackberry and Stump go up in flames.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow. You’re only a day away ~~~~

hb
37

zoobabe

Posted May 14, 2006 at 8:40 am

yes hb- null and void. That’s why Probst made a point of mentioning in the last TC. I want to see Terry trying to explain why he didn’t use it if he makes it to the final 2. I just have a feeling that he won’t win the million. I’m going to be screaming at the television tonight- for sure.
38

Jesus_loves_you

Posted May 14, 2006 at 3:28 pm

Let’s hope this season doesn’t follow Survivor season 2 where Colby(Aras) brings Tina(Cirie) to the final 2 so that we see his dumbass hand the mil to her. Although Colby went down in my book as earning his seat in heaven for that, Aras is just a tool. Aras’s only shot of winning will be against Danielle. So he should hope she wins the challenge, but if she goes tonight, he can only beat Terry. He will go down as the dumbest faux-hawk wearing ass of all time by taking Cirie to the final 2. Actually anyone that brings her to the final 2 you are either a saint or a complete dumbass. She’s a lock you idiots kick her ass back to Jersey.
39

amy303_1/1

Posted May 14, 2006 at 9:52 pm

My first post ever, just wanted to see if it works. Scince this is a survivor recap, Cirie Rocks!!!
40

amy303_1/1

Posted May 14, 2006 at 9:55 pm

since
41

bridgeguy

Posted May 15, 2006 at 10:21 am

Ok, we all know who the winner is by now, but I didn’t get to read this recap until today and I just have to say this: Somebody call the Waah-mbulance!! B-Side is complaining about Terry again!

Sorry, but my brain was just screaming it all the way thru that recap……
42

juddfan

Posted May 15, 2006 at 2:15 pm

Fun re-cap, but even funnier Spoiler ouster–good work bold face warrior and LQ! Catch you all on the season finale re-cap (which I confess, I can’t get through, I keep watching, and yawning and going “blip” (yes, the Tivo blip) power off–I just don’t care about anyone, but I do like Cirie. someone suggested she should fill the empty “the View” seat–I think that’s a great idea, then she can sit on the couch and do something (just teasing–I’m happy with her life lessons!)

Facing The Fire

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2006′s answer to Natural Born Killers?

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**2006′s answer to Natural Born Killers?**