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Monday, November 23, 2009
12:02 pm
42 Comments
This week, on Survivor: Shambo continues to find new and interesting ways to make me hate her; Russell would be pretty cool, if he would just stop talking so much; and John decides to grow a brain all of a sudden.It’s night 24, and hey, GUESS WHAT? Russell is congratulating himself about something. “That was like a painting, like a Picasso,” he says of the Kelly boot. “I’m a great artist, and this is my work.” I think the guy’s trying way too hard at this point to piss off the viewers. I mean, who says that? At this point, I think it’s best just to ignore him. Wow, I sound like your mom when you tell her about that bully at school. Worst advice ever, am I right? You just have to beat he hell out of the kid to get him to leave you alone. That or pee in his lunchbox. Not that I ever did that.
Dave comes over to congratulate the Foa Foas for pulling off such a nice move, and Russell tells him that it was “almost as great as my kids being born”, which is actually pretty hilarious. But what I noticed most about this scene is that Russell is looking up at everyone, and I mean everyone he’s speaking with, so if you’re still wondering whether the guy has Napoleon syndrome, break out your tricorner hats, bitches.
Over in Shambo’s little private cubby hole, she watches Laura and Monica freak out and laughs openly at their misery. When Russell wanders over to bask in the glow of his own awesomeness, Shambo takes the opportunity to gloat some more, telling Russell that Laura whispered “He has ruined everything!” after Kelly got voted out, which we know is not even close to what actually happened. In confessional, Shambo cannot stop laughing at Laura’s misfortune, guffawing about how awesome it would be to find the idol and give it to Russell again.
And it seems Russell has the same idea, because he is up at dawn before everyone else, turning the camp upside down to find the next immunity idol. It is also here that I noted that the Aiga flag has the words “Hi Dad!” painted on it, which is pretty great. “I’ll find the third idol. Those things are like magnets to me!” he says. Wouldn’t Russell himself be the magnet in this scenario? I am confused. Science does that to me sometimes.
Later that morning, Shambo watches Laura wander around camp. She is apparently doing some highly offensive things, because Shambo calls her “the head viper”, “a beast” and “the evil demon”, all in one sentence. Who is Laura, Ron Swanson’s ex-wife Tammy? (Side note: I know that “Parks and Recreation” was not good last season, and that it airs opposite this show, but you owe it to yourself to check it out, because Sweet Square Dancing Jesus, did it get hilarious. Best line from this last episode: “On a scale of one to Chris Brown, just how mad is he?”)
Meanwhile, John and Shambo look around for the idol together, which is the equivalent of hiring two rhesus monkeys to investigate the disappearance of a family member. Shambo takes this opportunity to disclose to John that she will be voting with Foa Foa for Laura at the next tribal council no matter what, which will result in a 5-5 tie. She would like to avoid said tie, so she wants John to be the sixth vote. He is wisely ambiguous with his answer, telling her that he can’t promise her anything. I do think it’s wise that he’s keeping Shambo in his pocked when everyone else has obviously abandoned her, and he’s doing it without letting on to anyone else that it’s happening. Maybe I need to give this guy more credit, no?
Reward challenge! We’ve seen this one before: The ten remaining players will be split into teams of five. One person from each team will be put into a harness, and the other team members will control the harness with ropes, maneuvering the harnessee (?) around to pick up numbered flags. The first team to pick up and place all their flags gets another food/vacation reward, this time in the form of a plane ride to a waterfall coupled with a picnic lunch.
Shambo, Jaison, Monica, Mick and John are on the yellow team, leaving Dave, Brett, Laura, Russell and Natalie on the purple team. The purple squad picks up the mechanics of the challenge very quickly, and their lead is only extended when the yellow team drops a few flags and slows even more. While John (in the harness for the yellow team) is just sort of laying on his belly, Natalie (in the harness for the purple team) is actually physically dangling from the platform to extend her reach, which seems to really increase her speed and ultimately wins the reward for the purple team. Man, wearing yellow really screws you this season, doesn’t it?
We head immediately to the reward. When the winners arrive at the waterfall, an impressive array of picnic food awaits them, including some good looking mac and cheese. Natalie thanks the Galu members for “taking Russell and I” on a reward, which is a giant stretch considering that she was the MVP of that challenge.
The winners have also received a product placed cell phone to take pictures with, and it turns out that the clue for the immunity idol is actually in the phone, and it even includes a helpful video, which shows the idol hidden under a mossy rock. Gee, do you think they want someone to find it?
Back at camp, Jaison and Mick try to work Monica over to their side. When she expresses her hesitancy to tie the vote, Mick tries to tell her that she’d actually be the 6th vote and not the 5th because they have someone else, and she’s really, really slow to catch on. They seriously have to tell her like twenty times. It doesn’t help that they’re trying to be ambiguous about who it is, which is stupid because Monica is immediately like “It’s Shambo, duh!” in confessional. It’s not like Shambo is a master of deception; she’s had the same hairstyle since Full Metal Jacket came out.
The reward winners arrive back at camp, and Russell immediately tells Mick and Jaison that the idol is hidden under a mossy rock. They go off to go idol hunting right then. Dave notices this swift movement and decides to tail them, following Russell three or four steps back. Russell keeps trying to lose Dave, sprinting through the forest and making sharp turns. It’s easy to lose someone when you’re the size of the Lucky Charms Leprechaun, so Russell manages to elude Dave and then circle back to a rocky area, where he finds the idol, AGAIN. Jesus.
I bitched at length last week about how terrible I think this is for the game, so I’m not going to do it again. I will simply say that I think that once the initial idols from the beginning of the game have been played, there should not be replacements like this. One or two idols make the game more interesting and give people an extra chance if they’re smart, but this is now the fourth idol in the game this season. FOUR. Think about how that many variables could ruin even the most soundly played game, and then try to tell me that this is good for the show.
I’d be much more willing to give it up to Russell for playing a good game if he weren’t the first person in the history of this show to even have that many chances. Who else has had an opportunity at four idols? Do you think if Cirie or Yau-Man or any other fan favorites had four chances at an idol, that they would have gotten a bit farther? Because I think they would have. This here? Is fucked. That’s all I’m saying.
Immunity Challenge. Today is pretty simple: Each person gets one rock to throw at three tiles. For every tile that you break, you earn one spear, which you will then shoot at a target. The person whose spear is closest to the center of the target wins immunity.
So Jaison, Monica (who gets one spear thanks to a misthrow by Dave), and Mick get one spear apiece, and Brett gets two. Laura throws last and misses, causing Shambo to openly laugh in her face and high five Russell in front of everyone.
I know that we haven’t seen every second of footage from camp, but I really fail to see what Laura’s done to deserve this type of treatment from Shambo. In fact, it seems very apparent to me that Shambo is the one who is difficult to get along with, and she’s also a bigger snake, since she’s the one switching tribes. I just really find her behavior here repulsive and petty, and where I disliked her moderately before, I dislike her intensely now.
So anyway, Mick ends up getting his spear pretty close to the center of the target, and even with two spears, Brett is unable to beat it, so Mick wins immunity. Back at camp, Shambo tells Brett that she’s going to vote for Laura. Shambo is dumb, and she hasn’t figured out that this vote here, placed out of spite, is dooming everyone at Galu, including Shambo herself. Enjoy fifth place!
Dave, Laura and John try and figure out what to do, because they’ve finally figured out that it’s time to stop voting for Russell, at least for a bit. They think they should vote Jaison, but John tells them Natalie is the best option, since she’s the only one that didn’t go on the hunt for the immunity idol. “It’s bordering on annoying how bad the strategy of Galu is,” John says. “Oh, let’s telegraph a vote to Russell! You’re an idiot. Let’s sit back and piss off Shambo! You’re an idiot. Let’s vote off Erik in thirty seconds! You’re an idiot.” Quote of the episode, and maybe of the Survivor Samoa in general: never has one season been so completely full of idiots and unlikable douches.
Meanwhile, Monica, Dave and Laura figure out that Shambo is likely going to vote for Laura with the Foa Foas, creating a tie. Monica wants to avoid the tie by telling them her vote is for sale, but the price tag is that they have to get rid of John this week and Laura next. She can then vote for Natalie with the other Galus, meaning that there would be 5 votes for Natalie, 4 for John and 1 for Laura. Question: Why not just vote for Shambo instead? It’s essentially the same thing as knocking out a Foa Foa, and it’s the next best thing to getting rid of Russell at this point.
Monica tries to put her plan into action, telling Russell she’ll vote with them, but only for John this time. “If I’m switching, I need to vote out who I want this time as a guarantee,” she says. It’s actually not a bad plan, but it would help if she talked to Russell without a giant smirk on her face the whole time. Russell is many things, but bad at reading people is not one of them.
Russell, to his credit, does not buy this for a second. He decides to take it to John, who has just been told of the plan himself by his teammates: “It would have been nice to have that run by me before it happens!” he says to them, pissed. “I’m not going to risk my life to save Laura’s,” He says, accurately. I can see why he’s uncomfortable, but he’s not actually in any sort of real danger. It’s like getting stabbed with one of those trick knives. Speaking of which, could someone stab several of these people with one of those trick knives? I would be cool with that. No one would get hurt, I just want to scare them a little.
Russell tells him that they’re going to be voting for Laura and not him, so he should be prepared for the consequences of a tie. For those of you that need a refresher, once a vote is tied, there is a revote and if that one’s a tie, everyone except the people who received votes (and the immunity winner) will have to draw rocks. (The fire making contest is only for the final four, in case any of you are wondering.) “If I vote for Laura tonight after the tie, I wake up on this beach tomorrow,” he points out. That’s true, but you wake up completely screwed. The reality of the situation is that Shambo is forcing a tie here, and the best bet for Galu is to draw rocks and hope a Foa Foa member goes home. If the opposing side is unwilling to budge and ready to play chicken, your side has to be as well, or you’ve already lost.
Tribal Council! The jury of Erik and Kelly enter, and it is worth noting that Kelly looks super hot. Probst asks whether the last two votes have indicated that there are no more tribal lines. Shambo pipes up quickly, telling Probst that in her mind, there is no more Galu tribe. “Once Erik was voted off, Galu was broken,” she says. Laura retorts quickly: “I don’t know what tribe you were in, but the Galu I was in was pretty tight,” she responds, forgetting that Shambo completely alienated herself from the beginning.
“A group can’t be tight if one of the members isn’t,” Probst says. He also figures out that the chances of a tie are pretty high. “If we need to draw stones, than that’s what I’m ready to do,” Dave says. “You gotta be willing to make big moves in order to win.” Including SMASHING THIS WATERMELON!
Time to vote! We see Shambo vote for Laura, of course, but we don’t see any of the others. Also, Russell declines to play the idol this time, thinking he’s safe. When the votes are read, there are five for Natalie and five for Laura (including one for “Luara”, which I’m guessing has to be Shambo’s), so it is a tie. Probst calls for a revote. Laura and Natalie will not vote, and everyone else has to pick between the two. We see Dave vote for Natalie again. “Let’s roll the dice!” he says, knowing what’s up. When this set of votes are read, Natalie and Laura get three apiece, and then Laura gets both of the last two, and she is out. The Galu members are mostly shocked, except for Shambo, who is all smiles and gloating. I kind of hate her, you guys.
Next week is a Thanksgiving recap, so I’ll be back in two weeks for more hot Russell on Russell action. See you then!
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42 Comments
“But what I noticed most about this scene is that Russell is looking up at everyone, and I mean everyone he’s speaking with, so if you’re still wondering whether the guy has Napoleon syndrome, break out your tricorner hats, bitches.”
If I didn’t already love you, this would have put me over the top
this was the funniest episode in a long time. I loved every minute of it. I always root for the underdog, so I’ve been rooting for Shambo and Foa Foa for a while. Foa Foa better thank their lucky stars that they had Russell on their team or they would have been gone a while ago.
yes Laura is a witch and deserved to go, you can see it on her face. And Shambo was right to say that when they voted out Erik, the tribe was broken. And Dave Ball needs to go next time!! He is stupid looking.
Despite Russell taking credit for the sun coming up in the morning, you have to give him credit for actually making things happen this season, rather than sit back and let it become a popularity contest. Watching him spot the idol hiding spot and then leading Dave and Laura (the Galu ‘brain trust’) right past it was the funniest thing yet.
Laura deserved to be voted out just for the her pissy attitude that FF members should just sit back and allow themselves to be voted out one by one. The same goes for Eric and Kelly.
Okay, Mister, the Tricorner hat bit was funny but so was:
“On the plus side, I can call the other guys and make some really badass Fudge Stripe Cookies in this tree.”
and
“Gee, do you think they want someone to find it?”
and
“It’s easy to lose someone when you’re the size of the Lucky Charms Leprechaun, so Russell manages to elude Dave and then circle back to a rocky area, where he finds the idol, AGAIN. Jesus.”
I was laughing a lot Schoonie.
I really enjoy reading your recaps Schoonie. I just wish you weren’t completely and totally wrong about this season of SURVIVOR.
This is the pinnacle of the SURVIVOR series, man. Every SURVIVOR after this will pale in comparison.
I know there are a lot of anti-Russell-ites out there but let me just point out what Russell has done.
Uh, he destroyed his own team and then through some sort of Stockholm Syndrome techniques made the last three members of his team VERY loyal to him. (Russell is the SLA. Mick, Natalie and Jaison are Patty Hearst.)
Then after the merge, Russell found two immunity idols with no clues and one immunity idol with one clue. Has anyone else done that before? No. Then he was instrumental in two of the best blindsides in SURVIVOR history (Kelly and Laura).
Finally with the aid of other FF members he was able to begin the destruction of the GALU tribe. I’m pretty sure he’ll make it to the final five and, maybe, the final three but it really doesn’t matter if he wins or not because it is pretty obvious to anyone who isn’t an anti-Russell-ite that he is the only person who deserves to win this season of SURVIVOR.
While I reserve the right to call him ATLAS Russell if he lifts something heavy over his head I am officially crowning him KING RUSSELL as of today.
Mr Dangerous, I’m completely with you. The most impressive thing about Russell’s game is this Stockholm Syndrome he’s been able to harness. In fact, it started in the waining days of Foa Foa. Think back to the first three episodes or so where he basically told people flat out that if they pissed him off, they’d be going home. Then, through the perpetual losing, he made himself valuable as a strong physical player that they NEEDED if they had a chance of winning. So much so that he was never even considered to go home. The losing made Foa Foa band together and, in turn, gave Russell three guarenteed votes in the end, provided he doesn’t screw them over too much. Four if you now count Shambo. If you assume he had this plan in mind from Day 1 (i.e. act as venom inside your own tribe, make them perpetual losers so they ONLY vote based on strength until the merge and then use the embattled angle as a way to befriend and relate to them), it’s a pretty unbelieveable strategy.
Sorry, kids, but the best blindside in history was Edgardo, Survivor Fiji. I’m with you, though, that this season has been magnificent. I’m loving every minute!
Sorry, Mr. D., but I don’t agree. (Go figure.)
This season of Survivor has just been lame — a completely bullshit cast, and, as Schoonie points out, way too much producer intervention.
Without the second and third idol, there’s no way Russell would have stayed in the game.
Although it’s true, then we’d be stuck for the rest of the season with a crew of complete idiots, zombies and freaks (here’s looking at you Shamwow).
Since Mick and Jaison are completely devoid of any sense of how this game was played (and were obviously recruited to fulfill a demographic), it makes sense that they’d hang on for dear life to Russell.
Natalie might end up being an interesting player to watch though.
As much as I despise Shambo now (for being a complete and total tool), I think I can’t stand Dave even more. What a fucking dolt.
And I was super-pissed at John for being a wuss and not forcing the tie. A completely stupid move that will ensure his game ends very soon.
Overall, a frustrating season, nowhere near the level of social interaction the has made other seasons of Survivor so great.
This season is a joke. The idols were basically thrown in front of Russell – the most repulsive man ever cast, and I’m betting the producers encouraged him to look for them.
I miss what Survivor used to be. It’s just not interesting anymore.
while i don’t like dog the bounty hunter, her tribe did this to her…they pushed her away. Twice they have left her out of the loop on voting someone out, and the second time it was after the merge and they voted out an ally of hers (so she thought) and also one of the strongest members. I don’t blame her for going over there one bit. You said enjoy 5th place….isn’t that better than 7th which is the best she would have gotten one all the other tribe was gone and her tribe voted her out first? You have a better chance to get Indiv Immun with 5 people than you do with 7 or 8, and anything can happen the longer you stay in the game, so it was a great move on her part to go to the other tribe….and a great move for the other tribe to get her…
hmmm . . . guess I’m not so emotionally attached, and not all caught up in certain things. I do think Shamwow acted like an idiot, but I still want her and Russ in final two. Only because she was ostracized from the beginning, and because he is rocking this season.
I agree, enough with the idols– i don’t remember this many getting played, at least that were real. What they didn’t show on TV was the giant neon sign pointing at that mossy rock! Dave, sorry dude, you couldn’t see that he circled back, nor could you use your head for two seconds and see all those mossy rocks. As soon as they showed the little place the rock for the idol was, I knew . . . gaulu is like lambs to the slaughter now.
I also agree Natalie is one to watch!
Anyway, I’m enjoying the season and recaps–sorry for your pain Schoonie–whodda thunk it would turn around this way, so much more exciting than watching one tribe get picked off for 4 or 5 weeks in a row . . .
The idols WERE NOT thrown in front of Russell. He found TWO of them without ANY CLUES. Some people haven’t been paying attention.
P.S. I don’t want any of you anti-Russell types to jump on the bandwagon, now, cause the bandwagon is too full at this point.
Plus, Schoonie is funniest when he’s making fun of Russell.
I am going to have to agree with Mr. Dangerous. I don’t think the producers threw the idols in front of Russell; I’m a firm believer that they make this game as fair as possible, for the most part. I do, however, think that they’ve made the idols easy to find on purpose; there are certain constants after nineteen seasons, one of which is that idols will usually be hidden near a landmark. Russell’s been able to take advantage of this. That doesn’t mean he’s not a dick, because he is: if he’d talk a little less, I would think he was awesome.
itchy:
Totally agree with your comments. It is very hard for me to believe that out of the thousands that apply for Survivor these are the best personalities they could come up with. The producers wouldn’t have to manipulate so much if the casting crew did a better job of selecting the personalities.
Also is a female tool called a “toolette”? If so then Shamwow has definitely gone to the toolette.
They had one scene where Russell was walking along with one of the girls and he was a full 6 inches shorter than her. I’m guessing he may be 5’2″ or so.
When will the tribes ever learn that if they have a voting edge going into the merge to maintain that until it gets down to their original numbers. I loved when Shamwow laughed out loud at Laura. I don’t think Shamwow’s mean spirited, I suspect Laura has been a totally self-righteous bitch to her since early on and Shamwow’s now getting a chance to throw it back at her.
BTW very funny recap Schoonie, thanks.
I’m wondering if some of you are watching the same show I am. Shambo wasn’t ostracized from the beginning… she set herself apart from the others. And she didn’t go over to the FF side after Erik’s blindside. She was on their side as soon as she went to their camp that first time. She actually said something about that at the time. She said that she hoped that she would get traded to them. So underdog? I don’t think so.
John really needs to grow a pair. I mean, everyone there had taken the chance of drawing a stone, except for that loser. And as someone has already said, it will mean that his game ends very soon. As it should.
I think next season the producers should do away with the HII completely. It would be really funny to watch them all running around camp trying to pull a Russell when there isn’t anything to find. And it is possible that the Russell thing will play out next season too. The all stars season started filming before this season aired, so no one will have seen what Russell has been doing this season.
Thanks for a great recap, Schoonie, and I wish everyone a happy and safe holiday!
I am absolutly loving this season. Russell is playing this game as well as anyone ever has. Yes I agree that there have been too many HII’s but that is not his fault. He is taking advantage of the rules of the game. The first two idols that he found were genius. But anyone that has watched from the begining knows that he has has a plan from day one and he is working it to perfection.
He probably wont win, just like most of the players who truly deserve it, but he is totaly playig this game head and shoulders above everyone else.
It has been great watching the galu fall one by one, mouths agape. I am looking forward to the remainder of the season to see if he can pull it off.
The Lucky Charm comment was friggin great!
Go Russ!
Shambo had a very clear strategy the last two episodes; it was her suggestion that Kelly be eliminated and on this episode, she pulled the pin out of the grenade she was storing, threw it into Galu and blew it to smithereens. Because of her unwavering insistence that she was voting for Laura, everyone had to work around that.
John was 100% correct to vote off Laura, given his options: a 1 in 7 chance or going home by pulling a rock out of a bag, thereby protecting the person who created the mess by fighting with Shambo (Anyone remember what Erik said about knowing Shambo is crazy, but picking a fight with her makes Laura a bitch?) or vote her ass out and cement a new alliance with Shambo & Russell, and therefore the rest of Foa Foa. That is a no-brainer you guys!
And when Brett (or Brent – whatever his name is) read aloud the clue, I think that’s the most I’ve heard him speak all season. Is he really that boring? I also hope Dave stays for awhile, just for his (unintentional) comic relief.
Mmmmmm, fudge striped cookies. Love ya Schoonie.
Ummmm… I’m totally with Itchy (which I never thought I’d say!
and cattyfan. I’m sorry, but Mr. D, I do believe your horny-mones have gotten in the way of your seeing clearly. You do not suspect producer manipulation in R-douche’s repeated “discoveries” of the idol? Um, hmmmm, I know you have an undying (albeit severely misplaced, imo) love for Russell, but Mr. D, you can do better! Really!
I think the producers have just gone too far. I cannot suspend disbelief THIS much. My DH now refuses to watch it anymore — I’m still watching it on the sly but I can’t watch it with him in the room because it just pisses him off too much. He’s right. Fonzi, you shoulda just jumped a dolphin, silly!
Hilarious as always Schoonie.
Sorry zbird, but I have to strongly disagree. The producers of survivor have to lay all this stuff out in advance of the season starting. Every switch up, every twist… all of it is done ahead of time. They are monitored for that sort of thing, you now. I am sure that prior to the start of the season, they have gone around the camps and identified several hiding spots for the idol along with clues to associate with them. If they didn’t, then there would be lawsuits EVERY season because someone could claim that the producers helped someone win.
Besides, how exactly would they help Russell? How could they possibly know that he would be like a coon dog running around trying to track the dang thing without any clues? That hasn’t happened in the EIGHTEEN previous seasons. Why now? Not because of producer intervention, but because we finally got a contenstant that thought about how the show works before they showed up to play. Pure and Simple. Russell found the idols because Russell was looking for the idols. No conspiracy here.
The thing that bugged me about him finding the first idol was that, in most seasons, they’re hidden somewhere else — not at one of the camps. Russel’s “brainstorm” to go looking for one in his own camp just struck me as suspicious. Especially since the idol he found was meant for the OTHER tribe.
And the second idol just happened to be hidden where Russell seems to spend most of his time hanging out?
Even if he truly did find the idols with no help, all this flood of idols has done has helped further diminish the best part of Survivor, since the game becomes entirely random and developing any other kind of strategy becomes difficult, if not pointless.
Besides, the game is called Survivor — unless you believe in magic (well, okay, apparently a lot of you do ;-p ), what does an immunity idol have to do with survival?
I liked it better when a character could, for example, become the provider for his tribe, thereby ensuring his/her safety, at least for a while.
As for any legal aspects of helping characters along, no doubt the producers have that covered in the contracts. One can argue that recruiting “players” (i.e., actors) is just as dubious and manipulative as helping Russell stay in the game.
In the meantime, Russell has become like an annoying song on AM radio. They play the song over and over and over again until all of sudden you find yourself humming along, and even enjoying a song you hated just a few weeks before.
The idol has been hidden in camp in several other seasons, including Fiji, China, and Tocantins.
The key word being “hidden,” not tossed under the walkway or set inside a tree where someone has already been hanging out. The idols were buried several feet down, or hung high on the archway and made to look like other parts of the archway…and without gaining access to actual clues, those idols would not have been found.
And itchy…on your last post? You can’t see me, but I’m applauding you on all points, especially the comment about recruiting.
Not true. The idol was hidden inside the treemail post last season in Tocantins – Russell definitely would have found that one. I’m willing to bet that he would have found the China idol as well, probably. The one in Fiji was actually pretty well hidden, though.
But I do agree with your point, cattyfan, even though it’s obviously not the same one itchy was making: the idols are not hidden well on purpose, which means it’s easy for people to find them, which means it’s easy for people to use them. It is lame.
It’s also worth pointing out that I’m picking up on Schoonie’s idea that the idols have now started to eclipse strategy. Credit where credit’s due!
Not only are the hiding places lamer than they’ve been, but the challenges have pretty much sucked (or been repeats) this season too. Add to that the overwhelming lameness of the players, and I just can’t understand how some people feel this is the best Survivor season ever.
Oh well. We all get older, don’t we? Why shouldn’t Survivor? Still my favorite reality show. Sort of like an old blind dog that shits itself all the time.
itchy . . . is believing a magic a bad thing . . . kidding!
Russell is like AM song!!! Such a great analogy!!!
Have a happy holiday, all!
One of the things I like about SURVIVOR is that it’s the same BUT different. Every season they have castaways but they’re different from the last castaways. Every year it’s in a remote location but usually a different remote location. Every season there are immunity necklaces but the necklaces look slightly different. Every season there are immunity idols but they’re hidden in different locations; sometimes at exile island and other times at camp. It sounds as if certain anti-Russell-ites don’t want the immunity idol hidden at camp whenever there is a contestant on the program that they don’t like. That will be impossible for the producers of SURVIVOR to do and really the producers shouldn’t worry about the “complainers.” The producers of the show should remember that SURVIVOR isn’t a board game so the “complainers” won’t be able to “flip the gameboard” just because things aren’t going the way they want.
One or two people have complained about there being no social interaction but they’re wrong. There’s been a great deal of “social interaction” though it hasn’t always been pretty. I mean, watching KING RUSSELL berate some “dumb girl” in a bikini and basically say, “It’s his way of the highway” IS social interaction. It’s not easy to watch but it is social interaction. Shambo laughing at Laura’s situation IS social interaction. Not good sportsmanship but social interaction. Rocket Scientist guy choosing the FFs over Galus IS social interaction. Not good for the Galus but great for the FFs. There’s been social interaction GALORE but none of that social interaction has resulted in Russell being voted out of the game which is really what I suspect the “social interaction” complaint is about. “No social interaction” is CODE for “people haven’t banded to get rid of Russell.”
At this point the only thing I have to say is, “GO King Russell GO. Beat Galu!”
Wow! What hate for this season!
I have to disagree with all the haters here. I actually think this is the best season to date. I am digging all the blindsides, and for once, people are actually being strategic.
Hate all you want. I am enjoying this season.
What an interesting season so far. At first I also did not like Russel but he has grown on me (like a fungus? – ewwwww!). Anyway, he has impressed me with his behind the scene manipulations and his work ethic. For crap sakes he went out looking for the immunity idols while everyone else was sitting around doing nothing! I think he did his homework before coming on the show and knows that without an Exile Island this season the idols would be close to camp.
I’m not positive but wasn’t Russels’s use of the HII at Tribal Council the first time it was actually used to prevent the holder being voted out? There have been fake idols played before but I can’t remember the idol saving a player before. Of course my memory is about as long as my-well nevermind. The only reason that the idol hasn’t made an impact on previous seasons was because it wasn’t used. Are you listening, James?
I also think that many of the people on Shambo’s tribe have the same opinion of her that many of the people here have and that they don’t hide it. Her ineptitude hasn’t helped, such as damaging the fishing gear and losing the chickens, but they didn’t like her from the beginning. Prejudiced about mullets from the get-go, I guess. She has been an outcast from the beginning and now her team mates are paying the price.
Russel is making things happen while the other players are just sitting on the sidelines reacting to everything that is happening. I don’t think that any one of the people this season deserve to win the idol, but the people who work the hardest, whether it be at forming alliances or trying to control the outcome of the game, certainly have the best chance.
I’m not all that fond of Shambo (although I liked her initially,) but I will say this: I really like the first photo of her in this recap. It’s so rare to see a genuine smile on these contestants…and her’s is a great smile.
That’s a nice change
Schoonie, the love I have for this recap from the prerequisite leprechaun joke to the Napoleon tricolors … mercy, Russell really is the gift that keeps on giving for TV recappers everywhere. Schoonie, you rock.
“It’s not like Shambo is a master of deception; she’s had the same hairstyle since Full Metal Jacket came out.” A-freaking-men. Poker face, she has not. I split my ribs laughing on this one.
I still say Gallagher has a gimmick, cheese though it may be (a big ole Swiss wheel of it he pounded into bits but unfortunately that didn’t manage to hit me where I was sitting); Dave has no gimmick save for his long-ponytail-which-in-no-way-detracts-from-his-receding-hairline-hippie thing. I cannot possibly back a man who basically has an extra-long comb-over. Ew.
The longer I watch, the more I want to know: Is Russell the only person to have ever watched this show before? I mean, if I were planning on going on Survivor, I would have studied every bit of footage I could and worked out a strategy before the game even started. Just like Russell clearly has done. I mean, it makes since that you would brush up on things like making a fire with flint, building lean-tos, basic first aid, edible plants, etc., before you go out into the wilderness filled with candiru, stinging bugs, poisonous snakes, sharks, flying foxes and idiot American Reality show contestants (the most dangerous beasts of all).
But these yahoos are so oblivious even when they even bother to show up and match wits that *Russell* has them figured out. Now, I don’t think Russell’s a rocket scientist; John is the rocket scientist right? All those extra brain cells don’t seem to be helping him much. Russell’s game plan has thus far better than the rocket scientist. (I would not like to live around where John tests his rockets.) I mean, really y’all, how hard is it to come into the game with a plan? And after taking stock of the opposition, whose likes are yoga at sunrise, puppies, and long walks on the beach but whose dislikes are mulleted mulish ex-Marines? Mercy. I hate Gallu for making Russell the most likable person on this show. Hate them. That slot should have gone to Jaison and his extra “I” and stupidly gorgeous pecs (another person who should never talk) or John and his stupendous brain power able to set up windpower exercise bikes for the Gallu Day Spa a la the Professor on Gillgan’s island or ANYONE else, really. Except I can’t really keep all the players straight this year because they are so blah outside of Shamwow and her mullet which, wtf?, is getting bigger and bigger and threatening to take over the world. She and Russell are Pinky and the Brain aren’t they?
Yeah, I still want a coconut or two to be dropped on Russell’s head, just for fun, especially when he opens his mouth, which is every time he is on screen. But, come on, he’s trying too hard to be a villain. He barely keeps a straight face while talking to the other tribe. Hell, he has horsewhipped his own team into submission and they love him for it. Idiots? Yeah. So, hate on him for being a troll, but it’s nice to see someone coming into the game with a cunning strategy in mind that takes advantage of the game’s flaws. So what if he’s totally obvious about it — that’s why it’s been so entertaining to me. He’s some salesman. And Shambo? She lost food, gear and routinely makes an arse of herself; she also is clearly aligned with the other tribe. And still they let her run about like a more annoying, mulleted version of Coach.
Snootchy Bootches: “Russell found the idols because Russell was looking for the idols. No conspiracy here.” Agreed. He didn’t sit around and wait for TPTB to hand out clues; he took fate into his own hands and found them himself. I don’t think it’s a conspiracy so much as it is we are so used to lazy-can’t-be-arsed Reality TV contestants waiting to be handed their clues instead of using their brains to figure out where idols and such might be hidden, especially when the “brains” are coming from a runty little troll like Russell. Excellent game plan on his part. Let’s face it: It would have been really easy last season to find the idols hidden up the treepost skirt has anyone bothered to look. It’s not rocket science — although the rocket scientist on the show has taken how many weeks to start thinking workable strategy? Pssh.
Heh heh…keep talking people, you might convince me yet! Although it looks like next episode he’ll be going back to the sheninanigans that made me hate him in the first place.
I mean, I don’t really mind all of his shit talk and self-promotion, especially since it’s all coming out of a guy who’s only 5’2″ tall. Overcompensate? Der. Of course he has to.
And I would be able to admire his twisting people around (if it’s true –we mostly have HIS word for that), and even his finding the idols (even though I’ve always felt the idols to be a weak and unnecessary plot device).
But the rest of his behavior…the burning the socks, the emptying the canteens, and now it looks like he’s going to let loose a chicken…it’s all just…so damn skanky…
I just can’t get behind that kind of idiocy. I don’t find it fun. It makes me cringe. Mostly at how sad the guy is that he has to pull this shit.
Especially given the stupidity of the other players. It’s just gratutitous, redneck odiousness.
Point taken, Mr. D., about every season being different because, well, because it always is.
And that’s why I’m still enjoying watching this season as much as any other, despite all my griping.
Or maybe because of all my griping.
Jennaboa – Shambo and Russell as Pinky and the Brain…so true!
Oh, itchy, come over to the dark side, we have cookies *and* Immunity Idols! Joy!
What’s truly genius about the Brain is that he must be thinking of keeping Shamwow around till F2. He’d be a fool not to, given she’s the only person the mostly-Galu jury might hate more than him at the end of it all.
Once the last true-Galu is voted off, Foa Foa needs to shake off whatever Pavlovian stupor and try to break the Mullet&Munchkin alliance or it could go all the ugly way to the end. This means (a) Jaison needs to stop crying/complaining and start playing again (b) Natalie must connive with someone, anyone — even Jaison if he manages to blow his nose and put on his big boy pants — without telegraphing it to M&M (as no one has yet managed to do), and (c) for a mudslide to bury the Nearly-But-Not-Quite-So-Hidden-Immunity Idols deep enough that a 100 rabid Russells couldn’t reach it without digging a hole to China or whatever danged ocean is on the opposite side of the globe from Samoa.
It might behoove Natalie and Jaison to consider an alliance with Rocket Scientist and Hippie Dave, or some other mish-mash of a Galu/Foa Foa foursome before all the purple crew are gone. I somehow think RS/HD are a better bet in the integrity department than Russell/Shambo, who are somewhat prone to alliance-dumping temper tantrums. Apparently, the Marine motto of Semper Fidelis couldn’t sink in past Shambo’s hair helmet (what could?) and Russell, well, he’s short and Napoleon Syndrome makes shorties do mad and crazy unpredictable things like march to Russia in the middle of winter (seems a pattern for short tyrants in history) or come up with theories like cogito ergo sum while starring at cracks in the ceiling of their carriage (thus torturing future students of history/philosophy). I feel safe saying this as I am 6 inches shorter than Russell and being the size of the average 10 year-old tends to make one feel invincible; chill other short persons, forgive all slights, and go back to plotting your various global takeovers, will you? Ta.
Anyhoo, Russell is more than a little paranoid, which could be used against him, if the other tribe members managed to use their brains for something other than keeping water from running in then out their ears. At this rate, the only thing that *might* stop Russell’s frontal assault on our TV screens is *someone* accidentally losing Shambo in the forest, hopefully conveniently near to a cave of mullet-eating fruit bats. Someone could tell her its a reward challenge — winner gets tickets to see Winger! And then we’d never have to see her and her smirk again, la.
Kind of disappointing that Laura barely bothered to defend herself. Where is the sense of survival? It seems to be missing in the game this season. They can’t be that waterlogged, can they? Pssh.
Best blindside: Edgardo from Fiji.
Best Season: Fans v. Favorites…. you’d think that anyone who goes on SURVIVOR would watch how Cirie, Parvati, and Amanda wreaked havoc on the men that season and showed anyone how the game should be played and that women don’t have to stand around and get manipulated by a misogynist like Russell.
I agree with snootchy bootches. They show Russell up and looking for the idol at the crack of dawn while everyone else is sleeping. The guy is definitely working at winning this game. At the beginning I despised him – and I still HATE certain things he does – however, I have to respect the fact that he has upset the unconquerable Galu tribe and turned the game around. The last few episodes have been hilarious, and I have found myself rooting for the underdogs totally. I think that Natalie has really shown herself to be a great player in the last few episodes also.
Itchy:
The idol has definitely been hidden at camp in several other seasons. Also, there is no Exile Island this season so where are they supposed to hide it?
Anywhere but up Russell’s ass.
All he has to do is scratch himself and he finds another one. Or so it seems. ;-D
King Russell keeps finding the Idols because:
A: He’s super smart
B: He’s determined to find them.
Many peeps have mentioned that Edgardo is the best blindside but I barely remember what he looks like and I can’t recall the circumstances surrounding it. I remember it was a good blindside but I would have to say the best blindside was James WTIH TWO IMMUNITY IDOLS.
King Russell is not the nicest or most politically correct person to play the game but he is one of the best players EVER. I would put him up there with Yul, Richard, Tom Westmoreland and the triumvirate of Cirie, Parvati and Doe Eyes.
Thing to remember: Russell hasn’t won yet.
I do not, nor will I ever like Russell the fake Hurricane Katrina survivior. He is too sneakly (spelled like that on purpose, a combination sneaky and wiggly, slimelike creature). Since I don’t like him, he’ll probably win :@(.
We had 4 episodes recorded and watched them all at once. A couple of friends were over and one of them said she doesn’t like shows like this. A few minutes later we found her sitting on the edge of her seat. She said she would be back this week to watch the next show. As we were watching these last few episodes she said she hoped Laura got voted off. She just didn’t like her attitude. That says a lot, I think!
As for Shambo, she is CRACKING ME UP! A person sure knows where they stand with her. We were all laughing at her laughing at Laura. It was great! And Shambo might be a knucklehead, but everyone else in the “beautiful” tribe are as useless as tits on a boar. I remember my jaw dropping as I watched them all do yoga as the sun came up. Huh?
And aren’t Samoans literally some of the fattest people in the world? Why can’t these contestants find food?? Every time we see them laying around camp sleeping and scratching we yell at them. Good lord, they’re between the jungle and the ocean, two of the best locations in any world to find food. Idiots.