Not The Same ... thoughts ... life ... opinions ...

Week 7:
That’s No Way To Make Friends

I hate to admit it, but Russell really proved here to be more powerful than Rob. I didn’t think it was going to happen, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a shift in leadership at a camp before a merge like this one. How smart was it to target Tyson at the last vote? Because of this move, it really did take the wind out of the Villains tribe. All of a sudden Jerri is flopping all over the place and Russell is now in control of the game. Unbelievable. As he puts it, “Having the immunity idol means power,” and that sure proved true in this case. Now, how much this move is going to hurt the Villains as a tribe in challenges is yet to be seen because the merge is soon coming. I’m sure that Russell and them at this point don’t care if they loose anymore because they have their new alliance now. I was sad to see Rob go. He is the villain you hate to love because he has been such an amazing player in this game. No matter if it was strategy, challenges or providing at camp, he could clearly be labeled as the ultimate Survivor without the Villain label. Wow, I’m gushing like Coach right now... Needless to say, he did all that he could do to stay alive and it’s a shame that he carried his tribemates this far to get cut off so quickly. But that’s Survivor...

Some thoughts...

* I enjoyed both the challenges this time around. It was nice to see the Heroes win, and most importantly, see Colby do so well. How would have James’ knee do in those challenges? He would’ve had to do the puzzle on the second challenge, so chances are they wouldn’t win.

* Apparently the word Jerri means “punching bag” in its original Greek roots. It’s good to know that the Colby/Jerri feud will continue because Colby form tackled her.

* I got to watch this episode with family in Norman and we collectively all cheered out loud when the Heroes won both challenges. Not many shows besides sports can make me do that.

* I’m really interested to see if this new immunity idol can be collectively used for the good of the Heroes. It’s really never been done before, so it will be interesting to see what will happen if they find it.

* I’m shocked at how easily Jerri was swayed. Not a good move on her part. She just became a lower tier on somebody’s alliance. It was a great move by Russell, Parvati and Danielle. Those three have the swagger and confidence to deserve that title of Villain.

* Dear Courtney, you are useless in the game of Survivor. Sincerely, Nathan.

* By far one of the funniest moments ever in Survivor history is the two shot of Rob and Russell talking about who should go and Russell says, “One of those two,” and the camera pans to Sandra and Courtney sitting at their feet. Rob’s reaction was priceless and he didn’t even know what to say, which probably doesn’t happen that often to Rob. “That’s no way to make friends,” he stammered. This interaction alone defined this rivalry.

* Coach really did chicken out on his vote. I don’t think Rob would have been mad at Coach if Coach had written down his name, but the fact that he wrote Courtney’s, which was a throw away vote, infuriated him. In fact, it showed that he was not playing with honor by not picking a side.

* I’m really interested to see what happens when these two tribes merge. With Boston Rob out, I really don’t think of these alliances will truly stick. This will quickly become an individual game in a big way. Which of course means better episodes for an already great season.

Let me know what you think!

Nathan

P.S. Some links that might interest you:

EW's Dalton Ross' summary: CLICK HERE
Jeff Probst's blog: CLICK HERE
Exit interview with Boston Rob: CLICK HERE