I’m watching Survivor for the first time since Season 1, so I think their plan of having one team do really well and one lose out is working. It keeps it interesting for people like me who aren’t 100% committed to the show are are likely to browse elsewhere if it gets boring like some of the other Survivors. It’s a good season so far, I (and most others it seems) am pulling for Rupert, which probably means Rupert will be voted soon and Osten or the girl with the annoying coked-out voice will win.
I was thinking just the opposite. Jeff seemed to be trying to favor Morgan by letting Osten break the rules by bracing the rope and himself against the beam over and over again, with warning after warning instead of disqualification.
I was also surprised by Morgan’s ongoing losing streak. I thought they’d break the string with one of the challenges tonight.
I’m surprised Burnett has loaded up so many purely physical challenges so far. I’d have thought he’d throw in a mental one to see if Morgan can do any better. But maybe the rope challenge was supposed to be biased to Morgan. On paper, Osten is the physically strongest player and a one-on-one strength contest should have favored him and the Morgans. Especially when Rupert the Pirate has said he uses his strength in bursts and tires out. But he went the distance today.
I liked Jeff pointing out they were not only the worst team ever on the show but they had a good chance of setting a record that would remain unbroken. And then Ryan hands him a straight line about a victory being inevitable.
Spoilers for the previews
I’m guessing the thing with Osten is another hype like Robb’s “injury” two years ago. But it does look like the Drakes are thinking about throwing a challenge to dump Jon. If so, it’d be a mistake. Other teams have gotten cocky about winning and thought they could afford to lose. In my opinion, you’ve got to play every challenge as if it was the most important one. At the very least, as a tactical move, the Drakes should try to eliminate one more Morgan to guarantee a 6-4 majority after the merge.
This just in: Captain Morgan Rum has filed suit against Mark Burnett for defamation of their trademark.
Smeghead - I was distracted during the previews, but it showed Drake talking about throwing one of the challenges. I got the impression that it was the IC so they could get rid of some dead weight (Jon?).
Number six - I agree with you about letting Osten slide a little bit with the rope and the leaning.
Personally, I’d like to see them let Morgan go down to two people, and then merge the tribes. After all the time together, Drake would be pretty well bonded and it would start to get dramatic.
Dread Pirate Hagrid rules! I don’t think that he will be voted against until the merge.
I agree - I’m hoping they won’t pull the tribe-shuffle this time around. They seem to think it’s an exciting new twist, but I think it’s more interesting to let people play their strategies without being randomly screwed over. But that’s just me.
Yeah, I think this one was maybe supposed to favor Morgan. Osten looks more like the gym type. Rupert’s big, but I don’t think it’s all muscle. And from the way the girls were hung up on those ropes, I guess they were supposed to be quite uncomfortable and squirm and move around to make it harder.
And I can’t believe they voted out Lil. Well, I can, because they’re frigging idiots, but she’s the only one who can make a fire, and the only one who goes and gets water, and apparently is the only one who tries to fish.
Darrah doesn’t do squat around camp, and they kept her.
I can’t believe the crap they gave her about losing the fishing hook. Ryan kept saying she should have waited and he would have gone with her. How would that have kept her from losing the hook?
I just want to smack Andrew. What an ass.
Arrgh! They vote off one of the people who actually WORKS on that tribe. Dara: “I don’t know hay-ow to make a fi-ah*, but I sure hope they let me stay.” Honey, get a clue. First of all, building a fire isn’t exactly rocket science, esp. if you learn to properly bank your fire at night. Secondly, if you didn’t know how to build a fire on Day 1, you THINK you might have maybe OBSERVED how it was done and then gotten off your ass to collect a piece of wood sometime in the next 5 days??
And ANDREW!!! I really thought he was going to NOT be a typical man and vote with his penis. Nope, Dara stays because she’s young and pretty.
It’s day 7 now and they STILL haven’t tried to improve their living conditions. SURELY there is something on that island that would provide some cushion for their pitiful bed. Sand, palm fronds? And is it editing or are they living totally on rice and coconuts and have caught ZERO fish. Are they even trying?
Couldn’t they try and create a lean-to of some sort to provide some shelter against wind at night?
Do I have it right that with 100 bucks and all of Osten’s clothes save his boxers, they acquired: 1 boatride, 1 tarp, 1 skillet, 1 pot, a bunch of rice, and THREE fish-hooks?
GEEZ, THEY DESERVE TO LOSE!
And I was surprised in the IC that they had a challenge that so favored Drake, too. Yes, it requires some degree of physical strength to hold a rope. However, for the first 2 hours, MASS and a good foothold were more important than actual strength. And Rupert had plenty of mass. Once the levers were taken away, height became more important because the ropes had to be above the beam. Holding a rope near your center of gravity (at hip level) is a lot easier than holding a rope at chest level, no matter how many muscles you have.
Finally, that Sondra is a bitch on wheels. I hope they vote her off just to shut her potty mouth up.
If they did that, then we’d have a pretty good idea who the next two voted out would be (with the possible exception of getting rid of Jon).
Yeah, I caught the comment at the TC where they said that Lil was the firestarter. But… Frankly, I’m a little surprised she could do that. It’s possible she tied a crummy knot that resulted in the loss of the fish hook(s). She didn’t think to look at the map to find the water source in the first episode. As a troop leader, she seemed to have no skill at rallying the troops. I don’t know how she became a Boy Scout troop leader, but judging by her performance on the show it seems that she rose through the ranks (or however they do it in the BSA) in some other way than using outdoor skills. I’m thinking that her idea of “outdoor training” is to take a bunch of kids to a well-prepared campground and setting up tents, and teaching outdoor theory instead of practicing it. At least, this is how the editing makes it look.
Dumb. First, Captain Morgan was an actual pirate. Burnett can just say (quite possibly truthfully) that he chose the name “Morgan” because Morgan was an actual person. Secondly, I think people would be more likely to buy Captain Morgan Rum because of a perceived connection to the show, even if the Morgan Tribe are losing.
Morgan did finally seem to get a clue regarding the fish. “Hey, why don’t we use this net?” Maybe it will work. But hasn’t anyone thought of a spear? I’ve never done it myself, but I’ve heard “frog gigging” is or was a popular pastime for rural kids. I’m a city boy, and I’ve heard of it; and I can figure out how to make a spear (as I mentioned in the other thread).
I knew that, barring something very unfortunate, Drake would win the IC. Osten was grimacing early on, but Hagrid just looked over at him cooly. I thought that something had to happen so Rupert would let go of the rope. A crab would pinch him or he’d lose his footing or he’d sneeze or something. But there were no accidents and the big ox won out over the thoroughbred.
I thought the debate over the water pot was interesting. Half the tribe seemed to be saying, “Screw 'em. This is how we win,” and the other half was saying, “Come on, it’s a game. It wouldn’t be fair to take their means of actual survival.”
For someone they’re keeping around because of his physical prowess, Osten isn’t bringing much to the party. I half expected Morgan to go, “Hey, we can lose just as well without listening to his whining”.
Random Thoughts:
You heard it here first* - the buried “treasure” will be their bags/personal belongings.
The bad guys -
Andrew - a smug, smarmy, lying phallis - oh, nevermind, he’s an attorney so those are good things. I am curious though what the strategy is that he had in mind in voting Lil off. If you haven’t yet, check out his audition video on the CBS website. Anyway, when I think of Andrew I think of M’Organ.
Osten - sunk his own boat by standing up - on the corner. Osten didn’t seem to have a plan in the immunity challenge about how to get up and stay balanced like Rupert. Once he was leaning over with the rope too high he had no chance. Also, with Nicole voted out Osten has the biggest breasts on the Island but no heart.
Lil - you were a hard worker but it wasn’t appreciated. You needed to be prepared to get voted off - you looked a little surprised. At least you’re out before you could give the BSA a bad name.
Darrah - ArraHead - do you know you are next?
The good guys -
Rupert - making Induhnapolis proud - tenacious, smarter than your average bear.
Michelle - way to hang in there! My personal favorite based primarily on waist-to-hip ratio, taut tummy and her cute button nose.
Jon - Will they throw one to get rid of you? No.
Drakes in general - I think we’re missing out on what’s been happening on their island since 93% of the footage is from Morgan. There has to be more fighting and arguing than just Jon and Sandra. Are alliances being formed? Are backs being stabbed? We don’t know some of these people at all. Can anyone tell the difference between Shawn and Burton?
- Unless you heard it somewhere else already.
Yeah, that was really a smooth move. In all the editing, it looked as if Drake might have been in a little trouble briefly. I thought, “Hm. If Osten stays away and the other boat can sink one of Drake’s, then it might be a good plan to stand off a bit and then gang up on them.” But Drake wasn’t in trouble as much as I thought, and ganged up on Morgan. A second after I had my thought, I thought again. “Oops. Osten is going to be blamed for the loss because he’s cowering.”
When Osten stupidly stood up in the boat, sinking it, I thought for sure he would catch some flak for that. But I didn’t see it.
I forgot to mention Darrah. I thought that maybe she was going to fly under the radar for a little while longer. Looks like her time is coming and she needs to form some alliances, flash her boobs to the guys (it worked for Heidi!), or - Og forbid - do some damn work. But that really applies to all of Morgan.
It’s also the first time I remember hearing her speak. Or maybe it’s just the first time I payed her any attention. Now that’s a deep south accent. I haven’t heard one like that in a looong time - and I live in South Carolina.
Yeah, Lil was surprisingly inept considering she’s a troop leader. I was amazed that of all the people, she didn’t think to look at the map for water. I was sitting there yelling at the TV, “Look at the map you idiots!” I think she was trying to make herself valuable to the tribe by showing some initiative in the past two episodes but she just couldn’t do anything right for Morgan.
I agree that there has to be more going on at Drake. They can’t possibly be just sitting around all fat and happy and not be playing the game within their own tribe. But right now, it’s more fun watching Morgan circle the drain.
Well, to be fair, Andrew said that his vote was based on “strategy”; perhaps he thought that Darrah would be easier to get rid of later on in the game, possibly post-merge, than Lil, who actually has a brain in her head.
That being said, I’m loving this show. “Losingest team ever” heh. I think it’ll be more interesting if they don’t merge until later on. Another interesting fact to remember is that the Morgan’s being picked off now are pre-jury, and that potentially, the jury could be made up of 6 Drakes and a Morgan…
I’m a little confused at the people who think Hagrid would be the first person voted out of Drake if they had lost. He’s been very valuable in alot of the challenges, plus he pulls his weight around the camp, and seems to get along with everyone. Even when what’s-his-name lost the head of the spear, he kept his bitching to a minimum. Lil got more flack for losing a fishing hook!
Normally, I’d be rooting for the under-dogs, but Morgan seems to be a lost cause. The lack of sleep seems to be making many of them delusional. Andrew’s comment about being mentally stronger because they’ve lost so many challenges is one example, as is everyone’s agreement at the Tribal council that they’re a better team than Drake, even though they keep getting their asses handed to them.
I’m going to say that Lill is possibly the worst Survivor player I’ve seen (I missed the season Brian won, so I’m not counting any of those losers).
She made friends with the weakest member of the team.
She alienated herself from her tribe, and as a friggin’ SCOUT LEADER, she should know better.
When people offered to help her, and (most importantly) spend time with her, she went out on her own.
The woman had no clue as to what Survivor is about.
Huh?!?
The immunity challenge was stacked in favor of tribe Loser, if anything. It was set to come down to the two strongest members. Osten by far the the physically strongest of all the survivors. When they explained it- I thought for sure it was a set up for Morgan. Even the last requirements- standing up, with no leverage favored the guy with the bigger arms. Even with all those advantages, Osten still cheated extensively once he stood up. And all he received was those mild rebutes, he though was was cheating by leaning on the post and using. He never got disqualified even though he was warned continually to stop doing it, he never did. Last year Jeff was hyper-concious of enforcing the rules against a winning team- throwing a critical immunity challenge. Gee, what changed?
But, even with the system set up for the strongest arms, and with one person allowed to cheat without disqualification, Osten still lost. So, if anything, they went to the extreme to keep Morgan in it.
For those tabbing “Rupert” to get dinged. 
He ain’t going anywhere. Squirley boy is going first. They hate him so much they are willing to lose on purpose to ditch him. That move has backfired in the past though. Better to try and win, because you will eventually lose anyway. Numbers going into the merge is key. With another win or two before the merge they will be able to play the numbers game.
Lill got dropped because she is useless in challenges- plain and simple. Losing the last hook did not help things much either. Plus her sour expression had to get old quickly.
You’re right; I think Trish from Drake hasn’t been on camera since week 1. But it’s because Mark Burnett and his editors think (and rightly so, IMHO) that TC is more dramatic and more entertaining for us viewers if we’ve come to know the person being voted off. So they edit the show to give more face time to the tribe that’s going to TC…and since it’s been Morgan every week, that’s who we see.
You could probably prove this theory with a stop watch: time how many minutes each tribe is on screen before the IC. The one with the most screen time will lose.
When I saw the setup, I immediately thought that Drake was going to come out on top. The challenge was the same essential issue as you have in tug-of-war, where the person with the heaviest anchor usually wins. Arm strength wasn’t even an issue until the very last segment when they were forced to stand up and forgo the aid of the wooden pole. Rupert had the body mass to just wrap the rope around himself and lay there…that required almost no physical exertion. By the time they stood up, he still had enough arm strength to combine with his weight and leverage advantage to hold out over Osten. Osten might look buff, but there was no way he was going to outlast Rupert, since the key wasn’t so much strength (although you needed some) as it was simple mass and leverage.
I will concede, however, that Jeff took pity on Morgan by the end when it was clear that Morgan was going to lose…in any previous challenege, Osten would have been disqualified as soon as he touched the pole again after being told to get his body and the rope off of it.
Lil was nice, but I’m tired of players being surprised that – gasp! – you have to lie and be devious to win this game.
But I’m completely baffled by the “strategy” involved in Morgan’s vote for her over Darrah. Let’s see: the four “in” people have made clear that either Darrah or Lil would be a fifth wheel, and therefore not part of the final four. Even assuming that they lose no more members before the merge, that gives the fifth wheel – Darrah – a lot of motive to ally with the outcasts in Drake.
Now, Lil was obviously team/tribe motivated, and seemed much more likely to accept fifth place. Darrah – what’s keeping her under their wing?
That’s not even counting the actual survival skills, which Morgan actually needs at this point. I just don’t see voting out Lil as a great move this time around.