I immediately wondered why he didn’t grab that machete and cut the rope. I think Rob must have because his paddles were still tied together when he got back to the beach.
This seems to Rob’s special talent. He figures out the small things that can give you an edge, he also used the platform to take a running jump for the extra few feet. Again, he did it in the challenge where they tipped the boat over. Maybe it’s his construction background, always thinking of ways to save time.
I was thinking the same thing. Jeff was definitely looking somewhat smug.
I don’t know exactly how I feel about booting Colby. I hate Jerri, but due to an unfortunate twist of fate, I do have money on her. I didn’t watch Africa, but I must say that Lex is swiftly becoming a favorite. Stay low, make your move when you’re sure of it going right.
I’m not sure how to feel about Rob at this point. sigh I also have money on him, but he’s just being so damned arrogant … Pretty soon it’ll be someone’s God-given duty to knock him down a few pegs.
They certainly are editing Lex in a favorable light this time. Leads me to think that he advances pretty far in this game, and I’m all for that. I liked him the first time around, and I feel no differently now.
Colby’s ending speech was gracious, and I hated to see him go. Like Rich, I think he made the game more interesting in his comments, and I don’t disagree with him at all on the “Shii-Ann doesn’t play the game, she allows the game to happen” speech. I’m tired of seeing the motivating players picked off by the people who sit back and write names on slips of paper. It’s boring television.
Since they’re setting up the Evil Rob/Amber romance fruition, it makes you wonder which of them will turn on the other. You can see the plot twist coming from miles off.
Those sneeky editors at CBS had me gasping at the end. I thought for sure Jerry was going to get the boot. Hell, I was praying for it, and happy for it to happen. The pair of Ethan/Lex over at Mogo Mogo are funny. Lex played the girls like a string trio. Won’t be so easy when Kathy returns.
So far, I have become a Rupert fan.Say what ya want about the lumberin’ big guy, but I’m hoping he gets it all. I love Tom too, but only because he’s an old guy out there holding his own with stud Rob. He’ll be gone after a merge.sniff. The only season I watched all the way was Outback, so I was rooting for that bunch this go round. I’m still rooting for Alicia as well. She’s a strong girl who can hold her own physicaly along side the guys. As for Shi-Ann and Amber,they are usefull votes now in tribe, but are going to be easy pick offs after a merge.
This morning on CBS Early Show, Colby stated he had not changed his strragety or his personality since Outback. Liar! There is not much gentlemanly about him this time out. I liked the Colby that gave away the Million. I do not like the Colby who got booted last night.
Every season except the last one, and I got another one in for the next non-returning-people season, too.
And, mind you, this was before anyone had heard of or had any idea wtf reality tv was, they actually called me during the first round of interviews for Season 1.
Obviously didnt make it, though. 
Yet. 
I wondered where Rupert was, too. (Don’t much care where Jenna was.) My guess is that they were missing when there was heavy drinking going on. . . and maybe Rupert and Jenna don’t drink and are not comfortable being around people who do. I can related to that.
I thought the Colbster’s exit speech was cocky and arrogant just as his personality this entire game as been. Ding Dong the homophobe/woman-hater is dead! Hopefully next on the chopping block is Rupert, the big ole baby!
As far as Ethan goes, I really never listen to what he says in his interviews because I’m always so busy looking at that bird’s nest of hair he has.
Shi-Ann has no poker face that’s for sure!
So you think Kathy gave away all the secrets about her tribe in her alcohol induced diatribe or do you think she was just making it up as she went along? I could not tell because they didn’t show even of the specifics of her dialogue about her teammates.
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Does anyone think Colby HURT his career by coming to this edition? Didn’t come off as a great guy. STUPID move telling Shi-Ann that she isn’t important. EVEN IF IT IS TRUE. There was no reason other than overconfidence.
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Rob isn’t really being that arrogant to his tribe. MOST of his obnoxious comments are in the confessionals. In his tribe, he is clearly the leader, but it is always “us” and “the tribe”. Never “ME”. Did I miss something? He seems to be the glue. AND I think Cathy’s gossip only helped him more. I hope he wins because he is the best player by far this time.
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Is Cathy in trouble when she returns? Much has changed. Also, going away on a special trip is ALWAYS a double edged sword. You get the reward, but you return to jealous people. The reason I assumed they selected Cathy was because she was the weakest and that means the tribe has to oust a stronger candidate. That makes Mogo weaker physically next challenge.
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I liked the single challenege. This was the best episode of the series. Going into TC, I thought LEX was going to see his name pop up.
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When they left, Jeff DID look smug. But then, that is Jeff’s only facial expression…
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My guess on merge is that they will tweak it by allowing more than one person immunity in some of the challenges. In other words, the first five to finish are immune. That would change the dynamic quite a bit and favor some of the power players.
I know, I was trying to get a feel for what was going on there, too. Certainly they were trying to butter her up for info, but I can’t imagine she’d be that stupid–even if drunk. It could only hurt her chances when she returns, you know? But then, I guess it could hurt her chances when she returns no matter what, since there’s no way for any of her tribe to be sure she didn’t spill the lay of the land there… :-/
You want shallow? Last night while watching the show, we took a vote on whether Jerri or Shii Ann had a better ass. (Jerri won 3-2).
Rupert was briefly shown sleeping on a deck chair right before everyone had the champagne. I expected someone to get him up for the group event, but they apparently decided to let him sleep.
That’s a definite possibility and, in my opinion, the most likely one. But the Chapuras might have figured Kathy was the most likely to reveal information about the inner workings of the Mogo Mogos or maybe they saw her as the most susceptible to being recruited. Or maybe they just figured she was the least annoying person on her tribe to spend a day with.
I think Jerri played it right. Colby had already shown that he felt she was the best player to get voted off. Even if they made a deal for this week, she’d be in the same position next time. It was smarter for her to get rid of an enemy.
That is a fabulous idea, and now I’ll be upset if they don’t use it! 
But it makes no sense to put the tribe ahead of your own continued survival in the game. Colby didn’t like Shii Ann or Jerri, and made no secret of it. (That’s almost always a big mistake: too much honesty. Lex learned that lesson, but Colby obviously didn’t.) With Colby leading the tribe, those two would have been the next ones gone. Of course it’s best to keep your tribe strong if you can, but not if you’re not going to be on it anymore. I think Shii Ann made the right choice.
That assumes that the Mogos win immunity. Even with Colby in play, I’d lay odds on Chapera. One more loss, and Shii Ann would be gone (assuming Jerri had left tonight.) This way, even if they lose again, there’s at least one more target (Ethan) before she’s in jeopardy again. She’s bought herself at least three extra days. And if her team goes into the (assumed) merge in the minority (which was likely to happen anyway, Colby or no), then at least she’s got a strong alliance with Cathy (who may not be the strongest, but is very smart) and probably Lex.
Now, I might agree that it wasn’t the smartest decision on Lex’s part. He was in the majority alliance, and he wasn’t in danger of leavng anytime soon. And now he’s just weakened his tribe. Personally, I’m glad he did it because I didn’t like Colby, but it may not have been the best move on his part right now. From Shii Ann’s point of view though, and Jerri’s, it was definitely the right way to go.
Yeah, that’s. Maybe there’s something they haven’t included which lead Lex to believe he was going to be the odd man out after a merge. Or, he figures he can get to the top four in either case (assuming Chapura doesn’t), but thinks he can make it even further controlling his own group rather than riding on the coattails of Colby’s.
I think Rex screwed up royally and handed the tribal reins to Shii-Ann.
Ethan is a dead man walking (because he is the last former winner), but is also the only physical power player left, so he needs to be kept around. He also knows that Lex sold his side out.
Shii-Ann’s best buddy is returning, and when Kathy sobers up she’ll realize that there is no way the other tribe is going to welcome her later on. She’ll be back with Shii-Ann, the closest alliance there is in the game. Shii-Ann also hates Jerri passionately. She’ll realize her options - ally with Jerri and vote out her best bud and the only strength on the team, or grab Ethan and Kathy and get rid of Jerri and Lex. It’s a no-brainer for her.
Unfortunately, no-brainer and Shii-Ann are words that go together a bit too well, if you know what I mean.
With Colby, Ethan, Lex, Jerri and Kathy on Mogo, I’d have placed my bet with them on any physical challenge despite yesterday’s loss.
Here’s how I would have played it were I ShiAnn and Lex. I would have voted Jerri off last night. I would have played the subservient role to Colby and acted like I was following his lead. That way, if Mogo wins the next immunity challenge, neither Ethan nor Colby would have ever needed to know that the others were scheming behind his back. And if they lost again next week, they could have still either voted Colby off outright, or better yet, convinced Colby to go along with a vote to oust Ethan. Thus they go into the merge as one happy tribe. Or so Colby would have thought.
The way they played it, they weakened their team prior to a very important immunity challenge. And if they lose next week and vote off Ethan, they will weaken it further. That will have ensured that they will be in the minority tribe going into a merge. And with Colby and Ethan already picked off, the biggest target would be…Lex.
That was Boston Rob’s stategy years ago when he voted off Hunter. Look how far it got him.
We may be overestimating the importance of physical strength and speed in the challenges. One, many of the challenges aren’t physical; they’re puzzles mazes or some other sort of mental challenges.
And two, some of the physical challenges depend on characteristics other than strength. I’m thinking of the challenge back in the Pearl Islands where contestants had to float keys up out of a narrow vase. Darrah’s hand was so slender she was able to just reach into the vase.
Shii Ann would excel at a challenge like that, Colby not so much. And the producers try to design challenges to keep them fair to both tribes.
So voting to oust the stronger tribemates is not the same as accepting a decreased power at challenges.
I wasn’t able to access the CBS site to check, but I seem to recall that Chapera has won more than their share of challenges. I don’t know, I’m probably putting way too much thought into this, but here’s my analysis (as of last episode, before Colby left):
The Mogo men have an edge on the Chapera men in athletic ability, but not a huge one. Colby, Lex, and Ethan are all solid, fit competitors. Although as noted last night, Ethan is a bit of a spaz in challenges.
On the Chapera side, Rob is just as fit as any except maybe Ethan, and he keeps his head better under pressure than Ethan. Rupert is strong as an ox and has more heart than anyone (remember the rope challenge vs. Osten last season?), plus he is perhaps the best swimmer of the lot. And there are lots of swimming challenges. Tom is the weak link here, though he’s not terrible, just oldish and a bit overweight.
So, advantage: Mogo. But not by a huge margin.
But for the women, it’s just the opposite. Shii Ann, though I love her dearly, is nearly useless in physical challenges. Kathy is tough, but a little long in the tooth, and no athlete. Jerri is fit enough, but lazy and demoralised.
Chapera has Alicia, who I would give even money on against any of the men. Jenna is quite a scrapper, with good enthusiasm. Amber…well, not too impressive, but not that bad either. She’s certainly better than Mogo’s weakest woman, Shii Ann.
Advantage: Chapera, and by a rather wider margin.
So on the purely physical side, it’s very nearly a wash. Now let’s consider the mental/emotional side. Chapera is a team. They work together, and they expect to win. (They’ve only lost one IC.) And when they don’t win, they don’t let it get them down. Rob gives a little locker room pep talk, and they move on. They all get along, and they’re having a good time.
The Mogos, on the other hand, are defnitely not a team. They are a collection of individuals, most of whom don’t like each other much. Colby hates Shii Ann and Jerri, who in turn hate him, and each other. Lex and Cathy get along well enough with everyone, but basically seem like loners. I don’t sense any real connections there. And Ethan is as nervous as a turkey on the day before Thanksgiving, expecting the axe at any moment. He doesn’t trust anyone. There’s no group harmony there at all.
BIG advantage: Chapera.
On that score also, there’s Chapera’s fancy-schmancy treehouse. They’ve got a cozy, dry shelter, with everything but a coconut radio. They’ve got plenty of food. Plus they’ve got the matresses and blankets, so everyone gets a good night’s sleep, while the other team is shivering on bare wood. We’ve all seen how sleep deprivation can be a huge factor in this game.
That’s why I’d take your bet any day.
That would only work if Cathy played along, and I don’t think she would have. She would play the main chance and stick with Colby, just like she did when Rich approached her with the same plan. Then Shii Ann would be compelled to go along. Ethan wouldn’t stick his neck out either. This was perhaps a one-time-only opportunity to boot Colby, and I can’t really blame Lex for jumping on it, even though it could bite him in the ass.
Well, again, I don’t really disagree with that. It was a questionable strategic decision for Lex. I was mainly disputing your assessment that it was a bad decision for Shii Ann. If I was her, and looking at a no better than even chance of surviving the next TC, I’d jump at the chance to boot my biggest enemy too.
True story - I clicked on this link thinking it was written by a survior of the train bombings in Spain this week (the date is about right).
Back to lurking.
Patty
Another week, and that smug bastard Boston Rob fails to get voted off. Damn!
However, watching him try to hit golf balls off the back of the boat was the funniest thing I’ve seen all week. Not only did he fall down, but he threw the club into the water. Hilarious.