Stephenie? Ashlee? Caryn? Ibrehem? Can’t anyone spell anymore?
Promising Start. Beautiful location is always a plus. I think the drama sometimes flows naturally from the locations. Bland environment yields a bland Survivor. High hopes here.
A few random thoughts:
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As for Cody being a bastard for not picking Angie, let me make the counter argument. Rainbowthief says there would have been no harm in picking here. I respectfully disagree with that comment. Not only was there the numbers advantage Little Nemo suggested, there is also a more psychological reason to want Angie to be on the other team. If Angie was on the team with Cody, the rest of the group may have seen them as “those two oddballs.” Angie would have always been hanging out with him and he’d have been associated with her. Thus, when they got rid of Angie (an obvious target), Cody may well have been the next logical choice. By keeping her on the other team, Cody IS with the “cool kids” (GREAT phrasing!) and can go further in the game. Solid strategic move.
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I was laughing when Ethel Merman…errr…Wanda started singing. I accidentally read the spoiler about school yard teams and I KNEW she wasn’t making it much further! As for Jonathan, wasn’t he the guy that Cody was poisoning the well about? That would kind of explain his ouster.
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Let me second the “I wish they’d have stayed on the same beach” sentiment. That would have made for serious drama.
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Sniff. I can’t believe my Cougar (Jolanda) was the first one voted off. Ok. Yes I can. When they were racing and said to her that she was holding them back, I knew she was gone. Bad strong leadership is not the kind that team needs. The voters of Houston rejected Jolanda’s bid for City Council and now the Survivor T.C. has confirmed that vote!
I will say this, though. When she and the other girl hit the beach at the same time, the race was already over. Jo was an All-American track star! -
What is it with Burnett and race? It seems he thinks that he should only cast physically strong black men that are “lazy” and will possibly eat the cherries (Clarence, Nick, possibly the reason Ibrahaim was picked late…) and the women are “In Your Face” (Alicia, Jolanda). Sure there are exceptions, but that seems to be the cliche across all of Burnett’s shows.
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I think the winning team chose the new beach expecting some sort of bonus for choosing the beach with no shelter. Perhaps the water well would be closer or there would be better natural foods. It seems like that was just a bad call.
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I did like how Tom the Firefighter avoided the “make fire” task. He’s right. No glory there.
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As for their clothing and shoes, James indicated he thought they were going to a breakfast (possibly a media junket). People might have missed this as James is the bastard child of Bubba and Big Tom. Fortunately, I have lived in the South all my life and I speak fluent REDNECK. They clearly weren’t expecting to go to the game at that moment. At least Survivor gave them good shoes.
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I think though they thought Wanda was a goof, there was a legitimate reason for the tears. It was kind of rough to make someone commit to 40 days and then not even get to play. Plus, they were glad it wasn’t them. Psychologists call it Survivor’s Guilt!
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I think Janu is one to watch. She’s so exotic and interesting. A laid back Vegas Showgirl who isn’t afraid of hardwork.
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I think the Angie “I’m Different” thing is overplayed. I think Burnett was asking specific questions to elicit those reponses. Angie was hanging out with the crowd that ousted Jo.
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My DVR cut off early. Who voted for Angie other than Jo. When I saw two votes for Angie, I thought Jo had dodged it. Who didn’t get the memo? Was it the guy on the beach who said he was NOT voting for Jo?
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Ed Bradley. HA! Isn’t he the lawyer who is playing the “character” of a Postal carrier? I’m glad he made it. I want to see this charade!
Oh, and did we ever find a person to do the Mullinator ratings for this show? If not, I guess I’ll do it. Let me know.
Re Jonathan’s ouster:
I think it was Coby’s doing that he was ousted so early. I think we witnessed him trying to convince one group to oust Jonathan. And then later in one of the asides, I could swear I remember him saying that he was going from group to group and asking them who they were going to vote off. Then he’d say, “Well, what about Jonathan?”
I think Coby deliberately didn’t pick Angie because he didn’t want everyone else to think of them as an Island of the Misfit Toy Alliance (IMTA).
Hoo boy was Wanda a nut case. A good heart, but man you wondered what the hell she was thinking by acting so goofy.
Y’ain’t from Pennsylvania Dutch Country, are ya, PunditLisa?
Wanda is originally from Ephrata, PA, which is about five miles north of here (Lancaster). This seems like exactly the sort of thing any number of middle-aged women from around here would do…sing to keep spirits up, sing to help bond everyone. She expected them to join in. She didn’t count on post-modern individualist youth who would think she was the corny love child of Ruth Buzzi and Joann Worley…
Exactly. Just like Lil and Skinny Ryan.
Many people (including myself) have commented on Burnett’s apparent attitude towards black people. The man either has some serious racial issue of his own or he’s appealing to a very ugly demographic.
I believe Bobby John and Ibrahem joined Jo in voting for Angie.
Does anyone subscribe to TV Guide and read about what James says about his family in this week’s issue? I can’t find a cite on the internet, but my Mother read it to me over the phone and James states that he is dirt poor with a few kids and lives in a trailer in Alabama and his wife works as a stripper? He wants to win the money so she can stop stripping. Can anyone verify this for me?
You nailed it right watsonwil, James is absolutely the love child of Bubba and Big Tom.
I already do not like Tom the firefighter. IMHO I think he’s rather UGLY and I usually never like the alpha male type.
Too many pretty boys in this season. I get them all confused. There are NO manly men in this episode (Tom sure ain’t one.) Glad they voted off one of the pretty boys in the beginning…Jonathan. I loved the look on his face when he realized he was going to get the boot.
I hope Angie gets less obnoxious.
So far I can’t stand Coby.
My favorite two so far are Ian the geek and Janu the tree climbing showgirl!
Ok. Since no one else wanted the thankless job (I myself critique Mullinator’s Apprentice rankings on a weekly basis!), I’ll take a stab at it.
So without further ado, I give you the highly derivative RICH RANKINGS!
FORGOT TO FILE A 1040- I guess you couldn’t outwit everyone!
Wanda- Hey. At least now you can add “singing the blues” to your repertoire!
Jonathan- Just ask Coby why you aren’t playing any more!
Jolanda- Being a Cougar, you should be used to losing!
EATING BEEF JERKY- You’re still playing, but you’re praying for a tribe scramble!
Angie- I thought you were GREAT in Ghost World!
Ibrehem and Bobby Jon- NEVER go against the majority in a lost cause!
Willard- A sympathy pick from another older contestant. But, Ed Bradley COULD move up quick!
WHO SAID ANYTHING ABOUT A MERGE?- Middle of the pack players, the lotta ya! (Also a holding spot until people develop a personality!
Stephanie- I seem to remember her being a little bossy.
Caryn- A late pick, but may have made a friend picking Willard.
Jennifer- I got nothing. Pretty, though…
Ashlee- See Jennifer…
Kim- See Ashlee…and then you’ll have to see Jennifer.
Jeff- I missed you there buddy…
HEY! LOOK AT HIS MOHAWK-You might make the merge, but you’re grimacing from the jury row!
James- If the stripper story is true, you’ll get post-merge just on pity!
Katie- A hunch based on the fact you were picked so early.
LOOKING FOR A BIG TOM TO ENGLISH DICTIONARY- Big Tom has spent more combined days on the show than anyone. But he didn’t quite grab the brass ring.
Ian- I think he gets kudos for starting up a solid team.
Coby- Smart move ditching Angie and poisoning the well for Jonthan. Someone is listening to him!
Gregg- Janu picked him, and I think that links him to the strongest players.
ARE YOU A RAT OR A SNAKE?- Reserved for a MAXIMUM of two players. You have to be in the driver’s seat for this spot.
Janu- Exotic. Hardworking. Friendly. You went a long way in the game when you climbed that tree.
Tom- Not bossy. Good tempered. A leader without the baggage. A Tom/Janu alliance is in the works!
Who are they?
Actually, she DID remind me of a Ruth Buzzi character!
I hate it when good ol’ Jeff comes into camp and says" Hi guys how’s it going?"
Mmmmmm, Dolphin Boy - tall, skinny, glasses, funny.
Mmmmmm, Tom - man with a hose, yummy, love that accent.
I’m sorry, I spaced a bit there - were there other players involved?
There were, but beyond Jolanda, “Rebel without a cause” Angie, and “He’s a hairdresser? Really? I would never have guessed!” Coby, we didn’t see much of them. Am I the only person who thinks the opening episode should be two hours so we can at least get to know a few people before they go bye-bye?
sigh Where do they find these people? I haven’t encountered a Survivor contestant I’ve liked since the Amazon. Just bring back the Deaf girl, give her a million bucks, and be done with it. 
You liked Christie? I’d put her on my list of least-liked contestants. She seemed cool at first, but turned into a paranoid bitch as the game progressed. She definitely deserved to lose, making the classic mistake of overplaying her position as the swing vote and thinking she held all the cards. Heidi (the sheep farmer from last season) was ousted in a similar fashion.
Stephenie was definitely putting herself forward.
She was the one who jumped overboard to swim ashore with Jonathan.
She was the one telling people to stop untying things and get moving during the challenge.
She was the one who confronted Jolanda on the beach after the challenge.
She was the one who tried to persuade Bobby John to vote off Jolanda (which he didn’t agree with).
She was not one of the five people on the path who agreed to vote for Jolanda but she ended up doing so anyway.
So Stephenie right now is most comparable to two players who have already been eliminated and apparently has no allies. She needs to turn her game around fast.
Was the aspect ratio on my TV messed up or are there quite a few very lanky Survivors this season? Even the muscular types like Ebrahem look hooked on low carbs. I’m thinking midway through the show’s going to look like the death camp at Auschwitz. Without looking it up, it seems like those that have a little extra something around their middles seem to keep their heads clear a bit longer. Thinking actually consumes a lot of calories and when it comes down to it, that’s what determines survival.
I like Coby. He has a bit of the Hatch in him.
How can you tell he’s into older guys?
runs
Christy will always be number one in my book as my favorite castaway ever. I’ve met her twice, and I talked with her for over an hour the first time. I can assure you that Christy is a genuine sweetheart. She even told me the real reason she voted for Jenna, and it involved some deep-seated anger issues more than it did a sense of fair play. Christy’s paranoia was primarily directed at the stepsisters, and it was not unjustified. The type of treatment she received from those two strikes a deep blow into the soul of every Deaf person. Her reaction to them was fundamentally no different than the reaction a black person would have at being told that he or she were being ostracized for the simple reason that he or she is black. It’s impossible for me to explain this fully in just a paragraph or two, but it revolves around Deaf people’s sense of cultural identity. Jenna and Heidi just pushed the wrong buttons.
As someone who doesn’t understand I’d really like to read a more in-depth explanation.