Rough Time For Some on Survivor

Dude, I’m tellin’ ya………..

I had to DVR this past Thursday’s episode of Survivor and watch it on Sunday because I was out celebrating my 40th birthday from Thursday afternoon thru Saturday night. But now that I got that out of my system, it’s back to business. Looking for jobs and posting blogs.

Thursday’s show was pretty good, although I didn’t care for the ending too much.

It opened up with the hero tribe getting back to camp after last week’s vote that ousted Cirie. JT started explaining to the group why he voted the way he did. He emphasized that  ” it wasn’t for me (himself)….I did it for the team. It was a chance to get Cirie out and I did it for the sake of the team.”

Then they cut to a clip of Rupert the Wookie where he says he’s madder than hell at the moment and can’t hardly express how upset he is.

Is it me or this guy kind of……………………….a dick now ?? Oh, the wookie is mad because JT is hedging his votes. I admit that like everyone else, when this guy was on the show for the very first time, I liked him. He was carrying his team to victory in challenges and basking in the adoration and appreciation of his tribemates. He said they were feelings that were never showered on him previously. And most of us could relate to him to an extent. Then when he was on the first All Stars show, he was just a bit less likable. He now had a confidence in himself that was lacking before. And with his confidence seemed to be a bit of a bossy nature.

Now the guy just irritates me. He looks like the homeless caddy for Happy Gilmore. And he always has a problem with one teammate or another. When he says how mad he is about an issue in that deep voice of his, he gets a look sometimes that seems like he might go postal.

Look wookie. Just keep your mouth shut and mind your own damn business. Nobody likes you anymore, OK ??

Anyways, back to the show.

Coach led the villain tribe in a dragon-master chi session where everyone participated except Russell. A few of the girls doing the exercise smirked a few times as Coach chanted like a Buddhist monk. But otherwise, they were engaging as a team. However, Russell did end up finding the hidden immunity idol while avoiding the exercises. He has a huge target on his back though because just by not participating and walking around on the beach, he was further alienating his tribemates.

The reward challenge had a funny start where the hero tribe was jacked up and trying to be as intimidating as they were in the sumo wrestling challenge a few weeks ago. The prize was a chocolate feast by a natural water hole. Probst tried to offer both tribes a tiny taste of chocolate as a pre-challenge treat and the whole hero tribe bypassed it. Colby had the eye of the tiger and Probst asked him what was up? Colby told Probst that he was just ready to get busy….so let’s go !!

Then Colby ended up being the guy that sat out for the hero tribe. I found that kind of funny.

Early in this physical challenge, Gravedigger James injured his leg. It was serious enough where he had to be examined by the medical staff and made to sit out the rest of the challenge. There was one really good exchange in this rugby-type challenge where Coach gave JT a shove. It was kind of a punk shove like,  ” I’m older and stronger than you….you young, country boy “.

So JT turned around and stalked Coach toward the sideline and picked his ass up and dropped him down on his shoulder in a nice wrestling move. Coach was stunned for a few seconds.

Then the Wookie got all physical with Jerri near a sideline post and smacked her head and sent her down hard. Play was stopped very briefly as the Wookie tried to explain his roughhousing and apologize. But nobody wanted to hear it….least of all Jerri…..and play resumed quickly. In the end, justice seemed to be served as Jerri made the winning shot for the villain tribe. They got to go on the chocolate feast picnic.

While on the feast, Russell started recruiting allies to help offset the target he had painted on himself. He shared the fact that he did indeed have the idol with Parvati and then with Coach. His whole motive in approaching Coach was to lure him away from the Boston Rob faction and Coach bit the hook all the way. Russell flattered his ass with a few ego-stroking words and Coach swore his undying love and loyalty to Russell.

Coach is just the biggest buffoon. He actually got down on one knee to be  ” knighted ” by Russell. At first, I thought Coach was going to service him out of gratitude. But he only got  ” knighted “.

Good grief !!

Meanwhile back at the hero camp, Amanda showed her deep-rooted love for Gravedigger James by crying for his return and professing her admiration for him. When he did return to camp gimping along in a leg brace, she ran down the beach to him and embraced him. Okey-dokey.

The brace basically takes away all of James’ athletic prowress.

So in the immunity challenge, the heroes used James as their signal caller in another blindfold-themed challenge. And I was a bit surprised when the villains did not go with Boston Rob as their signal caller again. He led them to victory in the last blindfold challenge and he was participating again in this challenge. But the tribe opted to go with Jerri. Perhaps it was so that they had enough guys to pair up with girls to retrieve the heavy puzzle pieces involved.

Whatever the reason they went with Jerri over Rob, it worked out nicely. Jerri did a decent job as the caller. And despite starting the puzzle later than the hero tribe, the villains overtook them and won immunity. So once again, the heroes were going back to Tribal Council. And I knew my guy Fireman Tom was probably dead.

There was discussion at camp about sending James home because of his injury. And the other candidate on the block was indeed Tom. At the Tribal Council itself, there was some more great banter from James and his adversaries. Tom tried to appeal to the (true) logic that ” a healthy Tom is more valuable in challenges and around camp than an injured James “. Which James argued against vehemently. The guy can’t walk and is hobbling around and he thinks he is still more physically able than a New York City firefighter.

I’m not so sure about that.

But regardless, Tom was voted out and my preseason prediction is over. I’ll accept that.

At least none of the cute girls got voted out for the third week in a row !