Survivor cast-off not a huge surprise

Dude, I’m tellin ya…………

So another episode of Survivor aired last night. Call me a pig all you want, but fourteen days down….the last two in the pouring rain……and some of these women are still cute, goddamn it !

But the ranks of the cute girls is getting thin after Ashley was voted off. It wasn’t a big surprise as the only other candidate from the tribe who really had a chance to go was Liz. That was only because of the ‘tease’ footage they showed where she doubted pot-bellied Russell’s claim that he didn’t have the idol. He told her she was on thin ice and in his “asides” to the camera, he expressed his desire to jettison anyone who doesn’t fully trust him (even though she’s correct about the idol, of course).

However, Liz gave a really solid effort in the challenge and I found it pretty apparent that Ashley would be the one to go.

This was one of the episodes of Survivor that a lot of fans find very entertaining because they make the people eat the more exotic forms of local fuel in the reward challenge. Probst blended the raw sealife and other slimy snacks into what he termed Samoan Smoothies. He’s just so damn smug I’d like to smack him. Actually, I’m kidding. He really didn’t do anything this episode to rub me wrong.

After some teammates expressed doubt in Ashley’s stomach for this type of challenge, she proved them right by being the contestant who couldn’t hold it down. She basically sealed her fate there when the tribe later lost the immunity challenge.

One of the more amusing parts of the show was when the winning tribe was about to enjoy a BBQ of steaks and brats, but had to send a member of the tribe on a “scouting mission” to the other side. That tribe member would miss the feast. Dread-locked Russell opted to send Shambo for the second time in a row. Right before he nominated her, I really thought he was going to say something like, “Jeff, I’m going to do the noble thing here and even though I could really use a steak right now, I’m going to send myself over on the scouting mission.”

I was off by a mile. He sent Shambo over and shot down her objections. And then he made a statement that really raised his stock in my mind. He said that she had to suffer some form of punishment for allowing one of the chickens to escape last week. In that line of thought, I totally agree. Screw being noble or sending someone else. Shambo lost the piece of fishing equipment, she lost the chicken, and she has been somewhat distant from many of her tribe mates. Dread-locked Russell showed me something there.

Later he had a little manhood challenge at camp with his own tribemate Dave. But Dave proved he is the only one who can start a damn fire in the tribe and established his value. I also gained further respect for Dave when he apologized to dread-locked Russell and offered his handshake. Dread-locked Russell snubbed him and lost some of the points he had just earned with me. He showed really good leadership in his decision to have Shambo miss the BBQ and even explained his decision to the rest of the group in a good way. Then he looked like a small, selfish child when he wouldn’t respectfully ask Dave for his help with the fire and spurned his apologetic handshake. 

Then the rain started and didn’t stop. That’s some serious-ass rain they have over there. That was either one hell of a shower or the octo-mom’s water broke. The one tribe finally saw the logic in taking the rain tarp in a prior reward over the temporary comfort of blankets and such. Live and learn. Morons.

I do have to give props to the other Russell. I mean pot-bellied Russell with the hidden idol. He seems to really give it his all in the challenges and I can’t think of one instance in which he didn’t produce. In the sickening food eating contest, he stomached his smoothie and held up his end. In the immunity challenge, he held the full basket of coconuts as long as he could and finally had to give in. But his basket was full and I don’t think any other contestant would have held it much longer than pot-bellied Russell did.

Last week, he shimmied across the rope balance-beam that almost cost Monica her Survivor life. He was fast and didn’t hinder the tribe’s effort in any way. Of course he has done some things around camp that are pretty suspect. I don’t think burning anyone’s socks did any real harm to his tribemates. In fact, in the interview I read with ousted player bearded Ben, he revealed that everyone had at least two pair of socks and no one went without despite pot-bellied Russell’s sabotage.

When strictly looking at the challenges though, I haven’t seen pot-bellied Russell do anything dirty. He looks to be trying hard to avoid the tribe going to immunity. It makes sense. Hell yes, let the other tribe vote off a memeber. It helps him from having to play the idol before he truly wants to.

In the short preview for next week, it looks like someone gets hurt to the point where they have to summon the medical team. It’s unfortunate when someone gets hurt like that and has to remove themself from the game because the game is actually disrupted in that everyone typically gets a free pass that cycle. Pot-bellied Russell already has had his mind games and strategy interrupted because the torrential rain prevents a lot of private conversation. Now next week he may be hindered by someone else getting injured and automatically being the player removed from the game.

Unless of course, it is pot-bellied Russell himself. Maybe he pulls his pot-belly. Stay tuned………….