2nd Episode of Survivor Gets Catty

Dude, I’m tellin’ ya……….

This past Thursday’s episode of Survivor really seemed to see the two tribes turn it up a notch as far as bickering and already targeting each other. And it was the heroes doing it more so than the villains.

The first key event was when Boston Rob went down due to what appeared to be exhaustion/dehydration. He was walking in the woods with Jerri and the next thing you know, he went down like a ton of bricks. He told Jerri to “get help” and the medical team and Pretty Boy Probst were on the scene quickly. The medical team hydrated him and checked his vitals and determined that he didn’t have to be removed from the game (unless he wanted to be). Of course, he elected to stay in the game.

He did shed a few tears and said something about feeling bad because he ” respects and loves the game so much and thus far it was getting the best ” of him. But then he did indicate to Probst that from there on, it would be no more “Mr. Nice Guy” and he was going to play the game the way he knew how—-more aggressively and deviously.

Well ol’ Rob must have gotten some decent rest and some water into him because in the challenge….which was both a reward and immunity challenge…..Rob carried the day for the villains. The prize was a tarp to keep the rain out of your shelter. The challenge was about using huge, heavy building blocks to not only make a staircase, but to also spell out either the word “heroes” or “villains”. Rob had apparently participated in this type of challenge before and his tribe designated him the foreman for their efforts.

The heroes elected to go with JT as their foreman for similar reasons.

However, in the challenge itself, the heroes were disorganized and uncooperative and weren’t listening to JT’s instructions. They were talking over each other and making little progress. On the other side, Rob was showing good leadership skills and the team listened to him. Then when they were on the final building blocks that literally had to be hoisted up above the others, Rob jumped up and used his back and leg muscles to push the damn things into place. Nobody else showed that sort of strength and determination. As a result of his direct efforts, the villains won the challenge and the tarp.

And the heroes had to go to Tribal Council and eliminate someone for the second time in a row.

After the challenge back at the heroes camp is where things started getting catty….and kind of funny. This is why I watch the show. For the petty squabbling and the insults people make in their little asides with the camera. Cutie pie Stephanie started harping about how nobody listened to JT and they worked very poorly as a team. Gravedigger James took exception and started barking back at her. He pointed out to everyone else in the tribe how she is the only one who was ever on a tribe that lost every challenge (some seasons ago when her tribe lost every challenge and she was the only one left—sleeping alone on the beach for a few days). And now she was on a tribe that had lost two in a row yet again. He said there’s no other conclusion to draw except that she is a poisonous, weak link. 

He also barked at the whole tribe that ” he’s been a winner his whole life and he’s not used to losing like this ! ”  

That’s when my boy Fireman Tom, with his thick NYC accent, told the camera in one of his asides that, “I think James really overreacted to the challenge loss today and his temper tantrum back at camp was uncalled for. He claims that he’s been a winner his whole life and he’s not used to losing. I seriously doubt that. I can show him what a true winner really is.”

Cracked me up good.

Stephanie’s comments also irritated Rupert to a degree. So she wasn’t making a lot of friends being as vocal as she was. She did kind of have an attitude that hadn’t been so apparent in her prior seasons. And she has been on the losing side of a ton of challenges. But she is still pretty hot though. She’s in pretty good shape. I’ll give her that.

Things really started brewing over at the actual Tribal Council. { It seems like the construction crew really enhanced the whole Tribal Council “fort” since the last season was played in Samoa. I remember Probst saying that they were 30 feet in the air on the first episode. The whole thing looks like the damn Ewok Village from Return of the Jedi for chrissakes. Which I guess is somewhat fitting since Rupert resembles Chewbaca a little bit }.

Anyway, Probst asked one of his pointed questions at James (obviously after reviewing videotape before the session the way he always does so as to stir the pot more effectively). James used some poor word choices and eventually singled out Stephanie as being a rabble rouser and somewhat of a weak link. Colby took exception to that and made a retort back at James. James responded in kind. So then my guy Tom piped up and said ” make it three ” people who don’t appreciate James’ comments and finger pointing. James claimed that despite calling Stephanie out by name, he hadn’t ” singled anybody out “.

Tom replied that he doesn’t know what world James is from but identifying someone by name is singling them out in his own world.

As my buddy said upon calling me immediately after the show, ” It looks like Gravedigger James is digging his own grave ! ”

I agree. Usually he’s much more likeable and low-key than what we have been seeing.

But in the end, Stephanie had indeed irritated enough people to seal her fate and she was the one voted out. On her way out, she mocked James throwing his use of the phrase ” y’all ” back at him and he told her to get lost. And again, Tom objected to his attitude.

So that makes two cute girls in a row already off the show. Sugar (last week’s ouster) isn’t near as hot as Stephanie, but she did go topless in the very first challenge. So she has to get some points for that display. And now a legitimately fine woman in Stephanie is gone. All I can say is that Parvati better not be next. Get some of the fat guys out of there like Rupert or Russell or Randy (on the villain side). Keep the cuties dammit !

Next week’s teaser coming attraction provided my last laugh of the night when they showed James being pretty aggressive in a challenge and Probst’s voiceover says, “Next week on Survivor…….a hero loses his cool.”

Then they show Tom talking to James and saying, “You could have been a bit more gentle out there.”

Looks pretty hilarious.

As long as Parvati doesn’t get voted out.