Survivor, Philippines, Ep. 2: God's Other Plan

I thought Roxy had a chance to go deep in this game.  She seemed so bright and cheerful in her pre-game interview.  Alas, all that positive energy was washed away in a Filipino downpour.  The Army reservist who has been through basic training and whose vocation is to counsel soldiers who have seen combat, got beaten down after a few days of rain.  Roxy, good luck with your career choice. 

I was sympathetic to Roxy when she complained about Russell's lack of listening in last week's challenge.  She told him she wasn't good at puzzles, yet he put her on puzzle-duty anyway.  This week, she told Russell she didn't want to run twice because she didn't drink enough water.  She also told Jeff at tribal council that she doesn't want to work hard around camp in order to save herself for the challenges.  

Are you keeping track of all this?  Roxy doesn't want to do puzzles, run, work at camp, or drink enough water for the challenges.  The question is what does she want to do?

A: gossip.

Now, there is no denying that gossip is an important part of Survivor.  But, if that's the only thing you're going to do, you better be good at it, and charming while doing it.  And, I think Roxy failed on both counts.  She was very aggressive and mean-spirited while reporting on the nocturnal activities of the Provo Princess.  If I was on the beach listening to her, I would be wondering what she's going to be saying about me, once Angie's gone - because, I would have the feeling that once Angie had been torpedoed, Roxy wouldn't take long to turn her guns on a new target.  If all you're going to bring to a tribe is hostile gossip, tears during the rainstorms and the occasional speaking in tongues, you are not going to last long.

So, Roxy rightly got the boot, and that tribe is in serious trouble until they get some cookies.

Other Stuff:

-    Abi-Maria, take it easy.  You are sending off major red flags.  Tone it down.  Roberta is allowed to talk to Skupin, geeez.  Another outburst like that and Lisa will start looking a lot more stable than you do.  Your own alliance will dump you in a New York minute.  I know Coach kept a loose cannon like Brandon for all those episodes, but, Coach is a dragon-slaying 21st Century Don Quixote, and I don't think you'll get that type of loyalty from Roberta, et al.  Roberta thinks she told you about the clue.  You think you caught Roberta so she had to tell you.  That's your main alliance?  You're not exactly the buds Kim & Chelsea were in One World, are you?  Suspicion is OK, but this smells like paranoia: Portuguese-style.  Chill. 

-    I thought Lisa did a nice job in the challenge as caller during the puzzle.  Her emotional episode earlier in the show might be temporary.  She said she's an introvert and felt comfortable playing a character on a stage.  Lisa, why not play a character while on the island?  Remember Brian from Thailand?  He did it and won!  I know, I know, he was a sociopath.  But, it's worth a shot?  It's better than having daily breakdowns?

-    Jonathan's chances improved dramatically with the discovery of the idol.  If they re-mix the tribes soon (and Jeff made it sound like they might), he will be in a dominant position in the new tribe, and should make it to the merge.  We still don't know much about the rest of that group beyond Kent's knee.  Carter and Miss Delaware are phantoms.  That doesn't mean they can't win, it's just hard to evaluate that tribe when all you've really seem is Penner's Idol Hunt.  

-    Did Skupin cut himself again?  He tried to deny it, but I believe I heard Roberta say "that's a new one."  I don't recall seeing his foot this episode, I wonder if last week's deep gash needed stitches or not.  Question:  Does the medical team have enough thread if Skupin makes it the whole 39 days?

-    I love it when Jeff gets annoyed at a stupid tribal council answer.  Miss Utah's "cookies" really set him off (and I don't blame him).  I've heard from former players that tribal council takes hours and it's a constant tug of war between Jeff and the cast.  No one wants to say anything meaningful, and Jeff badgers and threatens them with a bad "cut", as he tries to drag answers out of people.  You get the feeling he's been fighting with Angie for answers the last two councils and he's starting to get ticked with her.  They didn't cut her well in this episode, did they? 

Good episode.  Nothing ground-breaking, but a close, fun challenge, and I like how Penner deduced the clue.
 

Until next week...