In the original Fans vs. Favorites, the returning players completely dominated. There were three key elements: the returnees were a strong group; they had existing relationships; and the quality of the Fans was atrocious (so atrocious that this season marks the first time any of that group of ten Fans has returned, and Erik's claim to fame is pulling one of the dumbest moves in the history of the game). So, the first Fans vs. Favorites turned into the Globetrotters vs. the Generals.
This incarnation feels more like Fans vs. Misfits. There are a lot of low quality players returning. When Probst
was introducing them as they came off the chopper, I got the feeling
the Fans didn't know who some of them were (I heard crickets when
Corinne was introduced). Therefore, having won the first immunity challenge, should we give the Fans more of a chance?
I'm reminded of a scene from the classic sitcom, Taxi. Tony's brakes fail and he almost gets into an accident. He storms into the garage furious with management over their cavalier regard to driver safety. The other drivers vote Tony shop steward - he meets with Louie, and totally blows it (Louie manipulates him into doing nothing). The drivers recall him as shop steward and open the floor to new nominees.
Jim: I nominate Tony!
Alex: Jim?!?!? Why would you nominate Tony?
Jim: Alex, there is no substitute for experience!
And, that kind of sums up how I feel about the returning players. Yes, some of them were terrible, but I've seen many people improve significantly in their second appearance. Yes, they lost immunity, but they dominated both challenges (it's just that Malcolm couldn't close the immunity challenge - something he was prone to doing last season). I still believe the Favorites/Misfits will be stronger long-term.
But, there are warning signs. I thought Brandon could improve his second time out, but he looks shaky. He's repeating his same antics from his first season, i.e., targeting
strong women he is attracted to (Mikayla last time, Andrea last week).
He has no father figure to lead him this time the way Coach did last
(unless you count Phillip, who needed his own shepard in Boston Rob when he played). Brandon is talking about pulling a "Hantz" and seeding chaos. I'm not sure what that gets him. Why doesn't he emulate his uncle and find a hidden immunity? Just a thought.
Francesca deserved to go. If you're aim is to get revenge in your first vote, it will blow up in your face (see the Chinese proverb: before seeking revenge, dig two graves). There was no subtlety to what she was doing. They came back from the challenge and she immediately told 5 people to vote Philip. Awkward.
I'd still bet on the Favorites in the long-term, but it was a bad start for them:
Other thoughts:
- Was it in Philip's contract that he can only return if he wears the pink/purple undies? The producers must have insisted on that?
- Why is Chochran sunburned? I'm pretty sure they get lotion.
-
Erik, I'm sorry Phillip intimidated you about having the numbers. Get
over it. It's part of the game. He made you an offer you couldn't refuse, and you refused it. Fine. You're allowed to. Stop whining about it ("he didn't eve give me a choice..."). Did you want his offer to include an option where you could vote him out? Exactly what choices did you want Phillip to offer?
- I
think Cochran might be a lot stronger this time around. He's still
doing the Woody Allen schtick, but he doesn't seem as scared as he was
before.
- When I close my eyes while Eddie is speaking, I hear the voice of Dan Ennis' old roommate, Jeff (if you don't know who Jeff is, kindly disregard).
- Shamar is a showboat. He manipulated that whole water/shelter thing to look like the hero. It won't work. I don't have confidence in him to go deep.
- The 4-person alliance of the cool kids
among the Fans is likely doomed. That strategy has rarely worked.
These people want to play some deserted island dating game - have it on
TV - and then go home and enjoy the 15 minutes. This is one of the
reasons I'm skeptical about the Fans - between those 4 and Shamar, they
have a lot of questionable players.
Overall it was a good episode. They jumped right into a challenge and it never dragged from there. Malcolm's failures in clutch spots is something to watch. We'll see what happens in week 2.
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