I was hoping we'd get two tribal councils to speed things along. So, that was good news.
Jim said two things that (when taken together) are interesting.
1. Towards the middle of the episode he said that 'Cochran was playing the most brilliant third place game in Survivor history.' I agree, and said so yesterday.
2. During the closing credits, Jim was with the boys on Redemption and said: 'weren't we supposed to be the final three?'
In a roundabout way, Jim is conceding that Cochran's betrayal advanced him further into the game. If Cochran stuck with Jim, he'd finish 4th-6th (at best). Meanwhile, Whitney was crying something about "tribe betrayal". Cochran is there for Cochran and Whitney is there for Whitney. They only write one million dollar check. I heard Jim talk about how he "saved" Cochran at so many votes. Wasn't one of those times to backstab Elyse/Ozzy? When Ozzy got upset about that, didn't Jim ask for an apology? Why can Jim backstab Ozzy and vote Elyse, but Cochran can't backstab Ozzy and vote Keith? Cochran owed Ozzy, but nobody else. Maybe that's why Whitney cried about "tribal loyalty." I guess her thinking is that it's not the same when you blindside inside your tribe (i.e., Elyse). It's not a particularly compelling distinction to me, but Whitney needed some sort of lawyerism to justify her venomous rage.
Brandon's blow up at tribal was the reaction of a guilty mind. Dawn had assuaged his guilt during the competition by saying she wanted them to eat as much as possible. This cleared Brandon's conscience. When she partially retracted it by conceding it was difficult to watch, Brandon's mind snapped. Her approval (which he was so eager for) had wavered, and he simply couldn't handle the return of his guilt. He responded with anger, belligerence and a dismissal of what she was saying. Brandon is a child.
Coach did a good job of taking command before the second challenge. He made it clear to all in his alliance that sitting out (and eating) was acceptable. Brandon shouldn't have felt guilty after that. I think the game is emotionally starting to wear on him.
It looks like (next episode) that Albert is going to make another push against Dawn. The Coach alliance consists of an inner 3 (Coach, Albert, Sophie - the first to know about the hidden immunity idol). Add Brandon & Rick and you have the core 5 which formed in the first epsidoe. Edna was added as a sixth a few episodes back, and Cochran became the 7th when he ditched Ozzy & Co. The outer members (Edna & Cochran) might have more loyalty to Coach than the inner ones. Coach is in a very strong position to handpick who he wants in the finals. That could be some combination of Brandon, Edna & Cochran. If Sophie or Albert wants to move against Coach, they might consider doing it now (at 9) then later (at 7). Because, I think Brandon, Edna, and Cochran are now in Coach's pocket, so you won't have the numbers @ 7.
Of course, Sophie and Albert might have reasonable expectations to be in the final 3 based on promises (implied or otherwise) Coach has made (which is why Albert is focusing on Dawn instead of Coach). I think we can have a repeat of last season, where Boston Rob's tribe all thought they were going to the finals with him, but only two were correct. Will someone realize this and move against Coach? They might need Dawn and Whitney to do it. Or, will Coach's hidden immunity idol scare them off?
Bottom Line: Coach is in a VERY strong position.
Ozzy says he'd rather be in the game, but I think he's quite fine with where he is. He gets to sit on the beach and hang all day after doing an hour or two of fishing. There's no worry about strategy or game talk - just wait for the next duel. This is vacation for him.
Chances of winning:
1. Coach (30%)
2. Sophie (15%)
3. Albert (12%)
4. Edna (8%)
5. Rick (8%)
6. Brandon (7%)
7. Dawn (5%)
8. Whitney (4%)
9. Cochran (4%)
10. Ozzy (4%)
11. Keith (2%)
12. Jim (1%)
No comments:
Post a Comment