Survivor 20: Episode 2

What is wrong with the Heroes? They start off every challenge whooping the villains, and then they have a breakdown as soon as they're asked to use their brains. This season should have been called Brawn v. Brains, not Heroes v. Villains. I'm cheering for the Heroes because I like more of the contestants, and I have more players on their tribe. But I may have to switch over to cheering for the villains if they're going to continue outsmarting the heroes. It's painful to watch.

Obviously I'm happy that Stephenie was voted out over Amanda. Amanda is my pick, and more importantly, I really like her! Stephenie I don't like very much. She did a good job in the first episode laying low, but then she revealed her personality, which was so off-putting that she may have driven James crazy. And her strategy made no sense - she kept saying that Amanda needed to go because she was the weakest, which is so ludicrous it left me speechless (at first). She obviously saw her as a threat to her position and tried to take her out, but her reasoning was SO flawed that even people in her alliance weren't buying it. Did Stephenie actually believe that Amanda is a weaker player than Candice or Cirie? Could she really be that delusional?

Special thanks to my mom and sister for finding some interesting info, and answering some lingering questions! According to Candice, the producers choose what the contestants wear, which is why what they wear is so impractical. (We actually spent some time last night wondering why no one had thought to bring a rain jacket.) And, at least based on my interpretation, the JT/Sugar pre-season romance sounded more like a random hook-up than an actual relationship, which explains why JT so easily voted her out.


Current Standings:

"Douchey" Dachui: 24 points
1. Tyson (8 pts)
2. Boston Rob (8 pts)
3. Coach (8 pts)

"New Rookie" Courtney: 18 points
1. Evil Russell (8 pts)
[2. Stephenie (2 pts)]
3. Sandra (8 pts)

"Gorbag" Bag: 14 points
1. Rupert (2 pts)
2. Randy (3 pts)
3. Jerri (8 pts)

"Beauty & 2 Beasts" Doug/Bri: 12 points
1. JT (2 pts)
2. Tom (2 pts)
3. Parvati (8 pts)

"All Blacks" Moon: 12 points
1. James (2 pts)
2. Cirie (2 pts)
3. Danielle (8 pts)

"Always the Bridesmaid, never the bride" Me: 10 points
1. Colby (2 pts)
2. Amanda (2 pts)
3. Courtney (6 pts)





Rankings:

1. The Douches: Boston Rob's medical evacuation never happened, which is a huge relief for team Dachui. They completely switched their game plan from last season, which was to take likable losers, and the difference in results have been brilliant. They are wracking up points with players in comfortable enough positions to not have any fear of being voted out soon. I think that Randy, Jerri, Courtney, and Sandra are all more likely to be voted out than any of their team. Do any of them have the ability to close though? I don't know if Boston Rob or Coach do, but I certainly think that Tyson would be a huge threat if he made the finals.

2. B2B: Tom looks like he's on the outs, but the tribe still needs his strength in challenges if they want to compete. I think he's gone if they lose next week, but Doug and Moon think it's more likely to be Candice. I hope we don't find out, I'm hoping for a Heroes victory next week! JT is playing a very strong game, apart from being on the losing tribe. We haven't seen much of Parvati, apart from her getting clocked in the temple last night, but from what I can tell, she seems like she's very secure as well. It looks like Parvati may be trying to put together another all-women alliance... the ladies seem like they all get along really well, and there could be some awesome retribution taken on Evil Russ by the "dumb blondes" of this season.


3. All Blacks: James' overreaction to Stephenie may cost him in the long run - he drew a lot of unnecessary attention to himself last night. (Although his enormous muscles are probably what will get him voted out in the end.) Cirie is playing a dangerous but masterful game. She does the best when she positions herself as a swing vote, and stays outside the main alliance. But it's a risky play at the same time, I think, since not being in an alliance makes her an easy target.

4. Bridesmaids: I'm sooo grateful that Amanda didn't get voted out last night. That would have been the end of me. Colby was a waste of a pick - this man is not using his brain at all, and now finds himself on the outs of a losing tribe. He needs the Heroes to start performing well so that he can't get voted out. If he makes it to the merge though, he could go deep, either by jumping ship or by coming through big time for the heroes. I still love my pick of Courtney, but it all depends on her making it to the merge. This is the danger zone time for the scrawny one.

5. New Rookie: Losing a player early is very difficult to overcome. Fortunately for Courtney, she has lost what I consider to be her weakest player. With two villains left on her team, I think she may be able to rally. The real question is, will Courtney choose to buy the dreg Candice for 15 points? It would put her 7 points behind the last place player, and if the Heroes continue to perform poorly it could be a waste of points. But if they are able to turn it around, Courtney would end up kicking herself if she didn't take her. She has until Thursday to make her decision. Can't wait to see what you decide!

6. Gorbag: The more I look at Bag's team the more I hate it. Rupert is annoying me to no end - I don't think he's mentally all there... he seems to wander aimlessly a lot. And he's no good in challenges with that broken toe. He's in a good alliance though, which will probably keep him around longer than he probably should be, but it's possible that his own alliance will vote him out, since they have such a majority over the pitiful "on the outs" group of Tom and Colby. Randy I think will be one of the first to go from the villains tribe, and while I think Jerri is doing a pretty good job so far, I think her reputation will hurt her in the long run.