Survivor 20: Episode 3

I've been obsessed with the Olympics these past couple of weeks, so switching over to watching Survivor was a nice change of pace for an hour. I was also pleased to see the Heroes totally dominate the Villains for once... and not surprisingly it was in an all-brawn challenge. Doug called the Hero sweep about halfway through. I thought a couple of the women's pairings would go the Villains' way, but NostraDoug was correct and the Heroes crushed their first victorious immunity challenge. I hope it continues!

I was surprised at the Villains' reactions when they saw that Stephenie had been voted out last week. They were honestly shocked that they'd voted her out. I wonder who they thought would be the next one to go... Cirie maybe? But Cirie is actually pretty beastly in challenges, and she's one of the smartest members of their tribe - a highly valuable commodity in their camp. She and JT are in full control of that tribe. It's almost scary how easily the others seem to have fallen under their control.

On the Villains side, it's a similar situation. Boston Rob continues to run the tribe, but Parvati really has a lot more control than anyone is willing to admit. I think it was smart of them to vote Randy out - he was absolutely their weakest link - but all of their concerns about her are legitimate. (Although I disagree with her having a good smile, I find her smile kind of scary.) Randy on the other hand, totally missed out on the charming genes. He's smart, but not socially smart, which is too bad for Bag. I told him Randy was a bust, since I've made the mistake of picking him before, but alas, Bag had to learn the hard way.

I was concerned that Evil Russell was going to bow down to Coach and Rob's pressure to not trust Parvati. I thought that his reaction to them might be different because they are all-stars and men, but I was so excited to see him react the same way he did last season. When he buried their machete I fell in love with him all over again. He and Parvati make up the most dangerous alliance that could possibly exist. I would never have expected two people who are so overly-confident in their own skills to actually be able to respect and trust each other, but somehow they do. It's going to be really fun watching them plow through their competitors like the Canadian curling team does to the rest of the world.

Current Standings:

"Douchey" Dachui: 24 points

1. Tyson (8 pts)

2. Boston Rob (8 pts)

3. Coach (8 pts)

"Beauty & 2 Beasts" Doug/Bri: 22 points

1. JT (7 pts)

2. Tom (7 pts)

3. Parvati (8 pts)

"All Blacks" Moon: 22 points

1. James (7 pts)

2. Cirie (7 pts)

3. Danielle (8 pts)

"Gorbag" Bag: 19 points
1. Rupert (5 pts)
[2. Randy (6 pts)]
3. Jerri (8 pts)

"Always the Bridesmaid, never the bride" Me: 18 points

1. Colby (7 pts)

2. Amanda (7 pts)

3. Courtney (4 pts)

"New Rookie" Courtney: 16 points
1. Evil Russell (8 pts)
[2. Stephenie (2 pts)]
3. Sandra (6 pts)

Rankings:

1. B2B: Doug and Bri get first place because their players are the most in control without looking like they are actually in control. JT is happy to let Rupert think he's running the show, and Parvati is taking it easy while Boston Rob is making himself ill trying to be a leader. But when it comes down to it, what Parvati and JT think in the end will matter more when it comes to deciding who will be voted out. Tom also did a great job this episode extending the olive branch, so I don't think they'll even consider him when they next need to vote someone out.

2. All Blacks: Danielle is flying so under the radar that I don't even know what her face looks like - although I saw waaay too much of her unnatural breasts this last episode. There are far too many others whose heads will roll before hers does. So she will bring in some solid points, although I don't think she'll win. Cirie has the ability to go all the way, and I'm starting to think James does too. He might be just the person to bring with someone to the finals. If I were there I'd ally with him and then play the "I'm the brains, I've been running the whole show, he's just the brake man in our bobsled team" card. Brawns usually doesn't win over brains in the finals. Maybe no one else is thinking that, but I think they should.

3. Douches: Dachui dropped in my rankings today because of how badly the Villains collapsed. It seems like a rift has developed, and that rift will undoubtedly claim the lives of some of their villains. I'm also concerned about how little attention Tyson is getting. No TV time to me equates to not making the finals. Boston Rob is being the best leader he can be, but he's also becoming a huge target, particularly if the Villains go into the merge down players. I think the Heroes would take him out first.

4. Bridesmaids: It seems like Amanda and Colby are safe for now, and Courtney is laying surprisingly low. So my team's plan seems to be "survive for now, strategize later." I think the Villains women are going to band together, which is good, and that tribe won't realize how bad Courtney is at challenges since she can keep sitting them out, so she may coast through what I consider to be the most dangerous time for her.

5. The Rook: I actually like the make-up of Courtney's team, but she's down to 2 players, which will affect her scores in the long run. It makes it even more important for the players she still has to really excel. Evil Russell seems like he's in a precarious position as the new guy, but I feel like he's adapting quickly to the new situation, and his alliance with Parvati could become incredibly powerful. Sandra is playing a great game too, I adore her attitude of "I'll vote for whoever, just so long as we do it as a team."

6. Gorbag: Gorbag, are you suffering the trend of the previous-season's winner finishing dead last? Randy getting voted out was no surprise to me, but now you only have Jerri and Rupert! Jerri will definitely lose in a Parvati-Jerri catfight. Parv might even keep her hair afterwards as her grisly war trophy. Jerri's alliance with Coach is stupid, I mean c'mon, the man is psycho. And the two of them together is such an easy target. Rupert could go really deep, but Rupert on his own will not be enough for the win. Will Bag pick up Candice to hopefully boost his numbers? Or will he rely on a deep run by Rupert and Jerri somehow making top 5? (Odds on Jerri making top 5 I'd say are probably around 9:1.)