Survivor

If you missed last week's episode of Survivor, check out a recap here.

This week's installment of Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains begins with the Villains returning from their first Tribal Council.  Under a full moon (when is it nota full moon in reality TV?), Coach loses his mind upon reaching camp.  He confides in Tyson that he just doesn't know if he can continue in the game.  See, he's a very sensitive guy, although he hides that sensitivity behind machismo, and he didn't take kindly to Sandra's attacks on his leadership and commitment to the tribe.  Coach is the man, and he will not compromise what he is about for anyone, let alone Sandra.  He devolves into a blubbering mess and all Tyson can do to soothe Coach's wounded pride is to hug him.  Tyson asks Coach if he wants Tyson's help.  When Coach says yes, Tyson tells him, even though Coach doesn't want to hear it, that Coach has to make an effort to get along better with the tribe.  No more fantastical stories that no one believes.  No more wearing feathers in his hair to Tribal.  No more tai chi (or "Coach Chi" as the Dragon Slayer calls it) in front of everyone.  Despite another complaint that he just might leave the game tonight, Coach agrees to stay and buck up. 

The next morning, Coach confides that the reason he was so upset is because the game doesn't deserve his nobility.  Coach is a legend, like Last of the Mohicans or King Arthur; he and the game deserve proper respect, and so far, he hasn't received what he is due.  Essentially, Coach thinks he's better than everyone else.  This attitude is belied, however, by the way Coach throws himself at Boston Rob.  Coach wants to bond with perhaps the most notorious player in Survivor history.  Coach tells Rob that he is on the outside of everyone else in the tribe, and he wants to be an integral part of it (Coach just wants to be loved!)  Rob insists that Coach is not on the outs, but to make sure Coach needs to align himself with, and most importantly, trustRob.  Coach hurriedly agrees, and the two hug it out.  Notice what Rob has done here.  Rob is clearly a target for most of the players in the game because everyone knows they can't trust him.  However, Rob found the one person who so desperately wants to be appreciated that he is willing to actually align himself with Rob.  Combined with the seeds of dissent Rob sows later against Russell, Rob finds himself in a position he probably never thought he could be this season: un-targeted (at least for a few weeks).  Just brilliant work by Rob.  After Rob leaves, Coach quotes Confucius (of course, he does!), and does some Coach Chi, complete with blurry Enter the Dragon arm circles.

At the Heroes camp any revelry exhibited after their first Immunity Challenge win gets left on the cutting room floor in favor of the first Blatant Product Placement of the season.  This BPP comes in the form of an island Sears catalog.  The teams will be competing in a Reward Challenge today, and each tribe gets to select three items from the catalog as their prize.  The Heroes select fishing tackle, a fishing pole (seems like these should have been one item), and a kitchen set replete with spices, cutlery, etc.  The Villains select a tarp, tools (saw, axe, etc.  Heck, their machete has gone missing!), and twine.  It is not mentioned which season the challenge is from, but I'. pretty sure it was Survivor: Fiji, because I remember Yau-Man competing in it.  Anyway, going head-to-head, a player form each team slides down a slippery surface and has to grab a numbered ball called out by Jeff.  Once they have their ball, the player must shoot it into a basket.  First team to four wins reward.  Parvati sits out, and the challenge begins.  First up, Coach and Tom.  The two slide down, grab their appropriate colored ball, and attempt a few shots before Coach is victorious. 

Side bar for a rant.  After Jeff calls it for Coach, and he is seen walking back to his tribe, allof the other players are shown with the slippery goop all over them (I think my wife fainted when she saw James' physique glistening).  Also, it appeared that a number of the stanchions had already had their balls removed (man, that sounded dirty).  Now, it's not a big secret that we don't usually see the whole challenge.  Especially when contestants go through multiple iterations of challenge, like this one, or the digging-up-bags-and-running-to-your-mat-even-without-a-top-on-Sugar challenge from this season's first episode, more than the required rounds are played.  I mean, from a TV standpoint, I understand why, and there are laws about how game shows need to be fair (and Survivorreally is just a game show), but I don't get this.  Especially when they can't hide it during editing.  I mean, did they each get to practice first, and that's why they were all already goopy?  Or did the producers just not use all of the rounds to "fix" the drama.  Like that first challenge, we never actually see Jeff make the call of what the score is after each round -- it's always a voiceover.  Now, I'm not delusional to think everything in reality TV is, well, real, but this type of editing just makes everything feel fishy.  OK, rant over.  Back to the challenge.

The teams go back and forth in the following fashion: Russell over Cirie, Candice over Courtney, Jerri over Amanda, James over Sandra (in the most uneven match-up of the challenge.  I think James scored before Sandra even got her ball), Rupert over Danielle, and for the win, Tyson over Colby.  The Villains win!  The Villains take their BPP goods and return to camp.  Back on their beach, Russell and Rob go through their winnings.  Russell pulls out what looks like a large knife in its sheath, though Rob, the construction worker, immediately points out that it is a hand saw.  Russell tries to pull out the saw, but it is tough going.  When he finally does, a scroll falls out, in front of the whole tribe.  Russell knows what it is, but Rob opens and reads it to the whole tribe.  It is a clue to the Hidden Immunity Idol.  Since they all know about it, the tribe wonders what they should do with it once it is found.  Sandra suggests throwing it in the ocean; if someone were to keep it, that person would immediately be voted for at the next Tribal Council so it will be played.  The group decides that no one will look for it (yeah, right), but as the men move to fix up their shelter, Russell sneaks off to look for the idol.  Rob sees him go, and sends Sandra off to spy on him.  Russell tries to elude her, but he is unsuccessful in doing so.  Further, he is unsuccessful in finding the idol.  All he has accomplished is winning the ire of Rob, Sandra and the rest of the tribe.  Rob sums it up this way, "Russell is like a hobbit on crack.  We need to get rid of him."

At the Heroes camp, the losers make some coffee.  As they are pouring out some coffee beans, they find their own scroll hidden in the jar.  The clue is read aloud (as multiple people saw the scroll), and unlike the Villains, the race is on to find the idol.  Tom, Amanda and James all end up digging in the same place, with wily Tom noticing some freshly moved dirt.  He digs up the idol and casually shoves it into his sock.  He thinks he has duped his tribe-mates, but Amanda saw his move, and quickly tells the rest of the tribe.  Even thought Tom is in the minority alliance in their tribe, the idol gives him power, so they'll have to get Tom to play the idol immediately if they go to Tribal Council.  Of course, the Heroes won't have to worry about Tribal if they can win the...

Immunity Challenge.  Jeff explains that this season they are revisiting classic challenges from past seasons.  This challenge has the distinction of being the only one that was never completed.  Regular Survivor viewers will recognize the challenge as the one from last season's Survivor: Samoa where Russell Swan passed out unconscious on the puzzle maze and was removed from the game.  One player is placed in an atlasphere, and gives directions to two blindfolded teammates, who roll him down a course.  At the end of the course, the caller guides four blindfolded teammates situated around a puzzle maze in moving a ball through a maze and into a hole.  Courtney, Sandra and Cirie sit out.  Tom and Rob get in the spheres.  James and Russell push Tom, and Coach and Tyson push Rob.  The Heroes take an early lead, but lose that lead when they get stuck behind a tree.  The Villains are the first to start the maze, but the Heroes quickly make up ground.  Both callers expertly move the ball through the maze, with the Villains having the first attempt at getting the ball in the hole.  They miss!  This gives the Heroes a shot, but their ball rims out.  On their second attempt, the Villains score.  Villains win Immunity!

Back at the vanquished Heroes camp, Tom moves to make sure he and Colby are safe; he's looking for any crack in the majority alliance he can find.  Cirie confides to the audience that she needs to get rid of Tom and Colby as soon as possible.  Her game requires the strong players gone.  Conferring with Cirie, Candice suggests splitting their six votes 3-and-3 for Tom and Colby.  That way, if Tom plays the immunity idol, Colby will have the second highest votes, and will be eliminated.  If Tom doesn't they can always vote Tom out on the revote.  JT, however, is not so sure about this plan.  As he has mentioned, his only chance of winning the game, as a former winner, is to be up against a former winner in the finals.  That means he needs to keep Tom, Parvati and/or Sandra around.  Further, he wants to keep the tribe strong for challenges, and feels he can trust Tom and Colby to be straight shooters.  JT's target is Candice, as she plays a great social game and doesn't contribute much to challenges.  Tom, leaving no stone unturned, pitches to Amanda and JT, that if he can guarantee his safety, he will give them the immunity idol.  James joins the party and says that he is sick of losing and just wants the strongest tribe -- the implication being that he wants to take Tom up on the offer.  Speaking with Cirie in private, Amanda says she is intrigued by Tom's offer; perhaps it is time to get rid of Candice.  Cirie responds that Tom and Colby wanted Amanda out, and voted for her at their last Tribal Council.  JT approaches Tom and tells him that Cirie is in charge.  Maybe they should all vote for Cirie instead of Candice.  Believing that JT will side with Colby and him, and stab his alliance in the back, Tom says, "Tomorrow we make apologies.  Tonight we make out move."  The question going into Tribal is, though, with whom will JT side?