Jeff Probst blogs 'Survivor: Tocantins' (episode 11)
Let me begin by admitting that I blew it big time on my last blog. As much as I enjoyed everything I wrote...and I did…I completely overlooked one of the greatest blindsides in the history of Survivor.
Tyson's blindside was brilliant, and I can tell from the word on the street that you guys loved it! So I had to start tonight's blog by giving credit where due – that was a fantastic blindside and I think even Tyson appreciated the execution of it, so to speak.
Okay, onto tonight's episode – J.T. is a great player. The moment they got back to camp, he immediately went to Coach and explained why he didn't tell him which way the vote was going. No matter what else Coach may think, he will forever appreciate J.T.'s ''honesty'' and if J.T. is in the final and Coach is not, J.T. probably gets Coach's vote. That's how important the social politics are in this game. You have to manage every single person every single moment of every single day.
Debbie, Debbie, Debbie... she is a sly one. I wonder if anybody is buying it? I wouldn't let Debbie last much longer if I had my way because she is too likable, completely untrustworthy, and if she gets to the end she'd have a great shot at winning.
How in the heck did Timbira let themselves get into the situation you ask? It's why this game is so damn good. No matter how strong your alliance is, there is ALWAYS somebody on the bottom of that alliance and that person is ALWAYS looking to move up.
Erinn knew she was low person on the Timbira totem pole. She was vulnerable. Jalapao sensed it and took advantage. It doesn't matter if you watch every episode of every season and then get a chance to play Survivor yourself – you stand the same chance of making the same mistakes because this game is based on human nature.
Erinn didn't betray anybody, Erinn is playing the game. She made the best move for herself in this game and it kept her alive. That's why this game works season after season. There is no ''foolproof game plan'' that will keep you safe. Hindsight is always 20-20 but in the moment it is a very difficult game.
INSIGHT: Last night's reward challenge - where the tribe members try to guess who was voted ''biggest pain in the ass'' and other things like that - has run its course. I think we need to avoid this challenge for a while because I think what happened this year is that the Survivors had already discussed amongst themselves whose name they were going to write down if this challenge came up. I can't prove it, but that's my guess. I don't think we'll be seeing this one again for a while.
INSIGHT: Erinn had a miserable night on Exile Island. Brutal. In 18 seasons of Survivor, I'd venture that was probably one of the worst nights that anybody has endured. It didn't come across nearly as bad as it was. She definitely earned her Survivor stripes.
Okay, I'll admit it. I had no idea Taj would be this well liked, even by me! When she picked up that little girl at the reward, it reminded me of how special moms are to us all. How important they are to the world and that I need to get on it and order some flowers for Mother's Day!
Taj is also smarter than I realized. She has mastered the art of staying out of the way. The big risk Taj is flirting with is letting Stephen and J.T. get so tight that they're inseparable. What she has going for her is that sooner or later one of those guys is gonna want to take the other out and that could put Taj in a great spot.
(Deep breathe.) Debbie and Coach were so annoying tonight. I am so done with them lecturing Sierra. I kind of expect it from Coach and almost laugh when he does it, but Debbie was irritating. Here's my take: I imagine that Sierra was definitely a pain in the ass and annoyed people but damn, enough is enough. ''Can't we all just get along?''
HYPOCRITE: Coach. Coach. Coach. Dragon Slayer, you know I love you, but dude, you are one major hypocrite. Coach: ''Sierra is gonna do whatever she must to get as far as she can without any honor.'' Honor? Oh for crying out loud. It's a game and YOU are playing it as much as anyone! You lie as much as anyone else, Coach. You do see that, right? Please tell me you are smiling as you read this because you know that I know that you know that we all know that you know! Ya know? Please.
And Debbie, don't think I don't see you hiding there in the brush. Debbie: ''I'm too old for this.'' No, you're not too old. You're just frustrated that a 46-year-old woman got busted by an annoying 23-year-old. We all saw the episode. We all heard what we heard. You and Coach lied. Period. The funny part is all of you are nuts anyway because once again, it's a game! You're supposed to lie, that's part of the fun! ''Who can I trust?'' is the single great question of the game.
MINI ORGASM: More rain. Wasn't very hard but it did make me a little moist. The rain. The rain made me moist. Relax everybody. Please don't waste your time writing to tell me I'm a pervert. I just ignore those posts.
The Dragon Slayer won immunity. Oh man, he is so happy! I love it. Imagine how great a story this will become as it grows over the next 20 years.
Coach: ''And then, it was raining so hard that you literally could not see. Even Jeff said, 'It's raining so hard, I can't see.' But I dug deep and I used my ability to meditate while standing and that allowed me to see through the impenetrable rain. Something only Jedi masters can do.
''Then, I used my telepathic powers to guide the ball through a maze that was so difficult it had never been accomplished by anyone before. Even Jeff said so: 'This challenge is so difficult, no human being has ever accomplished it before!'
''When I finally won, Jeff tried to put the immunity necklace around my neck but due to me bench pressing 350 lb tree trunks earlier in the day my neck was too big for the necklace. That was another first. Even Jeff said as much, 'Wow, I've never seen a neck so big as a result of bench pressing 350 lb tree trunks that I can't get the necklace around. That's impressive.' ''
I'm so happy that I'm gonna be part of a Coach tall tale!
Finally...I will miss Sierra. I'm sure she earned most of the grief people gave her, but I still found her to be a bit of an underdog. That's just how I roll. She certainly made the show interesting. I'm not sure if she's a hero or a villain but she was definitely memorable. Goodnight, Sierra-Moto.
That's all I'm gonna say about this subject. Period. Paragraph. (Yes, that is a Coach-ism. I just couldn't resist.)
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