Derwood

The Hero tribe is such a mess. My god do they suck. The only thing they've got going for them is Amanda's green bikini

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"You can't shoot a country until it becomes a democracy." - Willravel

Daval

Jeff Probst blogs 'Survivor: Heroes vs Villains': epidode 5
by Jeff Probst

Let’s call this one THE DUMBEST DECISION YET.

But before we get to Survivor… for all of those concerned, my cushions… are dry. Hallelujah. Such a big relief. You really don’t know how good you have it until you undergo a major crisis such as wet outdoor patio cushions. I didn’t even share that when I called Pottery Barn – I mean when my assistant, actually my free intern, called Pottery Barn – they said those cushions were not being made anymore. Say what?!!

I truly thought for a moment, “What am I gonna do?” But then like a gift from the Universe, the sun came out. That beautiful ball of heat, the most important part of our incredible solar system revealed itself to Southern California and those cushions… that were once so wet…miraculously dried. I still marvel at the power of nature.

Okay onto Survivor…and THE DUMBEST DECISION YET.

RUSSELL: “HERE IT GOES AGAIN”

Admit it. Go on, admit it! You smiled when he found it. You turned to whomever you were watching with and said, “I don’t believe it. He found another idol!” I know I did. How can you not? It’s not Survivor if Russell isn’t looking, finding, or playing an idol. Now that he has it, this season is officially on, and things are about to change dramatically. How can they not, ‘ole Russell is now back in charge.

REWARD CHALLENGE – A TASTE OF CHOCOLATE

Ah, so much to talk about at what started out as a simple little Reward Challenge.

First, the chocolate tease. Occasionally when we really want to whet their appetite, we’ll tease the tribes with a small taste of the reward. So, I handed each tribe a plate with some very tiny pieces of chocolate. Enough for one bite for each tribe member. They were very small, but when you haven’t had much of anything to eat in a long time, even a tiny sliver of chocolate looks pretty good to most people.

But not Colby, or any of the Heroes for that matter. They wanted nothing to do with that damn chocolate. I get what the Hero tribe was doing. They were trying to psyche themselves up by staying focused. Fair enough. They were also trying to intimidate the villains a bit, which clearly was wasted energy. The villains are on a roll, they’re dominating the game and they’re not intimidated by anything at this point.

But the part that I’m sure a lot of you are talking about was my interaction with Colby when he instructed me, in no uncertain terms, to get the challenge started.

To which I replied:

Probst: “I got the message brother, and we’ll go when I’m ready.”

Don’t go reading too much into it. I was merely holding my ground as host, nothing more. I would have had the same response to anybody who attempted to tell me what to do. Because like it or not… “We WILL go… when I’M ready.” That’s what 20 seasons and the title of host gets you. The ability to go when you’re damn good and ready and not a moment before.

SIDE NOTE:

Oh, and one more bit of housekeeping from last week’s blog. I read many of your comments implying that I was hard on “America’s Favorite Survivor” Rupert because I was trying to save my buddy, Colby.

Let me be really clear about a few things:

1. The first time I had seen Colby in several years was at the start of Heroes v Villains. I have no more loyalty to Colby than anybody else.

2. If I wanted to, do you really think I could influence a vote by asking a simple and legit question? You think these players are so easily influenced?

3. If I could indeed influence the game, do you think I would risk losing a job that allows me to buy beautiful outdoor patio cushions by doing so?

Get a clue. Buy a vowel. Phone a friend. Whatever it takes, but pull your head out.

I was hard on Rupert because his logic made no sense. He was clearly voting with an alliance and trying to convince me he was voting based on keeping the tribe strong. Every Survivor knows I ask tough questions. That’s my job. He could have answered any number of other ways and got me off his back. He didn’t. Rupert dug his own hole, all I did was offer him the shovel.

REWARD CHALLENGE – SCHMERGENBRAWL

This is a challenge that was created by our grip department. These are the guys who build the scaffolding that makes it possible for us to shoot out in the water or put cameras high in the air. These guys are hard working and keep us all safe.

During a day off they created a simple game they named Schmergenbrawl. It evolved into a major day-long tournament where our crew divided into teams. They had T-shirts made and some even had their own mascots. It was full-on. The game was so popular with our crew that our challenge department stole the idea and with a few modifications turned it into a Survivor challenge that we premiered in Survivor: Samoa.

You may remember it as the challenge that resulted in me tossing somebody (Ben) out of the challenge for unsportsmanlike behavior and also resulted in the evacuation of Mike Borassi due to dehydration. We should have known that it was too rough, even for Survivor.

But instead, we brought it back again this season. Once again it was physical and once again it resulted in a major injury as James was removed from the challenge after wrecking his knee.

This challenge will NEVER be played again. It was officially retired after last night’s challenge and those of you who love justice being served will be happy to know that the grip that created the challenge was fired.

He wasn’t really fired. He was sacrificed. It turns out the Samoans have an ancient ritual that saved our season from becoming a disaster. We gave him over to the Samoan gods to do with him as they must and in exchange they were able to bless us and insure us a very good finish to our 20th season. A small price to pay if you ask me.

One grip in exchange for a really good season of Survivor. We’ll make that deal every year. Plus, one of the younger guys in the grip department got to move up and take his spot. That’s what you call a “win-win.”

I think my favorite part of the challenge was when Rupert threw Jerri up against the side of the course: “Like I meant to do that!” And Jerri responded by draining the winning bucket for the Villains. You think it was the chocolate that made the difference?

RUSSELL FINDS THE IDOL

I loved the exchange between Russell and Parvati:

Russell: Just grab onto my coattails.

Parvati: I don’t ride coattails, baby.

Russell: You’ll ride these.

Russell is very good at using the idol. I’d say he’s as good at using it as anybody. He really understands how to leverage its power and he completely changed the game by securing Parvati in his alliance and then bringing over Coach.

IS PARVATI RUSSELL’S ACHILLES’ HEEL?

Do you think Russell made a wise move? Or is he falling prey to one of the most deadly flirts in Survivor history? Both Russell and Parvati pulled out their big guns and told the other everything they need to know. Russell believes Parvati will ride his coattails. Parvati told him very clearly she does not ride anybody’s coattails. It may be the showdown of the season thus far, even more so than Russell vs Rob.

Parvati and Russell have both proven they can play this game very well. It’s a deadly duo if they stay teamed up but there is no way this relationship ends peacefully.

JAMES’ TRIUMPHANT RETURN

I was blown away by how emotional Amanda was regarding James and his injury. I guess I just assumed that after playing together three times that maybe she could handle it a bit better. Amanda’s affection for James is endearing but speaks to how complicated this game can get. Showing her loyalty and concern for James is a big, bold move and can’t help but separate her from the rest of the group, at least a little bit, no matter what is said or not said.

IMMUNITY CHALLENGE

I love blindfolds. Yes. Read into that anything and everything you want. They just make life… and Survivor challenges… more interesting. Once again the challenge comes down to a puzzle, once again the heroes blow a huge lead and once again… the villains, led by Boston Rob, come from behind and win another challenge.

TRIBAL COUNCIL
Okay, straight up – as the Heroes headed into Tribal Council, how many of you thought James would be going home? Me too. It seemed like a no-brainer. NO-BRAINER.

But then I reminded myself, “oh yeah, this is the Hero tribe. They’ve made more silly decisions than Tiger Woods.” The consistently lousy decisions made by the Heroes have been one of the biggest surprises of this season.

But the biggest surprise of the entire season (for me anyway) has been James and his newfound social game.

Set aside his lousy and increasingly agitated attitude –the gravedigger has learned to play the social game. How else could he still be in the game? He has influenced more than a few votes by talking to other people and manipulating them with his arguments. You have to give him credit. I was really impressed that he was able to convince the majority to keep him in the game over Tom. Yes, I know it had to do with alliances as much as anything but when you consider how many challenges the Heroes have lost – to keep a guy with a bum leg was a really crazy move and you have to give James some of the credit.

Once again, Rupert tried to sell his vote based on keeping his tribe strong.

Rupert: (referring to James’ bad leg). “He’s still stronger than Tom.”

Rupert, if you really believe that James, with his bad leg, is still stronger than Tom, then you need to stop drinking that pirate grog because you’ve lost your friggin mind.

Ah, but that isn’t what Rupert believes. Rupert is doing what he needs to do to keep his alliance strong. Once again, let me, “Mr. Back Seat Driver,” point out why this makes no sense. Your own personal alliance may be intact, but your tribe is dwindling and if and when there is a merge, you are putting yourself in a very weak position because you will have fewer members than the Villains.

You know how I feel. James has been a problem from day one. First it was his attitude and now it’s his physical limitations.

And no, I’m not friends with Tom, nor am I enemies with James. I’m just sharing what I feel and I’m guessing what the audience feels as well.

FINAL WORDS

For the record, my niece most definitely could have beat James in a foot race. I just didn’t want to push the point for fear of him hobbling across tribal council with that bad attitude and messed-up knee, and thoroughly kicking my ass. Cause that’s something James could definitely do, even with two bad legs.

NEXT WEEK

Due to the NCAA college basketball tournament, SURVIVOR WILL NOT BE ON NEXT WEEK! I know, we hate it too.

THE FOLLOWING WEEK

Survivor will be on for a special Wednesday night episode: WEDNESDAY MARCH 24TH

BACK TO NORMAL

On April 1st we return to our regular Thursday night time slot.

Spread the word.

__________________
"It is impossible to obtain a conviction for sodomy from an English jury. Half of them don't believe that it can physically be done, and the other half are doing it."
Winston Churchill

ASU2003

Is it really a bikini or is it just her underwear? Either way it is the best thing about the Heroes tribe, which isn't as good as I would have liked.


Russel should have been more convert about looking for it however. It would have been even better if he would have read that note in private.

Daval

I have decided to give up on the heroes after yesterdays f*cking stupid tribal council and to root for the Villains to win. JT and Candice are stupid and that whole tribe deserves to get picked off one by one.

I will miss Amanda though, she is so unbelievably hot. I still have visions about last weeks oily challenge!



***removed images cause it messes up the page size ***

__________________
"It is impossible to obtain a conviction for sodomy from an English jury. Half of them don't believe that it can physically be done, and the other half are doing it."
Winston Churchill

Ananas

I'm surprised Jeff didn't mention Colby sitting out the reward challenge after he basically tried to tell Jeff how to run the show. If Colby had been so anxious to start the challenge, then why did he sit it out?

In the Tribal Council vote, Candice still voted for Tom after she called everyone else stupid for even considering it. Et tu Brute?

Candice should have gotten the vote - it would have weakened Tom's alliance while keeping the tribe strong.

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it's gritty

Lasereth

What. JUST. HAPPENED?????????????

Jesus H Christ Russell is the second coming of Christ. How the fuck.........??????

Rob wanted to split the vote so that if they played the idol it would be a tie. Russell had to guess that that was their plan, then pick out Tyson for being the one that would vote for him, and lie to him so well that he would change his vote to Parvati, THEN give up his own idol to Parvati at Tribal, and hope all went well...and it did. WOOOOOOW

__________________
"A Darwinian attacks his theory, seeking to find flaws. An ID believer defends his theory, seeking to conceal flaws." -Roger Ebert

markd4life

Like him or hate him, Russell made an awesome move. Changed the one vote he had to and outsmarted boston rob. Sweet

ASU2003

Russell is the best Survivor of all time with that move. The only way it would have been better is if it had been Rob.

It will be real interesting at their camp next week for sure.

Fremen

Win or lose now, Russell is THE man for that move!
I scared my dog when I yelled when Tyson got voted off. Fuck yeah!!

I finally see what you guys are talking about in Rob, way up there ^^.
He not only won the Villain's Immunity, the reward challenge, but he just about came up with a fail-proof strategy to neutralize the Hidden Idol.
He's thinking 3 moves ahead.

Unfortunately for him, Russell thought 4 moves ahead.

I wonder if Rob'll find out about Danielle's vote?

And thank God James is gone.

I'm really looking forward to next episode.

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Daval

Wow, great episode. Tyson is such an idiot! The way Russell swayed him is perfect - he just informed him casually that he was going to vote for Parvati - he didn't plea with Tyson for him to change his vote, he didn't even suggest it. He just planted the seed and let Tyson fall for it.

Brilliant.

Will post the Jeff Probst blog shortly.

---------- Post added at 08:53 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:37 AM ----------

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Jeff Probst blogs 'Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains' episode 6
by Jeff Probst

The Boston Rob vs. Russell showdown continues!

Russell: He’s threatening Russell Hantz. When do you that, you go.
Rob: He’s not playing with the amateurs anymore. Playing with the big boys now.

Rob: I’m just telling you watch your back.
Russell: Same thing for you man, watch your back.

Russell: Boston Rob says it’s better to play with me than against me. Oh, really? I believe I’m gonna get him to eat those words.

And last night, I think Rob was served an appetizer.
More on that later.

IMMUNITY CHALLENGE
Physically, Boston Rob continues to dominate this game. I don’t think there is anybody left that can beat him at any of the challenges. Like him or hate him, you cannot deny that if you’re in a fox hole, B-Rob would not be a bad guy to have in there with you. Part McGuyver, part Pete Rose — in my book, he’s money.
And for all of you who are saying “Nah nah nah nah nah nah! Look at how well James did, he did better than Colby in the challenge! The Heroes were right to keep him in the game!!” Well, you’re right. He did beat Colby, and so did Rupert, and in response, James had some funny comments that I’m sure were tough for Colby to hear:
At camp…
James: You, the great Colby. So if you turn it on and start winning, we’ll be alright. But if it’s the old sleepy ass Colby that gets beat by a fat man and a cripple. That ain’t right.
Then in interview…
James: Colby doesn’t want to be here. There’s no way that’s the Colby of old, one of the baddest competitors ever. He has not done anything. He has almost brought me to tears. It’s like my Superman sucks. All his muscles are gone so it’s very disappointing to see a grown man give up like that.
Then at tribal council…
James: You got slammed by the Dragon Slayer. …[You] got beat by a cripple and a fat dude on the obstacle course. It’s like finding out Superman was in a big girdle. You seem them muscles and you get up close and it’s nothing but a fat suit.

To his credit, Colby accepted it as a valid criticism. He’s not having a great season.

THE GREATEST CHALLENGE OF THE SEASON – THE HERO OLYMPICS!
Who needs a challenge department? Who needs a host? The Hero tribe provided more drama and more humor than any challenge we’ve done thus far this season when they created their own Survivor Challenge: The Hero Olympics.
James taking on J.T.? Get out. That’s good television. The only person missing was my niece! She would have taken second for sure!

It was one of the craziest things I’d ever seen. James trying to out run J.T. with a splint on his leg. Remember, I do not stay out on the beach, so the first time I saw this footage was watching an early cut of this episode. It was awesome.
I have to give James major credit. That guy does not back down from any challenge. Going up against J.T. with a bum leg was ballsy. And I’ll admit, I was surprised how fast James was, given his bad leg. Maybe I was wrong, maybe my niece wouldn’t have beat him. But let’s be clear… I would have.

It also made me respect the Heroes just a little bit, something that has been hard for me to do of late. It gave me hope that maybe, just maybe they’re starting to get a clue.

The entire speech about banana etiquette from Amanda to James was yet another in a season filled with scenes that you would swear are scripted. I think Survivor should be nominated for an Emmy for Best Writing, and the award should go to the Heroes vs. Villains cast. If you could write this kind of a show every week, you would have a big house in the Hollywood Hills with a pool, a few really cool cars, a man servant, a full-time maid, a well-stocked wine bar, a movie theatre in your basement, and an incredible view of the city. In short, you’d be living like Ryan Seacrest.

Fortunately, we don’t have to write anything, our group of Survivors do it for us.
Okay, back to the showdown. This was one of the greatest Pre-Tribal and Tribal Councils we’ve had in the history of our show. So much was going on, so much was at stake. This was truly a royal battle.

BOSTON ROB IS SMARTER THAN RUSSELL
Going into tribal council, Boston Rob laid out a strategy for his alliance that was 100 percent fool proof. 100 percent. B-Rob is a very smart and strategic player. He was absolutely right. Even if nobody played the idol, so long as everybody voted as laid out by Rob, (three votes Parvati, three votes Russell) then their alliance would stay intact — at worst Russell, Parvati, and Tyson would be tied with 3 votes each. They would re-vote, Rob’s alliance would most likely target Russell, he would have been voted out.

But Rob was also prepared for an idol to be played, and if so, then Parvati’s votes would not count, and Russell and Tyson would have been tied at three votes each. We’d re-vote and Russell would be voted out. He had it wired. Russell was going home. Russell should have gone home.

But this is Survivor and that means anything can happen. And what happened last night was…

RUSSELL DID IT AGAIN
The short, stubby, tooth-missin’ garden gnome did it again! Unbelievable. UN-B-LEEVE-ABLE. I still cannot believe he pulled it off. There were two HUGE elements at play:
1. It was a very inspired move to try to convince Tyson that he was safe at the vote because Russell was turning on Parvati — therefore Tyson didn’t need to worry about voting for Russell. He could just change his vote to Parvati since his vote didn’t really matter. The thing is Tyson didn’t have to change his vote. He could have gotten the same result and still kept himself safe by voting for Russell. The smarter move would have been to say, “Fine Russell, I dig that you’re ready to vote out Parvati. I’m gonna keep with my plan to vote for you just so I don’t alert anybody but I’m with you, and Parvati is going home.” Tyson could have gotten the same result without risking anything. Tyson simply lost his mind and forgot what he was doing… because Russell put that damn Russell seed in his head!
2. Russell giving the idol to Parvati was the biggest risk he’s taken in either of his two seasons. He went for broke and it worked.

You can write all the comments you want about how much you hate Russell. I don’t care. I won’t respond. That dude just made a major game-changing, momentum-switching move — and it worked. That’s what legends are made from – big bold moves.

TYSON ENTERS THE SURVIVOR HALL OF FAME
Tyson now joins James and Eric in the small section in the back of the Survivor Hall of Fame reserved for DUMBEST MOVES EVER. Tyson! We passed up Shane to bring you back… we had such high hopes for you. What were you thinking?! It’s one thing to be voted out with two immunity idols in your pocket like James did in China. It’s another thing to give up an immunity idol at tribal council like Eric did in Fans vs. Favorites. But Tyson, you changed your vote when there was nothing to be gained and in doing so you voted yourself out! We’ll take a poll, but I think that might be him at the top of the list. Remember, he gained nothing by changing his vote. It was just a tragic, game-ending muck up.

THE SHOWDOWN CONTINUES… BUT RUSSELL IS NOW ON TOP
It’s one of the greatest showdowns we’ve ever had and one of the most interesting stories of the season. Russell and Boston Rob. Two heavyweights duking it out on the beaches of Samoa.

Tonight, Russell took the upper hand. I loved how happy he was with himself, on the beach slapping his thighs with joy. And Rob’s face of confusion as he heard the votes being read was something we’re not used to seeing. I wonder how long it took him to figure out what happened.
And Russell is absolutely smitten with Parvati. The handing over of the idol from Russell to Parvati was the Survivor version of foreplay. I even got a bit turned on watching it, over and over and over. Think I’m crazy? Go back and take a look again. It’s foreplay. As she takes the idol, Parvati gives him a look that says, “You will most definitely get some tonight.” Of course we all know he won’t, but I think he thinks he will. That’s what I mean when I say Parvati is deadly. Even when you’re not into her, she turns on that charm and next thing you know you’re giving her your… idol.

These are our best players and they are giving us a tremendous season. The strategy is as intense as it has ever been — and we’re still just getting started.

Oh yes, the Heroes finally made a good move and voted out James.

See ya next week! We’re back on Thursdays again – from here till the end! Our finale is in NYC on May 16. Mark it down.

__________________
"It is impossible to obtain a conviction for sodomy from an English jury. Half of them don't believe that it can physically be done, and the other half are doing it."
Winston Churchill

Cimarron29414

Woah! Russell did it again! I can't believe he can pull it out of his ass every single show. Of course, he is in league with the devil and will not make it to the end. Parvati is going to smile at him while she slits his throat.

One of the best episodes ever. My only complaint was the lack of "Amanda boobs." They should have their own contract.

__________________
Gives a man a halo, does mead.

"Here lies The_Jazz: Killed by an ambitious, sparkly, pink butterfly."

kutulu

I'm bummed that Rob is out but Russel once again shows that he is awesome.

Derwood

losing Rob is terrible. UGH

__________________
"You can't shoot a country until it becomes a democracy." - Willravel

Daval

Jeff Probst blogs 'Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains' episode 7
by Jeff Probst

THE VOICE OF BOSTON ROB IS HEARD OVER A BLACK SCREEN

BOSTON ROB

The more and more I think about it, something doesn’t feel right. Something just doesn’t feel right.

FADE IN:

EXT. FENWAY PARK – NIGHT
The stadium lights shine onto the field filled with a large crowd of mourners, mostly dressed in red and blue.

JEFF PROBST

…and as we gather to pay our last respects to Boston Rob, I’d like to take a moment of silence to remember the many things he brought to the game of Survivor. He was the Godfather who left too soon in Survivor: Marquesas. On Survivor: All-Stars, he took a different approach. He put his arm around the beautiful Amber on day three and became her “knight in shining armor” as he dragged her to the end giving her the opportunity to win the million dollars while being a two-faced betrayer to everybody else — and he did it all with an evil smile that made many of us fall in love with him in a brand new way. And finally on Survivor; Heroes vs. Villains, he transformed himself yet again — this time into a fairly likable, extremely hardworking and challenge-dominating player who took it upon himself to go up against Russell, the biggest villain of all-time.Some might say the karma of past betrayals finally caught up with B Rob and he went down hard. Probably for the last time. Rob… you will be missed.

There is silence in the stadium. Then… a shout from the cheap seats.

RUSSELL HANTZ

What about me??!!! Where’s the love for me? I’m the one took him down. I’m Russell Hantz, the greatest Survivor of allllll-time. I’m that good.

Russell hops down the steps toward the railing and without hesitating leaps from the 300 section. It is a long way down to the field, but miraculously he lands in the middle of center field and bounces up on his feet unharmed.
The crowd recognizes him as the man who took down Boston Rob. As expected, the Boston crowd quickly becomes a vigilante group and takes after the gap toothed troll. In a flash, he is gone for there is still more game to play on Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains.

FADE OUT
My therapist says that time heals everything, but I’m not sure how much time it will take to heal this loss. I miss him already. I miss the battle. Russell vs. Boston Rob will go down as one of the greatest battles of all time. I want them back. Now. We should do an entire season centered around Boston Rob vs. Russell. Give them some war clubs, put them in a gladiator ring.

Amber could be the ring girl. She’s dressed the same way she was in Maxim (if you haven’t seen it go back and check it out) but instead of being the sexy ring girl, this time she’s a mom, carrying child. She represents hope for the world. Goodness.

Coach would be Rob’s consigliore, his right hand man.

At the other end of the arena, Russell would stand alone. No friends. No allies.

The promos are written, the audience would be there. Right? If I told you right now that next season we’d have Russell and Rob back again, wouldn’t you be intrigued?

Okay, enough of my clear favoritism!

Man, I’m so in sync with you guys I can hear your comments already. “Why don’t you ever talk about how awesome Candace is?” “Jeff, relax, Rob is already married!” “Why do you love all the villains and hate all the heroes?”

Maybe it’s time for me to do a quick recap of everybody left in the game:

J.T. Still like him even though he is clearly playing in a way that could easily earn him a spot on the villain tribe. A friend of mine just told me that J.T. is her favorite, and she feels like she has the best husband because he’s the perfect combination of “J.T., Tyson and Boston Rob.” Not really sure what it means, but in this time of mourning I believe it is best to just share everything.

COACH Hmm. How can I say it in a new way. I can’t. I love Coach. Always loved Coach. I still want to develop a show centered around “Tales of The Dragon Slayer.” But right now The Dragon Slayer is depressed. He’s lost his way. As much as he wants to live by a code, he finds himself trapped in a corner on a game called Survivor and there appears no way out. If this were a movie, this would be the end of Act II when all seems lost. Is it? Or can he rise up from the ashes and be reborn yet again?

CANDACE Ah, man… I just got bored doing this recap. Sorry. I promise next time to talk about how the awesomeness of Candace. And she is awesome. Seriously.

COACH AND JERRI SITTING IN A TREE, K-I-S-S-I-N-G….
Does anybody else think Jerri and Coach might actually have a shot at making it as a couple? I do. Seriously, I do. No, really… I do. If they could each just open their arms, let down their guard, release judgments and simply accept the other, this could be something amazing. (Come to think of it, if I could do that in my own life it’d be pretty amazing.)

Coach and Jerri just look like they should be together. I can see them trekking across the Australian Outback with the sun beating down on their necks, sweat pouring off their bodies as they stop to take… their last… sip… of water. Stranded with no transportation, no food and now no water, they must rely on each other to provide shade, comfort, and love.

I can see the poster for the movie. Coach… his arms raised in a Dragon Slayer pose, a touch of blood dripping down his forearm hints at the epic battle we will witness. Jerri is dressed in a long flowing white cotton dress, slightly torn from her own battle or perhaps just their intense passion for one another. Her arms are wrapped around Coach’s thigh as she looks up adoringly at him.

For the sequel, I can see them paddling down the Amazon as Coach re enacts being captured by an indigenous tribe, only this time Jerri arrives just in time to save the day. Coach sweeps her up in his arms, flexing his tattoos and grabbing a quick feel. They’ll make made love in the jungle, which we won’t show because in this version we want the PG-13 crowd. They emerge from the jungle, disheveled and once again sweaty as Coach is declared the new king of the land.

In the third movie, Jerri surprises Coach picking him up in an old Buick as they drive across America to Burning Man where Jerri will perform a spoken word tribute to the love of her life while Ozzy — yes, Ozzy — plays bongos in the background.

This is one of the greatest “could be” love stories of all time. Coach? Jerri? Are you listening to your hearts? Let go of your fears. Open your arms and your bodies and accept the other for all they are… and all they will never be.

If you decide to marry, I will officiate and forego my normal $25 fee as my wedding gift to you both.

RUSSELL IS THE COCKIEST SURVIVOR TO EVER PLAY THE GAME
Russell continues to flabbergast me in the most enjoyable and entertaining of ways. Calling out Courtney or Sandra as the “next to go home” right in front of their faces was one of the boldest moves I’ve ever seen anybody make in any game at any time. Wow. Give this man a wide berth cause if you don’t, he will take it.

Let me tell you what I’m really learning from Russell — when you have nothing to fear, nothing at stake, you have all the power. Russell is truly only playing to win and it shows. He is so brazen. Russell is one helluva salesman. No, I am not going to stop talking about him because he’s absolutely fascinating.

What’s even more amazing is that he is still in the game! For all the people that want to hate on him, he’s still in the game and Rob is gone. Tom is gone. James is gone. Stephenie is gone. Cirie is gone. He’s not just a crazy person, he’s a very intimidating, cunning and powerful player in this game.

Can he win the game? Remains to be seen. He still lacks social grace. I doubt he has ever had it, probably never will. But that guy will empty your wallet before you ever know he had your hand in his pocket.

BOSTON ROBS LAST WORDS
Rob: (to Coach) You’re a little man.

I love how Rob went out. He didn’t pretend it didn’t matter, he didn’t say “good luck”, he simply said what was on his mind, the subtext of which was clear: Coach, you suck.

Coach. Coach. Coach. I too am a bit dismayed. I will need time to sort through this emotionally. I will certainly need more therapy to help me understand and try to forgive. I may never see you the same way again. But I will still marry you and Jerri. Although at this point I’d feel more comfortable charging you the $25.

See ya next week.

__________________
"It is impossible to obtain a conviction for sodomy from an English jury. Half of them don't believe that it can physically be done, and the other half are doing it."
Winston Churchill

Fremen

Amanda covered in mud!
Skeletor lives!
Coach hits the showers!
--
Russell better watch his gnome-hole. He's not in as control as he thinks.

__________________
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Cimarron29414

Just putting this out there for the record: Russell does not win.

Here's why I think that: last season's finale, Russell offered the blonde some amount of money to "give him the title of sole survivor". When I viewed that and then saw that he was going to be on this season, I theorized that he is desperate for that title, and since he didn't get it on villians vs. heros (I'm almost positive it was in the can when that reunion show occurred.), the only way for him to get it was to bribe the blonde.

So, that's my theory. Russell gets voted out pretty soon.

__________________
Gives a man a halo, does mead.

"Here lies The_Jazz: Killed by an ambitious, sparkly, pink butterfly."

ASU2003

It sounded like the Heroes might give Russell their idol because the Hero guys are worried that the Villain women are an alliance. He will definitely make it to the merge then.

Derwood

that's what the editors want you to think.

I also think Russell doesn't win, but I think he gets to maybe the final 4. He looked pretty thin/haggard at the reunion

__________________
"You can't shoot a country until it becomes a democracy." - Willravel

orionnebula

As in Season 19, I think Russell will go all the way but is scheming way will cost him another Million Dollar.

And when it happens Russell will have spent 78 days without being voted out but won nothing

And because of the editing, I would have liked to know if Russell went back trying to find the HII without any clue after he played it once. But compare to last season, the Hero second HII harder to find that those that he found by himself

Lasereth

I think they enforced a rule against finding the hidden immunity idols without clues or something because Russell hasn't tried once to find it without a clue.

__________________
"A Darwinian attacks his theory, seeking to find flaws. An ID believer defends his theory, seeking to conceal flaws." -Roger Ebert

Daval

well, they havn't shown him trying to find it, remember we only see a few minutes out of 48 hours that an episode is usually comprised of....

I think they just did a better job hiding it this time. Notice how both times the immunity idol has been well outside of camp way down the beach? last years were all really close to camp.

__________________
"It is impossible to obtain a conviction for sodomy from an English jury. Half of them don't believe that it can physically be done, and the other half are doing it."
Winston Churchill

Daval

Jeff Probst blogs 'Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains' episode 9
by Jeff Probst

Man oh man. Episode eight and this season has not slowed down one bit.

I know I use a lot of hyperbole in my blogs, it’s in part just so I can read your comments criticizing me for doing so, but sometimes the hype is justified. That’s certainly the case with what I’m about to write….

JT made perhaps the biggest and boldest move in the history of our show last night. It will go down as one of the most controversial decisions ever made by a player. Some will call him flat out dumb, while others… like myself …see the wisdom in what he was attempting to pull off.

More on that later…

REWARD CHALLENGE
I have loved this challenge every time we’ve done it in the past, but this time we added a great twist. We made it a tribe challenge pitting opposite tribe members against each other and the twist yielded great results. It was no longer a challenge based simply on strength and will-power, now it mattered who you matched up against. That changed everything.

It’s very clear that Rupert truly believes he is the strongest person left in this game. I love you Pirate Man, but on this note you’re delusional. Maybe you were one of the strongest players back in the Pearl Islands, but not this year. You’re not the strongest. You’re not even top three. In a head to head match up in most challenges I’d take Amanda, Candace, Parvati, Jerri & Danielle over you, and I’m just starting. Most every player left in this game is strong (both physically and strategically) and that’s why it’s going to be an exciting finish.

I think this challenge was won in large part because of the people that had hurt the Villains in earlier challenges. Sandra and Courtney were shoo-ins to win their match up. Courtney’s small stature made this an easy one for her to dominate, in fact she won a similar type of challenge in China. As for Sandra, these challenges play right into her wheel-house because they rely on pure will-power and nothing else. Sandra has an endless supply of will power. Like she said during the challenge, “two kids and not so much as an asprin!” That gave the villains 2 guaranteed points right off the bat.
When I saw the match-ups, I didn’t think the heroes had much chance at all.

100 DAYS OF SURVIVOR
Amanda and Parvati have both reached 100 days in the game of Survivor. You have to tip your hat to that amazing feat. Both of these women are fantastic players. You do not last that long in this game three times in a row without doing a lot of things very well. There are many things you could find to criticize about both of them, but it will never outweigh the fact that they’ve lasted longer than anybody else who has ever played. Now the question becomes who will have the most days played when the game is over? Will it still be a tie? And will either one of them have a million dollars as a result?

THE HIDDEN–HIDDEN IDOL
The way Parvati handled the finding of the clue and the idol is just one of the reasons Parvati has been so successful in this game. Parvati is playing to win. Her instant decision to hide the idol note from everybody except Danielle speaks to her prowess in this game.

Parvati: “We’ll fill Russell in on a need to know basis. Right now he doesn’t need to know.” If she chooses to keep this a secret from Russell and then surprises him with it, there will be repercussions, unless of course she uses it to vote him out.

I’ve said it many times this season because I believe it. Parvati has found a weakness in Russell and it’s a weakness that haunts most men – our ego when it comes to the opposite sex. I know some of you don’t like to talk about sex or the relationship between men and women, but there is no denying it plays a part in Survivor and in our daily lives. Parvati is a good flirt and there is zero doubt in my mind that she senses that she has just a slight edge over Russell so long as she can keep him dancing.

Parvati isn’t kidding when she says she wants to see Russell squirm a bit, she wants it to be very clear to Russell that she’s in charge. It’s a bold move and I respect it, but whoa girl, watch out if and when Russell finds out what you’ve been doing. You better use that idol to vote him out or use it to save him in a way that you can sell as an “alliance” move later in the game. Otherwise this could get really ugly and all the flirting in the world will not save you.

JT’S INCREDIBLY RISKY AND AMAZINGLY EXCITING PLAN
Okay, let’s get down to it.

JT…wants… to… give… a hidden immunity idol… to Russell. What?!

JT wants to give Russell an idol. He wants to hand him a get out of jail free card and along with it the power to change the vote at Tribal and decide who goes home. No amount of hyperbole could over sell this decision. This is JT. The guy who won this game in Brazil now wants to give away the single most powerful weapon in the game to the single most untrustworthy person left in the game?

It boggles the mind. It’s one of the most jaw-dropping decisions I’ve heard in the last 769 days of Survivor. (My math may be a day or two off, but I think that’s how many days the game has been played.)

It’s jaw-dropping but was it really crazy? That’s up for debate. What I like about the move is that it’s a big move and typically (not always) big moves are required if you’re going to have a shot at winning the game.

It’s easy to say it’s a silly idea when you’re watching from home and you know what everybody else is saying and doing. All JT had to go on was the mistaken belief that Russell was in trouble was probably going to be voted out. JT reasoned that if they merged then the female alliance would take over the game. But, if he could save Russell then Russell would be free to join the heroes and they would have the numbers at the merge and JT and his alliance would be in good shape. Based on the information JT had, it was actually a pretty inventive idea. If JT was right, it could have swung the game 180 degrees.

And if indeed there was an alliance, it didn’t matter that Russell wasn’t trustworthy because as far as JT knew, Russell had no other option so that made Russell need the heroes as much as the heroes needed Russell.

INSIGHT – RUSSELL – THE UNKNOWN FACTOR
There’s been a lot of debate about whether Russell had an advantage or a disadvantage since nobody knew anything about him coming into this season. My take is that he had neither. We told everybody at the start of the show that they should read a lot into the fact that while they hadn’t seen Russell play, Russell was selected as one of the 5 most notorious male villains of all time. These are seasoned players, they knew this meant that Russell was a bad dude. On the flip side, when we asked Russell to join the H v V cast, we told him there is a very good chance you’ll be voted out early because nobody knows you, nobody has played with you and therefore nobody can trust you. Russell knew that was a risk going in. So both sides had fair warning. They were just as likely to vote him out in episode one for fear of the unknown as they were to keep him. Once Russell survived a couple of votes and showed what kind of player he is – intimidating, calculating, cunning – all bets were off.

THE LETTER
JT’s hand-written letter to Russell is the kind of moment that reality producers dream about. You just can’t believe it’s really happening and you hold your breath that he won’t change his mind. (By the way, you’re no doubt wondering where they got pen and paper? It was part of Amanda’s luxury item that they won in an earlier episode.)

When the hand-off of the idol and the note finally happened the entire producing team popped a bottle of champagne. Okay that’s a lie, we don’t drink while shooting the show. But when we got back to basecamp. Whoooeee, it was party time! Actually, that’s another lie. When we get back to basecamp, most of us fall asleep at catering. Okay, fine… that too is a lie, a lot of us avoid catering because it’s not the kind of catering you’re imagining. It’s more like Army catering. Hold your plate out and take what’s given to you. So there wasn’t really any formal celebration. But inside, we were really jazzed.

At the end of the day, hindsight is once again, 20-20. Turns out there isn’t a female alliance and as a result JT and the heroes just made a huge mistake. A monumental mistake.

Once again the credit for this goes to the Villain tribe with “special recognition” to Russell for a Golden Globe worthy performance.

THE WORLDS GREATEST ADVENTURE CREW
Hopefully you were so enraptured that you didn’t even notice the amazing camera and audio coverage during the challenge in which all of the idol drama played out. So let me pat our team on the back. We were all over it. First, our crew captured Colby telling Russell the plan as the two stood out on the platform during the challenge. Then, our producers and editors found a beautiful way of letting the moment play within the challenge by fading the audio of the challenge and bringing you right into the moment of their conversation out in the middle of the water.

Then, we got a little love from Mother Nature when she brought us a heavy rain which added to the drama… and you know how much I love me some rain during Survivor.

Finally, our camera crew captured JT giving Russell the idol when they hugged after the challenge. All of this was done without giving anything away to any of the other players. It appeared to be just another challenge.

For all of my lippy comments and for all the times I take credit for things that I have nothing to do with – here’s the real truth… It’s humbling to be a part of this team. Ten years ago I got the greatest break of my career when I stumbled onto this show.

If I may… Survivor: Heroes v Villains is as good as it gets when it comes to storytelling in the reality world and even a lot of the scripted world for that matter. We’re twenty seasons in and the show is as strong as ever.

I hold no hope for any love from the Emmy’s but I would be lying if I said I didn’t think the show deserved to be recognized again for outstanding achievement. Am I biased? Sure. Do I believe it? Absolutely.

INSIGHT – MY ROLE AT TRIBAL COUNCIL
I’m sure most of you have noticed that I’ve been more vocal and more aggressive at Tribal Council this season. The reason is pretty simple – these 20 players are very experienced and as a result very good. To get anything out of them you have to be more direct and more relentless.

I hope you all understand that I never bring up anything at Tribal Council that hasn’t already been discussed or isn’t already known. I would never betray or reveal secret information. When you hear them fighting back with me, that’s just part of the game and often, the words they are saying to me, are actually intended to send a signal to someone else.

It’s a very elaborate game of cat and mouse and the reason this season is so good is because we started with 20 fantastic players who continue to deliver week after week. I bust their chops on this blog every week because that’s the fun part of writing a blog, but since I’m feeling very “confessional” today – the truth is we painstakingly hand selected every person this season and we’re really pleased with the results. Every single player gave us something, even Sugar. Every single player left in the game has a legitimate shot at winning. Even Candace. Ah, I love to kid Candace.

COURTNEY IS GONE
You may find this hard to believe but I miss her. I really dig Courtney. One of the reasons I enjoy her is her laser sharp wit. She could talk me under the table (as you saw at many a tribal council) but I still like taking my swings. I think Courtney enjoyed herself out there more than she likes to admit. I look forward to seeing her on the jury. I expect interesting wardrobe choices and lots of dramatic facial expressions during Tribal.

While we’re on it…

COACH COMES STRONG AT TC
I would be remiss if I did not comment on Coach’s wardrobe as the first jury member. Love him or hate him, the man owns his “personae” and I dig it.

Until next week.

__________________
"It is impossible to obtain a conviction for sodomy from an English jury. Half of them don't believe that it can physically be done, and the other half are doing it."
Winston Churchill

kutulu

Damn Parvati, she's growing on me.

I still love this season, there are so many smart players involved.

Lasereth

I find it interesting that players that I hated in earlier seasons I like this time around, and players I loved in earlier seasons are like .......whatever.

Jerri, Courtney, Parvati, even Sandra to an extent...I'd never say before that I liked them, but I like them this season.

I sorta hate Amanda and friends. I like J.T. still though.

__________________
"A Darwinian attacks his theory, seeking to find flaws. An ID believer defends his theory, seeking to conceal flaws." -Roger Ebert

orionnebula

That is call editing

---------- Post added at 08:59 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:55 PM ----------

That is a tough callfor JT moves..... had it really been a Women alliance.... JT would be a genious today.

But if JT and the Heroes had seen season 19, they probably wouldn't have tried to get Russell on board knowing how machiavellous he can be.

Russell still is the best player in the game, but I can see the same thing happening in this game.... he is rubbing more and more people the wrong way.

kutulu

I don't see why people hate on Amanda. She is smart, builds good alliances, and is one of the better women in challenges. You have to respect someone who makes it to the final vote twice.

Same goes for Parvati. I always hated her because she is bitchy but if you set that aside you see that she has a lot of strategy. Yes, she uses her sexuality to help her but she does a lot on her own as well.

orionnebula

I agree with you kutulu. And they aren't co-tailer like Natalie last season. Especially Parvati as she is known as a scheemer.

Congrats to both of them for 100 days out there.

Daval

Jeff Probst blogs 'Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains' episode 10
by Jeff Probst


WHO WRITES THIS STUFF?

First off, let me just say that I share your “speechlessness” regarding tonight’s episode. By the way, I love creating new words. Would someone please add “speechlessness” to the Survivor dictionary or at least Wikipedia. Because after tonight, I feel like all Survivor fans have just shared a bit of Survivor church. I am still in shock at how good this season is and I was out there shooting it!! Name another reality show having a better season than Survivor. Go ahead, I’ll wait.

Okay, onto the blog…

THIS IS WHEN THE GAME GETS CRAZY

Well for once this season, Rupert was actually right. Not only about the game getting “crazy…” but also his gut about whom to trust.. Sandra or JT? He was spot on in choosing to believe Sandra. Then again, it was more of a lucky guess than anything else.

Imagine having to make that choice. Russell or Sandra.

It’s very easy to know the right choice when you’re sitting at home with that big bag of Doritos in your lap, your fingers orange from the artificial flavoring. But imagine having to choose between trusting Russell or Sandra without any outside help.

What a choice. They are two of the craftiest players in the game, both of whom are capable of lying with absolute conviction. I can see why Rupert believed Sandra and I can see why JT did not.

FIRST INDIVIDUAL CHALLENGE

Once again Colby drops out of another challenge. I think he has been one of the biggest surprises and many would probably say one of the biggest disappointments of this season. But the truth is it just shows you how unpredictable this game can be and how big of a factor luck can play in how long you last. The challenges this season have not played to Colby’s strengths so he has struggled. The alliance he chose didn’t last, so he has struggled. Because he has struggled, his attitude has waned from wanting to quit to fightin to stay alive. Survivor is not an easy game to play.

This challenge certainly favored women as we witnessed with Danielle, Parvati and Candice battling in the end. I do not understand why Candice stepped out of the challenge. Even after questioning her at the challenge it still makes no sense. Immunity is everything in this game. She had a very good chance of winning. I do not understand why you would step down at this point in the game. I really think Candice is in a good position to go deep in the game right now but her logic in this situation really baffles me.

Not only did she give up personal immunity for herself, but in stepping down she gave immunity to someone from the Villain tribe which gave the Heroes one less person to vote for at Tribal Council. Add in the two immunity idols that Parvati had and the Heroes really had no chance at Tribal.

RUPERT IS ON A ROLL

Once again Rupert’s observation was spot on. Noticing how easily Parvati, a true competitor, agreed to bow out of the challenge raised a big red flag to Rupert. She must have immunity otherwise she would never step down.

He was right. Parvati had immunity. Here’s another question I have – and maybe my logic doesn’t make sense as I am literally thinking about it only while I’m sitting in my home office – but since the Heroes knew that Parvati had an idol, why didn’t their thinking continue to the point of realizing that Russell was also lying. He had said that Parvati played an idol, right? Maybe I’m missing something obvious, but seems to me Russell may have dodged another bullet tonight. He was a sitting duck.

REALLY PERSONAL INSIGHT

In case you’re wondering, my office is pretty small. It’s not connected to my house either. It has hardwood floors that I had to replace about three years ago after a particularly wet winter. I have a poster from a movie I wrote and directed, “Finder’s Fee.” I have a poster from a show I created and hosted, “Live For The Moment” that nobody watched so it’s off the air. I have two very old paintings from one of my grandpa’s. I have a flat screen that my brother mounted on the wall that I never watch and wish wasn’t there. I have an old grandfather clock, a few photos from Survivor, some photos of friends and a few trinkets from my travels. Now you know.

PARVATI AND AMANDA – THE FACE OFF

You knew it was coming. It was only a matter of time. Two former allies come together again with one major question on everybody’s mind. Will they partner or will they battle. I’m so happy they didn’t partner last night. It’s time they battled. I hope it continues. I will admit that I loved that Amanda betrayed Parvati. She just scored points in my book. Not because I’m rooting against Parvati, simply because I like seeing Amanda really step up. It’s about damn time. Parvati didn’t buy it and that’s why Parvati is neck and neck with Amanda in terms of days played in this game. Amanda’s tell is when she starts feigning “the weight of the world” on her shoulders. “I’m so confused. My head hurts.” Ah, she was doing so well until she gave it away. Make no mistake, Amanda is a big part of the reason tonight’s vote went down the way it did.

RUSSELL DOES IT AGAIN

Now let’s get to the good stuff! Russell is a great player who is making potentially disastrous mistakes because of good ole hormones. Say what you want, tell me I’m wrong, I remain convinced that he is doing this because of Parvati’s flirtatious ways.

He would not give that idol to Sandra, even if Sandra was in his alliance. He wouldn’t give it to Danielle who IS in his alliance. He wouldn’t give it to anybody else, but for a second time… he gave it to Parvati…with no idea she already had one of her own.

Parvati is ballsy, right? Wow. She is knowingly double-crossing the one guy everybody else fears. You know what that tells me? She’s not afraid. Parvati is extremely confident. She smelled Amanda’s bullsh*t and she doesn’t fear Russell’s. Could Parvati win this game again? Maybe. Or maybe by me suggesting it, it means she won’t. Or maybe I just gave away that she did. Could Sandra win this game? Jerri? What about Rupert? Danielle? Amanda? Candice? Colby? JT? (Oops, sorry JT). Did I miss anybody?

TRIBAL COUNCIL

It was an excellent tribal council because we have amazing players left in the game. The many layers of strategy that played out last night was fascinating. But the highlight of the night and one of the stand out highlights in a season filled with them came at the hands of Parvati.

It was one of the biggest moves ever and certainly the biggest of this season thus far.

The reactions as she passed out the first… and then the second idol were as good as it gets on Survivor. This is how you play Survivor. Full tilt boogie. Parvati just made it into the Survivor Hall of Fame.

THE AFTERMATH

Oh, there will be a big aftermath with Russell and Parvati. You saw him mouth to her at Tribal, “You got some explaining to do.” Russell does not suffer fools lightly, especially when he is his own fool. He’s mad. Burn your house down mad. This will be their first lovers quarrel. Yes, I know they’re not technically lovers, but in the game of Survivor, they’re more than lovers, they’re married and this will result in a major spat.

The question is will it destroy their alliance or will Parvati be able to salvage it. Any bets?

EVEN THOUGH HE’S GONE I STILL LOVE J.T.

I respect JT for one simple reason. The handshake with Russell. It was classy. He got played and he knew it. Instead of pouting he acknowledged the move and with his head held high, left the game. JT went out with a bang for sure. Many will say he made the dumbest move in the history of Survivor, but in my book it’s how you finish and JT finished strong.

FINALLY

I have a great job.

See ya next week.

__________________
"It is impossible to obtain a conviction for sodomy from an English jury. Half of them don't believe that it can physically be done, and the other half are doing it."
Winston Churchill

kutulu

Once again, one of the best tribals ever, Parvati shocked everyone. I've gone from totally hating her to being totally in love with her. I can't wait to see Russell's reaction.

Jeff was right about JT, he took it really well. Good for him.

The editing helped but Amanda was doing a terrible job lying to Parvati. She saw right through it.

Lasereth

Yeah I hate to admit it but I'm starting to like Parvati this season too. If Russell makes it to the end I think he'll have screwed up by pissing too many people off. Already Courtney was making fun of him at tribal and now JT is gonna be mad as well.

__________________
"A Darwinian attacks his theory, seeking to find flaws. An ID believer defends his theory, seeking to conceal flaws." -Roger Ebert

kutulu

I think you're right. I feel pretty safe calling it: There is no way Russel can win now. It is the Heros' dumbassery that led to the idol fiasco but they will still blame Russel and there aren't many on the Villans that would vote in his favor now.

Fremen

Russell will have to pull off another epic move to top Parv's tribal bi-Idol play.
I don't think he's got it in him, but I'm still hoping he'll be able to do it.
I want him to win.

And damn, my 6 year old niece lies better than Amanda.

__________________
Google

orionnebula

Wow Russell being overplayed with Hidden Immunity!!!!! I guess the queen took over the country. but I agree, Russell is great for rating and if he's there never get rid of him, he you're #1 friend in final tribal council. You win by forfeit.

Daval

Jeff Probst blogs 'Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains' episode 11
by Jeff Probst

THE FALLOUT FROM LAST WEEK

Last week, Parvati played not one but two idols. Russell had no idea she had the second idol or he never would have given her his idol in the first place! You knew the fallout was going to come and the anticipation of it reminded me of my youth, growing up in the wheat fields of Kansas.

In Kansas, tornadoes are common and they often cause major damage. But just before the tornado strikes, there is an eerie calm. The wind doesn’t rustle, the rain doesn’t fall. It’s just calm. You see neighbors rounding up the bicycles or putting away the lawn mower, cause they know the storm is a comin’ and it’s gonna be bad.

Russell is like a tornado. A tornado that is lingering just outside of town, slowly swirling, building momentum and gearing up to do some major damage. You could feel his anger growing, you could feel the emotions beginning to gather steam as they worked their way through his body.

Swirling. Faster and faster…

If Russell is a tornado, Parvati is the tornado chaser. She loves being in the eye of the storm because she doesn’t fear a tornado but is in fact is drawn to its ferocity.

It’s a bit like a Spielberg movie, right? The world’s greatest and sexiest tornado chaser taking on the world’s biggest and most destructive tornado… in 3D!

Although Russell’s tornado turned out to be a false warning, it doesn’t mean it has gone away. The anger inside him is still swirling. He is still lurking just outside of town and Parvati knows it. Russell will not soon forget, check that, Russell will never forget that Parvati betrayed him and since Danielle was a part of that betrayal she better put her bicycle away too, cause this is only the first act and Spielberg always finishes with a bang.

THE REWARD A.K.A. – THE THREESOME

Warning: For those of you who find my “adult themed” comments offensive, please skip down to the section titled “BACK TO PG.” Otherwise, read on at your own risk.

Colby, Danielle, Amanda. Could you have put together a more perfect group to sleep together on one bed? Colby -The rugged heroic cowboy. Amanda, the pretty and often shy cheerleader. Danielle, the sexy tomboy who despises cheerleaders. All together in one room with one bed for one night. Toss in a bowl of popcorn, a movie and a clue to the hidden idol and you have yourself the makings of a very interesting night. It feels, looks and sounds like Showtime, but it’s just another great moment in a season of great moments on Survivor.

THE CAT FIGHT

Wow. Wouldn’t you like to see the left over footage from that scene? Let’s set the stage. Amanda dressed in bikini bottoms with a hoodie on top is surveying the room, looking for the clue. Danielle, dressed much the same way, is on the bed eating popcorn and also wondering where the clue might be. Colby is the only one actually watching the damn movie and he downs a handful of popcorn.

Danielle finds the clue in the bowl of popcorn. She carefully removes it and then tries to hide it from the others by dropping it on the floor next to her. As Amanda continues her hunt for the clue she spots it on the floor.

Amanda grabs it. Danielle tries to grab it back. The cat fight is on.

Two women, dressed only in bikini’s who haven’t showered in weeks fighting over a small piece of parchment in a hotel room while the seemingly oblivious cowboy from Texas continues to watch a movie on the television. (Take a moment, and let that sink in. Go ahead and read it again if you want, because that is exactly what happened.)

Amanda has it. Danielle wants it back. So now we have an interesting situation. Who does the note belong to? I am not there to referee or make a decision so this is left to them to figure out. Does it belong to Danielle because she found it? Does it belong to Amanda because she found it after Danielle dropped it on the floor? Should they have to share it? Or does it go to the winner of The cat fight? Of course I would opt for the last scenario – let them fight it out and the winner gets it, cause let’s be honest, that would be fun to watch.

INSIGHT: From a rules point of view, there is no rule that covers something this unique. Neither Danielle nor Amanda had a clear-cut case of possession, so it was up in the air.

My call would have been to have them “work it out” which probably would have resulted in all three of them sharing it together. That’s definitely what I would have said if I had been Amanda or Colby, “Let’s work it out together.” I would never have let Danielle walk away with it by herself. Never.

But then the most amazing thing happened. The seemingly oblivious cowboy from Texas suddenly wakes up and turns into a pretty decent game show host and without asking permission declares himself the arbiter of the dispute. Colby then states with an amazing sense of authority that the clue belongs to… Danielle. Well executed. Nicely done, dude. You should host your own show. Bravo.

And then… even more jaw dropping… Amanda, acting like a 5 year old whose daddy just told her to give the toy back to her sister, hands over the clue to Danielle! She gave it to her! Are you kidding?

It was one of the most fascinating moments this season. Human dynamics at play in the oddest context imaginable.

Amanda gave the clue back because she wasn’t strong enough to stand up for herself. It continues to be Amanda’s Achilles heel in life. Standing up for her self. I know she is watching this at home and frustrated once again because she could easily still be in this game if she had only stood up for her self and said, “I’m not giving it back. I have it. I’m not letting go. You were foolish enough to set it aside and I grabbed it. Now back off before I do one of my favorite high schools cheers and toss you over my back and down the stairs.” But instead she was intimidated and obediently did as instructed by Colby.

That is what Survivor is all about. No rules. Work it out. The person who makes the most compelling argument often wins. In this case it was Colby, a guy who didn’t even have a stake in the issue.

CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM TO COLBY: You did a very nice job of handling the moment. You took charge and you were clear. You only made one mistake. When you fell into the host role, you forgot you were also one of the contestants as well. You should have made a decision that included you getting to see the clue. At the very least you should have let Amanda see it. She’s on your tribe!!! Giving it to Danielle was a mistake.

What do you guys think? What should have happened? What would you have done?

RUSSELL FINDS A THIRD IDOL

“I am the king of hidden immunity idols.” I’d have to agree. Over the last two seasons Russell has proven that he has an uncanny ability to find the idols. In fact, he’s so good at it that he’s forever changed how we will handle idols in future seasons.

INSIGHT: Next season it will take more than just looking under a rock to find a hidden idol. I won’t give away what we’re doing, but in planning our creative for next season we coined a phrase, “The Russell Factor” and it influenced how we will play the hidden idol next season.

SANDRA MAKING HER MOVE

She’s a slick one. She knows when to listen and when to talk. Sandra is smart. Who else could tell Russell to walk away and get away with it.

I also appreciate Sandra’s ability to know when to give up the fight and go with the flow.

This is why Sandra is so good… her last question to Candice: “Tell me who you want out, please.”

Sandra is smart enough to know when she is fighting an uphill battle. Asking that question was her way of giving in without giving up. She was offering her vote to the majority to ensure she stays in the game at least one more day. If you’re in the game you have a chance.

CANDICE

Candice is getting herself into a sticky situation. When you don’t pull the trigger, people start to doubt you. When they start to doubt you, they stop telling you things. When they stop telling you things, you’re in trouble. Candice needs to make a bold move and soon.

RUSSELL IS TALKING TOO MUCH

I think the wear and tear of Russell playing back to back seasons may be taking it’s toll. Far be it from me to criticize how he’s playing, but I think he’s talking too much.

RUPERT IS TOO FOCUSED ON RUSSELL

Again, I’m not playing so it’s easy to back seat drive but Rupert’s grudge with Russell seems personal. Let it go. Stay focused on staying in the game. Keep your eyes on the prize.

IMMUNITY CHALLENGE
I love these types of challenges. Taking a basic idea like “House Of Cards” and turning it into a challenge is what our challenge department does best. It’s a great challenge because anybody can win and it’s also fun for kids watching the show because this is the kind of challenge you can easily replicate for a Survivor themed birthday party.

By the way – Congrats to Jerri for her first individual immunity challenge victory!

THE ONE THING I DIDNT NEED TO HEAR

Russell’s quote about Amanda is something I could have lived my entire life and been okay not hearing:

Russell: She’s kinda like Boston Rob in a girl’s body. It’s a quote I don’t need to hear, an image I don’t need in my mind. But it lingers. It’s like when you hear an annoying song by Air Supply as you’re just waking up and the song stays in your head all day. Now all I’m imagining is Amanda in a white tank-top with a Red Sox cap on—- … hang on a second. Maybe this isn’t such a bad image after all.

PLAYING CARDS IN THE SHELTER

I wish we had more moments like this because they remind me of the reality of what the Survivors lives are really like. They have hours upon hours of idle time where life is absolutely boring. The fire is stoked, the water is boiled, they’re taking a break from strategy and they’re just hanging out. This is why, when all is said and done, that so many former Survivors become friends. It’s a bonding experience that few of us in life will ever get the chance to experience. I miss these moments in the show. I wish we had more, but the show is about strategy these days and so that’s where most of the stories lead.

TRIBAL COUNCIL

I have to admit and I’m surprised to be saying this… but I found myself a little bummed that Amanda is gone. As frustrating as she can be at times, she’s a tremendous player. One of the best. She only lacks one thing from being an absolute dynamo and that’s the killer instinct. As stated earlier, it’s the confidence to stand up for her self and claim what is rightfully hers. Had she done that with Danielle in the hotel room she’d probably still be in this game.

PS. Sorry I forgot to remind you we were back to the PG rating.

Next week is a biggee. Two immunity challenges. Two tribal councils. Two people gone.

See ya then.

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"It is impossible to obtain a conviction for sodomy from an English jury. Half of them don't believe that it can physically be done, and the other half are doing it."
Winston Churchill

lionrock

I like Russell being in it because a one good villain is more interesting to watch than 20 "good" people.

kutulu

Huge move by Russell last night. I can't wait to see how it works out for him. Even if his team is pissed they can't take the chance of either Rupert or Colby making it to the end.

There are only three more votes left until the final three. I wouldn't be surprised if one of either Colby or Rupert makes it in now. That would be such a disaster because they would probably easily win and both of them sucked the whole season.

Lasereth

Man what a brutal move by Russell last night. Attacking your own alliance because you see it going south 4 votes from then......

It's a shame that people who make moves like that aren't rewarded more in the game.

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"A Darwinian attacks his theory, seeking to find flaws. An ID believer defends his theory, seeking to conceal flaws." -Roger Ebert

Jinn

Russell has an amazing ability at this game. Lesser players have tried to split up solid alliances like Parvati/Danielle and been caught red handed. They just throw up their hands and admit they were caught. Russell, on the other hand, made it really seem like Danielle was scheming in tribal council, to the point that even having watched him scheme them both, I almost felt myself being convinced that it was actually all Danielle's fault. The mental breakdown certainly didn't help her.

I still looooooattttheee Sandra.. her attitude, her demeanor, even her speech just irritates the hell out of me. She's the epitome of bitchy busy driver / lunch lady to me, and I just can't see any strategy, just straight vindictive lashing.

I'm still rooting for Russell or Parv for the end, even tho she's already won I think she plays a fantastic game and uses here deceptively 'innocent' appearance to her favor everytime. Russell because I think he's still one of the best players Survivor has ever seen, and he got absolutely robbed last season.

I would've gone for JT too because of his previous season efforts and his ability to do really well despite remaining mostly honest.

Rupert is getting on my nerves as well, I'd like him to get to the final 3 at least, but he seems to be very poor strategically and his 'attack' on Russell at the campfire backfired on him, and made him look like a petulant child whining about being on the losing side of the new Villians..

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"I'm typing on a computer of science, which is being sent by science wires to a little science server where you can access it. I'm not typing on a computer of philosophy or religion or whatever other thing you think can be used to understand the universe because they're a poor substitute in the role of understanding the universe which exists independent from ourselves." - Willravel

Gina_

I agree Katulu, Lasereth and Jinn, such brutal moves and he sold it so well before the vote. Both he and Parvati have that killer instinct with the personality to carry it off, even though the other players know who they're dealing with. I just can't see Russell winning against anyone who's left. He didn't vote out Coach, but he has each of the others on the jury and left some pretty hard feelings.

Reno

The Rupert, Russell, Colby "alliance" made at the end of the last episode? I think Rupert hates Russell and is going to try again to dispatch him.

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Some lessons are painful to learn, but they are all worth learning!