TVSquad

(S15E02) Oh, sure ... it looks sweet and innocent, doesn't it? But it looks like we're in for a season of rough and tumble challenges, lots of mud, and even more blurred spots covering body areas not normally seen on network television. Oh, my.

Heck, the line they used for the title of the episode is all because of those um ... blurred areas. But, I promise you -- the loyal Survivor China TV Squad readers -- there will be no nudity in this review! Wait! Where are you all going? You didn't just come here for the nudity, did you? Did you? Read on ...

I know I may be taking an unpopular viewpoint here, but for gosh sakes, get these people some clothes. The next reward challenge? Clothes! Who cares about fire, food, luxuries? Clothes should be the number one priority on the table. Except for maybe James. Or Erik. Yeah, they can stay as they are. But the women, especially the ones who wore dresses when dumped, either struggle in their dresses (and out of them) or are down to bras and panties. That might work if they all had centerfold bodies, but it's degrading and some really don't.

Last week I predicted the way the tribes were broken down (by the producers, it seems) would lead into a Ulong situation as one tribe has most of the muscle. Tonight's episode kept my theory going although at one point the weaker Zhan Hu tribe was actually ahead in the Immunity Challenge. I'll get into that challenge a bit later.

Not only is the Zhan Hu tribe weaker, but they seem to have a pair of arch rivals in the tribe, too. Dave, the one they suggested as a leader during the last Tribal Council, and Ashley, the WWE with the fangs. The double upper lip piercing, that is. I swear a good ten minutes or more of tonight's episode consisted of them going at each other. Verbally sparring, of course.


The Fei Long tribe had its own problems with Jean-Robert, the professional poker player. They think he gets tired just by waking up. Uh-oh. Now, he tells us in confessional that it's all his game plan, but I don't know. He was a powerhouse in the Rewards Challenge, that I'll say.

Yes, Jean-Robert and James ruled during the muddy pushing a ball and pulling off the clothes of others while dragging them through the mud challenge. The challenge was indeed a physical one, but I'm not sure when it turned to denuding the opponents. That's when Amanda, one of the more like a centerfold build women, lost her top as she proved to be yet another strong competitor on the Fei Long tribe. "My Mom is going to kill me!"

Fei Long won fishing gear and a fishing boat in the challenge. And, we won a new twist. The winning tribe gets to choose a member of the losing tribe to kidnap until the next Immunity Challenge. They chose Jaime with the reasoning that she's the "sunshine" of Zhan Hu and it will demoralize them to lose her. Um. Okay. I thought Aaron jumped to choose her because she's cute, but what do I know?

But there was more to it -- Jaime carried a clue to the hidden Immunity Idol and she could choose who will receive it. She ended up choosing Leslie because Leslie seemed a bit apart from the others. What does Leslie do? She enlists Todd's help and shares the clue. Dumb move!

Earlier, Amanda and Todd decided they would align, but then added Aaron as a less-important third body in the alliance. The information they give him will be on a need to know basis and he's actually a third wheel who just doesn't know his status. Todd and Amanda, especially Todd, are the ones seriously thinking ahead in the game. They're two to watch. And now Todd has a clue to the hidden Idol (hidden in plain sight). Did I say that was a dumb move by Leslie before? Yes? It bears repeating.

Todd plans to look for it himself. If he finds it, he won't tell her. If she gets voted out, he's the only one who knows. Remember, Leslie applied to be on this show ten times before getting accepted this season. I'm dumbfounded.

I enjoyed the Immunity Challenge this week -- it was a bit different from some of the ones we've seen before. Not only that, but they were able to remain clothed! As it was described, I thought once again Fei Long would have the edge due to the physical aspect. They were in the lead through the physical ramming a "door" bit, but during the puzzle part Zhan Hu passed them and it looked like they might ... they just might ... could they? Nope, they got stuck on the puzzle and Fei Long won Immunity once again.


The two obvious targets for Zhan Hu were Ashley and Dave. Dave, in addition to arguing with Ashley, turned others off with his leadership style as they thought he talked down to people. In addition to that, he did extremely poorly in the physical part of the battering ram bit in the Immunity Challenge. He probably cost his tribe the win right there even though they rebounded a bit during the puzzle. Dave doesn't seem too popular with his tribemates.

Ashley is more popular, but when it came to Tribal Council, she helped dig her own hole a bit with her mouth. And, the tribe had already discussed the pros and cons of each one. They want the stronger of the two. WWE wrestler or not, Ashley isn't as valuable to the tribe as Dave is right now.

Bye-bye, Ashley. The tribe has spoken. They all voted for her to go with the exception of Ashley's own vote for Dave. At least they're coming together and thinking like a team. Will it help them win anything down the line? I don't think so. They might be getting rid of weak links now, but the tribe itself is weak when compared to Fei Long.

My Survivor fever is returning. Each season it takes me a few episodes to feel out the new castaways. I've named the ones to watch and discarded my pre-season pick based on the bios on the CBS website. I don't think the poker player's thinking game is going to garner him a spot for much longer -- he must work.