(S15E05) Well, they definitely have some schemers and plotters playing the game this season on Survivor China. Oh, and it's neat to see pandas resting in the trees, too. Oh, no! What if the castaways get really hungry? Run, panda, run! No, I don't think they're allowed to eat pandas, but it's not likely that they'd be able to catch one either. I apologize for the false alarm. That was cruel of me.Not as cruel as Jaime and Peih Gee came across on tonight's episode, mind you. I was obviously joshing while they deliberately laughed as they ruined someone's chances at a million dollars. I know the game can be cut throat, but ... sheesh.
In the trivial matters before I get to the meat -- Zhan Hu, especially Sherea, like the peacefulness of not having Dave around the camp. Of course, they're not getting any work done, but they might all be resting up for the next challenge, right? Erik and Jaime flirted and made a pact to go to the final two together. He told her that he's still a virgin. Now, that's great, but I'm not sure how smart of him it is to go around telling people that. It's obvious that Jaime is a player in the game. I think she'd play him in a minute.
Quasi-love is going on over at the Fei Long camp between two very unlikely partners. It's more of an unrequited love in the making, though. I think James has a big crush on, of all people, Denise. If she were younger and not married with a family, he'd be totally agog. So, James is turned on by a work ethic. With most guys, it's the body or even the personality. Very odd indeed. She likes him, but only in a purely platonic let's work together on the show kind of way.There was no rewards challenge tonight, probably due to the timing of the new twist they introduced. I'm of two minds about the twist. Yes, it shakes up the game. Shaking up the game, blindsiding people ... that's truly making them scramble to survive. After all, this isn't really a show about surviving out in the woods or anything. It's all about surviving your fellow survivors, right?
But what I don't like about the twist is that it put some folks at an automatic disadvantage that would be nigh impossible to overcome. And, those at risk would be the stronger and (possibly) better players in the game. Each tribe received a hand-carried letter from a man in a boat. The letter instructed them to select two members of the opposing tribe who would compliment their own. You know they'd go for the two best players for challenges, you know it!
Fei Long, only familiar with Sherea's showing at challenges and not knowing her laziness at the camp, chose her and Frosti. They assumed they would lose two members and thought Zhan Hu would definitely take James, hoped they'd take Jean-Robert. Zhan Hu was thinking silly or perhaps not at all. They chose wisely enough -- James and Aaron. But it didn't dawn on them that they'd lose two of their own to Fei Long. Duh. Their plan was to take in the two, then vote them out because they'd have five of their own members versus the two from Fei Long. I have to say it again, louder now. DUH.
About the only one who stands to come out ahead in the deal would be Sherea. Once she was with Zhan Hu, she realized she should step up her game and make herself valuable to her new tribe. Todd, sly guy that he is, decided he'd work his way into a positive relationship with Frosti and, especially, Sherea.Todd is the one to watch. He's in with almost all on the tribe even some he doesn't like -- Jean Robert, for example. Courtney (whose spine is creeping me out) and Amanda are his main allies, the ones he actually trusts. Well, trusts to a point, anyway.
Jean-Robert, constantly talking about himself in the third person which tends to irk Jackie, got into an early morning show of working. That would have been good except that he started telling the others what they should do, not asking them. Both Frosti and Sherea picked up right away on that and Jean-Robert became their glimmer of hope at not being immediate targets. Jean-Robert would be the bigger fish to fry, literally and figuratively.
But over on Zhan Hu, after the shock of losing their two members, Peih Gee had a plan. She told Jaime that they should think of the game after the merge. In their tribe now, they have the numbers (3-2) to vote out either James or Aaron. But if Fei Long votes out their two new members, the end numbers for Zhan Hu would allow them to be picked off one by one after the merge. Peih Gee wants to throw the next two challenges and vote both new guys out in a row. Yeah, it is good thinking in the long run. The merge won't be much after the next two challenges and it might preserve the original Zhan Hu numbers to some extent.
I don't like how they went about it, though. Supposedly Jaime is in to the final two with Erik. Did they tell him about the plan? Nope. He would be as blindsided about it as James and Aaron. Meanwhile, James was busting his butt working to make himself a valuable member of the tribe while Aaron was mixing a bit more with them in addition to working hard. The new Zhan Hu members knew if they didn't win immunity, one of them would be toast.As it was meant to be, I guess.
The Immunity Challenge was a bit similar to some we've seen before, but with a Chinese zodiac twist to it. Got be cultural, indeed. Two of the tribe members had to dive from a dock to outside a cage which held puzzle pieces -- the Chinese zodiac in 12 pieces. The hitch was that bamboo poles were keeping the puzzle pieces in the cages. So, they pulled the poles out to release the pieces and had to dive deeper each time.
Once they gathered all the pieces, they had to swim a small boat with them to the shore. Aaron used his teeth to pull his boat with a rope. Oh, macho wild man! Once ashore was when Peih Gee and Jaime's plan kicked in. Not only did they throw putting the puzzle together, but they all but announced it. James got all heated about it, but he couldn't do the puzzle all by himself. Even though Peih Gee had claimed to be good at puzzles, she told him she meant Soduko. Jaime even threw one piece over the far end of the table so that even if they got close, they'd be missing a piece.
They lost, of course. James was steaming while Aaron just kind of looked dumbfounded. Fei Long was so happy in their victory that it didn't seem to even notice it was handed to them on a silver platter.Okay, so they blatantly threw the challenge not caring if James or Aaron noticed. They hadn't told Erik and he's supposed to be an ally. However, the salt in the wound came in the form of uncontrollable laughter about it.
James told them he didn't want to be on the tribe with them and even though he wants to stay, he doesn't want to stay with them. They can send him home for all he cares. Erik, bruised a bit that he wasn't told about the plan, decided he had to stick with the girls for his own good. He thinks James should go home, but Peih Gee really pushed for an Aaron ouster. I believe that's because they think Aaron was the leader of Fei Long and they can trust him more.
At the Tribal Council, Jeff told them they either played the dumbest game or threw the challenge. Jaime admitted they threw it and spilled the beans on the "after the merge, we'll be stronger bit." James told them to vote him out; he didn't want to play the game like that.
It would be nice if the producers didn't think we were so dumb. They always make it look like one is going home, then the other goes. Aaron voted for James believing James would be the target. James voted for Peih Gee because he said he couldn't vote for one of his original tribe to go. The rest voted Aaron out.
Well, if nothing else, this should set the stage for some fireworks next week. I'm not talking the bombs bursting in air type. I'm talking James' temper. I like controversy. Heh. But, then again, maybe there will be a love connection reunion between James and Denise. Who knows? I'm enjoying this season so far. And I'm really enjoying that Sherea wasn't in her underwear for the whole episode.
The TV Squad Podcast: Vik Sahay of Chuck, Oprah talk, brutal timeslots, and more!
TV Squad Ten: Top Ten ESPN shows from worst to first
Andy Richter: The TV Squad Interview
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
10-18-2007 @ 11:52PM
IRISH173RD said...
I did not like the way the girls went about it and I hope it comes back to bite them later. I am happy that James got to stay as he is one of my favourite players. I hope some other twist comes so the girls little plan falls apart. At this point its looking like one of the weaker players have a good chance to win it. I just hope its not Sherea or Courtney
Reply
10-18-2007 @ 11:53PM
Rob said...
Correction. Aaron did the pulling of the boat with his teeth. Jean-Robert was pretty much dead by the end of the challenge. I mean what the hell happened to him.
I thought it was brilliant to throw the challenge. It made a lot of sense to me. But the constant laughter and giggling was real annoying in a high school kind of way.
Reply
10-19-2007 @ 12:04AM
Cody said...
I am hoping that next week's immunity challenge doesn't come down to a "who can throw the challenge best" competition. After watching the other team throw the challenge tonight, I'm sure Fei Long is smart enough to realize that they, too, have to throw the next challenge, in order to move into the merger ahead. After all, they were the only ones to realize that stealing two members meant losing two members, even though the bottom of the letter contained very clear instructions for the two stolen members. Plus they must have skeletorCourtney compete in the next challenge so they can just blame any loss on her.
Reply
10-19-2007 @ 12:07AM
Cody said...
Also, about halfway through your review, you say that "John-Robert constantly talking about himself in the third person tends to irk Jackie", but I have no idea who Jackie is.
Reply
10-19-2007 @ 12:15AM
No1Dad said...
Throwing the challenge was really the only option for the yellow tribe. The blonde girl on that tribe is extremely annoying, however. At least PRETEND to be sad at the fact that you just destroyed someone's hopes of winning a million dollars.
Oh, and James all the way. Greatest. Survivor. Ever.
Reply
10-19-2007 @ 12:28AM
Rob said...
Jackie is the person who posted this article. By the way. Rob was amused.
Reply
10-19-2007 @ 2:04AM
Stacie23 said...
If it the merge does occur after next week then the girls would have done something that has never been done before. I have watched Survivor for many seasons and always at the merge there is one team with 7 and the other with 3 or something to that effect and almost 100% of the time the 3 don't win. I think PG made an excellent move if the merge goes as it usually goes when there are 10 left. Obviously if the merge does not occur at the time they want then it was a bad move, but at least it was one that attempted to work. Keeping James and Aaron around was not going to be advantageous to them ever. James is a possible immunity idol winner and Aaron was a leader who was respected and liked, they were both threats, and getting rid of them now rather than later was a smart move.
Reply
10-19-2007 @ 2:11AM
Will said...
I think it was dumb to throw the challenge.In every other season when this has been done, it always comes back to bite the tribe in the ass. If it has ever worked out well, I can't recall it. But it does add to my personal list of reasons why I would never go on Survivor. In addition to being hungry, dirty and sleeping on bamboo ( or on the dirt), Survivor always pulls these stupid twists which end up screwing someone.Tonight, it turned out to be James and Aaron. It was really a raw deal for them, they tried their best in the challenge to no avail. I know most people ike the twists, and I do too, but not to the extent that it unfairly ruins someone's game. Then you end up with people like Courtney at the end. And how the hell is she going to last 20 more days, tonight she was so freaking thin she made Nicole Ritchie look normal. Bones were showing on the girl. Geez.
They did one good thing though, giving the teams bathing suits for the challenge. Thank God we got a break from Sherea in her bra and panties!
Reply
10-19-2007 @ 3:49AM
Bach said...
There's throwing the challenge, then there's chucking it into a low orbit.
The girls were just stacking the wrong pieces on top of the puzzle. They could have just slowed down and kept an eye on the other team's progress. That way their game plan would have been kept a secret AND AMERICA WOULDN'T HATE THEIR CHORTLING GUTS!
Reply
10-19-2007 @ 4:34AM
D Colin said...
I don't think I've ever gotten so upset about Survivor before. I'm all up for twists- they can be good. I wish a shake up like this could come at a time where there would be even tribe members from both tribes on a team.
But what gets me so upset was how Peih Gee and Jaime acted about it. I'm fine with the scheming, that's the game. Maybe it is smart, but I so hope they don't merge when the expect and get screwed over. But the way the laughed and smiled just pi-sed me off. Maybe cause I really like james and Aaron. James is funny and Aaron was one of my favorites behind Todd.
Just an upsetting episode for me
Reply
10-19-2007 @ 5:24AM
Lifesupport said...
What the two girls did at the challenge was just plain dumb. I hope James makes it thru the next week and eventually gets revenge against both PG and Jaime. As far as Sherea is concerned, I'm wondering how the show's censors keep her from totally popping out of her skimpy clothing? Not that I'm complaining about it. LOL Neither PG or Jaime deserves to win. They are both nasty broads. Tribe mentality stunts haven't won in the past, and it won't work this time either.
Reply
10-19-2007 @ 6:53AM
Jackie Schnoop said...
Rob - Oops! I must have had Jean-Robert on my mind. I fixed that. Jackie thanks you.
Reply
10-19-2007 @ 8:19AM
Dave said...
Yeah, I was confused who Jackie was too.
Throwing a challenge has worked once that I remember. Ozzie & co. threw it to get rid of Billy in Surivor Cook Islands. Ozzie finished second overall, so I guess it worked.
Reply
10-20-2007 @ 10:12AM
Merilee said...
I hope if they continue to throw the games, that when they finish voting out the new members, they are stuck with their own leftover weak team. When they finally merge, I also hope they are the first to go. The game last night really sucked. Made no sense to me. The two girls were acting like they had been eating loco weed. It wasn't funny, and all they could do was laugh. WOW, what a bunch of nuts.
Reply
10-19-2007 @ 9:56AM
fc2grimm said...
I can wrap my head around what the girls did, but not the childish high-school laughing that went with it. I wanted to take a couple of those puzzle pieces and ram them down their throats. I wish some of these contestants had enough maturity to see the full consequences of their actions.
Reply
10-19-2007 @ 9:58AM
Mel said...
Keeping James around was cruel. Bitches.
Reply
10-19-2007 @ 10:08AM
h8rain said...
I was pissed they threw the challenge and if I was Erik, I would be EXTREMELY pissed. Especially after I busted my ass working as hard as he did to get the discs! I hope at the next challenge James tells the other tribe they threw the challenge and that makes it hell for the other two. I could see James not doing a thing around camp, and they winning the challenge by himself.
I think James is my second favorite survivor ever (Rupert=1st). I want him to win it all.
BTW, where did the swim suits come from???? I saw Shreaa had one and I think others had them.
Reply
10-19-2007 @ 10:46AM
greg said...
I'm going to miss Aaron and his.......package (yummy)
Reply
10-19-2007 @ 11:32AM
Bas said...
Erik was a fool. He should have made a deal with James and Aaron and voted off PG. If I was him, I would have been totally po'd that they didn't tell him the plan before they did it. He's a double fool if he really thinks he can trust either of these 2 girls about anything.
I hope the merge doesn't happen until they're down to only one person, like Stephanie was in her season. Even better, that they NEVER merge the tribes, and the last person has to play their way in to the other tribe.
Reply
10-19-2007 @ 11:37AM
Blaine said...
I was convinced that the members switching was just going to be a temporary thing and they would go back after the immunity challenge or something. That would have been really funny, but I guess not. i could imagine the faces of those two girls if they threw the challenge and right after the tribes switched back, ha.
I do think it was really smart to throw the challenge though. This way not only do they get rid of a strong well liked person, but narrow the original tribes to closer numbers, and give more time for Frosti and Sherea to bond with their new tribe and convince them to vote out Jean-Robert instead of them. Although they did lose all possibility of pulling James over to their side by revealing they threw the challenge.
Regardless of anything I think Tod's going to win it all. Although the last 3 weeks, the people who have been voted out have been been semi aligned with him. Leslie, Dave, and now Aaron.
Reply