he got served!

Randy's furious over the 'fake' idol gaffe

I wish there was a better way to describe Randy’s exit in Survivor. If you’re such a fan of this show, then you’d probably know about the monumental blunder that involved the hidden immunity idol, which is what Jeff Probst himself described to be one of the smartest elements they have included in the game. The power that is within the immunity idol can be overwhelming sometimes that having it can either be advantageous or disadvantageous to the person concerned. However, when a ‘fake’ idol is involved, it’s an entirely different story.

For all we thought, players have learned from the ranks of Jamie Dugan (Survivor China) and Jason Siska (Survivor Micronesia). Humorous as it is, I felt for Randy when Jeff announced the idol he thought could save him in the game was a fake one. Randy’s face was all red when Jeff tossed the ‘fake idol’ into the fire and said that all votes against Randy will count.

I mean, this was supposed to be a look-back of Episode 10 but the scene during tribal council alone has managed to overshadow all other events that transpired that night.

Oh well, Kenny’s impressive win during the IC was deserving of mention since it was one of the tightest and most exciting challenge so far in this season. In the back of my mind, I was actually hoping that Matty wouldn’t win that one, at least to take away the idea of him being a threat during the challenges, and consequently a lesser target for the boot.

Back to the tribal, Randy’s arrogance served him right. Hate to be rude, but this is one of the most satisfying votes for the season (for me, at least).

Merge at last!

Matty lives to see another day!

Just when I thought the game was becoming quite cruel, it’s gotten more ugly by the day – in a strategic kind of way. Charlie’s ouster was a surprise, especially for Charlie himself. In an interview following his being voted off, he exclaims not realizing the personal vendetta that Ken had against him, which proves just how much manipulative power Ken had in him. Well, it was for the advantage of my favored remaining castaways, especially Matty. Charlie was too cunning and with him gone, it has basically cut off another limb to the Marcus-Charlie-Corinne alliance, leaving only Corinne to fend for herself. (grinning)

I wasn’t entirely against that threesome alliance, but it makes for an entertaining view! It is so dramatic how the game has witnessed a complete 180-degree turn with power players now scrambling to stay in the game. Thanks to most of Ken’s efforts, both him and Matty now has a fighting chance – to be exact, a 1 of 8 shot for the million dollars.

This was an epic episode, to say the least. Here are the top highlights for the episode:

1. Can there be any player in Survivor history more arrogant than Randy is? I mean, Richard Hatch was. And yet he had the first ever Survivor title under his belt. As for Randy, his future in this game looks bleak (thanks to his over-the-top sarcasm) despite self-proclaiming himself to be the new King of Gabon. Oh, bless your soul!

2. Bob’s fake idol maneuver. This one was a good move fueled by desperation, kudos to Ozzy. After all, we’ve seen Jason from Micronesia (yes, a real student of the game) fall into the bait. Now I’m anxious to see who’d be the next dummy to find and play it. (rubs chin)

3. Matty and Ken switching to the power side. Ken is certainly the puppet master and it is incredible how he has formulated moves that enables him to take out anyone he deems is a threat to his position in the game. So, buh-bye Charlie for screwing him on the individual immunity clue from last episode!

Dethrone the King

Marcus’ game in Survivor: Gabon was the perfect epitome of how one power player can go from being in control to getting blindsided. Although I was rooting for Marcus in the beginning, I have to admit he got way too cocky for his own good. And commendation is fitting for Susie, proving she is really in it to win. Susie was smart enough to realize that she had a better fighting chance if she sided with Crystal and Kenny, as opposed to being a ‘filler’ to the alliance involving Marcus, Charlie, Corrine, Bob, and Randy. I mean seriously, I was even flabbergasted listening to Marcus promising Susie the final three! Even Susie did not take Marcus’ word for that, leading to his own ouster.

So I guess that reflects my lack of disappointment in Marcus being the latest castoff from Gabon. This was indeed an interesting (sorry for the understatement) turn of events. With physical power players gone, it now sets the stage for the scheming action.

Back to the episode, Gabon castaways rejoiced in what they were expecting to be the merge. Only to find out it was the 3rd switch up in this season. All these Survivor producers are really keen on testing the castaways’ alliances and how fast they adapt to new groups – which is really what Survivor is about.

The real winner for this episode? Hands down, Matty. Jeff was indeed right. He single-handedly won it for Fang, the only original member of Fang left.

As Marcus sits down to the jury, the game has reached the next level. Now, castaways will have to take responsibility for their own actions as they respond to the jury once they reach final two. A merge might be coming or not, but I can see a quick change of power with every single episode. Hopefully, my favorite players Matty and Ken will hang on tight, especially Matty – like he did in the recent immunity challenge.

another Survivor post

Sorry for the lame title above. I have previously written numerous articles on Survivor that I am already contemplating on creating another category for the said reality show on this blog (laughs out loud). Kidding aside though, the 5th episode of Gabon is over and things are indeed taking shape. GC already quit the game (no surprise) and Sugar’s hold of the idol is making people wonder whether she’s smart enough to take full advantage of it while it’s in her possession. After all, she made a bold statement in the previous episode saying, and I quote her: “[I'd] have to be really dumb to get sent home next.”

While it is too early to tell, I am finding this season quite enjoyable to watch, especially with a myriad of characters. You have the likes of Matty, Dan, Crystal, or Ace willing to give it their all on physical challenges, Bob or Ken showing off their wits, and GC… yes, he’s one character that’s quite hard to fit into a mold and I don’t mean that as a compliment.

For die-hard Survivor fans, assessment is well on its way, even at this early in the season. And I thought of coming up with this poll, just to be able to come up with raw information on what Survivor fans think about all 17 seasons.

Survivor Reflections

First stop – Gabon.

For the second episode, things are shaken up a bit. And what’s more exciting for me is the fact that Gabon’s second episode had an effect on me, which I haven’t seen in a while – the challenges literally had me up on my feet (oh yeah, how geeky of me! haha).

The reward challenge was purely physical, and I love it! Aside from the post, the castaways had to rely on pure brawn to outdo each other. For their first taste of victory, Fang had to experience a little bit of comfort in their life at the jungle. As for the equally adrenaline-pumping (or is it just me?) immunity challenge, I thought Bob had no competition in figuring out the combination to the lock. Turns out, Ken (the professional video gamer) had something between those ears too. As a video game writer, it leaves me to think as to whether or not video games help improve your analytical skills or Ken was just innately good with Math? (grin) Whichever is the case, I was glad to see the Fang tribe intact for another day.

Sailing over to Koh Tarutao for Survivor Philippines, the latest boot was the most shocking so far. While am rooting for Naak tribe, Gigit was one of the least I had expected to get booted from the Jarakay tribe at this early in the game. He might be the oldest, but he was built for the outdoors and he’s undeniably smart (ehem, a UP alumnus! ).

Now that Gigit is out, I couldn’t care less anymore who exits next from the blue tribe, as long as JC and Kiko are safe. Gigit’s ouster can be categorized as a blindside, knowing that Gigit was confident going into tribal council that he had a solid alliance with most of them. Turns out, it was a landslide vote against him! That’s what I’m talking about! At least, we see more conniving, plotting, and bold moves! This was certainly a step towards a more cunning strategic game in Survivor Philippines, particularly within the Jarakay tribe. To know whether this was a good strategic move or a poor one, we have yet to find out.

1st round over

The long wait is over!

Survivor Gabon premiered a couple of days ago and with back-to-back premiere episodes, it was only fitting that I blog about it here. I’ve read the cast bio’s and had a clear idea of what to expect…or so I thought! Initial favorites were (from Kota) Kelly, Ace, and Marcus, and (from Fang) Matty and Dan!

This was quite a huge premiere for this new season, considering Jeff Probst’ recent win in the Emmy’s and the fact that Survivor is the first reality series filmed outdoors through HD. I totally love it when Jeff surprises the castaways with a challenge right off the bat! It showcases each castaway’s ability to work together under pressure, despite lack of familiarity among tribe members. And physical challenges is one of the reasons why I love this show. (grinning)

And with back-to-back episodes, also came back-to-back-to-back losses for the Fang tribe (insert sigh). I actually, found myself rooting for the underdogs, which the Fang tribe is at this point in the game. And while I undeniably liked Marcus (did I hear Charlie second me?), I think he’s safe enough in his tribe even if they did lose because of the newly formed alliance – the earliest alliance formation I’ve seen in Survivor in a while. I hope that Fang is able to get over the hurdle of uhm, lack of team unity, and start winning!

For the premiere episode, people always ask the phenomenal question: who gets the distinction of being the first boot? In this case, it was Michelle’s negativity that caused her to get booted. I can trace that on two things: (1) she didn’t like the bunch of people she was marooned with – to the point of calling them ‘dorks’ – and (2) she disliked the idea of these ‘dorks’ picking her last.

As for Gillian, everyone saw it coming (probably even Gillian herself!). But the fact that this woman auditioned 15 times in the past, that says a lot about her character and persistence! She got lucky one too many times and only a win for her tribe would have saved her a** in the game.

Can’t wait for next episode! Go Fang!

Countdown to Gabon

Aside from the upcoming US Open, I am much thrilled about Survivor Gabon: Earth’s Last Eden.

I know it sounds geeky but I have been an avid Survivor fan since Australian Outback, thanks much to Colby (chuckles). Kidding aside though, it is now less than a month since the latest season’s premiere and it kills me that there’s no details leaked in just yet. Typically, lots of possible castaway details are revealed around a month before the premiere. However, this time CBS seems to be mum about this.

The thing with me though is that I cannot help my excitement. Especially when I went to check Survivor Fever and found some video captures from the show. It did not reveal much though and only had this video still of one male castaway and a few other promotional video captures.

Hopefully as the premiere draws near, more contestant and tribe details will be revealed as well. Can’t wait to watch Survivor on HD too.