Survivor is about a group of strangers dropped off with minimal stuff, getting to know each other and "surviving" the situation as they go. As I watched the premiere episode of season 20 there were a couple of things I noticed. 1. These people change clothes more than I do. 2. Nearly all of them have pre-established relationships. 3. Who are some of these people?
1. In one of the preview shows (on the TV guide channel?) one of the contestants talked about how they were allowed to bring extra clothes. Gone is the challenge of making do with the clothes off your back. Remember the guy in the Armani suit and the girl with no underwear? That fun is gone.
2. With the exception of Russel, all of them know at least some of the people competing either from being on the show together or from gatherings back in civilization. There are two major exceptions to this. Russel has both the benefit and the handicap of being an unknown. Colby apparently has distanced himself from the Survivor universe because he knows very little to nothing about most of them that have competed outside of his two previous seasons.
3. There were some questions I had about why person x was on this team or that, and a few "who the fuck is that" people. I will cover that in the cast breakdown.
The show starts and the first challenge is held. Already the terms heroes and villains is becoming annoying and I can't wait for the team shuffle that will happen in four or five episodes. People are mixing it up and Stephanie's should gets dislocated. I give her credit because she wanted to know what having medical looked at her meant, ie don't have them look at me if it means I'm out. It gets popped back in and the challenge continues. Cut to her bitching about the "villains" being villains. Uh, sweetheart, your team was playing just as hard and physical as them, so kindly STFU. Colby gets owned which was cool. It's tied two-two and James makes a break for the end, and here's where it gets interesting. Jeff is the ultimate judge in challenges (per the official rules which are interesting to read if you ever get the chance) and he screws up here. In a previous season, Jeff declared one tribe the winner and then someone pointed out that the boat had to be here and the people there or something and he reversed his decision. The rules for this challenge stated that the team had to be touching both the bag and the mat. As you can see, James clearly drops the bag before he touches the mat:
His foot is clearly not yet on the mat and the bag has been dropped.
The cast:
As a disclaimer I will say that I don't know any of these people, so they could be the nicest people in the world, and it should not be taken as an actual definitive representation of how they are.
Heroes:
Amanda: Very nice to look at. Made it to the end twice and bombed with her speech both times. Don't think she did anything to make her a "hero", and is just as deserving of the villain moniker as Parvati.
Candace: Once again, very nice to look at. Don't remember her at all. She looks vaguely familiar, but no more so than someone I met at the grocery store. WTF #1.
Cirie: Great strategist. Not heroic. Deserves the villain title as much as Amanda and Parvati as part of the she-devil alliance from Survivor 16.
Colby: Okay, this one make sense. Should have won his own season, but was stupid so he didn't. More unfamiliar with the game than probably everyone else out there. My wife said he still looks really good.
James: Deserves to be there. Not a smart player historically, but def. should be there and is on the right tribe. Scary big guy.
J.T.: Also deserves to be there. Don't know if his aw-shucks game play will work a second time around.
Rupert: Okay, I get it. The guys a hero. I personally can't stand him (his crying in his first season and how it was his game, etc. really pissed me off), but he should be there and is on the right tribe. His broken toe will probably be his undoing this time around.
Stephanie: Can't stand her. Liked her after her first season. Came off as an uber bitch in her second outing. Think she's on the wrong tribe.
Tom: Can't argue with this one. He played well, and he played nice.
Sugar: It's Heroes vs. Villains not Nice People vs. Assholes. She's nice (though what she did to Randy was kind of shitty), but she cries...alot. I can understand why she was brought back, but she's hardly a hero. First out, hopefully there won't be much more crying (hear that Rupert?)
Villains:
Coach: Deserves to be there. Villain is actually kind of wrong for him, because even though he was misguided, he was honest and played a pretty clean game.
Courtney: I once described her as the most inept person ever to play the game. Is on the right tribe, but I question selecting her in the first place. However, she did show some spunk in the first challenge. Hopefully her nemesis rope won't appear this season. She could win if she can survive to the merge just because she is so worthless no one would dump her after the merge.
Danielle: Nice to look at. Who is she? Don't remember her at all. WTF #2
Jerri: Was an obvious choice. 'Nuff said.
Parvati: Nice to look at. Why is she a villain. Jeff's reasoning applies to two of the heroes, so I don't buy it.
Randy: Really torn on this one. He was a character, but I'm not sure if he should be there over Rob. C., porno Brian, etc.
Rob: Obvious choice, but the guys had his (four) shot(s) already. He won't win.
Russel: Deserves to be there, but I think will end up outclassed because he is using the same strategy he used against noobs. I don't think he'll have the alliances to make it to the end. Should have won last season.
Sandra: Shouldn't have won her season. Doesn't really deserve the villain title. Shouldn't be there.
Tyson: I love this guy because he relishes his role as the douche-bag. Deserves to be there and I hope he goes further.
Notes: How much of a deer in the headlights did Rupert look like during the puzzle part of the immunity challenge? His statement of "they are better and strategizing and talking and puzzles" was very telling. That means that they are better at Survivor you dumb-ass.
Predictions:
Too early to tell, but Rupert's toe will make him a liability so I don't see him making the merge. Look for people with existing relationships to go far and those without them to fall early. A tribe shake-up will make things interesting.
Please CBS, new blood from now on (unless I get on). The figuring out of who these people are and how they'll play is the most fun.
My video on CBS.com for Survivor 21:
No comments:
Post a Comment