Survivor: Redemption Island

[RPS]

One of the best episodes of all the recent seasons. I can't even believe how well Boston Rob is playing the game this time around...

[sahyder1]

One of the best episodes of all the recent seasons. I can't even believe how well Boston Rob is playing the game this time around...

Couldn't agree more. A lot of people are saying "but this is his 4th time playing" but to me that shows how impressive Boston Rob has been. He should have been the first one voted out.

Ralph's Immunity idol should be going back into the game right?

[RPS]

I think history say's no, but I may be wrong. I think after merge, as long as there is one in the game, they don't reenter one.

[sahyder1]

I think history say's no, but I may be wrong. I think after merge, as long as there is one in the game, they don't reenter one.

I can't remember for sure. I could've sworn it went back in the game during Heroes vs Villains. Will have to look that up later. If it is back in the game I'd love for Boston Rob to get that one as well. Combine that with him having a very good chance to win some challenges and we're in for a great run to the finish this season.

[RPS]

I know for sure it didn't happen in Heroes & Villians because Parvati played both after the merge on Jerri and Sandra and they only brought one back.

[bill_da_bill]

I expect another hidden immunity somewhere at the new camp. It's just a hunch, but that's what I'm expecting.

I almost feel bad for Matt who lasted so long on redemption island, but he is better off playing the game alone than with people cause he is in over his head with some of these guys.

I could see Mike as a threat to Rob, but right now something crazy would have to happen. Especially now that there is a merge. Had Phillip spilled the beans on the idol before the merge the girls might have turned on Rob, but at this point they have to follow this thing through.

[RPS]

I didn't feel bad for Matt. I laughed out loud for a good 10 minutes after the show was over. I think Matt's showing last night is up there with some of the worst plays in Survivor (Tyson voting himself out, Erik giving away the Immunity Idol, Ian losing immunity and asking Tom to vote him out, Brandon voting for Kelly, Colby taking Tina to the finals). Matt just isn't made for the game: play with your brain, not your religion. Likewise, Rob's move last night was both entertaining television and one of the greatest moves I've seen in a long time. Rob managed to: a) snake out the Idol, b) vote out a player who clearly was a huge liability, and c) managed to still maintain the numbers advantage. And he STILL has the immunity idol and no one knows. Utter brilliance.

[sahyder1]

I didn't feel bad for Matt. I laughed out loud for a good 10 minutes after the show was over. I think Matt's showing last night is up there with some of the worst plays in Survivor (Tyson voting himself out, Erik giving away the Immunity Idol, Ian losing immunity and asking Tom to vote him out, Brandon voting for Kelly, Colby taking Tina to the finals). Matt just isn't made for the game: play with your brain, not your religion. Likewise, Rob's move last night was both entertaining television and one of the greatest moves I've seen in a long time. Rob managed to: a) snake out the Idol, b) vote out a player who clearly was a huge liability, and c) managed to still maintain the numbers advantage. And he STILL has the immunity idol and no one knows. Utter brilliance.

I always feel like I am in the minority but I have always applauded Colby for taking Tina to the final 2. Go back and watch the show. He talks about knowing that he has less than a 50/50 shot against Tina but he played the game one way from the start...voting out people he didn't think deserve the Million. Colby dominated the game. Him not getting the votes was a different story but he was prepared for it.

I'm honestly shocked that Phillip didn't tell the girls that Rob and Grant had the clue to the idol. The crazy thing is that no one else even seems to be worried about the idol. Did Rob convince them that Kristina got voted out with the idol? If so why didn't they air that scene?

Rob with the idol has the potential for something absolutely crazy to happen. I can see him winning an immunity challenge and someone like Phillip flipping on Ometepe and tries to take out Grant or Natalie only for Rob to use the idol. I don't know if Rob would use it for anyone else but that would be fantastic. Could see him using it to protect Natalie too.

Outside of Rob who has impressed you guys?

I have to give Andrea credit for bouncing back and keeping her mouth shut. She could have been voted out right after Matt but she's managed to fit in.

David is a smart guy. If he gets into the right alliance he could make a big move.

Mike can definitely go on a major immunity run as well. He seems like a nice enough guy where people would give him votes at the end.

Any of you on twitter and following these guys? Getting some good insight from people. They're allowed to start talking about their time out there once they're voted out. Kristina and Francesca have been talking a lot about Phillip. Matt deleted his account because people were calling him out for his stupidity.

Probst actually tweets along (throws in some behind the scenes stuff) when the show is on. Boston Rob just signed up too.

[bill_da_bill]

Yeah, of the girls I think Andrea has been the standout. She's played smart, but you get the feeling she could be more of a threat than the other two Ometepe girls. People outside of Rob and Grant seem to genuinely like her, not sure if the same goes for the other girls.

The threat of Phillip flopping was the only thing that made me wonder if Rob made the right move getting rid of Matt. I see the logic in it, but I think if Matt was going to flip it would have been on that vote, and had he chosen to flip, he probably wouldn't have been voted out. If Phillip is going to flip and actually make an impact he's gonna have to do it soon cause the other tribe is going to start dropping soon.

Rob keeping Phillip sane might be the key for him. Cause if they do pick off the other tribe one by one than it's going to be very interesting to see what happens when it gets to the final six. Cause for Rob and Grant does it make sense to vote out Phillip first and hope the three girls don't align against them? Who knows if it really comes to that, but if it does it's going to be fun to watch unfold.

I don't see Steve or the older lady whose name I can never remember as threats.

If David and Mike were in a position to make a play they could be dangerous, but they're playing from behind here.

Edited April 8, 2011 by bill_da_bill

[sahyder1]

Rob didn't have the luxury of knowing for sure that Matt wasn't flipping on the vote. He has already let him known that he had at least entertained the idea. That's risky enough. I honestly don't see Natalie or Ashley flipping on Rob. I can see Rob using them to get rid of Grant once the they get to the final 6 or so because he's a threat to win challenges.

[GoGo Yubari]

Andrea is in the absolute best position to make a move, for sure. If Natalie or Ashley were going to, there probably would have been some sort of indication from either that they can think on a level higher than "omg let's do each others' hair" by now. If Andrea picks her moment right she could easily mobilize whatever's left of Zapatera and Philip.

If I had to guess, I'd say Mike or David is going next depending on whether Mike gets Immunity or not. David is too obviously cunning for Rob to keep around; if it came down to Rob vs. David in the end Rob would win, but the odds of David trying to stage a coup would be too high.

Also this interview with Stephanie reaffirms my love for her. Her contempt for Zapatera (especially Steve, who is clearly the one she's mocking the most) is so fun to listen to.

[RPS]

My thoughts on the remaining contestants, minus Rob who I already praised.

Ralph: not a fan, could care less.

Julie: the only mildly interesting contribution she could have made to the game was to keep Russel gone, and now seems like she'll just be an obvious boot.

Steve: given his NFL history I'm surprised there not playing it up more, but he just seems to be like an uninteresting character.

Mike: not a flashy player, but I think given another situation he would have fared pretty well.

David: up until last night, I thought he had the best chance out of the Zaps, but what an idiot for lashing out at tribal. Just put a target on your back why don't you...

Andrea: I really enjoy her and she is showing signs of great strategy. Her decision to kick Matt out of the game will probably put her pretty close to the finals and maybe the win.

Grant: edit hasn't been that great. Does well in challenges, but not noteworthy elsewise.

Ashley: comes across in a negative way, self-entitled way. Doesn't bode well for her winning the game.

Phillip: I actually really enjoy Phillip. Sure, he is a poor man's Coach, but he makes things interesting. While I see him as a goat, I think he might actually be a huge liability to bring to the end considering he isn't part of any core group, really.

Natalie: you know, I would have said poor edit, but two things stuck out to me this week. First, she won the Immunity, which was all kinds of impressive. Secondly, the second Matt blabbed to Rob, the first person we were seen that Rob told was Natalie. I thought it was VERY interesting and perhaps telling of the pecking order (interestingly enough, Andrea I believe was told edited to be told last.)

I think I made comments early in the thread about why bring back Rob, but honestly, I take it back. The man is delivering this season.

EDIT: And sayhder, on Colby... sure, that's the way he played the game and I respect his consistency and ability to stay true to his value. It's still an dumb strategic move and cost him the win. But as you said, it was what he wanted to do, so more power to him.

Edited April 8, 2011 by RockPaperScissors

[GoGo Yubari]

Philip is the most entertaining character on the show aside from Rob. I love that Jeff is now basically just getting Philip to ramble on and on for the sake of hilarity.

Of the Zapateras I 'm starting to think that Julie might actually be the one with the best chance of making a deep run; Mike stands out due to strength, David stands out due to cunning and a willingness to go "hey hey I'm the smart guy look at me," Steve stands out because like a moron he's made himself the leader (and he sucks at it), and Ralph stands out because he is wacky, and you don't want to put the likable wacky guy in the final two. Julie is quiet and a good liar, at the very least she'll most likely be the last one to go.

Also, on my quest to watch all of Survivor I have reached Thailand, and am at the final five. Good god am I ready for it to be over already.

[sahyder1]

Didn't Rob say early on he was seriously thinking of taking Natalie to the end because he thought he could carry her? He might have to change his mind if she wins more challenges though as the whole "carrying" argument won't fly with the jury if she's winning immunity challenges.

I just don't see a scenario where anyone from Ometepe would vote for Phillip as the winner but sooner or later he's bound to annoy enough people that they vote him out right? Or could he really make it all the way to the finals? Can you imagine final Tribal Council with Phillip? Would be nuts.

I liked Ralph but I think he has too much of an ego. I just don't see Boston Rob coexisting with him. There is a bonus scene online from a couple of hours after the merge where Ralph says that Boston Rob is too bossy and that Russell wasn't like that. Until we see more I want to know what exactly he is talking about. I know Boston Rob is known to maintain the camp more? I think he even said earlier in the season that he likes to stay busy and keep everyone busy around camp so they don't have a chance to sit around and plot stuff?

They'll carry Julie for a while because I just don't think she's a threat to win anything. Could she bond with the Ometepe girls? I doubt it.

With the Colby thing in Australia I would have had a problem if he wasn't aware of what he was doing. I like the guy because he was willing to give up $900K just to make sure someone else didn't get it. It's too bad what happened at Heroes vs Villains because I'd love to see him on again. He's one of my all-time favorites.

GoGo and anyone else for that matter. Want to start a separate thread and seriously watch all the Survivor seasons? I just got to Africa. I think I have everything until Season 11 already at my disposal.

Edited April 8, 2011 by sahyder1

[RPS]

Yeah, Thailand is pretty meh. I'd probably say that and Australia are two of my least favorite seasons. Though, it's good for you as you hit an amazing run of seasons - 6 and 7 are fantastic, 8 is hit or miss depending on the person (I personally love it), 9 is great if only for the post-merge shenanigans. I'd say that was probably the best run of seasons, probably only close to it is China-Micro-Gabon-Tocans.

[GoGo Yubari]

The only way Philip wins is if people want to spite whoever else is in there by giving the money to the crazy guy. In an exit interview on Hitfix Russell was lamenting the fact that he didn't end up on Ometepe, because he would have tried to make it to the final two with Philip no question.

I liked Outback, mostly as an extension of the first season where people are still really trying to figure strategy out. Plus thusfar of the ones I've seeb it's the season where the actual survival aspect has been the most amazingly harsh. In terms of actual drama/strategic intrigue, it dies a quiet death the moment Jerri is kicked out. Marquesas was probably the most intriguing episode strategy-wise of the first five on a number of levels, including Boston Rob spitting in the face of traditional Survivor logic and what happens post-merge there.

[RPS]

Yeah. There is a definite split between survivor before Marquesas and survivor after. The five outsiders banding together to vote off the majority alliance changed the entire way the game was played and made it much more of a focus of strategy rather than survival. Before, there was a focus on strategy, but because no one flipped after merge, it was more about personalities and survival rather than strategy. After Marquesas when the majority was toppled by the outsiders, it became a whole different ball game.

[The Quasi Juice]

Forgot to post in this thread the last few weeks (also due to forum down time). I am absolutely loving this season, especially after the meh previous season. They took a gamble with Redemption Island but it has added so much to the game in a positive way. The fact that the first one in made it to the end was even better and holy shit I laughed my ass off when "Matty" was voted out AGAIN. They have immediately set insane records with this season, 'cause I'm sure Redemption Island will return in future seasons. I feel this way Rob has also secured Matt NOT winning this season even if he makes it to the end again, because people will realize he's just shit at the game and only had to do challenges.

I was actually afraid this was going to be Rob's episode to go. I gave Matt to much credit, that he would side with Zapatera immediately, although I would have just rejoined Ometepe. Thank god his religious ass is back to the island again, 'cause I was already getting sick of him one episode back into the game. Ralph still had the idol though, and they could have voted Rob out but Mike made a HUGE mistake telling Matt about the idol. Ralph seemed to be strangely smart when Russell was around, but he's been pretty dumb the last few episodes. He can easily be influenced.

Also surprised Philip didn't flip, but instead immediately chose to stay true to his tribe. Philip isn't as stupid as he seemed at the start. He's a great character, and has trouble not voicing his opinion, but he's doing fine. I can easily see Philip make it to the final 3. He won't win though. He's the perfect guy to take along (which Rob also pointed out when he said it takes the target off of him).

Everything looks great for Boston Rob, but I have a feeling Mike or Dave will find an idol (please no idols anymore), or he gets blindsided by Andrea and/or Philip. He still has an idol but if he doesn't know he's getting voted out, he won't play it. Rob/Matt would make for an interesting redemption island match. I'm gonna go for Philip, Andrea and someone else in the final 3.

Ralph to be voted out next.

Very interesting season.

[sahyder1]

Why does it matter that Mike mentioned the idol? Ometepe already knows that Ralph has it.

[bill_da_bill]

I don't think Rob sees Ralph as a threat. So I think he'll aim for Mike or David, probably Mike cause he's scared of him it seems.