Survivor Nicaragua - Episode 10 - Wood Chests to protect the fire... really?

First off whose bright idea was it to put the three wooden chests so close to the fire?  The intention was good, but the implementation was dumb.  This is not the first time in Survivor history that a camp has been partially burned down during a fire.  If memory serves correctly, it happened during Survivor Amazon.

Brenda had the game in her hand and still could not survive this episode.  The person who she tried to please, was one of the original two that started talking about taking her out.  Holly is playing this game and comes off smelling like roses because it was made to look like NaOnka was the orchestrator of this, but Holly and Jane were the driving force.

The reward challenge was interesting and the blue team certainly had it going from the get go.  What I wonder is could all five of them fit on one piece of wood at the same time?  If so, could they have just left all the barrels and just kept sliding the wood up to the front?  Either way, it certainly seemed that Chase was the mastermind behind winning that challenge.

Once on the reward, which was pretty freaking cool if you ask me, we saw something that I never thought I would see in this game.  NaOnka and Fabio working together.  From the previews of next week, it appears to be short lived, but I was surprised.  

Back at camp, after the fire and the blue team returned, Chase is running around like an idiot.  Personally, I would have split the votes between Brenda and Chase, especially since Chase realized that Brenda was going and voted for her.  The split would have made sure one of two threats went home.  Brenda, by taking a power player out of the game (which of course happened anyway) and Chase, a loose cannon that could hurt you down the line, especially since he is not on your side.  To me Sash could be dealt with later.  But it appeared that Purple Kelly and Brenda are the only two that didn't vote for Brenda.

The immunity challenge was rough and I am super impressed with Jane's performance.  Even with Chase trying to talk her out of the challenge, Jeff immediately chimed in and said not to give up on the challenge.  

The previews show that NaOnka once again does something she shouldn't have done and Fabio saying he wants her gone, but in reality anyone that wants her gone is not playing the game.  There is absolutely no way she can win this game and is the perfect person to take to the final 3. It appears that the alliances are Jane, Holly, NaOnka, Benry and Dan with Fabio and probably now Sash on board. Chase and Purple Kelly are on the outs.  If I'm in charge, I say you make it seem like NaOnka is going and you blindside Sash to get him and his idol out of the game or make him think you are gunning after him and flush the idol, only to vote out Chase.  Kelly is really not too much of a threat, so she can go whenever.  Whomever goes to the final should make sure that Dan and NaOnka are sitting next to them and they will guarantee themselves the million dollars.  

So another great episode this week and I can't wait until next week.  It will be weird not watching Survivor on Thanksgiving night, but it is always possible they may do a recrap episode.  While the recap episodes have improved over the years, they are still crap. 

So until next week... the Tribe has spoken!

Survivor Nicaragua - Episode 9 - Dumb and Dumber

Marty or Jane... who would you have picked?  But before we get to that, let's look at the rest of the episode.


Personally Jane's tirade about Marty was getting on my last nerve.  Marty is playing the game and doing it fairly well and not being all emotional about it.  The swap really screwed him in this game, because I think he would be in a much better place had it not happened, assuming the original Espada tribe didn't continue to lose.   But we can only deal with reality and that is what we will do.


Another great reward challenge.  I loved the busting through things and thought it was ironic that it was men vs. women.  Chase chose to align himself with the women, because he is essentially one.  He isn't playing this game very well at all and that may make him a prime candidate to bring to the finals, along with NaOnka.  I don't see anyone giving him the money.  The men end up winning the challenge and Jane's proclamation that she will beat Marty in a physical challenge is proven wrong.  She showed her age and really struggled toward the end of that challenge.


I personally thought Marty's plan was a great plan, the only problem was that NaOnka didn't go for it, which means she knew that they were gunning for Jane and didn't need to play her idol.  Neither Marty nor Jane are someone you want to go to the finals with, so it is right to want to get both of them out of there.


In the immunity challenge, it came down to Marty and Brenda and I think that Marty lost his train of thought when the little conversation happened before the last reveal, and I think that is what cost him.  So Sash and Brenda decided that they would reject Marty's plan, but the bad think is they didn't inform some of the people, so that may come back to bite them.  What that also does is make Jane that much more paranoid and may start running off at the mouth on someone else.


Once again the scramble before Tribal Council showed that Chase is horrible at this game and what is worse is he is betraying his own personal values in the process.  Sash and Brenda are controlling this game and I really think there is a great possibility that Jane is going home next. (I hope the preview isn't that she collapses or something, because the way they edited it, it certainly seems serious). I hope that she goes home by being voted out and not for some other reason.  That goes the same for anyone else.


This leads us to Tribal Council where NaOnka was being NaOnka, the same person she has been for 27 years.  I'm sure her parents love her, but I don't see how they can be proud of how she acts and her attitude.  As much as I can't stand her, I fully expect her to be in the final 3, with the only possibility of her being voted out earlier would be by a mistake.  I hate to wish this, but I really hope she doesn't procreate, because that is one gene that doesn't need to be passed along.


So the previews have got me wondering, but we'll have to wait until next week to see what happens, so until then... the Tribe has spoken.

Survivor Nicaragua - Episode 8 - Boo Hoo, they left me the smallest tortilla!

The merge has come and Marty is still in trouble, but once again manages to survive.  Alina was a threat and while she said she was a pawn and not a power player, she was indeed a power player.  She may have played a pawn for a little while, had she not been voted out, but I don't think it would have lasted.


Seems like things are going to fall apart next week for Brenda and Sash, but that could just be editing.  This week Sash convinces everyone to keep Marty so he doesn't have to go back on his word and that is smart.  He also is smart to bring NaOnka to the end, as she will not win this game.  I said last week she is another Russell, but she is not, other than she also has no social game.  Now who should Sash bring with him and Na, seems to me Alina would have been a decent choice, but since she was trying hard, she may have beat him, so my guess would be Dan.  If he is smart he will take Dan and Na to the end.  No one will vote for Na because she is crazy and Dan has too much money and no one really likes him anyway.


Jane is also not playing with her head.  She wants Marty gone, which is fine, but she doesn't see the whole picture.  Being narrow minded in Survivor will come back to bite you.  You have to analyze your best move and do it.  In this case, Sash did what was best for his game by convincing the others that Alina was the one to let go, but I don't think that was the right play.  I actually think that Marty would have been the best choice.  I know I just said Jane wasn't playing smart, but she was targeting the correct person.  Marty's plea at the end was pathetic and his comments at Tribal Council certainly didn't win him any votes.  


Marty's hope is to get Fabio, Dan and a couple others and shake things up.  Sash's plan seems good at this point, but the previews seem to indicate otherwise.  Chase is a huge wild card and I'm not so sure I'd trust him at this point.  It seems like he goes with his heart, not his mind.


At the immunity challenge, Jane showed she is a threat and I think she needs to be watched.  As Marty did point out, she has the perfect sad story and depending on who the jury is, it may be enough to get her the money.  I would get rid of her soon.  I noticed everyone seemed to be pulling the handles away from the bar, I wonder if it would have been easier to push in instead.  


So Marty lives another day and we'll have to wait until next week to see if he survives again.  So until then... the Tribe has spoken.

Survivor Nicaragua - Episode 7 - Milk your own Milk!

Different Strategy this week, blog as the show airs... we'll see how it goes.


First off, why tell Marty you were trying to flush the idol, it makes about as much sense of not taking him out when they had the chance, since he didn't play it.  Also NaOnka now is against Alina again, didn't she just say their relationship was closer now.  Funny how things change.


Reward Challenge: Dan proves that he is the best challenger in the history of the game... NOT!  Despite his poor performance, Espada wins reward.  Fabio pees in the pool, which may cost him if they go to tribal council again, but it also is the perfect reason for Marty and Jill to talk to him again.   La Flor didn't really do that bad, but Espada had a better team overall.  NaOnka was pretty impressive in this challenge but so was Jill.  Overall a fairly lame challenge in my mind though.


Jane eating her fish, while I think she certainly is entitled to it, I don't know how you can cook a fish without the rest of the tribe seeing the smoke or smelling it, so it was a very risky move.  It really could help Marty out in the long run though, because if they do find out about it, she will need to go crawling back to him and Jill.  Alina is in NaOnka's sights, but will she go?  I'm not so sure, but we will find out before the hour is over.  


The reward looked like a lot of fun and the food looked amazing.  


Immunity Challenge: This was another cool challenge and Brenda and Kelly just couldn't grasp it.  La Flor is not working well together at all.  Espada on the other hand had that challenge mastered.  They worked well together and even Dan was able to hold the chute still.  Alina is safe for another week.  Now will Jill or Marty go home or will they work magic... we'll find out in a few minutes.  Maybe La Flor would have won if Fabio pee'd down the chute.  ;-)


Somebody needs to be renamed Erik, before Tribal Council, I would have said it was Marty, because it was clearly a stupid move to give up the idol, when he was guaranteed to stay if he kept it and used it.  I don't see Sash giving it back to Marty, but on the other hand, he made a mistake at TC saying if he losing trust in Brenda and the group, so it may be wise to mix things up and join forces with Marty.  Once again, La Flor had the opportunity to take Marty out but chose not to do it and it may just bite them.


With the preview we see the merge is happening, which surprises me it is this early, with 12 people still left in the game, which means the jury will start next episode too.  NaOnka's last name must be Hanz, because she is pulling a move out of Russell's book and he will be so proud.  Unfortunately (or fortunately), I think she will be found out and will be sent home sooner than later.  If she can keep it a mystery and she does stir up trouble, then she may be in a good spot. Either way, I don't think she can win.  She too doesn't understand Jury management and the social side of the game.


So, another week is down and I think I like blogging during the commercials, but we'll see if I do it again next week. Until then... the Tribe has spoken!

Survivor Nicaragua - Episode 6 - Marty and Dan, still surviving!

Great episode with lots of jockeying going on and while I'm sad to see Yve and Kelly B go, it's not the end of the world and it will certainly make it more interesting on La Flor.  


First to the immunity challenge, I think this was another great challenge and comical too.  Watching Dan really struggle after being the first to find the ring was funny, in a sad sort of way.  Jill winning immunity, really set them up good to stay and although it was risky for Marty not to play the idol, it may have been the smartest move he has made.  I wouldn't be saying that though, if he had gone home.  ;-)  Now Marty and Jill still have the idol and Fabio just may go over to their side.  They still need one more to make a power move, but I'm not sure who that will be. Holly winning the immunity idol didn't really matter.  They were set on either Dan or Yve and if Yve would have won, then Dan would be gone.


I would love to see Marty and Brenda battle it out for a while.  There are 7 left on La Flor and 6 on Espada, which means that the first Jury member should come in two episodes, if they do the final 3, which I believe they have done every time they have started with 20 players.  I think they will delay the merge until after at least one person is on the Jury.  If La Flor can win the next two immunity challenges, then Marty could have a chance in this game, but if they lose, the idol will be flushed.  I don't think Marty is dumb enough to give Sash the idol, as they show in the previews.


The Espada tribe can go anyway they want, as right now they aren't that interesting as a tribe.  I still would like to see NaOnka go before the merge, but I would like to see her on the jury, because she will be entertaining for sure.  The editing on her has changed and I predict that she will go fairly far in the game.  If Dan makes the merge, he will go deep, as he will be the last to be voted out before the power alliance has to turn on itself, unless Dan is in the power alliance, which would be interesting.


So until next week... the Tribe has spoken.

Survivor Nicaragua - Episode 5 - Espada don't Noah what they are doing!

Twists, swaps and stupid moves, that is what Survivor is all about... well maybe not.


First off I was glad to see that even though the swap happened, we finally got to see two challenges.  To me the show progresses better when there are two challenges to break up the camp life.


Let's start at the swap, I was happy to see that both power alliances got broken up, as that makes the game more interesting and I think the swap has helped both Holly and Kelly B.  I also liked how they did the swap, by drawing a captain and then picking the people from the other tribe that you don't want.  Definitely some strategic thinking had to go into that decision.


Before we get to the reward challenge, let me say that I think they are getting so much better at designing the challenges.  I really liked both challenges this time around.  The ball and having to catch it was probably a lot harder than it looked, having to watch it and then react at the last minute.  It was a close match and I was worried that Espada was going to give it away when NaOnka was just rifling those balls up really fast.  I was thinking, give your guys a chance to breath, but in the end they pulled out the reward.  The traditional 2 chickens and rooster.


Back at camp Tyrone started off wrong, because it did look like he was telling them how they were going to run the camp, but it could have been some editing too.  He could have done better by asking how they did things, kind of like Marty did on La Flor, but not doing it in such a cocky way, like Marty did.  In the end, Tyrone just didn't have the social game to mix with the younger players.


At La Flor, Marty showed everyone he had the idol and Brenda said that it was the dumbest thing he could have done.  Maybe or maybe not, we'll have to see.  Marty had a point that Jill probably would have said something about it, so why not get it out in the opened now, but on the other hand, he could have held that info until he needed it and if confronted about, he certainly could have come clean at that point.  I could certainly see Marty's idol being flushed out at the first Tribal Council he goes to (assuming that he doesn't win individual immunity next week) and then going home the next time he goes to Tribal Council.  If he makes it to the merge, then he will still have a tough time staying, but he is the chess master (which is another mistake saying that).


NaOnka was ready to checkout and I think she would have been a good choice send home.  I say that not because she has annoyed the heck out of me this season, but for the same reason that was brought up in Tribal, you just don't know when she'll wig out again.  But since she stayed, it definitely should have been Dan to go home.  Once again they vote out someone strong, just because they don't like the way they act, when Dan is weak and will not help them in any challenges, yet no one thought to mention him as a possibility.  Personnally, I would have taken out Dan, then NaOnka (or the other way around, it really doesn't matter) then gotten Tyrone.  If NaOnka stayed around, then she would be better physically than Dan would have been and if she regained her wits, then Tyrone could go and all is fine, if not then she goes, then Tyrone.  But that's my thoughts and obviously they wanted Tyrone to go, so he went.


Now let me back track to the immunity challenge, because I really liked this challenge.  It would have been funny if NaOnka had been on the wheel, but cruel at the same time.  In this challenge I thought Espada was smart by slowing it down some and that got them the ball first, but they just couldn't execute on breaking the tiles.  I thought that it was good that Tyrone stepped aside and let Benry have a go at it, because he did better than Tyrone did, but the both missed a lot.  Jimmy T would have won it for them for sure, but they sent him packing last week.  Jill and Fabio did an excellent job of getting the win for La Flor.


So next week, as I alluded to earlier, they will be playing for individual immunity, which if they follow previous seasons, both tribes will have one person that wins immunity and more than likely one tribe will get to sit in on a portion of the tribal council of the other tribe while they partake in a meal or something.  


Wild guess but I think Brenda will win individual immunity for La Flor, they will flush Marty's idol and send Jan home, to break up the alliance there.  I think Alina will win immunity and NaOnka will have recomposed herself and Dan will go home. I could be way off base, but who knows.


So until next week... the Tribe has spoken.

Survivor Nicaragua - Episode 4 - Don't play this game if your name is Jimmy

Jimmy T started the show running his mouth and didn't shut up and if they were going to vote a Jimmy out last week, Jimmy T should have gone instead of Jimmy Johnson.  With that said, Dan really should have gone, or maybe not.   No I haven't lost my mind, Dan should have gone home until I saw the previews, which I predicted would happen, a tribal swap next week, unless your name is Marty, then the right move was made.  I personally think that Dan was more of a liability and he should have gone home last week, but he didn't hurt them this challenge, so no big deal.  Since Dan didn't go home he will hinder whichever tribe he ends up on next week and he will be voted out at the next tribal council, unless he can make friends quickly with his new tribe.


NaOnka is just plain evil and I hope that someone talks some sense into her either during this game or when she gets home.  I would gladly keep Jimmy T in the game and vote NaOnka out, because she is a major cancer, while Jimmy T is more mild.  Jimmy is just full of himself, but NaOnka is full of S***, pardon my asterisks.  I was really hoping La Flor was going to TC and that NaOnka's alliance would turn on her and blindside her and her idol out of the game.


For the challenge, I don't think the Medallion of Power is the reason why the younger tribe won, it was the younger tribe communicated/listened better.  I don't think Tyrone is at fault, as he did his best and I don't think anyone on that tribe could have done better.   


Now let's look at the previews, because that is a lot more fun to imagine what will happen in the swap.  La Flor currently has 9 players and Espada has 7, which means that more than likely the new tribes will have the same number, which depending on how they do it, both tribes could have more younger players than older players.  Normally that would be great for the younger people, but we are seeing signs of cracking and I think that NaOnka and Brenda gets separated and that is why NaOnka is having a hard time, but honestly, I didn't pay that close of attention to who else was in the shot. Does that bode well for her, who knows.  Marty's biggest chance is if he ends up with Dan and Jill on his tribe, then he may have a fighting chance, otherwise he is toast.  His only other hope is if the younger tribe is severely splintered.  Russell did it two seasons ago after the merge, so it can be done, but the difference there was that Russell had 3 others that had to be solid with him, Marty may not have that.


While this week's episode was good, I'm looking forward to next week's episode more.  So until then... the Tribe has spoken!