A legend goes home early in another chaotic Tribal Council
Well get to the dethroning of the self-proclaimed queen.
Well get to the tribe swap.
Well get to another chaotic Tribal Council.
Credit: Jeffrey Neira/CBS
And well get to my one big concern in this so far excellent season ofSurvivor.
But first, we start with what has to be the most awkward hug in human history.
God blessSurvivorproducers for stranding John Cochran and Debbie Wanner on a boat together.
You think Im kidding?
Cochran has already written for two CBS sitcoms (The MillersandKevin Can Wait).
could be comedic gold and make for a great Thursday night companion piece toBig Bang Theory.
But the piece de resistance was the hug.
I called in every favor from the production team to secure multiple angles of said hug.
I hacked into backlogged Google satellite imagery.
I seriously cant get enough of it.
And neither could Debbie…because she kept hugging!!!
Go back and watch it if you have not already.
Let it wash over you.
It starts innocently enough when Cochran informs Debbie that she has received an advantage in the game.
Debbie is so excited she jumps up and starts hugging Cochran.
Just one problem: Hes not standing.
So the hug continues.
But then it isnotover!
Shes still hugging him!
She wont let go!
Watch Cochran closely here.
you could sense it by the fact that he has no idea what to do with his hands.
But does that work?
This is Debbie Wanner were talking about!
What sort of wisdom would Cochran have been expected to dispense to the then-undefeated two-time champion?
Maybe he could have just shown up, handed her the Advantage box, and left.
In any event, seeing as how there was no Cochran sighting at the last finale or was there?
(Check out my Jeff Probst Q&Afor how it all came together.)
Okay, a lot to get to.
So much, in fact, that lets just break down the biggest moments with my take on each.
Congratulations to Beth Sederstrom, who won last weeks J.T.
vote by correctly identifying my favoriteSurvivordrunk as a stumbling, bumbling Tom Westman inPalau.
(Like the CochranDebbie hug, that clip never gets old.)
Best of luck to all, now on to the rest of the recap!
was gone (even though anyonebutJ.T.
would have been the surprise).
Thats three weeks in a row for Andrea.
Whats the deal with that?
Why such concern about gender imbalance back then but no concern now?
So glad you asked!
Which is why I asked Jeff Probst.
You cansee his reasoning for it in our Q&A.
Anyway, lets get to the new teams and my reaction.
MANATroyzanMichaelaHaliAubrySierraCirieBrad
Okay, so the first takeaway here is that you only have two men and five women.
Theres that gender imbalance we were talking about.
It also doesnt make a difference.
This is a strong tribe.
Everyone is a solid-to-strong challenge competitor even Cirie if you’re free to get her on the puzzle.
The other interesting thing of note is that you actually have a 4-3 original Mana majority.
NUKUSandraVarnerSarahAndreaZekeTaiOzzy
Only two men on the other tribe, but four dudes here.
Sill, they have a challenge weak link in Varner, which tips the advantage the other way.
Or at least I wasafterI typed it.
So yeah, this was trouble for Jeff and Sandra.
Can I ask a question?
What the hell is up with Jeff Varner constantly soiling himself?
He talked about it when Sierra played the idol and now again after the tribe swap.
(Side note: I love Jeff Varner.
Exiled in ParadiseOkay, so it wasnt really an island.
It was more like Exile Yacht.
But in truth, Exile Island is rarely an island.
So this is not the first time for misusing that moniker.
How would that happen in this instance?
But I have something theycoulddo.
Why notbeforethe picking of the buffs, everyone had to vote on the person to send to Exile?
Can you imagine how pissed Debbie would have been if it were her?
Make this happen next time!
Backseat driving at its finest, ladies and gentlemen!)
Debating the Advantage OptionOkay, lets nerd out on some strategy for a minute, shall we?
I love the idea of not just giving her an advantage, but allowing/forcing her to choose.
Choices are always good on this show.
They get the contestants thinking and they get the audience arguing.
Repeat after me: Choices = Good.
So bravo on this one.
Now lets get to the three options Debbie had at her disposal.
Fake hidden immunity idol kit.2.
Tribe advantage in the next immunity challenge.
Lets talk it out.
All it is good for is deception.
But then again, deception is ofteneverythingin this game.
Lets say Debbie shows up at the next Tribal Council and puts it around her neck.
People may think shes bluffing, but if it looks good enough then are you willing to risk it?
Its a solid option.
Next is is the extra vote.
I definitely see the logic in that.
But I also know that extra votes and vote steals never seem to work out in this game.
In fact, people go home when they use them.
If you are down 5-2 or 6-1, an extra vote does absolutely nothing for you.
Youre counting on a close vote, either to save yourself or flip the game.
So its more of a gamble than Debbie thinks.
This actually is the most circumstantial of all the advantage options.
Then youre left with nothing.
That leaves us with the tribe advantage in the next immunity challenge.
So you cant choose how and when you use it.
That inflexibility causes this option to lose some luster.
Well, that would be a bummer.
That shouldnt necessarily be the overriding factor, but it definitely should be in the consideration mix.
Plus, fake idols are just more fun.
Ask Randy Bailey and Jason Siska.
Idol ThoughtsThe producers have never been shy about admitting that they want contestants to find hidden immunity idols.
But when Tai locates three hidden idols in 14 days, you may have a problem.
First off, kudos to Tai for getting out there and searching.
I do think it was a bit of a cheat by producers though.
Wait, cheat is not the right word.
So lets be crystal clear: I am not implying Tai was given any unfair advantages in the game.
Everything is completely on the level here, ladies and gentlemen.
And that iswaaaaaytoo much of an advantage to have.
(Reminds me of the idols inChina.)
Maybe that idol has been sitting there all season and producers figured it would be long gone by now.
Id rather have every hiding spot be unique so there is no double-dipping.
That said, again, props to Tai for thinking to search in the same spot.
Because it kinda looked like penis graffiti.
And I would now like to take the opportunity to apologize for making you read the word moistened.
Youve found the super secretSurvivorpre-game vote-off giveaway of the week.
To enter for a chance to win Sandras vote for Aubry, just answer the following question.
When is the last time I CORRECTLY predicted a season winner?
Give me that players name as well as the season he/she won.
Email your answer tosurvivor@ew.com.
Winners will be contacted directly.
We now return you to your regularly scheduledSurvivorrecap, still in progress.]
First the players had to… wait.
Cirie, Aubry, and Sierra already solved the puzzle.
Damn, that was fast.
That meant Nuku was heading to Tribal Council, and things were not looking good for the queen.
So she went to work.
This has been an obsession of Sandras going back to before the game even started.
Sandras words here got people thinking, but not enough to sway their vote.
Tai felt safe, but he wasnt entirely sure.
Im not very smart compared to all these dangerous people, he told us.
Like Ozzy and Sandra theyre very good at scheming and plotting.
Scheming and plotting?!?
Look, Ozzy is a greatSurvivorplayer and in many ways personifies the game better than anyone.
And then chaos erupted.
Im just keeping the tradition of vote out the biggest guy, Tai informed everyone openly.
I cant compete against him.
These Tribal Council shenanigans serve as one of the most welcome examples of the shows evolution.
Back in the old days, a vote was pretty much always locked before folks went to Tribal Council.
Tribal Council was more for show.
But now… stuff happens, man!
And I love it!
Tai, youre a fool, said Sandra while voting.
The queen stays queen.
The queen didnotstay queen.
You could see that cocky smile turn to a frown as Sandras name continued to come up.
Her reign was finally over.
Dont do it, Jeff, she pleaded.
It was a nice and deserving bit of ceremony for one of the faces on the Mt.
Heres the crazy thing about Sandra.
She played twice and won twice, yet this time only lasted 16 days.
However, you could make a case that in many ways, this was her most impressive performance.
But this time was completely different.
Everyone was gunning for her.
She knew it and responded by playing her most aggressive game yet.
As Lord Vader would say impressive… most impressive.
(You hear that, Parvati?)
This season has been so great so far.
The challenges have been exciting, the dynamics intriguing, and the Tribal Councils completely bonkers.
Producers must have been high-fiving each other on a daily basis.
(Question: Do people still high five?
And, if not, can we bring that back?)
There is nothingnotto love about this season so far.
Were losing all the best players.
are two of the most aggressive contestants to ever play, except now we cant enjoy their antics.
Sandra and Malcolm are quote machines every time they open their mouths.
Now we cant enjoy their bon mots.
Caleb was an absolute beast in challenges.
Ciera loved to stir things up and give us epic Tribal Council eye rolls.
Are we speeding towards a Hali, Sarah, Troyzan final three?
All wonderfully nice people I have nothing against.
What is wrong with me?!?
Why cant I just relax and enjoy things?
Especially when there has been so much to enjoy?
But look, Brad Culpepper has certainly stepped up his game this season.
Perhaps others will do the same.
Thats because we have an exclusive look at Sandra the day after her outer above.
And check out myweekly Q&A with Hostmaster General Jeff Probstfor some more inide intel on the episode.
And for moreSurvivorupdates, follow me on Twitter@DaltonRoss.
Which advantage would you have taken?
What do you think of my voted onto Exile (non) Island idea?
Happy or hating to see Sandra go?
