Down to four on 'Survivor: China'
The end is drawing near for Survivor: China. Only Thursday's (Dec. 13) episode and the Sunday finale remain. If you aren't excited now, you're probably every bit as sleepy as I am.
Pre-credit sequence. It's 33 days in and we're down to five. Denise is proud to be where she is, but she's already concerned that her decision not to join with Erik and Peih-Gee to buck the game might have been a major mistake. Will she be proven correct?
If this becomes a popularity contest... "I'm probably not the most popular one here, as you can see," Peih-Gee admits. I've had issues with some of her strategic decisions, but it's mighty impressive that she's lasted this long. The Reward clue includes arrows and a warning that the prize is one-of-a-kind and that being skilled and popular will be an asset, which is bad news for Peih-Gee.
Where it lands, I know not where. The players are given arrows, but they have to distribute them to fellow players, who then have to aim at targets with their names. Want to know what they're playing for? The winner will be flown to the Great Wall of China, where they'll get to take part in an elaborate photo shoot in which they pretend to be Mongol invaders and Tyra Banks criticizes them for lacking her diverse assortment of smiles. Wait. Wrong show. The result of the popularity contest are clear and a little peculiar. Courtney ends up with 12 arrows, followed by Todd with six, Amanda with four, Denise with two and Peih-Gee with one. Thanks to Amanda's generous lack of aim, Denise gets into the lead with three hits, but Todd nails five of his own targets, earning Jeff Probst's approving, "As if he'd shot the Chinese repeating crossbow his entire life." Although she has the most arrows, Courtney mostly succeeds in hitting Denise's target, giving her a rather bizarre win. At least the lunch lady is an appreciative victor, inviting Courtney along with her. With one last choice, Peih-Gee makes her case very plain, cautioning, "I'm gonna be on the jury, girl." Although the surviving Zhan Hu-er took her to the Shaolin Temple, Denise doesn't want her rival getting any stronger and she picks Todd. If Survivor were a friendship contest, Peih-Gee would have every right to be bitter.
Things go pear-shaped. Back at camp, Peih-Gee continues to rant to Amanda and the camera, particularly about hearing Denise wish for her increased weakness, saying "That part makes me mad because, um hello, I'm still a person." Meanwhile, Amanda is frustrated with being outside of the main power group. She's so desperate for a friend that she approaches Peih-Gee to ask why she doesn't like her. Peih-Gee makes nice and says it's good that they have a chance to spend a little quality time together. Quality time, in this case, involves shaking the trees for low-hanging fruit -- limes and Asian pears. "Life doesn't suck right now," an unreasonably happy Amanda giggles, clutching her succulent, plump fruits.
Life not sucking is relative. The three winners are on the private jet munching on the obligatory pistachios and quaffing the obligatory champagne. The Great Wall is, as ever, mighty impressive, though the absence of Top Model contenders (or tourists) is notable. A guide greets them and shows them to a table of food. They're all confused by the concept of shabu-shabu and Todd does a mighty racist impression of their guide and his troubles explaining the cuisine. Courtney tells us that she's glad to have Todd around, not for his hilarious Asian Waiter impression, but because Amanda would be less likely to get into trouble back at camp after being stiffed, noting that "An angry Todd is a bad Todd."
The Sisterhood of the Unexplained Robes. Back at camp, though, Amanda and Peih-Gee aren't doing badly for themselves. They've found a net full of fish and they have a rice-y feast (topped off by miraculously leftover sake from the merge). All full and content and dressed in a fancy-looking robes that look mighty comfortable and not at all Castaway Kosher, Amanda and Peih-Gee talk strategy and Amanda explains that she's open to taking a chance on stirring the pot.
We're not angels. As the winners relax and drink ice coffee on the Great Wall, Todd raises the issue of what they have to do if Peih-Gee wins Immunity. There's some question of whether anybody else would be able to beat Amanda and whether they'd have to take her out. Lamenting this season's absence of traditional villains, Courtney figures that she and Todd are the closest to Devils this season has had. I'm not sure either of them really rises to that level.
And then we were just so stuffed with delicious food... Back at camp, the winners are disturbed to discover that Peih-Gee and Amanda are absent. "Are we getting extreme Survivor paranoia right now?" Courtney ponders. The answer is "Yes." The losers are just getting water and they aren't pleased to hear Todd complain about their recent catering. Peih-Gee is ruefully amused by their difficulties with the grub, but Amanda's actively peeved by the grousing and Denise's revelation that Todd had packed boiled meat sandwiches and eaten them on the plane only makes matters worse.
Immunity Challenge. It's time to repeat our favorite challenge tasks. It's a star-throwing, balut-eating, ball-juggling good time. The stars crush Todd's hopes, while balut again proves to be Denise's Achilles' heel, as she quits, much to Probst's chagrin. The last round, combining sword swinging and puzzles, pits Amanda and Peih-Gee. I'm a bit disappointed we didn't get another display of Courtney's chopping ineptitude. Amanda, whose shorts can't seem to cover her rump these days, takes the lead and never relinquishes, grabbing Immunity. "I won Immunity, you guys," she squeals, looking ready to either cry or pass out.
Best think twice/ before whinin' 'bout rice. "I came so close to winning immunity again," Peih-Gee says, figuring that she's back on the chopping block unless she can convince Amanda to swing. She gets an assist when Todd discovers the low level of rice and takes umbrage at Amanda and Peih-Gee's nerve in consuming carbohydrates while he was being confused by a bounty of uncooked meat. "We had more than that... but whatever," Todd whines, rolling his eyes. That may be the last straw for Amanda. She sits around the fire with Peih-Gee and Denise and listens to alternatives. Denise, showing surprising brains this week, observes that Todd has made enough enemies that she'd stand a chance against him if they went to the jury. While that's going on, Todd and Courtney are gathering water and wondering why Peih-Gee isn't lobbying harder. Todd warns that he'll be livid if he's voted out, though he adds "But big ups to them for figuring out a way to get rid of me."
Tribal council. A discussion of the Reward leads to more ignorant American dismissal of the offered food. Peih-Gee takes Courtney to task for her negativity, going on one of her patented rants about how the people who most deserve the prize are the toughest, not the ones who played the most game. Todd continues to trumpet his status as mastermind.
The vote. We see that Courtney voted for Peih-Gee and that Peih-Gee voted for Todd. Once again, the editors didn't do a persuasive job of showing that Amanda might truly have been swayed. There won't be a surprise tonight. Peih-Gee is voted out. Todd smirks. For Sunday's finale, I will be rooting for everybody who isn't Todd, I think. Maybe for everybody who isn't Todd and Courtney. Oh heck, I'll just be rooting for Amanda and her ill-fitting bottoms.
How about y'all? Who do you hope wins? Who do you expect will win?
Country is completed useless and just riding along doing absolutely nothing.
Denise doesn't have a brain - wonder why she is a lunch lady.
Todd - He thinks he is so high and mighty.
Hope Amanda wins because she is the only who actually deserves to win. She played this game very well.
As usual getting to the top is not always about having a good brain or being strong but be able to ride someone else tail and just plain having the luck of the draw. Country and Denise just so happen to be on a winning tribe.
I've said for a while now that I think Amanda will take this whole thing. I'm sticking with that, but it might be a little dicey. If we've learned anything, we know that juries rarely vote for the sneakiest or most backstabbing (and most deserving) person. So I guess that takes Todd out of the equation.
Also, can't we go back to the final 2 instead of final 3. That third person rarely ever gets a vote, so what's the point?
Two weeks ago, I didn't really like how Todd was smirking the whole time at Tribal Council when James (foolishly) chose not to use his immunity. I like Todd even less after tonights episode. He was very selfish and whiny. And I agree Denise, as nice as she is, and Courtney never made any impact in the game, besides as being votes that Amanda and Todd could control.
I have mixed feelings about the "final three". It doesn't have the same ring as "final two", but I do think it lowers the chances of a good player bringing a crumy player (think the Yul-Ozzy-Becky final three). It might force the good player to bring another worthy player. However, last season that didn't happen at all. Somehow a good player and two crumy players made it. And I fear that might happen again. But the preview for Sunday did say "3 Tribal Councils". There would only be two if there was a final three, maybe this year the producers are going to fool the players and bring back the final two.
I'm hoping Amanda makes it in front of the jury (final three? two? whatever) because she has played the game very well, while still showing respect to the other players. I think if she's in the finals she'll win. Her only problem of getting there is Todd.
I want Todd to win cause he's so sexy.
Thank you!
Todd's racist impression and whining sooo ****ed me off!
I want Todd to win. I like the way he's been strategizing. Glad to see Peih-Gee gone. She was the biggest whiner around. So Denise didn't pick you go to go on the reward. Big deal. It's a game with a huge prize. I wouldn't be taking the next chopping block victim either, especially when that person has been winnnig immunity! Go, Todd, go!
Yes - Todd has been snarky and sly - and that is why he should win. He truly understand this game and was fun to watch. Each season we get players who don't know what the heck they are doing out there.
Amanda was also quite the player, she's no angel. She did just as much scheming and plotting as Todd - just less snarky about it.
Denise and Courtney should not win. I hate the hangers-oners. At least Denise worked at camp, but they did not play the game.
Todd all the way. He's been playing since they arrived. Sneaky? Yes. But he's very smart. He deserves the title whether he wins or not.
Too bad Denise didn't stir things up last show. She's too nice. And I would've liked to have seen PG in the finals. She is a true "survivor".
Amanda's only really good play was the ousting of James. That's it. She's really been doing whatever Todd wants her to.
Go Todd!
Mike, it's "crummy" not "crumy." MJ it's "hangers-on" not "hangers-oners." Spelling, grammar, anyone?
Amanda has been influencing Tod's gameplay. He's waffled so many times about who he wants to vote out every time he feels a little threatened...he'll change a good plan because he hears someone's talking about him, or heavens even has the same idea as him. It'll be Amanda who gets him back on course to the plan that is in their (her) best interest. It's very subtle but she's been the one in his ear helping to sway him when he's going a little nuts