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Tribal reform on 'Survivor: Gabon'
Well, well, well, things are starting to heat up on Survivor: Gabon, now that the playing field has been leveled somewhat. Also, the solo immunity idol is in play, and alliances are formed and at loggerheads. This is why Survivor fans love this show! Very soon we’ll see how the meat of this season tastes.
One down, one to go. Kota returns to camp after tribal, and Kelly is feeling the heat. As Paloma’s lone ally, she herself is alone at camp. Ace is sharpening his fangs (the teeth, not the tribe members) already.
The deck is shuffled. Fang’s rice supplies are running low, but Randy seems to be the only one who is taking this fact seriously. I’ll be honest, when this all started, I thought Randy would be the guy I hate. Now, he’s one of the few on Fang that I like. They may have won the last two challenges, but they are not playing smart, and the cracks are showing. Randy makes allies with Dan, Susie, and Matty, and they are setting their sights squarely on GC.
The tribes show up for this episode’s first challenge, one where tribe members must rank each other by their importance to the tribe. Blind votes will determine the order. Matty and Marcus are ranked most important by their respective tribes, while Kelly and Susie are chosen as the least. GC is next to last, “hard out here for a pimp,” he quips.
Then comes the twist, as the tribes are re-chosen. Marcus and Matty will now choose new members, armed with the information gained by the rankings. Marcus makes his first choice from the Fang tribe, and turns are taken. Here’s how it shakes out:
New Kota: Marcus, Dan, Charlie, Randy, Corinne, Susie, Bob
New Fang, Matty, Ace, Crystal, Jacquie, Ken, Kelly, GC
I’m so happy for Charlie, he can pine away for Marcus without interruption. Ken picks Kelly based on the fact that she is hot. I guess Super Smash Bros. doesn’t require a lot of strategy to play. Sugar is the only castaway not chosen, and she is sent to Exile Island (not really an island, more of a peninsula.)
Making new friends, new enemies. The new Kota tribe arrives at their Camp, where old Kota out number old Fang. The old Fang members take notice of how the old Kota tribe works, and prepare to make new friends.
Feeling safe with an immunity idol in her possession, Sugar chooses a bit of comfort at Exile. Personally, I think she should have tried to figure out if there were two immunity idols now in the game, or if the clue would indicate that someone had already found the idol, making any future visits by other castaways to Exile dangerous to her. But I understand that my Spartan lifestyle may not be emulated by someone who calls themselves “Sugar.”
At Fang, GC feels blessed by the tribal shake up, like he has a new lease on life. Kelly, formerly on the outs with the old Kota alliances, is getting close to GC, Ken and Crystal. Ace is in trouble, I might not find out what the deal is with that accent…
Worst. Challenge. Performance. Ever. Tree mail comes, and the tribes are given a La Crosse stick to practice with, the assumption being that it will factor in the next immunity challenge. Marcus identifies Randy and Susie as the most likely candidates for elimination. He seems willing to take both of their performances in the upcoming challenge as a barometer for Kota worthiness.
At the immunity challenge, tribes must compete in a game that is a mix of water polo and La Crosse played on small rafts. First tribe to three wins. Kota strikes first, and the next round develops rather laconically, many Fang members playing lackadaisically. Kota scores again, Randy being responsible for two points already. Fang gets a bit more fired up and puts up a struggle next round, but Randy scores on them for a third time. Marcus is no doubt taking notice of Randy’s performance. Good for him, not so good for Susie. But the “not so good” prize of the night goes to the entire Fang tribe. Dictionary.com just IM’d me, “Fang” is now a synonym for “pathetic.”
New Fang tribe, same Fang story. Fang is despondent, and long faces rule the afternoon. GC, Crystal, and Ken hold a powwow, GC deciding that Ace might be better to keep around than Kelly. The point is brought up that Sugar will soon be arriving at their tribe, an immunity idol potentially (actually) in her possession; an immunity idol that she might pass along to Ace or Jacquie. Deciding Ace is more valuable in challenges, Jacquie is selected for elimination.
Jacquie discovers that her name is in people’s mouths, and she sets in on Ken. He seems willing to switch back to voting for Kelly, be he says that she needs to talk to Crystal. Jaq pleads with Crystal to be spared, and Crystal’s heart is swayed. The name of the tribal member to be eliminated tonight is not as clear, with any of the old Kota members seeming viable candidates.
The switch is discussed at tribal, as is the Fang curse. It seems that, regardless of the constitution of the Fang tribe, Fang is predisposed to epic poor performances at challenges. Tribe members vote, and Fang selects Jacquie for elimination, a vote inspired by fear of Sugar’s immunity idol, it would seem.
The old ways have returned to the Fang tribe. Not only in the form of poor challenge performances, but as doubt, fear, and poor cohesion. GC’s disappearing act hinted at in the teaser for next week does not bode well for this tribe. Can Fang turn it around, or will Kota reign supreme once again?
Kenny is a first rate idiot. Jacquie should have told him he would be his girlfriend.
jeem | Oct 9, 2008 10:59:05 PM | #Anyone else notice that Crystal and GC seem to be flaking out on the challenges? I mean really! Crystal paddled in a circle and just sat there, as did GC even when both had the opportunity to at least grab the ball and wing it out of there! And Crystal on a previous challenge digging up pieces, literally laid down on her back and stopped digging before they even found the 1st of the 3 bags of pieces? And GC in the challenge to pull someone off a pole they were hanging onto, literally sat down and stopped, letting another work alone, who had no hope of success without help? I honestly think both are working at throwing the challenges. I am wondering about this disappearing act mentioned in the promo for next week. In all of the seasons to date, I do not think anyone has "missed" a challenge, but then I have not seen every episode of every season so I can not say for sure and a search engine turned up nothing on anyone "missing" a challenge, but that does not mean there have been no absentees. Four weeks into this season and STILL, no one stands out or impresses me except for the few who are obvious simply because they are just so poor at challenges. This was going to be my last week this season, until I heard the teaser in the promo about GC doing a disappearing act, so I'll give it one chance, one last week to grab my attention in some way, otherwise I'm calling it quits and pulling the plug in favor of anything else, even reruns of old sitcoms... This season is pathetic...
xyzzy | Oct 9, 2008 11:40:45 PM | #crystal and cg are not throwing any challenges--they are just weaklings and suck. and don't get too excited about cg's disappearance---he was probably just taking a dump or something.
tim | Oct 10, 2008 7:10:43 AM | #I've yet to see GC work through an entire challenge. He always quits halfway through it. Given the idiotic elimination of Jackie, one who at least competes in challenges and doesn't quit, I can see Fang's losing streak to continue.
Cynic | Oct 10, 2008 7:35:49 AM | #I think that Crystal is not very bright. She does not use her head at all in challenges, or when it comes to choosing who to ally herself with. Why keep lame people around when you need strong people to win challenges? Maybe the other alliance sees her as dim as well. She wants to take a leadership position, but she keeps making foolish mistakes. I look at each season and pick out the turning points, such as keeping Kelly over Jacquie. If only. . .
cynx | Oct 10, 2008 8:17:22 AM | #the producers deserve a nice li'l pimp-slap!
how did they manage to find an nonathletic "olympic champion" AND a damned "god's child"??!!
it's ONE thing to simply be weak and whiny...it's a WHOLE NEW LEVEL to claim supremacy--either physically or verbally--only to punk out at every opportunity.
and, don't EVEN give me that "crystal didn't even tell anyone she was in the olympics" or "maybe gc's holding back to fly under the radar"...cuz, both of these poor excuses have shown the mental prowess of elephant dung!
NonImus | Oct 10, 2008 8:42:08 AM | #I agree with all of the above, especially NonImus's TONE!
Really, what losers Fang are. Jacquie was one of the best teammates they could hope for. But at least it makes a little sense, because they kept Kelly who is just as big a loser as they are.
Tom | Oct 10, 2008 9:30:45 AM | #NOOOOOOO! Jacquie was my favorite player this season: Gorgeous, smart, and a good competitor. Darn it!
Besides that, I do not like the idea of a team switch so early in the season. I was just at the point where I knew who was who, and now it is reshuffled. The rest of the season, I will not be able to recall who was on what team originally, but maybe that is just me.
Lastly, it seems that every season, many players fear the hidden immunty idol far too much. It is so rarely played. More often than not, the holder is blind-sided.
Jim | Oct 10, 2008 9:35:25 AM | #Every season on Survivor, it seems that the weak and the mediocre team up to eliminate all strong/intelligent players - this would be the alliance of GC, Crystal and Kenny. They appear to be a trifecta of sucking. Bringing in the whiny, unpleasant, sour-pussed Kelli just really completes them. Of course, because they have the numbers, they will go far. I think Kenny might actually be playing the game more than the other two. He has a horrid alliance, but with the numbers, they can fail to compete and still control the eliminations. Choosing Kelli because she was obviously an outsider and could be flipped to ally with he, GC and Crystal was actually a smart stratigic move. But...that being said - this tribe is pathetic! Are they going to take back Crystal's gold medal because she is an embarrassment to atheletes everywhere? How does GC perform his job as "maintenance manager" when he quit as nominal Fang leader in 18 hours? Would any of these losers survive against any, and I mean any, of the fan favorites like Yau Man, Parvati, Amy...etc from last season? What a bunch of tools. What folksy appellete would the marvelous James (China, Micronesia) use to describe this anti-Darwin alliance? How does Probst keep a straight face at their tribal councils? Alas...we will never know.
romana118 | Oct 10, 2008 9:39:20 AM | #kelly is hotter than jacquie. plain and simple.
friday | Oct 10, 2008 10:12:53 AM | #Kenny is playing this game to win. Kelli is a stupid pawn and stupid pawns are better to have around than bishops or knights. Kenny knows that and this is why he selected Kelli, it's why he wouldn't give Jacquie a clear answer about his vote--I think Kenny is playing a smart game. And no, I don't like Randy... at all. But he'll probably make it to Jury.
comment | Oct 10, 2008 10:29:46 AM | #Has Crystal stopped bragging to viewers about her Olympic gold medal yet?
Nancy | Oct 10, 2008 10:51:05 AM | #I am always amazed at how stupid these people are. Doesn't it make more sense to keep the strong people and try to WIN an immunity challenge, then you don't have to go to Tribal and vote someone out. EEGZZZ! Very few likable people again. Sorry to see Jacquie go.And Randy is growing on me also.
I hope they mix up the tribes again, I like it when they keep them from teaming up.
I really like Kenny. He is not strong physically but him picking Kelly was genious. Pick the outcast...you almost are guaranteed to win her over to your side. Another number for your group. I think Kenny is much shrewder than anyone gives him credit for. He's my fav so far.
Lisa | Oct 10, 2008 12:35:54 PM | #That was a good idea about the idol, I never thought of that if they hide another one.
I like your comment about fang=pathetic. Good review
chenbot | Oct 10, 2008 1:27:18 PM | #Good recap Andrew.
Fang is so pathetic, why not just merge the two tribes now and get it over with?
I realize this show was filmed and edited months ago and the outcome is already set, but I hope the producers quickly find a way to make this edition of Survivor more interesting.
Unless there is a non-physical/non-athletic challenge coming in the next couple of weeks (which is still not a guarantee they'll actually win), it's going to be very painful to watch Fang lose over and over again.
It would much more interesting to watch individuals compete for immunity and making alliances within one large-ish tribe than the current situation.
Good season so far. Like most of you, I am ready for this thing to heat up alot more, especially when some of the incendiary players start getting eliminated.
Perhaps Crystal does not want to let anyone know about her Gold-medal status because no one would believe her. She has been pathetic physically so far. I do like her so I hope she gets better.
I would not put it past the producers to hide a second, third, fourth immunity idol. They need to do something to keep this show interesting.
I think Ace's accent is fake. he does not seem to have one, or at the very least, it fluctuates during his confessionals. But, when he is in front of other tribe members, it seems ok.
Finally, I love Charlie. He is so cute in the way he adores Marcus. Here is hoping he has a line-up of "Marcuses" waiting at his door after the game is over. And please let one of them be actually gay. LOL
Why is that most "Survivor" tribes that lack someone willing to fill a leadership role end up performing poorly? Fang seems to be the latest tribe placed on that list.
Regardless of its make-up, Fang continues to amass loss after loss. One thing that doomed Fang in the tribal reorganization was once again the picking of tribemates. Ken has to be one of the dumbest players this season for choosing Kelly simply because she was "picked last" by her tribe, and oh, yeah..."she's hot". This kid needs to get laid, pronto!
Ken, along with Crystal and GC showed their prowess, or lack thereof in the la crosse/water polo challenge. Was anyone even playing for Fang besides Matty? Were was Crystal or Ken? Going around in circles. Was GC even participating? Given his performances thus far, he may not have been. GC has got to be the most inept player to come along in quite a while. Does this guy know how to do anything besides quit?
Fang better hope the tribes merge soon because once Ace and his accent has been disposed of, Matty will be the only brawn left and even he appears to be the outsider in the GC/Crystal/Ken alliance.
Concerning Crystal and her not wanting to let everyone know about her Olympic medals, that may be a good move in hindsight. Given her general lackluster ability in challenges, her tribe may think that it doesn't take too much skill to be an Olympian - must less a medal winner.
Randy, Susie, and Dan certainly bettered themselves by grabbing a lifeboat and getting the hell off the Titanic that is Fang. Dan could potentially go far now aligned with the alliance of Marcus/Charlie/Corinne. Randy isn't as annoying as he was in the premiere but is still a dark cloud of negativity overall.
So far this season, Fang has lost three members compared to one for Kota. Based on decisions like voting off Michelle (week one) and Jacquie this week, Fang definitely looks to continue its losing ways.
Jay | Oct 11, 2008 12:40:50 PM | #Hiya please let me know if i can get ton see the show over the net and if i can how, if not i still love reading about the show
David Tomlin
Past episodes can be found at CBS.com.
Andrew | Oct 13, 2008 10:44:05 AM | #
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