Coach is a pig, and swine flu strikes Sierra on 'Survivor: Tocantins'
The biggest threat on Survivor: Tocantins is gone from the game, and the question is: who will the remaining tribe mates turn their ire on next? Clearly, JT is the biggest physical target, and probably the person most likely to win any given challenge. But he's also one of the most likable survivors in play, and has the strongest alliances. Then there's Coach. His strongest ally was voted out last week, and the tribe finally beginning to see him for the joke that he is. BUT, he's a joke who is really playing the game. Maybe he's not the best competitor in the challenges, but he certainly does take part in the social component of the game.
Everybody hates Sierra. Deb finally starts to play the game tonight, talking strategy with Coach. The suggestion is to reform the Timbira tribe in a new alliance between them, Sierra and Erinn.
The Survivor Survey Challenge is played for the reward of a feast at a local hot springs. Sierra makes an exit after only two questions, making her the loser of the Tocantins popularity contest, Coach and Debbie are not long in following. The contest comes down to Taj and Stephen, and the camp's hatred for Sierra (she was the answer to the majority of the questions with negative connotations) delivers Steve the win. He selects Taj and JT to go with him on the reward, and Erinn for exile. Erinn doesn't look happy about having to go to exile, but keeping knowledge of the state of hidden immunity idols within their alliance is important.
Brazil celebrates "Let's Abuse Sierra" day. JT, Steve and Taj enjoy their reward, taking a dip in a very interesting spring while discussing strategy. The takeaway here seems to be that Debbie is best candidate for elimination. At the same time, Erinn is suffering at Exile Island, and perhaps she begrudges the rest of her alliance for going on the reward.
Back at camp, Coach and Debbie work on Sierra, trying to bully her into an alliance. Dudes, maybe the best way to get Sierra on your side isn't to push her around and talk down to her. I truly, truly hope that she leaves those two social retards out in the cold. Coach seems to have given up on Sierra, and decides to see how tight he is with JT.
The specter of Timbira. Coach has his conversation with JT, and JT tells him what he wants to hear. Whether or not it's the truth, only time will tell. At the same time, Sierra tells Stephen that Coach and Debbie tried to get her into an old Timbira alliance. When questioned about the nature of the conversation between the three, Coach uses his facility with complete and utter lies to tell Steve and JT that the idea of a Timbira alliance disgusts him. Steve and JT don't know what to think.
The immunity challenge revolves around the survivors' ability to retrieve bags with grappling hooks and navigate a ball through a maze. Coach ultimately wins immunity, but his alliance is potentially in great danger.
Coach wins, integrity loses. Coach wants to make sure that JT heard him say "dragon slayer" after the win, and is very quick to brag about how his abilities made him the clear favorite to win. Man, this guy is something to watch on TV, but I don't think I could stand to be in the same room with him. His bald-faced plea to JT for validation says more about the state of his self-esteem than my words ever could.
Sierra confronts Coach and Debbie about their lies regarding the proposed Timbira alliance. Coach and Debbie are shameful and completely without conscience in covering up their push for a new alliance. They may be aggravating to watch, but they certainly are playing the game. JT and Stephen are in position to decide who's going home tonight, and the choice is between Sierra and Debbie.
Jeff talks about the intensity of the game being ratcheted up with the number of players decreasing. Sierra again calls Coach out on his lie. It wouldn't be so hard to watch Coach deny the falsehoods attributed to him if he wasn't so damn insistent regarding the supposed "honor and integrity" in the way that he's playing this game. It looks like JT and Steve choose to believe Coach as Sierra is voted out. Honestly, I have to tip my hat to her for making it this far. She's been on the brink of elimination since day one.
Will JT and Stephen's decision to keep Debbie in the game come back to haunt them? She certainly has shown more willingness to double-cross the pair than Sierra. And it looks like Taj isn't as tight with JT and Steve as I thought she was -- she voted for Debbie! With Debbie looking like she's going to turn against Coach in the next episode, it looks like the only alliance that is solid is the one between Steve and JT. Can they continue to play all sides against the middle? We'll find out in the last three episodes of this season.
There must have been something left out in the editing because I just do not understand where all the hatred for Sierra came from. She was dogged at the beginning when she had the flu - YET she still managed to put the camp together for the rest of her tribe.
In any event, as Tribal Council grew near, I said to my husband that Sierra is probably better off with Brendan at Ponderosa than staying and taking more abuse from the tribe. Even if she managed to last another three days, no one would ever take her with them and she can't trust anyone either.
She is having fun on Ponderosa. I can't wait until next week's tribal council when Brendan, Tyson, and Sierra where feathers to pick on the Roach.
I agree with Jenna. I somehow missed where all this anger at Sierra came from. Both last episode and this one I watched in stunned silence as Debbie and Coach tore Sierra up...calling her a liar, or backstaber or without honour....all while she spoke truth bravely. I felt like I was going crazy just watching!
Coach is a d!ck
I found Taj's vote for Debbie odd, too, until I started to think that maybe it was just a way to make Debbie & Coach think that she, JT & Stephen aren't quite as tight as they were suspecting. I was so looking forwrd to seeing Coach get eliminated last night. I can't stand all his talk of "honor & integrity" when he's the one who's lying the most out there.
Woohoo, 2 correct picks in a row. As said last week, after the blindside the predictable disliked player usually goes next.
Yes, the editing clearly spared Sierra, but you can tell that she annoyed pretty much everybody.
I disagree with some of the recap...for instance the comment that Debbie finally started playing the game is ridiculous...no the editing finally showed her playing the game is what you mean.
I know somebody that knows Coach outside of Survivor. She says he lied about an injury to get to leave his job to go on Survivor and lost his job afterward when they found it. He is truly a wacko outside of the game too.
I wouldn't read too much into the errant votes. I think Taj and Erin both had some sort of promise not to vote for Sierra. Stephen's reaction to getting a vote was priceless though...it looked like for a minute he thought he was totally blindsided.
Based on the long-term editing (that says Erin stays a while) and common sense, either Coach or Debbie is gone next week. If both lose immunity I think they will be more likely to take out Debbie, but this is a close call.
The million dollar question is will Stephen turn on J.T. If he truly thinks he can't beat J.T. in the end? He's getting close to grabbing Taj and Erin and knocking J.T. out, but that can't happen next week. Once more I think Stephen has played a nearly flawless game but there are too many idiots on the jury who won't realize that, so he may really need to knock J.T. out even with some risk.
Count me as another who doesn't quite understand all this hate for Sierra. I liked her although far from my favourite Survivor ever.
I actually didn't want her to go and I was kinda hoping for Coach before he won immunity. Coach had some entertaining moments but now I am really growing so very tired of him.
I don't care for Debbie either and was hoping she would go after Coach slayed his dragon last night.
Put me in the I-Don't-Get-Why-Everyone-Hates-Sierra camp, especially if that is the Coach-Is-A-Jerk camp. I think Team Steve/JT made a huge mistake last night in not eliminating Debbie. She is strong and crafty, a much bigger threat than Sierra ever could be. I guess we'll just have to watch next week.
Well I would say that stephen & JT were pretty stupid when it came to the vote. Vote that silly "I'm to old for this" crybaby Debbie's *** off and get coach asap also. Sierra deserved much more than the mean, ugly, treatment she got. Sierra will go much, much farther in life than Coach the Roach.
Coach & Debbie are two of the lowest pieces of feces I've seen! No matter that it's a game. These two are not people I would like in real life!They are s***! Hard to believe people actually have to come in contact with Coach every day.
I think not getting rid of debbie was also a mistake. I'm not sure about taj and erinn's vote either. it might have to do with them promising not to vote sierra. Or, they might have thought brendan might have slipped sierra the idol. So they were hedging their bets just in case.