Thursday, October 21, 2010

Survivor Nicaragua: Episode 6

This last episode was filled with good ideas, poor execution, and an almost killing blow to team Dr. Bug. I don't think we've ever had 1 episode where one team lost 2 players, but we almost saw it last night! Marty escaped by the skin of his teeth... and by the stupidity of Brenda. Lesson #1: if you have the chance to vote someone out who is holding on to a hidden immunity idol that they can't use at that moment, vote them out! If anything, Marty is a greater threat now than ever. Young people + Jane no longer have a super majority to split their votes between Jill and Marty, the more time he stays there the more he can infiltrate their team.... the reasons to not pick on a one-legged woman and instead go after a real threat are more than I have the time to write about here.

I think Brenda is going to pay for this mistake. I think that, had she gotten rid of Marty in this episode, her chances of winning the whole thing would be significantly higher than they are now. And the other young uns who followed her lead are going to pay for it too.

Standings:

Team Estrogen: Me - 37 points
1. Brenda (16 pts)
2. Alina (13 pts)
3. Holly (8 pts)

Team Laughing Uproariously: Moon - 34 points
1. Jill (11 pts)
2. Dan (0 pts)
3. NaOnka (23 pts)

Team Crush a.k.a. Team Sanity: Courtney - 31 points
1. Jane (5 pts)
2. Benry (13 pts)
[3. Kelly (13 pts)]

Team Hunk: Dachui - 29 points
1. Chase (13 pts)
[2. Jimmy J. (0 pts)]
3. Fabio (16 pts)

Team Dr. Bug: Doug/Bri - 20 points
1. Marty (5 pts)
2. Purple Kelly (13 pts)
[3. Yve (2 pts)]

Team Just Gimme a Chance: Baggins - 18 points
1. Sash (16 pts)
[2. Tyrone (2 pts)]
[3. Jimmy T (0 pts)]


Power Rankings:

1. Estrogen - While I have a bad feeling in my gut about Brenda, she does still appear to be in control of her tribe... for now. Holly & Alina are kicking some serious butt on Espada in the meantime, and I think that they could do well for a while, even post-merge.

2. Dr. Bug - Yve was a dreg who brought in a whopping 2 points this season (which is still better than Dan), and losing her will affect Dr. Bug very little I think. Overall, actually, I think Dr. Bug emerged from this episode as a stronger team than they were before it. Marty is a force, Purple Kelly is a regular contributor to the point-count, and they lost their dead weight.

3. Crush Sanity - Losing a player is going to hurt Team Crush more than it will hurt Dr. Bug. Courtney's team was probably the most uniformly strong across her players, so the impact of the loss is much greater. Jane and Benry could go far, but they'll need to work extra-hard to make up for the points Kelly would have contributed!

4. Team Hunk - Chase and Fabio are brawny but not so much with the brainy. They need to ride coattails to do well in this game. While I think they are both secure for the time-being, I just don't see either of them as closers.

5. Laughing Uproariously - Moon and I are the only teams that still have 3 players... but 2 of his players are Dan (who must be wearing an anti-vote amulet under his buff) and Crazy Nay. Both have said at some point during this season that they don't want to be there, so his superior numbers mean very little. If they make it to a merge, both of them could get deep, but I seriously doubt either one will win many points.

6. Just Gimme a Chance - Team Bag needs a miracle - like Sash finding and playing 3+ hidden immunity idols and then winning the game. It's not completely out of reach, but I'd say his chances of winning the pool this season are about as great as Holly's chances of winning Survivor.


Top Chef Analogy of the Week:

Holly is like Eric on Top Chef: Just Desserts. They both came into the game with gaping holes in pretty important areas of their games (basic social skills and dessert plating skills). But both have managed to adapt to their situation and fill the hole. Suddenly they're both a threat, but since they started out so badly in the beginning it'll take awhile before anyone catches on.

5 comments:

Margot said...

#1--Someone please explain why Brenda did not get rid of Marty!!!

#2--Michal--you didn't finish the last sentence about Courtney's team.

Michal Greenberg said...

Whoops! Thanks, I've fixed that now :).

I have no explanation for your #1 question. I guess she must be prejudiced against people with prosthetics.

Doug said...

I can't believe no immunity idols were played. Marty took a big chance not playing his. His reward will be bigger now, but I'm pretty sure all of us (including him and Kelly B) are a little surprised he survived that vote.

Yve dug her own grave when she told the rest of her tribe that she had friends on the other side. That sealed the deal for her. At least she finished in the positive for points.

The episodes up 'til the merge should remain to be interesting. Don't go crazy, Marty... pleeease.

GnightMoon said...

Wow. Just when we appeared to be headed for the worst season in Survivor history comes a thrilling episode painting unexpected layers of personality, intrigue, and deception! Great episode.

I don't understand how the second vote was arranged. I figured all except Jill and maybe Fabio would vote for Marty in the second vote; how did they wind up picking Kelly B knowing Marty (and the idol) were defenseless? Was this prearranged or spur of the moment? They didn't show the vote breakdown for the run-off.

And OK, seriously, who the hell is Purple Kelly? Has there ever been a castaway that made it this deep in the game without the slightest shred of memorability or personality? I'm pretty sure I could meet Purple Kelly and have no clue who she was. Could she be even dumber than Fabio, so dumb CBS doesn't even bother to construct a character for her?

I was stunned and annoyed to see my powerhouse indestructible fully healthy squad ranked fifth of sixth, ahead of only the hapless Baggins. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized the only misevaluated team is your own, Pickett. The Black Widow/Cobra/Mamba is too strong and diabolical for her own good; once she's gone there isn't much to fall back on. I'd rank em like this (and they're all close except for Bag):

1. Crush AKA Sanity
Two players who are going deep, plenty of points

2. Estrogen
Too many points and players to be ignored

3. Laughing Uproariously
Anything can happen with three players still in the game including one of the favorites to win it all

4. Dr. Bug
Just because they have the most dynamic and aggressive player left in the game. But if he goes, it's over; we all know Purple is not going to win this game.

5. Hunk
This team should accrue plenty of points and will probably finish no worse than third in the final standings, but lacks a player who can win it all.

6. Gimme a Chance
Sash is emerging as the best player in the game, but Bag's hole is too deep (or so I've heard).

Finally, I suggest "Black Widow, King Cobra, & Black Mamba All Rolled Into One" as a rename for Team Estrogen and "Searching for Guillermo Vilas" or "Searching for Purple Kelly's Personality" for Dr. Bug. And I still have no idea why my team is called Laughing Uproariously, but I don't mind it.

courtney said...

poor bag :(


go team sanity!!