Really great episode last night!! Lots of intrigue & plotting, lots of last-second vote switches, and plenty of attitude problems. This was actually a great example of why no one should EVER feel safe on this show. As soon as a group that was primarily in the minority becomes the majority they often think they can take a break from all the scheming & maneuvering. "We've got the numbers, nothing can stop us now!" is the death cry of many an alliance that seems incapable of remembering how they were able to have just taken out a majority alliance.
What made Boston Rob & his ilk so brilliant & impressive was their never-failing paranoia that someone on their tribe could be corrupted. They never for a moment took it easy, they always checked in with everyone constantly to make sure they felt that they were respected & an important part of the alliance as well as checking for any signs of cracking & changing sides.
Most impressive contestants so far:
- Trish - everyone underestimates her but she is the one making all the right moves & improving her situation. She's moved from bottom-dweller to one of the chief schemers in the game, with several of the remaining players owing her big-time.
- LJ - LJ is playing a brilliant game, which we all expected. He's humble & is doing a great job of appearing selfless while also crushing most challenges.
- Kass - gets props for staying alive & in power in this game despite her abrasive personality. Also demonstrates a great knack for flexibility in strategy that most people are incapable of.
Biggest disappointments:
- Sarah - seriously, woman you really should have known better. You might as well have fashioned a twig tiara for your head & a coconut bullseye for your back.
- Woo - it was noted last night that Woo and Hodor have a lot in common: they both seem to enjoy saying their own name more than anything else. His only win came with an asterisk since he got to wear those badass clingy shoes when everyone else went barefoot.
Current Standings:
__: 31 points
1. LJ (12 points)
2. Trish (13 points)
WooBrr: 31 points
1. Woo (19 points)
4. Jefra (10 points)
Sinkers and Floaters: 31 points
2. Morgan (2 points)
3. Tasha (4 points)
4. Spencer (6 points)
J'Tude: 21 points
1. Tony (6 points)
2. Kass (4 points)
3. Jeremiah (8 points)
Power Rankings:
1. J'Tude - My obvious bias towards this team makes me overrate myself a lot. Still, I think that this is the most dynamic team left -- 1 person getting voted out won't sink this ship. It helps that Tony will do whatever it takes to find immunity idols, Kass is such a dynamic player, and Jeremiah is so low on the power-rankings totem pole that no one's going to bother voting him out for a while.
2. __ - Moon & Melissa's team name was a bit too difficult to communicate, so I've changed it to an underscore, sorry Bag. __ has two very strong competitors left, but they are down to 2 players, both of whom have already been labeled as threats in this game. One wrong move & this team will be in dire straits.
3. Sinkers & Floaters - Wednesday's episode was devastating for Bag & Andrea. Their entire team got backstabbed in one fell swoop with the cherry on top being their best player getting voted out. It's still early, and anything can happen, but the Brain remnants need to get their act together quickly, shore up their defenses, and put together a plan of attack or they will all be in screwed.
4. WooBrr - But not as screwed as Doug & Bri! This team has nothing going for it unless they have a string of balance challenges in the queue for Woo to win using his parkour skills & cheater shoes. On the plus side they are now in the dominant alliance. On the downside that really means very little for your personal safety.
DoW:
Sarah.
9 comments:
DoW Sarah. I mostly agree with your overall assessment, except for the analysis of Kass. I think she made a prideful move that will ultimately doom her. She had a great shot at final four or three working with Brains but now she ventures over to the bottom of the other group. She is capable of finagling her way up the group but she just alienated 5 people who likely won't vote for her in the end. Her dislike of Sarah made her make a dumb move IMO.
Here's the thing: this pool is so close right now I think it's going to require owning the Sole Survivor to win the pool. I could be wrong about that, but I'm not seeing a Sole Survivor on J'Tude.
I agree with Bag: Kass is a crotchety beeotch. Just because she's strategically flexible doesn't mean she's strategically competent. I don't see how she could possibly win a jury vote after that temperamental flop. As Bag noted she went from a power player in a stable majority alliance to the bottom rung while simultaneously alienating half the jury. Terrible play. She's my Douche of the Week.
Tom and I discussed this while we watched. Ditto what he said. DoW = Kass (although most annoying would be Sarah)
I loved this episode! Watching Tony show the idol and the scramble that followed. The double idol play that was foiled by a smart Brains decision to target Jefra. Then the resuck when kasstastrophe changed everything. At first I had no idea who was going home then when Jefra's name appeared I was absolutely convinced it was her. This might have been the best episode we will see this season.
I think WooBrr is underrated at this point. Jefra is as interesting as poo on a log but she's allied with a very strong player in LJ, both of whom are in the majority alliance (for now). Woo, also in the majority, can win challenges and while not a strategic giant he hasn't made any enemies along the way.
I'm not sure how to assess the latest move that Kass made. At first glance it does seem like a bad decision to break away from her Brain alliance but I don't believe she was close with the other members of that alliance (Morgan, Jeremiah, especially Sarah). I think Kass made a calculated and risky decision but I don't believe it was as rash as some people think. Assuming, and this is a big assumption, that the new majority stays in power then Kass will be an ideal candidate to take to the end. As far as her new alliance members are concerned, she isn't a physical threat and has alienated half of the potential jury. Her thinking may be that she can ally with Trish or whoever and still make a compelling argument to her former alliance members on the jury. She and Tasha did save Spencer over J'Tia. Jefra also owes her her life in the game. She might get zero votes but I don't think she is much worse off than going to the final with one of the other Brains. Maybe if she made it with Morgan and Jeremiah she would have had a shot.
Based on the last episode I would rank the team's:
Moon/Melissa
J'Rude
WooBrr
Sinkers and Stinkers
But as others have noted it is extremely close.
Sarah is the DoW. Total overplay of her newfound power.
Tony again shaking things up with aggressive and fearless plays. LJ with a heartwarming but ultimately bone headed decision to reciprocate Tony's generosity. He will earn a ton of respect for that move but I don't think giving up the idol was worth it. Time will tell.
If Kass had stayed true to the Zombie alliance then she would have been bottom of the barrel with them after her argument with Sarah. Sarah was clearly planning on holding onto her crown beyond this one vote & it wouldn't have been long before she set her sights on Kass, the one dissenter to her claims to the throne.
For these reasons I think swapping only prolonged Kass's stay.
I plan on writing a longer comment before the episode, but work has been nuts. So just in case I don't make it, Sarah for DoW.
Apologies for not getting my full post up about this episode sooner. Work got a little crazy on me the last few days and the last thing I wanted to do when I got home was turn the computer back on. Disclaimer: despite the 4/9 episode already airing, I have not seen it, so all my comments are based on footage that I've seen from the amazing 4/2 episode.
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What an amazing episode! (Disclaimer humor - think opening Fight Club scene)
In my last blog comments I requested that some alliances change and backstabbings happen -> Check.
I also suggested that the brains tribe members start trying to make things happen as there was no true manipulator cast member yet. Enter ChaosKass -> Check.
I finished my post asking for Woo to finally do something -> Checkety, Check, Check, with awesome toe-shoes on, Check.
Don't hate the player, Pickett. Hate the game.
Woo is a ninja, and ninjas are always prepared. They are more deadly, less merit badge'd, Boy Scouts of invisibility. Just because Woo was the only cast member smart enough to pack awesome toe shoes for excellent use in challenges exactly like this one, doesn't mean he should get an asterisk. It's not like he gave himself the first pick of the draft or something like that... It just means that you should have prayed to the survivor gods a little harder for an opening draft selection higher than the 4/5 spots so you could have snagged him instead of barefooted Tonythecop.
I agree with Kass's play and think she made the best move she could have. She was perfectly willing to strategically play with Sarah, but Sarah wasn't even allowing the smallest notion that she would work with Kass to escape her power trip. Kass knew Sarah didn't like her and she potentially would go home without a say in any of the following tribal councils. She was on the bottom of her tribe that was completely controlled by the person that disliked her the most, why not try to switch and then convince the jury (if she makes it that far) that it was a pivotal move to keep her in the game and take some control, thus she should win 'cause she did what had to be done to keep her in the game. Better than sitting there and waiting to get voted out imo.
The idol play was amazing in this episode and although it really helped our pool team, it did hurt me that such great scheming by Tony, and an honorable play by LJ was not better rewarded. Glad it looks like there is a mad scramble for the new idols in the next episode.
Sarah got my DoW because she was completely blinded by the thought that not a single other person would change their voting alliance and she was the only swing vote... even if you treat someone with absolutely no respect. How hard is it to just pretend that you will work with someone to appease them until they are gone? It can't be that hard, can it? Peace out, Sarah.
On with the pool!
Well said Doug. I revoke my statement about toe-shoes. Moon, note that this is the correct footwear move should you go on the show.
So, I'm really late commenting on this episode, but I agree with Bag and Moon. Why do the rest of y'all think Sarah was being unreasonable but Kass was being smart? It looked to me like Kass just can't stand not being the most powerful woman in a group. And back to Woo's shoes. Did someone do background on this? How do you know why he got to wear shoes (or whatever they are) while everyone else was barefoot?
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