Cambodia: Episode 5

Ben's wish of getting to see a non-Angkor tribe group dynamic was rewarded! It's nice to see the other tribes in action, either working beautifully (i.e. Ta Keo) or fairly dysfunctionally (i.e. Bayon). It's a nice break from having to listen to Abi blather on. I think that the producers realized that her comparison of a knee tendon replacement being equal to Woo's mother's last-minute heart transplant was probably the most that any Survivor fan could take of her in one episode.


The Score:

 Michal & Ben - Contrarian Ninja Stack: 78 points

1. Tasha (16 pts)
2. Kelley (14 pts)
3. Stephen (14 pts)
4. Kimmi (15 pts)
5. Kass (19 pts)

Doug & Bri - Survivor MacGyver: 47 points

1. Spencer (5 pts)
2. Joe (20 pts)
3. [Shirin (-4 pts)]
4. Terry (9 pts)
5. Ciera (17 pts)

Bagdrea - Ghost Coaster: 41 points

1. Jeremy (19 pts)
2. [Jeff (0 pts)]
3. [Monica (12 pts)]
4. Kelly (4 pts)
5. Abi-Maria (6 pts)

MoonBee - Woofully Inadequate: 34 points

1. [Vytas (-5 pts)]
2. Woo (6 pts)
3. Keith (20 pts)
4. Savage (16 pts)
5. [Peih Gee (-3 pts)]

Power Rankings:

1. Contrarian Ninja Stack: Finally Stephen came out of an episode looking good! Sure he hit another team's target in the challenge, and yeah, he seemed to think it was funny rather than embarrassing. But apart from challenges, he showed solid loyalty & sound strategy in the pre-tribal council scenes. It looks like he's falling into the role we picked him for - being the consigliere to the strong leader that is Jeremy. Kimmi also came off looking pretty good, albeit a bit of a hothead. Overall, Contrarian Ninja Stack is an extremely well-balanced team --  they are all pulling their weight, and our dreg pick Kass is turning out to be our top-scorer!

2. Survivor MacGyver: Spencer's lot seems to have improved with the Monica vote-out & Joe's talking head where he said "I can't believe people want me in their alliance!" with boyish glee were both encouraging. Overall a good episode for the largely-Ta Keo team. However, next week's episode is potentially devastating. While it's not clear what's going to happen, my hunch is that a Ta Keo is about to be medevacked... and there's a 50% chance that this person & the -5 that comes with a medevac will be from Doug & Bri's team. Without any real strong indication of who it is (and believe me, Ben & I scoured the preview to try & get a clue!), I'm leaning towards an elder statesman being the one to go -- Keith or Terry. (The only person I feel like it's definitely NOT is Kass, based on her air time in the preview.)

3. Ghost Coaster: With back-to-back exits, this team is looking much the worse for wear. Jeremy is killing it, but his dreggy supporting cast is drying up & won't be able to bring in those much-needed bonus points that they can earn during team challenges. Still, Jeremy might be a front-runner to win the whole thing, so I'm not going to count Ghost Coaster out quite yet.

4. Woofully Inadequate: MoonBee is keeping the bottom spot in my rankings for now. I think that overall they have a stronger & more well-balanced team than the Coaster, but I don't think any of these three have a chance of winning. Or to put it in the terms of daily fantasy sports: higher floor, lower ceiling. If Keith is the one to go next episode, that'd be the nail in the coffin for this team.


Individual Power Rankings:

1. Jeremy - Seems to be in the most control, with the most people jockeying for position to be his BFF. Oh yeah, and a hidden idol of course! Potential future issues if he, Stephen & Kimmi assume that former Bayon will stay loyal into a merge & they don't adapt quickly enough.
   
2. Spencer - I think he's officially been brought into the Jeremy fold, is getting really good air time, and is proving to be a heartfelt & nimble player. Spencer is a beast whose only problem seems to be that his own self-image is more akin to Stephen than what's the reality.
   
3. Tasha - Continues to dominate her tribe & I'm really excited to see what she'll do when they merge. I think she may be the most adaptable/maneuverable player in the game right now.
   
4. Kass - Currently winning the Most Improved award in her shot at redemption, and as Moon noted: "She's also sharp enough to recognize potential finals threats (Jeremy, Spencer, Kelley) and oust them at the correct juncture."
   
5. Kelley - I have small concerns that she's resting on her laurels a little bit in this awesome paradise-like tribe, but this is probably just paranoia on my part. Overall playing a canny under-the-radar game with an idol no one knows about.
   
6. Stephen - Stephen leapt up the power rankings for me after this last episode. THIS is the Stephen I remember from JT's season. Obviously smart, & loves strategizing. I think he's an incomplete player in that he needs a buddy to bounce ideas off, play the leader, and execute the bold ideas that he thinks up. But if he can get over that & backstab essential people at the right moment, there's hope!
   
7. Keith - While still a challenge beast, Keith is clearly not up to snuff with the social game. I think his best bet in making it to the finals is if someone decides to bring him along because they don't think he'll win any votes due to his lack of strategic & social skills.
   
8. Woo - Woo's all-heart all-muscle style is one-of-a-kind this season. That could be enough to keep him out of the spotlight in a merge situation where the big strategic players get targeted instead. As Tasha says, he's a good foot soldier. That could get him far this season.
   
9. Joe - Nice guy & good at challenges. Obviously smarter than Woo, but I'm not sure he's the social or strategic genius that he thinks he is. Also not getting much air time at the moment, which is never a good thing.
   
10. Kimmi - She'll probably make the merge, but that temper could get the best of her in the end. I liked how quickly she turned on Monica & mixed up the vote. Some n00b players would let a comment like Monica's slide & then pay for it later. Kimmi made short work of the situation & then gloated her way through tribal council.
    
11. Savage - Savage is the kind of guy you want in your alliance because you know you'll be able to blindside him before he blindsides you. He's slightly off-putting but probably still a good person. However, his eye is not on the prize. He wants redemption, he doesn't want to win $1,000,000.
    
12. Ciera - Has anyone gotten less air time than Ciera? I think even Wiggles has gotten more! Hard to remember that she's on the show. Still, she'll almost certainly make the merge.
    
13. Terry - In the hot seat on Ta Keo, but he's craftier than the other bottom-dwellers, so he could find a way out of it.
    
14. Abi Maria - Has to be on the chopping block if Angkor loses another immunity challenge.
    
15. Kelly - Has to be on the chopping block if Bayon loses another immunity challenge.

Douche of the Week:

Abi is the obvious choice again, but I'm going to go with Savage instead for saying "he's in a better place now" when referring to Varner. Seriously dude?