Blood v Water: Episode 7

Unfortunately with the conference & moving I wasn't able to catch episode 6, but thanks Moon for your eloquent guest blog! Overall a good analysis, but a weak attempt at changing your team name halfway through the season. Team MooMe it will remain until/unless someone else decides to guest blog. ;)

Episode 7 continues to reveal the genius that is Vytas... and the baffling naivete of the women on his tribe. Tina said there would be consequences with voting out either Vytas or Laura B, but I can't imagine their alliance's situation improving at all with that decision! What's their plan now? Try and bring Aras & Ciera into their alliance? That might end up being a good decision for Vytas & Aras, but I feel like Aras is too trusting of Tyson & Gervase to jump ship. 

Kat's emotional & mental intelligence both also boggle the mind. It's unclear to me how she can successfully complete daily activities based on what's I've seen. Hopefully her departure will enable Hayden to kick some butt.

And finally there's Tyson. That guy's arrogance is going to get the best of him eventually. What happens if/when they run out of food? Will people (rightfully) blame Tyson for the decision to binge on rice or will they forget whose idea that was? I also think if/when they get rid of Aras he might feel like he's in such a good position "running the show" that he'll get blindsided too. Definitely a solid player, but he'd be even more impressive if he kept his ego out of it.


The Teams:

AhhhhFUCKthat: 67.5 pts
1. John (6 pts)
2. Laura B. (16 pts)
3. Candice (4.5 pts)
4. Gervase (28 pts)
5. Ciera (13 pts)

51st State: 65 pts
1. Aras (28 pts)
2. Rupert (0 pts)
3. Marissa (3 pts)
4. Caleb (15 pts)
5. Laura M. (19 pts)

MooMe: 48.5 pts
1. Vytas (5 pts)
2. Tyson (28 pts)
3. Monica (14 pts)
4. Brad (1.5 pts)
5. Rachel (0 pts)

Mind Under Matter: 48 points
1. Katie (5 pts)
2. Hayden (15 pts)
3. Colton (-2 pts)
4. Kat (14 pts)
5. Tina (16 pts)


Power Rankings:

1. MooMe - Vytas, Tyson & Monica are all in good shape. This is the most well-rounded team with everyone in power positions.

2. 51st State - Until Aras actually gets voted out, this team is still a huge threat!

3. AhhhhFUCKthat - With a pending merge, having 1-2 players on RI that can consistently bring in a couple of points each episode actually turns into an advantage. 

4. Mind Under Matter - I just don't see a way that the lady alliance comes out of the merge on top. Too many bad decisions from this team early & now there's a huge point deficit that I don't see them being able to make up. 


Douche of the Week:

Kat. Ugh.

Guest Blogger Moon: BvW ep 6

Hey all, haven't watched the episode yet, so Moon agreed to write the blog this week! Scores will be updated later, after I've watched the episode.

Vytas is a bona fide social genius. Thrust into one of the more hopeless tribal swap situations in Survivor history, he somehow managed to convince his tribemates to vote out a solid-footed comrade instead of the obvious choice – him. He had to get a gaggle of girls to like and trust him. He had to pacify fears of him joining his brother for a late-game power alliance. He had to dislocate what should have been a peaceful – if temporary – alliance, and he had one day to do it all. Somehow, Vytas pulled survival out of this desperate situation. If and when he wins the game, he’ll look back on those 24 hours as his finest moment.

As Vytas noted, his younger brother is more accomplished and dependable. Stronger. Better-looking. But it is Vytas who has burrowed his way through five hundred yards of ugliness Andy Dufresne-style to freedom, while Aras could be gone next episode and has no hope of winning a final vote over his brother. Along the way Vytas has forged relationships with every remaining player in the game without ostracizing or alienating anyone. Not only would he surely oust his brother at final tribal, but it’s hard to imagine any castaway overcoming him at that point.

The second-shrewdest player in the game is Tyson, who might be more similar to Vytas than his brother. Tyson is playing just like Vytas, only with a tad less humility and a pinch more abrasiveness. A monumental Tyson/Vytas power battle could be on the horizon.

Always cunning, never vulnerable, Tyson has deemed Gervase to be his #1 henchman. It’s a wise move – unobjectionable Gervase figures to swim deep into the nether regions of this season. Gervase claims to be playing a craftier game than his first go-round, but it’s hard to imagine him upending the power players.

Tina is playing an elegant brand of second-coming Survivor. Her game is pleasant, subdued and innocuous. Even the arrival of her daughter was gracefully managed to bring as little attention as possible. While Tina/Katie could easily have been identified as a must-be-destroyed power couple, they got through their reunitement without attracting a smidge of suspicion. This figures to be a duo headed deep into the merge.

Monica, Hayden, and Caleb are the lone wolves. Strong players alike, their challenge isn’t to further accentuate their resumes, but to ingratiate themselves into the future-merged tribe. As the suddenly-eloquent Brad Culpepper noted, sometimes a loved one is more of an anchor than a shield. Each will have to convince the jury they’re more than muted versions of their lovers.

Laura B. is an unexciting piece of driftwood with an upside of one vote at the final tribal council. Ciera could maybe get two.

The one wild card lurking is John, a likable (if gullible) and brawny player with an outside shot at a run upon return from Redemption. It’s high time for the return of an RI player; John has the tools to maneuver his way into the final three and catch a few votes if he gets there.

Power Rankings:

1.      Svelte

Only the strong remain. Vytas and Tyson are two serious players, and we found out this episode what happens if you mess with Monica.

2.      Mind Under Matter

Who wants to date someone who can’t even make the merge? Even if Hayden cuts ties with Kat, the Tina/Katie duo could make a deep run together.

3.      51^st State

This team has three power players; trouble is, one’s on RI, one’s a loose cannon without a shield/anchor, and one was earmarked for doom in the “next time on…” tester.

4.      AhhhhhFUCKthat

It’s easy to poke fun at this team – their best player is on RI, Laura B is involved, Bag is involved, and they have no studs. But they do have the most points and the most remaining Survivors. F That isn’t drawing dead. 

Blood v. Water: Episode 5

Congrats to the n00bs for their first win! Do you think it had anything to do with Brad being voted out the last episode? I do. I think they actually are feeling more like a team & that they all have to pull their weight now. Also helps that the challenge didn't involve a puzzle though!

Good duel too... or as we will be calling it from now on: mêlée. This mêlée was the long sought-after & hoped-for show-down between Candice and Brad. John happened to be there too, but he seems like too nice a guy to ever get mad at anyone, so there was no rivalry there. The results: not what Candice had hoped for, but probably a better result than Candice & Brad being left on RI together. And now RI is so beastly it's going to be hard for anyone to survive!

The Teams:

AhhhhFUCKthat: 46.5 pts
1. John (3 pts)
2. Laura B. (16 pts)
3. Candice (4.5 pts)
4. Gervase (18 pts)
5. Ciera (5 pts)

51st State: 42 pts
1. Aras (18 pts)
2. Rupert (0 pts)
3. Marissa (3 pts)
4. Caleb (5 pts)
5. Laura M. (16 pts)

MooMe: 38.5 pts
1. Vytas (5 pts)
2. Tyson (18 pts)
3. Monica (14 pts)
4. Brad (1.5 pts)
5. Rachel (0 pts)

Mind Under Matter: 38 points
1. Katie (5 pts)
2. Hayden (5 pts)
3. Colton (-2 pts)
4. Kat (14 pts)
5. Tina (16 pts)

- red = n00b tribe
- blue = returning tribe
- pink = on Redemption Island


Power Rankings:

Complete Dreckitude: ahhhhFUCKthat - still the worst in the land, especially with the new info that no one likes Laura B. & Candice going home. John may get back from RI, but even if he does it seems inevitable that he'll get voted out again almost immediately.

Repellant: 51st State - Doug & Bri are down to just 2 players in the game & their puzzle master on RI. Aras is being identified more & more as a threat... things are starting to look shaky in the 51st State.

Terrrrr: Mind Under Matter - May not be the smartest or strongest team in the game. But what they lack in skills they make up for in numbers. I am the only person left with 4 people in the game (not on RI), and Tina continues to impress. So far she's barely winning, but winning pretty much all the time. If she's doing that on purpose, my respect for her is through the roof!

Decent: MooMe - Still a decent team. I think that Aras' analysis of Monica is spot-on, and anyone left in the game without their loved one needs to start pitching themselves as a vote-for-sale ASAP. Tyson's playing a strong game, but I wouldn't be surprised if he votes Vytas out as soon as he gets the change.  

Douche of the Week:

Although definitely a humbler guy, gotta go with Brad for his awful pre-mêlée speech.

Blood v. Water: Episode 4

Blog is extremely late so I will summarize all my thoughts here:

1. Brad = yay! You got what you deserved
2. Caleb = yay! FINALLY someone made that play. I'm glad it paid off bud
3. Bag = yay! Way to pay off your debts instead of fleeing to Europe in exile


The Teams:

AhhhhFUCKthat: 42 pts
1. John (1.5 pts)
2. Laura B. (18 pts)
3. Candice (4.5 pts)
4. Gervase (18 pts)
5. Ciera (0 pts)

51st State: 39 pts
1. Aras (18 pts)
2. Rupert (0 pts)
3. Marissa (3 pts)
4. Caleb (0 pts)
5. Laura M. (18 pts)

MooMe: 34 pts
1. Vytas (0 pts)
2. Tyson (18 pts)
3. Monica (16 pts)
4. Brad (0 pts)
5. Rachel (0 pts)

Mind Under Matter: 28 points
1. Katie (0 pts)
2. Hayden (0 pts)
3. Colton (-2 pts)
4. Kat (14 pts)
5. Tina (16 pts)

- red = n00b tribe
- blue = returning tribe
- pink = on Redemption Island

Power Rankings:

Complete Dreckitude: ahhhhFUCKthat 
Repellant: Mind Under Matter
Terrrrr: 51st State 

Decent: MooMe - congrats Moon & Melissa, you're the first ones to achieve having an overall solid team! 

Douche of the Week:

Colton... I wish! I'll go with Candice this week.

Colton is such a loser. I am very disappointed in my supposed "strategist." It's clear that strategy was never something he actually wanted to do; he just wanted to back-stab & create drama. Overall him quitting will be extremely beneficial to the returning tribe since he contributed nothing to challenges & brought down morale. But while they emerged from their loss as a stronger team, the n00bs only continued to shoot themselves in the foot by voting out John. Granted, John represented himself really poorly over the last 2 episodes and probably deserved to be voted out due to his untrustworthiness. But losing a strong male on top of their strongest females (will Brad now realize that the women on his tribe weren't "all the same"?) is only going to hurt their chances of winning future challenges.


Bag Reminder:

I want Left Hand Milk Stout. Moon, what is your preferred beverage?


The Teams:

AhhhhFUCKthat: 29 pts
1. John (0 pts)
2. Laura B. (13 pts)
3. Candice (3 pts)
4. Gervase (13 pts)
5. Ciera (0 pts)

51st State: 29 pts
1. Aras (13 pts)
2. Rupert (0 pts)
3. Marissa (3 pts)
4. Caleb (0 pts)
5. Laura M. (13 pts)

MooMe: 24 pts
1. Vytas (0 pts)
2. Tyson (13 pts)
3. Monica (11 pts)
4. Brad (0 pts)
5. Rachel (0 pts)

Mind Under Matter: 22 points
1. Katie (0 pts)
2. Hayden (0 pts)
3. Colton (-2 pts)
4. Kat (11 pts)
5. Tina (13 pts)

- red = n00b tribe
- blue = returning tribe
- pink = on Redemption Island

Power Rankings:

Complete Dreckitude: ahhhhFUCKthat - AndBag's team now consists of 2 strong players on RI & the 3 weakest players left in the game (except for Katie). Can anything save this team? I seriously doubt it. 

Repellant: 51st State - Aras is arguably the favorite to win the season right now. Unfortunately, I think Marissa will be ousted at the next RI, though - John & Candice are going to be extremely tough to beat, especially because they'll be helping each other out during the challenges. I don't expect much from Caleb any time soon; he doesn't seem big on strategy & doesn't have a loved one ally anymore. Laura M. has been too under-the-radar to make any judgments at this time.


Terrrrr: Mind Under Matter - Colton's decisions were devastating to my team this week. In my defense, I selected him believing that his appendicitis medevac from his last season was legitimate; had I known the truth I wouldn't have drafted him! I appreciated Jeff's complete disgust with him & the fact that he didn't try to convince him to stay in the game. Hayden is emerging as a canny strategist amongst the n00blets & Tina's in a strong alliance. Kat may still prove to be a point-earner, though, so it's not a complete disaster.

Least Horrible: MooMe - Brad is playing an obvious & remedial game that will probably come back to bit him soon. But Monica & Tyson are solid returnees & Vytas is playing a strong game among the n00bs. I think this is currently the most well-rounded team, though that could change at any moment!

Douche of the Week:

Colton!