Cambodia: Episodes 8 & 9

The unpredictability of this season never stops!

I'll try & cover the last 2 episodes in this blog since I ran out of time to do a post worthy of the awesomeness of episode 8. Episode 8 was probably my favorite episode in a fantastic season. Before the episode started, Ben told me he expected this to be a fairly dull episode as it seemed inevitable that Ciera would be voted out. Oh how wrong he was! As the commenters noted, Wentworth's idol play was nothing short of brilliant, the majority alliance's decision not to split votes nothing short of foolish. This was easily the biggest misstep of the season, apart from Shirin & Spencer's early arrogance... or maybe even including that.

Seeing Savage go home was positively delightful for me. That guy's been rubbing me the wrong way this whole season. I'd had my fill of him when in this episode he was sitting in his hammock throne while everyone else sat in the dirt around him. I definitely got the impression that he was feeling comfortable in this game with his alliance & I'm oh-so-pleased he got punished for that.

My only real question about this episode is around Joe. Did he tip Wentworth off that they would be voting for her? If not, her instinct is spot-on. If so, I feel a little bad for him that he wasn't included in the new "voting block" in the next episode.

Which brings us to episode 9. Super interesting alliance shifts that happened here. I wasn't surprised that Stephen made a move to switch things up. I was surprised that he beat Spencer to the floating buoy though! I hope he uses his advantage well & that he doesn't sit on it too long & suffer the fate of Dan last season.

Kimmi calling Wentworth, Abi & Ciera the "witches coven" was pretty rich in my book & definitely gives Abi more credit than she deserves. (Although, I have to give Abi credit for making it this far - no way did I think that was possible!) Stephen has been looking to mix things up for a while & finally decided to take the plunge. I'm impressed that he was able to convince Jeremy that he was on the bottom of their alliance. That really didn't seem true to me, but my perception of the game is dictated by the producers, so I could be wrong. In any case, I love that Spencer, Stephen & Jeremy are a voting block. It's just such a great group to cheer for! And I'm really happy that Spencer brought in 2 allies when he sided with the witches - they are now evenly matched against each other should they end up being enemies again next episode.

This leaves Tasha, Kimmi, Joe & Keith on the outs... at least temporarily. There doesn't seem to be much unity between these folks, but that doesn't mean much right now. Being a swing vote could be a powerful position this season.

I suspect the one thing that would unite everyone is if Joe doesn't win immunity finally. It seems like sure thing he'd be voted out in that case.... but of course that means that someone will undoubtedly pitch it at the perfect time to blindside another player. Hopefully they actually vote Joe out though, I'm sick of that guy winning. Plus, he's just not at the strategic level of the other players, except probably Abi & Keith. I'd much rather see those guys go home before Jeremy, Spencer, Tasha, or Stephen.


The Score:

 Michal & Ben - Contrarian Ninja Stack: 118 points

1. Tasha (21 pts)
2. Kelley (28 pts)
3. Stephen (18 pts)
4. Kimmi (20 pts)
5. [Kass (31 pts)]

Doug & Bri - Survivor MacGyver: 80 points

1. Spencer (9 pts)
2. Joe (45 pts)
3. [Shirin (-4 pts)]
4. [Terry (9 pts)]
5. Ciera (21 pts)

Bagdrea - Ghost Coaster: 66 points

1. Jeremy (27 pts)
2. [Jeff (0 pts)]
3. [Monica (12 pts)]
4. [Kelly (20 pts)]
5. Abi-Maria (7 pts)

MoonBee - Woofully Inadequate: 54 points

1. [Vytas (-5 pts)]
2. [Woo (8 pts)]
3. Keith (25 pts)
4. [Savage (29 pts)]
5. [Peih Gee (-3 pts)]

Power Rankings:

1. Contrarian Ninja Stack - Our lead is still sizable, though MacGyver is closing the gap. Now that they are individual immunity challenges, the 6 points gained from winning that makes a huge difference. I love that Wentworth is still the game for us, and that Stephen is making some waves. I'm also definitely not counting Tasha out - she's been quiet lately, but I think this last vote will be a big wake-up call for her. Overall still a very solid team we have here.

2. Survivor MacGyver - Joe is simply crushing it when it comes to immunity challenges. He's not doing much else, but that's all Doug & Bri need from him right now. And while he's making up a big point deficit, Spencer seems to be maneuvering himself into a strong position for a deep run. Ciera is still in this thing too, and could be a good person to bring along to the finals since everyone seems to dislike her. Overall this team has a lot of potential.

3. Ghost Coaster - Jeremy is a beast, there's no denying it. With 2 idols in his pocket he needs to be truly blindsided to go home at this point. I hope he follows Wentworth's lead & doesn't share the info with anyone unless strictly necessary (e.g. to save someone in his core alliance). I'm wondering, though, if he'd get a lot of votes should he make it to the finals. He's looking impressive from where I sit, but from the jury he might not be seen as making enough/a lot of moves. There's still time for that to change, of course, but I think he could lose against Tasha, Stephen, Wentworth & Spencer should he stay the course he's on.

4. Woofully Inadequate - this team is clearly out of the running & very appropriately named. Still, we can all keep cheering for Keith! He has to be the biggest competitor in his age group in the history of Survivor -- he hasn't beaten Joe yet, but he's always right there behind him! And his entertainment value is fantastic - I hope he continues to go on rewards & live it up!


Douche of the Week:

Gonna go with Kass. Moon's right in that her flicking off the castaways at each tribal council really is douchey. Plus, there just aren't many douches this season!

Cambodia: Episode 8

No time for a blog, just a score update!

The Score:

 Michal & Ben - Contrarian Ninja Stack: 114 points

1. Tasha (19 pts)
2. Kelley (28 pts)
3. Stephen (16 pts)
4. Kimmi (20 pts)
5. [Kass (31 pts)]

Doug & Bri - Survivor MacGyver: 68 points

1. Spencer (7 pts)
2. Joe (37 pts)
3. [Shirin (-4 pts)]
4. [Terry (9 pts)]
5. Ciera (19 pts)

MoonBee - Woofully Inadequate: 54 points

1. [Vytas (-5 pts)]
2. [Woo (8 pts)]
3. Keith (25 pts)
4. [Savage (29 pts)]
5. [Peih Gee (-3 pts)]

Bagdrea - Ghost Coaster: 50 points

1. Jeremy (22 pts)
2. [Jeff (0 pts)]
3. [Monica (12 pts)]
4. Kelly (8 pts)
5. Abi-Maria (8 pts)

Power Rankings:

1. Contrarian Ninja Stack

2. Survivor MacGyver

3. Ghost Coaster

4. Woofully Inadequate


Douche of the Week:

Savage.

Cambodia: Episode 7

Sorry for the late post but life happens. Not going to spend too much time on this one since the next episode is tomorrow. Point updates & power rankings below.

The Score:

 Michal & Ben - Contrarian Ninja Stack: 101 points

1. Tasha (19 pts)
2. Kelley (17 pts)
3. Stephen (16 pts)
4. Kimmi (18 pts)
5. [Kass (31 pts)]

Doug & Bri - Survivor MacGyver: 60 points

1. Spencer (7 pts)
2. Joe (29 pts)
3. [Shirin (-4 pts)]
4. [Terry (9 pts)]
5. Ciera (19 pts)

Bagdrea - Ghost Coaster: 48 points

1. Jeremy (22 pts)
2. [Jeff (0 pts)]
3. [Monica (12 pts)]
4. Kelly (6 pts)
5. Abi-Maria (8 pts)

MoonBee - Woofully Inadequate: 41 points

1. [Vytas (-5 pts)]
2. [Woo (8 pts)]
3. Keith (23 pts)
4. Savage (18 pts)
5. [Peih Gee (-3 pts)]

Power Rankings:

1. Contrarian Ninja Stack: As our dreg, Kass far exceeded expectations. In the end she was her own worst enemy, which she acknowledged in her exit interview. Kelley is consistently finding herself on the wrong side of alliances, but is keeping cool about it & hasn't actually been seriously considered for a vote in a while which is good. Tasha got a little nasty this last episode, but hopefully she'll reign that back in & go back to being her savvy strategic self.

2. Survivor MacGyver: Spencer & Joe are now allies? It's hard to believe they both made it to the merge & appear to be safe! I would like to see more footage of the two of them interacting - it felt like watching a kindergarten teacher speaking to one of his/her students. Spencer is clearly the superior player of the game, though Joe will definitely be a huge physical threat. Ciera seems to think she knows what she's doing but in reality doesn't have a clue. Every move she's made lately has been the wrong one, starting with voting out Woo. I think she overreacted to Savage using her as the back-up person when they were targeting Spencer & that will ultimately be the cause of her demise.

3. Ghost Coaster: Jeremy is looking great right now, though in a season like this one that doesn't really mean much! Still, his alliance had a major victory in this last episode with getting rid of Kass, bringing Keith into the fold, etc. Kelly the Ghost is going to get farther than I ever expected too, which is nice for a team that has a big point gap to make up.

4. Woofully Inadequate: Savage is coming into this merge looking like a major player & decision-maker. Keith actually made a decision for the first time all season, so this was overall a great episode for Woofully Inadequate. Still, there's a huge point & player deficit here. We'll see if these elderly physical threats can earn a few challenge points coming up, otherwise this team is done.


Douche of the Week:

Moon for asking if he can blog about Bachelor for a living when he never posted about the finale!!! For shame, Moon!

On the show, I pick Ciera who really has made some poor decisions over the last couple of days. I'm hoping they'll vote her out next -- this is one of the few times I'm in agreement with Savage.

Cambodia: Episode 6

Logistics first! Terry voluntarily left the game, but it's not like he actually quit of his own volition (at least in my opinion). He also didn't technically medevac, though he did leave the show for medical reasons. I'm not sure how to score this one. Should get get -10 for quitting, -5 for medical evacuation, or 0 because we're all just such nice people & that was a really shitty way to go? My vote is for the -5 medevac -- everyone please vote on this & also DOW this week, most votes wins!

And now the show itself!

They dove straight into the middle-of-the-night Probst visit, so no built-up suspense or drama there. It really is a terrible way to leave the show, but there obviously was no other choice about it. I'm glad that they ended the episode with a "Terry's son is doing okay!" clip at least.

Next they switched up the tribes again - hurray! It'd be nice to see them stuck with this new dynamic for a couple of weeks, but I guess it will be short-lived with a merge on the horizon. Important lesson to all future Survivor contestants: if Probst ever asks how your team dynamic is, don't say that it's awesome! He will totally screw you over by switching up the tribes, just to be mean about it.

The reward challenge was uninteresting & seemed like an obvious attempt by the producers to get everyone all oiled up at an ideal time in their current weight loss program -- they're not yet emaciated, but they've lost most of their baby fat.

The scheming after the challenge was much more interesting. I loved that Ciera put her foot down about being the decoy -- there are not enough contestants who take something like that seriously! I mean really, the conversation of "we're going to tell him it's you just in case he has an idol" should be met with far more alarm than it usually is. I'm not sure that Kass made the right decision in teaming up with Ciera, Abi-Maria & Spencer... what a volitile group! However, as a fan I'm much happier having Spencer in the game over Woo.

Then we got to watch Stephen try to get his tribe to make the right decision in voting out Joe before the merge... and then have an embarrassingly emotional moment afterwards when his plan is rejected. I get why Jeremy doesn't want to vote Joe out yet, but at the same time he needs to trust in his consigliere & the alliance that he currently has. He's got a good thing going for him, he shouldn't risk it by assuming that all the brawny folks are all at the top of the chopping block if one of them goes.

At the same time, Woo - another physical threat in this game - got the boot. I don't think he was a threat at all, but Ciera wanted to target someone else & Abi-Maria was chomping at the bit to take her Brazilian vengeance out on him, so out he goes. Which got me reflecting on the fact that the Survivor contestants often do a lot of collateral damage to each other. Ciera's mad at Savage, so she takes it out on... Woo. This is pretty standard fare for the show. Makes you realize how dangerous politics are in the real world too!


The Score:

 Michal & Ben - Contrarian Ninja Stack: 92 points

1. Tasha (19 pts)
2. Kelley (17 pts)
3. Stephen (17 pts)
4. Kimmi (18 pts)
5. Kass (21 pts)

Doug & Bri - Survivor MacGyver: 54 points

1. Spencer (7 pts)
2. Joe (23 pts)
3. [Shirin (-4 pts)]
4. [Terry (9 pts)]
5. Ciera (19 pts)

Bagdrea - Ghost Coaster: 48 points

1. Jeremy (22 pts)
2. [Jeff (0 pts)]
3. [Monica (12 pts)]
4. Kelly (6 pts)
5. Abi-Maria (8 pts)

MoonBee - Woofully Inadequate: 41 points

1. [Vytas (-5 pts)]
2. [Woo (8 pts)]
3. Keith (23 pts)
4. Savage (18 pts)
5. [Peih Gee (-3 pts)]

Power Rankings:

1. Contrarian Ninja Stack: Our entire stable has made it to the merge, which is fairly remarkable. Considering how many players are left, I suspect that making the merge does not equal making the jury (which is when the positive points come into play) but we'll have to wait & see. With the upcoming merge, Chaos Kass rearing her head again, and Stephen getting overly emotional about strategy I'm not willing to say that anyone on this team is safe at the moment. However, we have a very comfortable lead, a 2 player advantage over everyone else, an immunity idol, and alliances all over the place so the outlook is quite positive for the contrarians.

2. Survivor MacGyver: Spencer & Joe both made the merge! By the skin of their teeth, to be sure, but it's game on now! Spencer could find his lack of strong alliances to be an advantage now & become a crucial swing vote. Joe I'm still fairly unimpressed by. He lacks the subtlety needed to be a good social gamer & strategist. We'll see how much his physical advantage will help him coming up, though, and his 5 person alliance is still probably the strongest one in the game. Ciera finally got a bit of air time, which was a nice change of pace for MacGyver as well. Losing Terry was devastating though. They were in line to enter the merge with 4 contestants, which is a really good spot. And Terry would have been out of the doghouse with the tribal switch & impending merge.

3. Ghost Coaster: I did not expect Kelly or Abi-Maria to make the merge, so kudos to the Coaster on that. It'll be interesting to see where they end up falling in the post-merge alliance world. Will Tasha try to bring Abi back into the fold, even though she just voted out Woo? Who on earth will Kelly ally herself with?

4. Woofully Inadequate: MoonBee is down to 2 players. Savage is getting good air time & Keith is actually tied with Joe as the biggest point-earner in the game so far. Still, having just 2 players left in this game will be a deficit that's extremely difficult to overcome.


Potential Alliances Post-Merge:

Here's a list of the 9 original Bayon who are still in the game: Jeremy, Joe, Ciera, Fishbach, Tasha, Kimmi, Kass, Keith, and Savage. That leaves Spencer, Abi-Maria, Kelley, and Kelly as the odd ducks out. HOWEVER, there is also the 5-strong Ta Keo (part deux) alliance of Joe, Kelley, Keith, Kass & Ciera.

That would seemingly put Spencer, Abi-Maria, and Kelly on the chopping block. Kelly I can see going pretty quickly... she doesn't have any real alliance and no one really wants to protect her. But Abi-Maria & Spencer both have some ties & short-term alliances that could result in them getting some protection from a potential original Bayon blitzkrieg.

At the same time, the idea of targeting the "golden boy" that is Joe is something that should go viral. If we've learned anything from this season it's that alliances can change as quickly as the weather, and I don't see an original Bayon alliance actually lasting for that long.

My hunch is that the 5-strong alliance will show their hand too early & it will result in a split between them, the Jeremy/Kimmi/Stephen alliance (who will likely bring in Savage & Tasha), leaving folks like Spencer & Abi-Maria playing the role of swing vote. If this is the case, would Spencer stick with his frienemy Kass, or go back to Jeremy, who potentially would be allied with Savage, a guy he's not currently a big fan of? I can see Abi sticking by Tasha, but she also could easily be lured away by anyone else who strokes her ego & gives her what she wants...

Douche of the Week:

 Jeremy for eating the pig brain on the way out of the immunity challenge. As Ben notes, if he really wanted the protein, he would have taken the whole thing with him. As it is, he just wanted to show off what a tough guy he was.

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?

Cambodia: Episode 4

The tribal switch appears to have served the primary purpose of dismantling the yellow tribe, and Ben & I were discussing whether or not they'll do another tribal switch-up soon (maybe back to 2 tribes?) to deal with the tribal disparity. Which would be super interesting as they are just seeming to come into their own on these new tribes.

The "hero challenge" for reward was a really interesting concept, as was each tribe's decision to play their old guy as the hero. Seems like the heroes really should have been Woo, Spencer & Joe. But I guess the old guys felt like they had something to prove & the young guys would rather conserve energy & not stick their necks out. In any case, I'd like to see both more reward challenges and more hero challenges.

This episode seemed to improve the lots of Kass, Stephen, Savage, and Woo the most. (Woo mostly by the simple fact that he didn't go home.) On the yellow tribe we got a bit more insight into why Peih Gee went home over Varner or Abi. At the same time, it's unclear why Tash & Savage are letting Abi call the shots at this point. At least they got her to vote out Varner. If they lose again, I'm keeping my fingers crossed they keep Woo & drop Abi. It'd be wonderful to not have to see or hear her on the show anymore!



The Score:

 Michal & Ben - Contrarian Ninja Stack: 69 points

1. Tasha (12 pts)
2. Kelley (11 pts)
3. Stephen (15 pts)
4. Kimmi (15 pts)
5. Kass (16 pts)

Bagdrea - Ghost Coaster: 41 points

1. Jeremy (20 pts)
2. [Jeff (0 pts)]
3. Monica (14 pts)
4. Kelly (5 pts)
5. Abi-Maria (2 pts)

Doug & Bri - Survivor MacGyver: 37 points

1. Spencer (5 pts)
2. Joe (16 pts)
3. [Shirin (-4 pts)]
4. Terry (6 pts)
5. Ciera (14 pts)

MoonBee - Woofully Inadequate: 15 points

1. [Vytas (-5 pts)]
2. Woo (2 pts)
3. Keith (16 pts)
4. Savage (12 pts)
5. [Peih Gee (-3 pts)]

Power Rankings:

1. Contrarian Ninja Stack: Every week is just about the best episode possible for this team. Our point lead is slowly increasing. Now we have Jeremy wanting to take Stephen to the finals with him, thank goodness, so it even feels like our biggest wild card is suddenly safe. Tasha is leading the worst tribe in what seems like the right direction, and is miraculously controlling Abi... at least for now. Looks like Kelley & Kass might end up in a strong alliance after next week & Kimmi is going to get some air time. Will be interesting to see what happens there.

2. Survivor MacGyver: Obviously Spencer & Joe will always have big targets on their backs, especially as we get closer to the merge, but overall they seem to be in as safe as possible for now. I know I'm reading a lot into the "next time on... Survivor!" clip, but it seems like the green tribe is going to make a "final 5" alliance, which in my experience is the most solid alliance you can make. I'm assuming Terry is not a part of this alliance, but Joe & Ciera would be and that would be huge for both of them. So far Ciera has only distinguished herself by being the person who sits out the most, and getting a safety net around both of these players would be huge. Spencer's position is still a bit unclear, especially after that scene where Monica identified him as her next choice to go. However, Jeremy seems to like him & he's the one who seems to be in charge of that tribe for now, so I'm not going to worry too much yet.

3. Ghost Coaster: I'm suggesting a potential re-name of this team to "Jerry & the Dregs." Losing Varner was a massive blow to this tribe. He was an extremely savvy & dangerous player with the potential to go far... before he blew it. Jeremy is still looking strong & in control, but it's hard to find anything good to say about the rest of this team.

4. Woofully Inadequate: Moon's defense of Savage was completely unnecessary in last week's comments as the general consensus of "I just don't really like him" is nowhere close to a castaway bashing. This week's episode made him seem a bit more likable, but overall I'm getting the sense that there just isn't that much emotional depth to the man. Overall this team is looking a bit like Dorothy's companions in the Wizard of Oz: there's Woo "I wish I had a brain," Keith "I wish I had a sense of hearing," and Savage "I wish I had some depth." With that being said, one more episode might be enough to break Wooful out of the basement. It's now a close race between them & Ghost Coaster for the bottom spot despite the big point difference.


Douche of the Week:

 Abi again. It's getting to the point where it's hard not to vote for her. 

Cambodia: Episode 3

Tribal switch-up on the 3rd episode! My oh my, no one was expecting that. At first I thought this changed everything about the pool, but in reality it just highlighted who all the strong & adaptable players are, and who just isn't cutting it. Mostly our picks are spot-on with that, which again shows the strength of this pool. (If anyone else ever tries to join this pool, I think they'd find themselves woefully outmatched by this group of veterans.)

The exception to this is team MoonBee whose team was essentially sent to the slaughterhouse when 75% of it suddenly found themselves on the "build from scratch" tribe. It was terrible luck that both Abi & Peih Gee wound up there. Before they all opened their cute little wicker boxes, both were probably thinking "at least I won't have to live with that nut job anymore...."

I think the blue tribe ended up being slightly physically superior to the other tribes, but their confidence, overall happiness with their tribe, and apparent team unity are what is really going to make them tough to beat coming up. If the other tribes can come together and work as a team then challenges could become competitive. Somehow I don't see that happening... at least not for the yellow tribe!


The Teams:
Thank you Doug & Bri for submitting a team name. Bagdrea & MoonBee did not submit team names, so permanent names have been selected on their behalf :) 

 Michal & Ben - Contrarian Ninja Stack: 55 points

1. Tasha (10 pts)
2. Kelley (8 pts)
3. Stephen (12 pts)
4. Kimmi (12 pts)
5. Kass (13 pts)

Bagdrea - Ghost Coaster: 31 points

1. Jeremy (17 pts)
2. Jeff (0 pts)
3. Monica (12 pts)
4. Kelly (2 pts)
5. Abi-Maria (0 pts)

Doug & Bri - Survivor MacGyver: 26 points

1. Spencer (2 pts)
2. Joe (13 pts)
3. [Shirin (-4 pts)]
4. Terry (3 pts)
5. Ciera (12 pts)

MoonBee - Woofully Inadequate: 15 points

1. [Vytas (-5 pts)]
2. Woo (0 pts)
3. Keith (13 pts)
4. Savage (10 pts)
5. [Peih Gee (-3 pts)]

Power Rankings:

1. Survivor MacGyver: Doug & Bri are suddenly looking golden. The tribal switch helped Spencer in a huge way, and with three players on the challenge-dominant team, they are looking to earn some massive points over the next few episodes. Terry is in the hot seat right now on his tribe, but I don't think he was wrong in feeling safe - their tribe is almost certainly going to finish 1st or 2nd for a while. Although maybe the producers will switch up the tribes again after a couple episodes - wouldn't that be fun!

2. Contrarian Ninja Stack: Contrary to popular belief, ninjas never wore black. They dressed as peasants and farmers... and always wore their buffs. :) The tribal switch-up gave us the most well-balanced team, which bodes well for us being able to maintain a lead in the points standing. However, it seems clear that Spencer is going to usurp Stephen's spot in his alliance, and I suspect we'll lose him in the next 1-3 episodes. Kimmi's not getting enough air time, but Kass, Kelley & Tasha are all still looking really strong. Love how Tash took control both after the challenge & at camp. She's looking like the strong player we remember!

3. Ghost Coaster: If Tasha & Savage really knew who they were working with, I think there's no way they would have voted out Peih Gee. Jeff & Abi are absolutely the riskier alliance, but they must not fully realize that yet. This worked out great for Bagdrea, though, who managed to dodge 2 bullets this episode. Jeff's meltdown at the challenge was exactly the sort of thing I was expecting from him, though I wasn't expecting him not to be punished for it! Bagdrea still has a full stable, but 2 of them are ghosts (Kelly & Monica), and the other 3 are mentally swingy so there's no chance this team can ever feel safe. Or, in Doug's words: "You must be this crazy to get airtime on this ride."

4.Woofully Inadequate: Terrible, terrible episode for Woofully Inadequate. They're down to 3 players, 2 of whom are on the worst tribe. Those team dynamics are so unstable that I can't even say that Savage is safe. If he sneezes wrong tomorrow he might suddenly be on the chopping block! Keith is still doing well, but 1 strong player is not going to be enough to win this season.

Douche of the Week:

 Abi!