1. My favorite contestant this season has changed many times. I obviously always pull for the veterans so I started with Ozzy and Coach. After seeing the first couple of episodes, I changed my mind and backed Cochran because of how much he reminded me of myself. Over the last few weeks, I have supported Whitney. The reason that I have enjoyed this season is because of this. Usually on Survivor, you pick your favorite early and stick with them. This year, it changes on an almost weekly basis based on who is doing what. I like Whitney because she played a perfect game up until the Cochran move. I really wouldn’t have changed a single move. She competed fiercely and she proved herself in the last three immunity challenges, winning last week and doing well in both on this week’s episode. It is truly a travesty that she is finished because of a move that still makes no sense to me.
2. Cochran doing Coach Chi absolutely disgusted me. First the jacket, now this. While I have always maintained that if you own up to a flaw that you have, it can’t be held against you, I have revised my policy specifically because of John. While he admitted that he is drinking the Coach Kool-Aid and using it as a tactic for self-preservation, I believe this is a ludicrous proposition. There is no self-preservation when you are clearly in line to go next. I would respect Cochran a lot more if he owned his move rather than second-guess himself and kiss up to other players.
3. While I do believe that Cochran is next in line to go, I don’t expect him to. Why? It’s because Albert and Sophie are tactical players and I am sure both are conscious that they will lose his jury vote immediately if that happens. It’s a smarter move for them to knock off Edna first (since she would likely vote for Coach, Brandon and Cowboy ahead of them), grant Cochran a three-day reprieve and then nix him the next time.
4. Tonight’s episode was the first time I looked at Albert as a strategic powerhouse. The logic he used when deciphering whether keeping Dawn, Whitney, Cochran and then pulling over Sophie was sound. Exactly for the reasons above, it’s his best move to nix Edna next but the good thing about him is that he is developing an ability to adapt. While he was on the outside of the Mikayla vote, he clearly learned his lesson from that.
5. I do not understand why Edna is not getting the credit that she deserves. I believe that she has played a very strong social game and while she is not a primary target in the post-merge phase of the game, I am sure she worked hard to get where she is during the pre-jury portion. If we are to accept the Cochran school of thought in determining the best way to play (namely to suck up to Coach who has the most power), then Edna is doing a much better job.
6. There were a lot of editing hints in tonight’s episode. Jim’s quote at the top of the episode where he was talking about Coach, leads me to believe that the Dragonslayer doesn’t really have a chance. Compare that to Sophie who literally dominated the entire episode from start to finish with back-to-back immunity wins coupled with her intelligent confessionals lead me to believe she is in the best current position.
7. Brandon wearing Cochran’s sweater vest? Blech.
8. Effectively, this tribal council was the last one where a move could have been made. Short of Edna and Cochran swapping spots in the rundown, I think the writing is on the wall as to what will happen.
9. Rick must not be doing anything because out of all the people who were focused upon tonight, he is the one who needed to make a move the most. I presume he thinks he has a F3 with Coach and Brandon, but surely he must be able to see how Coach spends more time with the others. Because he shares some religious beliefs with Dawn, I fully expected him to think about making a move tonight but because of his loyalty… he didn’t. Cowboy is the perfect alliance partner. He will never turn.
10. Loved when Ozzy took that extra second at the duel after he had already beaten Jim and Keith before letting his pieces fall to the ground. I felt like it was a sign to Upolu. I loved it.
