10 Thoughts On.. Survivor: San Juan del Sur – Episode 4 Review

10 Thoughts, Features, Reviews, Top Story

1. Despite the embarrassing way that he left the game, Drew’s strategy to target Kelley was on point. Drew was right about Kelley targeting the guys, and unfortunately (for him), his dismissal now gives her the leverage and time that she needed. This episode was a classic case of why players should always be subtle about who they want to eliminate.

2. A colleague pointed out to me that this episode was cut during the time when Survivor‘s editors were on strike. I certainly believe it is a valid point. For some reason, this episode felt different without the formulaic editing that we have become accustomed to. I only wish that they hadn’t given Drew as much facetime as they did because from the moment he arrived at Exile Island and told Jaclyn that he was going to throw the challenge, it was clear he would be the one leaving.

3. Did you all catch the fact that Jeremy voted for Drew to leave while Reed voted for Julie? That was perhaps the most interesting part of the episode for me. Reed’s vote surprised me in particular. Do you think there was a plot to snuff out an idol that we didn’t see?

4. How great was Natalie’s impression of Keith at tribal council? Awesome.

5. This episode was a major victory for Julie. I think everybody thought she would be the next to go considering who she eneted the game with, but she managed to fly under-the-radar and survived the most dangerous point for her own game.

6. That scene with Alec giving Baylor a hard time because that’s how his father raised him was absolutely fascinating. While Drew certainly deserved to leave this week, I would have liked to have seen the story of the brothers continue as I thought their relationship was the most compelling. It reminded me of how fun it was to watch Aras and Vytas compete against each other on the last Blood vs. Water season.

7. I find Baylor to be a very polarizing character this season. I can see shades of Ciera in her, but I am still deciding. Do you guys like her?

8. You don’t need to be a Survivor guru to know that there is absolutely no way you should ever throw a challenge. There is no scenario where it is a good idea.

9. While I once believed that Jon was a lock to win this season, I am worried about him blowing up at the girls next week. While the twist will benefit many, I think it might help Jon the most. There is no question that Natalie and Kelley know what they are doing and I believe that they would target Jon next (especially if he goes on a rant like the preview indicated). I think the twist might help his game the most.

10. I miss Nadiya and John.

Murtz Jaffer is the world's foremost reality television expert and was the host of Reality Obsessed which aired on the TVTropolis and Global Reality Channels in Canada. He has professional writing experience at the Toronto Sun, National Post, TV Guide Canada, TOROMagazine.com and was a former producer at Entertainment Tonight Canada. He was also the editor at Weekendtrips.com.