1. Last week I said that Joe gave me a strong winner vibe. Unfortunately, that perception took a hit this week. While Will certainly made a bad decision to turn on Vince, I really believe that Joe allowed his own issues with the feathered one to take precedence over his rational decision-making and that this might come back to haunt him. The fact of the matter is that all of the immunity challenges have been physical thus far. Getting rid of Vince was not a smart decision as Joe has now put all of the physical responsibilities on himself. As evidenced by tonight’s immunity challenge, Will isn’t the most physically intimidating player out there. Do you see see the Joe/Will combination beating Rodney/Mike or Joaquin/Tyler? Me neither. In addition, Joe’s decision to remove Vince has given the girls the numbers on the No Collar tribe. While it is unlikely that Jenn/Hali/Nina will vote together, it was a risk he didn’t need to take. He should have placated Vince’s ego. A few kind words to make Vince think he was running the show would have been a much better move.
2. Will made a terrible move for his own game. I believe that his decision to vote Vince out was likely prompted by what Nina told him and the fact that he was solely responsible for the No Collar tribe losing immunity. With Joe offering him protection for this vote, Will decided to turn on Vince but has put himself in a precarious position (in terms of the long game). While the No Collars will likely cut Nina next, who do you think they will go after she leaves? They will almost certainly pull the plug on the YouTube sensation before turning on themselves. For that reason alone, Will should have voted alongside Vince instead of against him.
3. Shirin’s cheering during the immunity challenge was my favorite part of this week’s episode.
4. The communication between the White Collar tribe has greatly improved. Despite being on the outside of last week’s vote, it appears Joaquin has turned a corner and made himself invaluable during the immunity challenge. He is my most improved player of the week.
5. I was fascinated with the Blue Collars deciding to “play basketball” just before an immunity challenge where basketball was the key element. Was it a coincidence or was that scene placed out of order?
6. I hope that Max channels a different Survivor legend in every episode. Perhaps he could borrow Rodney’s Boston Red Sox hat for a Boston Rob-themed confessional next week? Or he could steal people’s shoes a la Rupert (he already has the beard for this one). Maybe he could tell somebody they just suck at life (circa Survivor China). So many possibilities!
7. Choosing between Shirin and Sierra as my favorite female player this season is the same brown vs. blonde debate that I have struggled with for my entire life. Is it possible to adore them both?
8. The next few tribal councils seem pretty predictable. Dan and Mike will be the next to go on Blue Collar. Nina and Will are in jeopardy at No Collar. I believe that Joaquin and Carolyn are in the most trouble at White Collar.
9. I want to take a second to give props to Rodney. After watching his pre-show interviews, I thought that the brash Beantowner would rub his tribe the wrong way and would likely be the first casualty. I could not have been more wrong. Rodney’s decision to align with the women and target the men could not have been a better plan. He has surrounded himself with an army of allies and has paved a nice road for himself to the merge. In a season where Max has dominated the headlines, Rodney has been playing just as good of a game.
10. Did anyone else notice how Jenn turned into a villain after just one episode? An absolutely fascinating turn of events.
