The Eyes– Exposed

Archive

We’re nearing the end, folks. Three episodes and six people left to go. Who will be the winner? Your guess is as good as mine, but if this season is giving us examples of nothing else, it is giving us examples of both ends of the spectrum: good game playing and bad game playing.

This week, Judd and Lydia fall on the side of bad game playing. Holy crap, what happened to Lydia? She DIVEBOMBED this week. She started the merge out so well, and I considered her a potential shoe-in for the Final Four. Now, that’s all in question, because she blew it. She was never contributing much to the game beyond being the camp workhorse, anyway. Strategy? I wasn’t seeing any besides coasting. Unfortunately, it would have worked, but now, she has made the horrible mistake of coming above the radar screen, and went from being in on the alliance to being an outcast and a potential target.

And Judd! Good going for Gary, calling him out like that. And really, being called out in Tribal Council is never good, especially when you have no platform to tell the other person he was wrong. Gary got him, and got him good. Will this have a negative effect on Judd’s position within the tribe? It’s hard to say. I do give him credit for not exposing Stephenie and trying to ruin her reputation in the tribe for lying to him about the Jamie vote as I predicted he would last week, only because whether he realizes it or not, going to the Final Two with Stephenie is the only way he can really win. Likewise for Stephenie. They’re aligned because they both need the other to win. It’ll be interesting if they’re the Final Two.

I do need to give Lydia props for one thing: she at least noticed Stephenie is in complete control of the game. I was beginning to wonder if this was another All-Star style complex of the weaker players allowing the power players to advance because they’re satisfied with fourth or fifth. Not much she can do, but at least she has taken notice of this fact.

Okay, time to run down each player one by one (excluding Judd and Lydia, I said everything I wanted to say above about them: they’re the worst players of the entire game):

RAFE—Wow. He won Immunity again. He is definitely stronger physically than I expected him to be, especially against the likes of physical powerhouses like Gary and Stephenie. His challenge performance has definitely been impressive, and I must say, I’m a little surprised to see how he seems to be the one everyone is going to in order to strategize. I noticed that Stephenie did it when they voted Jamie out, Judd and Gary were both doing it this week. Rafe doesn’t seem to be have any enemies, and seems to be playing a solid game. If he makes the Final Two, he could quite possibly win the entire game. I knew from square one he would be one to watch, and I do need to admit he is both living up to my expectations and not at the same time. I expected him to be the type of player like Cesternino: cutthroat and taking no prisoners. Rafe is a power player at this point, but not like that. He’s much more subtle than that: so much more so that I have been finding week after week I need to watch him that much more closely. This past week was further proof of that.

STEPHENIE—She’s lucky that Judd didn’t try to expose her, but like I said, I think their alliance is one based on mutual need of the other in a Final Two scenario. Her stock went down a little bit this week because of her little camp outburst, but only a little because she is still going along with Judd and in the foursome alliance that really does have complete control at this point. She is still definitely in this, and unless something really screwy happens, I can see her in the Final Four or better without much trouble.

CINDY—As Lydia’s stock goes way down, Cindy’s stock goes way up. I’m glad we’re finally getting to see a little more of Cindy’s strategy. I wonder if this gradual evolution of Cindy and her strategy is an editing trick being used because she is the eventual winner? That remains to be seen for a couple weeks still, but there is no doubt I have more faith in Cindy than I did this time last week. She is all of a sudden in the core group of four, she is certainly no slouch in the challenges, and from what I’ve seen, she doesn’t have any enemies. Watch her, too.

DANNI—Poor Danni. I think she’s screwed. More than anyone else, I want to see her win. She’s a smart girl, but like Shii-Ann in All-Stars, I have a feeling that the numbers game is about to catch up to her. Not much else to say for her except that I’m pulling for her, and hope she makes it, but the realistic side of me says that, inevitably, she will be voted off this week.

I’m really looking forward to this week’s episode because I’m looking forward to the auction getting some higher stakes, like family members and an advantage in the Immunity Challenge. Should most definitely be fun.

“See” you next week!