It never ceases to amaze me that, even after twelve seasons, there are still players who apparently have no concept of how this game is played. And, if they do indeed understand it, then they are under the impressions they can change it.
I’m not sure exactly where Aras stands on this pedestal, but he sure had a poor showing this week. After mesmerizing us in the premiere with his ability to capture energy in his hands, he completely boggled our minds with his, as Courtney put it, bombshell.
For me, this is the highlight of discussion this week because, as I said, it was so mind-boggling. Aras is clearly far too concerned with morality and fairness than he is with his strategic position within the game itself.
Going up to Melinda and Cirie and telling them that Shane wanted to stay, so therefore he was going to write one of their names down was not only stupid, it was arrogant. I know he didn’t mean for the arrogance part, but it’s an unnecessary display of power that can only end up hurting him in the end. Plus, he did it in front of his allies, without even telling them about Shane’s change of plans in private first. Both Danielle and Courtney were visibly perplexed, and I can’t say I blame them. I’d kill him if it was me, no matter which position I was in. If I was Cirie or Melinda, I would have gone to Danielle and Courtney and Bobby and tried to get Aras kicked off. If I was Danielle or Courtney, I’d do it, because this is a clear sign that Aras is not the type of ally you want to have. Loose lips sink ships.
Aras needs to watch his mouth, because what happens if there was a switch tomorrow and suddenly he’s the one in the minority of the voting block? It’s called “chewing your words.”
So, that brings us to Shane, whose crimes are even worse than Aras’ crimes. Shane whines about quitting on the old men’s tribe, gets a “new life” on Casaya, then wants to quit again. He’s going through serious detox, but beyond even that, I’m beginning to think there are some mental issues there. Even worse than that is coming out after Aras and saying “Whichever one of you doesn’t go home tonight is going home next.” Um, hello? There are NEVER any guarantees in this game, and it’s a variable game that changes daily. You never come out with such a bold statement, especially when there’s no way to back it up. Survivor is all mental, and Shane just doesn’t have it. I would have gotten rid of him this week, not Melinda. I wouldn’t want a tribe member who wasn’t 100% into the game. We had a similar situation, in terms of willpower, with Osten in the Pearl Islands. Just because you may be strong physically doesn’t mean you’re strong mentally, and Survivor is mainly about the mental.
While we are still on the subject of Casaya, where the heck did Bobby go? We know that Courtney, Danielle, Aras, and Shane are an alliance of four (which will never last), and Cirie is on the outside (as was Melinda, but she is now gone, obviously). There was no indication at all of where Bobby fits into this whole puzzle, except for the fact that he voted along with the majority. At this point, the only assumption I can make is that he is on the outside along with Cirie. However, with Shane being so out of it, I doubt he has to worry for a little while.
From my vantage point, here were some other standouts, either good or bad, from episode 2:
BRUCE—The second person to visit Exile Island. He must have been so terrified when he was the last person picked, especially after what happened at the beginning of Palau with Wanda and Jonathan. In the end, he got a free pass to the next round. All in all, not a terrible deal, except for the fact that he is going to have a tough time now integrating into a tribe that has been together and forming alliances for two or three days. However, there are people in obvious minority positions, namely Cirie, with whom he should try to team up with, and a detoxing psycho in Shane. I think Bruce will bounce back from the disadvantage he’s doing into Casaya with.
SALLY—So she drops the spear in the water. Luckily for her, though, her tribe won Immunity and the others didn’t seem upset enough to hold a grudge against her. I believe it’s forgotten.
NICK—He handled the thing with Sally on the raft very well. I was impressed. He was really cool about it, and made her feel better. He seems like a nice guy, and he handled this situation perfectly. Plus, he is in good with the alliance, I think he stands a decent shot to go far.
AUSTIN—Caught in a quandary, but it’s the type I’d definitely like to be caught in on Survivor. Two alliances, each one counting on his vote. He’s obviously troubled, though, by the moral dilemma of lying, so I hope he doesn’t screw it up.
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Okay, so it looks as if La Mina is definitely the stronger of the two tribes. They have been working very well together, and in this episode, Casaya was crumbling, especially politically. Now that we know the tribes and have gotten a glimpse at their preliminary political formats, I can attempt to make predictions for this week.
EPISODE THREE PREDICTIONS
BOOT: Shane
SOLE SURVIVOR: Ruth Marie
“See” you next week!
