Finally!! Another season of Survivor. I have been looking forward to Samoa for a while now. I gotta say…the promotions team did a great job of hyping up this season. I mean Russell H.????? When was the last time one person was broadcast that much…before the premiere! I think…just maybe…that it would be a safe bet that he will be around for a while. But enough about him….it’s already the Russell show.
So episode 1 got off to an exciting start. I gotta say, this season looks pretty rad in HD. And the shot of Probst standing out on the rock as the waves crash in…epic. So its a vote and a challenge right off the bat. Each tribe had to vote on a leader. Galu…who wear purple… voted for the guy in the black jacket with dreads…aka Russell S. Foa Foa…who wear yellow…voted for the guy in the red shirt, jeans and khaki jacket…aka Mick. Each leader then had to assign one person from their tribe to represent a category. Mick chose Jaison as the best swimmer, Russel H as the strongest, Marisa as the most agile and Liz as the smartest. Russell S. chose John as the swimmer, Eric as the strongest, Jasmin as the most agile and Shambo as the smartest…who immediately states that she is smart in the way of life…but in book smarts??? God help her.
The challenge begins…and you can right away tell that Mick may have done a great job at assigning sports. Jaison can swim! Him and John both sprinted out into the water…but Jaison pulled ahead quickly, and brought Foa Foa off to an early lead. Russell H then had to carry to very heavy bundles of logs back to the mat so that the agile person can begin to cross a balance beam. Again, Mick made a good choice. Russell H is a beast of a man. Although Eric put up a great fight. But it was Marisa of Foa Foa who was able to start to cross the balance beam first. Followed fairly closely by Jasmin, who made up some time as well. Once they were across, the smarts, Liz of Foa Foa and Shambo of Galu, had to begin assembeling a puzzle. Although Liz got the head start, Shambo may have surprised herself as to how quick she got that puzzle going. But it was Liz who took it home for Foa Foa. Who are now off to a head start in the entire game, as they get to go to camp with fire…in the form of flint. And I have to agree with what Eric said in a confessional after the challenge…John needs to get up off the ground. You are competing on Survivor, and you are on your ass after the first swim…of the very first challenge. Well done my friend.
Back at the Foa Foa camp, Ben states right off the bat that he is a country boy, and he knows what to do around camp. Not quite sure what his thoughts were here. You all voted on a leader…and it wasnt you! Everyone knows the leader position isnt the best place to be. And he goes ahead and makes himself leader number two. While this is happening, Russell H…aka the supposed biggest Survivor villain ever…is making alliances left right and center. He makes what he calls his dumb girl alliance. It is a secret alliance with the dumb short hair blonde…aka Ashley, a secret alliance with the even dumber long haired blonde…aka Natalie, and another secret alliance with the dark haired girl…aka Marisa. Well at least he didn’t call her dumb! Oh wait…whats the name of the alliance? And he rounds everything off with the older lady…aka Betsy, who he thinks he needs to be a bit more careful with. And rightfully so! She doesnt trust him right off the bat. All because he approached her much to early in the game.
Now enough with the Russell tribe…I mean Foa Foa.
Bakc at the Galu tribe, Russell S who was apointed leader, got off to a good start and got things going at camp. But they do have some opinionated dudes on that tribe. John, Brett and Russell were quick to argue about a place to put the shelter. So whats the best thing to do when you cant decide how to do things?? Well you may as well go for a swim. Everyone was enjoying themselves not making a shelter…except for Betsy. She thinks Russell needs to step up as leader, and lay some laws down. And she said she wasnt smart!
Now we know Russell H is going to play this game nasty. While everyone is laying in the shelter, he is telling this tragic story about his time during Hurricane Katrina. Lost his German Sheppard, was stranded on the roof for two days, but knew what to do to survive all because he was a fire fighter. Now here is the kicker…he has never even lived in New Orleans, has never owned a German Sheppard, and he is infact a multi-millionaire who owns an oil company. Get ready for the “Coach” character of this serason. We will be seeing a lot of this guy. But I really don’t think I mind. He is in fact a great character. And appears to be on the way to being a great Survivor villain. He even went out to the fire when everyone was sleeping, emptied the water canteens, and burned Jaison’s socks. All because he thinks that if he can control the way everyone feels, he can control the way they think. But I gotta say, it was pretty funny seeing everyone asking about the empty canteens, and Jasion looking around for his socks…all while Russlle is smiling in the back ground. He thinks he is running the whole show. Is he?? Well that deffinitly cant be decided just yet.
Time for the first Immunity challenge!! Jeff right off the bat asks Russell S of Galu how everyone is doing around camp. He is very positive about the whole thing. Everyone pulling their weight, things going great! But Ben of Foa Foa is quick to say that he thinks that saying is from a book called “Things Losers Say”. And Eric of Foa foa says they need to get things going cause he is ready to open some cans of whoop ass. Things get going and each tribe has to go up and over three different sizes of A-frames. Galu gets off to a great start. Pulling far ahead of Foa Foa. Galu gets over all three first and gets to begin pulling a crate across a ramp. The crates are heavy, and this is where it almost looks like Foa Foa could come back. Again it seems all because of the beast of man, Russlle H. Galu gets it back first, and the 4 puzzle makers get to start working on the puzzle. Foa Foa is quick to catch up, but it is Galu who pulls ahead and finishes the puzzle first. Galu wins Immunity! What was that Ben…what book do you need to read??? Foa Foa now has a date with Probst at Tribal Council…where one person will be the first one voted out of Survivor Samoa.
So its time for things to get going at the Foa Foa camp. Ashley doesnt want to bring anything up so she doesnt throw a target on her back, but Mike wants to vote Ashley out based on strength. It seems like he is pulling everyone in fairly easily…but….enter Russell. He is having a conversation with Marisa, making sure she is with him. But Marisa is worried, she says she has seen him talking to everyone and doesnt know whats up with him. He pulls it off saying that he is merely talking with people, and she is his alliance. But Russlle has now jumped at the chance to get Marisa out of the game. She threatened him…so she has to go. And maybe his strategy is working…because everyone was listening to what he was saying. Everyone but Betsy, like she said before, she just doesnt want to trust him. A woman’s intuition. Going into tribal coucil…it appears to be either Ashley or Marisa getting snuffed first.
Tribal Council is probably my favorite part of each episode. Jeff gets to grill each person and find out exactlly what is going on at camp. Ashley says that its sad that someone is going home, but thats what the game is, and it is what it is. Mike thinks its a dog eat dog game and they are all wearing milk bone underware. The whole weakest link thing is brought up…and Betsy admits that she thinks Ashley is the weakest on the tribe. Ashley doesnt like this too much…and goes on to explain what she does at home to prove she is in fact not weak. Jeff asks Marisa who she thinks is the strongest…and she steps around the question. Which makes Ben perk up and try to get her to actually answer the question. Yup…they dont get a long. This is where Marisa maybe starts to clue in that she is on the chopping block. Russell brings up the fact that she “threatened” her..and that he just doesnt like her. I’d still say…could go either way between Ashley and Maris. But when the votes were tallied…Marisa was voted out of Survivor Samoa by a vote of 7-3.
I have to say…I really did think Marisa would be around for a bit longer. And I think she thought so to. I dont really think she made that big of a mistake…I just think so made a deal with and pissed off the wrong guy. Russell said himself that he was going to control the tribe…and he did. One comment made the whole tribe vote Marisa out.
Will Russlle continue on his path of destruction??? Will anyone try to call him out on what he is doing??? Who will be the first person ever to be kicked out of a challenge??? We will find out next Thursday!
Also check back soon for a Reality Dish Exclusive Interview with Marisa.
