So far, I’m loving the role reversals this season.
James, everyone’s favorite hero who was so tragically medically evacuated in Micronesia, now is a complete jerk.
Rupert, the tribe’s provider and ultimate fish catcher, now is basically useless.
JT, the man who can do no wrong, now attempts to make alliances with everyone and mistakenly believes he’s in control.
Coach, my biggest annoyance on Tocantins besides JT, now is relatively normal.
And that’s just scratching the surface on the role reversals in Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains from the castaways’ previous seasons. Since Survivor is such a social game, it’s natural for new alliances and friendships to be formed, but what is so interesting about all-star seasons is that everyone pretty much knows everyone. Friendships already HAVE been formed. They know each other already. So how do those friendships play out once on the island and do they turn into alliances? Well from the second episode, they seem to stick.
While some relationships like Tyson and Coach haven’t really been shown yet, Tom/Stephenie and Amanda/Cirie are definitely sticking together whether they want everyone to know it or not. When you think about it, it makes sense. Why would someone try to build trust with someone they might not know as well rather than allign with someone they do know? It’s a sense of safety out there and anything to drown out the constant paranoia is greatly appreciated.
Because of this, rivalries are sure to be formed. Because of the Villains winning streak that continued into the immunity challenge tonight, we haven’t gotten to see much of their camp and strategy. But on the Heroes tribe, petty arguments can create bonds between people and intensify tribe divisions. That’s exactly what struck the Heroes camp this episode, leaving them completely divided.
During the immunity challenge which had previously been done in Survivor: Tocantins, JT was named the leader since he had already competed in the challenge and would know the best way to complete it. Right?
Wrong.
JT, you sucked at this challenge. You ruined it for your tribe. You’re the leader, yet you let arguments and blaming go on not only after the challenge, but DURING it as well. AND he mistakenly believes he’s in control of the game and was the swing vote. Sorry buddy, you’re not.
Once again the Heroes had the lead and lost it on the puzzle. As the Villains slowly passed them and completed their puzzle mainly on account of Boston Rob’s leadership, the Heroes fell apart. Tom started screaming what to do, then JT, then Stephenie, then James and so on and so on until they were all legitimately confused. Before they could get their thoughts straight and complete the puzzle, it was over. The Villains won immunity for the second time in a row, sending Survivor‘s greatest Heroes to tribal council yet again.
It wasn’t an easy vote like the first time. Sugar wasn’t a part of any alliance and was a simple choice during the first Tribal Council. This time it was different. Colby, Tom and Stephenie were one alliance which targeted Amanda, and James, Amanda and Rupert were on the other alliance targeting Stephenie.
This is where JT became laughable. During his confessional, he explained that HE was the swing vote because he could go with either alliance and vote the other person off. While that may be true, no matter which way he went it wouldn’t matter. Either side would still only have four votes, one short of the majority. The two key players? Candice and Cirie.
I love this alliance. Candice and Cirie working together would be awesome and I think they would do well. But for tonight, they had a tough decision. Vote out Stephenie or Amanda. This is where previous relationships come into play. Amanda and Cirie have played together before and knew they could trust each other.
Steph had no chance. After a heated tribal council debate between James (who showed himself to be a complete jerk) and Tom, Colby and Steph, Stephenie became the second person voted out of the game. While leaving, she let everyone know that the next time they lost a challenge, cussing people out isn’t helpful.
James’ response? “Keep yo mouth shut.”
Classy, James. Quite classy.
