1. While many are saying that Wednesday’s Survivor Philippines was one of the best merge episodes of all-times, I classify it as one of the worst. Why? The prevalent chaos that ensued when Tandang and Kalabaw merged certainly might have seemed entertaining on first glance, but it was truly a showcase of complete and total ineptitude. Voting off RC made no sense for anyone who did it. Let me lay it out for you. First of all, no matter how Pete/Abi/Artis felt about RC, they had a major numerical advantage. It made absolutely no sense for them to flip on one of their own, especially since it would have resulted in losing another number in Mike. While I realize that this didn’t happen (and that Mike was part of the voting bloc that sent his former ally to the jury house), on paper, it was a bad move for anyone wearing yellow. On the flip side, while the move looked like it made sense for Kalabaw considering they were in the minority… as soon as they recognized that the majority was willing to spare them for the initial vote, they should have seized the opportunity, told RC and Mike, grabbed them and eliminated Pete (Tandang’s power player). Instead, they tried to get one of their own out in Penner. Sheer stupidity. Plain and simple.
2. The obsession that Jeff Kent has to finish ahead of Jonathan will be his downfall. It makes no sense whatsoever. I have been thinking about this in detail, and it reminds me a lot of Christine in South Pacific, who seemed determined to want to eliminate Coach (which put an unnecessary target on herself right at the start of the game). In the new age of Survivor, returning players are now the norm and not the exception. While Jeff could make the argument that he didn’t want a repeat of the returning player going to the end again (which is what happened on Redemption Island and South Pacific), he is making his move too quickly. Jonathan wasn’t a threat to him. Now he is.
3. The ‘strategy’ talks between Jeff and Carter are hysterical. “So what do you think we should do?” “Uhhhh.”
4. The rationale behind the voting strategies on the last episode was so nonsensical, that I have no problem admitting that any player on Pagong was better than this year’s cast of misfits.
5. I thought it was suspicious that Lisa just happened to do the laundry for people she just met and found Malcolm’s idol as a result. Couldn’t have had anything to do with wanting to protect one of the ‘stars’ of the season right?
6. Once again, I am baffled by both tribes giving Malcolm and Denise a free pass. We are at the merge now. Shouldn’t they both be considered major threats, in addition to being initially on the outside of both tribes? What I legitimately can’t figure out is why no one seems to understand that the Matsing castaways now have the most power. All Malcolm and Denise have to do is compare notes about Tandang and Kalabaw and they have a road map for how to move forward.
7. What I do like about this season is the fact that there are pocket alliances. You have subgroups of Malcolm/Denise/Lisa vs. Pete/Abi/Artis vs. Jeff/Carter with the swing votes of Mike and Penner. The most interesting scenario would be Jeff/Carter reteaming with Penner and picking up Skupin to give them 4 which would be more votes than the other pocket alliances of three. While I don’t see that happening, I don’t think I have ever seen something like this before so it does open things up and makes them completely unpredictable. With that being said, while it might be boring… I still prefer rational gameplay.
8. I really hope we get to see RC play the game again. She got a bum deal and was stuck on a season where people are making some of the worst decisions in Survivor history. She was smart, stunning and strategic. That doesn’t bode well on a season that is all about cliques, playing personally, and unmitigated chaos.
9. Why would Jeff get rid of Katie if his next move was to target Penner? Huh?
10. It will be fascinating to see if Jonathan can recover from this.
*Bonus thought: What was up with Mike voting against Penner?
