10 Thoughts On… Survivor: Blood vs. Water – Episode 3 Review

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1. It was heartbreaking to see Rachel go home as she was certainly my pick to win this season. The victim of circumstance and an uneven male/female proportion on the Loved Ones tribe made her easily expendable and I do not fault the logic that Brad/Vytas employed last week in voting her off. I was just hoping that she would have made it through Redemption Island.

2. While many are hating on him, I am absolutely loving Brad Culpepper this season. He makes for interesting television and while his decision to cut one of his own core allies off (even after this ally shared the hidden immunity idol clue with him) made no sense, it was fascinating to see someone use such a nonsensical strategy. This was compounded with Brad even having the gall to tell his other tribemates that he did not want to vote for that person (securing his safety should the returning player come back into the game). It was one of the worst game moves I have ever seen in Survivor history but doesn’t get the consideration it deserves.

3. Like Brad, Colton was also hated upon for quitting the game for a second time, and while I understand why this annoys so many fans of the show, I actually enjoyed seeing it. The fact is that as players continue to be recruited rather applying through the traditional casting and audition process, we lose a degree of realness in the people that are playing the game. Colton wanted to quit and so he did. He genuinely didn’t care what his fellow castaways thought nor did he bat an eye when Jeff chastised him publicly. He doesn’t care about what anyone else thinks and on a show that is about the study of human dynamics, this was refreshing to see. You will never find another Colton and that’s why he belongs on this show.

4. On seasons where returning players compete against newbies, will the first-time players ever have a chance? The returnees have all played the same games and experienced the social politics necessary to win the show and it’s almost like sending an innocent puppy in to fend off a lion. This almost makes the show too predictable and yet we all are the ones who collectively clamor for producers to bring our favorites back. Could it be that we inherently enjoy the predictability?

5. While I hated the concept of Redemption Island the last time, when it is used effectively (like it has been this season), it is a great new element to the game and Burnett and company should be applauded for fixing something that hasn’t worked before. It has gotten to the point where I am actually far more interested in seeing what happens at Redemption Island than I am at Tribal Council.

6. This season needs hot girls… badly. They might as well have finally filmed this season in a cold-weather environment. The argument against an Arctic version of Survivor has always been CBS’ belief that the viewing public wants to see pretty girls in bikinis instead of human suffering under freezing temperatures. Truthfully though, is there anyone you’d want to see in a bikini this season?

7. The best players in the game so far are Tyson, Aras, Vytas and Hayden.

8. Why aren’t we seeing more of Laura? She is being hidden circa Natalie Bolton on Fans vs. Favorites and I wonder if, like her predecessor, editing is setting her up to do something big down the line.

9. There is no question I am rooting for Marissa at Redemption Island tonight.

10. If Tyson was a force to be reckoned with before, now that his girlfriend has left the game, he is now a licensed killer with no ties to anyone. In the long-term, I expect this will benefit his game as he no longer needs to be loyal to anyone.

Murtz Jaffer is the world's foremost reality television expert and was the host of Reality Obsessed which aired on the TVTropolis and Global Reality Channels in Canada. He has professional writing experience at the Toronto Sun, National Post, TV Guide Canada, TOROMagazine.com and was a former producer at Entertainment Tonight Canada. He was also the editor at Weekendtrips.com.