10 Thoughts On… Survivor: Blood vs. Water – Episode 5 Review

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1. I definitely was blindsided by the vote. I did not see the logic behind the favorites voting out Laura who seemed to be a loyal vote for them heading into a potential merge. With that said, after taking the week to consider the move… the only plausible explanation for evicting Laura at this stage of the game is the concern that she will pair back up with her daughter, Ciera, who inexplicably is still in the game. Even that argument is faulty, however, because if the Faves were concerned about people in their tribe aligning with their loved ones, the obvious choice would have been to eliminate Kat to goad Hayden into replacing her. One other interesting thought that I had was perhaps it was Laura’s desire to round up Laura B, Tina, Monica and Kat to vote out the guys. I don’t know. I just genuinely don’t feel like it was the right move.

2. Laura B. is becoming an increasingly interesting player for me to watch. She could be a great pawn for a smart player, and really, the only concern would be if she flips back to the Loved Ones in a merge situation. With that said, I don’t think she will because not only are they the ones who voted her out, but with the favorites having a numerical advantage (depending on how tonight’s twist shakes out), it wouldn’t make sense for her to do so.

3. Tyson’s edit has been absolutely fascinating this season. It’s almost like the show producers are painting him using a completely different set of colors from the previous times that he played. Gone is the goofy guy with one-liners available at a moment’s notice. Now, Apostol is solely presented to the audience as the sharpest player in the game. One who can dominate challenges with one arm, while not being above using the same arm to garner sympathy from the rest of his tribe. The fact that he already sees Aras as a threat and has been silently plotting his demise speaks volumes. There is no doubt in my mind that Aras has also been sizing up Tyson as his biggest threat in the game, but it’s interesting that Tyson was chosen as the one to reveal it.

4. If you weren’t rooting for Brad to win that last Redemption Island challenge, you simply are not a fan of Survivor. Brad staying in the game is much better for the show in general.

5. Caleb discussing the power that he now has in the game as the swing vote, really takes me back to when Christy believed she had all of the power on Survivor Amazon and was unceremoniously dumped. I believe the same fate awaits our favorite farmer.

6. While Tina isn’t showing it, I am sure she is thrilled that Katie has somehow managed to get this far as it gives the former Australia winner, one more not-so-secret weapon. While I believe Aras will be punished for Vytas still being in the game, I believe it will be the opposite for the Knoxville mother.

7. One of the points that I thought about this week was whether gender-based alliances will affect tribal lines as we move forward in the game. Really, with the Loved Ones being in a minority, their only strategy might be to use Brad’s philosophy of aligning with the same gender from the other side as their only means to stay and avoid being picked off. I can’t see any other way that a favorite does not win at this point.

8. Is Gervase the most-improved player this season?

9. I feel like Vytas wants to backstab just for the sake of backstabbing.

10. I hate that the previews and commercials have completely given away the new tribes after tonight’s twist. I remember the days when spoilers used to be vilified for finding information out by studying still frames in upcoming episode previews. Now, they don’t even have to bother. The answers are gift-wrapped.

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.