Survivor San Juan Del Sur – Episodes 1 & 2 Review

Shows

I’m back from vacation! And my DVR is packed with TV to catch up on. I began with Survivor: San Juan Del Sur, a.k.a. Survivor: Blood vs. Water Again. Don’t take that the wrong way – I like the Blood vs. Water theme, and am glad to see it back with all new cast members. I’m extra-pleased that the producers ditched Redemption Island in favor of Exile Island. I assume it’s because they read my blog?

I was out of the country for the season premiere, which meant I had to go into my mom’s office Survivor pool blind. I made my list, which was a little bit different than it might have been had I seen the first episode. Still, I made out OK – I got my top pick of Kelley. My mom, who has yet to win the pool she created, has Baylor. So she’s already had a close call in episode two!

The first episode was good, but not many of the cast members really jumped out at me. Up until the vote, I was really liking Josh. But I thought his choice to vote for Baylor was odd, even after he explained the logic behind it. I fear that he’ll overthink his game, and might be coming out of the gate too strong. I also liked Baylor in the first episode, but I didn’t like how easily she accepted Josh’s move. I would have delivered a polite but assertive “Don’t do that again”.

So, we all hate John Rocker, right? Wow, he is truly the living worst. I read about him online before the show, so I knew what was coming. The way he said “Lose the friend part. I lost to a girl,” after his girlfriend beat him in the reward challenge was revolting. I can’t stand the guy. On top of his unappealing personality, he’s not even a fan of the show. He was recruited to play, and clearly has no idea how to. I am not impressed. I know he’s a physical asset to his tribe (though he lost BOTH challenges in episode two), but I’d really like to see him voted out soon.

Another person playing terribly was Val. She dug her own grave this week, huh? Why on earth would you tell everyone you have TWO Hidden Immunity Idols? All she did was put a big ol’ target on her back. She deserved to be voted out for that foolish misstep. So far, I’m a fan of her husband Jeremy – but I’m interested to see how he handles seeing that  his wife has been voted off. Especially since he had an agreement with Rocker. Rocker’s princess trophy girlfriend’s days might be numbered.

Next week, I’ll be back to weekly Survivor reviews. Let’s hope for an exciting season! Which players jump out to you as strong so far?

You can follow Jill at her blog, couchtimewithjill.com, or on Twitter @jillemader Jill has been an avid fan of TV since the age of two, when she was so obsessed with Zoobilee Zoo that her mother lied and told her it had been canceled. Despite that setback, she grew up to be a television aficionado and pop culture addict.