Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS (2)
“This game is cool, but it’s not THAT cool. I don’t want to die, I’d rather walk home.”
– Joe Dowdle,Survivor: Tocantins
Being medically evacuated has to be the worst way to leaveSurvivor. All your great plans, all the myriad possibilities that the game presents – torn away from you before you can see them to completion. At least if you get blindsided, you were properly beat. Medical evacuation leaves you wondering what if.
For a lot of people watching, that’s what made Colton’s appendicitis so satisfying.Colton’s crueltyto Christina and to Bill went beyond the bounds of the game. Colton didn’t just call Christina a cockroach or tell her to jump in the fire. Somehow, he made her believe it – so that halfway through the episode, she was callingherselfa cockroach. That’s the most invidious fallout from bullying. The victim actually starts to lose her self-esteem.
The Fishy this week was a tough call. On the one hand, I wanted to give Karma the credit it’s due. But thenSurvivor: Guatemalacontestant Brian Corridan wrote to me, “Colton’s appendix for the Fishy this week. It had the guts to do what no other player would: get Colton out of the game. (Guts pun intended, naturally.)” So Colton’s Appendix – it’s your lucky day. Let’s see what you have in store for us next week!
Parliament of Fools
I really love this season’s cast. You have a few players you can genuinely root for. Kim, Sabrina and Troyzan are all smart gamers who play aggressively but without hostility. You have your villains, the self-aggrandizing jerks who inevitably get their comeuppance – Alicia, Matt, and Colton.
And then you have your clowns.
This season is particularly high on unintentional comic relief. Of course Tarzan stands out – in his blue bikini briefs, he’d stand out anywhere. He’s both the smartest and the dumbest person on the island, and speaks only in Sherlock Holmes clichés. Kat is probably still wringing her hands in fear about the “appendix thing.”
My personal favorite may actually be Michael. He has emerged as a caricature of Boring Alpha Male. Just watch him as he stands on the fringes of groups, shuffling from one foot to the other, contributing absolutely nothing. “I’m going to eat every single ice cream flavor,” he says at the reward. Way to go!
As the tribes merge, and Kim and Troyzan begin to make moves while Tarzan stumbles across the horizon, I’m hoping for a fantastic season.
source: people.com
