Going for the Oscar
Is it luck or skill that's keeping Peih-Gee in this game? It's hard to tell. She's most definitely an outsider. Though I think she does more to keep herself that way than she realizes. The poor thing. She wants to be a part of the crowd so badly, yet when Todd called for a celebratory group hug among the final six where was Peih-Gee? She was sitting off by herself and had to be pulled in.
This was almost enough to make me feel sad for her, but then came the family visits at the reward challenge. Each player was partnered with a loved one and made to navigate a maze while blindfolded, find each other and then make their way to the center platform. Denise and her husband Robert were victorious despite the ear splitting (and hilarious) birdcall strategy used by Amanda and sister, Katrina. Denise stayed true to her alliance and chose Amanda, Katrina, Todd and his sister Brandi to join her on her river cruise and feast. This left Courtney and her English father Graham, Erik and his mother and a sulky Peih-Gee and her father Lawrence to remain at camp, hungry and bitter. And how deliciously naughty was it for the winners to bring back a chocolate treat for the starving challenge losers only you have them like it off of the winners hands.
Now this may be hypocritical, but I was surprised that Denise didn't chose Peih-Gee to join in her reward as payback for Peih-Gee choosing her last week to go to the Shaolin Temple. However, to watch Peih-Gee complain about the same thing turned me off. Oh Well. Know what else turned me off? The losing members suggesting that Todd's sad news of his younger sister's miscarriage was akin to Johnny Fairplay's dead grandmother ploy. It never once occurred to me that Todd was playing the game when he got emotional. But I will say Jeff has good hearing to have picked up on that whispered conversation.
In the aftermath of the family visits it seemed that Peih-Gee and Todd were the only two players invested in winning the immunity challenge. I'm going to assume that this swampified obstacle course trivia challenge was harder than it seemed due to some horrific humidity or some other weather phenomenon because otherwise it didn't look that hard to me. Follow the rope, answer a true/false question, choose the right key retrace your steps and open a lock. Repeat two times. Yet, everyone was moving in slo-mo. Even the final leg was like stop-motion claymation special. Todd. Almost. Wins. Peih-Gee. Close. Behind. Todd. Has. Wrong. Key. Pieh-Gee. Wins. Immunity. Again!
She won her second immunity challenge in a row! Luck? I'd say a little bit because had Todd known that the Chinese invented gunpowder he would be the proud holder of an immunity necklace.
As things go when it comes down to six players remaining, the player with the least power in the game becomes the all-powerful swing vote. Denise bore the brunt of Peih-Gee and Erik's lobbying to force a tie against Todd, Amanda and Courtney. It would have been a smart move for Denise, but instead she, like Aaron, looked too far ahead in the game to the possibility of a backlash from her alliance if she were to vote against them and the vote didn't got in her favor. Erik paid the price tonight for Denise's fears. But honestly, this guy was pretty bad at this game. I don't think I saw one strategic move on his part the whole time he was in the mix. Erik seems like a great guy but he's lucky to have lasted this long.
Now, he will join the ranks of the jury and if you watch the opening credits closely next week you'll see that
Survivor has done something different this season. No longer will you see the faces of all 16 players. You'll get the merged tribe and then the jury. I guess that's just more incentive to make it to the merge.
So, will Amanda make this move against Todd that she's been talking about or will we have to wait yet another week? Did Denise make the right call in voting out Erik? What was Jaime laughing about at tribal James looked pissed though). And isn't it interesting that the players are strategizing based on a final three finale? Wouldn't it be great if Survivor flipped the script again and went back to a two-person finale?
What do you think?
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