Survivor: China: Fireworks and Fishing Gear
Oh, Sherea! Sherea Lloyd by Monty Brinton/CBS
Episode Recap: "Ride the Workhorse 'Til the Tail Falls Off"
Have I mentioned what an interesting group of people we have playing
Survivor: China? There is such a wide variety of folks on this show that each week I feel like I'm watching an entirely new program. That's a good thing, because it is keeping the show fresh.
Last week Jean-Robert was the guy you just wanted gone. This week, while you may still want him to disappear, he turns out to be an asset to the tribe. Who knew he could speak Mandarin? Fei Long won the reward challenge a giant chopstick, flaming ball and fireworks affair and earned fishing gear and a lesson from a local family on how to catch fish using trained diving birds. Jean-Robert stepped up as the translator, and the tribe got a lot of useful information because of him. Talk about pulling a trick out of the hat at the right time.
This week's kidnapping victim was Dave, who was swiped from the arms of his had-it-up-to-here-with-him tribe. Dave didn't attempt to hide his crazy from Fei Long. He was mooning people (this guy will drop trou at any opportunity!) and hugging them. James ("I told you about the hugging") was having none of that. Todd, ever the strategist, put on his most welcoming face despite thinking Dave a "nutcase" and earned the man's trustand the next two immunity idol clues.
What is it about Todd that makes everyone think he's trustworthy? I don't see it, personally. He just
looks sneaky. Regardless, Todd is the go-to man for secrets. But when will they notice that everyone who goes to him ends up gone at tribal council? Dave made it back home only long enough for Zhan Hu to lose the immunity challenge and vote him out.
Of course, this happened after Sherea placed herself squarely in the torch snuffers' sights by "conserving" her energy for the challenges. You can spin it however you want Sherea, but there's a word for that. But wait, she
did pick the moldy rice out of the good rice. I've heard that can be tiring.
With Dave kidnapped, Zhan Hu was finally at peace. Their whole vibe was just mellow, even when they got up to work. They did what they had to do with no yelling. Imagine that. We also got to know Erik a bit more, which is not a bad thing. His showing at the immunity challenge was enjoyable. Especially when he pulled off his helmet, freeing his curly locks and posing ever so slightly like a true warrior. I saw a little bit of
Eric Bana's Hector from the movie
Troy in Erik at that momentbut I digress.
Denise spoke on camera for the first time this week. She said, "Flavor never tasted so good!" I bet she's a really good lunch lady. Courtney spoke more with her eyes than her mouth when she was chosen again to sit out the reward challenge. I'm grateful for that because it guaranteed that we would see her in the suit of armor. And no, she didn't collapse under the weight of it. Oops! Did I say
under weight?
Yes, indeed, this season's casting has kept me tuned in to the show and yet somehow last week I misattributed comments made by Jean-Robert to James. I apologize for putting words into James' mouth, especially since the ones that do exit his lips are usually quite entertaining.
Now that Zhan Hu is down another member, here are some questions to ponder for next week. With Dave gone, will Sherea's eyes stop their constant rolling? Was Dave really planning to bring those shells (rocks?) home to his mother, or was he just trying to make Sherea look bad? Has Peih Gee abdicated her role as co-captain? Why does Jean-Robert speak of himself in the third person? Did Todd recognize the immunity idol, or was it just the editing? Why the annoying freeze-framing during the immunity challenges? And one from the previews: Is Erik really a virgin, or is that declaration part of his strategy?
For more
Survivor: China, check out our
Online Video Guide.
To get the latest news and gossip about
Survivor: China, tune into TV Guide Network's
Watercooler; October 13 at 2pm/ET.
