Things Heat up in Dave's Inferno
The contestants get down and dirty. Survivor by Monty Brinton/CBS
Episode Recap: "My Mom Is Going to Kill Me!"
Remember those days when the pace sometimes dragged during the first few weeks of
Survivor? You didn't know who was who and you could barely remember the first person to go and the challenges were a blur? Well, honey, this is not your grandma's
Survivor! The game has not reinvented itself, but there is some sort of new energy that has
Survivor: China cooking! It is only week two for the viewers yet there is so much going on.
I applaud the competitors for not jumping into things too quickly. These folks are feeling each other out and then making their play. Now, whether that play involves some anachronistic strategy (Jean-Robert) or the tried-and-true
Richard Hatch alliance method it's good to see that the players are thinking. Of course I can't say that across the board (Leslie), but I'll remark on that later. It's the poker player's strategy that concerns me the most. In theory, I get the whole lower-their-expectations plan, but anyone who has ever watched this series will tell you that laziness is not the play you want to make. So, while I'm hoping J-R's, "I need to get some more sleep," plan will work for him, I don't see it happening at this point.
Todd is proving to be exactly as J-R thought. In no time at all, Todd has formed a super-secret alliance with Amanda and has pulled in the jettison-able Aaron as a third. We shall dub him the effortlessly cunning flight attendant.
Things weren't so easy though over on Zhan Hu where teamwork had, sadly, fled the pagoda. I'm not talking about Peih-Gee and Dave, who despite my fears were working well together as co-captains. (Peih-Gee's suddenly subdued nature might have something to do with that.) It's that Ashley girl who can't get along with Dave. "I don't need your life lessons!" she yelled across camp after one encounter with the uber-leader.
Now it's true that last week I described Dave as likable. Clearly, by "likable" I meant condescending and patronizing. Has the man managed not to piss off any member of his tribe in the last three days? It's a gift, really. Dave did have one great - if laborious - idea, and that was building that fire pit. The hard work on an empty stomach may have annoyed Sherea and Jaimie, but the protected fire despite the torrential rains proved Dave's worth and saved his kiester from the ejector seat at Tribal Council.
Zhan Hu lost again at both the reward and immunity challenges. Perhaps they were distracted by the topless mud-wrestling that doubled as a challenge on this PG-13-rated family-hour show. Yes, those were Amanda's boobies being blurred out as she scored a point for Fei Long. I wonder what casino J-R frequents that would make him urge Amanda to cover the girls up? Or was that word of caution also part of his strategy? Amanda was not alone. Most everyone who participated had to be blurred. Sherea even had to fight to keep her knickers on as someone was trying to pull them down. Is this what
The Art of War teaches? A naked opponent is a defeated opponent?
Kidnapping is now a part of the game. The winning Fei Long tribe was allowed to steal Jaimie from Zhan Hu as part of their reward, but Jaimie got to choose who would secretly receive the clue to the Hidden Immunity Idol. She chose Leslie, who in turn chose to share the goods with Todd because she couldn't find the idol on her own (shades of Lisi here).
Leslie, this is God. That was a dumb move. Todd himself was even like, "What the h--? Why did she share this information?!" Now he's plotting to get rid of her and keep the idol for himself. I can't wait to see how this master move of Leslie's plays out.
Just like I wonder how Sherea will rebuild a foundation at Zhan Hu after calling out Dave at tribal council for not listening. In her best Chris Tucker voice, Sherea emphasized Dave's poor listening skills with, "Do you not hear what came out of my mouth?!" Yeah, this is going to be fun. Even so, Ashley cast the sole vote against Dave and received every other one in turn. And so our fair wrestler has been taken down.
Zhan Hu has not had a good showing thus far. As Jeff would say, "You guys need to dig deep!" Let's hope this tribe does just that, because no matter how much energy
Survivor: China has exhibited so far, nothing kills the excitement like a perennially losing tribe. Fingers crossed until next week.
Thoughts? Comments? Who are you rooting for?
Check out
Survivor: China video with our
Online Video Guide.
For an inside look at the new season, tune into TV Guide Network's "
Survivor Preview: China" on Sept. 28 at 7pm/ET.
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Edited by TV Guide Staff at 09/28/2007 8:50 AM
