And so it begins.....
 Well,
at least for Wanda's sake, she wasn't as scary looking as
this picture portrays her, but honestly, she wasn't that much
saner than what she looks like. Her and her songs had to go.
I didn't blame a single person in that group for getting rid
of her - you don't need to hear some obnoxious lady singing
some silly song while you're trying to row a stupid boat with
19 other people you have no clue who they are. But I digress
too fast....let's talk about why Wanda and the guy below had
to go!
Talk about changing things up!
Kick ass. Survivor needed some changing, and this was definitely
an intriguing and interesting way to start things off. First
they had to start off by rowing themselves in one giant boat,
at which point good ol' Jeff meets up with them in his speed
boat. Nice. Then the news: first man and woman to the beach
gets immunity. Sweet. You could immediately see the anxiety
ratchet up a notch as people are contemplating leaving, jumping
ship and swimming, etc. Obviously we saw how smart jumping
off the boat was, but I'm sure the shore looked close. Chumps.
Honestly, if it had been me, I would have started hitting
people with oars or dragging people's legs while they were
swimming so I could get ahead. It's Immunity, people!!!!!
I was a little shocked to see that Crazy (aka Ian) got there
so fast, and I was impressed when Jolanda hustled to get the
women's immunity. But who knew that immunity would only last......
......A day + 10 minutes?
 Yep,
the old, painful game of schoolyard selection came back and
boy was it painful. In other iterations of Survivor when they
did this, if you got picked last, it didn't really matter,
as you were still in the game. This time, your game is up!
That really sucked. And while I wasn't shocked too much about
Wanda not getting chosen, I must admit complete surprise by
a few things, but most notably the fact that Jonathan didn't
get picked at all. He was obviously strong and in shape, so
it leads me to believe that he had annoyed the others already.
We obviously didn't see that, and while those I watched the
show with think that his comment near his demise about being
shocked at not getting picked sooner was his downfall, I don't
really think that would make much of a difference. These people
obviously had other plans, especially if you pick old Willard
over young Jonathan. Ah well.... The other big shocker was
the Outsider betrayal done by Coby. WTF? If I was Angie, my
first target would be Coby. What a jerk. But obviously this
is a game, but in a game where everyone's just looking for
a reason to vote others off, Angie definitely has one.
On to the Reward/Immunity Challenge!
Yeah, after the separation into the Ulong and Koror tribes,
we made it to the Challenge. And obvious weaknesses were made
completely apparent, with Ulong unfortunately listening to
Jolanda's advice to get everything. Silly girl. I almost think
it would have been worth it to just dump the boxes altogether,
but if you're going to take anything, get the fire. And Ulong
didn't get the fire at all. Hmmm..... So hats off to the Koror
tribe for thinking smart and moving fast and winning Immunity.
Ulong has some work ahead to iron out these wrinkles. But
at least they didn't get overturned while rowing back to the
beach. That was a priceless moment. I am tempted to think
CBS was underwater and knocked the boat over, but who cares,
it made me laugh out loud. And then their fire is all underwater.
Hilarious!!!!
 Tribal
Council!!!!!!!
I'm frankly glad that Angie isn't gone. Because she survived
this initial attack, I think that if Angie plays smart, blends
in, and works hard, she can easily avoid being the target
from here on out. She just needs to not make it easy to target
her. And that should be easy, especially after a few days,
when people start to get on each others' nerves and alliances
start to form. Jolanda, your strategic mistake at the Challenge
was your downfall, and your overbearing attitude only added
to it. If you had won the Challenge, then your attitude would
be an asset. But since it was a loss, it was a liability.
It's funny how fickle things can be based on the simple win
or loss.
Final Thoughts
I'm stoked. This first episode was a great beginning and
actually has interesting cast members. I look forward to seeing
what else changes, as I've been reading that Jeff Probst says
that this season of Survivor is an answer to critics claiming
that Survivor has become predictable. Cool!!! |
Other's Thoughts:
 C-Money
speaks:
Hey there! What a rough one... That
was a little different.
I really did NOT like the way they picked the teams. Oh my
Gawd! Can you say junior high anxiety?!?!? I was almost crying
myself and I don't even "know" these people yet...
I don't remember the names of the tribes yet either, but the
ones who lost the challenge... another Oh My Gawd! Why be
so greedy??? Jeff said the things would be weighted down,
so why try to carry EVERYTHING? Just be smart, take the fire
and move on. You'll find food, you'll make shelter. Sometimes,
they just don't use their heads.
I'm kind of glad that the singing lady was the first lady
to go. She was odd from the beginning. Writing songs for Survivor.
Too much time on your hands... And that poor guy! He's young,
strong, kind of nice to look at, but he just wasn't chosen.
Why? Did I miss something? Or just bad luck.
Well, not too much more from me tonight. Next week I'll be
a little more familiar with the peeps on the show and can
elaborate more.
Have a good one!!
 Byron
chimes in (Welcome back, Junkie!):
Well, I wasn't going to get sucked
in but I went and did anyway. Yes, I'm watching Survivor.
I must say, it was interesting.
The minute Wanda started to sing I
knew she'd be the first out. In fact, when they started that
school yard selection process I was sure the old folks would
be the last picked. You know I always hated that. I was one
of those people that always got picked last but then contributed
greatly to the team I was on. I really started to worry toward
the end. My girl Angie looked like she wasn't going to make
it. Yeah, I'm rooting for her. She's a Wisconsin girl. I still
can't fathom why Jonathon was not picked. He must have said
something stupid to someone. I'm surprised they didn't boot
the 2 yahoos that jumped ship WAY to early. Yeah, they're
team players. They'll go far. NOT.
The challenge was interesting. I like
it when they combine mental and physical. It evens things
it seems. Plus I'm digging this whole WWII theme. I'm also
blown away by the absolute beauty of those islands! I'm so
pissed off that Hobie is sitting there with his big ass HDTV
enjoying it all. I'll probably move the couch to within a
foot of my TV so I can get the same effect.
Jolanda, WTF girl? The whole challenge
was about trade offs and sacrifices. You can't get greedy
or bossy and you did both. You might have grown on me, you
were starting to, but just because you made it first and got
to pick first didn't mean you're the tribal leader. I'm just
glad they kept Angie in. It's the glasses, the haircut and
the tattoos. Don't ask me why or analyze it.
Overall...
Ok, they seemed to have fired the writer
from last season.
The challenges are interesting and I'm blown away by the place.
I can't believe they dumped the boat. That should be interesting
watching them search for the flint.
It's got me for another week.
|
