Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains

It's in the South Pacific!  Can you believe that there have been over 300 Survivor Castaways over the past 20 seasons?  That's crazy!

Cue dramatic entrance in helicopters.  Heroes in two, Villains in the other two.  And, Ahhhhh, Russell.  No one knows anything about him, and they aren't ready for him.  All they know is that he's on the villain side.

This is going to be a good one.

But, boooooo.... Coach is already talking about slaying people.  I really can't handle him.  Cirie called herself a nice gangster with a smile in an Oprah suit.  Interesting.

Heroes are Colby, Stephanie, Tom, Amanda, Sugar, James, JT, Cirie, Rupert, and Candice.

Villains are Rob, Randy, Parvati, Tyson, Coach, Sandra, Courtney, Russell, Danielle and Jerri.

Probst met them on the beach after the helicopters landed.  The villains got really ominous music for their entrance. I like it.

Probst got right off the bat onto Russell, asking how he felt to be deemed one of the ten most notorious players of the history of the show, and he said he is just trying not the be starstruck about playing with these people, but he's excited about playing with people who actually know how to play the game.

Tom said that the game could change at any moment, because people could change their game plan if it didn't work the first time around.  Colby is humbled by the experience.  JT admits it's intimidating, because he watched most of the people in high school.

Probst asked if anyone felt they were on the wrong team, and almost everyone on the villain team raised their hand.  Except for Jerri, in her black hat.  (Colby, btw, has a white hat.)

James says that the talkers are the most dangerous people, the people who strategize.  Probst twisted the knife about him getting voted out with two idols in his pockets.  Rob said that the villainous women are obviously stronger than the heroic women, and it gives them an advantage.

And, guess what?

First Reward Challenge.

They will face off two vs. two, race out to dig up bags, then race back to the mat, to touch a bag and get on their team mat, while the other team tries to stop them.  First tribe to score 3 points wins fire. 


Stephanie & Cirie vs. Parvati & Danielle are up first, and Cirie got the bag first, but was tackled and Danielle and Stephanie fought over it, and then Parvati got it, and they were down.  Courtney yelled out to "break her shoulder."  That didn't happen, but Danielle got the bag for one point for the Villains.

But... Stephanie dislocated her shoulder right off. Oy.  That sucks.  A lot.

The game was paused as medical was called in.  They popped her shoulder back in, and she was back in. Probst looked impressed.

Amanda & JT vs. Randy & Jerri are up next.  Jerri found the bag first, but then JT hopped on her before she could get it out.  Amanda took on Jerri, who was still digging, and then JT grabbed the bag and took off with it, scoring a point for the Heroes.

Colby & Tom vs. Coach & Russell.  Coach hung back to play defense. Russell got the bag first, but was tackled, and it's a full on battle.  Colby seemed to be making headway.  Russelll was beating up on Tom.  Colby dragged coach the the finish line, as Russell seemingly uselessly beat on Tom.  Coach decided to drag Colby to the Villain mat, and it was a point for the Villains.  I have to admit, that was a good move.

Sugar & Candace vs. Sandra & Courtney.  Courtney found the bag first, but Candace managed to get hold of it, but Courtney was like a leech on her back.  Candace managed to toss the bag to Sugar and then it got tossed away as there was a fight between the women.  Sandra unhooked Sugar's top trying to distract her, but ha ha!  Sugar took off, topless, and scored for the Heroes.


Tyson & Boston Rob vs. Rupert & James.  Tyson was the first to find the bag, but there was a take down, and Boston Rob tried to dig in and get it away, but in the end, it was a run to the finish by James, and the Heroes won their fire.

But, oh no!!!  Rupert broke his toe!  He got it taped by medical and went on his way.  Hope that doesn't hurt him.  The two injured Heroes went home victorious at least.

Russell said he's used to losing with a bunch of dummies, but this isn't a bunch of dummies, so he knows his tribe will win in the end.

They got maps to their camps and were off to go make shelter.

Russell is ready for the challenge of playing with people who are good players, and says if he whoops the Allstars, that will just prove he's the best ever.

Off they go, to gather building supplies.  Russell immediately took Danielle aside and played the same game as he played before (which no one saw) and told her that he wants to take her to the Final Two.  Let's see who else he says the same thing to.  I think his speech is verbatim.  And then he used it on Parvati.  I love it.  Love it.  Will they fall for it?

Parvati is aware that he is probably talking to everyone, and says she will make a deal with the devil, because she wants the devil on her side.  (Wait, they haven't seen him play, have they?  how could they?)

Over on the Heroe tribe, they get right to the ... swimming?  Sure.  You can start with that.  Hope it's not a cocky move.  They decide to build by the beach, after Sugar inadvertently insulted "the two oldest men here" (Rupert and Tom).  They seemed to be working wel together, and Amanda said it was like they had good karma.

Enter a wild chicken?  Tom eyed it and started stalking it.  A rooster and three hens!  JT went around the other side.  Others were called in to help.  They decided to use the fishing net, and they surrounded the chickens.  Amazingly, they netted themselves some chickens!  All of them!  Chicken dinner.  Pretty cool.  Sugar and Cirie looked sad, but I bet they'll still eat them.  They actually didn't kill (all of?) them right off, but built a little chicken cage using the fishing net and a hollow log.

Night time in the Villain Camp, and they were all excited that the Heroes got injured.  Coach loved his own abilities.  Jerri likes Coach.  Coach likes Jerri.    The next morning, Russell told Coach to not stand in the way of true love.  Everyone seemed to think that they would make a good couple.  Interesting.

Over with the Heroes, JT wanted to make an alliance right off with James.  Colby saw them chatting and told Candace to watch out for them.  They worried about people who have played together before, like Cirie and Amanda, and they also know James.  Tom and Stephanie were also on the same season.  Tom admitted in confessional that he wants someone in the final two with him who had won the million, too, and went to chat with JT.  JT said that he is willing to sacrifice some of his integrity if it helps him win.

The problem is, on the Villain side, no one can keep interested in things long enough to make fire, or build shelter, so they don't have water.  Boston Rob was not happy with them.

Randy didn't think that it was possible to make fire without flint (because, yeah, no one has ever made fire without flint.  Randy's a dumb ass.), but they all worked together and created a spark.  Rob nursed the husk into flame and they made fire!  Good for Rob.

Coach is a little in awe of Rob, and sucked up to Rob completely.  Russell said it was ok for the talk to happen, but he is still king of the mountain until he is dethroned, and he doesn't see it happening.  Ah, dear, sweet, evil, conniving Russell.

Rupert tried to catch fish with his broken toe, but couldn't, and went back to try to be the hero of the Heroes and start fire.  It wasn't happening.  Cirie just let him try, even though he shaved half the magnesium off, because she said his ego is huge and she didn't want to get in it's way.

He gave up, and Colby and JT made the fire almost instantly.  Poor Rupert.  He seems broken in spirit, and not just in toe.  He seemed almost bitter at them for making the fire.

Back at the Villain camp, Rob and Tyson decided to shimmy up a very tall palm tree to try to cut off some palm fronds.  Some of the girls came up and told him to come down because he doesn't need to break himself.  He said it would take someone with a bigger ego than him, and sent Coach up the tree.  Coach repeated his "Iron sharpens iron" mantra and said that Rob sharpens him.

Sandra and Rob bet on Coach's success.  Coach gave up, and Rob won a dollar.  Coach said he could have made it up, but he didn't want to.  Sure, dude.

Nighttime at the Heroes Camp, and everyone but Sugar seemed to be sleeping peacefully.  Sugar was on the lookout for a protector and decided to snuggle up with Colby, but she was talking super loud in the middle of the night.  No one was happy with her.  Oh, Sugar.  Colby was not interested in being flirted with.  She needs to pick a different protector.  He kept moving, and she kept chasing him.  Oh, not good.

The next morning, James and Colby tried to decide which chicken to eat.  Some chickens were making eggs, but the rooster "wasn't doing anything," so JT wrung his neck.  Seriously.  He spun the chicken's neck around until it died, and James reminisced about his great grandmother traumatizing him as a child doing the same thing.

Time for Immunity Challenge!

The Heroes were happy in their good shelter and good chickens, and the Villains wished for a better shelter and maybe chickens.

6 tribe members must race to assemble a boat using 6 planks to keep it together.  They have to paddle out, get a torch, and then paddle back and disassemble the boat, 4 remaining tribe members do a puzzle, and then the boat planks built a ladder.  First tribe to get everyone to the top and light their fire basket win.

The challenge is a repeat of one that Candace and Parvati played (and won) in Cook Islands.

The Heroes got their boat together first, and were out to paddle.  The Villains were having big problems putting their boat together.  The Heroes were mostly back with their torch by the time the Villains got the boat together.  Probst got (I think) a dig in at Coach, saying he was using "all that life experience in a kayak" to lead them.

Heroes were back to work on the puzzle very quickly.  The puzzle is a four layer puzzle.  They were still working on it as the Villains got back with their planks.

Rob, Sandra, Jerri, and Randy were doing the puzzle for the Villains.  For the Heroes, it was Rupert, Amanda, Cirie, and Sugar.  Over on the Villain side, Rob and Sandra were working well together, and the lead was lost.  The Villains got the puzzle together first and they started with their planks.  It was a quick build, and the Villains won Immunity.

So, will it be Too-Nocturnally-Chatty Sugar, or Broken-Toe Rupert going home?  Sugar was crying right at the challenge, and Colby certainly didn't think she deserved to be there.  I have to say, Sugar was cuter with longer hair.  Still, I'm torn. I really liked her in her season, but that night time chatting was a problem.  And I love Rupert, but dude's toe is broken!

Russell was excited about seeing the Heroes divided, and he and Coach played on a see-saw.

Back at the Hero camp, Rupert said their downfall in the challenge was cockiness because they thought they were superheroes.

Sugar is gunning for Amanda.  Colby is gunning for Sugar, and so is pretty much everyone else.  Tom worried more about taking out the leader, Cirie, than the follower, Sugar.  Rupert's name didn't even come up.  Tom brought up his Cirie idea to a bunch of the others.  Candace worried about breaking up Tom and Stephanie, (taking out Stephanie) along with Cirie and Amanda.  Cirie wants to keep Sugar because she's annoying and not very strong, so she takes the target off from Cirie.  Amanda didn't know what to do.  This ought to be an interesting Tribal!

Tribal Council is in an amazing location, built up like a giant Robinson Crusoe tree house.  Fantastic.


Tribal Council

Probst made his obligatory Fire=Life speech, and told them that Tribal is 40 ft. in the air and has no roof, so if it rains, they are SOL.  He asked what criteria people are using to vote people out. Tom said that it doesn't matter if people knew each other before. Sugar said that it absolutely matters.  Amanda admitted that she sucks at final tribal, but she makes good alliances.  Cirie said that everyone's a threat, because they wouldn't be there if they weren't a threat.

Probst them brought up the complete failure and lack of cohesiveness when working on the puzzle.  Cirie doesn't think that one challenge should determine their worth in the puzzle.  Sugar is afraid that it might be the reason she leaves the game, because she was part of the team who flubbed it, and that's why she was crying.  Candace said that the people who did the puzzle were brave to step up, and kicking them out for that might make people less willing to do puzzles.

I have no idea who is going.  Sad thing is, I like them all and don't want anyone gone!  This is going to be a tough season.  (Sugar had some trouble with the voting pen at first, because it has a cover, and that was kind of funny).  Thunder rumbled ominously and it began to rain as Sugar got 4 votes, and then Amanda got one, but Sugar picked up a fifth, and then a sixth, and she's gone.  Poor Sugar.  Sad to see her gone so quickly.  But, she should have shushed up in the middle of the night, or picked a different snuggle-recipient.  I think Colby gunning for her was her ultimate downfall.

And next week?  Boston Rob is unconscious in the forest.  Oh, that's no good.  Medics came in and he looked like shit and was completely unresponsive.  Oh, that's not good.

Are you as excited about this season as I am?