Survivor is a ruthless social game, demanding that its participants be taken at face value, leaving their real world accomplishments at the proverbial door. This was a proven ideal on this Wednesday's episode of Survivor: Caramoan.
For some, who have it rough out there in reality, it is a welcome thought...the idea of reinvention and a chance to redefine themselves in the eyes of people who don't know the first thing about them. For others, like Shamar Thomas, it is unfortunate that his status as a war hero, an Iraqi war veteran and a true patriot is virtually rendered meaningless when it comes to the game of Survivor. Just three episodes into this season and we have seen virtually everyone getting on Shamar's case at some point. In Episode 3, it was Shamar's turn to turn on Shamar.
From the beginning, shall we?
"Game On." An explosive evening back at camp followed the Fan's first Tribal Council last week, which saw Allie - one of the self-proclaimed "cool kids" - sent packing. Reynold declares that it's "game on" now and that he doesn't trust anybody else on his tribe, but it's Shamar who becomes the most vocal and perturbed. He has an explosive conversation with Matt and anyone else who tries to interact with him.
Revenge of the Nerds. The next morning, Eddie and Reynold begin to lick their wounds, knowing that Shamar is the obvious next target. Sherri meanwhile, tries to control her own personal "Phillip" by telling Shamar to play nice for the next day or so. Shamar doesn't seem to want to fully take Sherri's advice and hints that this game may not be cut out for him. In a confessional interview, Sherri - a fast food entrepreneur - mentions that she has worked with several "snotty teenage brats," comparing her handling of them to how she must approach and reign in Shamar.
Like Crazy. As has become standard, the next segment was devoted to Phillip and his shenanigans. He tells a story about how he uses Larry Bird-like moves on some guys back home when they play basketball and how he is "old school." Cochran revels in the entertainment of it all, saying that back home, as a huge Survivor fan, he would have to wait each week to watch Survivor. "Now, every single day is Wednesday night at 8," he says.
Three-Way Tie. The first of two three-way ties this episode came with a bit of revealing knowledge at the Favorites camp. As Corinne and Malcolm see it, Dawn and Cochran have a bond as do Andrea and Phillip, since both duos previously played together on the same season. That leaves Malcolm and Corinne to form a bond themselves, as they are the two remaining "Stealth-R-Us" members. Corinne doesn't seem to mind getting closer to such a hunky dude, but their bond grew tenfold when Malcolm happened upon the hidden Immunity Idol! Malcolm regretted that Corinne saw him find the Idol, but the two vowed to by loyal to one another and to keep Malcolm's Idol a secret moving forward. That usually goes well.
To Pee Or Not To Pee. The big build-up for this week judging by the previews seemed to be how bat-crap crazy Brandon was going to get. Well, it was all smoke and mirrors. Andrea begins hatching a plan to get rid of Corinne, as Andrea and Cochran both notice Corinne and Malcolm growing a bit too close for comfort. They decide to take Brandon in to their alliance and he humbly accepts, wanting to feel like a part of something. The "I'll pee in the rice" comments seemed to be taken out of proportion, as Brandon described just what may happen if they were to betray him, as opposed to an actual threat. What a relief (rimshot! Pun intended on both "relief" and "rimshot").
Winners Never Quit. Shamar is getting more serious about quitting, saying that he does not want to be the "angry black man on Survivor." He reveals how hard it was to jump back into civilian life following his tour in Iraq. But out of what he describes as loyalty, Shamar tells his alliance - Sherri, Julia and Laura - that he will not quit so as to not screw them over.
Immunity Challenge. The challenge consisted of swimming out, untying a seriously heavy chest located on the ocean floor and then somehow getting it back to shore, where they must then grappling hook a pathway for the chest to be carried all the way to their winning tribal flag. Got all that? Winning tribe gets Immunity as well as reward in the form of comfort: A few chairs, pillows and a tarp. The challenge was another close one but in the end the Favorites once again came out victorious. That meant the Fans were on their way to a second-straight Tribal Council.
The Plan. So the easy target seemed to be Shamar, but Sherri had other plans. Their alliance of six would split the votes between Hope and Eddie, thinking that Reynold may play his Idol on one of them. This plan would flush the Idol out, or if not, the tie re-vote would be to get rid of Hope. Sherri tells Shamar that he is to vote for Eddie as part of the split vote. All seems good, until Shamar tells Hope of the plans in the water. Liking Hope, Shamar tells her that she could be going home and reveals the split vote plan. He then tells her though, that she can save herself in all of this by casting a vote for Eddie, which would unexpectedly break the tie and send Eddie home instead. Hope takes this knowledge back to her cool friends and when word spreads, it's revealed to Sherri and her alliance that Shamar spilled the beans.
Tribal Council. Tribal Council was very Shamar-centric as much of it dealt with his relationships with the others on his tribe. The show seems to be building up the storyline of Sherri and Shamar's relationship and how much she understands him. Also, the rivalry between Reynold and Shamar.
The Vote. When the vote was read, Reynold did not play his Idol and it came out as three votes for Shamar, three votes for Hope and three votes for Eddie. Yes, a 3-3-3, three-way tie, basically meaning that Sherri's alliance's plan worked and that Hope had screwed herself by not taking Shamar's advice and voting for Eddie. Because there was a tie, there was a re-vote, with Hope, Eddie and Shamar not getting to participate. Hope's worst-case scenario was confirmed and with a 4-1 vote, the last remaining female "cool kid" was sent out of the game.
Episode Analysis. Click here, as there is much more to say about tonight's episode over at my weekly TVKing article.
Next Time On...Jeff Probst hints that the Fans only think they've hit rock bottom, but perhaps horrible storm conditions may show that the bottom is still to come.
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