Televised sporting events and reality shows like 'Big Brother' and 'Survivor' have something in common. Smart game play doesn't always make for engrossing or dramatic television. The course that has been charted on 'Survivor: Vanuatu' is proof positive of that. With the elder tribe members on both Lopevi and Yasur Pagonging the young, athletic competitors the series has become predictable to an extent.
In all fairness though, one of Survivor's strengths is the producers take their game and their series very seriously. Every change, no matter how slight, is debated at great length before it is introduced. Just as in sports, the core rules of the 'Survivor' game are the rules and the producers would lose their credibility if they dramatically altered the game just to boost the drama. Compare the public's overall impressions of both 'Big Brother' and 'Survivor' and it is quite clear which series has gained more respect over the years and why. Some would argue that the challenges on 'Vanuatu' favour the women because they haven't been very athletic thus far. That's a load of crap though. Men are just as good at puzzle solving and memory games as women are.
It is not just the players' strategies though which has 'Vanuatu' closing in on 'Thailand' as possibly the worst 'Survivor' ever. The recycled gender war and the truly unimaginative challenges have played a large part in diminishing overall mainstream interest in this instalment of the series. It is as if the producers are sleepwalking through this one and frustrated fans know they are capable of doing so much better.
No matter how well he did at the challenges or how many fish he caught, F.B.I agent Brady Finta wasn't capable of doing any better at the 'Survivor: Vanuatu' game. Another victim of the Lopevi Elders Alliance, Brady made no mistake other than siding with the wrong alliance at the start and therefore became the next head on the Elders' chopping block.
The Survivors at the start of the broadcast were:
Lopevi Tribe
1. Chad Crittenden: Teacher. 2. Chris Daugherty: Highway construction. 3. Brady Finta: F.B.I. Agent. 4. Rory Freeman: Housing Case Manager. 5. John Kenney: Mechanical bull operator, model. 6. Lea "Sarge" Masters: Drill Sergeant. 7. Travis "Bubba" Sampson: Loss prevention.
Yasur Tribe
1. Julie Berry: Youth mentor. 2. Ami Cusack: Coffee server, model. 3. Lisa Keiffer: Real estate manager. 4. Scout Cloud Lee: Rancher. 5. Eliza Orlins: Pre-law student. 6. Leann Slaby: Research assistant. 7. Twila Tanner: Highway repair.
Yasur Tribal Happenings (Night Seven)
Coolness. The show opens with another catfight. Meow! Eliza and Lisa wage verbal war over the betrayal at Tribal Council. Eliza doesn't understand why she apologized over breaking from the alliance and voting for Dolly when Lisa just did the same exact thing by kicking Mia. Lisa offers no defence for her actions other than "it is what it is" and she doesn't trust Eliza. Some advice for Lisa: never represent yourself in a court of law. You are liable to get the death penalty over a parking violation. Eliza calls Lisa a "hypocrite".
Lisa heads off to sleep with the Elders. Twila holds a Yasur pep rally. If they are going to beat the men Yasur needs to come together. Eliza tells us that Lisa "repulses" her and she would be thrilled if she were voted out soon.
Lopevi Tribal Happenings (Day Eight)
Rory and Chris walk and talk. Rory couldn't care less about the three votes he got at Tribal Council. Chris to Rory about their alliance's domination of the game thus far: "It is all about the numbers".
Rory: "The numbers game works for me".
Off on their own, John K. and Brady moan and groan about the Pagonging going on at Lopevi. Brady doesn't think the Elders are playing a smart game kicking all the athletic guys at this stage of the competition. Brady predicts the Lopevi Alliance won't win many Immunity Challenges when the tribes merge.
John K.: "Why are we letting the fat dudes run the show?"
Stealing a page from Rupert 'Blackbeard' and Richard Hatch, Brady uncorks the provider strategy and decides to try his hand at fishing. He hopes it might endear him to some of the Elders. Flowers, sonnets and candy don't seem to be working. Brady flops around in the water and snares a guppy. He tosses it back to Travis. Travis: "He should've given it a chance to grow up." Brady scores a handful of guppies. Lopevi fries and eats their meagre meal.
Yasur Tribal Happenings (Day Eight)
The women pick up their Tree Mail. Walking back, they spot a rainbow off in the distance. Someone says it is an omen. They are going to win the Reward Challenge. Oh, brother.
Reward Challenge
Another goodie from the interns in charge of the Challenge Co-ordination Department. It is basically a memory challenge with 15 items sitting on tables and hidden by baskets. The tribe to make five matches wins.
Reward
A local tribesman ('Da') will live with the winning tribe for 24 hours and teach them all he knows about living off the land.
Result
The men play dumb and keep giving away potential matches to the ladies. Lisa rubs the victory in Lopevi's face by skipping madly to the final match.
Winners: Yasur.
Yasur Tribal Happenings (Day Eight)
The tribesman arrives via canoe. When the women line up on the beach to greet them, he just walks on by and smiles. There is work to be done, don't you know. Apparently, there is no time for small talk. Tribesman climbs up a tree and chops down fruit. He cuts one up and offers it to the ladies. Tribesman: "Drink. Good." As the women follow him around, he cuts up some roots, sugar cane and shows Yasur how to properly crack open a coconut. Lisa calls his presence a blessing. Ami says he will build their confidence.
Lopevi Tribal Happenings (Day Eight)
Like an old married couple, Sarge and Rory bicker back and forth as they work near the campfire. Travis tells us they argue about anything and everything. With the arguing perhaps reminding Travis of home, he goes off to sit alone and carve his wife and sons' names into his torch.
Travis is concerned about his family. He is sure his boys miss their dad. Travis choking up: "My boys are my life. They are everything to me".
Chad and Rory are concerned about Travis getting so depressed and isolating himself. Rory pulls Travis aside. He knows that Travis is homesick but people might start to get the wrong impression about him. They might think he is weak. Travis thanks Rory for the words of wisdom. Travis tells us Rory is misunderstood by a lot of people at Lopevi.
Sarge and Rory spar some more. Travis: "You guys play nicely or I'll give you a time out."
Travis about Sarge and Rory: "I am tired of their bickering."
Yasur Tribal Happenings (Day/Night Eight)
'Da' is da man! The tribesman's do-it-yourself show continues with him making a soft mattress out of palm shoots or leaves for the women. At night, he makes some torches for Yasur and they walk along the shoreline looking for crabs. Tribesman indicates that the tide needed to be out further for them to have a successful crab hunt. Scout is in awe at connecting with another culture. She says the tribesman has been very gracious in sharing his knowledge. She believes Yasur has had a wonderful day and some wounds have been healed.
Yasur Tribal Happenings (Day Nine)
It is time for the tribesman to hit the road and do what tribesmen do. Eliza tells us Yasur will miss the big lug. Julie starts garbling a goodbye song for the tribesman as he paddles away. The others join in too.
The producers allow Leann make another meaningless statement, which reveals next to nothing about her again. Yasur had a great time with the tribesman. He boosted their morale. Wow. Such insight. Move over Rupert. Let there be no doubt, Leann is the Ultimate Survivor.
Lopevi Tribal Happenings (Day Nine)
Even though he has no aim whatsoever, Rory goofs with the fishing equipment. This of course messes up Brady's provider strategy and he ain't none too happy about it. Brady takes advantage of the situation. He points out to Sarge that Rory has the fishing equipment and is just wandering aimlessly along the shoreline. Brady points out to Sarge that nobody considers Rory a threat. He will never get voted out. Sarge seems to agree with that notion.
Yasur Tribal Happenings (Day Nine)
Once the Tree Mail has been gathered, Eliza says to the viewers that she needs to win Immunity badly. She fears being targeted for betraying the Sorority Girls Alliance.
Immunity Challenge
Will the excitement never cease? On a game board, the players are presented with huge coloured markers with symbols on them. They have to solve the puzzle by laying out the pieces so that there is no column or row with two of the same symbols or colours on them.
Reward
Immunity from Tribal Council.
Result
Rory and Eliza are selected as spotters. Nobody listens to Rory. The men quarrel over what approach to take. As they do so, Eliza figures out that the best strategy is to use diagonals.
Winners: Yasur.
Lopevi Pre-Tribal Council Happenings (Day Nine)
Chris about the challenge: "It was a mess. We didn't even come close."
Lopevi analyzes the loss around the campfire. Rory blames himself. Sarge says that Rory didn't know what he was doing and nobody was listening to him at all. Travis thought Rory was supposed to be good at puzzles. Spilling more beans, Travis tells John K. that Sarge is the leader of the Elders. He advises John that he might get in their good graces if he votes against Brady. Rory is sure that of anyone, Sarge would stab him in the back. Chris says that Sarge loves to be in control. Sarge tells us that if he kicks Brady he will be ditching a hard worker and making the tribe weaker. Rory is a bad seed to have around.
Lopevi Tribal Council Happenings
Probst takes advantage of Yasur winning two challenges in a row to suggest throughout the meeting that the women have taken the lead in the game. Rory is sure his head is on the chopping block tonight. Probst asks Travis about the women being in control of the game. Travis agrees the women kicked them in the groin today but the men are determined to mount a comeback. Probst quizzes Brady on people playing an individual game already and kicking the threats. Brady says that has been happening since the first hour. Chris tells Probst that even though Survivor is a numbers game, anything can happen if and when the tribes merge. Probst isn't buying that notion. Chad agrees with Chris. After a merge, people do put their own best interests first. John K. is worried and scared about being voted out. Brady is voting tonight to make the tribe stronger for the merge.
Rory picks Brady. It has nothing to do with poles or fishing. The spirits are saying it is Brady's time to go. Brady writes down Rory's name. Maybe the third time will be the charm.
Final Voting
1. Chad Crittenden: Brady. 2. Chris Daugherty: Brady. 3. Brady Finta: Rory. 4. Rory Freeman: Brady. 5. John Kenney: Brady. 6. Lea "Sarge" Masters: Brady. 7. Travis "Bubba" Sampson: Brady.
Tribal Council Victim:
Brady Finta.
Parting Comments
"Well, how much did that suck? Can't help but to feel like a bit of a loser but in the back of my mind I am hoping it was one of those things where they said...Brady is one of those guys that if he makes it to the merge, he is going to kick my ass. So, I will take that little bit of self-encouragement along with me." -- Brady Finta.
On the next 'Survivor': Television. The women notice there are some canoes coming ashore. Lopevi and Yasur face a shake-up. "Probst to the gathered Survivors: All right everybody, drop your buffs." Lopevi and Yasur experience an earthquake on the island.
On the next 'Survivor': Internet.
"Both tribes receive unexpected visits from Vanuatu natives bearing a message with consequences for all the castaways. A massive earthquake rocks the island, literally shaking things up for the tribes. A trip for one tribe leads to bonding and makes one castaway very happy. One castaway is caught by a tribemate while attempting to communicate secretly with a member of the opposing tribe. "
Powell's Thoughts:
Normally, Survivor is pretty much free of serious manipulation by the producers but I really have to call Probst out for his assertions at Tribal Council that the women are somehow dominating the game. Up until Yasur took tonight's Immunity Challenge, the tribes were on equal footing. Both had lost two members. Yes, the men behaved like morons and blew the Immunity Challenge but unless a merge occurs, they can certainly make up the lost ground quite easily. As opposed to what Probst implied, they are not out of the game yet.
Chris' point about alliances possibly changing after the merger was a valid one and didn't deserve to be shot down by Probst. Though the safer bet would be to stick with your dominating alliance, there have been times in the past where partnerships have been fractured and a whole new dynamic has evolved. It usually depends if the tribes enter even, how much a tribe is outnumbered by and if there is anyone on the other side who can be convinced to change their loyalties. It has happened in the past and is not an impossibility as Probst inferred. Methinks that the producers were well aware of how the series was playing out and Probst interjected his own manufactured drama into the mix.
As far as a merge goes, I will believe it when I see it. It seems more like the tribes could be mixed up or possibly trade camps instead. It is way too early for a merge. Give it a couple more episodes.
