‘Survivor: San Juan del Sur’ episode 2 review: John Rocker, Val Collins try to make a play
Who would’ve thought that two episodes into “Survivor: San Juan del Sur,” John Rocker would be one of the most useless people on his tribe? Sure, he’s built like a tank, but not only could he not defeat the other John during the sumo-style immunity challenge (as seen on the last “Blood vs. Water” and in “Palau”), his girlfriend Julie completely clobbered him in the immunity challenge, as well.
Of course, John took advantage of this opportunity to prove that he is still the old John Rocker, and attributed his frustration to “losing to a girl.” Surprised? We aren’t, but everyone seems to be aware of his past at this point, and some like Jeremy and Josh (ironic, given that they are of the groups that Rocker hated so much in that Sports Illustrated article) actually see it as an asset since nobody’s going to want to reward this guy in the end.
Rocker and Jeremy exchanged the immunity idol clue at Exile Island, which is what we feel is the right move to make in this situation. We’re still shocked that Coyopa has yet to win a challenge, though, given that Julie’s win meant nothing in terms of a reward.
Now, we talk questionable gameplay. Val decided to say that she already had two idols, mostly as a way to protect both herself and Jaclyn. Unfortunately, she duped Rocker too well, and that caused him to tell her to actually play one. Sometimes, claiming you have idols when you don’t can seriously backfire.
Basically, Val in the end may have made one of her biggest blunders we’ve seen at this stage. Had she not started the idol hoopla, the combination of John and Josh probably could have shifted the target to Jaclyn. She did want to go big or go home, though … and she went home. It’s a bummer. We liker a ton, and thought she would be a great player.
As for some other highlights tonight:
- Was Drew cheering for the wrong person when it was Josh versus Reed?
- Had Baylor actually faked an injury against her mom, it would’ve been a good strategy.
- Natalie actually cried after losing Nadiya in the game, and she never cries.
- Dale continues to be awesome, taking down Keith and seemingly getting himself in a great spot in the game.
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Photo: CBS