‘Survivor Caramoan: Fans vs. Favorites’ review: The battle of the bulge
From one standpoint, Wednesday night’s new episode of “Survivor Caramoan: Fans vs. Favorites” was predictable, and strategically a little bit of a letdown from an interesting premiere. There was one again too much Phillip, not enough Corinne, and the much-hyped craziness from Brandon went completely nowhere as he once again displayed his bipolar tendencies.
Even the vote was something that you could have seen coming from a mile away: from the moment that the Fans lost, you knew that we were going to be seeing someone from the cool kids’ alliance go home. They made the idiotic decision to team up and made it public almost on day one, and while Matt and Michael were considered to be swing votes, they were each likely held back due to the knowledge that at best, they would be 5th and 6th in that alliance. On this other alliance, who knows where everyone stacks up?
Seeing Allie Pohevitz leave this week was sad from one perspective: out of the fans, you really got the sense that she actually was someone who loved the show, and wanted to be there for the long haul. She was also probably the smartest person in her alliance, which is why she went home. This is a group consisting of Hope and Eddie (who have done nothing so far to be impressive), and the wannabe alpha male Reynold. The guy was smart enough to go and find the hidden immunity idol, but why was he so dumb as to hide it in his pants, and then expose it to the tribe when Laura called him out on having a bulge in his pocket? He should’ve just brought his bag with him, put it in there, and said that he felt unsafe.
What the fans really should do not is a tactic used well by Zapatera on “Survivor: Redemption Island” (probably the only good thing they did): split the vote between Reynold and Hope next week, try to flush out the idol, and with it being a three-way tie, all then vote for either Reynold or Hope in the tie-breaker. Would it cost you a physical player? Sure, but you don’t want to keep a guy around who at this point will probably flip.
At this point, the only two Fans we really find impressive are Michael (who seems generally liked by everyone), and also the current mastermind of the group in Sherri. She refers to Shamar as her Phillip, and she’s right: she knows that he is the ultimate goat for the time being, and the longer she can keep him, the better it is for her. Sadly, the problem is that Shamar is more frighteningly confrontational and scary than Phillip was, so eventually her alliance will probably crack and vote him out since they still have the numbers.
It’s hard to really say what is going on with the Favorites tribe now. Brandon is clearly on the outs, and despite his attempts to get at Phillip, Special Agent Pink Panther will probably continue to be indulged for a few more weeks. What we are the most curious to see is what happens with Brenda and Erik: they are both smart people, and potentially much more valuable in challenges than Phillip or Cochran. We don’t see Stealth R Us as presently constituted lasting, mostly because some people within there would surely know they would be the first to go. Right now, Phillip seems ready to roll wtih a final three of himself, Dawn, and Corinne if he has his way.
Do you think that the Fans made the right move, and who do you think will be get sent home first: Brandon, or Phillip? Be sure to check out our full “Survivor” coverage (including exit interviews and contestant rankings) over at the link here.
Photo: CBS