‘Survivor: Philippines’ review: Breaking down the latest Abi-Maria crisis

Did the cast of “Survivor: Philippines” really make the right move in getting rid of Abi-Maria Gomes? We assume that this is really going to be a debate that last for several days moving forward. It was clearly a decision that a few people struggled with, but at the end of the day, some of these players in particular (think Skupin and Lisa) decided that they would rather play with their hearts rather than their heads.

Going into tribal council, Abi had to realize that her goose was cooked; why else would you call one of the very people who could save you at the end of the day both a “moron” and an “idiot”? Abi may be crazy, but we really don’t think she is that crazy as to say something like that. In real life, we’ve actually heard that she is rather nice, and we have a feeling that she may just be one of those people who the game brings the worst out of. Hey, it happens, and from a standpoint of entertainment we’ll actually miss her since the final four are all rather dull.

This is where we’re confused, though, when it comes to Abi. Why didn’t Malcolm try a little bit harder to keep her in the game? While everyone left could have benefited from having her in the final three, we do understand the logic of wanting to have a group of people capable of beating the young guy in a final immunity challenge. On the flip side, Malcolm had a ton to gain from keeping her: she is one person he would not have to worry about in a final challenge, and it would have made perfect sense for him to go to Denise, and convince her to help him vote off Skupin. (Or, give the idol to Abi, crazy as it seems.) He has to know that he needs to win the next immunity regardless if he wants to make it to the end, so why not deal with a little less hostility and go after someone you you know for sure is beatable in both challenges and the endgame?

Away from the endgame strategy now (since we’ll have more on that in our finale rankings on Friday), let’s just take a minute to chat the rest of the episode. The scene featuring Denise and Abi at camp was priceless, and we could watch an entire sitcom based on that. On the other hand, we’re pretty bummed over the ho-hum challenges this week, which shows that producers either have something saved for next week, or they are running out of budget. We’re also still waiting for a super-crazy water challenge like we saw back in Palau or the Cook Islands.

Do you think Malcolm made a mistake in not trying to keep Abi, and do you understand why Skupin and Lisa got rid of her in terms of strategy? Be sure to check out our all-star candidates from the season here, and you can also share your thoughts on all things “Survivor” below.

Photo: CBS