Yes, this is a great season for blind sides!! How Galu could screw up an 8-4 advantage is just crazy! They were great at winning challenges, but they are completely inept when it comes to gameplay and strategy.

What do y'all think the previews portend to next week? They always seem to be pointing to a Russel oust, but it never comes to pass. I wonder if he'll have to use the immunity idol.

Do you think he told anyone he has it? They didn't show him running around making deals or bragging about it. Could he possibly be keeping it a secret? It would be good strategy, and he's proven himself to be one of the best strategists in survivor history.

I agree, I like the fire building better too. Although with the rock you encourage people NOT to have a tie since they'll be up... but obviously that doesn't work for everyone :rolleyes: Does anyone know if the HII or immunity necklace would protect you from a rock? Or are you just as succeptible? My husband thinks it would, but Jeff's statements are always "you cannot vote for X" and "any votes cast against X will not count", so it could go either way in my mind.

If they do sacrifice a Foa Foa, I'm hoping for Jaison... he's not as hopeless as he was during the thunderstorms but he appears useless at camp & in challenges. Maybe it's editing, maybe it's not.

And regarding the Russell bandwagon, rumor has it he'll be on season 20 for their next all stars season. They stayed put in the same location for filming- I wonder if they used the same beaches or changed it up a bit? If not, Russell would have a nice advantage for locale but IMHO a big disadvantage for not having recovery time to think, reflect, view perceptions, and restrategize.

No - Jeff said last night that in a tie, the two people tied are safe, but the EIGHT remaining people are all vulnerable.

I don't know that I really believe this. In some cases, I think he's been extremely lucky. He's really screwed up strategy-wise a few times (telling everyone he has the idol, for example). The only reason he's still around is because he's taken it upon himself to look for HIIs before he has any clues. Basically, he's just good at finding things. :p

But now I see him as less of a villian and more like the best person ever for blindsiding the smug members of Galu :D

It's Dave's face that cracks me up, with his "WOWs." He really does seem to be clueless at Tribal Council.

Competely agree, but I guess it's to try and force an actual elimination by vote.

I agree. Strategy wise, he's been kind of hit and miss, and I think it's mostly miss. How is it good strategy to pull some of the stunts he's pulled (and apparently will pull next week)? Or to tell everybody "I have an idol, and I'm not telling anyone but you"?

What has saved him (and the rest of old Foa Foa) is luck and the fact that old Galu is even weaker than old Foa Foa strategically.

Speaking of old Foa Foa, I somehow failed to say how awesome Natalie was with the rat last week. She moved to the top of my list with that. (And Brett moved up right behind her -- I really wasn't expecting him to be the one who could take the rat and dress it like it was nothing.)

Yeah, y'all are right, strategy wise he's made some blunders that have just worked out right. But, he's also been able to read things pretty well, at least he sniffed out the plot to get them to vote for John, and has kept his tribe in line - but they don't really have any choice.

Now that the numbers are aligned, it will be interesting to see how things start moving. New alignments may happen.

Aligned how? If Shambo stays with Foa Foa, they have 5 members, and Galu has 4. Unless of course John plays it smart and switches tribes.

While it might be a waste of an idol, I think it would be hilarious if Russell tells John that everyone is voting for Natalie, or something, after having given Natalie his idol to use. Everyone votes for her, so Russell holds up his end of the bargain, and he can play clueless when she uses it and another one of the Galu members goes home.

Just a thought :D

I know I'm double posting, but I just had an awful thought... what if Shambo switched again and helped to blindside the rest of Foa Foa?

None of the members of Galu were fond of her to begin with, and now I'm pretty sure they REALLY aren't happy with her for turning on their tribe. She has two options:

1. Stay with Foa Foa. If she makes it to the final 3, the jury will be made up almost entirely of Galu members. The only Galu who might vote for her is Erik, simply because he's thrilled with the idea of his team burning for blindsiding him.

2. Switch to Galu. If she switches back to Galu and helps to take out the rest of the Foa Foa tribe, she'll have made probably one of the best moves in Survivor history. There's a good chance she would gain some respect from her other Galu members, and she'll have a better chance of receiving more votes if she makes it to the final 3.

To be honest, I think her better option would be the latter.

^^^ I don't know -- Shambo hasn't shown much ability to think strategically so far. Most if not all of her decisions have been emotional.

That said, the preview for next week certainly seems to show Shambo, joined by Dave, John, Jaison and Mick leading the charge against a male Dave describes as "a cancer." I doubt that's Brett, so that leaves Russell -- and it does sound like Russell. Are we being misled again, or have they finally caught on to Russell? I wonder if his (over-)confidence has finally outrun his ability.

Although, it's not clear that Shambo, Dave and John are talking about the same plan as Shambo and Jaison.

Hmmmm.

Sorry, I meant that now that the Foa Foa members aren't totally outnumbered, new alignments might occur. Maybe John can insinuate himself with Foa Foa people, or maybe Russel will have irritated Foa Foa's to the point that they make new alliances.

I meant that with the numbers change, perhaps alliances can change now too. :)

Interesting moments in the recap show. It makes me wonder: Is anyone out there besides Russell actually TRYING to play the game?? What happened to keeping your mouth shut and your opinions to yourself? It seems like most of them would be more subtle by painting a target on their own forehead.

It is interesting to know that Russell is married and has children - I was wondering about that. And I thought everyone knew that Mick was some sort of doctor??

I completely agree. Granted, Russell is playing the game to a degree that no contestant has probably ever played it before, but everyone else is just... there. Where has the strategizing been? Even with Foa Foa voting off three Galu members in a row, how much have we seen Mick, Jaison or Natalie talking in the past few weeks? Not much, if at all.

I was actually surprised that they showed Brett talking in the re-cap show because... I never see him otherwise. Even with the numbers down to where they are now, I still feel like there are people that haven't even really been presented to us... which is probably because they're boring. Even Brett admitted that, saying something about laying low after they vote Erik out and following along in the background until something exciting happens.

He didn't even TRY to save his friend!

If I didn't hate Laura before, I do after watching this re-cap. Even when Shambo was clearly upset about her sister dying, Laura didn't even seem to care, and talked about how she wanted the sun to come out. Really? I understand you're not best friends, but have a LITTLE compassion.

I also thought that everyone knew that Mick is a doctor. But then again, how much have people really talked about their professions this season? Personally, I think Russell made another move that could bite him in the ass later on by telling Mick about his financial situation. Cuddling with the girls to keep them warm at night, and in turn, gaining their trust: smart. Telling someone something about yourself that they could use later in the game to keep you from winning: dumb. Russell said that if anyone crosses him, they're going to get voted out. But what if him and Mick are pleading their cases when they're in the final three, and Mick pulls the "Russell is rich" card?

I know I wrote a novel, but I'll end it by saying that I loved Shambo's discussion with Monica. "It isn't real. It isn't fake. It's Survivor." How true that is.

"Watching Russell wreak havoc on the sanity of his enemies is sheer pleasure" - Entertainment Weekly

Can't wait to see what happens tonight! :D

Any predictions?

Only one Pepperdine alum left now...I'm hoping Brett continues to be nothing but a harmless tribe member for now. I have a feeling we may see more of him as time goes on, because he's certainly not being seen as a threat right now and as long as he isn't he's not likely to be voted out.

I found myself so mad at Russell at the beginning of the season, but now I can't help but laugh along with him. "Well, I made a mistake, and since my mistake was telling John I have the immunity idol, he has to be the one to go." He kills me.

I think a good strategy for the Foa Foa members would be to get one of the Galu members on their side. And at this point, I think Dave would be their best bet. Russell essentially saved him from elimination tonight, and it was proved at tribal council that Russell actually kept his word when it came to that deal. Dave would probably be the most trusting, and I don't think he really has any close ties to Monica or Brett.

The problem now is that Shambo could be a wild card. I really think Foa Foa should have told her what was going on. She was so against Dave that there probably wasn't any way that she'd switch to working with him again, no matter what Foa Foa planned to do. And they'd still have all of the votes for John either way.

And scheming against Russell now (as the previews for next week seem to suggest will happen) might not be the best idea on Mick and Jaison's part. They need Russell to help them eliminate at least one more member of Galu before they go about executing something like that. Otherwise, they could again find themselves behind in the numbers game.

Maybe they should attempt to vote out Shambo next week?