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Apr 9, 2009

Survivor: Tocantins Episode 8 Recap (live blog)

Well, I missed the opening sequence, but I'm here now and ready to live blog this puppy. Let's get down to business...

7:05: Yet another episode that start off with Coachanigans (those are shenanigans from your friend and mine, Coach). This time, it's a heavy dose of meditation in the camp lake, set (excellently) to an overpowering symphony, as it he were Conan the Barbarian or something. Nice touch, CBS.

7:08: Meanwhile, over at Jolly Pal, Joe's infected leg has grown to about 150% of its normal size. Uh, I hate to be the one to break it to you, but infections and Survivor DO NOT mix well. Don't be surprised if Joe is gone soon - if not tonight, then next week. Which means no tribal council. Weak.

7:10: The tribes head to what they think is a Reward Challenge...but instead it turns out to be the much-anticipated merger. And so the game begins...

7:12: The new tribe name is Forza, which means strength in Portuguese. C'mon, players - just once, can you pick something silly, stupid and/or inane? How about Lollipop? Or Gizzard? Or Poopyheads? If you must translate it into the native tongue, so be it, but at least show some creativity.

7:20: Yes indeed, the mice have been dropped into the maze, and each is searching frantically for the cheese. Coach and J.T., Stephen and Tyson - former tribes are seemingly going by the wayside faster than you can blink an eye. Of course, things never seem to finish that way. the team that's in power will likely flirt with the desperate fish of the losing tribe, but they'll get their heads on straight when Tribal Council comes around. That is, if there is a Council tonight.

7:25: If there is indeed some swapping, Brendan sure as hell better have an airtight alliance with Taj, Stephen and Sierra, because it seems as though every guy in the former Tambeera tribe is out to oust him. Of course, "every guy" only translates to Coach and Tyson, but they've been chatting up J.T. and Stephen quite a bit, and they are just chomping at the bit to get rid of Brendan.

7:28: Memo to Tyson: I don't care how thin and tan you are, blue v-neck t-shirts are not flattering. At all. Weirdo.

7:30: Hooray! The inevitable "Joe being forced to leave the game" moment has yet to come, and an Immunity Challenge is upon us. Speaking of which, another idea for something that needs to change: I've had it with the gaudy, oversized necklace as the Immunity Idol. My suggestion - a ring. And you bet your butt that's a 49er ring over there. One of five! :)

7:32: It might not be all that creative, but the "hang onto something for as long as you can" challenge is definitely one of my favorites. Who wants it? How bad do they want it? Can they impose their mind over the pain rushing through their body like a pinball?

7:33: Ok, we all get Joe not lasting two minutes grabbing onto his pole, but c'mon Stephen - you looked as though you were in a challenge to see who could slide down their pole the fastest. Weak sauce, Buster.

7:35: The power of the Blue V-neck prevails! Tyson, who probably has the best proportional-weight ratio (which I might have just made up), outlasts little Debbie and Sierra, who managed to beat Stephen in the fastest-down-the-pole contest, sliding down the length of it in about 2 seconds and getting about 500 painful, painful splinters along the way. That was almost as painful as watching that fungus monster lift up a toenail in that commercial from a few years back.

7:41: Shocking - the medic tells Joe that he's going to die, basically. Bad luck, Drama. I'll bet Vincent Chase wouldn't have gotten an infection. Always the bridesmaid.

7:43: Wow. One challenge won and Tyson is suddenly the cockiest sumbitch you've ever seen. Talking up his looks, his game, his prowess with Brendan - he can do it all, and you can bet he's gonna tell you about it. No wonder he's bonded with Coach.

7:50: Blah blah blah...Coach thinks he's brilliant.

7:51: And...here comes the hammer. Jeff shows up at camp after nearly 15 minutes of screen time of players scheming this way and that to tell the tribe that Joe is gone. It's the least sad I've ever seen a team look when told that a player had to leave the game. Poor Joe - seemed like a nice enough guy to me. Poor Erinn, too - I think Joe was her only ally. Poor Tyson, too - kind of. It's just gotta stink to win Immunity only to see it turned useless. But mostly, poor Joe - I hope he's alright.

7:54: Since the show turned out to be anti-climactic, I do have some other Survivor news you might not have seen in the past week: Erik and Jamie, vets of Survivor: China and aka the guitar-playing virgin and the girl that told everyone she wasn't so dumb, only to immediately play a fake idol, were married recently. Congrats to the toothy, semi-annoying couple.

Survivor news at Survivor.com
Survivor homepage at CBS.com


8 people have chosen wisely: on "Survivor: Tocantins Episode 8 Recap (live blog)"

Nick said...

ha... I think you're taking Tyson too seriously. I think the guy is hilarious (unlike Coach, who is just an idiot). But I don't think he's seriously being overly cocky at all. He's just being the jester.

Though maybe it's because I share a similar sense of humor with Tyson.

Fletch said...

Actually, Mrs. Fletch was just trashing Tyson and I more or less told her the same thing. I think he's being tongue-in-cheek most of the time, but it seems like he's starting to believe his own press just a little bit. We'll see...

Nick said...

perhaps. Though I still loved the bit where it was like

"Careful Tyson!"
"Don't tell me what to do, woman!"
"I just don't want you to hurt your pretty little face."
"You're right. It *is* my moneymaker."

Fletch said...

Yeah, that was pretty good. It was the stuff after the challenge where I thought he was getting a bit too big for his britches.

Robb said...

I am SOOO torn. I hate Coach, but I love Coach. Tyson is kind of annoying, but he is also hilarious. I think most of his stuff was scripted before he ever got on a plane to Brazil, but still I find (most of) it rather enjoyable. On the other hand, I like Brendan, but mostly he is pretty boring. And while I sorta understand his desire to keep his hidden alliance on the down low, I think he is also trying to play both sides and then pick the alliance which will work best for him later, so I don't blame Taj and Stephen for plotting against his silence, and I don't think I'd be all that upset had they voted him off last night.

The good news is that there isn't anyone I HATE, but the bad news is there isn't anyone I LOVE either. Erinn is the only totally expendable person at this point. I wonder what Joe thought about having to waste his "immunity idol", too bad he didn't have time to give it to Erinn. lol

RIPE Creative said...

Brandon seems to be playing it a little too cool with Taj and Steven. I understand he needs to be careful and keep secrets, but even a sly wink would go a long way. His completely ignoring them is not helping his situation any.

Oh, and I think Tyson is an ass. Coach is King ass.

Kano said...

I told my wife almost immediately that Joe would be leaving the game tonight because of his leg and there would be no immunity challenge.

I love the show, but they need to do a little better job editing. The small, quick shots of Joe limping around - everyone all of a sudden talking about it.

It's like when Spencer got voted out, he was in like a combined 15 minutes of footage for the entire season, then basically gets his own episode - you knew he was out of there.

I could not help but laugh at Tyson the entire night - he reminded me of Jonny Fairplay, but without everyone hating him. He played the cocky thing well.

It is so funny that you called Erik the virgin, because that is the exact words I used to explain to my wife who he was. Sad that that is what you are remembered for - let's hope she put out a bit on the honeymoon, poor guy.

I agree, the immunity necklace thing has to go. It is getting a little old. I think that your posted ring is beautiful. One of five, you say?

Oh, that's nice. Except the STEELERS have SIX. HAHAHAHAHA.

Sorry, had to say it.

Fletch said...

Robb - good point about Joe's fake idol. Another chance for Jeff to toss one into the fire...lost.

Yeah, at this point, no one's terribly lovable, and Coach is hatable, but for all the wrong reasons. He's just a douchebag, and not really entertaining at all, in the fashion of John Q. Fairplay or Shane. But I'll give it time - the game is early yet.

Kano - totally agree. My timestamp has Joe leaving 8 minutes into the episode, and I'm right there with you on the bad editing throughout the series. Many, many times, a show will start and show someone waaay too much and I'll mention that they might be going home. It's not always the case, but it must happen more times than not.

Bad enough that a friend and co-worker of mine is a Steelers fan (who went to the most recent SB, no less), but I gotta get it from you, too? Well, at least I (and the 49ers) can say something you (and the Steelers) can't: they're undefeated in Super Bowls. :D