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Dec 3, 2009

Survivor: Samoa Episode 12 Recap/Not-So-Live Blog

I always wanna call the episode after the recap show the next in line numerically after the last one (which would make this one 11), but I seem to be the only one in the internetiverse that does so, and that leads to all kinds of confusion between me and the bajillions of Googlers looking for information and/or hot noodz of the contestants. And so, I will call this episode 12; world, don't go changin' on me now.

Anyway, as you might've noticed, this post is coming to you hours after the episode aired (even on the West Coast). Thus, the Not-So-Live blog. That being the case, the standard time stamps are moot, and will be replaced by run-of-the-mill asterisks. But my recap will be 100% LIVE as of the date and time of my watching it, so expect the same off-the-cuff, poorly thought-about commentary and bad jokes that you've come to know and love.

Alright, Mrs. Fletch has readied herself for viewing, so let's get this party started!

* Odds of Russell holding up his end of the bargain he made with John (about voting off a Foa Foan next): 50-1.

* Could it be possible? Is Russ finally starting to lose a little bit of his pot belly? It would seem so...of course, as I'm typing this, the contestants are receiving their auction money and talking about full bellies. We'll see.

* Um...what's the deal with Jeff's hair? A bit too much Grecian formula, Mr. Probst?

* I want to sell my car to Natalie. If it were on the market for $25,000, I think I could get $68,000 from her.

* Of course, I shouldn't give her too hard a time; there's nothing worse than seeing these auctions and having players walk away with nothing but the meaningless cash. You're there to bid, you might as well get something, even if it is sea noodles or cucumbers.

* Good for Jaison - food is temporary and fleeting, but advantages in the game can make lasting changes.

* That's the biggest hamburger I think I've ever seen. Four pounder?

* What were the odds that the best looking person left won the right to get naked and shower? Classy use of porny jazz music, Survivor. I wonder if the same music would have played had Shambo won that?

* John, John, John...what a dummy. It's one thing to be selfish and take the lone slice of pie for yourself when you had a prime opportunity to win back some goodwill. But no, you had to make it 10x worse by, when given the option from Jeff to share, asking your tribemates if they wanted pie (duh!) and then decided to play keep away with it. Hey, homeless people - do you want a free mansion filled with booze? Yea? Ok, sorry, I'm gonna keep this can of beer for myself instead. Idiotic move.

* Haha - wow, those people are sick of each other, man. Big ol' fights about how to cook chickens. I understand that Shambo got too close to the chickens and had a hard time with their being killed and eaten, but that's no excuse to go off on the other players. Or how about this for an idea? If you have large issues with the fates of the chicken (which is fine), don't be the one to cook them!

* I wonder - do the producers force the previous Immunity Idol winners to wear the idol to the next challenge? I always think they look stupid wearing their giant necklaces; I'd want to just carry it in if it were me.

* Big, big advantage for Jaison if he uses it correctly. Wait until you start to tire, then move up those two spots. The only way he can ruin it is if he uses the advantage either too early or too late...which of course, he just did, using it pretty much right out of the gate. Dummy - you need to wait until people start to tire (including yourself), thereby demoralizing them and giving yourself a mental boost to go along with your physical one.

* Impressive run by Natalie, putting several of the men to shame. Meanwhile, Jaison looks weaker than Dave despite his advantage. What a pansy.

* Lucky for him, he was able to barely outlast Dave. I'm be somewhat ashamed of that win if I were him, though.

* And so the dilemma of which I first spoke is soon to come to a head: Shambo is dying to vote off Dave, and I don't see Russell really having a problem with that plan. However, John ought to have a big something to say about that. Let the fireworks begin!

* Sorry - I know there's no time stamp, but it's been awhile since the last comment. And it's all due to a ton of great strategical play all over the place. Will it be Dave or John...or perhaps another blindside (Russell?)? An excellent point brought up by Jaison when the talk of voting off John came up; piss her off and you run the risk of losing her votes in future Councils. Feel free to take her for granted as long as you want, so long as you make sure that you've got the numerical advantage at the point that you do so she can't come back to haunt you. Though there's a bit less drama here than in the last episode, there's certainly plenty to go around, and for the first time since the game really got going, I don't have much of an idea at all who's going home. The players can say that no vote would be a shock, and they're certainly right to an extent, but I'm almost certain to be surprised.

* Then again, from the votes we were shown, perhaps it won't be that big of a surprise. Dave, Mick or John.

* What you just saw there...that was John getting f*cked. Proper f*cked, as someone from Snatch might say. I actually feel bad for him.

* Next week? More Russell on the chopping block!

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13 people have chosen wisely: on "Survivor: Samoa Episode 12 Recap/Not-So-Live Blog"

Mrs Fletch said...

John should have known better, since when does Russell keep his promises?

JacksSmirkingRevenge said...

Completely disagree on Jaison's use of the "advantage", the sooner he used it the better. By using it earlier he had an advantage for most of the game and tired at an exponentially slower rate.
Nice "Snatch" reference though.

Nick said...

I agree with Jacks, actually. I would have used my advantage early on, too. Because he used it early, his arms had less fatigue than the others come the end, whereas if he used it after he started getting tired, his arms still would have been as weak as the others, but just with less weight, if that makes sense.

I so hope Russell doesn't go next week, though. But he still has the hidden idol... maybe he'll play it.

Fletch said...

I dunno, guys. I don't think the strength advantage he gained early on would have been that much different than had he used it later, but I stand by the thinking that it would have given him a larger psychological advantage. Either way, I guess it's moot since he won, but he sure did look weak in doing so.

Nick - I don't think Russell is going anywhere. The producers are surely aware that he's the only one (outside of maybe your buddy ShamWow) that anybody cares about, so they've got to drum up some drama. He wasn't even remotely threatened this time out.

Nick said...

"(outside of maybe your buddy ShamWow)"

I dunno about that anymore. After that last episode, she started to leave me a bit. She started getting a bit *too* kooky for me, if you know what I mean.

El Caganer said...

I bet they all smell like porch beef.

Robb said...

Ha, I thought the exact same thing about Jeff and his hair!

I'm ready for Sham to go, but I don't suppose that is going to happen. Her anger at Dave was pretty pathetic.

I loved the auction. I don't understand why people don't go all in more often. $500 for a cheeseburger? You betcha. What else are you going to do with it? People wimp out and then end up with nothing. Did Russell even bid once? What are you holding out for exactly?

This was a pretty good episode for Jaison. Not only did his advantage (that he bought and therefore totally earned and deserved) help him actually win something, but I think he nailed it with his observation that they were screwing over Shambo. Can they make that up to her? I dunno. Interesting that absolutely no one trusts her enough to go to her ahead of time and talk it out with her though, is she really that unreasonable?

As much as I want Russ to win, I like that Mick has decided to join the game and is talking smack about him in the previews. Seems a bit early for that move though.

Fletch said...

Nick - Even from here in Arizona, I can hear the cries of Shambo after your loss of confidence in her.

El Caganer - I bet you're right.

Robb - True on Sham. I imagine she'll make her way into the final four, yet have no shot at winning whatsoever.

Even funnier is that $500 can't possibly mean a lick to millionaire oilman Russ, right? You'd think he's be quick to blow his loot.

I agree on Jaison; this episode did him good. I'm starting to think that the final four might be him, Mick, Natalie and Shambo, with them ousting Russ at some point before then.

Robb said...

Sad though that we're at this point, and only Russell and Sham have a discernible personality. Russell has so dominated (and Sham is just such a kook) that everyone else has been near invisible. I've been expecting Mick especially to get voted off every week just cause I figured that if he were going to last they would have shown us a little more about him. But no, I guess everyone else is just boring TV. (Well, Dave is a'ight.)

Nick said...

What I can't believe is that we're a couple weeks away from the finale, and I'm *still* going "Who's that guy?" with, well... the young kid whose name I don't know. They never give him any screen time. So with such a boring personality and little conflict, I figure he'll end up in the Final 4.

My Final 4 predictions... Russell, ShamWow, Mick, and Whats-his-name.

Really, I have no idea... but I'm almost positive that Sham and Russ will be in the Final 4. At least I hope so. But I can't see Sham in the top spots, because I see her more as one of those jury members who says "congrats" and then goes crazy bitch on the final 2.

Fletch said...

Robb - I think we've gotten to know Dave and Jaison a bit, but for the most part it's true - they're a boring bunch. We barely know Brett (Brent?) as Nick points out as well, and I don't feel like we really know Monica or Natalie all that much, either. Blah.

Nick - yeah, Brett gets to say 4 words a week and that's all, which is equivalent to the number of hairs on his chinny chin chin.

Sham could make the final 2 or 3, if only because no one's afraid of her beating them. On the other hand, that' why I can't see Russ making it that far; even if he's hated, the jury must know that he deserves it more than anyone else.

JacksSmirkingRevenge said...

For some reson I think Natalie is the best bet to make the final 2. I think if they had their druthers Russell, Mick and Jaison would all take her with them to the final two.

Robb said...

Natalie has made some good moves, but they've been sly ones. Question is, were they too sly for the jury to give her any credit for them? I'm liking her more and more every week, and from my perspective (which is potentially very different than the jury's) I could see her besting either Mick or Jaison.