Ok who is going to watch Survivor with me?

pip57

I think Matt is going to have a better chance being on RI.  He is to sweet and naive to play the game with the others.  I wonder how long before the reunite RI contestant again?  I hope they give them immunity when they do go back.  Hope its Matt!

Omaz, I was laughing right from the start of the 'balls' competition.   

pip57

http://www.jeffprobst.com/2011/04/07/survivor-redemption-island-episode-8-4611/

Once again I enjoyed our “interactive living room” on Twitter.  We’ve been tweeting live each week at 8pm EST/PST.  You can catch the tweets @JeffProbst.THE DUELI am guessing that almost everybody, short of Sarita’s family, was pulling for Matt to win the last duel before the merge.  It has nothing to do with Sarita and everything to do with pulling for the underdog.  Matt earned his shot back in the game.I’m surprised that some of you are not enjoying Redemption Island.  I certainly get a lot of comments from people who are enjoying it but I do get some from people who think it’s a bore.I’m shocked that anybody could be bored with the Matt/Redemption Island storyline.  But hey, I get it, everybody has their likes/dislikes.As I’ve said many times the duels are put on the grid and built long before we know who will be competing.  So imagine Matt’s surprise when the one challenge he didn’t want – a challenge that involved using the side of his now injured food – was the exact duel that was on the grid.  Crazy Survivor luck.Had he lost, it would have sucked to lose due to an injury but it would have been completely fair.Truth is, I thought he was in real danger of losing.  These challenges so often favor women and with his cut foot I thought he might be in trouble.THE MERGEAh there is so much fun about the merge.From a show point of view it’s a breath of fresh air as it almost always shakes things up.  Solid alliances are now in danger.  People on the bottom now have a new shot at moving up.The Survivors get a merge feast, which always lifts their spirits and anytime you can lift their spirits it’s a good thing.  That might sound counter to what you would think we want to have happen, but the truth is there is so much drama on a day-to-day basis, that a bit of happiness is always good.  Balances things out.They get new buffs, which invigorates them and often seems to refuel them.And if I don’t have to be there, it’s an afternoon off for me!MURLONIORob: (to tribe) Murlonio means from the sea, united.Rob: (interview)“Murlonio doesn’t mean anything.  It’s a joke between me and Amber.”I’m laughing because I’m imagining the reaction of the rest of the tribe when they heard this for the first time last night while watching the show.  It’s so 5^th grade and it has absolutely no impact on the show, but it’s still funny.  I’m sure Rob and Amber were cracking up last night every time “Murlonio” popped up on the screen.  I’ll ask Rob to bring the stuffed animal to the live show.THE BALANCING CHALLENGEAs simple as this challenge is to recreate it’s still the same creative process as you have with an elaborate maze.  You have an idea – let’s do something where they balance a ball on a plate.  Then you play around with the idea and decide it’s too easy, we need to add a “wobble” element to it.  But it’s still not hard enough, so we add another ball, and then another.  Now we’re getting somewhere.Most of our challenges first take shape months before we go to location.  Our challenge team pitches us their slate of new challenges.  In fact we’re doing this in two weeks here in LA in preparation for next year.  The pitch is nothing more than ideas and sketches.  After the pitch, some are approved, some are modified and some are sent back for re-tooling.Once they’re approved they have to be built.  This process can take between one to six weeks depending on the scope and size.Once built they are then tested.  During a test there are no cameras.  Just our director, our dream team, our challenge producers and me.Once we’re satisfied with the test block we move to a rehearsal.  This requires our entire camera/audio operators, our director, challenge producers, dream team and all the support people.We rehearse the challenge and give our final notes.  Then the challenge is ready for the Survivors.We do this whether it is a three person final episode endurance challenge or a two-tribe, 20 person boat race.  We always follow the same process.THE BIGGEST BLINSIDE OF THE SEASONThe second blindside of Matt was a great move by Rob and not a surprising one.  Rob blindsided Matt the first time around so Rob had to believe he was a target.  I’m not sure Matt had any real shot at surviving but he sealed his fate when he told Rob the truth that he considered switching to the other side.  He just gave up way too many details.  It’s like telling your girlfriend, “I was thinking about breaking up with you, but I decided not to.”  What?  You don’t tell them that.  You either do it or you don’t — but sharing e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g is not always the right choice.It makes sense that Matt was honest.  It’s in his nature.  But like the tale of the frog and the scorpion, nature can work for you and against you.  This time the “nature” of Rob worked against Matt.Mike gave it a great shot.  He said all the right things.  Offering to sabotage his own alliance and join forces with Matt in order to further his own game.  He made the only real move he had at that point and it’s exactly what I would have done.  It was a big move.  Just because it didn’t work doesn’t mean it wasn’t a smart move.The big question I have with Matt centers around how this impacts Matt’s faith in people.Blindsided two times by people you trust… I wonder if it has changed Matt’s view of his fellow man or is Matt wise enough to realize that Survivor is just a game.  It’s an ugly game at times but it’s just a game.REDEMPTION ISLAND BEGINS AGAINYes this was in the plan from the beginning.  Redemption Island was going to resume immediately after the merge.  In fact, when we pitched CBS one of the scenarios we gave them was the person on Redemption Island could earn their way back into the game and then be voted right out again.  But nobody imagined that one guy would win six straight duels get back into the game at the merge and be the first person voted out again.If there is a silver lining for Matt, it is the fact that if he can survive Redemption Island again and make it back to the final, his odds for winning are huge.  At this point he is one of the biggest underdogs in Survivor history.See ya next week!

ADK

No, Omaz you are not immature - it was pretty funny.  That move by Rob was evil genius.  It was cruel, but it had to be done.  I suspect that Dave will be flipping to the Rob alliance - he really admired what Rob engineered.  I am wondering if the final three will consist of two who have survived the social game and whoever is left on RI.  If that is true, it's possible that Matt will go to the end and he will win because the jury will be so sympathetic to him.  It would be historic - the first person to win by not playing a social game at all - just winning challenges.

NSWTD

Agree that Rob's move to oust Matt was a very good play.  I wished they had shown who voted for who at the end like usual.  I cannot figure out If Matt or the blond girl who likes Matt (sorry, cannot remember her name) was the one who voted for Steve. 

VickiSam

Matt is gone again ..  Poor, guy!   I watched American Idol last night .. DVR'd Survivor .. crazy .. crazy game.

Omaz

Not that it would have made a difference but why did Zapateras vote for Grant and not for Rob?

VickiSam

I can only venture to guess .. is that Grant is the 1 person .. who pretty much .. push his tribe to 2  immunity wins ..back to back, based on his athleticism.

Vicki Sam

Omaz

Vicki - they must know that that Rob is the planner.  I must say Rob really pays attention and controls his reactions to things.  I wonder if the Zap tribe even has a chance.

ananda8

Matt is a sweet kid but no one can keep winning challenges against those that are left.  It is possible that if Rob is voted off soon, Matt could beat him but I think the Ometepa tribe likes Rob's strategy and will keep him to eliminate the other tribe.  By then, Matt could run into Mike or Ralph and lose a challenge.

VickiSam

I was sad to see Matt .. banished back to RI.   I hope he makes it to the final 3 ... the underdog!

VickiSam

Matt .. is in Medical school,  which tells me he is book smart .. but NOT wise to the outside world.  He has no Street, smarts -- as proven this last episode.

Rob is that alley cat or dog, that we all see around .. scrappy, ready to sell out his playmates to get a free meal.

ADK

I think Zap went for Grant to weaken Rob - they even called him Rob's right hand man.  I think they didn't think they could get Matt and Andrea to vote for Rob just yet.  They also wanted to eliminate a strong individual contender.  They did talk about getting Rob next tribal.  Little do they know.

VickiSam

From what I can gather ... 2 tribal councils tonight ...

This may  be interesting ... Flush out the Rob - idol ...

Vicki Sam

riley702

Phillip was on fire tonight! So many things... The feather, explaining the feather ("Yes, Jeff, the feather appeared out of nowhere."), telling Steve, "No feather for you!", the 'Stealth r us' monologue at tribal. And I'm still giggling over, "I like it on the bottom."

pip57

RI should be interesting next week.  Three strong players sharing tribal stories and then combating one another.  

NSWTD

Ah,,,,,but do we know that the three will battle? I am guessing another change is coming, although I do not know what. 

pip57

Hmmmm.  Never considered that!

Jaybird627

LOVE Rob, he gets my vote. Philip comes in second - he's a hoot!

VickiSam

Philip is sooooooooo out there, I am starting to appreciate, and believe his rantings! LOL 

Rob is truly, the Godfather of Survivor ...and like all Godfathers, he needs to watch his backside -- I don't know why, but I don't see Rob in the final 3 ... his cockiness, will bite him in the butt.

RI will truly be interesting .. still rooting for Matt ..

Vicki Sam

ananda8

Even if Matt makes it to the final two, I hope he doesn't win.  He can possible out last but he certainly cannot out wit anyone.  The winner of Survivor should have more going for him or her than physical talent and a smile. 

I would vote for Phillip or Ralph before I would vote for Matt.

VickiSam

Notself:    LOL   Yes, poor Matt needs to educate himself with regards .. to his lack of street smarts.>>

Ralph -- yes,  Philip maybe .. I have watched Survivor since its inception ... way back when ...  and there have been many ... and I do say many, who won the Million dollars riding the coat-tails of a very strong, opinionated player .. dare, I say.. mostly women.

Vicki Sam

riley702

Woof - that got real ugly real fast. Kudos to Jeff for moderating that little minefield at TC tonight. So many wrongs don't make a right. The Ometepes shouldn't have been hateful about not sharing their tarp, which gave the Zapateras the idea to not share their rice. The Ometepes shouldn't have stolen the Zapatera's rice, and then when they had a 'little problem' with their own rice supply, they shouldn't have tried to bully the Zapateras into letting them put all the rice in one container. First of all, yuck! I don't care if you say you've picked all the maggots out of it, I wouldn't want that in with 'my' good rice. Secondly, that conveniently puts all the rice in one container; so it's just another way to help themselves to the other tribe's extra rice.

Steve shouldn't have called a crazy person crazy to his face; that's just not smart. I kinda understood the point Phillip was making, but thought he over-reacted to an already ugly situation. Made uglier by his own bullying and threatening the Zapateras. But then Julie steals Phillip's clothes? So not cool. Mean to Phillip, his tribemates, and we viewers all in one fell swoop - not classy, Julie! I'm glad they voted her out for that. I think Jeff should have insisted on her telling where she buried his clothes.

Omaz

That was painful to watch and listen to.

pip57

And that is how wars are started.  Territorial fights mixed with combinations of human emotions. 

Oh Philip.  What is there left to say. 

ananda8

Phillip brought up good points about code words and racism.  He also hit a good point with the women of his tribe when he mentioned the "subtleties" of sexual harassment in the work place.  Phillip has difficulty pronouncing words sometimes but he definitely can use them to good effect when he takes the time to think before he speaks.  In my opinion, he is one of the most complex and interesting characters that have been on Survivor. 

Just to understand a bit more about the dust up, I researched the definition of crazy and the definition of eccentric which I think is a label that better fits Phillip.  Here are the definitions. 

Crazy---mentally deranged; demented; insane.   

Lunitic---an insane person.  

Eccentric---deviating from the recognized or customary character, practice, etc.; irregular; erratic; peculiar; odd: eccentric conduct; an eccentric person.

ananda8

Jeff Probst Blog.

http://www.jeffprobst.com/

ananda8

What?  No comments?

riley702

It'll get interesting now that Ometepe has to cannibalize itself? Otherwise, I'm glad they accelerated the inevitable Pagonging of Zapatera. Now, we can get to the strategizing (I hope!).

Omaz

Don't forget to check out Ponderosa - !

pip57

It looks like RI might become its own tribe with another 'merge' in the future.  I don't know if I like that idea though.

Poor Matt. He is on such a roller coaster!