Survivor 15.5 "We're all the brains."

Thoughts and prayers out to all of you trying to survive down in SoCal. Even if you're not in the path of destruction, I understand the air quality is dreadful--Hang in there!

SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE (SHAKE YOUR TRIBES UP)

Sleeping pandas are shown to illustrate how everyone's going to be caught off guard by the tribe shake-up that awaits our Survivors. At Crouching Tiger, Frosti is shown lamenting the fact that the other tribe has James, the strongest player, and Aaron the "great leader." Then Sherea is shown talking about how she's kinda on the outs with the others, and that she's, ahem, looking forward to some "drama" and "change." Now, I try to ignore the elements of reality shows that are staged, but there is just no way in hell I believe that Sherea just said that out of the blue, without say, a producer asking her, "What would you think about a big change around here?" or whatever. I really don't appreciate it. Elsewhere, Jamie and Erik bond and flirt as they swim in the lake. Erik babbles that the setting is "...Biblical, in that there is a man and a woman and we like hanging out." Wow...uh, okay. Anyway, they tell each other they think the other is peachy, and then Erik tells Jamie that he's a virgin, because he wants to wait for the "right person" hint hint, wink wink. Well, not so much wink wink, but Erik's revelation of purity did seem to be his odd way of hitting on her, and oddly enough, it seemed to work because Jamie reveals to him the 411 on the Immunity Idol and tells us that Erik is someone she'd like to "make it with"...er, to the end of the game, that is. Ah, well. Keep hope alive, Erik.

At Hidden Dragon, a close bond has developed between the hardworking duo of James and Denise. James raves that Denise "...is there to complement you and work with you. That’s attractive." He goes on to say that if he was a little older, or if Denise was a little younger, "She'd be in trouble," which is so sweet that I just have to believe that Todd was mistaken to think that James was joining in when Jean-Robert was being all skeevy. I think James is adorable, and I think he's a good guy. And the fact that he has the kind of physique you usually only see in Superman comics? Bonus. Denise and James return to camp from the fish trap when a local messenger arrives. He doesn't speak English, so everyone says "hello" with an accent, so he can understand. He gives them a parchment that says they have to choose two players from the other team to bring to theirs, which sucks for them because they know the Tigers are gonna take James and Aaron. They decide to take Frosti and Sherea (her value has not gone unnoticed by the competition, at any rate). The Tigers don't think for a second that The Dragons are gonna take Sherea...because they don't think for a minute that the Dragons are gonna get to take ANYBODY. Instead they go on and on about how it's gonna be soooo cool to get James and Aaron and now b the tribe with seven people, and the OTHER tribe only have five! They seriously don't "get" it until the boat comes to fetch Frosti and Sherea and then they're like, "Ohhhhh, we're trading two people for the two people we're gonna get." At least Sherea can admit, "That was REAL dumb." No one is happy to lose Frosti or Sherea, and despite the fact that they're getting the Dragons' two strongest players, it's the Tigers who're shedding all the tears. The Dragons are just whining about how they don't like change. Aaron complains that "everything is messed up," and if he knew how uninterested James was in Aaron's continued survival in the game, he'd be even more freaked out. Once the two men leave, Jean-Robert starts moaning about how they've lost their two strongest players--gee, doesn't being a professional poker player mean you have to deal with being dealt a new hand of cards every once in awhile? Denise, the only person who seems to have built an actual RELATIONSHIP with either of the guys is bummed, but shrugs and realizes she has to just shut up and deal. Jean-Robert reckons that James is his greatest ally in the game, but we know from last week that James finds JR to be arrogant. I think that James is just a lot quieter about his distaste for him. Jean Robert DOES make a good move when he suggests that they all agree to oust Sherea and then Frosti, should they lose the next two Immunities and everyone agrees (eventually), but then he undercuts himself by exposing his own massive insecurity by adding, "I know the popular thing is 'get rid of Jean-Robert'..." in a tone that also telegraphs how stupid he thinks they all are. I guess playing it cool was a less attractive option than letting everyone know that he was "on to them," but really, I think he is fairly safe because he IS their biggest guy--by like 100 pounds, and they may not like him, but they certainly NEED him unless the Tiger's oust James. You got to know when to hold 'em, JR. Oh and then Jean-Robert refers to himself in the third person by telling us, "It's been a bad day for Jean-Robert." And grammar.

BREAK ON THROUGH TO THE OTHER SIDE

The ships transporting the kidnapees pass on the river, and they wave to one another. The tribes are provided with fruit, nuts and booze to loosen everyone up, but unfortunately,no one gets all crazy-drunk and interesting. James and Aaron are struck by how laid-back things are at Crouching Tiger, and when Aaron asks who's the "brains" behind the tribe, he's told, 'We're all the brains." They're all so friendly and diplomatic I can't even remember who said it! :D When James starts hustling to prove his worth around camp, Peih Gee takes a moment to revel in the power she, Jamie and Erik have over the fates of two physically stronger men. Later, Aaron tries to bond with the girls over a swim, and plants a seed against his comrade when he wonders aloud whether anyone will be able to beat James in Individual Immunity once they Merge. He balks when Jamie tries to pry some information about the Dragons out of him though. Peih Gee recognizes that Aaron is the type of guy who people are drawn to because he's good-looking, and fears his craftiness as well. She and Jamie hatch a plan to throw the next Immunity Challenge in order to protect their "real" tribe, and try to get to the Merge with a numbers advantage when they're hopefully reuited with Sherea and Frosti...

THings are less interesting at Hidden Dragon. Todd is very eager to network and make as many alliances as possible, and Sherea is eager to turn over a new leaf of sorts--she goes so far as claiming to be able to "cook a little", which is surely a surprise to Frosti. It occurred to me how weird it feels when Jeff isn't involved in tribe shake-up or Merge. It just feels...slightly less official, some how. Anyway, things go smoothly for everyone until the next morning, when Jean-Robert wakes up early to get the fire started and breakfast ready. As he's working, the rest of the Dragons start making fun of him and ragging on him behind his back, which Frosti tells us was better than breakfast. He and Sherea quickly realize that they have a pretty good shot at endearing themselves to their new tribe. Things look even better when JR starts making orders. Now, he tries to be subtle about it by using this really ingratiating tone, but he's soooo specific about what he wants done, "Denise, if you could come with me and check the traps, and Sherea, you can cook breakfast..." Denise jumps all over him, then the not-to-be-trifled with Sherea joins in. Instead of it being seen as "the new kid overstepping her bounds", Sherea is quickly embraced by Todd and the Dragon girls, as Jean Robert scuttles away.

IMMUNITY CHALLENGE

The re-configured tribes gather for the Immunity Challenge. James and Aaron seem unthrilled by Todd's chipper acceptance of Sherea and Frosti. Aaron tells Jeff point-blank, "We're on the chopping block, thanks to your frickin' plot twist." Jamie and Peih Gee exchange knowing smiles. The challenge has two players for each team swimming out to a dock and then taking turns diving in order to release these hexagons shaped discs. The discs each have a sign of the Chinese Zodiac on them and really--and I do mean really--resemble the Dharma Initiative signs on "Lost." Then they're supposed to bring them back to shore and three others actually do the puzzle. The Dragons sit out Amanda and *sigh* Courtney. Like, really? I would have thought a non-physical puzzle would be the IDEAL time to play her, but, whatever. maybe she can't pick up the discs they probably weigh, what five pounds? Erik and Aaron swim out for the Tigers, while Jean-Robert and Frosti do the same for the Dragons. Courtney yells, "Go Jean-Robert!" and then quips to Amanda, "It broke a little bit of my heart to say that." Man, I hate to say it because she's so worthless, but Courtney really does amuse me. Meanwhile, James is put-out when he sees how calm Jamie and Peih-Gee are--almost like they don't care who wins...hmmm. The task is very demanding and the four exhausted men struggle back to the beach--Jean Robert comes very close to dumping all the discs in the water but he recovers. When Erik and Aaron drop off THEIR discs, Jamie casually tosses one a few feet way, making it clear to the viewing audience that the fix is in! :D Jamie and Peih-Gee half-ass it, and Todd, Denise and Sherea easily win. Jeff makes a point of returning the "missing" piece to Jamie, clearly irritated, which irritates ME. Throwing a challenge to oust one of your own tribe members makes PERFECT sense when your REAL tribe, your REAL alliance has been split up! Ethan, one of the bestest most moral players in Survivor History did it in order to rid his new tribe of Silas and to protect Lex, Big Tom and Kelly when they were separated in the game's First ever shake-up. I think it's a good play, myself. You know, not everyone can win with their muscles, Jeff.

NOW WHAT?

Aaron and James are furious--and oblivious--about Jamie and Peih Gee's casual reaction to their latest loss. When James insist the girls can't handle pressure, they can barely stop from giggling, so they go off to laugh about how successful their plan was and how the new boys have NO idea what they're up to. Also in the dark is old boy Erik, who is unthrilled when he finds out 1) the girls threw the challenge to try and save Frosti and Sherea and 2) they didn't see fit to clue him in before he busted his butt in said challenge. Or, at least that's what I'm guessing he's feeling. I gotta say--and this has nothing to do with the virgin thing, by the way--but Erik is kinda whipped. He really DOES let the girls dictate what he's gonna do and if he HAS a strong opinion about it, he should voice it, but instead he just comes off mildly disappointed in them. I guess I'd like to see Erik show me he's actually interested in winning Survivor before I invest any interest in him. The gang feels that Aaron is the bigger threat because they believe he has stronger alliance back at his old tribe, but James doesn't want to work hard to support a bunch of losers, so he asks to be sent home. He tells the girls that Aaron deserves to stay, and Aaron agrees because he decides to vote against the presumably doomed James, so's not to cast a vote against one of his new tribemates.

TRIBAL COUNCIL

Once James and Aaron have voiced their displeasure in being traded from a contender to Kansas City Royals, it doesn't take long for a still hacked off Jeff to call Jamie and Peih Gee on their being "happy" to be at Tribal Council. Jamie explains to Jeff what SHOULD be obvious to Jeff, which is they'd be doomed at Merge because they lack numbers, so 'Yes, sir," they did throw the challenge. James and Aaron's jaws drop at this, and when Jeff implies it was a stupid move, Peih Gee shoots back, "It's about winning the war, not the battle." Jeff (showing more favoritism than I've seen him show) angrily insists that Survivor is a game about WINNING, but as I said before, Ethan helped throw a challenge to protect HIS alliance back in Africa, which certainly helped him win. What does it gain Peih Gee, Jamie or Erik to turn against their alliance in order to save Aaron and James, knowing they'll vote against them at the Merge? Personally, I think this was the bet play the girls had. I also think that Jeff is thinking that James is gonna go home and that's why he's so ticked, but plot twist happen to good people sometimes, Jeff. Seriously, I thought he was unprofessional and kinda a big baby about the whole thing. Anyway, it is indeed pretty-boy Aaron who's sent packing, leaving James to fight another day--if he wants to. Jeff THEN is able to admit they MAY have made a smart move, assuming there's a Merge. And may I say, it's refreshing that we're shown people LIKE Peih Gee and Jame talking about a Merge at 10 people, instead of the "Has anyone watched this show" people who never seem to see it coming. The only time we HAVEN'T had a Merge was in Palau.

Aaron is evicted in 12th place, where Bible-toting Dirk was banished in Season One. In the Outback, Kimmi the Vegetarian who stopped bathing wore out her welcome with her tribe, while in Africa, the vainglorious Silas was evicted due to Survivor's first ever tribe shake-up. It was beautiful:) In the Marquesas, tree-huggin' Gabe lost the confidence of his alliance when he started moaning about how he didn't want Survivor to be competitive and in Thailand, Stepahnie the really boring firefighter left us. In the Amazon, tough-tawkin' Jeanne was ousted after a shake-up and the Pearl Island's Michelle was cut-loose once she no-longer had the protection of Burton. In Vanuatu, Lisa was cut-down by Ami the power-mad lesbian, who arbitrarily decided that Lisa was out to get her because of something Lisa DIDN'T say. Man I hated Ami. Anyway, in Palau, the tribe that never won continued to lose, meaning the end of the road for James-who-should've-been-Jim Bob and in Guatemala, we said a sad farewell to Smart Brian. On Exile Island, crude Bobby was dumped and in the Cook Islands, dapper Brad was sent packing. Last Season, we were spared anymore of Boston James' "charming" personality when he went out at 12.

EVICTED SURVIVOR FUN FACT

Besides being a surfing instructor, Aaron is also one of Survivor's many, many bartenders. He is a cooking nut, and he once appeared on "The Price is Right."

Peace Out! And I will catch up this week, REALLY! :D

Christine