Recap, Episode 8 (11/9)
OUT OF STYLE AND ON THE JURY Brad Voted Out In an unexpected vote, Brad Virata, the 29-year-old fashion director from Los Angeles, California, gets voted out seven to one and becomes the first member of the jury. After losing his tribe's trust, Brad was blindsided at Tribal Council. In his final words, a reflective Brad states, "My experience overall has been the best, worst experience of my entire life. I didn't know I was going. I didn't know what was brewing. It's kind of a sigh of relief for me. At the same time, parting is bittersweet. Anything is possible in this game. And making the jury just proves that point." Alliance of Five? Aitu's confidant alliance of Yul, Becky, Sundra, Candice and Jonathan discuss strategy for their next vote off--Ozzy. The five discuss plans for the merge and anticipate that it may be coming in the next couple of days. The tight group agrees to stick together. But secretly, Candice speculates that Jonathan doesn't have any allegiance, so she would like to see him go. At Aitu, Candice and Jonathan discuss their plans for the rest of the game. They both plan on flopping and joining their original tribe mates Parvati and Adam when the two tribes merge into one. Jonathan says that he is "determined to not be the guy who made the move too late." Brad's Independence The Raro tribe relaxes around a fire and discusses their plan for the merge, which they believe is forthcoming. Brad announces that the merge signifies "every man for himself." Nate is suspicious of Brad's comment, which causes him to lose his trust in Brad. Nate feels that Brad should be next to go. Reward Challenge: Barrel of Monkeys After the tribes arrive at the challenge ready to compete for a Reward, Jeff Probst announces a surprise twist. He offers each individual player the opportunity to "change their fate in the game" by choosing to mutiny against their current tribe and join the other tribe. Given only ten seconds, the players must decide whether to stay on the tribe they are currently on or take a chance by joining the other tribe. With three seconds remaining, Candice jumps off of her tribe mat, signifying that she is choosing to mutiny and, a second later, Jonathan follows. The two leave the stunned Aitu tribe and join their new Raro tribe. Jeff explains the rules of the challenge. Two tribe members will squeeze into a barrel together and remain in the barrel while two other tribe members push, pull and roll the barrel through a series of obstacles in order to retrieve four buoys. Next, they must float the barrel through a final water obstacle, where they will collect four flags anchored underwater. Once the flags have been collected, the tribe must paddle back to shore, hang their flags on a flagpole, recover a buried axe and chop a rope in order to hoist their flags. The first tribe to raise their flags wins coffee, muffins, danishes and letters from home. In addition, the winning tribe will send one person from the losing tribe to Exile Island. Ozzy and Yul start with a lead for Aitu, sending a barrel containing Becky and Sundra careening down a steep ramp. Raro's Adam and Nate follow closely with their barrel containing Candice and Jenny. The tribes are neck and neck as the barrels full of women crash over a series of logs and finally are dumped off into the water. Both tribes latch their buoys onto their barrels and begin the difficult swim. Unfortunately for Raro, they veer completely off path. Strong swimmer Ozzy leads the Aitu barrel swiftly through the course and retrieves Aitu's flags. Aitu floats the barrel back to shore where Becky and Sundra are released from their tight wooden confines. The small but mighty tribe of four raises their flags with time to spare, winning coffee, pastries and treasured letters from home. Aitu gets their revenge by sending Candice to Exile Island. Solidified Bond The winning Aitu tribe walks over to a deck where they are greeted with welcoming couches, dry robes and a succulent feast of coffee and pastries. Yul gushes that he is "amazingly proud" of the small tribe. Sundra cries as she and the other members of her tribe savor their hard won victory against the enormous Raro tribe. Aitu enjoys looking at pictures from home and Yul says that it helps to see the photos and to realize that they all have hopes, dreams and aspirations. Ozzy proclaims, "We're a team to the end now." Revenge is Sweet Alone on Exile Island again, Candice wishes she could be bonding with her new tribemates. She ponders Jonathan's decision to mutiny with her. Convinced that he is only playing the game for himself, she considers his strategy. Candice acknowledges that she now has four people in the game that are officially her enemies. Sold Out At Raro, Jonathan attempts to bond with his new tribe members. "I am in the danger seat now," he professes. "My game plan is to earn their trust." Nate wonders why Jonathan would think that Raro would be willing to bond with someone who just "sold out" his own tribe. Early Bird As the roosters crow to wake a sleepy Raro tribe, Jonathan works to prove his worth. As Jenny, Parvati, Rebecca and Brad relax and enjoy a slow and sleepy morning, Jonathan continues to tend fire and forage for food. Adam acknowledges Jonathan's hard work around camp, calling him a "workhorse." Jonathan tells Adam that he and Candice wanted to get back over to Adam and Parvati, so they could reunite with their original tribe. Immunity Challenge: Depth Charge Aitu and Raro arrive at the challenge ready for action, as Jeff explains the rules. The four tribe members that did not participate in the last challenge for Raro will now go head to head with the only four members of Aitu. The four tribe members have to paddle out in glass bottom boats in search of three targets on the ocean floor. They must line up the targets with cross hairs on their glass bottom boat, drop a cannonball and release two buoys. Once all six buoys have been collected the tribe must paddle back to shore. Reading a clue from one of the buoys, the tribe must use all six buoys to spell out the answer. First tribe to answer the clue correctly wins immunity. On Jeff's shout of "go," the tribes board their respective boats and start frantically paddling to their first stations. Raro leads, lining up their first target with ease and retrieving their first set of buoys, while Aitu narrowly misses. Raro gets another set of buoys. Suddenly, Yul from the Aitu tribe figures out a trick to getting the cannonballs into the target and is successful at the first station. Aitu quickly surpasses a floundering Raro as they retrieve the remaining two sets of buoys. The Aitu tribe paddles ashore, then Yul quickly locates the clue buoy and reads it aloud: "The most famous mutiny in history occurred on this ship." The tribe members quickly spell the word "Bounty" with the buoys. Jeff declares them the winners as Raro looks on pathetically from their boat. The small tribe of four is safe from Tribal Council. Scrambling for the Truth Jonathan continues to work hard fishing at Raro. Reunited with her new tribe, Candice informs Parvati that she is not tight with Jonathan and wouldn't mind if he was the one to be voted out. Meanwhile, Adam and Nate discuss the game plan for voting at Tribal Council. Adam points out that Jonathan is now stuck with them, so they should vote for Brad, and keep Jonathan in as an easy vote-off later in the game. Nate decides that he must play Brad by easing his mind and confirming that the new members are the first to go. The newly reunited Adam and Candice prepare food and discuss Jonathan. Candice lets Adam know that Jonathan is playing him and would vote him off, if given the chance. Adam is furious and immediately grabs Nate to talk about a change in plans for the vote. Nate ponders the advantages of voting Jonathan versus Brad. When the time arrives for the vote, Adam's sudden distrust in Jonathan is not enough to turn the tide against Brad's "every man for himself" mentality. After getting voted off seven votes to one, a stunned Brad snuffs out his torch and leaves the island as the first member of the jury.

Surviving the Cook Islands, Episode 8: “Mutineers Are the First People to Die” by David Bloomberg -- 11/10/2006 It’s time for a big twist, which Jeff Probst calls a mutiny. What does it mean? Does anybody take part? Who says mutineers die first? And does it turn out to be true? Read on to find out! Last week we said goodbye to the fun but strategically rather clueless Jessica. This week, we’ve been promised a shocking surprise. Will it be the merge? A tribal swap? Is Probst doing magic tricks? Who knows! But we can find out easily enough, just read on with me. We begin at Aitu on day 19, the morning following Tribal Council. Ozzy is sleeping in a hammock while Jonathan, Candice, Yul, Sundra, and Becky congratulate themselves on doing well and staying tight, and Jonathan says they know what the next move is if they have to vote. That would be the sleeping Ozzy. Jonathan even says if they merge, they would vote somebody from the other tribe off first, and then Ozzy. I think he’s getting a bit ahead of himself. Jonathan tells us how people are getting antsy and expecting the merge. They expect one more immunity challenge. Back in the group, Yul says they need to stick together or else they’re toast. But Candice tells us in voiceover that she just wants to rejoin with Adam and Parvati. So, toast it is! Later that day, Candice tells Jonathan that while he’s preaching about sticking together, somebody will get greedy. Is she confessing? No, she just doesn’t want to be the one left out. Jonathan assures her that they are tight and they can rejoin with Adam and Parvati. He wants to make sure they make the move before the others do. He goes so far as to say that he wants to go to the final two with her. But she doesn’t really believe him because he’ll do anything he needs to – so she wants to see him go. We head over to Raro, where the discussion is also about the merge. Several of them talk about how they’re going in tied at six and have nothing to worry about (not sure I understand that, since going in tied means you do have something to worry about, but okay). But then Brad gives them more to worry about by saying, “And then it’s like every man for himself.” I’m not sure what he was trying to say, but the others give looks that indicate it sounds like he is talking about betraying them. When he walks away, the others discuss what he just said and Parvati says he’s digging himself a hole. Nate tells us Brad has done some questionable things – “He’s Slim Shady right now.” The women say it’s not an individual game yet, it’s still team. I have to correct them – it’s always an individual game, whether they recognize it or not. But they decide they don’t need him after the merge. It seems to me that simply doing the math says otherwise. Time for the reward challenge. The tribes arrive and Probst says they’re going to do something a little different. He offers each of them the opportunity to mutiny and join the other tribe. The looks on their faces run from shocked (Rebecca) to smiling (Brad). They only have ten seconds to make a decision. If they want to move, they simply step off their mat and join the other tribe. As Probst counts down, Candice steps off the mat. At the very last second, so does Jonathan. Interesting. They move over and join Raro. Probst asks Aitu how they feel. Yul says he’s stunned. Can’t imagine why, since Jonathan was just preaching how they need to stick together. Ozzy says he’s not surprised – they don’t have the backbone to stick with their tribe and he’s sure they’ll get what’s coming to them sooner or later. With that, Probst describes the challenge. Two members of each tribe will start in a barrel. On go, the rest of the tribe pushes them through a series of obstacles. Along the way, they have to collect four buoys and use them to float the barrel containing the two tribe members across the lagoon. When they reach the center, they have to dive down and retrieve four flags. Upon getting to the other side of the lagoon, they will go up on the beach and attach the flags to a pole. The entire tribe has to dig in the sand for an axe, which they will use to chop a rope and raise the flags. First tribe to do it wins reward. What do they win? The tribe will go to a relaxing environment with coffee, muffins, danishes, and letters from home. With that in mind, they have to pick two women and two men from each tribe. Whoa, Aitu needs a long time to figure this one out – given that they only have four people left! Aitu has the women in the barrel and the men pushing. But Raro has a decision to make. They choose to have Candice and Jenny in the barrel with Nate and Adam pushing. And they’re off! The first thing they do is push the barrel down a long ramp. Oh, the women have got to be dizzy! The guys run down to get the buoys and start rolling again. Aitu has a small lead as they get to a portion where they have to roll the barrels over a series of logs. Ouch. Bang. Smack. That’s gotta hurt. Aitu is still in the lead by a bit as they get the second set of buoys. They get to the water and attach the buoys. Aitu is floating their barrel, but Raro has some problems and falls behind. Aitu reaches the flags and Aquaman, er, Ozzy dives to get them. One flag. Two flags. Three flags. Four. Raro still isn’t even there yet as they fight the current and lose. Aitu get to the other side and start attaching flags. Becky gets ‘em all hung up and they dig for the axe. They find it and chop. Aitu wins by a long shot! Ozzy turns to Jonathan, who is sitting nearby, and says, “Mutineers are the first people to die, man. Mutineers are the first people to die.” With that, the four remaining Aitu hug. Probst says it would be an understatement to say the game has just changed. Oh, and Aitu gets to send somebody to Exile Island. I wonder who it could be. Ozzy mocks deep thought before picking Candice. The rest of Raro head out as Sundra cries and says it feels good that they stuck together and won. Probst sends Aitu behind them to get their reward. They arrive to find a lounge-like atmosphere with couches and coffee and food, etc. Yul tells the others he is so amazingly proud of them and honored to share this experience with them. Sundra says when the mutiny happened, she felt like their tribe was “small and pitiful.” But when Aitu won, she cried and has never been so happy. The Aitus toast to getting to the end together. Ozzy says the reward was like a recharge and he’s ready for anything. They open the mail from home and get photographs as well. They read the mail and pretty much all cry. Sundra talks about how she hasn’t seen her son in three weeks. She feels bad but teaches him not to quit, so she can’t. Group hug! Ozzy says they’re stronger than they’ve ever been – the mutiny solidified their commitment to one another. Well, it certainly did for him, since he was the outside guy before! Day 20 on Exile Island, Candice says she’s been waiting the whole time to get back with her pals, Adam and Parvati, so she mutinied. And now there are four people on the Aitu tribe who are really mad at her. Ya think? She was surprised that Jonathan joined her – he’d been talking about being tight but she never trusted him. Now she’s stuck on Exile Island while Jonathan is bonding with their new tribe. So we cut to Raro, where he tells his new tribemates that he took a step into the unknown so he could be with them. He asks if they were shocked that he and Candice wanted to come over. They mutter “no.” But he says it was a crazy thing to do, but it seemed like the right thing. Jonathan tells us that if he made a mistake, it was in trusting Candice too much – she made an impulsive move and he followed. He’s in the danger seat. He continues talking to the tribe, saying he considers himself a loyal person (I bet there are four people on Aitu who might disagree). Parvati yawns and the others look about as interested. He keeps going, saying he and Candice had been together through the whole thing, so when she mutinied, he joined her. He tells us his game plan is to earn their trust by being totally non-threatening and help. From what Nate tells us, I don’t think it’s working. He says he knew Candice would come over, but Jonathan? If he thinks he can just come into their tribe and start stirring things up, he’s smoking something. Even though Nate was thinking about booting Brad before, Brad is now safe for at least one vote because he stood with them. Jonathan will definitely be the first to go – why would they cover his back when he sold out his other tribe?! The next day, Jonathan tries to prove his worthiness by getting coconuts while the women laze about. The men are pretty much doing the same. He talks to Adam about how opportunity knocked and he took the risk. He tells Adam he doesn’t know what’s going on in Raro, but he and Candice wanted to come back and be with Adam and Parvati. Adam tells us it’s good to have somebody like Jonathan along for the ride, because he wants Adam (and Parvati and Candice) in the final four. Ironically, Jonathan tells Adam, “This game is all about trust.” He’d better hope that’s not true, because he just broke his trust with his other alliance! And now it’s time for the immunity challenge. Well, that was quick. The tribes arrive and Candice joins them. Probst explains how it will go. They have to paddle out in glass-bottomed boats, searching for three underwater targets. When they line up the sights from their boat on the target, they release a cannonball, which drops through the bottom of the boat (through a hole, not the glass!). If they hit the target, it releases a pair of buoys. When then have all the buoys and get back to shore, they will find that each has a letter written on them – except one with a clue – and they need to use those to solve a word puzzle. Because you cannot sit out back-to-back challenges, Raro has to sit out everybody who participated in the reward challenge. Thus, it’s Jonathan, Parvati, Rebecca, and Brad. And they’re off! They push their boats and jump in. Raro immediately goes off in the wrong direction while Aitu lines up pretty quickly – but just misses. Raro gets back on course, but they miss the first time too. Aitu takes their time to line up and… misses again. Raro realizes they need to go easy too – and they hit. Aitu misses a third time. I wonder how many cannonballs they have. Raro hits their second target. Uh oh. Aitu gets close and Yul decides to just go for it – and hits! As they move to their second, Raro drifts away from their third. Aitu misses again. But then Yul hits on his second try and the teams are tied. Yul has apparently found a better way to line up with the target rather than using the sights on the glass bottom. I think he uses the hole through which the cannonball goes. Raro misses their third target. And again by dropping the ball into the open hole by accident. Probst announces that they wasted a cannonball and Jonathan says, “Oh please.” So Probst announces, “Jonathan is getting frustrated by me.” Ha! Yup, Yul is definitely using the cannonball hole to target. He does it again and gets the third set of buoys! Raro has blown their lead. And they miss again! They don’t seem to understand that if they are actually moving when they release, the ball does not drop straight down. Physics, guys. Aitu gets back to the beach. Parvati instructs Jonathan to paddle and not watch Aitu. Bad boy, Jonathan. Meanwhile, Yul reads the clue buoy, saying something about the most infamous mutiny in history occurred aboard this ship. They quickly realize it must be “Bounty,” and start putting up the letter buoys. Indeed, they are correct. Aitu wins! Raro returns to camp, bummed out. Jonathan apologizes, but talk quickly turns to how Candice is doing after Exile Island. She says she’s a little hungry, but not bad. Jonathan tells us he’s glad to have Candice back, as it takes some of focus off him as the only new guy. They’re together and they have trusted each other. Jonathan goes out fishing as Candice gets the camp scoop from Parvati. Parvati tells her that Jonathan has been telling them how tight he and Candice are – but Candice says, “not too tight at all – I was shocked.” She says he had long talks with Yul and had only talked to her about solidifying things in the past few days. He worked everybody to do what was best for him. Things are not looking good for Jonathan. Nate and Adam talk about how Jonathan has gone to get food. Nate says good – he can feed them while he’s here. Oh, things are really not looking good for Jonathan. But Adam steps up to defend him, saying maybe they should keep him around a bit. Nate’s not liking the idea, but Adam points out Jonathan cannot go back to his old Aitu tribemates if there’s a merge; however, Brad could jump ship. But Nate points out that Brad didn’t leave when he had the chance. Adam says as long as they are the next two, he’s not concerned about the order. Apparently, Adam must have gotten through to Nate, because he tells us Jonathan has been working very hard so they’re getting rid of Brad, who could switch sides if there’s a merge. Nate says he has to play Brad like it’s all good and Jonathan is the one in trouble. So he tells Brad they have the numbers – they can keep the family tight and “chop them up like poop.” I don’t know about you, but I don’t commonly chop poop. Whatever. As various people help prepare dinner, Candice tells Adam about how much she always wished she was with Raro. She defends Aitu’s decision to send Adam to Exile Island, saying she had to go along and it was Jonathan’s idea. She continues that Jonathan claimed Adam was scared to go and he thought it would break Adam. We can see by the look on Adam’s face that he is not amused. He tells us he finds it ironic that Jonathan was talking trash about him and now is kissing his butt. It looks like where strategy failed to convince Adam to get rid of Jonathan, anger has succeeded. He pulls Nate aside and says he wants to vote off Jonathan, and Nate basically says, “I told you so.” But they’re not sure if they can change it now. Then again, Adam thinks he might beat Jonathan about the head. Dude, you gotta calm down. So the guy said some stuff about you. Deal with it. Raro arrives at Tribal Council along with the rain. Probst wants to talk about the mutiny. When Brad saw Candice step off the mat, followed by Jonathan, what was his initial thought? “Wow, that is one gutsy girl.” Does a part of Jenny think Candice and Jonathan are at the bottom of the totem pole now? She says even if they are, Raro still has a numbers advantage when they merge and they will “pick them off like zits.” This phrase gives Probst some pause, and I have to give it to Jenny – not many people can leave Jeff Probst speechless. Is Candice okay with coming to Tribal Council and having the tribe joking and laughing? She thinks it’s the great thing about the tribe and one reason she switched – they have a good time. Probst doesn’t appear to buy it – she did it because she could sense that Raro was fun? Candice says that wasn’t the only reason, but one of them. They win when it counts. Um. They do? Like, you know, today? Is Jonathan concerned that he is an easy boot? Of course! Somebody’s going home and he’d be silly if he didn’t think it could be him. What’s Nate’s take on the group as a tribe or family? The six he was all good with. The new two seem very nice but they’re still adapting to them. What’s the concern about Candice? Nate says the women could find her a threat, a strong competitor. What about Jonathan? Maybe he has a tendency to be too much of a leader – they don’t do that. If you’re leading, they’ll cut you up. (Just ask Cristina and J.P.!) Jonathan says he is the odd man out but he wants to fit in and has been trying. Does Brad sense any tension in the tribe? He says he likes Jonathan and Candice – from the six hours he’s had to get to know her – but they’re stepping in late in the ballgame. Does Brad trust the people in his tribe? “No.” Whoa. Right answer, but totally wrong to say it out loud! Probst says he doesn’t trust this big, happy family? Brad rephrases it and says he doesn’t trust “the entire tribe.” With that, it’s time to vote. Jonathan votes for Brad, saying he hopes the others do as well. Brad returns the favor, saying Jonathan is a good guy but he’s coming in way too late. Probst tallies and reads the votes: Jonathan, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad, Brad. So Brad is the ninth person voted out – and the first member of the jury! Yes, that’s right, they are seating a juror before the merge. Oops, I bet some of those Raro folks wish they could have that vote back! Probst says he can tell by the looks on their faces that they’re surprised the jury started with this vote. “This game is full of surprises.” And he sends them back to camp. In his final words, Brad calls it “the best worst experience of my entire life.” No, I don’t know what that means. He didn’t know he was going. It’s kind of a sigh of relief but parting is bittersweet. Anything is possible in the game, and him making the jury proves that. Next week: Adam and Candice reconnect romantically, which concerns Jenny. And a never-before-seen twist turns the game on its head. Apparently, Probst has a bottle that contains significant information, but we don’t find out much more than that. Well, that was an interesting episode! If memory serves, people had an opportunity to voluntarily switch tribes once before, but nobody did. It is odd that Candice chose to do so this time, just so she could be with Adam and Parvati, when she had to know a merge is coming soon. Why did she so openly thumb her nose at her (now former) allies? It seems like an incredibly dumb move from a strategic standpoint. I guess time will tell.

Strategic Overview of Survivor, Episode 8: Keep Some Things to Yourself! by Jeffrey D. Sadow -- 11/10/2006 SOS! Nothing like mutiny to spice things up as well as to lay a trap for unwary players who have forgotten Lt. Columbo’s maxim, “Don’t talk too much. Sometimes, it’s better to keep some things to yourself.” Do the others have the guile to take advantage of this situation? Professor Sadow has the answers, inside! When Candice and Jonathan stepped onto the mat, they spoke volumes about something they should have kept to themselves. If you wish to increase your power in the game through defection, that power is magnified when it can have the greatest impact on the game. Further, a defector must know a penalty always applies, that he becomes harder to trust for others which could result in a fatal eviction. Thus, it is not something to be done lightly, preferably either to avoid the end of game life or to advance seriously chances of going far. Whether Candace or Jonathan realized this, they surely chose the wrong moment. Especially with Candace, her game life was unthreatened and she had a spot in an alliance that could take her far, ensuring that the later the defection came, the more likely it would be for a huge reason and where the penalty would hurt the least, being close to the end and impacting fewer people. The only possible reason it would have made sense would be if she had a sense her double-secret ally Adam on the other side was in a spot of bother and needed a vote, but that seems unlikely and, even if she thought that, false. Instead, all she did was signal to almost everybody that she perhaps should not be trusted. Instead of timing the defection to a point that it could take out a major rival or to save herself, she wasted the element of surprise and only drew suspicion to herself. Indeed, it should have set off alarm bells on some in her new tribe who now see her cozying up to Adam and Parvati, signaling to them that none of them should be trusted since to them there seemed to be implicit understanding that the entire group (as much as possible) would stick together after a merge. A subgroup welcoming an outsider should worry others and gives them every incentive to band together to deal with the subgroup. This is why Brad’s departure, for Rebecca and Jenny, was a mistake. However, it may have been unavoidable. The troika of Candace, Parvati, and Adam seems to have picked up Nathan as a hanger-on for now, and certainly Jonathan wasn’t going to cooperate if he could not move into a majority situation (as well as he harbors delusions of being connected closely to Candace). It’s why they must hope for a merge soon, if they have the wit to understand they now are on the chopping block. But potentially this could turn out to be a bigger mistake for the new troika. There is good logic in keeping Jonathan around since his defection, even less intelligent than Candace’s because his staying would have created a solid five, shored up trust issues with the remaining Aitu members, and especially because he had additional information by which to decide – Candace’s defection a second previous – makes him a pariah to all. However, sending off Brad signals clearly that the “old” group will be sacrificed on behalf of the newcomers. This should rouse Rebecca and Jenny, but, especially, Nathan who cannot allow himself to think he ever will be more than a fourth wheel on the tricycle. If Nathan is on the ball, he will know he has some time and should guess that the Aitu bunch is looking for a fifth. He should argue for Jenny and Rebecca, in any order, to go next if needed and be ready to defect at the merge. His biggest mistake would be to stick with the troika until the end. If Brad’s departure has gotten him thinking along these lines, then the troika committed a blunder by sending off Brad. Dispatching Jonathan, by contrast, would have sent the message that the group was staying together and would buy time for the troika to keep suspicions about it tempered. In another way the defection likely will turn out as suboptimal for those who jumped ship – the alliance it left behind probably became stronger. Yul and Ozzy are turning out to be two of the most impressive players ever produced in the game and now, by necessity, they have been thrown together where previously at least one of them, Ozzy, could have been neutralized. That is, as long as the group lasts, but even if a merge is not imminent that could be awhile. In challenge after challenge they have been shown to be qualitatively superior mentally and physically to all other players (but, at least not as of yet, strategically as well), so even that current group of four has a good chance of continuing to win. Although Ozzy showed some terrific instincts by staying put. If any one person had incentive to defect, he did, being clearly the next to go if Aitu lost another immunity challenge. Either he sensed what would happen in those ten seconds, or he had supreme confidence that they would not lose another challenge before the merge. As a result, his stock absolutely soared in the game – as did Yul’s, because if Aitu were to lose again before a merge, because they are down so much on numbers, all four would be loathe to get rid of two powerhouses like Yul and Ozzy, so one female would defect to them to boot off the other. The guys almost are certain to make the merge and be part of a powerful alliance, either with what they have now and/or, if forced to, by picking up stragglers from the ex-Raro gang. This illuminates the final folly of the defections that any advantage the defectors might have felt by jumping to make Raro numerically superior may evaporate instantly with a quick merge. What if it’s next: Rebecca and Jenny could join the ex-Aitu bunch and Candace could find herself gone, having traded a position of high security with a secret partner for one that puts her on a hit list for immediate execution. In the end, it’s hard to argue Candace made herself better off, and it’s ridiculously easy to show Jonathan considerably damaged his own position, by the defection. It’s a bad decision that can be only partially redeemed if a merge is still many days away and if Raro can win immunity challenges in the interim. Otherwise, Candace threw away her (and Adam’s) secret weapon of their partnership and the element of surprise for maximum effect, and Jonathan just about took himself out of the game just as surely as a pelican could drive Osten out.

Survivor: Cook Islands – Why Did the Blond Become a Mutineer? by Ken Kellam III -- 11/13/2006 Upon further review, the latest episode of Survivor: Cook Islands contained enough questionable moves and statements to make viewers question the sanity of the players, and not just the move listed in the title. Join along as Ken aims a few cannonballs at the parties he feels deserve it most. Thursday night wasn’t the first time we’ve seen Jeff Probst offer players a chance to jump tribes in the game of Survivor, but it WAS the first time we’ve seen any of them take him up on his offer. The reason no one had done it before this simple: if you jump, you’re instantly an outsider, and therefore an obvious boot should your tribe lose immunity. Let’s start off by answering the title question: why DID the blond, a/k/a Candice, become a mutineer? Take your pick from the following theories: A. She thinks the Raros already love her, not unlike how Billy thought she really loved HIM. But except for Adam, she may be even more delusional than Billy. B. She thought Jeff Probst said, “Matinee,” and she was in the mood for a good movie. C. She can’t stand Probst and thought he said, “Mute me.” Too bad her luxury item wasn’t a remote control. D. She actually fell in “love at first sight” with Probst, and when he said, “Mutiny,” she heard it as, “You and me,” and thought he was talking directly to her. E. She thought Probst actually said, “Manatee,” and has always wanted to see one, and here was her chance. F. She wanted to make sure my colleague Heathyr had material for her next “M.I.A.” column. I saw this happen once in an online version of the game: someone jumped at the chance to jump, and when her tribe lost, they bid her adieu, citing the fact that they really didn’t know her the way they did the others in their tribe. The difference this time was Candice and Jonathan had already been in a tribe with Parvati and Adam, so Raro wasn’t completely unknown to them. Having said that, did she and Jonathan make a smart move? Probably not, but for different reasons. In Candice’s case, she has obviously incurred the wrath of the Aitu tribe, as witnessed by their decision to send her to Exile Island. Speaking of which, has there been a funnier piece of footage this season than watching all four Aitus say Candice’s name in unison? It was the kind of moment you usually find only in sitcoms, i.e. the Cheers cast yelling, “Norm!” Only this time, it wasn’t such a good thing to have your name called. Anyway, we now know that at least some of the Aitus will be part of the jury. With that in mind, would any of them vote for Candice should she make the final two, even against Jonathan? Should she make it that far, she may be on the receiving end of one of the most lopsided votes in Survivor history. Listening to the four barbecue her during Tribal Council may make for some of the most explosive footage this side of Sue’s “snakes and rats” speech. In Jonathan’s case, the move may prove fatal because Candice is already turning on him, only he doesn’t know it yet, and he’s already more of an outsider than she is anyway. Something tells me the tribe will boot him before it boots her. A couple of quotes from Jonathan warrant examination. First, there was his statement that he considered himself a loyal guy. But as Nate noted, Jonathan was saying this to people who’d already watched him sell out his old tribe. It’s like the cheating husband who tells his mistress that he’ll be with her to the end once he leaves his wife. To quote a lyric from the group Bailey and the Boys, “If she’d love a man / who’d take the ring off of his hand / and then turn around and say that he’d be true / she deserves you.” Jonathan went on the say the game was all about trust. Tell that to your old tribemates, Jonathan. In fact, Ozzy noted that mutineers are the first to die. Well, Jonathan may not have died, but his chances of winning probably did, unless he and Candice make the final two. At this point, I’d lay greater odds on the youth-oriented American Idol having a winner with gray hair… oops, bad example. Let’s take a look at Brad. Did anyone else cringe when he stated that after the merge it’s every man for himself? My first thought when he said that was of Survivor: Outback, when the players stuck together vote-wise after the merge. Right then and there it was clear Brad wasn’t too familiar with the game. In his RNO interview, he clarified his comments, stating that soon after the merge, everyone would be vying for the million dollars. What he doesn’t realize is people are doing that from the get-go, even before the merge. Each move in the game, in theory, is made with an eye to the future. He also mentioned wanting to play the game with honesty, the second straight bootee to bring up such a point. Show me someone who mentions playing the game with honesty and I’ll show you someone who doesn’t quite understand the game. In that same interview, Brad said hindsight was 20/20, and he wished he’d stepped off the mat. But would that have increased his chances at winning? As he alluded to, he would’ve had the entire Raro tribe mad at him, but on the other hand, he would theoretically form a majority with original tribemates Yul and Becky, so he would probably make the merge. Here’s a question regarding the new, and smaller, Aitu tribe: does this tribe remind anyone of the Little Engine That Could? Here they are, literally half the size of Raro, yet they’ve won the last two challenges. One reason is that despite their smaller size, they still only had to go up against four Raros at a time. Another reason is that two of the strongest male players in the game, Ozzy and Yul, are still part of the tribe, which gives them an advantage no matter whom they go up against. In the immunity challenge, Aitu fell behind 2-0 to the Raros but kept at it and eventually won the game, while the Raro tribe never hit another target. It reminded me of my hometown Dallas Mavericks leading the Miami Heat two games to none and seemingly having the NBA title in the bag, only to lose the four remaining games. At this point, Aitu’s confidence has got to be sky high while Raro’s must be rather shaky. ne amusing moment in the challenge was when Jonathan apparently got his feathers ruffled by Jeff Probst’s play-by-play. That got me to thinking: what if athletes could hear the likes of Al Michaels and John Madden while the game was going on? Would we be treated to the spectacle of Terrell Owens jawing at Troy Aikman after being called out for dropping a pass, as he did against the Redskins? Maybe we’d see a player lose his cool and become the first player in NFL history penalized for “roughing the broadcaster.” To the best of my recollection, that’s the first time a player has openly objected to Jeff Probst’s calling of the challenge. But Jonathan had no one to blame but himself. After all, he was the one releasing the cannonballs. What can we make of Candice trashing Jonathan to Adam, claiming it was Jonathan’s idea to send Adam to Exile Island? I’d say it’s pretty good strategy on Candice’s part. Regardless of whether or not it’s true, Candice knows that because of their previous bond, Adam is likely to believe anything she tells him. At the same time, for Adam to believe her outright probably isn’t the smartest strategy on his part. Apparently it doesn’t occur to him that Candice may just be playing him, so he takes what she says at face value. At the very least, he should question it and give it some thought before believing whatever she tells him. So now Candice is playing Jonathan AND Adam. She’s allowing Jonathan to think they’re allies, while trashing Jonathan to Adam. It’s probably a smart move for her to make, but what isn’t smart is the way she seems to cozy up to Adam in next week’s previews. Does she not realize how that looks to the others in her tribe, especially since she has already jumped ship? Finally, what exactly did Candice mean when she said her new tribe “wins when it counts”? Considering Raro has yet to win a challenge with her in the tribe, we can only speculate, at least until her RNO interview, whenever that may be: A. She thinks this is preseason, and the last two challenges didn’t count. B. She thinks she’ll wake up and find out the entire episode was a dream, i.e. Bobby Ewing getting killed on Dallas. C. She thinks the whole series is actually a dream, and she’ll wake up and find out she’s actually playing Big Brother. Good thing Ozzy can’t nominate her for eviction. D. She thinks she’s this season’s leading lady and the rest of the players are her supporting cast, so a challenge only counts if she says it does. Maybe we’ll see less puzzling behavior and hear fewer nonsensical statements in the next episode. But then what would there be to write about?

Survivor: Cook Islands – Survivor Live, Episode 8 by Brian Towers -- 11/13/2006 It’s time for the eighth episode of the season of Survivor Live, CBS’s Internet interview show that features the most recently eliminated contestant from the previous night’s Survivor: Cook Islands episode. The show is co-hosted by Dalton Ross of Entertainment Weekly and Survivor: Amazon winner Jenna Morasca, who is returning from a week off. This week’s guest is fashion director Brad Virata, victim of his tribe’s manufactured distrust. First, my trivia question. Brad is now the second person to be named to a jury before the two tribes were united into one. Who was the first? As usual, the answer will be near the bottom of this article. The show begins with Dalton welcoming Jenna back. She says the Model Challenge was a lot of work, but worth it, and also that she had a root canal on Monday. Dalton jokingly offers her 10 seconds to decide if she wants the chance to mutiny and jump to another Internet interview show. Feigning that she’s considering it, Jenna decides to stay put. Brad is introduced next. He looks about the same as he did on the show, but better dressed. Jenna says she’s never rooted for a tribe more than the underdog Aitu tribe last night. Brad jokes that he did, too. Asked if he thought about jumping to the other team, he says he thought about it briefly, but didn’t want the other five Raro members gunning for him. They discuss the idea of the mutiny. All feel that to accept the offer is not a smart move because it makes you appear to be a back-stabbing traitor. Dalton asks about Candice’s claim that she switched tribes because the other was “more fun.” “Bull!” says Jenna, explaining that Candice just wants to be with Adam. Dalton brings up Jonathan’s last-second decision to change teams as well. Brad calls Jonathan “a Slim Shady.” He says, “He drove me crazy. He’s a good guy, but on the island he was pretty conniving.” Everyone notes that traitor Candice seems to be getting a free pass while Jonathan is catching all the flak. Dalton says Jonathan’s playing in too obvious a fashion, but at least he’s playing the game. Dalton observes that Nate pounces on everyone’s innocent statements and uses them to his advantage. Brad feels his line about “the individual game” was greatly overplayed and adds that Parvati played it up big as well. The topic of the one challenge (last episode) where he chose to do the puzzle instead of swim is brought up. Brad says he was tired of losing challenges in the last step. Additionally, Rebecca stepped up and volunteered to swim, saying she had been practicing. Needless to say, it didn’t work out. Dalton notes Adam not swimming in the subsequent challenge didn’t raise anyone’s ire. Commenting on Adam, Brad says, “He’s a decent guy in the physical challenges overall.” He also says Adam plays a decent game and adds cryptically, “We’ll see what happens next.” On Jenna’s prompting he agrees that Ozzy is a great swimmer and climber. Chatting about the reward challenge, Jenna likes the shoving of the girls into the barrel with all the buoys. It WAS funny, especially if you consider that the challenge was amusingly entitled “Barrel of Monkeys.” Our first caller today is Ed from Connecticut. He asks, “How did you feel when Nate called you a “Nancy-boy?” Brad says, “When I saw that I thought, God, what a jerk.” He also says, “It still kind of pisses me off to this day. But at the end of the day, it’s just a game and you have to take everything with a grain of salt.” Dalton says he hasn’t heard that one since 1975. Brad feels he would match up well against Nate in any type of challenge, including swimming. Dalton asks if Brad was aware of Nate’s comments about him, or did he just see them on TV. Brad admits he was “blindsided completely… I didn’t see any of it coming, and it hit me like a ton of bricks when I saw it on TV.” He felt his alliance consisting of Nate, Adam, Parvati and himself was tight. Jenna sees Nate as the type who is nice to your face and nasty behind your back. Brad agrees. She calls it unnecessary to go out of your way to lead someone on, because you never know when the tables might be turned. Her suggestion is to just avoid the targeted person like everyone else does. Dalton reminds Jenna that Brad didn’t really know what Nate was saying at the time, and that telling someone they are being booted is dangerous as well. Brad concludes the topic with, “Some things are better left unsaid, right?” Sara of North Carolina is a Jenna fan and hopes to be on the show one day herself. She asks if the hosts would consider mutinying. They pretty much covered this in their introductory comments. Dalton says “not a chance” and Jenna agrees. She points out that the merge is imminent anyway. Also, keeping your options open is important and the mutineers will get no future support from the four remaining Aitu members. Raro is now their only real option, and we’ve seen they have little support there. Dalton reminds us of the lesson of Cirie. It looked like she was doomed to an early eviction and was an outcast on her tribe, but things happened and she lasted until the final four. I recall a similar thing happened with Lydia in Survivor: Guatemala, though she may not have worked to save herself as much as Cirie did. Brad reiterates he thought about mutinying for a second but knew it was a bad idea. Dalton runs the clip of the mutiny. The idea is not new to the show, but no one has ever been foolish enough to actually take the option before. I remember Shii Ann seemed to consider it in Survivor: Thailand, but saw the pitfalls and stepped back from the precipice. I like Ozzy telling the mutineers, “They’re going to get their fate, sooner or later.” Jenna says she’d have made similar comments. Brad says the problem in challenges for Raro is communication. They aren’t talking to each other and thus they are losing in the final moments. Dalton wonders what they’d have done if the other four had mutinied as well, effectively making a merge. The challenge that was set up to run in a few minutes was geared for two teams, not 12 individuals! Jenna thinks mutiny is unnecessary and hopes they get “bit in the butt” for it. Brad reveals he’d only talked with the duo for about 15 seconds before the merge, and the trust factor definitely came into play for him. Jenna notes that the White tribe now is united again and wonders if race is again rearing its head. Brad says he didn’t notice that at the time. Trying to make sense of Raro voting patterns, Dalton asks Brad when his alliance of four came together. It came about early in the game. JP was originally in it as well, but the girls were adamant that he was going home and he could not be saved. Brad says that retrospectively, that may be a regret as JP could have helped in some of the challenges. The second segment begins with a graphic telling us Brad is very active in several charities, including Big Brothers of Los Angeles, Project Angel Food, Starlight Foundation, and AIDS Project Los Angeles. Brad says, “I’m all about giving back. I’m at a point in my life where I can give back, and there’s nothing to me more fulfilling than being able to make a difference in someone life. It’s exciting.” Good for you, fella. Dalton asks Brad his thoughts about the ethnic twist. Brad’s initial reaction was “complete and total shock.” He knew it would cause a stir and saw it as an amazing marketing move. On the Asian tribe, they shared a lot of similar life experiences about racial stereotypes with each other. Race is not really an issue for Brad in his life, he sees us all as members of “the Human race.” He says, “It sounds so cliché, but it’s true.” Brad thought Puka was strategically an amazing team because of their good communications. They won almost every challenge. Had the tribes lasted longer he thinks his position in the game would have been stronger. Paula from Kansas City asks if Jon had made the merge, would he have gotten back with the other Puka tribe members. Yes. He says, “Yul, Becky and I formed a strong alliance on Puka in the first three days. Hindsight is 20/20, maybe I should have stepped off the mat.” Yes, I think maybe he should have. She also asks, did you see Candice mouth the words “I love you” to Adam last week? He replies that he did, adding the comment, “She’s a young girl… and she has a lot to learn,” and he laughs. A discussion of the powers of peanut butter follows. The protein and the fat in it are blamed. Jenna asks if Jenny was also part of the alliance. “No. Jenny, in my book, was never really in.” Dalton reminds us of the vote Jenny cast for Cristina that included a gun. Brad says, “That pissed me off when I saw that. I don’t know why she did it.” He doubts it was ill-intentioned, but understands why it made so many people angry. Brad wonders if Jenny was trying to disguise the number of letters she was printing. Sekou previously told Dalton he counted the printing strokes to tell if it was he or Sundra going home in week one. Jenna says she always took a lot of time to vote, checking it very carefully. “You have to just breathe, because you’re making a big decision for someone’s life,” she explains. The next clip shows Nate and Adam deciding whether Brad or Jonathan is a bigger threat, then Nate playing Brad by pretending he was his friend. Dalton asks Jenna if that was necessary and she says, “No, absolutely not.” Brad says it was unnecessary to lie to his face like that, and Jenna says, “It’s almost like he was having fun with it.” She compares Adam to a frat boy drinking beer and watching a football game while deciding who’s next. Caller Mark from New York again brings up what happens if everyone decides to mutiny. We’ve done this one already, too. After restating what’s above, the hosts surmise that Ozzy and Yul wouldn’t follow Jonathan, even if the room were on fire. Brad agrees that almost everyone is anti-Jonathan at this point. Jenna calls him “abrasive.” Brad says he talked a lot and seemed to be trying to become a leader in the tribe. Dalton adds that at this point in the game Jonathan has pissed off both tribes and the host. Jonathan from Chicago asks Brad what he did or didn’t do to get voted off. Brad thinks it all started with his not swimming in last week’s challenge. Jenna interjects, “It’s silly.” Brad says they were losing all the challenges in the home stretch and he knows he’s good at puzzles. He adds that his “every man for himself” comment was overblown and became a factor. Rebecca’s swimming is discussed. Brad says she thought she was going to do really well but Jenna wonders, “How do you not know that you’re maybe not that great a swimmer?” Dalton inquires into the pre-challenge discussion about Brad’s decision that he would be doing the puzzle instead of swimming. Dalton adds that if people objected and things fell apart, only then do they have a right to be mad. Brad says everyone agreed; there was no rebuttal at all. I recall that the main complainer was Nate, who was not a part of those pre-challenge communications. Dalton next introduces “Probst’s Thoughts,” the feature where a message Jeff Probst recorded to the departing player is played. Jeff thinks Brad is wearing plaid and tells us Brad was always giving him wardrobe advice. Jeff especially remembers his “bad wind” episode with Cao Boi. He says it was fun having Brad on the show because he had his own opinion and wouldn’t be easily swayed; those are the kind of people they like to have on the show. Prompted by Dalton, Brad suggests vintage dressing for Probst, including a plaid vintage western shirt, some demin, distressed boots, and the cowboy hat he’s wearing this season. Dalton then asks Brad’s opinion of his own all-black clothing. He says, “You’re a great guy, Dalton, but you and I need to have a heart-to-heart after this.” Reflecting on Probst’s statements, Brad admits he’d rather be known as honest and truthful rather than as a manipulative, conniving jerk. It would be difficult for him to live if he’d been like that. Caller Neal in California learns that Brad was “totally stoked” to find out he was going to be part of the jury. He leaks that it will be between someone who will connive and deceive, and someone who will be honest. His vote is going to the latter person. Dalton has calculated that having 12 contestants left implies a 10-person jury, and a possible tie. Scenario one, will there be a tiebreaker? Jenna calls that, “Lame, for a million dollars.” Scenario two is having a final three. He adds, a tie is still possible. Third, could someone be voted on the jury, or off the jury? Jenna doesn’t like those options, either. Dalton’s next point is that the final two could be Ozzy and Sundra, two people Brad had no interaction with on the show. Jenna jokes that the winner should be Ozzy, because he’s so cute! Brad suggests it should be one with the best fashion sense! Jenna suspects there will be three in the final and there won’t be a tie. It will be interesting to see how it’s worked out. The third segment begins with Jenna threatening Brad with tickling, in order to learn how those potential jury complications are worked out. He responds with an enigmatic smile. Next up is the “minus 10” feature, where Dalton reads 10 rapid-fire categories for Brad to comment on, each in less than 10 words. Here’s how it went: 10. Rarotonga – Confused, young, manipulative, conniving, rambunctious 9. Red dot – headache, Cai Boi, and it worked! 8. “Every man for himself” – Taken out of context, blown out of proportion 7. Puzzles – I. Am. Puzzle. Boy. 6. Fashion – Ever-changing, fascinating, what I do for a living 5. Nate – Conniving, manipulative, back-stabbing 4. Ethnic pride – Melting pot, I’m a mutt, and everyone is a human being 3. Surfing – One of my passions in life 2. Fresca Pomegranate – It’s the best drink known to mankind 1. Jenna’s outfit – Sultry, sexy, and sinful Jenna isn’t dressed up special, she’s just in a basic red tee shirt that says “INSPI(RED)” and black jeans. A good job by Brad – he’s very well spoken. David from New York has called to ask Brad’s favorite challenge. He quickly responds, “The zipline.” Jenna asks if swinging your legs doesn’t slow you down and Dalton’s response is that Ozzy and Nate had the best position. Brad adds that the wrestling challenge was pretty hardcore as well. He says he felt a little bad afterward, but Jenna tells him not to because Ozzy “is probably made of steel.” Dalton moans. The next caller asks if he would have reunited with Yul and Becky at the merge. Lord, is no one screening these calls? We’re repeating everything this week! It’s the same stuff, except that Brad calls Yul and Becky “fantastic human beings.” The hosts discuss their favorite players, Yul and Ozzy. Dalton sees the need to point out that he loves Yul in a different way than Jenna loves Ozzy. Jenna thinks the Aitu tribe is in trouble, though. Dalton says it seems like no alliance holds strong this season. When Jenna continues to express doubts about Aitu’s future, Dalton says, “Three words: hidden immunity idol!” Young Cassidy in Illinois ought to be in school. Then again, after she picks up basic reading skills she’ll probably learn anything else she truly needs to know from watching Survivor anyway! She asks if they think Adam and Parvati will stay loyal to Raro, or will they join with the mutineers? There never really is an answer given, but Jenna says, “Kill Whitey!” and Brad laughs. Dalton thinks it’s different if they don’t lose the challenge, and quickly segues to a clip of the “Depth Charge” challenge. Dalton asks how long the challenge lasted, guessing about 20 minutes. Brad says it was two, two-and-a-half hours. Their boat was stuck and unmoving for about 15 minutes, and the wind and current were tough. Dalton asks Brad who did which task on the boat and he says they switched around. Dalton notes that Yul figured out it was better to sight down the drop chute rather than through the glass bottom. Brad says, “Yup, Yul’s super-human too.” Brad tells Dalton that Jonathan was losing his cool with Jeff Probst a little over an hour into the challenge. Jenna says, now that he’s shown Probst that he has the ability to get under his skin, Jeff will probably zero in on him at Tribal Council. Alex in New York thinks Brad is gorgeous and wonders if he’ll vote for someone who is not on Raro. Brad says he tried to leave with class and style. He reiterates that his vote is going to someone who’s played “an honest and truthful game.” He claims he only lied once in the game. Dalton says lying isn’t necessarily a bad thing; it’s all in how you do it. Jenna says there’s levels of lying, and some level is “almost acceptable” in the game. Having also thought about the potential jury problems, caller Julie from Phoenix has some ideas. She wonders if a jury member is coming back into the game, or if someone is voted out but doesn’t go on the jury. Dalton thinks that being in loser lounge is an unfair advantage, and bad fan reaction to the Outcasts Tribe may preclude the former from happening again. Jenna hates the idea of an eliminated player not going to the jury, because that’s a reward one earns by going late into the game. Jenna studies Brad’s face for clues, but he’s stoic. Dalton likes Julie’s theories and gives her a well-earned buff. JC in Texas wonders why Brad voted for Jenny (when Cristina was voted out). Brad says, “At Tribal Council, you didn’t see Jenny being really ‘pissy’ with Cristina, saying she was annoying. I didn’t like it; it was completely uncalled for. I liked Cristina, so I told her; I’m going to give you a second chance. And that’s what I did. I didn’t like Jenny when she was on the original Puka tribe, so that’s why I voted for her.” It’s time for Jenna Morasca’s “Question of the Week.” Dalton first plays the clip from last week of Terry giving Jenna a hard time. She likes giving crap to Terry and Tom Westman, because of their different work ethics, but she honestly thinks they are both good guys. As this feature starts, there’s always a fanfare and a really old picture of Jenna with long hair extensions. Jenna notes her hair is almost that long again and pointing to it, says, “And these are real!” Pause. Then, “Not these (points to her chest)… these (points to her cascading hair)!” Cute! Jenna’s question is, “What are you going to do now?” Right now, he is working on “Holiday 2007,” his clothing line for Lucky Brand Jeans. They are always four quarters ahead. He’s not turning down TV opportunities, and surmises perhaps a fashion segment on E! or the Style Network may be right for him. The final piece of business is running the CBS promo. Adam and Candice finally reconnect; and a new twist involving a bottle. Dalton doesn’t know what’s in the bottle. Jenna thinks it’s info about the hidden idol, like who has it or what tribe it’s on. Dalton doesn’t think so. As I wish to remain spoiler-free, I’ll just mention that the spoiler Dalton drops about next week’s show is available to anyone who emails me at the address below! Alas, that’s the end. Dalton gives props to Brad and Jenna shimmies us out. CBS Website Clues: One survivor hopes that their efforts to provide for their tribe will protect them from elimination, despite being low on the totem pole. A festive prize is up for grabs at the reward challenge. Will one tribe’s bickering and inability to work together cost them the reward, or can they pull it together to win big? Emotions run high as one survivor is betrayed by friends and unanimously banished to Exile Island. One tribe worries that another member has mentally checked out of the game. Will their lack of enthusiasm put them on the chopping block? At the end of the Immunity Challenge, the losers receive a message in a bottle that’s not to be opened until Tribal Council. How will that message change the course of the game? Sanity now reigns at CBS’s Popularity Poll, as Ozzy and Yul have a sizeable lead on the rest. Together they represent over three-quarters of the votes! Trivia Answers: This week’s question was about pre-merge jury members. Once again returning to Survivor: Thailand and the season of the fake merge-late merge, the person in question is Erin.

An "Insider" Look at Survivor: Cook Islands, Episode 8 - The Best Worst Experience by Teeuwynn Woodruff -- 11/14/2006 Brad was shocked by his exit – so shocked he has to regurgitate a bunch of cliches as he tells us about the “best worst experience” of his life and “what was brewing underneath everyone's breath.” What else does Brad have to say, and what does his tribe have to say about him? Find out, inside! Brad's Final Words: Brad's experience has been the “best worst experience” of his entire life. Brad pulls out the cliches and says he's grown a lot as a person, stepped out of his comfort zone, and stretched his boundaries. Parting is bittersweet even though it's also a relief. The journey has ended, but it's been a good journey. His eviction came as a shock to him. Brad didn't know he was being evicted. He didn't know “what was brewing underneath everyone's breath.” Huh? By the same token, Brad says they're all good people and he's thrilled to have made the jury. Finding out he will be on the jury was a complete shock and Brad's thrilled about that. He can't wait to see what comes next. Brad, the Day After: Brad's all squeaky clean now! He says the hardest thing to get used to on the island was “the lack of” so many things in his life – nutrients, different climate, etc. He says it was a huge difference going from Puka to Raro. There were a lot more people and personalities to “babysit” on the Raro tribe. There's only so much you can take! After a while he just had to let his true colors shine. Brad thought he did get along with people on both tribes, but it became too much for him and he started to snap. He should have changed some of the things he said – saying “we” instead of “I.” He said “every man for himself” several times and that wasn't good. It put him in a vulnerable position. He should have emphasized alliances and a proper team bond, but you're not in a proper state of mind out there due to the lack of sleep and food. It makes it really difficult to stay focused and give it 110% in the game. It makes you have “personality malfunctions.” Brad thought he had a great connection with Yul and Rebecca from Puka. Why didn't you mutiny, Brad? Brad believes in what they stand for and are on the same level intellectually and where they're at in life. Rebecca is a women's rights attorney and Yul was an attorney and is an all around good guy. Brad really admires them. They all give back to their communities. Yul is extremely smart too. Brad didn't feel the same connection with anyone on the Raro tribe. Brad says he didn't care about being split up by ethnicity. He lives in the “melting pot of the universe.” He doesn't see color. He's a number of different nationalities mixed into one. On Survivor, you realize you don't need all of the “fluff” you have in normal life. It's nice, but you don't need it. Brad really liked learning that he could live on his own. He killed a chicken and harpooned an eel! That was way out of his comfort zone. Brad thought the survival process would be the hardest part of the game, but juggling the personalities and trying to manage them was just as hard. Brad thinks the whole experience is unexplainable to anyone who hasn't been there. Doing the challenges and having no calories is amazing. He's thankful to be on the jury and will give his vote to someone he thinks deserves it. It's been an amazing experience and one Brad wouldn't trade for the world. Or even five chickens. Alright, I added that bit about the chickens myself. Reward Challenge: Barrel of Monkeys: This clip begins again with Candice and Jonathan's mutiny from the Aitu tribe... and Brad's mistaken failure to mutiny. We get to see the ladies – or monkeys as this clip's title calls them – rolling around in the barrels and Aitu kick the mutineers butts soundly in the challenge before shipping Candice off to Exile Island. Sundra's Mighty Tribe: This interview takes place after the mutiny. Sundra says, “Oh Lord! It is definitely a new game!” She says that Aitu has to hold tight and play their be-hinds off! When she saw the numbers and size of the people on Raro it made her tribe look small and weak. But Sundra thinks they have proved several times that they are mighty. They put their hearts into everything and kept their dignity. Sundra thinks Raro was very comfortable today when they saw the numbers. They thought it was a done deal that they'd win. Sundra says it ticks her off when people celebrate before a win. She says Aitu doesn't let them bother them and they keep their focus. Sundra thought she would have a heart attack in that barrel! Her knee hurt and she kept telling herself to dig deep and breathe. Sundra thinks the four remaining on Aitu have remained true to each other. People have won the game of Survivor by deceptive means, but Aitu's hearts are in the right place and they have strength. They rely on themselves and it works. Sundra turns to the reward and practically cries in ecstasy describing the chocolate and blueberry muffins. She says it was the best day in her life – even better than when her son was born because she was all drugged up then. They ate and ate and ate. Everyone had a glazed look on their faces. They got to wash their clothes and read their letters. Sundra's obviously thrilled about the whole reward – every part of it. She says their were letters and pictures and it was so amazing she wondered if they would execute the tribe the next day! It was the best day of her life. They all appreciated the reward and each other and that's what made if feel “so damn good.” Sundra goes on to lovingly describe every food and drink they had during the reward. She enumerates every comfort and every wonderful thing about the reward. I don't think I've ever seen anyone enjoy a reward this much! I believe Sundra that, at this moment, she believes the reward was the best moment in her life. Sundra believes the reward brought Aitu even closer to each other. The odds are against them, but they'll stay true to each other and be able to look each other in the eye and feel good about themselves. And they had muffins – don't forget the muffins. Immunity Challenge: Depth Charge: The small but mighty Aitu tribe once again whup the Octopus that is Raro in a challenge... as seen on TV! I noted that Becky, again, did very well with the puzzle, taking no time at all to realize that the word they needed was Bounty. She really stands out in the puzzles! Nate Interview: Nate heads over to Adam and says they need to get rid of Brad now. Adam thinks that's a fine idea. Later, Nate interviews that people are starting to feel how close the money is getting. Nate says you have to ease up and earn it. And that's that. An odd, short clip. Tribal Council: Raro was clearly united in their vote to evict Brad. But what did they have to say to him? Candice votes for Brad. “Brad, I'm voting for you tonight because I think as soon as you got the chance you would mutiny and go over and be with Becky and Yul. And you said you were playing an individual game and didn't trust people on this tribe. And that's why I'm voting for you. Good luck.” Interesting, since Brad didn't mutiny – and Candice did! Jonathan votes for Brad. “Obviously, this is nothing personal, but I'm in a very precarious position here and I'm hoping I'm not the only one voting for you tonight. Good luck.” Rebecca votes for Brad. “I think you're a great guy. I just could not trust you.” Brad votes for Jonathan. “I think you're a good guy, a good leader, and a good father, but you're coming in way too late in the game. Sorry.” Jenny votes for Brad. “I guess I won't know until all this is said and done whether it was you who wrote my name down in the last tribal council. Yes, we bonded, but I could never really trust you.” Note that Brad did write Jenny's name down in the previous tribal council. Parvati votes for Brad. “I love you and I'm really going to miss you. You're just a really strong competitor and a huge threat right now.” Nate votes for Brad. “You just proved my point. You said you don't trust us.” Adam votes for Brad. “Nothing personal, buddy. I just think there's potential for you to flip over to the other side if we do merge and I don't see that potential with anyone else on our tribe.”

Survivor: Cook Islands, Episode 8’s Missing Intelligence Award: “Stupid, Stupid People... Stupid People!” by Heathyr Fields Ford -- 11/15/2006 There comes a time in every season of Survivor when one must bust out everyone’s favorite Shii-Ann quote. You know the one. Which current Survivor is inspiring Heathyr this time? Could it be the continuously unimpressive Adam? “Stupid, stupid people.” Heh. I love Shii-Ann. Always. Just had to put that in there. New best line: “Jonathan, getting frustrated by me!” Jeff, ya made me snort port. It burned. But it was worth it. After a week’s hiatus, I am back with the MIAs! I ran into a wall last week, but fortunately, I’m well padded, and I bounce. Just FYI, I think my pick for MIA last week would have been the entire Raro tribe, minus Brad, for the dumbass move of selecting bread over potatoes. How nasty is bread going to get out there? Yuck! This week, wow! First off, anyone else sit back and say, “What the freak, did I just hear Probst say ‘jury’?” I’m considering all sorts of possibilities, and I can’t wait to hear what’s really right! Will we have a ten-person jury with the potential to have a tie? Will they stick with a seven-person jury, but not every person from here on out will be on the jury, causing doubt and dissension as they choose who to throw off? What, what, what?! Let’s jump into my thoughts of everyone thus far, shall we? Of course, we shall. Nate: Please keep walking around without the shirt. It’s the nicest thing about you at this point. You were all over Stephannie when she talked about losing it all for the team, but you were all over Brad when Rebecca talked about doing the same thing. Dude, puzzles are integral to winning challenges. Y’all won the next challenge based on puzzles, not physicality. Shouldn’t that clue you in that Brad might have a freakin’ clue?! Brad’s slim shady? Homie? Nancy boy? Cut like poop? Gag. Jenny: More of a non-entity to me. Something about you seems sort of bitchy, but I can’t quite put a finger on it yet. It’s like you could be, but you haven’t been quite portrayed like that yet. However, judging from some post-game interviews, that’s a matter of editing. I believe you rocked the puzzle last week, though, so kudos on that. This week, nothing much to talk about that I noticed. Adam: Not impressed. I hope someone votes you or Candice off soon, or else everyone will be getting this award! Rebecca: Why do chesty women on this show forget to bring major boulder holders? I’d have something that held me so tight and secure, you wouldn’t believe it! While my other half does appreciate the bouncing, I just think “ouch” and feel for you. Like I feel about most everyone on Raro, I’m all “meh” about you. Parvati: Nice eye candy. Cool name. Here’s my other half’s plug for you, Jessica, and Candice to do a Playboy spread. Oh, hell, who am I kidding? He’d like all of you to do it, please. And might I add that I’d like Brad and Yul to be in the midst of all the ladies? Pretty please?! Oh, the game. Right. So far, I’m not annoyed by Parvati, and she’s toned down her faux flirting, and she’s done well in challenges. I’m okay if she makes it farther. And we all know it’s what I think that counts! Brad: You were my favorite on Raro. Totally. You shouldn’t have been screwed with the puzzle thing, but you never recovered from that thanks to some childishness. Nate. However, you also weren’t very team savvy when knowing what to say, and things like “every man for himself” and “I don’t trust anyone” are death sentences in Survivor usually. Jonathan: You’re getting played. You got screwed this episode, though. You’re the odd man out in Aitu without Candice, and you can’t trust her to make you a man in with Raro. Total damned if you do, damned if you don’t moment for you. Candice: Wow. Just wow. I’m impressed with your ballsiness to head over to another tribe. I’m unimpressed that it wasn’t a death knell for you. Raro is dissing Jonathan, but lil’ Candice is flying clean from what I can tell. Interesting. You’re a smart player. Becky and Yul: You’ve been together since early on, and yet no one seems threatened by that. Is this because you’re both that good and subtle that they don’t see a potential Romber moment? Or is it because CBS did stupid casting, pulling in people not familiar with the show? Either way, I’d love to see the two of you in the final four, so we’ll see! And Yul, keep the shirt off. RAWR! Sundra: I still don’t have much of a feel for you, but I’m glad you’ve been saved by some good wins and haven’t been given the boot yet. Ozzy: Let me join the fan club. You seem to get the game of Survivor. You seem to get the concept of surviving. You rock on the challenges. You rock on the providing. You’re one of the more ultimate Survivor competitors I’ve seen, so color me impressed and cheering for you all the way! Ah, but after all this praise and commentary, hidden among you is still someone worthy of a Missing Intelligence Award this week. Someone’s intelligence went MIA so now they get an MIA, a la Heathyr. And the winner is...(insert drum roll) Candice! Hey, it may work out for you, but you will then be the exception, not the rule. Switching tribes shows so little loyalty to anyone that the odds of others not looking at you skeptically and eventually ousting you for being a mutineer are slim. You lucked out that Jonathan followed you and Brad alienated himself. Now you have a shot at insinuating yourself deep with Adam and sticking around. However, like tossing a challenge, mutinying is just not something I see as intelligent. Then again, neither is Adam.