41 Comments

  1. So. Moving past the horror of last night …

    The best moment of last night’s episode (because the rest of it was … not good) was Sam’s interview where he pointed out that the decision to oust Lydia was done without any consultation or input from Sam … which means he’s no longer an important part of that alliance’s decision-making process. He’s just a number, a pawn in somebody else’s game (to be used and discarded at will).

    And this is the point where he needs to start stepping up. Because when your alliance doesn’t need you anymore — but you still need them? — ooh, that is a bad place to be in.

    I had such high hopes for Fenella, but she’s been a little disappointing (and don’t even get me started on Shonee). Without Robbie (and surely Benji’s in the firing line tonight), they’re both next. And they’ll be ousted even faster if Sharn keeps to her word about keeping Benji around. Girls? This is your chance to actually do something.

  2. Glad to see you are moving through your grief Windsong.
    I agree with you and Brussells from yesterday’s comments that Benji is too smug. If he was have as clever or sneaky as he thinks he is he might be interesting but I just find him arrogant without basis.

    • There was so much talk about Robbie and Benji having the numbers to flip that alliance to their side that I’m a little surprised that Benji didn’t use his idol to save Robbie. No one else knew about it after all, and he could have controlled the vote that way.

      But the more likely explanation is that Benji is too shortsighted (and self-interested) to play the idol for someone else, even if it would pay off in the long run by getting rid of Mat now.

  3. Smart move of Matt to take Fenella.
    If he is going to be blindsided they’ll need to make it really blind because he has still an idol (I don’t remember him using it) that no one knows about. I actually don’t have a problem with him because I think the others shouldn’t have given him as much power as they have.

    • Robbie actually said, today, when someone asked him who the biggest pest was, he said it was Brian. In challenges, Brian is all about putting people off their game with niggle and annoyance, and yeah, he said that Brian is the biggest pest of the game.

      • Not too surprising really and fits with him peeing in such close proximity to the others. He does seem to have some fairly unpleasant habits/

      • I remember the very first reward challenge when they had to go down the slippery dip in pairs to snatch the prize at the end.

        Brian shoved his competitor (think it was Zach) to the side so he got down to the bottom first. It was certainly smart but just a little dishonourable, I thought. (Didn’t stop me from laughing out loud at the time).

      • Being a pest was how he played AFL too. Not surprised that he is doing that now.

        And we are definitely into the TMS zone (too much shown) with the body parts. They are really pushing too far now.

  4. Wait … we vote Robbie off the island last episode, and tonight, we have to sit through Brian sitting naked in the surf scrubbing his crotch with the soap Mat gave him?

    You know, that doesn’t seem like a fair trade to me.

    • I learned just last night that in Ancient Rome, folks used communal toilet paper or shared sponges on a stick.

      • The Cree people of the Hudson’s Bay used live mink for the same purpose. I do not know if the mink were acquired on a case by case basis or if they were used more than once. We must hope there was not a cage full of seriously unhappy mink somewhere in each Cree village.

        Mink have sharp teeth, sharp claws and a rep for aggro. I find the whole idea quite alarming.

  5. Monica was right when she pointed out that Sam’s eyes were manic. He doesn’t have much of a poker face and Benji also has some pretty obvious tells when he’s plotting.
    I don’t want to see Steve go (and I really never thought I’d say that).

    • Devastated Sam’s gone. Loved his quirky humour and deadpan delivery.

      I think Benji has some good moves in him but he just comes across far too shifty for anyone to really trust him.

  6. I’m already annoyed at Mat for knifing Robbie last night, but he’s quietly moving from “team leader” into “self-righteous a-hole” and I’m liking him less and less.

    He’s clearly in charge of this thing. Whenever someone does or says something that he doesn’t approve of, he’s immediately voicing their name as the next evictee. But how *dare* someone else try to oust someone he didn’t personally approve of?

    I would love to see Steve go home tonight, just to knock Mat down a peg or two, but Sam and Benji are both on Mat’s bad side. Benji still has an idol, though. Unless Benji votes against Sam to get back into Mat’s good books.

    • Ditto, Windsong. Where was Matt’s indignation at untrustworthiness when he shed Lydia without batting an eyelid. I get annoyed at players who take the high horse to the high road when someone mentions their name but do the same thing themselves. And Matt cuts them off but then says, “See ya on the outside”, like he wants to remind us he’s a good guy…or remind them he’s a bestie when they are on the jury.
      Matt plays the revenge game. “Say my name and you’re out”. But every tribal he chooses who goes.

    • Ditto. Gone from a Mat fan to a “FFS Shut up” non fan. I still think he is playing the best game, out of all the people there. Sam totally blew it. . Sad face, as I liked him. But really? Stop digging your own grave.

  7. Stupid gameplay is just starting to annoy me now. It’s like, it’s set in like a rain storm … and it seems to be contagious.

    Sam dug his own grave. His one mistake? The second Mat revealed his unhappiness, Sam ran straight back to the Matlings. He should’ve doubled-down with Benji, or played double-agent at least. But instead of pissing off half the tribe, he pissed off all of them. My two favourites gone within consecutive nights (and Mat’s responsible for both). Screw this noise.

    Fenella voted for Benji, while Shonee voted for Sam. So relying on the two contenders girls seems to be a waste of time. They’re gonna do what Mat wants them to do … but in their effort to drift to the end, they’re just cannon fodder. Worthless floating voters.

    On the other hand, Benji survives another tribal council, and the champions again turn on each other.

    And here’s a thought. Robbie and the astrophysicist stuck in Jury Villa for a couple of days until the next evictee shows up. I’m sure they’ll have heaps to talk about…

    • I too was really disappointed in Sam. It seems he lost the plot mentally and panicked when he got stressed out leading to (as you said Windsong) ‘stupid gameplay’.
      I’ll be so cranky if Shonee gets rewarded for her total lack of gameplay, though I think she will be vengeful as a jury member. Fenella has at least been competitive in some challenges but again just been a follower.
      Lydia’s game was really negatively affected by the tribe swap and Shonee seems to have been advantaged by it.
      By my calculations, two idols in play (Matt and Benji) and Shonee’s vote advantage still to come. Have I forgotten anything?

      • Nope, I think those are the only three wildcards still in play. And all three are totally secret. Nobody else has any clue of any of those advantages.

        I can’t imagine Shonee using her advantage in any context other than to save herself, but given how easy it would be to manipulate and eliminate her, I wouldn’t be surprised if she doesn’t use it at all.

        And she does give the vibe of, “How dare you eliminate me?”, doesn’t she?

    • The time to jump was last week when Robbie’s vote was still available. Or the week before when Lydia’s vote was still available. Sam played everything wrong. He started talking publicly about how annoyed he was over Lydia. As soon as Mat confronted him, he caved. He could have achieved this result much more economically by just asking people to vote for him.

      My respect for Benji has risen. I would have played the immunity idol. He managed to stay calm and hold onto it.

      Mat better find a way to wind back his self-righteousness or he will end up before a very angry jury. And that’s a and place to be in Australian survivor.

      • His self-righteousness is pretty insufferable, and I only have him on my screen 2 hours a week. Certainly couldn’t live with it 24/7 for 50 days.

        The editing is suggesting he’ll be due for a big fall soon though. I doubt he’ll make FTC.

  8. The best part of the episode was JLap giving Sam a hug.
    Getting some season 1 Lee vibes from Mat when it comes to “loyalty”. Lydia was part of his alliance but it’s ok for him to vote her out, but it’s not ok for others to disagree? Sam’s point about it being beneficial to have Lydia on the jury wa s fair point. But he was a sinking ship – and his desperation showed. Ah Sam – you were fun while you lasted.

  9. Bugger…at this rate matts a bloody shoe in…hoping sharn steps up to the plate in coming episodes…she can clearly see what a douche benji is and take him to the end?
    I havent seen much of brian to make a comment, he definitely going under the radar at this stage but i do remember him having close alliance with shane in early episodes…
    That underwater challenge looked freezing!
    I hate looking at next episode shorts…but was that a clear look at next weeks tribal…no necklaces and talk of idols…maybe doubles!

  10. Matt talks up the loyalty, but he only means you have to be loyal to him. Does he plan on being loyal to Fenella, Brian or others he has in his kingdom?

  11. Matt will show his loyalty and ditch Steve and Sharn soon for the same reason he threw Lydia under the bus. And that’s the game, but he bellyaches when someone mentions his name.
    The others need to dethrone the King asap. It’s been like shooting fish in a barrel for Matt. Whoever he decides is out, has to go.

  12. I think you are right about Mat. Whenever he gets a sniff of rebellion, he confronts it head on, and ousts that person. It does look annoying but it could also be interpreted as good game play. I haven’t seen many other kingpins in other seasons who immediately confront the person and asks for an explanation. It really wrong-foots the “victim”, and nobody yet has been able to lie convincingly to him. All of them have crumbled under the scrutiny. Have you also noticed that he seems unable to lie if asked directly “are you voting for me?” – he ums and ahs and turns the conversation so that he doesn’t have to answer either way.

    Having said that, I agreed with Sam that he didn’t do anything wrong with Lydia (if he truly only said “pull your head in”). He made a convincing argument that he had never voted against his alliance. Unfortunately, once they felt trust was gone, he had no way to climb out of the hole.

    When Lydia was shafted by Shane, both Sam and Sharn were livid. It is interesting to see that Sharn has either forgiven the move, or is lying low and waiting her chance for revenge. Sam pushed his bid for revenge too soon and too obviously. Can’t wait for Shane to be gone, now she is holding the coattails of the boys.

    Promos imply that we may see both idols come out next week. Looking forward to it.

    • I haven’t decided about Shane yet.

      On the one hand, I agree it almost feels like she’s riding coat tails, and yet on the other, she was bold enough to flip on Lydia (even before she was certain Lydia wouldn’t win immunity). She oh-so-casually said she was ‘inclined to blindside Lydia”, and then it was Mat doing all the legwork afterwards. She instigated that but didn’t end up with a target on her back because of it. Smart move.

    • Matt confronts people for suggesting his name like, “How dare you?” That’s annoyingly hypocritical. I liked Matt at the very beginning but his king pin, “no one is allowed to pick me” is unappealing.

      • Hypocritical, yes… after 30 days without proper food / bed / hygiene, most of us would be less than human though, I suspect.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *