I really liked Sugar during her season and saw her as a good-hearted person in spite of the fact that she ultimately eliminated another of my favorites, Matty. I was also disappointed that she received no votes during the finale but Bob was a deserving candidate for sole survivor that year. (Speaking of whom, I would have liked to see him in our current version of Heroes vs. Villains!)
Likewise, Stephenie was a favorite of mine in her first season. During Survivor: Palau, Steph gained distinction as the last member standing from her tribe that was plagued by bad luck and poor judgment. Somehow she managed to make it to the final seven, and might have gone further if the all-woman alliance had materialized.
Still, the following season when she and Bobby Jon walked on, I was happy to see her back. Stephenie played a totally different game during her second season. A strong alliance from the start parlayed into a final two appearance for Stephenie. She dominated her second season.
So, when I watched the premiere and saw Stephenie battling in the reward challenge, dislocating her shoulder and having it relocated, I was impressed by her strength. It was obvious that the Villains had come to play to win. It's definitely going to be a physical battle this season, and not one of the survivors was shying away from the battle.
The second episode showed the major cracks already forming in the Heroes tribe. Rupert is obviously threatened by Stephenie, one of the most popular survivors of all time. Don't get me wrong, during Rupert's first season, I really liked him although some of his actions might have better qualified him for the Villains tribe (stealing the shoes of the opposing team comes to mind). I also liked him during All Stars, but now, not so much. I'm sure he's a great person in real life but to see him plotting against a teammate early on kind of surprised me. That behavior tears a team apart.
Meanwhile, in the Villains camp, they endure a bad night with rain pouring down. They awaken to begin their fifth reconstruction of their shelter. There's a definite lack of enthusiasm on their part.
Boston Rob seems the most frustrated by the situation and likens his tribe to buffoons. I would have to agree. Part of the problem is ego, on both tribes. It's got to be a huge ego boost to all of them to be selected to a specialty season as being either one of the most memorable villains or heroes. Still, survival is the key here. They need to care about their own survival.
At camp, everyone on the Villains tribe is on a different page. Sandra says they are moving backward. As Rob attempts to take charge of the shelter building, Parvati questions the plan, and Rob leaves the area angrily.
What happens next is still a little unclear. I'm not sure whether the editing was bad or what but I could not figure out exactly what happened to Rob. He was walking through the woods and suddenly collapsed. Jerri sees his collapse and rushes to assist him. After several attempts to revive him, she goes for help. Jeff Probst and the medical team arrives. They have Rob drink water which he spills all over himself.
The "official" assessment is that Rob looks worse than he really is. On the CBS website, it's explained as a case of flu compounded by dehydration. Rob calls it "a case of the flu with a little bit of crybabyitis mixed in."
On a side note: I'm liking Jerri a lot better this season. Maybe it's because she's surrounded by people who are more "villainous" than her. She really seems to love and respect the game of Survivor and that's something that I admire in the contestants.
The respect of the game brings up an interesting point. My feeling is that there are more on the Villains tribe, Rob, Jerri, Russell to name a few, that respect and LOVE the game of Survivor! The Heroes seem more intent on winning the prize than the game itself, in my opinion.
The immunity challenge is one that was played out during J.T.'s, Tyson's and Coach's season. A moment to strategize leaves the Heroes clinging to the "one voice" philosophy. Not bad, but that one voice needs to be assertive. J.T. is the man, in this case.
Off to another great start, the Villains take a commanding lead — until the puzzle section. Rob is in charge of the Villains puzzle making, and I have to hand it to him. He's a take charge kind of guy. Plus he's good at puzzles! As the challenge continues, the Heroes meltdown. The anger increases and they make little progress.
The Villains continue at a steady pace and ultimately win the challenge. After it's over, James begins a rant that continues most of the day. He focuses his anger on Stephenie for the loss. His rationale is that she's the only person who's ever been the sole survivor of her tribe prior to a merge.
Watching the challenge, it seems to me that there were a lot of problems right from the start of the puzzle solving. J.T. did not assert himself. No one was listening. Everybody had their own ideas. Here's the thing though: all they had to do was spell Heroes. Find the cube that starts it and progress from there. Why weren't they looking at the puzzle from the start? Why weren't they examining the pieces as they came in? All the pieces were the same, they just had to roll them into the right place.
I have to say that I don't find the "Heroes" to be very heroic. I loved James during his first season, liked him during his second season, but now, I have to say it, kind of tired of James.
In fact, I liked most of the Heroes during their season. Colby is one of the best looking survivors, in my opinion but he's eons away from the guy that came in second in Australia. Maybe it's the fact that he doesn't really "need" the game. I loved Tom during his season, and the same way with J.T. I thought Amanda played great in China. Cirie did a good job during both her seasons too. But the personalities this time just are not mixing well.
Seems like the Heroes arrived with the cutthroat mentality usually reserved for the Villains.
Tribal Council was almost painful to watch! James went after Stephenie, who retaliated. Colby got in the mix. The team where you would expect goodwill to abound was disintegrating further.
Stephenie was voted out. J.T. had to eliminate one of his alliances and throw in with James, pretty sure it was based solely on the physicality of James.
Next week appears to be another down and dirty competition. From the previews, looks like James is basking in the glory of winning and probably solidifying his idea that Stephenie was bad luck to the tribe.
Ultimately, I wonder if the tribes should have been renamed Villains vs. More Villains.
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