Survivor China: The Twists and Turns Begin to Emerge and For One Tribe Strength Perseveres Over Reason
With Zhan Hu battered from two losses in a row and the seemingly unstoppable Fei Long with their projected unity and strength, can Zhan Hu finally unite as a tribe and pull it together back at camp and in the challenges? Can Dave bring the leadership that is badly needed for Zhan Hu? Will they figure it out or be doomed by their oil and water personalities. This week on Survivor alliances will be made, secrets will be given away, and conflict will be extinguished along with one players torch.
As Zhan Hu arrived back at camp, Dave took his leadership role seriously, maybe a little too seriously. The tribe didn’t necessarily agree with him but that didn’t stop Dave from bulldozing through and getting things done his way. He had a lot of great ideas but if someone opposed him he, well, he still did what he thought best which was usually his idea. But, the tribe hadn’t won reward nor immunity and they had no shelter and no fire pit so I kind of didn’t blame him for plowing through them all to get the job done. Dave might have lacked tact and charm but at least he was thinking and working on the problems.
Fei Long however only seemed to gain momentum and strength. James continued to push down trees and the team worked hard to better their camp and survive…well most of them. The poker player Jean-Robert was lazy, snoring, and pretty much drooling all over his bamboo bed. He didn’t do anything because he was so tired. As Jean-Robert slept, Amanda and Todd made an alliance. She was aware of Todd’s devious side so thought it smart to make a pact with him. They strategized to pull Aaron in so he could eventually take the hits since he was their tribe leader and had a target on his back. Here’s looking at the final 3…maybe. You never know in the game of Survivor. The teams could get mixed up or the wrong person could win the coveted immunity idol. The game is always changing and I’m sure Season 15 will be no different in that respect. You can never predict what will happen on Survivor.
With Amanda and Todd’s alliance secure, Aaron told Jean-Robert that he needed to start pulling his weight. Even Leslie the quiet Christian radio host thought he needed to step it up. This was all good news for Jean-Robert. His plan was working to give the impression of being lazy so later on in the game he would work harder and they would see the change and his tribe would appreciate him all the more. It’s all part of his poker plan, a gamble he was willing to take. If they keep winning immunity his strategy may just work out. But if they don’t? Well, Jean-Robert may lose his million dollar stake in the game and that may be his most expensive gambling loss to date.
Back at Zhan Hu’s camp they were still trying to build a fire pit by hauling huge rocks. Their lack of food brought out the gritching and whining which showed that after four days without food you quit caring what people think of you and start pushing your agenda for survival. Jamie wanted to make a baby fire to make some food to feed them but Dave refused and insisted they finish the task at hand, the monstrous and well-built fire pit. So instead of eating, they kept hauling rocks. Both Jaime and Ashley turned their whine on full bore and felt like they were taking the longest route possible to make something happen hence the reason for no fire and no food. Ashley by now was convinced that Dave was a jerk.
With still no food in their bellies it was time for the reward challenge and in true Survivor fashion the skies opened up and poured down rain. The challenge was basically mud wrestling as they each had to push a ball to the other teams’ side in a big muddy pit. The reward was fishing gear and a fishing boat. Todd got picked to sit out because he was the smallest of the tribe which I’m sure he was glad about. If they lost the reward challenge he wouldn’t blamed. As the challenge began everybody immediately began losing all of their clothing. Behinds, boobs, and everything else was hanging out as the rain poured, the mud flowed, and bodies hung onto bodies to get that ball across the line. Amanda from Fei Long ended up totally topless (which she was unaware of) as she pulled the ball across the line and then horrified that she was exposed yanked back on her tube top and said “my mom is going to kill me”. Way to take one for the team Amanda. That was one point for Fei Long. Ashley the pro-wrestler was in the next bunch to compete and so was buff James. Come on, nobody is really a match against James!! He is a wrecking ball and the strongest man probably ever to be on Survivor. Ashley hung onto Jean-Robert’s shorts for dear life but to no avail as James pushed the ball to victory causing Fei Long to win it all again. Then Jeff had a little surprise for Fei Long. Because they defeated the other team they got to kidnap a member of the other tribe who would live with them until the next immunity challenge. They picked Jaime which I didn’t understand probably because I know so litte about her. Jaime also got a tube from Jeff to open privately back at Fei Long’s camp.
The torrential rain pour that doused them during the challenge had flooded Zhan Hu’s camp but Dave’s fire pit looked awesome and the shelter was still in place so begrudgingly the tribe had to admit Dave did a good job, even if he stepped on everyone to get the results he desired.
Meanwhile back at Fei Long, they were happy to see their fishing boat and gear and shared they picked Jaime because she was the other teams spot of sunshine. I’m sure this early on in the game it’s hard to pick who to kidnap but as the game progresses removing a key person for a length of time could shake things up. As Jaime settled in at camp Aaron and Jean-Robert got into a girl like fight in front of her much to the chagrin of other tribe member’s. Jaime got to get in on some of the dirt at Fei Long and was happy to go back and report that there should be no reason they aren’t winning because Fei Long wasn’t perfect at home.
Leslie, the quiet radio host began to think strategy and noticed that Todd was a good player and wanted him on her side. As Leslie pondered her strategy, Jaime snuck off to read her secret and private note and discovered that she had to secretly give a clue about a hidden immunity idol to someone at Fei Long’s camp.
Back at Zhan Hu, Dave continued to rub Ashley the wrong way. They were like oil and water and nothing was going to make them mix. Dave tried to apologize to Ashley in a condescending way and Sherea commented to the camera’s that Dave was wrong in the way he talked down to Ashley all the time. The reality was that Dave must earn people’s respect and he was not doing it by being defensive, bulldozing through people’s ideas, and doing his own thing even though he did get the job done. Ashley certainly didn’t need his life lessons he tried to give her, she just needed him to tell her what to do. In her opinion he was a very patronizing man. Oh Ashley, you hit the nail on the head.
Panning back to Fei Long we saw that Leslie had been sick for the past couple of days. She was also dirty and miserable and felt if she had her Bible she would be better off. Jaime in the meantime wanted to give the clue to who she thought was the tribe’s weakest link. I thought for sure she would give it to Jean-Robert because of his conflict with Aaron and apparent laziness but instead she gave it to Leslie. Leslie was blown away and felt like the Lord had given her a gift. As she read her note she learned the idol was obvious and in plain site at camp. The trouble is though that nobody knows what the immunity idol looks like. That clue could be a very huge advantage for Leslie. Leslie looked everywhere around the camp and admitted she often doesn’t see things in plain site. We the viewers saw the camera focus in on a round asian symbol so I’m assuming that is the immunity idol. However, Leslie didn’t find it so instead of keeping the clue to herself Leslie wanted to use the clue to make crafty Todd a friend. Kind of like Eve in the garden talking to the serpent who was the devil. Leslie, you are so playing with fire! She mentioned earlier that her mother told her that if it was a snake it would have bit her (in regards to her finding things). Well, this exposure of her knowledge to Todd could bite her later or be an advantage depending totally and soley on if they continue to win immunity at the challenges and if their tribes do not get all shook up.
The immunity challenge was next. They had to smash through walls with a puzzle log and then solve the puzzle and ring the gong. Dave took the lead for Zhan Hu and James was at the helm for Fei Long. James bulldozed through the walls and with the help of a unified team secured another win for Fei Long. Dave physically lost it during the challenge for Zhan Hu and Frosti had to jump in and take the lead but it was just a little too late. Things were not looking good for patronizing leader Dave.
Dave apologized for losing his footing and rhythm and took responsibility for the teams loss. He thanked Frosti for stepping up. Dave then built a fire and felt like he wasn’t going home. Ashley felt like Dave was voting for her. The team all felt like they either needed to lose Ashley or Dave because of their conflict. Dave was stronger but Ashley was their friend. What do they do? Vote out a strong player and risk losing more challenges or keep their friend around who is more comfortable to be with.
At tribal council Frosti said Dave stepped up and gave leadership type demands which was good but he was a little too much at times. Ashley shared that Dave and her butt heads all the time. Jaime felt like Dave was over the top proving himself and Dave like usual was full of defensiveness as his tribe spoke about him. Sherea shared that she really hadn’t enjoyed the time so far and that they weren’t a team, they didn’t know each other, and it was all about working and nothing else. Ashley then flat out told Jeff she was voting for Dave because basically Dave doesn’t listen. Will strength alone keep Dave around? The tribe’s goal was to get rid Dave or Ashley to resolve some conflict and with an overwhelming majority Ashley was the second person voted out. Ashley pointed at Dave and told him that she would be seeing him soon. Dave’s strength had kept him in the game for at least three more days. Hopefully Dave listened at tribal council and will change his ways but with his defensiveness and lack of reception from his tribe members, Dave, just as Ashley predicted as her torch was extinguished, may be seeing her very soon on the other side.
© Copyright 2007 Blindigo Magazine | Article written by Niki Tschirgi
