Aired May 12, 2013, covering night 36 through night 39

Reward Challenge winner: Cochran (help in final Immunity Challenge)

Immunity Challenge winner: Cochran

The Winner

Cochran – We just witnessed the third – out of 26 – perfect season played of Survivor on the part of John Cochran. Only Brian Heidik in Thailand and Rob Mariano in Redemption Island have played flawless games. The unanimous jury vote wasn’t the only indicator of this, either. His final Tribal Council speech and all of his answers were absolutely perfect. Reynold, Malcolm, & Phillip all looked like they were in love. Cochran took a narcissistic question by Malcolm (what do you have that I don’t?/a “heightened level of insecurity”) and turned it around perfectly. How many times have we seen someone answer that question like that? Malcolm looked like he took a slap to the face with that answer – and loved it.

Cochran’s transformation in this game is stunning. He turned into, as Dawn referred to it, a “challenge beast” and won this game not just with strategic planning and execution, but with challenge dominance as well. Give him credit – he had an advantage in the final Immunity Challenge and it did nothing for him – and he still one. His performance in puzzle-based challenges had been poor and yet he still pulled it off.

The Players:

Eddie – How did we know Eddie was toast? It was the instant that he started talking about how he wanted to use the million dollars to open up a bar/dog kennel. Cochran poured his heart into the game, Dawn did even more so and stressed how she was playing for family, and Eddie was there to win money to open a bar that people could bring dogs to. Is there anything wrong with that per se? Of course not, but editing has very strongly favored heart and emotional play and that was the signifier that anything else wouldn’t cut it.

We would have preferred a final 3 scenario where Eddie was asked what he would use the money for. A dog bar.

A dog bar.

Dawn – The Dawn hate is tiring and has been for some time now. As far as betrayals, Dawn didn’t do anything worse than Cochran. The final Tribal Council could’ve gone better, but she was no worse than anyone else. Malcolm and Reynold challenged her to own her traitorous ways…just minutes after she already did. It wasn’t even the severing of the close relationships that did her in. It was her insecurity (which she didn’t handle as well as Cochran, obviously) and her aptitude for crying and freaking out. But was it that much different from anyone else? Not really. But it was obviously more annoying, which is half of what did her in, and it made her look weak to the point where no one respected her, which was the other half. Did you see the eyes roll in the jury when Eddie was voted out and she told him she would miss him? Weak.

As for the whole retainer incident at Tribal Council, no doubt many people are pleased as punch that she was put through that, but it had nothing to do with this game and she didn’t deserve to be humilated by Brenda over something that she is extremely self-conscious about. If it had caused Brenda or anyone else to vote for her it might be a different story, but it didn’t. Brenda was a vengeful crybaby who only wanted to hurt someone she thought liked her because she played the game in a way that caused Brenda to lose. Newsflash, Brenda: Dawn wasn’t there to win a million dollars for you.

Sherri – Not that she had much of a chance, but Sherri’s inability to keep it together at the final Tribal Council perfectly capped her game. When nobody respects you, stumbling over your words when you are trying to convince people that you actually were a good player, telling them how nervous you are, and snapping back and losing your composure when the remarks bite are all behaviors unbecoming of a winner, who has to take the good with grace and let the bad roll off his/her back. It’s a shame that she had face time in this episode at all.

Erik - Well, Erik set the record for latest medical evacuation, so there’s that. And his exchange with Sherri at Tribal Council was pretty great (and spot on). But his exit was symbolic of his total performance in this game: just not able to get it done. Everything he does in the game seems to come just short – even his inability to climb the tree to retrieve coconuts in the penultimate episode.

Final Thoughts on This Season

Survivor: Caramoan was a really great season with a lot of dramatic moments, and the best part was that it was done with the players, and not with a bunch of ridiculous twists or dumb gimmicks (unless you count the concept of a team of returning players against a team of super fans to be a dumb gimmick).

Episode Summaries & Commentaries:

Wikipedia

Full episode video on CBS.com (also available on CBS’s iOS app)

Dalton Ross, EW:

Tribal Council was still filled with plenty of fireworks as contestants blasted Dawn for making and breaking personal connections to get to the end, and steamrolled Sherri for…well, doing nothing. Tribal ended in a truly ugly fashion as Brenda — who found Dawn’s missing fake teeth only to later be voted out by the woman — insisted on making Dawn remove her retainer and humiliate herself as some sort of payback for the hurt she caused her. While Dawn’s betrayal was a move based strictly on gameplay (although faulty gameplay since her chances for beating anyone plummeted after she backstabbed her friend), Brenda’s move was purely personal and came off as both mean and petty.

Andrea Reiher, Zap2It:

After the last Tribal, Erik starts not feeling well. He says his head is killing him and everything’s spinning — do you suppose it’s lack of food? Probably shouldn’t have gone climbing that coconut tree yesterday.

The EMTs take his blood pressure and it’s low (though not super low), but the doctors tell him he’s not going back to camp. That’s a bummer.

Everybody gives Erik platitudes and praise like he’s dying of an Immunity Challenge-sustained injury or something. Not that we aren’t sympathetic to how hard “Survivor” is — but this is like the lamest medical evac ever.

Stephen Fishbach, People:

Cochran’s greatest strength wasn’t his strategy chops or his challenge skills, however, but his gifts as a storyteller. All season, Cochran’s been narrating his own journey from super fan to superstar. Last night, he deserved an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay.

“This is the culmination of 13 years of passion for Survivor,” he said about himself. “I’ve seen every season of Survivor. I’ve never seen a collection of threats like this,” he flattered the jury.

Final Tribal’s biggest challenge is praising your own game while mollifying the jury for theirs. In a pitch-perfect speech, Cochran said his success came down not to muscle, charm or even strategy – but to timing. “Whenever a threat emerged, I would strike before I could be struck,” he said.

When the Q&A started, there wasn’t any question who would win. The jury bristled with anger at Dawn and disregarded Sherri. Brenda, in an ugly moment, demanded that Dawn remove her retainer.

I actually thought Dawn gave a stellar performance, owning up to the way she used her friendships to further her game. “If this is football, I have to be willing to tackle,” she said. She pointed out that if she hadn’t made those bonds, she and Cochran would never have had the information they needed to make their decisive game moves.

But nothing she could say would appease a hurt jury.

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No information about the season was revealed, with Jeff Probst stating that he literally had his bags packed and ready to go to start filming.

Probst left it to the audience to wonder what the theme might be, which is apparently being emphasized over the location as has been for many of the recent past seasons. He added that more information would be coming in September.

The most obvious line of thinking is likely that there is some kind of family element; possibly even playing against friends. The logo shows to figures holding hands on one side, and two other standing together on the other.

Could Survivor be turning into Family Feud? Could favorites be returning with their loved ones?

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Reality Blurred is reporting that Survivor: Caramoan castaway Brandon Hantz has been banned from Sunday’s Reunion show, reportedly due to fear or discomfort on the part of Phillip Sheppard.

Brandon Hantz won’t be present for the Survivor Caramoan reunion on Sunday, having apparently been told he cannot attend by CBS and/or the show’s producers. Meanwhile, Russell Hantz has threatened Phillip Sheppard, even suggesting he’ll go to jail as a result of whatever he does to Phillip.

Further commentary was offered by Brandon’s uncle Russell Hantz, who confirmed the ban and challenged Phillip to a fight.

Via RealityBlurred.

The post CBS bans Brandon Hantz from Survivor: Caramoan reunion show appeared first on Unofficial Survivor Guide.

	Cochran This game is Cochran’s to lose. He needs to get rid of Eddie and eliminate the possibility of sympathy votes/angry revenge votes that Eddie might receive in a final 3 scenario, but there’s no one else that played the game as well as Cochran. He got along with everyone, he made smart, gutsy, calculating moves, and there are other people, namely Dawn, who will bear the brunt of the ill will for the boots that went down (namely Andrea and Brenda). Unofficial Survivor Guide No-Spoiler Odds: 3 to 1
	Dawn It’s hard to imagine a scenario where Dawn comes away with the million dollars, but it would most likely have to mean sitting in a final 3 with people other than Cochran or Eddie. Dawn’s problem is that she was close with people that she sent home unexpectedly (at least they thought they were close). Cochran didn’t have that problem so his moves seem more strategic. Dawn just seems heartless right now. All of the moments she’s had where she has broken down and had someone (mostly Brenda) there to comfort her – those all come back to bite her in a final three. Dawn also makes a very convenient scapegoat after the whole Brenda vote. They likely all wanted her gone whether they voted for her or not (remember, this was a blindside and not everyone was privy to the new plan). They were going to make that move eventually – maybe next. But with Dawn’s vote they can all act like it was Dawn’s move. Unofficial Survivor Guide No-Spoiler Odds: 12 to 1
	Eddie Eddie could get some of the aforementioned angry revenge, anti-Dawn or Cochran votes, but it’s hard to see a scenario where he gets enough to win. But also keep in mind this is a final three – it’s not like he has to win half (plus one) of the jury votes). Eddie gets a lot of credit for hanging in the game, but it’s only been because, amazingly, he has almost been disregarded by power players like Cochran, Dawn, Brenda, & Andrea who needed to eliminate more traditionally worthy players first. If Eddie was worthy of significant jury votes he would have been eliminated before Malcolm or Reynold. Unofficial Survivor Guide No-Spoiler Odds: 15 to 1
	Erik Erik’s problem is that he just hasn’t done anything in this game. He followed orders and hasn’t been much more than an allied vote. He talked a few times about how great it was to be a swing vote, but he never did anything with it. He never took control of the game or initiated any big moves – he let other people and then just played along. It’s hard to see a scenario where he gets enough votes, unless he can somehow manage to face Dawn and Sherri in the final. And even then, Dawn outwitted and outplayed enough people in that scenario for people to excuse any hatred they have for her. Unofficial Survivor Guide No-Spoiler Odds: 100 to 1
	Sherri We don’t see a scenario where Sherri even gets a vote in the final three, and if she makes it that far it’s only because she is being taken there to make it, essentially, a two-person vote. Cochran seems to know this, and it’s likely why he’s close to her. This could backfire, though. By taking someone like Sherri, who isnt’ likely to receive any votes, it doesn’t split the votes that aren’t cast for you and requires you to win a majority of votes. This could prove problematic for Cochran if he has to face Eddie or if Dawn makes a compelling argument at the final Tribal Council. Unofficial Survivor Guide No-Spoiler Odds: 100,000,000 to 1

Which Survivor: Caramoan castaway do you think will win? Who do you hope will win? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

The post Unofficial Guide to Ranking the Survivor: Caramoan Final Five appeared first on Unofficial Survivor Guide.

Reward Challenge winner: Brenda (time spent with visiting loved ones at camp, floating barbecue)

Immunity Challenge winner: Dawn

Eliminated: Brenda - They say that no good deed goes unpunished, and for Brenda a good deed could have cost her a million dollars. At the moment she sacrificed her visit with her dad, the wheels should have been turning in everyone else’s heads. This was a no-brainer. No self-respecting player can allow someone with that much built-up goodwill to go a moment further in this game. This isn’t Redemption Island where people are star struck and tripping over themselves to give a million dollars to their hero. Brenda painted a target on her back the second she decided to be nice.

Doing It Right:

Cochran - Cold-hearted Cochran. Likability is a liability was the line, and he made it true. Keeping Brenda would have been monumentally stupid, and not only did he make the right call but he showed the jury that he was here to win. It looks like he’s got Sherri – who can’t possibly have gathered any respect from anyone in this game – and Dawn – who, it seems, is going to bear the brunt of all of the ill will for all of these blindsides.

Doing It Wrong:

Dawn – Dawn is in a tough position. She has been every bit the strategist and big move maker as Cochran but because she was close to Brenda and close-ish with Andrea it just feels like she is a backstabber, and it feels like Cochran is the smart, gutsy player.

Eddie - Eddie keeps getting all of this credit for having hung in the game for so long, but for what? The only reason it’s him sitting there is because he is so little thought of that these people would rather blow up their own alliance than get rid of him. The only reason it’s him sitting up there instead of Malcolm or Reynold is because he isn’t the challenge threat they were. Yet he’s a danger because there will be jury members who are more interested in revenge than rewarding big moves.

Sherri – Undoubtedly the flippingest flopper this game has seen in some time. It’s always a shame when players like Sherri are still in the game and strategists like Andrea or competitors like Brenda are gone.

Other Notes

• The episode title came from a quote by Cochran after Jeff Probst admonished Cochran’s mom to hurry during the Reward Challenge.

Other Episode Coverage:

Click here for Wikipedia’s episode summary

Click here for full episode video on CBS.com (also available on CBS’s iOS app)

Dalton Ross, EW.com

To those people, I say this: Brenda has no one to blame for getting voted out but herself. I have said it before and I will say it again. NEVER WIN THE LOVED ONES CHALLENGE! All it does is lead to problems. You either piss people off that you do not select to join you on the reward — who will then vote you off or not give you their vote at the final Tribal — or you sacrifice your own loved ones visit so that others can enjoy theirs, which makes you too likable to bring to the end. This is the very definition of a paradoxical no-win scenario.

So Brenda can cry all she wants, but there’s a reason I’ve hammered this point home over the years. And yet they never listen. The second Jeff Probst offered her that lose-lose choice to either screw her tribemates over or do them an incredible favor, her game was effectively over. But she would not have put herself in that position if she had just let someone else win instead.

Andrea Reiher, Zap2It

And now we get Erik’s bonkers pity-party. He’s obsessed with food, he says it’s like prison, he’s so miserable. Oh, please. Suck it up, wuss. You’re getting to live the dream and so, you’re a little hungry. Some people are for real hungry — all the time. Stop being such a whiner.

So Erik the genius decides he should climb a coconut tree for coconuts and he actually contemplates falling out of the tree and breaking his leg so he can leave the game. Seriously, rein it in, dude. It’s been a little over a month. You’re not in a concentration camp. Have some perspective.

What are your thoughts on this episode? Share them in the comments below!

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Aired May 1, 2013, covering night 30 through night 33

First Immunity/Reward Challenge winner: Andrea (Immunity plus a clue for the Hidden Immunity Idol)

Second Immunity Challenge winner: Erik

First elimination: Reynold - No surprise in Reynold’s elimination. If Reynold had taken a page form the Stealth-R-Us alliance and their very public willingness to backstab each other, and was willing to drop Eddie in order to become what Eddie is now – a swing vote for someone willing to make the oft-discussed big move in an unstable alliance – he might still be in this game. Reynold didn’t market himself properly; being a strong challenge competitor and a strong, willing ally and vote might have had changed his fate.

Second elimination: Andrea - This should have been Andrea’s week: an Immunity/Reward Challenge win, a found Hidden Immunity Idol, and demonstrating the critical thinking needed to make moves beyond the end of her enemies’ alliance. But for all of the foresight that Cochran credited her for, she couldn’t see or sense the one point at which she should actually have been paranoid, and her Immunity Idol – which was only good for another week or two – ends up being a souvenier.

Doing It Right:

Eddie - Can’t wait to hear Eddie’s explanation for jumping out of the challenge knowing that he is second in line to be voted out. And for donuts? Donuts he didn’t even really seem to like?! But then you have to wonder – did he have a tight enough alliance with Andrea that he knew he was safe even if Reynold won Immunity? Did he have that much trust in Andrea? If so it could mean he plays an important role for Cochran, who looks like he might be in trouble next week.

Dawn – Of the remaining power players in this game, Dawn’s was the only name that didn’t come up this week. That’s very important. It seems clear that she holds the cards in this alliance and having put behind her whatever Survivor demons have haunted her, it seems that no one is as focused as she is.

Doing It Wrong:

Erik – There had to have been an agreement that the Hidden Immunity Idol would go to Andrea no matter who found it…right? Erik wouldn’t be that stupid – again – to literally hand someone an Immunity Idol. Right? His Immunity win aside, Erik doesn’t seem to be able to do anything past revel in his potential as a spoiler vote.

Cochran - A scenario: Cochran, who played well this week and has demonstrated an aptitude for thinking critically and logically in this game, might be in trouble next week. He is also, obviously too smart for this game, and you wonder if him spilling the beans on Andrea’s secret plans was the smartest move. Can he recruit Sherri and a lost and drifting Eddie to form a new final 3 alliance? Will he need to? Haven’t we been told this whole time that he’s smarter than this?

Other Notes

• The episode title came from a quote by Cochran during confessional.

Other Episode Coverage:

Click here for Wikipedia’s episode summary

Click here for full episode video on CBS.com (also available on CBS’s iOS app)

Andrea Boehlke interview, Zap2It

You were in surprisingly good spirits for someone who got voted off with an Idol in her pocket. Tell us a little bit about that. 

“It’s so funny that I was freaking out the entire season and then that one day, I felt calm, I was at ease, very little paranoia. Then of course that’s the day that I’m blindsided. This is ‘Survivor’ — if you have an Idol, they’re going to split the votes. But I was so focused on setting up the blindside of Brenda that I failed to see that people were trying to get me out. But when it’s all said and done, it was a great move. I appreciated the move. I can’t really be upset at those people.”

Ryan Haidet, Reality TV Magazine

In addition to winning Immunity, Andrea was also given a Reward in the form of a note with information.  Although she regretted promising to share the note’s content with Brenda, she did.  But then she shared it with everybody else and Erik easily found the Idol using the same clue Malcolm couldn’t decipher a few days earlier.  Hilariously, he made the same mistake he did the first time he played by giving up Immunity and handing it over to a woman.  Immediately after unearthing the Idol, he voluntarily gave it up to Andrea — somebody who already has safety from winning the challenge.  Dope.

Dalton Ross, EW

So many questions! But for now we’re stuck with the one-leg-in-the-air thing. Brenda falls in and Andrea wins both immunity and the clue to the immunity idol. Because Andrea promised to share the clue with Brenda, she wisely decides it would not be smart to keep it from the rest of her alliance, so she has them all join in the search. Unfortunately for her, Erik finds it, and there is no way after he handed over immunity last time and was promptly voted out that he will make that same mistake a second… STOP! WHAT THE HELL IS HE DOING?!? ERIK JUST GAVE AWAY IMMUNITY FOR A SECOND TIME! HAS THIS MAN LEARNED NOTHING?!? I hereby take all my Reynold disses and dismisses and put them all on Erik instead. Good God, man!

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While visiting the DMV to change her name following her recent wedding, Survivor: One World winner Kim Spradlin was arrested when an employee flagged her after noticing an arrest warrant for check fraud.

It wasn’t that Kim Spradlin.

Kim spent 8 hours in jail before posting $1500 bond. Officials are working to clear up the misunderstanding and get her bond money back.

“Be careful at the DMV, ya never know what’s going to happen,” Kim joked to TMZ. “Bring a jacket…it’s cold in jail.”

The post Survivor: One World winner Kim Spradlin mistakenly jailed in DMV mix-up appeared first on Unofficial Survivor Guide.

Here’s everything you need to know about what happened in Survivor: Caramoan Episode 11 — “Come Over to the Dark Side” – who won the challenges, who was voted of, who played well, and who is on the outs. Feel free to add your notes, thoughts, and questions.

Aired April 24, 2013, covering night 28 through night 30

Reward Challenge winner: None

Immunity Challenge winner: Cochran

Eliminated: Malcolm - Did Malcolm’s inability to hold himself back during the food auction and save up for help in the upcoming challenge cost him the game? After pulling the shenanigans he pulled in two Tribal Councils, he could be the only target once all of the idols were out of play. His appeal to Sherri should’ve been made 9 days ago and he should never have alienated his old alliance like he did. Burning bridges in this game is profoundly stupid.

Doing It Right:

• Dawn - Even though she got choked up when she lost out on the letters from home, Dawn did a good job keeping it together. She even comforted Cochran when he broke down after reading his letter from home.
• Andrea – Great move by Andrea in following and sticking with Malcolm, knowing he was going after the Hidden Immunity Idol after he woke up. She wasn’t rude, she didn’t get in his face, and she didn’t cause any unneeded friction. She did what she had to do, and Malcolm understood, even if he didn’t like it. She likely wasn’t in the danger she might have thought she was in, but as was evidenced by last week’s vote, anything can happen in this game and anything she can do to protect herself is a smart move. Very smart playing by Andrea this week.
• Cochran – His challenge help purchase won him the challenge, right after Eddie arrogantly insisted in a confessional that he was no threat.

Doing It Wrong:

• Brenda - Gah. Brenda looks terrible. And it can’t bode well for her that the most significant face time she’s had yet in this game has been her breaking down, mumbling because she doesn’t have the energy to speak, and complaining that she is worried about how strong the 3 opponents to her 6-person alliance are.
• Sherri – There’s little worse than having to listen to a clueless player who is delusional about their position in the game. You aren’t calling any shots. You aren’t doing anything except flipping back and forth between whomever has the latest show of power.

Other Notes

• The vote was a 3-3-3 tie among Malcolm, Andrea, and Eddie. Malcolm was unanimously eliminated in the tiebreaking vote.
• The episode title came from Malcolm during a confession in which he expressed hope that he could break up Phillip’s alliance and get a couple of their members to join him.

Other Episode Coverage:

Click here for Wikipedia’s episode summary

Click here for full episode video on CBS.com (also available on CBS’s iOS app)

Christopher Spicer, BuddyTV

Malcolm tries to do some early morning idol hunting. Andrea suddenly plays the role of tag along, and won’t allow him to do anything alone. She confesses to be paranoid about being the next target, and refuses to let him out of her sight in case he finds the idol. She hounds Malcolm and he fails at being able to find anything. Malcolm is now scared he wasted all that money at the auction, because maybe he was craving some pork brain.

Sam Gross, Reality TV Calendar

It’s not Malcolm’s fault that the “dumbest Survivor to ever play” didn’t decide to come back this season and make smart moves.

Yes, I am talking about Erik. Erik has been labeled the “dumbest Survivor to ever play” from when he gave up his immunity necklace and got voted out in the original Survivor: Fans vs. Favorites.

Erik has been playing smart so far in the game by laying low, not doing too well in the challenges to avoid appearing as a huge physical threat, but he threw it all away this week.

To win Survivor, you need to make big moves to earn respect from the jury. Erik just missed out on his chance to make a big move.

Right now, he is at the bottom of a six-person alliance. Once this alliance takes off the remaining two amigos, who will they look to vote out? Erik.

Malcolm interview, People

The Three Amigos thing was horrendous! It was funny for TV, but it was never going to go anywhere. Eddie announced it at Tribal Council: “We’re the Three Amigos.” Who wants to be fourth in an alliance of three? The number of people in the alliance was in our nickname! So we’re saying to people, “You should really flip flop.” And everyone was like, “No, I’m good.” Eddie should never have announced us like that! With allies like this, who needs enemies?

What are your thoughts on this episode? Share them in the comments below!

The post Unofficial Guide to Survivor: Caramoan Episode 11 — “Come Over to the Dark Side” appeared first on Unofficial Survivor Guide.

Here’s everything you need to know about what happened in Survivor: Caramoan Episode 10 — “Zipping Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” – who won the challenges, who was voted of, who played well, and who is on the outs. Feel free to add your notes, thoughts, and questions.

Aired April 17, 2013, covering night 25 through night 28

Reward Challenge winner: Phillip, Erik, Reynold, Dawn, & Cochran (resort visit with lunch)

Immunity Challenge winner: Reynold

Eliminated: Phillip - None of the hype surrounding this Tribal Council was over the top. We have never seen people scrambling to configure their alliance’s vote like we saw in this episode; what Malcolm did was historic and unprecedented. Phillip’s downfall was obvious; the secret agent schtick was annoying to everyone, but especially to those not in the loop. He had a complete inability and unwillingness to play the game outside of his alliance to keep all doors of opportunity open.

Doing It Right:

• Malcolm – Is it starting to feel like this is becoming Malcolm’s game? He’s in a minority alliance but he just pulled off the greatest switcheroo in Survivor history – and he almost pulled something as good last week. If he doesn’t keep his arrogance in check he runs the risk of turning into what he hated about Phillip, and he’s at risk without an Immunity Idol. But given his propensity for finding them and performing in challenges, that might not mean much. Malcolm just turned his game around in this episode.
• Cochran - Cochran just seems to have his head completely into this game. He is fully cognizant of what is going on and is good at handling allies like Dawn and the departed Phillip whom he obviously does not trust the mental states of.

Doing It Wrong:

• Dawn - Hey, we get how embarrassing it might be to lose your fake teeth in front of millions of people, but geez-oh-pete, lady. You’d think she had lost one of her kids out there. Not really the kind of demonstration of mental stability you want to leave with your alliance, although it seemed to bring her closer to Brenda. She’s so paranoid that she can’t sleep, she’s causing her alliance to not trust her. At what point does she put this behind her and let this make her a stronger, more focused player? We’ve never seen a player get this negatively affected by the game.
• Sherri - Poor challenge performances that cost your teammates food never go over too well. Her saving grace is that there are bigger fish to fry for her opponents.
• Andrea – A lot has likely changed with Andrea with this vote. With Phillip gone she is likely the de facto leader of her alliance, which doesn’t seem to trust her given her closeness with Eddie. If she cannot become the glue that holds the fringe members (Erik & Sherri) in, she will likely be the first one targeted. Her lack of input (read: leadership) while trying to figure the vote after Malcolm’s stunt doesn’t help her case, either.

Other Notes

• The episode title came from a confessional quote by Cochran in reference to Dawn.

Other Episode Coverage:

Click here for Wikipedia’s episode summary

Click here for full episode video on CBS.com (also available on CBS’s iOS app)

Andrea Reiher, Zap2It

SRU admits that Reynold was on the block, but now it’s pretty much Eddie since Malcolm has the Idol. So talk turns to Phillip’s story about being trapped under a dock in the water and that’s why he didn’t participate in the challenge. There’s really not much there there. This Trial is shaping up to be so boring

BUT THEN!

Malcolm busts out the OTHER Idol and gives it to Eddie. Stealth R Us looks like they’ve swallowed their tongues. It’s pretty awesome. They’re scrambling about who they’re going to vote for — and yeah, what do they do? Because if the guys think the vote is going another way now, they don’t even have to play the Idols and then they’ve still got two. Wow.

Then Malcolm throws out that his alliance is voting for Phillip. Oh, please let someone flip and vote that way. Please. Send that crazypants man home.

Probst points out that pretty much everybody’s best bet (who isn’t Phillip) is to vote for Phillip. Then Phillip says his alliance should stick with their original vote and if he goes home, he goes home. Yeah, a lot hinges on whether Malcolm and/or Eddie play their Idols.

This is great. I pause the show at this point and actually cannot wait to see how the vote goes down because I have no idea. Literally none. I feel like the only names we definitely won’t see pop up are Reynold (obviously) and the quiet ones, like Erik, Brenda and Cochran.

During the vote, we see no votes. Of course.

When it comes to Idols, it looks as though Malcolm is going to keep his for a second, which would have been easily the ballsiest thing we’ve seen on this show, but in the end, they both play them. Yeah, that’s the smart move.

John Kiesewetter, Cincinnati.com

Sharonville native Reynold Toepfer won immunity, and then his two buddies (Eddie and Malcolm) each played immunity idols, and threw the rival “Favorites” off their game and turned everything upside down.

The “Favorites” had planned to split their votes between athletic Eddie and Malcolm. They didn’t plan on Malcolm producingTWO immunity idols and giving one to Eddie to save his butt.

What are your thoughts on this episode? Share them in the comments below!

The post Unofficial Guide to Survivor: Caramoan Episode 10 — “Zipping Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” appeared first on Unofficial Survivor Guide.

Here’s everything you need to know about what happened in Survivor: Caramoan Episode 9 — “Cut Off the Head of the Snake” – who won the challenges, who was voted of, who played well, and who is on the outs. Feel free to add your notes, thoughts, and questions.

Aired April 10, 2013, covering day 23 through night 25

Reward Challenge winners: Eddie, Erik, Michael, Cochran, & Reynold (waterfall adventure with picnic)

Immunity Challenge winner: Brenda

Eliminated: Michael - Michael has been a non-factor for a long time, and it really seemed like his speech during Tribal Council was the most game he’s played so far this season. This was a placeholder vote, done because nobody was sure if they were able to make the big move they wanted to, and likely would have been the vote they made soon anyway.

Doing It Right:

• Dawn - Where did Dawn come from all of the sudden?! She’s not falling for anything, she’s gather info, and she’s using emotion in an incredibly effective way. She’s a better secret agent than Phillip could ever hope to be. The only person that knows she can’t be trusted is Corinne and she’s gone. If she can’t pull herself together then it’s all moot, but right now no one is playing a better game.
• Cochran - It might have been easy to get caught up in the testosterone-fueled chest thumping after the Reward Challenge, but he led them on and kept a clear head. His position in his alliance is good and he’s seems to be good with people in his opposing alliance, meaning he’s not a target.

Doing It Wrong:

• Malcolm - Malcolm lost out on reward, made a few desperation pitches which couldn’t have been more transparent, and totally lucked his way into not losing everything when his plan blew up. He’s so desperate to make a move and so eager to abandon his alliance to do so that he’s throwing every opportunity he has to keep people close right out the window. And not only that, his stunt at Tribal Council basically eliminated any of the fake goodwill he had with Andrea and, more importantly, Dawn.
• Andrea – Evaluating Andrea for this episode is tough, because it’s not clear how far she’s falling in with Eddie. In her confessionals she acts like she’s keeping a level head, but she clearly is not. Her frantic flipping also makes her look weak, particularly in Cochran’s mind. But her position is safe, she did her job in getting info, and even though the plan had to be adjusted a little, it’s still on.
• Reynold – He fell for showing Dawn the idol, bullied her into not making a move against her, then gave the Idol away. Never. Give. The Idol. Away. EVER.
• Eddie – What a dope. He revealed Reynold’s idol to Andrea and told her of the plan to vote her out. He might have completely botched any chance he or his alliance had in this game, especially considering his blabbing to Andrea about her being voted for caused Reynold to lose his idol.

Other Notes

• The Reward Challenge involved a schoolyard pick ‘em for which Sherri was not picked and could not participate on the reward.

Other Episode Coverage:

Click here for Wikipedia’s episode summary

Click here for full episode video on CBS.com (also available on CBS’s iOS app)

Christopher Spicer, BuddyTV:

Malcolm tries to do some of his scheming magic while the rest of his alliance is enjoying a picnic. Malcolm mentions in a confessional that this is the time to make the big move and take control of the game. Apparently, Malcolm believes that “big move” means “do the exact same stupid thing that Corinne did.” Malcolm goes to Dawn and reveals his entire plan to her. Um Malcolm, who do you think ratted out Corinne last time? In the defense of Malcolm, he doesn’t totally pull a Corinne, because he also gives up his whole plan to Sherri. This time there are two people who get to rat him out to Andrea. Then Phillip, who just a half hour ago was praising Malcolm, warns in confessional that Malcolm will learn what happens when someone dares to try to blindside a secret agent. Oh yeah Phillip, no one can put anything past you as long as Andrea keeps doing all your work for you.

HamptonRoads.com:

It was a new Dawn on the latest episode of “Survivor: Caramoan.” The English professor revealed a scheming side no one knew she had and decided to make a big move: Get rid of Malcolm, one of the game’s biggest threats. Malcolm, meanwhile, came out of his season-long slumber and decided to make a big move: Join with some Fans and take out one of his old alliance members. Brenda, the Favorite who owns a paddleboard company, came out from under the radar – I didn’t even know who she was until last week – and made a big move: She won the Immunity Challenge. And Cochran, the Favorite who is studying law, went far to shed his geeky image by making the hardest move of all: He rappelled down a waterfall. It was a show of twists and turns, of equal parts drama and confusion. In the end, Dawn and her group, afraid that Malcolm would play an Immunity Idol, voted off Michael, who had lost his biggest supporter last week when Corinne was blindsided. It was highly entertaining and chock full of good moments

Michael Snow, interviewed by People:

Dawn is very maternal, and then she’s turning around and backstabbing you. When you put yourself in that motherly role, people take it a lot more personally when you turn on them.

Cochran is making everyone smile. He’s laid back, sitting in the chair with his legs crossed. Cochran is charming everyone along the way, while Dawn is coming across as the hard-ass. When Cochran votes you off, it’s like being voted off by a brother who’s playing the game really hard. When Dawn votes you off, it’s like being betrayed by your mom.

What are your thoughts on this episode? Share them in the comments below!

The post Unofficial Guide to Survivor: Caramoan Episode 9 — “Cut Off the Head of the Snake” appeared first on Unofficial Survivor Guide.

Here’s everything you need to know about what happened in Survivor: Caramoan Episode 8 — “Blindside Time” – who won the challenges, who was voted of, who played well, and who is on the outs. Feel free to add your notes, thoughts, and questions.

Aired April 3, 2013, covering night 19 through night 22

Reward Challenge winner: None

Immunity Challenge winner: Cochran

Eliminated: Corinne - We see so much behind the scenes stuff that it’s rare you get to see a moment of clarity like Cochran did when he realized that Corinne had been pulling the strings all along and realize right along with him what had been going on. Compare Corinne’s attempt at seizing control of this game with Malcolm’s – his was quiet and behind the scenes, and hers this week was loud, obnoxious, and all over the place.

Doing It Right:

• Dawn - Dawn doesn’t have a snowball’s chance in this game, but she’s doing it right by making us feel good about her intentions in this game. The part about a million dollars putting her kids through college and changing their lives and her resolve to not let her game slip because of that potential…that was pretty great. And she’s smart enough to keep those thoughts to herself, because as soon as she is seen as a sympathetic vote (if she isn’t already) she’s gone.
• Cochran – Stuff like his recap of Eddie’s woes over gross food challenges damaging his love life shows why Cochran is going to get a job hosting a Survivor recap show or something along those lines. His performance in the gross food eating Immunity Challenge was dominant like we are unlikely to see for the rest of this game, and earned him the nickname “Ginger Kobayashi” from Malcolm. But even better, he stepped up and made a move to shake things up and vote out Corinne, maybe not even knowing just how huge that move was.

Doing It Wrong:

• Malcolm - Malcolm was looking great going into tonight’s episode. But he didn’t seal up his alliance with Erik, and because of that his closest ally Corinne is gone. This is a huge blow. He plays a good enough game to be able to pull off another big move, and fortunately he seems to be out of the limelight as far as being identified as a ringleader, but if he is doing something to pull in Dawn it means he needs to work hard to break up a fairly strong alliance using one of the most reluctant members to change.
• Phillip - Every week, Phillip toes the line between doing it right and doing it wrong. Annoying your allies to the point they want to vote you off is bad, but if he is managing to be the crazy guy everyone wants to take to the end of the game, that’s about as right as you can get. But that, too, is a fine line to toe, and he’s close to toeing the wrong side of it.

Other Notes

• The tribes merged on day 20, moved to the Bikal camp, and received green buffs. They took the name Enil Edam, which Malcolm came up with from the reverse spelling of his mother’s name.
• The episode title came from a quote by Corinne, who excitedly noted after reuinting with Malcolm that she had never been part of a blindside.

Other Episode Coverage:

Click here for Wikipedia’s episode summary

Click here for full episode video on CBS.com (also available on CBS’s iOS app)

Christopher Spicer, BuddyTV

Corinne admits outright that she is willing to take in anyone who will give her a chance to stay in control of the game. The rest of the Favorites act like such a thing doesn’t bother them. Meanwhile, Sherri plays the scared little sheep by saying the Fans have no chance. Reynold tries to be all sneaky by stating he thinks the vote will be predictable tonight, but a big shocker will come soon. You can sense Malcolm, Corinne, Eddie and Reynold are just ready to burst over their devious plan. A plan that works much better when you don’t rat it out to the opposition.

The vote goes down, and the alliance of six is ready to squeal for delight when Sherri’s name comes up five times. Then it all crumbles when Corinne’s name comes up seven times. Sadly, it is the end of Corinne who started to become a really competitive player. She really should have kept the plan to the six, because likely everyone would have followed voting out Sherri. Now, it will be interesting to see if Malcolm can recover his game and possibly sneak back into the Favorite alliance.

Interview with Corinne, People Magazine

Were there ever any lighthearted moments?
Phillip had demands constantly, and he wanted his rice cooked a certain way. I wanted to tell him to cook his own damn rice, but whatever. So at the merge, Eddie and I started cooking the rice and we made WAY too much while Phillip was away. Like the pot was boiling over, and rice was spilling; it was everywhere. Eddie and I realized we had to eat the rice before Phillip came back, so we were scooping it into our mouth when it was hot and not altogether cooked. We were burning our mouths and swearing and laughing so hard that I was almost wetting my pants. There were light moments; you just didn’t see them on TV.

Interview with Corinne, Hollywood Reporter

I was more hurt than surprised (at Dawn’s betrayal). Honestly, they showed very little of this, but she was my best friend out there. I cared very much for her. The reason I told her is because she was slowly melting down. She went to the well and cried. She was hysterical when Brandon was voted out. She was my best friend and I wanted her to feel safe. I presented her with options to soothe her and give her comfort. She started to freak out, so we went to the well and I said, “Listen, there are a lot of options for us. We’re in a good situation. We’re not power players. We’re not going to get voted out. We can flip if we want.” I kept saying, “we, we, we, her and I.” Everyone is saying, “Why the hell did you tell Dawn?” But we were in an alliance, and I thought we were going to the end. I presented her options and tried to make her feel better. I didn’t say, “Let’s do it.” I said, “Here are our options.” I don’t know why she would burn somebody who was so good to her for so long. For 22 days, I held her hand while she cried.

Have you spoken to her since you were voted out?

I refuse to, actually. I didn’t give her my phone number. She’s sent me a lot of letters on Facebook, apologizing. I think she genuinely feels badly about it, but she stole the game from me. She stole memories from me that I can’t get back. It’s hard to forgive that. If it hadn’t happened, I would have been friends with her forever. I would have met her kids. I genuinely adored her. She took away something I’ll never get back. That’s hard to forgive.

What are your thoughts on this episode? Share them in the comments below!

The post Unofficial Guide to Survivor: Caramoan Episode 8 — “Blindside Time” appeared first on Unofficial Survivor Guide.

Here’s everything you need to know about what happened in Survivor: Caramoan Episode 7 — “Tubby Lunchbox” – who won the challenges, who was voted of, who played well, and who is on the outs. Feel free to add your notes, thoughts, and questions.

Aired March 27, 2013, covering night 16 through night 19

Reward Challenge winners: Gota (coffee bar…a “diarrhea fest”, according to Dawn)

Immunity Challenge winners: Gota

Eliminated: Julia - Cochran basically confirmed what we’ve assessed – she was useless in this game outside of Phillip’s head. And worse, she believed that she needed to do what he suggested to stay in the game. If you weren’t sure about Julia’s position in the game, consider the two people who are talking strategy with: Phillip and Dawn. And wasn’t tonight her first confessional?

Doing It Right:

• Malcolm - Still cool and calculating, Malcolm made a big move by setting up an alliance among what he calls the “Alpha Males”: Reynold, Eddie, & Erik. It’s hard to tell if he is really making this is main alliance, but it seems pretty real, especially considering he wasn’t strong on his original alliance.
• Reynold – First Malcolm approached him to form an alliance which might just have saved his life in this game, then he put together a dominating Immunity Challenge performance that won his team Immunity. Things are almost looking positive for this former hapless loser.

Doing It Wrong:

• Phillip - For all his bravado and feats of strength he singlehandedly lost the Reward Challenge, both in his strategy and in falling down. Gotta love playing the WWBRD (What Would Boston Rob Do?) strategy, though.
• Corinne – Uh, Corinne? You don’t have any idol. Ask Malcolm who his idol belongs to. Also interesting was Phillip’s comment that she was not part of the core alliance (and Dawn’s confirmation), which might mean that Malcolm’s alliance with Reynold is his primary alliance after all.

Other Notes

• The episode title comes form Corinne’s assessment of Phillip’s much-ballyhooed physique.
• Tribal Council initially resulted in a 3-3 tie between Michael and Julia, a plan to flush out a potential Hidden Immunity Idol.

Other Episode Coverage:

Click here for Wikipedia’s episode summary

Click here for full episode video on CBS.com (also available on CBS’s iOS app) (coming soon)

Christopher Spicer, BuddyTV

At the start of the challenge, Phillip refuses to run. His argument is that he needs to conserve his strength, because everyone will be giving him their sandbags soon. It isn’t too long before half of his own tribe is pulling him along, but this obviously must be some amazing secret agent strategy. Dawn, Julia and Cochran eventually opt out, and Corinne ends up with their sandbags. Phillip continues to tell his tribe to walk, which allows Gota to gain on them quickly. Phillip then reveals his big strategy when he falls in the water and allows Gota to catch Bikal. This was a slaughter. Malcolm and Reynold congratulate themselves on their brilliant strategy, which I assume was “send subliminal messages to Bikal so they listen to Phillip.”

Logan Huffman, Reality TV Calendar

Malcolm remains in first place this week. He has hatched a new plan, and while the Bikal tribe also has a four person alliance, Malcolm’s seems much more planned out, plus the others on his tribe will likely stand behind him for a while, and by the time they realize his plan, it will probably be too late. Malcolm looks to be in a great position.

TVFunSpot

Everyone, and I mean everyone is pretty tired of Philip’s nonsense, but Corinne is the one who hates him the most. The funny thing is she is probably the next least self aware player in the game. I mean, she correctly blames Philip for the reward challenge loss. His strategy and lack of speed did kill them. But then she claims she could have taken all the weight and beaten the other tribe single handedly. Now thats self delusion. You know, she’s not bad. But she isn’t exactly Tom Westman. Then later on, she’s sticking her neck out for Michael. She doesn’t want to split the votes, she doesn’t want Michael to be upset by any votes going his way, even though Julia is the ultimate target. Now Michael is a grown man, I’m pretty sure he’s not going to get upset about a couple of votes thrown his way. He’ll just be happy he’s not going home. Its strategy, he’ll get that. The big thing is though, it comes off like Corinne wants the other favorites to support the personal relationship she’s fostering with Michael. What’s in it for them? I think she’s coming off a little selfish. I sort of see why Cochran and Dawn seem to be sticking with Philip.

What are your thoughts on this episode? Share them in the comments below!

The post Unofficial Guide to Survivor: Caramoan Episode 7 — “Tubby Lunchbox” appeared first on Unofficial Survivor Guide.