CliqueClackThree return to Survivor, but have they learned from the past?
The 25th season of ‘Survivor’ moves to a new location — the Philippines — and brings back three players who had been taken out of the game by injury. Do any of them stand a chance of making it to the end?
Penner will probably stick around the second longest. He has a good personality, the tribe seems to like him, he’s not getting bossy … but he’s just a little shady. His tribe hadn’t been at camp for more than a day before he started looking for the hidden immunity idol. Right in full view of his tribe! Most people are subtle about it, but not Penner. He’s put a huge target on his back simply because of that, so he’s going to have to work hard in challenges to keep himself safe. Lucky for him, the clue to the location of the idol was hidden in the rice container, but he still hasn’t been able to find the idol which the clue intimated was right under his nose. I’m guessing it’s the lid to the rice container, or some part of it. Penner’s longevity in the game will depend on how fearful the tribe is of the immunity idol. And why anyone is afraid of it is beyond me. If you know someone has it, and you want to get rid of them, make them flush it out (have the second most expendable person get one vote), and then take them out at the next Tribal Council. It’s not rocket surgery.
Swan may have the tougher path to staying in the game. His tribemates weren’t happy at all to have him join them, but Russell’s game was to just blend in and not make waves. Except the minute they got to their camp, he started barking out orders. He’s not the leader, but he’s sure acting like one and if he’s been watching the show since he was taken out the first time, he should know no one likes to be bossed around. Boston Rob is the only one who’s been successful at being a tribe leader, but he did it with a nuance that Russell does not have. Even worse, at the immunity challenge, which required running, paddling a canoe, diving under water, and putting a puzzle together, Russell took it upon himself to dictate who would do what, even when someone said something about not being good at puzzles. Who better then to put on the puzzle building?! Of course, his tribe lost and even though they thought he might have found the immunity idol, they were willing to take the chance and vote him out. Russell’s saving grace this time was the idiot Zane. Zane admittedly didn’t play well at the challenge — it was much too physical for him — so he decided to use reverse psychology on everyone and begged to be sent home, thinking that they would keep him out of sympathy. Uh, der. No one wants a physically useless player in challenges, so even though Russell is grating on nerves, Zane found himself an even less desirable component of the tribe. But has Russell, who knew he was on the chopping block, learned his lesson? Only time will tell.
3 Comments on “Three return to Survivor, but have they learned from the past?”
I’m surprised you think Penner will last longer than Swan. His whole tribe seems to be antagonistic toward him, and the preview makes it look as though that’s going to get worse. I agree with you on Skupin, though – the man was sort of the first big positive Survivor celebrity who wanted it (Colleen Haskell really didn’t), and he does have sort of a legend that the fans (a.k.a. anybody who plays the game these days) can’t help but respect. The reason for that is that he’s a genuine person and a strong leader, which ought to take him far, though it’ll make him a big target after the merge if his tribe doesn’t have the majority.
I’m glad Skupin is on this season, and I hope he takes it down. The rest of the castaways have so far ranged from unlikable to unremarkable. Hopefully somebody distinguishes themselves a little bit better than the losers of last season.
Now that Russell is gone first, and Penner’s personality (and immunity idol) have won him some new friends, I guess I’m more surprised at how quickly Skupin’s tribe has turned against him. Telling Lisa she had to vote him out for her to stay was a surprise, considering how isolated she’d made herself. Maybe the edit is making Skupin come off as a bit more low-key than he really is around the camp.
I think Penner will last longer only because (1) from the first minute they set eyes on him, Russell’s tribe was planning to vote him out, and (2) if Zane hadn’t been such an idiot, Russell would have been the first one voted out this season. Granted, if Penner’s tribe loses a challenge now before Russell’s team does, he could go first, and like I said, if they quiver in fear because Penner might have the immunity idol, they could let him slide (a strategy I’ve never been able to understand). We know Russell’s tribe already has animosity towards him, so unless he does step back and stops being the leader, he will still have a target on his back bigger than Penner. Penner’s tribe knows he’s shady, but I think his personality will keep him a little longer than Russell. But it all comes down to winning immunity.