Survivor: Gabon Episode 1

The Fang tribe are idiots. Michelle was right on about them. If this tribe hadn't started to get their shit together by the second half of the episode, I was imagining them ranking right up there with the dumbest Survivor tribes ever.

What were they thinking voting Michelle off before dead-weight Gillian?? I took great satisfaction in seeing them pay for their stupidity during the next immunity challenge. All Gillian could do was struggle to keep up with the rest of the tribe, while the stronger members told her to get out of the way so other people could push the boulder. Michelle could have been one of the pushers.

Here's a Survivor tip for you morons on Fang Tribe... A dead-weight 60 year old woman will drag your team down much faster than a physically fit woman with a negative and possibly anti-social attitude. The key to the early game is winning challenges and keeping your tribe alive. We've repeatedly seen the winners of the show come from the tribe that tended to be the dominant tribe early on. That makes perfect sense too. If your tribe has the most members going into the merge, it's more likely you'll have the numbers to create or continue a winning alliance. The weaker tribe going into the merge tends to have their members picked off one by one.

First Tribal Council:

Who I "Voted" For: Gillian
My Reasoning: You have to keep your tribe physically competitive and strong early on. The vast majority of early challenges are almost entirely physical. Use this time to get rid of the dead-weight. Gillian was by far the weakest link, and the Fang Tribe were extremely stupid not to dispose of her at this time.

Who ACTUALLY Got Voted Off: Michelle
My Reaction: What the FUCK?! She was the first female castaway to reach the top of the hill during the first challenge, even beating out the supposed Olympic Gold Medalist. During the second challenge she never gave up, even when GC, the man they chose to be their "leader", sat there and rested. Apparently she was voted off for having a negative attitude that the rest of the tribe didn't like. Huge mistake.

The Consequences:
The very next immunity challenge, Gillian was unable to physically contribute. While she didn't directly bring the tribe down, having her out of the way effectively caused the Fang Tribe to be TWO members down on the Kota Tribe. Kota won the challenge by a small margin, and I wondered if having physically fit Michelle on the team rather than Gillian might have proved to be the difference between losing and winning.


Second Tribal Council:
Who I "Voted" For: Gillian
My Reasoning: Same as above. Dead-weight removal.

Who ACTUALLY Got Voted Off: Gillian
My Reaction: The Fang Tribe finally started coming to their senses. Perhaps it isn't too late for this tribe. Pfttt...

The Consequences: Yet to be seen. Should be a positive thing for the tribe.


Reasons to Keep Watching This Season:

1. To see if the Fang Tribe continues their self-destruction.
2. The Kota Tribe has a neat mix of people. Nice looking women, athletic men, and of course the mandatory gay guy.
3. Charlie the gay guy's potential train-wreck attraction to Marcus, who is straight. Disturbing as much as it could be interesting or amusing.


Reasons NOT to Keep Watching This Season:
1. Charlie's super gay voice and mannerisms really put me off.
2. After 17 seasons, all the challenges have a "been there, done that feel".
3. The infamous Survivor censor blur seems to get more ridiculous every season. It's one thing to have a blur over an obvious nipple slip, but it's another thing to blur things when there might be a few millimeters too much of untanned skin showing. I think they even blur potential camel-toes too, judging by one blur on Michelle.


Survivor is still the king of reality TV. It's always interesting to see how much my own opinions differ from the opinions and actions of the people in the show. I'm looking forward to the next episode mainly to see if the Fang Tribe continues to be a "loser" tribe. Have to admit that the fishing hook made from Randy's eyeglasses was pretty cool. Kudos to them for making that and actually catching fish with it.