The Survivor Research Project: Ep 12

This was a great episode centred on strategising, taking risks and executing a plan. It's probably the best strategising episode since Rob C's betrayal of the in-crowd alliance in the Amazon season. We learnt this week that Ian is really playing, although strangely loyal to Katie, while realising that she is not as loyal to him. The dynamic between them is something the show hasn't shown much of, so this is a loose end I hope they tie up next week. Gregg probably got a little too comfortable and trusted too much that Tom and Ian would stick to the Koror 5 alliance, little thinking that taking Katie on the reward would create enough doubt in their minds. Caryn and her "Academy Award winning performance" was prominent this week, and it would be interesting to see if Tom and Ian will continue to ally with her next week.


ST: Screen Time ; Im: Impression Left ; Lk: Likeability

Caryn
ST: 3
Im: 4 (she's lucked into a better position in the game, because she is the free vote they could use.)
Lk: 2.5 (They have not shown the sour complaining side of Caryn in a few weeks, and she seems to have gone along with the strategy with much gusto, which I admire)

Gregg (voted off Ep 12)
ST: 3
Im: 4 (his "asking permission" to lower Jenn's torch during RC was rather wimpish, and showed him to be somewhat "whipped" in the relationship. He's also memorable for having a best friend also name Greg. He was not shown much talking strategy other than a short segment on the yacht, because I suppose there was little more to it than getting to 5, then getting Katie to switch. This was ultimately faulty, leading to his ejection from the game.)
Lk: 3.5 (His parting words were wonderfully gracious, and actually showed a lot of admiration of his tribemates.)

Ian
ST: 5
Im: 5 (appeared to have been the mastermind of the Gregg ouster, first mooting the idea of risking the purple-rock tie-breaker, then telling Katie at the last minute to persuade her to vote with himself, Tom and Caryn. Also won the IC in a rather impressive display of both puzzle solving and shooting skills. What was somewhat puzzling was his loyalty to Katie, with all that talk of watching her back, despite her open willingness to sell him up the creek.)
Lk: 4

Jenn
ST: 2
Im: 3 (perhaps it's her blondeness, but she came across rather princess-like during the RC, especially her reaction when Gregg chose to take her along on the reward. Other than that, I liked her interview segments when she spoke about seeing her sister, and she did show a lot of spunk on the IC. She still seems somewhat dull, because they hardly show her talking. However, her open-mouthed disbelief when Gregg left was a highlight that makes her memorable in this episode. )
Lk: 2

Katie - Koror
ST: 4
Im: 4 (she was the alliance jumper this week, and showed her hand early by taking Ian out in the RC. She was also the swing vote that got Gregg voted off, after being rather masterfully played by Ian, Tom and Caryn )
Lk: 2 (I could not believe that she told Ian outright that she was "in a good place" and that it was unfair that he was suddenly springing the Gregg vote on her. She had the stupidity to tell him that she would not win against him, effectively telling him that she would vote against him. It's fine to think so, in fact it's only smart to think so, but she should never say it directly to his face!!)

Tom - Koror
ST: 5
Im: 5 (wonderful interaction with Caryn and Ian this week, as they plotted Gregg's ouster. I liked how he instructed Caryn to act sour and dour. He was also philosophical about missing out on the reward and was quite touching in his reaction when learning that the reward included a visit from a loved one. He appears to really have his eye on the game.)
Lk: 4

Such a satisfying episode this week that you wonder what else can be in store. How will Jenn fight to save herself, now that she has to really start playing her own game separate from her twosome alliance with Gregg. Will Katie's and Ian's strangely lopsided alliance hold strong, or will Ian stick with Tom instead? And what of Caryn and her new-found lease of life?

The Survivor Research Project: Ep 11

A strategy heavy episode, with extra serving of paranoia at the side. Stephenie fights to stay in the game, Tom cozies up to Caryn, the Katie-Ian alliance is revealed to us. Tom lost the immunity challenge for the first time this episode, and the tribe did not take advantage and vote him off, choosing instead to boot Stephenie. With Stephenie finally leaving, the tribe is down to all original Koror members. It will be interesting to see how it shakes out. Katie has shown she is willing to get rid of Tom if needed, and even Ian seems to be entertaining the thought, despite his obvious bond with Tom. Caryn has no super-secret alliance apart from her loose "look out for each other" arrangement with Tom so she could be the wild card in all of this.


ST: Screen Time ; Im: Impression Left ; Lk: Likeability

Caryn
ST: 3
Im: 3 (finally, we learn where she is in the game. It seems she has made no alliances at all before Tom approached her. She actually seems rather grateful to be still around, and isn't playing that hard.)
Lk: 2

Gregg
ST: 2
Im: 2 (made his case about wanting Stephenie to leave, but was not shown in the thick of the strategising. He obviously has not approached Caryn, and wanted Stephenie to leave, so where was he going to get the numbers to back up his alliance with Jenn?)
Lk: 3 (he's level headed and all that, but we are not being shown enough of his thought process with respect to "the Plan", so he's coming across as rather dim in the strategy department of the game.)

Ian
ST: 3
Im: 3 (strategising with Katie, and also with Tom over Caryn's revelation of the women's scheme. He overthought that part, suspecting Caryn of making up stories, then voicing it to Katie, who was the one who approached Caryn in the first place. He was also the "star" of a segment focused on his bathing in the sea after Jeff Probst remarked that he reeked.)
Lk: 4

Jenn
ST: 2
Im: 1 (apart from a half-hearted profession that she was willing to vote off Gregg if that is what it takes to get further in the game, she said and did nothing of much interest. She was pretty happy to get her ice cream sundae, so there was that.)
Lk: 2

Katie - Koror
ST: 3
Im: 4 (very much in the thick of all the strategising. She was the one to approach Caryn, also talked with Ian, Jenn and Gregg about Tom's plea to not be voted off because of his strength in challenges. )
Lk: 2 (she's overdramatic and her attempts at humour could tend towards meanness. But I like how she understands that the game involves voting off people you like and needing to lie along the way.)

Stephenie (voted off Ep 11)
ST: 4
Im: 3 (initiated the thought of a women's alliance, but she actually took a backseat to the original Kororians this week. She was pretty emotional over getting her letters from home, which was a nice humanising moment.)
Lk: 3 (She left graciously and seemed to be truly happy with what she has achieved. She's wildly popular on the forums and has a popularity rating of over 90% on the CBS website. I can't share that level of enthusiasm as I think her portrayal has benefited from favourable editing. In the Survivor Insider videos, the longer version of her post-boot interview was shown. In this, she returned to her favourite theme of her "deserving" to still be in the game, the one thing that makes it hard for me to warm to her entirely. She even made a vague reference to being a "true survivor" compared to some of the people still there. She seems a cool person on the whole, but the sense of self-entitlement is annoying.)

Tom - Koror
ST: 5
Im: 5 (he actually asked the tribe not to punish him for his strong performances in the challenges, saying that he had helped to bring them to where they are. Nice try, but I am not sure how effective it is to spell out even more clearly to these people that he is an IC threat. He also approached Caryn, bringing her into the strategy game for the first time. Thereafter he was shown talking to Ian about Caryn, revealing that he is playing hard.)
Lk: 3.5 (docked half a point this week for his dubious strategy of pleading with his tribe to cut him some slack for his strong performance in challenges. To me, it didn't strike me as thinking he was more "deserving" - that dreaded word - than others; it just wasn't smart thinking and he lost some respect points with me there.)

This was an episode that set the scene for episodes to come, with several sub-alliances jockeying for position: Gregg/Jenn, Ian/Katie/Tom, Tom/Caryn, Ian/Katie and the possibility of Katie jumping over to the Gregg/Jenn sub-alliance. With an even number of players next episode, this could get interesting.

The Survivor Research Project: Ep 10

We have truly swung into the Koror story arcs, with this latest episode. It seems a little abrupt, as we have seen so little of them apart from Tom and Coby. I did feel that the edit for Janu came from nowhere, with the editors wringing a redemptive story line from her time on exile island. Perhaps if they had shown her mental deterioration a little more, her tribesmates reactions to her might have seemed more understandable. As it was, I got the sense that they wanted her to leave in a positive light despite the fact that she quit the game, to play up her role in the twist that saved Stephenie's neck during TC.

My personal opinion is that there was undue producer intervention, with Jeff Probst persuasively helping Janu make the decision to lay down her torch. I did notice that Ian was the first to make the suggestion, which might be a sneaky maneuver on his part to not vote for Stephenie while keeping Gregg and Jenn happy. However, we are actually shown very little about the strategies and alliances of the Koror members. Gregg talked about the threat posed by Stephenie, but was not shown discussing his longer term plan to remove the Tom-Ian axis, which he had been concerned about in earlier episodes. Tom spoke of his early alliance with Stephenie, Ian and Katie, but not about the specifics of how that is supposed to be maintained with Gregg and Jenn in the picture. The females are hardly shown to talk about strategy at all. For us as the viewer, it leaves room for much interpretation and speculation, which does keep up interest in the game.


ST: Screen Time ; Im: Impression Left ; Lk: Likeability

Caryn
ST: 1 (a couple of interviews about the reward challenge)
Im: 1 (where's Caryn in this scheme of things? She's the potential swing-vote that does not seem to be used? Or perhaps she has a super-secret alliance which has been kept away from the cameras?)
Lk: 2

Gregg
ST: 3 (strategising with Ian and Tom to remove Stephenie, a couple of confessionals )
Im: 3 (a very interesting confessional on what "deserving" means in the context of the game. He's thinking, but I am not sure if he's on the right track. If it's just him and Jenn, how are they going to overcome the Tom/Ian/Katie group?)
Lk: 3.5 (He shows that he understands that the game is not personal although it is social. He also made a great comment about the "Stephenie story", clearly thinking ahead to how the show would be edited after they are off the island. All very meta, and very highly-aware of the manipulated environment they are in.)

Ian
ST: 3 (taking a backseat role in the strategising discussions with Tom and Gregg, and being the first to mention the possibility of someone quitting during TC)
Im: 3 (a strong performance in the underwater cage IC, coming second to every-conquering Tom. He was also the one that Stephenie approached about the voting at TC, where he could not directly lie to her about her being the target.)
Lk: 4

Janu
ST: 5 (arguing with Katie, a whole segment about her time on exile island, many confessionals.)
Im: 5 (over-wrought and somewhat creepy, although classy and dignified in her departure. She will always be memorable for being the first person who made the jury to willingly quit, and for her unwitting foiling of voting plans.)
Lk: 2 (Despite the editing, I think she was somewhat whiny and overly dramatic. Jeff Probst wanted to make us think that the Koror tribe was being unkind to her when she bailed the IC, but quitting after 6 minutes was worthy of a more than a few giggles.)

Jenn
ST: 1 (shown gossiping with Katie about Janu)
Im: 1 (a bit of the popular Heather girl emerged this week, but not as strongly as I think the editors want us to think.)
Lk: 2

Katie - Koror
ST: 3 (gossiping about Janu, then complaining in a confessional about Janu's creepiness, and how Caryn and Janu ate the dessert they brought back from their reward challenge.)
Im: 3 (she is the sarcastic, mean girl of the group. She was also shown to be a pathetic challenge player, being by far the worst performer during the team tower building RC. Her team was slowed down entirely by her slowness and her lack of stamina.)
Lk: 2 (she's obviously of little worth in terms of contributing to camp life, and is of no use in challenges at all.)

Stephenie
ST: 4 (an impassioned plea at TC)
Im: 5 (tears at TC, showing distress at the thought of possibly leaving before Janu, who had declared her desire to leave. )
Lk: 2.5 (My conflicted feelings over Stephenie returned in full force during this episode. I think she's probably delightful as a person and I still respect her more than any female player in all Survivor series. But her sense of entitlement because of she showed "too much heart" is truly gag-worthy. She needs to understand that the game isn't always about being "deserving" and "worthy". I agree she's more worthy than the non-working females on Koror, but the other part of the game is strategic and social. She's well liked in Koror, but has not formed a close one-to-one relationship, which I think she needs to do in a great hurry.)

Tom - Koror
ST: 4 (strategising with Gregg and Ian, and a couple of confessionals about strategy, also confessionals about Janu and Caryn eating the food they brought back. Once again winning the IC, with a clever strategy of forming a snorkel with his hands. He also spoke quite a lot at TC about how the game isn't like real life, and how you might vote off people you like that in real life, you would like to keep around.)
Im: 4 (he's the superman of challenges, with strong performances in both the RC and IC. But I am not sure where he is going strategically. He might have pissed Stephenie off to his own great detriment, but I think that has a lot to do with the producer's intervention. If they had kept their hands off the intended voting outcome, the threat of Stephenie strategising next would be a non issue.)
Lk: 4

Next week: Stephenie plots with the women, possibly in retaliation after realising that her long-ago alliance with Tom/Ian/Katie might no longer be working. I don't know that it's particularly in Katie's or Jenn's interest to go along with this, though.

The Survivor Research Project: Ep 9

They finally merged this episode, but not before some cleverly edited scenes contrasting poor Stephenie's solo struggle at Ulong and Koror's rumbles of discontent as people get on each other's nerves. On the one hand, the desolation of solitude, on the other, the despair of not having your personal space. Quite brilliantly handled.

Stephanie's arrival at Koror introduced a new element to the alliance forming. Coby talked up a storm but was not shown to do anything to try and break up the Koror 5 of Tom/Ian/Katie/Gregg/Jenn. In the end, the picture is not a lot clearer for us, as we are not yet sure where the Gregg-Jen part of the equation stands. Jenn wants to vote off Stephenie, but it is foreseeable that Gregg/Jen might need her vote to oust the Tom/Ian/Katie alliance, which Gregg had already seen as being at the core of Koror 5. Unless Gregg/Jen can get Caryn on board, where would the numbers come from now that they have lost a potential ally in Coby? Caryn is an unknown quantity in all these. She was close to Coby and yet she voted for him to go. I wonder if she has made an agreement that we had not seen. I am discounting Janu because tonight's vote showed that she is clearly not in the main discussions on voting strategy, although that might change next week. Unless she gets a second wind, though, she might not be interested in participating anyway.


ST: Screen Time ; Im: Impression Left ; Lk: Likeability

Stephenie
ST: 5 (lone Ulong survivor shown struggling to find food, tend fire, fetch water all by herself at camp, in the middle of alliance discussions after the merge)
Im: 5 (what a strong competitor. She confessed to being scared and worried about being alone, but never whined about it. Her relief and joy at learning about the merge was quite affecting. She was also thrown straight into the mix after the merge. )
Lk: 3 (I still don't care for her earlier displays of self-entitlement, but I have never respected a Survivor female player as much as I admire Stephenie. I give her a lot of credit for not breaking down and giving up, as many would have done in her place. Over at Koror, she made (or remade) friends quickly, and you could see that she could genuinely get along with these people in a way she couldn't with her Ulong tribesmates. Perhaps her failure to play the social game in her old tribe had something to do with this)

Caryn
ST: 0 (so strange that she is being kept hidden, although we are down to the jury now)
Im: 0
Lk: 2

Coby (voted off Ep 9)
ST: 5 (major bitching about everyone, especially Tom and the fishing/baiting incident, complete with dramatic eye rolling. He also figured prominently in the politicking shenanigams, with complete lack of subtlety in the way he approached Stephenie and poured out all the tribal secrets to her. It seemed he was ready to go down in a blaze of bitchery.)
Im: 5 (he's certainly a "character", if nothing else. He admitted to being cranky, which might have explained the uncontrolled bitching tonight, and probably led to his own demise)
Lk: 2 (I found him too much to take tonight. He was almost determined not to like anyone and could not accept even niceness as anything other than "kissing butts". I lost respect for him tonight.)

Gregg
ST: 1 (took part in the finish expedition, but otherwise quiet)
Im: 1
Lk: 3.5

Ian
ST: 3 (caught up in the whole "should Coby come fishing/ should Ian stay baiting" rubbish. Some commentary on Coby's huffiness and an amusing couple of lines at IC.)
Im: 3 ("I would take off my clothes for peanut butter and chocolate" - hahaha! An excellent mimicking, and possible mocking, of Jenna M and Heidi's infamous "strip for food" performance in the same challenge in Amazon. He has a sense of humour, this one.)
Lk: 4

Janu
ST: 1 (talked about by others, more than she talked. Was depicted as ready to go, which she readily admitted to during tribal council)
Im: 2 (memorable for seeming to be at death's door)
Lk: 2 (if she is ready to go, perhaps they should be merciful and let her go. She really seems to have given in, not even being able to muster up enthusiasm to greet Stephenie's arrival. Where are your manners, lady?)

Jenn
ST: 3 (shown talking to Stephenie, along with Katie. Interviewed about how she perceived Stephenie as a threat and her preference to vote her off early)
Im: 2 (she talked about something akin to strategy, for a change.)
Lk: 2 (A bit of the competitive, possible bitchy side of her was shown today, although she is right to feel threatened by Stephenie. I still think I know very little about her. )

Katie - Koor
ST: 3 (shown a couple of times geelfully participating in the gossip-mongering in an all girl gaggle with Stephenie and Jenn. Also a couple of confessionals talking about Coby's blatant seeking out of Stephenie, and explaining that Jenn wants to vote off Stephenie while Tom and Ian want Stephenie to stay.)
Im: 3 (she obviously is gregarious, and has a tendency towards exaggerated expressions and exclaimations.)
Lk: 2 (she's like the eye-rolling, always-talking friend who might be exhausting and irritating at times, but is generally entertaining enough that you don't mind having her around, even if she doesn't do much other than being entertaining.)

Tom - Koror
ST: 4 (involved in the fishing/baiting disagreement with Coby, a hilarious show of drunken falling down after too much rum and an IC win)
Im: 4 (it was quite funny to see mighty Tom stumbling about in a drunken stupor. Other than that, I think think he showed with the fishing/baiting incident that he has a certain deterministic streak in him, in that he sees that things should be done in certain ways for certain reasons, and he is not easily dissuaded)
Lk: 4

Previews for next week look fascinating. Someone will be sent off somewhere to live on their own if they are the first to bail from a challenge. I wonder how long that enforced exile would last. It'd be interesting if they sent that player to permanent exile as long as he/she is not voted off, only getting back with the rest of the tribe for challenges and tribal council. But surely that is too cruel even for Mark Burnett.

The Survivor Research Project: Ep 8

The producers have actually allowed a tribe to dwindle down to 2 people and then to 1 single person! After seasons of undeserved bail-outs through tribe swaps and pseudo merges, this was an interesting and welcome development. I have to admit that it was almost painful to watch poor pathetic Ulong, down to 2 members and losing both RC and IC yet again. Then again, by stretching the team part of the game this far, the producers have, I hope, negated the probability of future players trying to do what the men's team did on Survivor Vanuatu - which was to vote out the strong players early and play the individual game from day 1. I think that part of Ulong's downfall was due to certain tribe members thinking too early about the individual game and not enough about how to work as a team. Whenever the challenges required teamwork, Ulong fell apart. I think it is telling that the 3 reward challenges won by Ulong were more reliant on individual abilities than on teamwork. So, while it is sad to see Ulong's downward slide, it is not exactly undeserved.

This episode also gave us a glimpse of politicking at Koror. Ian and Tom had a pre-split alliance involving Stephenie and Katie. I think the editors showed this to us to introduce the possibility that Stephenie will be safe for several votes after they merge (which should happen next week, if the jury still stands at 9 people). It will be interesting to see how they "protect" Stephenie, since they will not have the numbers to call the shots until they are down to 7 people. Will they throw challenges to allow Stephenie to win individual immunity? This would justify voting off others such as Caryn or Janu before Stephenie goes.

ST: Screen Time ; Im: Impression Left ; Lk: Likeability


Bobby John - Ulong
ST: 5 (one of the last 2 on doomed Ulong, there was really no choice but to give him lots of screen time)
Im: 5 (the episode title 'Neantherthal Man' was named after him! I think they showed a bit more of the gross side of BJ this week in preparation for his eventual departure. His performance at the gross-food reward challenge was also rather entertaining, in a disturbing way, when he stuffed five of the balut eggs into his mouth at one go. He also has the marvellous distinction of leaving the show without the "tribe having spoken".)
Lk: 3.5 (I think his exit was particularly gracious. His praise of Stephenie was unstinting and genuine and you could tell that he honestly appreciated the experience of playing Survivor. I think that he was probably too nice and honorable to have gotten much further, even if he had beaten Steph at the fire-making challenge to win the right to stay.)

Stephenie - Ulong
ST: 5 (tonnes of interview time, talking about life for 2 at Ulong, BJ's standards of hygiene and her trepidations about what was to come after the individual immunity challenge against BJ)
Im: 5 (she revealed her vulnerability this week, actually breaking down and crying when talking about how hard it was now that they were down to 2 people and still caught up in a long losing streak.)
Lk: 3 (I liked her a lot more this week, when her insistence on not being ready to leave finally came across as determination rather than selfish self-entitlement. I think it helped that she seemed resigned to losing if BJ could win the fire challenge, as he was admittedly better at that task around camp than she was. This week, her gutsiness and never-say-die attitude were shown in the best possible light.)

Caryn - Koror
ST: 0
Im: 0
Lk: 2

Coby - Koror
ST: 4 (bitched at great length about how dirty things were at Koror, and how useless the women except Caryn, are. Also given an unusual post IC confessional to talk about how he was picked on as a kid, and how proud he was to have contributed to Koror's success.)
Im: 4 (another great puzzle solving performance at IC. The shed tears during his confessional about his bullied past was also memorable)
Lk: 2.5 (I like that he has shown some real personality and is not an anonymous cipher, compared to someone like Janu and Jenn. I think the bitchiness could start to grate, but he appears to have reserved most of it for confessionals and have not shown it in front of the tribe)

Gregg - Koror
ST: 2 (participated in the IC for Koror)
Im: 1
Lk: 3.5

Ian - Koror
ST: 3 (talking strategy with Tom about their pre-split alliance with Stephenie, taking part in the gross food Reward Challenge)
Im: 3 (signs of fun times to come once things get to the individual part of the game. He seems gleeful about the prospect)
Lk: 4

Janu - Koror
ST: 1 (one short interview about wanting to gargle with the Scope forever)
Im: 1
Lk: 2.5

Jenn - Koror
ST: 3 (interviewing about Tom refusing to allow people to use the 55 gallons of water they won as part of the Reward for showering, preferring to preserve it for drinking. Seems to think that Tom could be endangered because of it.)
Im: 2 (the editing is doing her no favours. She's coming across as rather vapid. I don't think she necessarily is any more so than the other women, but the only substantive interviews she has given so far have been about showering and her relationship with Gregg.)
Lk: 2 (I think she could be substantially more agreeable than what the editing has shown, so the jury is still out)

Katie - Koror
ST: 1 (one short interview about Koror's amazing winning streak in IC)
Im: 1
Lk: 2 (she has a way of speaking that comes across rather smug, but the jury is still out on her too)

Tom - Koror
ST: 4 (taking part in the RC and looking like he really liked the balut, commandeering the fresh water and making no friends as a result)
Im: 4 (I think he has painted a big target on his back with his handling of the shower water situation. I actually thought he was quite diplomatic and didn't say out loud what he said during the confessionals - that the idea of using it for showering was crazy. But in the game, diplomacy or not, people will remember that he vetoed what they wanted to do)
Lk: 4

Next week - the long awaited merge? I think they will have to allow Stephenie to at least live with the Koror tribe, if she is part of the jury. Who knows, the way this season has gone, they may reduce the jury to 7 people. I thought it telling that Jeff didn't say "Congratulations, Stephenie, you are guaranteed a place on the jury". He didn't say anything like that to the Koror tribe either when they won the IC. Perhaps, in this "season of firsts", they are not quite done with the innovations yet.

The Survivor Research Project: Ep 7

Ulong continues to lose, setting a record for most number of consecutive Immunity Challenge losses, in addition to losing another Reward Challenge. This latest episode continued the recent trend of showing the contrast between the well-fed, well-sheltered Koror tribe and the despairing, devastated Ulong members.

With Ulong reduced to 3 people, the editors found time this week to show more of the shenanigans at Koror. I think the editors chose to show scenes that further underlines the difference in camp life at the two tribes. Ian bringing home the giant clam, then Tom's impressive shark haul and the sunset-backdropped depiction of the budding "romance" between Greg and Jenn. Depending on which tribe member you ask, life at Koror is either being in an adventure camp or a paradise holiday resort. To top it all, when they won rewards, they got beef stew, an amazing Home Depot shelter and military food packages (including real food like spaghetti and meatballs). When Ulong won, they got a sewing kit and Pringles. Poor Ulong; they can't even win the right challenges.

ST: Screen Time ; Im: Impression Left ; Lk: Likeability

Ibrehem - Ulong (voted off Episode 7)
ST: 4 (lots of interview time; why had I never heard that Southern accent before?)
Im: 3 (much more of an impression this time out, as the one finally voted out)
Lk: 2.5 ( he grew on me this episode, coming across as basically nice, if rather dull)

Bobby John - Ulong
ST: 4 (strategising with Stephenie, lots of interview time, disastrous showing "calling" the IC puzzle, and his spazz run into the ocean when attracting the plane during the RC)
Im: 4
Lk: 3.5 (I love that he was so honest is assessing the Koror tribe as being smarter than Ulong. He also graciously gave way to Stephenie when it was obvious the IC wasn't working out, instead of losing his temper from frustration. And you really sympathised with him when his sense of honour was tested when he had to decide who to vote for. A gentleman, I think, brought up to have good manners and respect for others.)

Stephenie - Ulong
ST: 4 (interview time, then playing hard to save herself by talking to both BJ and Ib)
Im: 4 (neck on the line during TC, and left a really strong impression with her repeated insistence that it was not her time to go and that she was not ready to go)
Lk: 2.5 (I am conflicted over Stephenie. I like that she plays and works hard, seems to be bitchiness-free and has not resorted to any of the feminine "sex appeal tactics" of young female contestants in the past. On the other hand, she has a tendency to appear self-centred and self-entitled with her constant harping on how losing sucks and how she isn't ready to go. She seems to think that her physical contributions at challenges has made her "deserving" of the chance to go further. I think she shirks responsibility; she did not step up during the bathroom challenge 3 episodes ago; she should have stepped up to do the calling for this week's IC and she was obviously the best person to do it, but again, she did not.)

Caryn - Koror
ST: 3 (interviewing about Koror's strengths as a tribe, contributing during the RC)
Im: 3 (tried hard at the RC, attitude seems to have improved)
Lk: 2 (she seems less sourly disosed this week and genuinely happy to be part of her tribe)

Coby - Koror
ST: 4 (commenting on Tom's shark catch and Gregg and Jen's relationship; also the mastermind of the IC challenge puzzle.)
Im: 4 (a strong, calm performance at IC. And cementing his "fretting" personality during the RC.)
Lk: 2.5 (he's entertaining for now, but I hope the complaining and bitchiness does not get old.)

Gregg - Koror
ST: 4 (interview time on Tom, Jenn and the RC, was the muscle of the RC)
Im: 4 (a calmly reasoned analysis of his game plan vs his relationship with Jenn)
Lk: 3.5 (I liked him a bit more this week, for not getting caught up in Jenn's high school romance scenario)

Ian - Koror
ST: 3 (catching the clam, then being one-upped by Tom)
Im: 4 (a genuinely good natured response to Tom getting a shark after he only managed a giant clam)
Lk: 4 (I like his sense of humour and what he said about needing to get a "humpback whale or something" the next time.)

Janu - Koror
ST: 1 (looking ragged during the IC)
Im: 2 (comes across as physically faltering)
Lk: 2.5

Jenn - Koror
ST: 3 (shown in conversation with Greg about their relationship, interviewing to the camera about how focused he was on the game)
Im: 4 (finally, some glimpses of her personality, if an unfortunately "girly" aspect of it)
Lk: 2 (not liking what I saw this week, with the vapid comments about Greg being stand-offish. Gosh, woman, you are on Survivor, not The Bachelorette)

Katie - Koror
ST: 3 (shown working on the RC and giving the commentary on the signal they were building)
Im: 3 (established as the creative one. "Got Food?" was her idea for the signal)
Lk: 2.5

Tom - Koror
ST: 4 (catching the shark and talking about how frustrated he was not to be able to contribute to the RC)
Im: 5 (the man caught a shark, for crying out loud. With a machette, no less! This is like Michael Skupin catching a pig back in Survivor Outback.)
Lk: 4

I look forward to what will happen when the tribes merge, and the Koror members are forced to play the individual game. Will Coby come into his own? Or have the editors been hoarding clips of politicking by the other tribe members?

The Survivor Research Project: Ep 6

The hapless Ulong tribe sank to new levels of haplessness this week with a 5th straight immunity challenge loss. It was nice to see them win the reward challenge. The Pringles and Mai-Tais were rather lame (people who haven't eaten properly in 2 weeks do not need to have alcohol and salt in their systems) but the swim in that incredible lake with the jellyfish was really great.

I wished they had showed us more of what happened at Koror with the knot-tying to secure the chest. It seemed to me that their confusion of knots was much more difficult to unravel than James's "impossible" knot that he learnt in the Navy. I suspect that Katie's weaving skills (which Coby had mocked in an earlier challenge) came into play here and we just weren't shown any of it. When they made a point to show the Ulong tribe tying and James being confident about the challenge, I was pretty certain they would lose, which they obligingly did. I am beginning to think that we see so much of the Ulong trible and so little of Koror because all the Ulongers will get themselves out before long, and the producers are giving them screentime while they can. The 2nd half of the series will probably feature the Koror members more prominently.

I am mystified about Stephenie's vote. There are many theories about why she voted for Ibrehem first before switching her vote to James, but none of them really compute for me. There must be something that they did not show us, something that showed that she might have some reason for not trusting Bobby John. The only plausible reason I can see for her vote is that she suspected that Bobby John and Ibrehem would both vote for her. She voted for Ibrehem (as she knew James would do) to force a tie. If she had voted for James as per her agreement with Bobby John, she was vulnerable if Bobby John was double-crossing her. If this was indeed the case, I wish the editors had shown it. If not, then I really don't understand why Stephenie voted that way, risking Bobby John's distrust when he could have been a strong ally.

Player Ratings for Episode 6:

ST: Screen Time ; Im: Impression Left ; Lk: Likeability

Ibrehem - Ulong
ST: 3 (shown praying and talking about his reprieve from being voted off)
Im: 2 (he really is very dull and bland)
Lk: 2

Bobby John - Ulong
ST: 4 (strategising with Stephenie, talked about the reward challenge)
Im: 3
Lk: 3.5 (He's an odd one, with his biblical leanings and sense of honour, but he's compelling)

James - Ulong
ST: 4 (the knot master)
Im: 4 (missed all shots at the RC, then spent time tying his toga instead of the ropes on the boxes during IC)
Lk: 1

Stephenie - Ulong
ST: 4 (the potential swing voter at TC always gets loads of camera time)
Im: 4 (really shone at the Reward Challenge, then the mystifying vote at TC)
Lk: 2 (there was a smugness in her during the RC that I didn't much care for. She is so good at the challenges, but her strategic play has been poor, so she is not really redeemed in my eyes.)


Caryn - Koror
ST: 2 (interviewing about Katie's jokes at camp)
Im: 2 (tried hard at the RC, still seems to really dislike Katie)
Lk: 1.5

Coby - Koror
ST: 3 (mocked Katie's craft project, shown giving his own personal commentary during IC)
Im: 4 (they showed him a lot during IC, being all nervous. I wonder if his neck would have been on the line if Koror lost)
Lk: 2.5 (the camp character is really good TV, but his bitchiness can get grating)

Gregg - Koror
ST: 0
Im: 0
Lk: 3

Ian - Koror
ST: 2 (did the exposition about having to vote off Willard and the sense of reinvigoration after getting beef stew the night before)
Im: 2 (not much screen time but emerges as a leader - it seemed it was his decision who to sit out during the RC)
Lk: 4

Janu - Koror
ST: 3 (feeling vulnerable after the storm)
Im: 3 (comes across as a little fragile and emotional)
Lk: 2.5 (I actually empathise with how she felt and really admired how hard she worked on the IC after that)

Jenn - Koror
ST: 0
Im: 1 (one of the so called Koror B team that took part in the IC, but she was clealy working hard)
Lk: 2.5 (still largely anonymous, but I liked that she contributed during the challenge, being the one to swim out with Ian to recover the bundles of wood to build the fortress)

Katie - Koror
ST: 3 (shown doing her craft project and having a sock puppet show, and talking about how it has been easy to adjust to camp life. Also commented on Janu as a drama queen.)
Im: 3 (established as the one who makes jokes, is funny, but seen as not pulling her weight around camp. I still think her macrame skills had something to do with the fact that Ulong had a hard time undoing the knots that Koror tied.)
Lk: 2.5 (I actually think I might like some things about her, although the not working part is hard to forgive. I also didn't much like her dismissiveness towards Janu. However, she's funny, by Caryn's own admission and having someone like that around camp can boost morale.)

Tom - Koror
ST: 3 (cheering up Janu when she was feeling down)
Im: 3 (great job, being patient and kind to Janu. He's also clearly a cheerleader for Koror. When he sat out of the IC, he was offering encouragement and advice at the side. I think he's just a natural father figure)
Lk: 4

The Survivor Research Project: Ep 5

A twist this week, with no IC and both teams having to vote someone off. I don't much care for the idea of having to vote people off if you haven't lost a challenge. Koror won the reward challence (well, it's getting to be a pattern now) as Ibrehem screwed up for Ulong. Their reward was beef stew and more importantly, a chance to sit in on Ulong's TC. The big twist was giving each Koror member a chance to vote for immunity to be granted to one member of Ulong. They did not have the chance to discuss this as Jeff Probst just sprung the news on them. I am not quite sure what to make of the immunity- granting votes. Ibrehem was granted immunity, which to me is a smart tactical move. The Ulong TC had obviously shown him to be targeted and granting him immunity throws a big spanner into their plans. But Koror's votes were all over the place, with only 3 of 8 voting for Ibrehem. I am not sure that all the votes for Ibrehem were strategic, either. However, it was great TV that Ibrehem was spared and the other Ulongers had to resort to a non-existent Plan B.

This episode also revealed in more detail the dynamics at Camp Koror. Gregg is turning out to be quite a player and Coby's also one to watch. I think they still don't show enough of Koror members for us to really tell what wheeling and dealing may be going on. For instance, they showed Gregg approaching Coby, and Coby being all gleeful afterwards about the "game starting". He could have been gleeful because not only Gregg approached him, but maybe someone like Katie or Ian, as well. Because they only showed Gregg, we think that he's the move-maker and that Tom-Ian-Katie are in peril. I am not sure I would trust the editing here. We will need to see in the coming weeks.

After the snore-inducing Vanuatu season, in which hateful Ami was by sad default the most interesting character, I had almost given up hope on the Survivor franchise. This season, only in its fifth episode, is already so much better than Vanuatu, I think I can say that we shouldn't write Mark Burnett off yet (and his new series, The Contenders, is also rather good).

Player Ratings for Episode 5:

ST: Screen Time ; Im: Impression Left ; Lk: Likeability

Ibrehem - Ulong
ST: 4 (lots of anguish over his RC failure)
Im: 4 (a major player in the surprise immunity granting exercise.)
Lk: 2 (not much good at water challenges, but his biggest crime is basically being rather dull)

Bobby John - Ulong
ST: 2 (with fewer players, everyone gets more screentime. BJ had a couple of moments during the aborted cave-hike and post RC camp politicking)
Im: 3 (relatively quiet this week, but was tied with Angie to be voted off, before the re-vote spared him)
Lk: 3.5 (I really liked how he spoke to Stephenie when she was all bitter about losing the RC. He appears to be level headed about accepting defeat)

James - Ulong
ST: 2 (some camera time during the cave-hike)
Im: 1 (can't remember him much this week)
Lk: 1 (not sure why it came down to BJ and Angie; why did no one except Ibrehem vote for James the first time out? Angie could have been spared)

Stephenie - Ulong
ST: 4 (loads of camera time interviewing about how she's bad at losing)
Im: 4 (well, she hates losing, and she made it very, very clear)
Lk: 2 (I think my previous sense of her as a "mean girl" is on the nose. She took losing so badly and her frustration resulted in a championship display of eye rolling and eye-brow raising. I don't think being an athlete all your life makes you someone who hates losing. She seems to have confused being competitive with being a sore loser. Also, she voted for BJ then changed her vote to vote for Angie the second time around. WTF? Why did she and Angie not vote for James? She's gutsy and plays hard, but not that bright)

Angie - Ulong (voted off Ep 5)
ST: 4 (stood her ground to return to camp instead of continuing to look for the cave, shown many times expressing her distress and despoondency at the reduced state of Ulong)
Im: 4 (obviously feeling miserable and was not shy to show her emotions)
Lk: 2.5 (she's likeable when not in a position to be a bully. I liked her gracious exit. She did seem rather devastated throughout this episode, and seemed a little relieved to be voted off.)

Caryn - Koror
ST: 0
Im: 0
Lk: 1.5

Coby - Koror
ST: 4 (given several interview slots on the evolving game-play at Koror)
Im: 5 (positioned as the major player, plus he brings some fun to the proceedings with his campness and bitchiness)
Lk: 3 (still not sure if I like or dislike him in the sense of finding him likeable, but I love his entertaining interviews )

Gregg - Koror
ST: 4 (plotting with Coby, interviewing about him and gf Jenn switching alliances)
Im: 4 (emerging as the big game player of Koror)
Lk: 3 (he's playing, but is not going out of his way to be an asshole about it)

Ian - Koror
ST: 3 (trouble in the RC, then redeemed himself by going down a second time)
Im: 3 (mainly for his RC performance, plus his celebration of victory back at camp - which I think some people found cocky, but which I felt was a non-issue, at least as shown to us)
Lk: 4

Janu - Koror
ST: 0
Im: 0
Lk: 2.5 (still not getting enough from the producers to know if my initial impression is correct)

Jenn - Koror
ST: 2 (her relationship with Gregg is made obvious in this episode, even though she doesn't speak)
Im: 3 (again, not anything she said herself, but we will remember her as Gregg's girl, the one whom he plans to take to final 2. )
Lk: 2.5 (seems likeable enough, but I hope she's not going to do an Amber and rely on Gregg to carry her through the game. She did perform well at the RC, so I think she does pull her weight. But she really has to cut out that annoying laugh/giggle of hers; it's amazingly grating.

Katie - Koror
ST: 1 (being talked about by Coby and Willard)
Im: 3 (again, she didn't say much, but she's been targetted by Willard as the mean one, and Coby clearly dislikes her and thinks that she is the camp lazybones. This is an interesting development, because we know she is tight with Tom and Ian, and it's surprising they would tolerate laziness, being such busybees themselves.)
Lk: 2.5 (the jury is still out on her, but I think Caryn might have a point about Katie being "tart". I think she may be one of those really caustic-tongued people, from what she said when voting off Willard.)

Tom - Koror
ST: 3 (talking about tending the fire when Willard did not do it, discussing voting off Willard)
Im: 2 (a quieter week for Tom but he did speak up at TC about how Koror's composition of physically weaker players forced him to step up during challenges despite his original plans to blend into the background. Again, the impression is of Mr Dependable, Responsible Firefighter)
Lk: 4

Willard - Koror (voted off Ep 5)
ST: 4 (lots of scenes once it was established that he was Koror's choice to go. Interviewed several times, shown talking to Coby)
Im: 4 (he used the word "Cumudgeon" to describe himself, which got a nice laugh out of Coby and me. And I really enjoyed his riff on the inevitability of his departure, evoking the image of King Canuut not being able to turn back the waves.)
Lk: 2.5 (He appeared to have a good attitude about leaving, admitted that he was physically not up to the challenge and even confessed to his own crabbiness. That mitigates somewhat the fact that he did not contribute much to the tribe.)

The Survivor Research Project: Ep 4

Another really good episode, with an intense Immunity Challenge. The Reward Challenge also had an interesting twist, and the reward itself was just awesome. There are actual houses in many parts of the world that are nowhere as nice. I am glad that Kim is finally gone, so that's another plus point for this episode. Usually, it's pretty boring when one tribe keeps winning everything, but I really like Koror, so I am not minding their domination at all.

Player Ratings for Episode 4:

ST: Screen Time ; Im: Impression Left ; Lk: Likeability

Kim - Ulong (booted Ep 4)
ST: 4 (interviewed a lot; and was on the chopping block, so that always guarantees air-time)
Im: 4 (said some of the most amazing things I have ever heard on this show. Eg. she needs to eat more than the others although they work harder; how unlucky she is to be stuck in a tribe of workers; that the men were useless))
Lk: 0 (I think she may be the most useless Survivor player EVER.)

Ibrehem - Ulong
ST: 2 (talked a little more this week)
Im: 1 (very bland, didn't stand up for the leadership role)
Lk: 2 (I think he seems a bit dim, and his behaviour after winning against Greg in the IC was unnecessary)

Bobby John - Ulong
ST: 2 (interviewed about Kim, talked during tribal council)
Im: 3 (massive battles against Tom, no shame in losing)
Lk: 3 (he's a little intense, but comes across only as hard on himself, and not mean spirited)

James - Ulong
ST: 4 (leader in the RC, crowed about their wonderful latrine, bemoaning losing to a "homershexial")
Im: 4 (he made quite a few rather ignorant, red-necked remarks)
Lk: 1 (seems to be a stereotypical hick bigot. If is he isn't, he is doing a great job of fooling us.)

Stephenie - Ulong
ST: 4 (strong IC performance, shown talking extensively about the frustration of losing, interviewed on the potential men vs women dynamics)
Im: 4 (emerging as the leader figure in the trible)
Lk: 2.5 (there is something about her that screams "mean girl" but I admire her strength and guts)

Angie - Ulong
ST: 4 (did well at the IC, interviewed about being upset at James' treatment of the women)
Im: 3 (being really aggressive in celebrating victory against Caryn)
Lk: 2 (I am not sure why, but I cannot shake the feeling that she's not really all that nice if she is in the position to be not nice. She does have good attitude and combative spirit.)

Caryn - Koror
ST: 3 (interviewed complaining about Tom)
Im: 3 (left an impression as Koror's resident harpy)
Lk: 1.5 (ones of those people who always need to be unhappy about something)

Coby - Koror
ST: 4 (given the interview slot that shows us our first glimpse of alliance-dynamics in Koror, great show at IC)
Im: 4 (a lion-hearted effort at IC, winning both bouts against James)
Lk: 2.5 (I'd watch out for this one; he seems rather sneaky. I am not sure if I exactly like or dislike him, but he could make things interesting later)

Gregg - Koror
ST: 2 (one interview, shown helping with the shelter)
Im: 2 (he's not saying or doing anything that makes him stand out)
Lk: 3 (still seems a likeable enough guy)

Ian - Koror
ST: 4 (appointed leader for the RC task)
Im: 4 (selected well when asked to pick tools for the RC, seems very versatile, comes across as very bright)
Lk: 4

Janu - Koror
ST: 1 (her encounter with Kim during the RC)
Im: 1 (remember her winning the RC bout, but nothing else)
Lk: 2.5 (not getting enough from the producers to know if my initial impression is correct)

Jenn - Koror
ST: 3 (confronting Stephenie during IC, interviewed for the first time)
Im: 3 (she speaks for the first time ever, so that's something to remember. She lost both her bouts to Stephenie, but points to her for trying)
Lk: 2.5 (seems likeable enough, and I like how she fought hard against tigress Stephenie)

Katie - Koror
ST: 1 (one short interview about the RC task)
Im: 1
Lk: 2.5 (not enough to go on, but she's done nothing to irk me majorly and she seems to be pally with Ian, whom I really like)

Tom - Koror
ST: 4 (made the decision to appoint Ian as leader for RC, took charge of the task, IC giant as usual)
Im: 4 (a great IC performance again, not afraid to openly be the leader)
Lk: 4 (he is unbelievably capable, and does not seem to be an asshole, which is a nice change in this game)

Willard - Koror
ST: 2 (interviewed about Ian and Tom and how they are careful to say something nice to everyone)
Im: 4 (I think he is a sharp one; he suggests that Ian and Tom are playing nice, so he could shake things up)
Lk: 2 (okay enough, but the editing has not shown Ian's and Tom's niceness as an act, so I wonder if this is a rather cynical old man who knows his place in the team is threatened.)

The Survivor Research Project: Ep 1 to 3

For any of this to make sense, this post explains the genesis of this fanciful exercise I am about to embark on.

For the purpose of collecting data for this project, it is more expedient to structure this review by player, rather than by episode. Hence, I will review each player across three episodes. In future weeks, I hope I will be able to do one review for each episode, and not have reviews that span several episodes. (Hmmmm ... wonder it the job would allow for such non-value-adding intellectual excursions.)

ST: Screen Time ; Im: Impression Left ; Lk: Likeability

Wanda (booted Ep 1)
Episode 1:
ST: 3 (she sung at least one too many times!)
Im: 5 (first booted off, and I still remember her, enough said)
Lk: 1 (seems harmless enough, but the singing!)

Jonathan (booted Ep 1)
Episode 1:
ST: 2
Im: 2 (remember his obvious disappointment, which he did not even try to hide)
Lk: NA

Jolanda - Ulong (booted Ep 1)
Episode 1:
ST: 4 (very prominent in challenges, interviews, at tribal council and just being bossy around camp)
Im: 4 (all that aggro can hardly be unmemorable)
Lk: 1 (the bossiness was a bit too much to take, not surprised they voted her off)

Ashlee - Ulong (booted Ep 2)
Episode 1:
ST: 0
Im: 0 (Ashlee WHO?)
Lk: NA
Episode 2:
ST: 2 (the whole not eating episode)
Im: 2 (a rather dull departure but people were talking about her, which helped this score)
Lk: 3 (seems nice enough)

Jeff - Ulong (booted Ep 3)
Episode 1:
ST: 0
Im: 0
Lk: NA
Episode 2:
ST: 3 (interviewed quite extensively, including gloating about Koror losing their flint)
Im: 3 (strong ass-hole vibe, which IS memorable, if unfortunate)
Lk: 1 (don't care for the glee over Koror's loss of the flint, nor for the whole story about cuddling with Kim for "warmth")
Episode 3:
ST: 3 (spraining his ankle, then asking to be booted)
Im: 3 (
Lk: 1 (complained about Jeff Probst asking him about Kim, then talked rather insincerely about wanting to give his all for the team. Not redeemed in my eyes.)

Ibrehem - Ulong
Episode 1:
ST: 1
Im: 1
Lk: NA
Episode 2:
ST: 0
Im: 0
Lk: NA
Episode 3:
ST: 2 (talked a bit to the camera, although not very eruditely. Claimed not to know what to do with the sewing kit)
Im: 1 (still not registering much, although he did walk in front during the IC, gaining some points)
Lk: NA

Bobby John - Ulong
Episode 1:
ST: 1
Im: 1 (wanted to keep Jolanda, and kick of Angie)
Lk: NA
Episode 2:
ST: 2 (talked about underestimating Angie)
Im: 2 (the display of rage during the Reward Challenge was scary)
Lk: NA
Episode 3:
ST: 3 (interviewed extensively about Kim and shown working hard at camp and during IC)
Im: 3 (established as the hard worker of the tribe, de facto leader, perhaps)
Lk: 3 (favourable impression this week)

James - Ulong
Episode 1:
ST: 1
Im: 1 (the accent!!)
Lk: NA
Episode 2:
ST: 2 (interviewed about Jolanda and Ashlee/Kim)
Im: 2 (glee at Jolanda being voted off, talking about America being a democracy)
Lk: 1 (not liking him much)
Episode 3:
ST: 1
Im: 1 (not prominent, but points for calling Kim and Jeff on the "no alliance" and "cuddling for warmth" bullshit)
Lk: 1 (not sure why, but he gives off an obnoxous vibe. Could be wrong about him, we'll see)

Kim - Ulong
Episode 1:
ST: 0
Im: 0
Lk: NA
Episode 2:
ST: 3 (the cuddling nonsense plus being on the chopping block)
Im: 3 (for the cuddling nonsense and asking to be told if voted for)
Lk: 1
Episode 3:
ST: 3 (basically shownbitching about Jeff Probst, lying around, being lazy, and telling us how Bobby John works too hard)
Im: 3 (on the brink of being voted off, being shown to be less useful than the injured Jeff)
Lk: 1 (I can't believe she survived the chop yet again despite being the latest in the chain of sun-tanning, lazy-boned Survivor model wannabes)

Stephenie - Ulong
Episode 1:
ST: 2 (jumping in and swimming for the flag, only to get left behind)
Im: 2 (engineered Jolanda's departure)
Lk: 1 (seemed overly aggressive)
Episode 2:
ST: 2 (featured prominently at the IC)
Im: 3 (physically strong, mentally determined)
Lk: 2 (give her props for gutsiness)
Episode 3:
ST: 3 (strong performance in both challenges, even Jeff Probst seems impressed)
Im: 4 (only woman left standing during the IC, did well in the RC too)
Lk: 2.5 (like her great attitude, but may be overly competitive)

Angie - Ulong
Episode 1:
ST: 4 (the whole deal about being different and feeling left out)
Im: 4 (well, the tattoos alone are enough!)
Lk: 1 (whiny and victimised)
Episode 2:
ST: 4 (highlighted during the RC, interviewed to camera and at TC)
Im: 4 (doing well at RC and being so happy and relieved afterwards)
Lk: 2
Episode 3:
ST: 2 (did well at the RC again)
Im: 3 (being really aggressive during the RC, pushing and showing Janu and Gregg from Koror)
Lk: 2 (she's not as whiny now but I sensed an ugly aggressive side to her during the reward challenge; not only when she was shoving and dunking Janu and Gregg, but when she was cheering at the sidelines.)

Caryn - Koror
Episode 1:
ST: 2 (organising the division of work at camnp before the tribal allocations)
Im: 2 (I remember her being the one Coby chose above Angie. She also stood out for being older)
Lk: 3 (based on this one episode, seems quite likeable, capable and reasonable)
Episode 2:
ST: 3 (complaining about the new camp, confronting Tom)
Im: 2
Lk: 2 (not fond of the nagging types, especially if they don't seem to contribute much)
Episode 3:
ST: 3 (confrontation with Katie)
Im: 3 (not sure what she was worked up about with Angie, but it did leave an impression)
Lk: 1.5 (appears unhappy and grumpy)

Coby - Koror
Episode 1:
ST: 4 (interviewed extensively for his opinion of many things)
Im: 4 (tried to engineer Jonathan's boot, telling Angie he was glad not to be the weirdest one there)
Lk: 2 (bitchy and trying to be a mastermind way too early, but entertaining)
Episode 2:
ST: 1 (mainly seen in challenges)
Im: 2 (for the hilarious scene during the RCx when he took time to "centre himself" and promptly fell off.
Lk: 2
Episode 3:
ST: 2 (talking about not being able to vote off people because they keep winning Immunity, and getting irritated with tribemates, although not mentioning who)
Im: 1 (strangely relegated to the background after being all over our screens in Ep 1)
Lk: 2

Gregg - Koror
Episode 1:
ST: 2 (a couple of interviews)
Im: 1 (interviews were not particularly interesting)
Lk: NA
Episode 2:
ST: 1 (shown as one of the canoe rowers during the flint retrieval exercise)
Im: 1
Lk: NA
Episode 3:
ST: 2 (being part of the snake killing exercise, then doing well in the IC)
Im: 2 (strong guy, seems to be enjoying the experience, and fairly undramatic so far)
Lk: 3 (seems an okay, "chill out" type of guy, enough to get some likeability points)

Ian - Koror
Episode 1:
ST: 3 (winning the first immunity necklace, interviewed about the new tribes)
Im: 3 (the geek identity helps him to really stand out amongst the usual gym-hardened pretty boys)
Lk: 3 (liking his whole capable geek vibe)
Episode 2:
ST: 4 (diving to retrieve the flint, talking about his happiness at the success of that endeavour)
Im: 4
Lk: 4 (really liking him now)
Episode 3:
ST: 4 (the snake hunting and shark catching, a good show at RC)
Im: 3 (mainly for saying "Sorry, Buddy" as he killed the snake and seeming to really enjoy the adventure of shark hunting)
Lk: 4 (appears to be genuinely good natured)

Janu - Koror
Episode 1:
ST: 3 (climbing the tree to tie the rope)
Im: 3
Lk: 3 (like the attitude she's shown so far)
Episode 2:
ST: 2 (screaming at the rats, working hard during the RC despite exhaustion, contributing to the flint retrieval exercise)
Im: 2
Lk: 3
Episode 3:
ST: 2 (her encounter with Angie during the RC)
Im: 1
Lk: 3 (still liking her)

Jenn - Koror
Episode 1:
ST: 0
Im: 0
Lk: NA
Episode 2:
ST: 1 (helping during the flint retrieval)
Im: 0 (they still have not shown her talking AT ALL)
Lk: NA
Episode 3:
ST: 1 (confronting Stephenie during RC, chopping up snake for bait)
Im: 1 (still not enough screen time, but she looks a lot like Cameron Diaz, so I rememeber something about her!)
Lk: NA (producers need to give the viewers more to work with)

Katie - Koror
Episode 1:
ST: 0
Im: 0
Lk: NA
Episode 2:
ST: 2 (interviewed saying that Caryn should just stop complaining about the new camp, shown struggling at RC)
Im: 1
Lk: 2 (made a lot of sense during her one interview)
Episode 3:
ST: 3 (confrontation with Caryn, a couple of interviews)
Im: 2 (hilarious mimicking of Ian's reactions during the snake killing)
Lk: 2.5 (appears to have a sense of humour)


Tom - Koror
Episode 1:
ST: 2 (very smartly not wanting to build the fire without flint, taking a leadership role at Koror)
Im: 3 (the very strong, capable fireman)
Lk: 3 (I tend to like the older, wiser types)
Episode 2:
ST: 4 (prominent at IC, no dramas during Caryn's complaint session about the decision to move to the new beach)
Im: 4 (dominated the IC spectacularly)
Lk: 3.5 (very impressed by the physical capability and the apparent lack of power-tripping)
Episode 3:
ST: 4 (snake and shark hunting, then strategising and carrying all those bags during IC)
Im: 5 (a great IC performance, even Bobby John mentioned it at TC)
Lk: 4


Willard - Koror
Episode 1:
ST: 2 (interviewed about Wanda's singing, was last man picked over stronger young man, Jonathan)
Im: 3 (the oldest player is always memorable just for that reason)
Lk: 2 (appears to be likeable enough)
Episode 2:
ST: 1 (shown struggling during the IC, but game)
Im: 2 (being remembered for struggling during challenges is not a good thing!)
Lk: 2
Episode 3:
ST: 0
Im: 0
Lk: 2

Phew, there you have it. I am going to be really glad when we get to a more manageable number of players. From the above, it's obvious that many players are not getting much air time at all. When you start with 20 people, that happens. After 3 weeks, it's down to 15. For earlier seasons, 16 is the number that they started with!

Some thoughts on the first three episodes:

Ep 1: A good start, interesting (if cruel) twist to the way tribes are picked. Letting them all be together on the same beach for some time is also an interesting development. When it comes time to merge, this prior interaction may have some effect if tentative alliances were formed. I thought the Immunity Challenge was very well done - the trade-off between taking items or having speed was a very nice touch.

Ep 2: Back to Survivor in its usual format: Camp politics, RC, Celebrating RC, More Camp Developments, IC, Post IC machinations, TC. It's a good formula if you have a good cast and the cast this time is miles above the Vanuatu group. With the flint retrieval exercise, they even had the chance to do a rather heart-warming segment on losing RC but winning the day. I also thought both the Reward and Immunity challenges were excellently designed, requiring not only physical strength and agility, but also team work and some brains.

Ep 3: Another really good episode. The two challenges were again really well designed. After a couple of seasons of recycled challenges, the production team has rediscovered their originality. I really liked the Immunity Challenge with the teams walking around trying to catch up to each other. It doesn't seem to be good TV in that there is no action at all, just people walking around in circles carrying heavy bags. The editors, however, did a really good job cutting the scenes, so that you could tell how gruelling it was on the players, making you admire the remaining players on both teams even more.

It's early days yet, but Survivor appears to have shaken off the ailments of boredom and staleness that plagued both All-Stars and Vanuatu. I am glad for that, as quality reality TV does deserve to be respected. Since American Idol is turning out to be rather uninspiring so far, it's important that at least one of the big gun shows justifies the validity of the genre.