“I think they’re saying, ‘get the hell out of here.'” – Jimmy Johnson
Jimmy Johnson is going bananas while meanwhile at La Flor, Na ‘Onka is smashing bananas… It wasn’t a good week for fruits on Survivor… But here we go on recapping what happened:
A tribe divided.
It didn’t take long after Shannon was voted off last week for Na ‘Onka to get all up in arms. The La Flor tribe walks back to camp trying to be all motivational, telling each other that they need to unite as one tribe. But Na ‘Onka ain’t havin’ it. And with that, the episode was off and running.
Monkey see, monkey howl.
Over at Espada, the older tribe tries to track down some fruit by following an age-old, legendary mantra given to us by Marty: “Where there’s monkeys there’s gotta be fruit.” Jimmy Johnson, the great communicator shows that he speaks monkey, even translating their Tim Allen-speak for the rest of the tribe: “I think they’re saying, ‘get the hell out of here.'” The sequence is humorous but mostly gives us a good example as to why Jimmy J is rubbing everyone (namely Marty) the wrong way. Jimmy is in nearly too much control in every given situation, and the other male leaders like Marty and Jimmy T just can’t play second fiddle. Marty, however, has a much more strategic reason at play other than just feeling threatened… more on Marty’s strategy later.
Hair to the throne.
Speaking of Marty, his alliance-mate Jill tells him that she believes he should show his new-found Hidden Immunity Idol to the rest of the tribe, to show unity and to gain favor. While watching this exchange I’m yelling “No! That’s ridiculous!” and I wasn’t just talking about Marty’s new hair-do that continuously seems to be growing upward into the sky. But when Marty does show the Idol to the tribe, wow, it seemed to be quite the impressive move. Although Tyrone still displayed a bit of wariness toward Marty, most tribemates were overly impressed with his selflessness in revealing his Idol. The editing suggested this was Jill’s idea, and if she is tucked under Marty’s wing and pulling some strings, she is growing considerably as one of my favorites to go far.
Forget-about-it.
Dan, meanwhile, in a small segment showcasing his bad knees, had one of the best lines of the night when he said, “I’m as strong as anyone out here… well, I’m at least as strong as any of the women.” Classic line coming from a guy who looks like one of Tony Soprano’s bodyguards. I’m sure he got some laughs back home for that one.
Immunity Challenge.
No, I didn’t forget about you La Flor, it’s just that we really didn’t see much from your tribe until the Immunity Challenge. Thankfully (and perhaps humbly?) La Flor did not choreograph their entrance this week. I was expecting some back flips or some beatboxing or something. But after Jeff described the challenge, the La Flor tribe chose not to use the Medallion of Power (I take back the humbly part), and instead decided to take Espada head-on.
The challenge involved the tribes running out and recovering ten barrels, in which they had to retrieve them and roll them into place. Once there, they had to throw beanbags (or sandbags, whatever) onto the tops of each of the ten barrels. The winner wins Immunity and as a reward, a series of spices and supplies that will definitely help out with their food. The early part of the challenge was neck and neck, and then slowly turned in favor of Espada when Tyrone was chosen as the “beanbag thrower.” Benry for La Flor started slowly but got better. When Tyrone hit a cold spell, Jimmy T begged coach Jimmy J to put him in to the game. How Jimmy J gets everyone at camp to believe this is a sports team is a credit to his leadership, I guess, or a sign of how insane some of the Espada tribe is. In the end, Jimmy T did come in and did okay, but it was too late. Benry wins Immunity for La Flor and Espada is sent back empty-handed.
Smashing Bananas.
Here’s maybe the worst part of the episode, and a moment that Probst himself calls one of the “meanest” things he’s seen on Survivor. When recovering their spices after challenge, Kelly B spots a clue for the Hidden Immunity Idol buried in a fruit basket. Na ‘Onka sees it too, however. When they get back to camp, Na ‘Onka gets physical and literally pushes Kelly B to knock her off-balance, and then wrestles with her to get the clue. In the process, she crushed much of the fruit and bananas the tribe had just won.
This is wrong on many levels, and although Na ‘Onka basically says “all’s fair, because it’s a game” I think it was a horrible move for multiple reasons. Save the fact that she knocked over a person with an artificial limb and ruined the tribe’s reward, she did it all for a clue that she didn’t plan on sharing with anybody. Then she goes on to apologize about the bananas, but makes no mention of being apologetic to Kelly B. In fact, her one-on-one’s seem to show a lot of resentment towards Kelly B. Maybe it’s the editing, but those words are coming out of her mouth. Good TV? I guess, but this kind of behavior is never rewarded on Survivor, and just makes me want to see her voted off, and soon. People are cut-throat on Survivor, but they are vile like Na ‘Onka, it transcends the game and usually leads to an early exit. And I don’t agree totally with Probst’s assessment as “meanest” thing either, especially if anyone remembers Sue Hawk…
Tribal Council.
Back at Espada as they await Tribal Council, and there’s a conversation at camp but I’m still checking out Marty’s hair… was he able to bring out a bottle of mousse as a luxury item? Either way, if there was any doubt before, there is no doubt now: Marty is in it to win it, and is one of the few Espada members playing the game. He is seen persuading the vote to knock out Jimmy J. After Jimmy J admits that he is one of the weakest players at Tribal, the Tribe voted unanimously (8-1) to send him packing.
Analysis #1: Celebrity Survivor.
So the experiment ended much too soon in having a known celebrity play the game. I’m still torn on Jimmy Johnson; he’s clearly a great leader and a good person, gone from the game much too soon. But it’s also refreshing to think of Survivor next week as out from under the Jimmy J cloud. Can any celebrity stand a chance in a game with a million dollar prize? We shall maybe one day see. But for what it was worth this season, Jimmy J did provide some memorable moments, and it was interesting to see how he interacted with the others.
Analysis #2: Marty, Jill, and Espada “losing their daddy.”
Without Marty on Espada, I would chalk up this “old vs young” thing as a complete snooze fest. The young tribe has been interesting, but nobody at all, save Marty and Jill, seem to be playing Survivor over at Espada. Marty showed that his removal of Jimmy J wasn’t all about machismo — he wants him gone strategically because he sees a lot of the members as weak and needing guidance, and he wants them to flock towards him. A bold move, because as he also states, this will force people to start playing the game. Who I am loving more and more is Jill, who is taking on the successful “Natalie White Strategy,” where she aligns herself with the stronger male counterpart, who will take the brunt of the heat. We see her game-smarts and she has already shown some sway over Marty… she’s an interesting one to watch!
Analysis #3: Kelly Purple can speak!
I saw it and heard it myself! Even Brett from Samoa was given more screen time then “Kelly Purple” of La Flor, but this episode she gave a one or two line comment while sitting at the beach. The rest of America and I want to see more of Kelly Purple, CBS! Even if it’s just random shots of her around camp!
Next Week: The preview seems to show a coming storm, what is called the Na ‘Onka Hurricane. It looks like next week will be more of the same from her.
“I think they’re saying, ‘get the hell out of here.'” – Jimmy Johnson
This review originally appeared on TV Geek Army.