Survivor: Redemption Island - Episode 1 Thoughts

It's back!

I'm going to try to leave Rob and Russell for a seperate post, and instead touch on a few of the new players we've been introduced to.

Ralph - He says he's a combination JT and Big Tom, and I get the comparison. But he's more Big Tom than JT. That isn't a bad thing; it means people will like you which is always a plus when getting into an alliance. It just might hurt in the end, when people realize that it might get you $1 million.

Stephanie - The only one to realize that aligning with Russell is a smart thing. Russell has to change his game somewhat to win, but his loyalty doesn't have to be changed. That has worked for him both times, and is one of his (few) redeeming qualities in the game. She could go far, unless she becomes a proxy vote against Russell.

FranchesquiaFrancesca - Ultimately, her fault was letting herself get caught up in Kristina's scramble to save herself. She should have questioned why Rob wanted to vote Kristina out, and she should have realized that the vote could be split and she would be gone, then acted accordingly. Sometimes you have to cut bait very early on (as Holly showed us last year.) She didn't and she paid for it.

Phillip - My favourite character right now, and possibly more comedy gold than Coach. First with his "I was a federal agent" comment (which seems ridiculous), then with his paranoia of needing to know why he should be voting Boston Rob out, and finally with his destruction of Kristina and Francesca at tribal council by outing them as conspiring to vote out Boston Rob along with Kristina's ownership of the immunity idol, it was awesome. There was a hint of smartness to him, which was surprising. Demanding to know why he should go against the tribe and vote Boston Rob out, even though they didn't have the votes to do it, actually makes sense. Why put yourself in his crosshairs when he has the majority of the tribe behind him? I don't think this will last, but the intelligent thought did catch me off guard.

Kristina - Way too aggressive in her game play. Yes, there is an opportunity to find an immunity idol. But do you remember Heroes vs. Villains? Rob had Russell pegged there as wanting to find the idol, so he was a threat. Why expose yourself to that (especially when there's no chance that they're just going to put the idol in your stuff)? As a rule, scrambling on day 3 is always a bad thing. As another rule, you really can't make bold moves on day 3 without putting a target on your back on day 4. And what was with the plan to vote out Natalie instead of Rob? How does that solve your "Rob sees me as a sneaky player" problem? This was not a very good opening episode for her. The only saving grace she has is that she figured out she didn't have to use the immunity idol, so she is somewhat protected for the next tribal council. Her goal has to be to make it to some sort of tribe switch (if one exists.) Her position in the current tribe is beyond bottom; her only chance is a fresh start.