Survivor: Philippines Episode 3 Thoughts and Power Rankings

An exciting episode this week, as we are officially down to one person who we really haven't heard from.

No Chance: Lisa, Jeff

I'm not moving Jeff from here even though he seems to have made a separate alliance with Penner.  It's actually a smart move and has the added benefit that Jeff knows where the idol is. I have to admit, I'm shocked at how well Jeff is playing; I thought he would just cling to athletic ability as his calling card. Instead, he's taken control of his tribe and is really in position to make a long run.  The down side to Jeff's game is that somebody is liable to out him as having made a lot of money playing baseball, and I see that as ending up costing him the win.

And hey, Lisa's in the game!  Granted it's as the bottom member of an alliance as the expendable one, but still, it's something.

Not Much of a Chance: Abi-Maria, Katie

I was really tempted to Abi-Maria up after she found the hidden immunity idol, but then she (a) shared it with Pete and pretty well told him where it was and (b) celebrated as though she was 10 years old.  It was at that point when I realized that she was Joffrey from Game of Thrones. Both are unstable and prone to irrationally lashing out at those who they don't like. Both desperately want acknowledgement for what they have done, and have taken actions to prove themselves as being smarter than others think they are. And both come off as snot nosed kids who aren't deserving of what they have. That's not something that is going to garner you much respect and support at the end of the game.

I've bumped Katie down here because other than a shot at the beginning of this episode, she has been incredibly invisible. As in "She's doing nothing in this game but following" invisible. She's going to end up being Rick from South Pacific if she's lucky.

The returning players: Russell, Penner, Skupin

Skupin gets moved back down because there's a plot afoot to blindside him. I understand why his tribe would want to get rid of him; Skupin is a likeable person who will be difficult to beat in a final tribal council. But getting rid of him only makes sense if you think you are close to a merge situation. If you think you are far away from a merge, then you want to keep your tribe strong, which would mean keeping Skupin (self-injuring and all) over Lisa.

Penner made a strong move in making an alliance with Jeff. He knew he was on the outs, and he appealed to the leader of the other side to maybe call a cease fire. Add in that he had an immunity idol to leverage, and Penner played the situation well.

Russell better hope that his tribe starts winning immunity - otherwise he's going to be the next one to go.


Okay Chance to Win: Dana, RC, Artis, Carter

Carter and Artis, welcome to the show!  While it looks like Carter is going to ease his way into the game, Artis had a few things to say.  He didn't like Skupin for some reason, and he wants to turn on him.  Lucky for him, Pete is willing to accommodate that request.

If this anger is an indication as to how Artis is going to be going forward, then I'm happy to have another strong character who is going to mix things up. And Artis might have a chance to go far in the game.

Good Chance to Win: Malcolm, Denise 

Malcolm gets bumped down wiithout really making any mistakes. Malcolm said all of the right things at tribal, not alienating anybody while also making his points and showing his anger and disappointment. He has his alliance with Denise which might be able to carry him further.  But if hsi tribe loses again, it's going to be more difficult for him to get anywhere and not get Pagonged.

Very Good Chance to Win: Dawson

I'm leaving Dawson here more as a hunch than anything else. She got virtually no air time this episode, so it is difficult to say where she stands. I will have to revisit this next week.

The Favourite: Pete

Pete had a very good week.  Abi-Maria traded RC for him, and she seemed willing to let him lead so long as he kept up the illusion that she was an equal partner. Pete also set up for a blindside of Skupin, with everybody lining up to support. This would also isolate RC, while earning Pete the trust of Artis and Lisa, giving him an even stronger alliance.  Plus there's the idol which he knows the whereabouts of.

Not a bad week.

Eliminated: Angie

"For the record, I never said I couldn't do this"
"I would have went again. I really would have."
"One thing about me is I never give up."
- Angie, after the immunity challenge where she struggled in the early going

"I can't do it"
- Angie, after her first attempt to get a puzzle piece at the immunity challenge

I have to admit, I was screaming at my television set when Angie kept on saying that she would have went back out, or that she didn't quit. I even went back in the show to make sure that I saw/heard right and that Angie did in fact say that she was quitting from the piece gathering part of the immunity challenge. So I was very confused that this never came up at Tribal Council, or at the beach after the challenge. Why didn't Russell bring it up when he was burying her at Tribal Council? Did he think it was overkill? Was it addressed at some other point and the producers decided not to show it?  It's driving me crazy as to why they would show something that contradicted a player, but have there be no follow up to it.

One thing that was clear throughout all of Angie's denials and was hammered home at Tribal Council, was that Angie was repeating that she didn't quit to reinforce it to herself, and not for the benefit of everybody else. But what can you expect? She is very young, and likely hasn't faced much adversity in her life. If anything, this happening on Survivor is a good thing; saying the biggest challenge that happened to you was failing at Survivor is something that most people would only wish to be able to say. I fully expect this to be a learning experience for Angie, and that she will come out of it a stronger person. And that is a win for her.