Survivor – Recap & Review – Episode 8

photo: cbs

Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains
Episode 8: Expectations

Original Air Date: Apr 8, 2010

Ryan O – TwoCents Reviewer
ryan@thetwocentscorp.com

Here’s the low-down for this episode: Russell gets played. It’s not as hyped as some other things that have gone and the show might not mention it again because it runs counter to the “Russell is amazingly awesome” story line, but he got played. That’s all you need to know. (It will be interesting to see how next week’s previouslies treat it.)

Pre-Credits: The previouslies try to cast Rob vs. Russell as the greatest showdown in the history of history. They ponder what will happen to the Villains without Rob.

We rejoin the Villains on Night 18. Russell gloats in a solo-view about how Rob is the super All-Star and how, now, he’s nothing compared to Russell. Danielle tells Parvati that she loves blindsiding people. Danielle, you are dumb. That was not a blindside. Blindsides are votes where the person voted out has no idea it was coming. Rob knew exactly what was coming.

Coach solo-views that he didn’t want Rob out and now the whole tribe is screwed up. Huh. I wonder who had the power to keep Rob. Hmmm. Maybe someone who voted for Courtney instead of Russell? Who did that last week? Coach? No, couldn’t be. He promised Rob that he would vote with him and Coach is all about honor and loyalty. He calls Russell a bully. So that’s one thing he gets right anyway. Jerri talks to Coach about how she didn’t want to vote out Rob this early. “I miss him already.” They decide to wait until the merge to see what happens.

Pre-Reward Challenge: Heroes beach, Day 19. JT solo-views that he’d like to find the hidden immunity idol on his own before the tribe finds it as a group, since it is an individual game and all. Meanwhile, Amanda wonders where everyone keeps disappearing to. JT is in the creek, digging. Amanda is coming down the trail! JT finds it, but here’s Amanda and JT has exactly no seconds to hide it. Candice comes up to them immediately after that and he shows her, too. So, he presents it to the tribe.

Candice solo-views that she doesn’t really trust JT since he seems to be best friends with everyone. She also mentions he’s been the deciding vote for most of the tribe’s votes. She and Amanda talk about how he’s the golden boy and how he’s always right. They mention that he seems to have an in with each of the Heroes. Candice solo-views that the two of them should work together to flush out the idol.

The Villains get tree mail and based on the crappy as ever poem, Russell says it sounds like an individual thing. Coach says, “Merge.”

Reward Challenge: The Heroes are a little surprised that (1) the Villains brought their tarp and all of their tools and even their chickens and (2) Rob was ousted. On the latter subject, Rupert, because he is dumb, boldly declares that it sure looks like there is a womens alliance.

Jeff enjoys the moment where he tells them that there is no merge.

The challenge is bowling. One-on-one and whichever one wins the frame wins a point for their tribe. They’re playing to 3. Winner gets pizza, garlic bread, and brownies.

Coach decides that Sandra and Courtney are ones sitting out because, “I want to eat.” So they’ll have to participate in the immunity challenge.

Parvati v. Rupert – Rupert gets 3. Partvait bowls two gutter balls. Heroes 1, Villains 0
Danielle vs. JT – JT knocks down 6. Danielle bowls two more gutter balls. Heroes 2, Villains 0. Did I mention they’re playing to 3?
Russell vs. Colby – Russell wins 5 pins to 1. Heroes 2, Villains 1.
Coach vs. Amanda – Coach hits 5. Amanda hits 5. Coach gets 1 with his second roll. Amanda manages to snag 2 on her second roll and the Heroes win.

That’s their third straight challenge win.

Post-Reward Challenge: The Heroes thoroughly enjoy their carbs. As they eat, the idea of a female alliance takes hold (Russell’s season hadn’t aired when they started working on this season, so it’s easy to picture Parvati organizing an alliance). JT solo-views that Coach and Russell are on the outs and they’ll be able to flip them.

Back on the Villains beach, Jerri solo-views that everyone on her tribe is an idiot for assuming there would be a merge and packing up the entire camp. She declares that voting off Rob was a big mistake. She says that Rob wouldn’t have benched Sandra and Courtney for that challenge so the tribe would be stronger for the immunity challenge.

Jerri exclaims to the tribe that it was a huge mistake to sit Sandra and Courtney because now they’re screwed for the immunity challenge. The thing is, Sandra is sitting right there and takes offense. Sandra is pissed. Everyone tries to reassure her they didn’t lose because she and Courtney sat out.

Sandra solo-views that the Villains are an awful tribe and that she shouldn’t even be there. She really shouldn’t. She hates the whole tribe except for Courtney. Later, Sandra plots with Courtney as they talk about their weak position in the tribe. Sandra says that Russell is totally the type that would take someone out if he finds out they’re gunning for him. Sandra tells Courtney she’s going to work with her magic and they’ll be fine.

Coach tells Courtney that he didn’t want to play without Tyson or Rob and now that’s all out the window. Huh, Coach, if only someone you knew had the power to have stopped that from happening. Courtney says that everyone is going along with Russell out of fear.

Russell talks with Sandra about Courtney and Coach talking. He says he’ll tell everyone how to vote and that’s how it will be. Sandra says, sure, but Coach thinks he made a mistake and wishes he hadn’t voted out Rob. Russell says he doesn’t trust Coach.

Sandra solo-views that Russell just ate up the crap she fed him. I heart Sandra.

Coach and Parvati talk about voting out Coach and how that will serve to reinforce the Heroes’ view that there’s a girls’ alliance.

Immunity Challenge: Pairs of tribemates will be belted together. They will have to race through the mud and over and under obstacles, retrieve a flag and they make their way back to the start. First pair back earns a point for their tribe and first tribe to two wins the challenge. And, because of the odd numbers, one match-up is a one-on-one.

Jerri and Danielle sit out for the Villains. As you’ll see, it wouldn’t have made a difference who sat out.

First match-up: Russell and Sandra vs. Amanda and Candice. Amanda and Candice work through the mud and obstacles without slowing each other down. Russell has to wait for Sandra (and, to his credit, he does his best to help her along). Amanda and Candice build a huge lead and just cruise to the win.

For the one-on-one, it’s Coach vs. Rupert, which I wasn’t expecting. But, I guess the heroes are thinking they don’t want Rupert slowing either JT or Colby down and Colby and JT together seems like a guaranteed win. But, Rupert actually keeps it pretty close right up to the end and Coach just barely beats him. That ties it up.

Parvati and Courtney vs. Colby and JT. (Do I need to remind anyone that it could’ve been James and JT? That wouldn’t have gone well.) And, it’s just as not-close as you think it would be. Parvati and Courtney barely get to their flag before Colby and JT finish. Heroes win immunity and their fourth straight challenge.

As they sit in the mud, Courtney tells Parvati that she’s twisted her ankle.

In a hilarious solo-view because she’s 100% mud-free and also because of the palpable irony, Danielle says she’s a competitor and she hates Courtney and wants her gone. Hmmm, I wonder how that challenge would’ve gone if Rob were still around and he had sat Courtney out in the reward challenge. Hmmm. Chomp on that, Danielle.

Post-Immunity Challenge: Coach solo-views that the tribe is beat up from the challenge but not him. He’s just coming into his own. And he actually flexes one arm for the camera. Kudos to the camera person for not laughing out loud and ruining the shot. He decides that voting Courtney out is the way to go.

Russell solo-views that he’s talked with Parvati and he told her they’re going to vote for Coach and he knows Sandra and Courtney will write his name down, too.

Danielle talks with Russell about how they need to keep Coach so they will have a shot to win challenges. Russell says they’re going to lose all of the challenges anyway. Actually, he’s probably right, but he wants Coach out regardless of challenge performance. He tells Danielle that she’s not making any sense and points out they’re losing now WITH Coach. They end up dropping f-bombs at each other. Delightful people.

Danielle solo-views that Courtney and Sandra can’t do anything in challenges. I must’ve missed the part where Danielle dominated Candice or Amanda in challenges or helped solved a puzzle or something where she helped more than Sandra or Courtney. Her frustration with Russell is showing.

Sandra and Courtney are a little worried about Danielle derailing their plan to have Russell decide on Coach.

Russell approaches Parvati and Danielle and says he’s had a change of heart and they should vote out Courtney. Wow, Russell, what happened to everyone just voting for whomever you tell them?

Tribal Council: Probst asks Danielle if she has any regrets for voting out Tyson and Rob. She says the decision was made because they felt they were such big threats.

Probst asks Coach what people looking at the tribe from the outside are thinking. Coach says they’re probably laughing. Oh, yes, we’re laughing at you Coach. Oh, and the rest of the tribe, too.

Courtney points out that it was Coach who decided the reward challenge was more important than the immunity challenge because he wanted to eat, so he decided who sat on the bench. There’s some back and forth between the two and then Coach says they all want to hear Courtney say, “I want to do that because I can beat that challenge!” Courtney comes back with a lovely child-like, “Thanks, Dad.” I heart Courtney, too.

Coach claims he isn’t the person demoralizing the tribe and that it has nothing to do with him.

Probst asks Russell how the vote will change the tribe. Russell answers that if you can keep the tribe strong and keep the trust in place, that’s what you should do.

Votes: Coach. Coach. Courtney. Courtney. Courtney. Coach. Coach. (I’ve noticed it the past few episodes but it seemed to happen more this vote than before, even Russell did it this week – peopleis putting a symbol on their ballots so other people will know it was their vote when Jeff holds up the ballot.)

Coach is out and is the first member of the jury – and one likely vote that Russell won’t get if he makes it that far.

Dear Russell, you got played. Hard.

Who Should’ve Been Voted Out: To be fair to Russell, voting out Coach does continue the impression of an all-girl alliance, (but we all know that’s not why Russell got rid of Coach) but that only matters as long as you merge before the next immunity challenge. If not, that’s shattered with the next vote when (looking at it from Russell’s point of view) Russell votes out a woman.

In any event, well done, Sandra, well done.

Bubbling Under: Over on the Heroes side, Amanda and Candice vs. JT is simmering. Sandra vs. Russell is simmering, too, but he doesn’t know it and that makes her even more dangerous. She could persuade Jerri to vote with her and Courtney against Russell is there isn’t a merge after he dumped Coach. Also simmering a little is Danielle vs. Russell. That might be a little further down the road but she’s starting to get tired of his whole deal.

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