Survivor: China, Episode 3 As I See It - Prima Donna

This season we have two of the biggest prima donnas I’ve seen on the show. First of all we have Dave. Ah, Dave, who agreed to be the leader of the pack along with Peih-Gee. Oh my! Last week he insisted on building a ridiculous fire pit before anyone was allowed to eat. That’s always good for morale.

When questioned about his insistence on making mud bricks, he became petulant, snarky, and downright rude to Peih-Gee, his supposed co-leader. Dave resisted Peih-Gee’s idea of location for the fire pit and it was going to go where he wanted it and that was that!! This week he argued over a darned brick for the fire and gave his tribe the “if you want something done correctly, do it yourself” attitude. Another boost for the tribe’s morale.

Peih-Gee was not the only person who disagreed with his decision, Jaime wanted to just cook some rice over a small fire, Ashley and Sherea complained about not eating and still he ignored his tribe mates and reacted with the “You’ll do as I say” attitude that classified him as a prima donna. Ashley actually made sense in that before work can be accomplished, one must have nourishment. That’s a basic fact of life – food equals energy equals work.

After the reward challenge and the flooding of the Zhan Hu camp last week, Dave had a chance to gloat over his decision about the whereabouts of the fire pit. He then increased his prima donna stature by patronizing Ashley during an argument and showing the tribe what a good leader isn’t.

If, perhaps, Dave were excelling at any challenges his snarkiness, rudeness, and attitude would be forgiven. Instead, despite all his bravado, he is barely making it through the challenges and last week had to relinquish his place to Frosti. I think Dave might have endeared himself to me had he not done all the eye rolling at Tribal Council when Ashley was speaking. Sometimes a prima donna has other redeeming qualities. Unfortunately, Dave isn’t one of them.

This week Dave again displayed his prima donna attitude and his complete lack of respect for his fellow tribe members. I don’t know about you, but some man stripping down to compete in a physical challenge with all his dingleberries hanging out is just downright nasty. Maybe Dave thought he was showing off, but the expressions on his female tribe members’ faces sure didn’t look like anyone was impressed.

I think Dave thinks he is channeling Richard Hatch, but whereas I liked Richard Hatch, Dave’s personality is just plain turning me off. Omigosh! I forgot that Dave is a former model. Well, that explains the prima donna attitude, doesn’t it? But, how do you explain the lack of underwear?

The other prima donna honor this season has to go to Jean-Robert. Now, I’m sure he receives adulation and privileged treatment when he is sitting in his seat at the poker table. This, however, is Survivor, in case he’s forgotten. He has made a statement that he “contributes a lot with his mind.” Now what the heck does that mean? Does he mean his strategy of being able to read people? Well, he sure blew that one with Todd, didn’t he? Why in the world would Todd have lied about being a flight attendant? I think it’s a very taxing, demanding profession. Just ask my daughter who was one for six years. It’s hard work pleasing people all day long at a couple thousand feet off the ground.

Jean-Robert may be one of the “bad boys of poker,” but he is proving himself to be the “lazy boy of Survivor.” While others are working, Jean-Robert is sleeping. Saving up all that energy for the challenges, eh? Even when Aaron tried to get the tribe together to plan how to survive, and what type of routine to follow, Jean-Robert suggested that they should all rest. He feels that once he has rested enough and has water – and who is going to provide that if they all rest – he’ll contribute more. More what?

I don’t think Jean-Robert is just giving a perception of being lazy, I think he is lazy. And that makes me wonder just what the heck he is doing there. Does he think his mind powers are going to prevail over the challenges and rocket him into first place? This kind of thinking, combined with his lack of participation in anything even resembling work, has surely marked him as a target by his fellow tribe members. And I do think he is egotistical enough to think that his poker playing skills are going to walk him through Survivor. Oh yeah.

This week, Jean-Robert earned the “dirty old man of Survivor” title by cuddling up to women that don’t want to be cuddled with. He sought out Courtney and Amanda to “keep him warm.” Oh, come on. Amanda looks like a poster child for Biafra and I seriously doubt she could even keep herself warm. Honestly, was I the only one who really hoped she’d go home this week? It hurts to watch her wasting away, although she was pretty wasted away to start with. Surely a diet of rice and water, with maybe some crab stock, is going to melt whatever flesh she has right off her bones. There ought to be a minimum weight requirement to be a participant in this show.

The ignorance award this week just has to go to Leslie. I am still amazed that this woman has applied to Survivor as many times as she has and still has not grasped some of the basic concepts of the game. We all know what happened at the temple, so we’ll get past that and move on to her next big boo-boo in this game. Why, for heaven’s sake, did she feel she had to share her information about the clue to the hidden idol with Todd? They weren’t thinking about sharing the idol, should they find it, as Yao Man thought he and Dreamz were going to, were they? We all know how the Yao Man/Dreamz idol issue ended up, so why even give anyone a clue? Now Todd knows the clue and Leslie is gone, so what did she actually accomplish?

I laughed last week at Leslie’s statement that she had to have some “alone” time with God. I don’t know about you, but I was taught that God was omnipresent and I can talk to Him anytime I want. But that’s just me.

Leslie also established herself as the blabbermouth of the game, which probably contributed to her leaving. No one could trust her after they realized how cozy she had gotten with the other tribe. What I didn’t get is her declaration that she was there to love people and “show them the love of Christ.” I thought people were on Survivor to win a million dollars.

Leslie, after being accepted for Survivor, really should have put aside the Bible for a week and read RNO Editor David Bloomberg’s “What Survivors Should Have Learned.” It not enough to want to be on the show, you have to know what you are doing too. Too bad for Leslie that lesson came very early.

Another ignorance award goes to each and every one of the participants this year. I know I am not the only one who is already tired of watching people compete in challenges in their freaking underwear with everything they have hanging out. I guess we should thank the producers for at least giving Dave underwear –even though he took it off – but come on folks, a pair of shorts and a T-shirt go under your clothes when you should know you’re leaving all your other clothes behind. But, that would take some thought, and this is an ignorance award after all.

I cannot conclude this week without some positive input about James. The man is a rock. That’s all there is to it. And now we are finding out how funny he is too. I loved the “those that pray the most sin the most” comment, and his nicknaming Leslie “Sister Christian.” Obviously he’s had experience with a Leslie-type individual before, probably in his mortuary business.

James is just a treat to watch and I certainly hope that Todd’s plan to get rid of him and Jean-Robert goes awry. I take that back, Jean-Robert can go anytime, just keep James around! Please!

Eileen is an intake operator for a legal referral service in Cincinnati, Ohio by day and spends her free time with the little ones that call her the “Queen of the Grandmas” and their parents and practicing Yoga which she thought was going to be the “lazy woman’s exercise”. She got fooled. She welcomes comments and constructive criticism at ohiograndma2003@hotmail.com.

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