Survivor: Samoa – Running the Tribe or Running It into the Ground?

If you’re reading this, I assume you’ve already seen the debut of Survivor: Samoa. I also assume you were aware of the pre-game hype surrounding Russell H., described by Jeff Probst as the closest thing the show has had to pure evil. No doubt many of my RNO colleagues will have a few things to say about him as the season wears on. And no doubt much of it will center around the moral reprehensibilitaciousness, to coin a word, of his actions.

But rather than the moral aspects of his behavior, I want to discuss some of the possible strategic ramifications. No, this isn’t a re-hash of Jeffrey Sadow’s first offering of the season. Instead, I want to examine the way Russell H. behaved when no one was looking.

Let’s start off by addressing “Canteengate.” Russell thought it would be a good idea to drink his own water, then empty out the other’s canteens in an effort to weed out the weak. But, as I noted in my roundtable comments, if the tribe is weak they’re more likely to lose challenges, and the more they lose challenges, the more likely they will be on the wrong end of the numbers come merge time. And this is all assuming RussHell even makes it to the merge.

Here’s another point to consider – the others on his tribe may just put two and two together and realize Russell’s canteen wasn’t emptied, his socks weren’t missing, etc. Especially if they notice Russell doesn’t seem too distressed about all the misery heaped on the rest of the tribe. If RussHell were as smart as he thinks he is, he would’ve complained about his own canteen being emptied in order to throw the others off his trail. Instead, he grinned his evil grin, leaving the recapper – and me – to wonder if the others just couldn’t see this in the darkness.

I also wonder if Russell’s planning to continue the canteen and sock capers throughout the game. Or will he try new methods of sabotaging his tribe? The more shenanigans he pulls, the more risk he runs of being caught in the act, or having the others figure out what’s up. And the greater risk he runs of not even making the merge.

Here’s another question to ponder – what exactly are all the others doing when RussHell is sneaking off to the canteens, fire, etc. etc. Are they all asleep while he’s doing this? And hasn’t just one person noticed him sneaking off by himself, even if they haven’t called him on it? Of course, he got away with it once, he probably thinks he can again. And therein may lay his downfall.

Regarding his story of losing his German Shepherd – this may not have ramifications in the game, but I can’t help but wonder if it might have serious repercussions once he gets back to the states. For one thing, if I were a Katrina evacuee, I would be absolutely incensed that he used this tragedy to further his own agenda, even if it is just a game. Plus, many who got displaced by that storm ended up relocating in and around Houston, where RussHell lives, and he may face quite the backlash once he gets home.

Now, what can we make of Marisa, the first person ousted? As much as I liked her, and wished she could’ve lasted longer, she has no one to blame but herself for her predicament. What did her in, in my opinion, was her inability to keep her thoughts to herself. We saw her getting into it not just with RussHell, but with Ben as well. Now don’t get me wrong, neither male here is blameless, and I thought Ben’s bossy behavior right off the bat was fairly stupid and may come back to haunt him. But, as Marisa noted in her post-game interview, standing up to him wasn’t smart as far as the game goes. Ironically, given the bios, you’d think Betsy would be the most likely to call Ben out, but she knew better.

Marisa said she wasn’t going to compromise herself, but Survivor is all about compromising yourself. Think back to the first season. B.B. thought being the C.E.O back at home entitled him to be the same in the game, and quickly made enemies due to his inability to compromise his bossy nature. Did this lead to his downfall? It certainly didn’t help. Yes, he asked his tribe to vote him out, but given his demeanor, it may well have happened anyway, just not by as big a margin.

To her credit, Marisa showed certain maturity in the interview, refusing to whine about the unfairness of having someone like RussHell in her tribe. Instead, she stated it was fair, because you sign up for whatever is thrown in your direction.

Something else she said in the interview merits examination. Marisa asserts that she tried to talk to the others about RussHell’s shadiness, but they wouldn’t hear of it because he had a “secret” alliance with all of them. In this regard, he’s playing a little like Brian in Thailand, making separate deals with everyone, and assuming they won’t put two and two together.

But Brian tried it well into the game, and was lucky enough to not have everyone compare notes, as well as having someone not so likable to go against at the end. By contrast, RussHell is already making multiple secret deals on day one, and banking on the others to remain completely clueless. We’ve already seen that isn’t the case with Betsy, and the others may figure it out soon enough. But, in my opinion, if they don’t heed Marisa’s warnings, and RussHell goes on to win, or at least outlast all of them, they’re getting exactly what they deserve.

Before wrapping things up, let’s address Shambo, the Marine Sergeant. She gets my vote for, “Most Likely to Have Never Watched the Show Before.” Does she really think it would be smart for tribal leader Russell (not to be confused with RussHell), to “open a can of whoop ass and lay down the law?” He already knows there’s a target on his back, not of his making, and for him to do as she wishes would mean suicide as far as the game is concerned. After all, haven’t we seen tribal leaders voted out early before for exactly that reason?

If, as Shambo stated, that’s what she would have done, it’s a good thing for her she’s not the tribal leader, as she has apparently forgotten this ain’t the Marines. Sarge, the drill instructor from a previous season, lasted well into the game partly because he didn’t spend the entire time living up to his nickname.

But it seems like Shambo embodies the saying, “once a marine, always a marine.” She’s already at a disadvantage as the oldest female in her tribe, and she didn’t help her cause by refusing to go swimming with the others. It may not have been what she wanted to do, but she’s the one who has to adapt, not them. But something tells me she is what she is, and can’t change, meaning that she is a likely candidate for her tribe’s first bootee.

Well, the season is underway, and already some interesting characters have developed. See you Thursday!

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Ken is thankful RussHell lives five hours away from him, and wishes it could be more. He can be reached at YourNextOfKen@aol.com.

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