Survivor: Samoa, Ranking the Survivors, Episode 6 – Is Your Head in the Game?

In this episode we learned that you can see a man almost die on TV, but even partial cleavage and butt crack shots must be blurred out. I can’t help but feel that is a sad comment on our skewed priorities!

To me, the most important thing that happened this week was the realization by the guys that Shambo’s vote was just lying there, waiting to be manipulated. It seems the Galu guys have picked up the necessary swing vote to carry them to the merge.

All that said, here is the latest version of my rankings.

1. Russell Hantz (1) – Russell retains his ranking because he’s still the only one playing the game on his tribe. In fact, the others seem to be getting weaker in every sense, thus less inclined to take a forward position in the game.

We know Russell has little regard for his teammates, telling us they are babies from New York. As long as he keeps these thoughts to his interviews, that’s fine. To his tribemates, he’s still their trusted papa/provider and not someone demon-spawned.

Russell made a nice speech at Tribal Council about Russell Swan’s unfortunate exit from the game. I believe the sentiment was honest, but every time he does something nice like this publicly, it makes him less suspicious the next time something “bizarre” happens around camp.

Russell can’t win if the Foa Foa tribe is decimated before the merge, so if they are to have any chance in this game, they need to believe in themselves. So Russell did well at Tribal Council when he smoke-screened the level of discomfort and dysfunction at Foa Foa and promised they were about to rebound as a tribe.

2. Erik (3) – Erik performed really well at the challenge – since Russell had faded out, he had to complete the last part of the cage roll unaided. His value to the team in physical challenges remains unquestioned.

When Erik and John talked voting strategy with Shambo, Erik chose his words well when implying Shambo was the leader of this new alliance.

Some of Erik’s other words were less inspiring, however. His goading of Foa Foa at Tribal Council showed team spirit, but he may also have provided a beaten Foa Foa team with a rallying point. Usually Tribal Council is a place to just sit there, blend in, and let Jeff provoke someone else.

3. John (10) – John races up the chart this week, and not just for his efforts in trying to talk Russell out of participating in the challenge. He’s obviously a prime player in the group of Galu men who have now added Shambo to their ranks.

John was the one who voiced the plan of voting out Laura’s ally Monica to the other guys. An Insider clip shows him running it past Erik first, and Erik chuckling that he’d already figured it out, but was willing to let John take the lead on a potentially divisive strike. Still, John is safe for a while.

4. Mick (2) – Mick’s main claim to fame this week seemed to be his ability to find the dry side of a tree to sit under. He’s clearly run down.

Insider reveals how Mick was prepared to push the ball in the challenge so Jaison could get a rest. However, he knew he was too run down to do it. At least one leader knows when it’s time to step back! If Foa Foa has any intentions of getting back into this game, they need Mick to be functional.

5. Brett (Tied, 6) – In an Insider clip called “The Listener,” Brett tells us that when the men decided that Monica was their voting target, he let the other three do all the talking. His idea is apparently that if it blows up, it won’t stick to him. What he has overlooked is that, if it works, he can’t claim any of the credit!

Still, the voting group he is a member of is a far more promising alliance than the weak yoga group, though the longer he can keep friends there, the better. I’m no fan of his “under the radar” approach, though.

6. Natalie (8) – Natalie is still optimistic that if they can get to the merge without losing another teammate, someone on former-Galu might flip and level the playing field for them. Tough times are inevitable in this game, and one needs to find reasons for optimism.

It was confirmed in this episode that, on this tribe, the men control the votes and the women are lined up to go home. Apparently, Russell is calling the shots and he sees Natalie as a less threatening ally that Liz. Thus, Natalie seems safe for at least one more vote. After that, I think the point becomes moot, because two more eliminations would reduce the head count on Foa Foa beyond the point of salvation.

7. Dave (12) – Dave may know how to make fire, but his social skills can also set off flames! He ranks this high because he’s an important vote in the guy alliance, but if he can’t play more nicely than he did at the last reward, he may leave the game before the rest of his alliance mates. That’s a few weeks away, though.

8. Laura (5) – In the challenge, Laura was given the position of being the one directing the rest of the team. As others are slightly smaller and would have been a bit easier to push in the cage, I think this means Laura is trusted and respected by the group.

I give Laura credit for realizing that Shambo may join with the former Foa Foa tribe at the merge, but instead of defending the problem by pretending to get along with her, all the women have elected to ignore Shambo. It’s nice to play the game with only your new BFF’s beside you, but that’s rarely been a winning strategy.

Laura’s grip on the million dollars has taken a serious hit with the formation of a voting bloc of five that excludes her and targets her ally, Monica. But, for now, she’s somewhat safe.