Survivor: Samoa – Too Painful to Watch

Normally, when watching a show I’m writing about, I watch and record, then go back later and watch the interesting parts a second or even third time. This episode of Survivor may be the first time I didn’t do that. So many things about the latest installment were so cringe-inducing, once was enough.

Let’s start with the manipulation of Shambo. Somehow, I would expect a former Marine sergeant to have more street smarts and intuition. Instead, Shambo was manipulated into being the leader by four guys who had ulterior motives. It reminded me of an old Three Stooges short where Moe’s character was made into a puppet dictator of a fictional country by three guys who needed a figurehead leader, one they could easily manipulate. Eventually, he was eaten by a lion.

Similarly, when the guys have no more use for Shambo, I have a feeling they’ll throw her into the lion’s den of Tribal Council, and not think much of it. Now, kudos for the guys for pulling it off, and doing it in such a way the other females never suspected a thing. They didn’t telegraph their plans like the “Rotu 4” back in Survivor: Marquesas. Instead, they made the vote look like a spontaneous thing, and none of the ladies in Galu were any more the wiser.

Then it came to challenge time. To further emphasize her cluelessness, when asked if Shambo was surprised to be the new leader, she responded by saying, “Not so much.” This was really hard to watch—Shambo honestly thought she was elected because of her leadership skills, and has no clue what is really happening. Then, after touting her leadership skills, Shambo proceeded to let Dave manipulate her into changing her mind on who would be making decisions during the challenge since chose to sit herself out. So much for the bossy Marine.

Now, there was one decision Shambo made that wasn’t so painful to watch. How many others thought Laura got her comeuppance by being sent to the Foa Foa campsite? After the way she, Monica, and Kelly have treated Shambo, it was hard to feel sorry for her.

Will Laura’s pact with Russell help her down the road? It very well could. Now that the merge is here, she may realize if Galu stays together as a tribe and “Pagongs” Foa Foa, eventually Shambo and the four guys will turn on her, Kelly, and Monica. Laura may then align with the four Foa Foa’s, and pick off those five former Galus. But eventually, she, Kelly and Monica will be down 4-3, despite Russell’s final two pledge to her. Of course, if Laura follows this path, she may find a way to infiltrate the Foa Foa ranks getting her to the final four, so this may be her best path.

Galu was by no means the only tribe that made for some painful viewing this past week. How hard was it to watch Jaison all but give up at the challenge? I predicted this guy to win it all, but he’s certainly not doing himself any favors right now. But there’s something that was even more painful, and that was watching Liz get handed her walking papers. Up until then, all my final three picks were still in the game.

While it may have been painful (and even a foregone conclusion) to see Liz get ousted, her RNO interview wasn’t nearly as painful. In fact, some of the things she said struck me differently than they would have coming from someone else.

Normally, when an ousted player starts bragging on himself – or herself, I’m like, “Yeah, right.” Jean-Robert did it both in his closing comments after being relegated to the jury in Survivor: China and in his RNO interview. Jasmine certainly did so both before and after her ouster, touting her challenge prowess, social skills, and intellect. But let’s examine this tidbit from Liz:

“I think I could’ve gone far. I think I played a strong game. I wanted to make sure I played well and I like the way [the editors] showed me. I regularly picked up the slack for the weaker women on my team and did my best.”

I pretty much have to agree with Liz here. In any other season, she might have gone farther. It’s interesting to think about how different the Foa Foa tribe would be right now without the “Russell seed.” As for strength, we saw what Liz was made of when she was holding up the coconuts. She held on until she literally couldn’t hold on any more.

Well, the merge is upon us, and it’s a brand new game. Will the Galus be able to hold it together and “Pagong” the former Foa Foas, or will they self-destruct like last season’s Timbira tribe, paving the way for another come from behind win?

Now you can follow RealityNewsOnline on Twitter! You can get up to the minute notifications on article postings and other reality TV news by following us there. So head on over to RealityNewsOnline’s Twitter page!

If you haven’t already, be sure to check out these other recent Survivor: Samoa articles here on RealityNewsOnline:

Ken is wondering what this season would be like with Russell H. and last season’s “Coach” in the same cast. He can be reached at YourNextOfKen@aol.com.

Be sure to sign up for our e-mail update so you can stay informed about new articles on the site! Don’t forget to take a look at the rest of the site and buy reality show stuff at our Reality TV Store!

For more news about Survivor, be sure to check out SirLinksALot: Survivor and Survivor Fever!