Survivor: Samoa, As I See It – Can You Say, “Wow!”?

You have to admit that you were sitting in your living room, or wherever you watch Survivor, last Thursday night and wondering what was going to happen at Tribal Council. Was Bad Russell going to be the “dumbass” who went home with the idol in his pocket, or the “dumbass” who played the idol when he didn’t have to?

I know that I didn’t know what he was going to do. What I do know is that Bad Russell has no problem with calling himself a “dumbass” in regards to his game play. Somehow, some way, this makes me know that his name-calling of his tribe mates is not necessarily being done in a nasty way; it is just a way of making a point.

This type of rhetoric is indicative of a working man who spends his days with friends and co-workers who call each other names that mean nothing. These names sometimes can even be terms of endearment. You know what I’m talking about – you’ve heard someone call another a “dumbass” and it means nothing. I’ve done it, you’ve done it, and no offense was intended.

I am now in awe of Bad Russell and his game play. I am assuming that, since we didn’t see her tell him, his new BFF, Shambo, did not inform him that Erik left with an idol in his pocket. She should know that he did, since she gave it to him. Because she has embraced the former Foa Foa tribe with open arms and bestowed Bad Russell with cheek kisses, I thought for sure she would spill the beans. She seems to tell everything else, so I wonder if she did tell him and we just weren’t privy to it.

Bad Russell rightfully assumed that another immunity idol was hidden in the former Galu camp. His logic made sense (it scares me a bit that I think Russell is making sense) regarding the reward vs. idol. I am not sure his fellow tribe mate losers thought so, but when it came to brownies or immunity, I wonder how many others would have chosen searching for the idol. The most amusing part of this whole scenario was that while the Galu were enjoying reward and learning about the idol, Bad Russell was finding it.

Has there ever been anyone in Survivor history who has found more than one hidden immunity idol? Has anyone found two idols with no clue? I think not. Do I think that Bad Russell is an almost-brilliant player because of that? I do.

Bad Russell is obviously a student of Survivor. Whether he claims to be or not is a moot point, but have no doubt about it – this man has studied and observed and is playing the game harder than I’ve ever seen anyone play in a long time.

What Bad Russell lacks in physical prowess, he is making up for in scheming and strategizing. This is not to say he lacks physical prowess; he is a whirling dervish during most of the challenges; he is just not as young and strong as some of the other tribal members.

He is wise enough to keep his comments about his fellow tribe members to the cameras and to us, the viewers. Although some of them suspect that Bad Russell is a sneaky snake, they have no idea until they have returned home and watched him in action.

His scheme last week was perfect; even to Jaison claiming that “Russell has to go” to throw off the Galu members. We all know that the producers wanted us to think that Jaison and Natalie had turned on Russell from the previews. It worked to some degree, but I knew we were in for a good hour’s worth of television. I also knew Bad Russell wasn’t leaving.

This episode really was a treat. It was one of the most entertaining episodes of Survivor I’ve seen and I was one of those who yelled, “Yeah” when Bad Russell played the idol.

Do you remember your mother telling you not to make that face or it would freeze like that? I wish the faces of Dave, John, Monica, and Laura could have been frozen for a bit last week. The looks were priceless and Dave’s “Wow” said it all. They were duped, plain and simple.

While they were gloating and stuffing their faces, Bad Russell was hunting and finding. While they were sliding down a natural water slide, Bad Russell was searching under a bridge. When John was trying to tell his tribe members that perhaps one of the former Foa Foa tribe could find and use the idol, Bad Russell was showing it off. You have to admire his determination even if he is not one of the most endearing and likeable Survivor castaways.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention another amusing incident and that would be the segment of Kelly and the rat. My daughter is a girlie-girl like Natalie and would never, ever get near enough to a rat to kill it. She might scream loud enough to scare it to death, but take a stick to it? Never. Because of her, I know what it took for Natalie to accomplish killing the little creature and then taking it back to camp in her coconut shell. My hat’s off to her because I know how hard that had to be for her.

I am anxiously anticipating this week’s episode of Survivor and finding out if Bad Russell finds yet another hidden idol. I know you are too! Stay tuned.

Peace!

If you haven’t already, be sure to check out these other recent articles on Reality News Online:

Eileen is a legal referral assistant in Cincinnati, Ohio but her real job is being Grandma to the five most beautiful children in the world. She can be reached at ohiograndma2003@hotmail.com for comments.

Be sure to sign up for the RealityNewsOnline/FoxesOnIdol e-mail update so you can stay informed about new articles on both sites! Also make sure to check out FoxesOnIdol for recaps and articles covering other reality TV shows.

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