A Gamer’s View of Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, Episode 2 – Cutting Their Own Throats

The most recent Survivor episode was kind of an odd one for me. The immunity challenge came so early in the episode that I found it a bit shocking. This simply told me one thing: there was going to be some epic strategizing and arguing taking place. I really got excited at this prospect and I definitely was not disappointed.

1. Voting out Stephenie – I really think that this was a good move for the Heroes. They took a great player out of the game. And not only was Stephenie a great player, but she also was aligned with great players. This was also a good move because, as we saw at Tribal Council, it forced Colby and Tom to play their cards. This reinforced to Candice and Cirie which side they should have gone with and also provided the tribe with easy choices for voting if/when the Heroes return to Tribal Council.
2. Boston Rob owning his villain status – This moment for me seemed like a turning of the tide. I had somewhat thought we were seeing a much more emotional side of Rob. I thought that was fine, but I really wanted to see the villainous Rob. I wanted to see the Rob that was willing to cut anyone and everyone off at the knees in order to make it to the final two. Thankfully, that side of Rob finally made an appearance in Samoa!
3. Boston Rob powering the Villains to another immunity win – Is there anything that Boston Rob can’t do? This man absolutely has powered the Villains to an amazing position in this game. Rob made fire, helped solve the first immunity puzzle, and now he’s helped solve the second immunity puzzle. Rob could very easily lead the Villains to a major winning streak. I mean, we all saw him power lift that cube to help solve the puzzle – and that was not long after he had passed out in the jungle!
4. Cirie stating that she owes no real allegiance to Amanda – I am really glad that Cirie made this move. I was waiting for someone to say exactly what she said. When you are in one of these games and someone costs you the main prize, you may not hold grudges in real life, but if you play the game with them again you should owe them no allegiance. Trust me on that. This move may have single-handedly helped her long-term game plan. The statement not only downplays her alliance with Amanda, but it also shows Candice that she is open to options.

And the winner is… Voting out Stephenie! This move was brilliant! I mean it helped make some decisions easy for the Heroes tribe. The alliance that contains James, J.T., Cirie, Candice, Rupert, and Amanda has it made. With Colby and Tom being forced into playing their cards, all they have to do now is stick to the plan. So should the Heroes return to Tribal Council, they have two easy votes.

1. Colby and Tom throwing a flare on their game play – This move made my skin crawl! I know they had loyalty to Stephenie. I am not saying that they shouldn’t have voted for Amanda, but I am saying that they need to know when to cut their losses. Even though Stephenie knew she was being voted out, I am sure she did not want Tom or Colby to sink their games as well. When Tom and Colby couldn’t keep their mouths shut, that is exactly what they achieved.
2. The Heroes’ epic failure on the cube puzzle – This has to be mentioned because it caused the Heroes to return to Tribal Council. The Heroes have failed at every puzzle thrown at them. All I am saying is that if I were on the Heroes tribe and I saw a puzzle, I would run the exact opposite direction!
3. James causing a scene at Tribal Council – I really like James, but why did he do this? This move just put a huge target on his back. I have never played Survivor, but in my experience in these games, you don’t want to be target. Some people can’t help but be targets. James is a target naturally for his strength. Russell could be a target for his intelligence. Courtney could be a target for her attitude. When someone like James, who is already a target for his physical prowess, adds attitude to the mix, it may not end well.

And the winner is… Colby and Tom throwing a flare on their game play! Again, why did they do this? They knew they were targets and yet they did something to basically throw a huge spotlight on themselves. I hope not, but I think that move simply solidified them being the next two Heroes voted off.

At this point in the article I would like to add a special mention – Parvati taking the cube to the face! How tough is that girl? She takes a solid cube to the face and doesn’t even flinch! Seriously, I am impressed.

I think that the player in the best position in the game is Boston Rob. He has guided his tribe well and there is absolutely no reason to get rid of him! It is just that simple.

Like in my previous article, I am going to keep listing who I think is in the worst position within each tribe up to the merge so I can cover whichever tribe may go to Tribal Council.

Heroes – Tom and Colby. As noted above, these guys basically shot themselves at Tribal Council. While they really did not want Stephenie to be voted out, they definitely shouldn’t have made themselves even bigger targets. Everyone knew that the three of them were working together, but there was still the chance of being able to overcome outsider status within the tribe. I would think that after that outburst, there is nothing that could save them.

Villains – I am still picking Tyson for this position. I have not seen anything that has changed my mind. I think Tyson will be the first Villain to have his torch snuffed should the Villains lose immunity. He seems to only be close with Coach and easily expendable.

There you have my take on Episode 2! I can’t wait to see what the Villains have in store for Episode 3.

Now you can follow RealityNewsOnline on Twitter and on Facebook! On Twitter, you can get up to the minute notifications on article postings and other reality TV news by following us. So head on over to RealityNewsOnline’s Twitter page! On Facebook, you can become a fan, join discussions, and more!

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

Ronnie Talbott was a contestant on Big Brother 11.

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!