Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, As I See It – Heroes or Zeroes?

Once again, the Heroes have disappointed many of the fans. I think a lot of Survivor aficionados who really wanted to root for and cheer on the Heroes have now decided that the Villains are actually working and winning as a tribe and now the Villains are fan favorites. The Heroes are definitely in a quandary and may not have what it takes to recover.

The last Survivor episode was one that just makes me want to scratch my head and say, “what??” It’s that or throw something at the television and I really don’t want to do that.

These Heroes vs. Villains participants are supposedly seasoned Survivor players with knowledge of the game and the strategy (for some) to win. I am using the term “supposedly” with tongue-in-cheek for sure. The Heroes’ strategy seems to have flown away with the first wind that blew in Samoa and their reasoning is enough to make any Survivor watcher crazy.

The reasoning behind Tom’s departure still escapes me. Soon the Heroes will have so few tribe members that James is going to have to participate in a challenge. What happens if he has to run? What happens if he has to swim? What happens if he has to climb up a rope? I’ll tell you what happens – the Heroes lose another challenge, that’s what happens.

Tom Westman, in everyday life, is already a hero. He’s a firefighter, a public servant, and, as we found when Stephenie was being picked on, a gentleman. In his post-game interviews, Tom admitted to not “in” with the group who socialize together and attributed that as part of the reason he was voted off early.

Since when has winning Survivor depended on being part of the off-season (so to speak) Survivor group? Since when do Survivor castaways vote off an able bodied man in favor of one who is hobbled and can’t participate in a challenge other than to sit and yell out instructions? What were they thinking? What a tribe of numbnuts!

Something is really wrong in the Heroes’ camp. I got an inkling of what it may be when Tom cast his vote for James and said, “All mass, no class.” That statement was so unlike what my image of Tom was that I was taken aback for a moment.

Obviously, James’ rants and raves are not confined to Tribal Council. In all the time Tom participated previously on Survivor I do not recall him being obstinate, gruff, or mean-spirited. I always said that for once a good guy won the ultimate prize and I was thrilled it was Tom. For him to make that comment about James makes me think that Tom had had enough.

James is a different person this time around. He came into this game with a chip on his shoulder, daring anyone to knock it off. The lighthearted James who laughed at his own errors previously now thinks he knows it all and isn’t hesitating to tell everyone within earshot. Something happened to James between his Survivor experiences and it’s not pretty.

I hope the Heroes can all live with what seems to be their downward spiral into becoming another Survivor: Palau tribe with the fittest player being the last (and only) person on the tribe.

Over in the Villains’ camp, life seems to have taken a turn for the better. It’s only taken them seven or more days to build a shelter that is actually protecting them from the elements. The Villains keep winning challenges and it seems like everyone’s sweet tooth was satisfied with the chocolate reward. While they were eating all that chocolate, I would be more than one of us got up in search of piece of chocolate – come on, you know you did!

I have neglected to say anything yet this season about Courtney. That’s probably because Courtney isn’t getting much air time, however, this past episode we saw Courtney doing what she does best – snickering. You know and I know that Coach was dead serious about teaching the rest of the Villains his own special interpretation of whatever it was he was showing them.

Boston Rob was bemused at this exercise (as he usually is at something weird), Sandra was just playing along, but our Courtney had to snicker. Although I thought the last time Courtney played that’s her snickering was inappropriate at times, this time I snickered right with her.

If there is anyone who didn’t think Russell would find the hidden immunity idol, I’d be flabbergasted. The man could make a living at finding hidden idols. He’s now so sure that he is in the almighty position of power that I will be thrilled when and if he topples from his throne.

What was absurd in this episode was the scenario that ensued during the reward trip. It reminded me of my two grandsons who love to dress up and play with swords. They have capes, they have swords, they have masks, and they love to run through the yard and knight each other or fight with the swords. They are eight and three years old. They now have learned, thanks to Coach and Russell, that the knight needs to kneel down before the lord. Honestly, if Russell had a ring on, would Coach have kissed it? This was probably one of the most ludicrous scenes in any Survivor season.

Coach, in spouting off about his honesty and loyalty to the newly-crowned King of Samoa, Russell, has totally blown off the fact that he pledged his honesty and loyalty to Boston Rob, his hero. How convenient his memory lapses are, as we have found out with his antics prior to this season. The duo of Coach and Russell is scary. Delusional times two.

The rest of the villains seem to be coexisting without too much drama. Maybe I should say “without too much drama yet” because we know it’s coming – it’s just a matter of time. We know that Jerri has distanced herself from Coach, thereby dashing our hopes for another Survivor showmance, we know that Sandra is still employing her “as long as it’s not me”strategy, and we know that Parvati trusts Russell about as far as she can see him.

Although Parvati is not one of my favorite Survivor players, when she put Russell in his place (“I don’t ride coattails, baby”) she redeemed herself in my eyes. Russell has put Parvati in the “dumbass blonde” category he utilized during his season – and where did that get him? Oh, yes, a “dumbass blonde” beat him.

He should have learned a lesson that all women, especially those playing Survivor for the third time, cannot be put into a category. Pretty soon Parvati will outwit the little troll and he’ll wonder how it happened.

Boston Rob just seems bemused by this Survivor experience. He rightfully took on the leadership role which he knows targets him, but he doesn’t seem to be bothered by that. I know that I am looking forward to Rob finding out that Russell has the hidden idol. Watch for the explosion to come.

Peace!

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:

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: Heroes vs. Villains!