Survivor: China, Episode 5 MVPs – Shaken and Stirred

Well, another season of Survivor means another twist. This time around, the two tribes each got to choose two members of the other tribe to join them. Did you guys also find yourselves yelling at the TV last Thursday night? I mean, come on, Zhan Hu. Did you guys really think that you’d get two new members and give up nothing for them? Really? Did it really not occur to you that the Fei Longs would get the exact same note? Did you think that Jeff Probst secretly liked you guys best and wanted to hook you up? Come on!

But, in fairness, once Zhan Hug figured out what was up (that is, when it was completely obvious), they used that information very well. Peih-Gee and Jaime figure that they will most likely merge at the traditional 10. History has shown that’s usually the case. So, they threw this immunity challenge and I assume plan to throw the next one so that they can go into the merge with even numbers and can protect Frosti and Sherea.

Sure, maybe they’re wrong to think that. Maybe the tribes won’t merge at 10. But it’s a calculated risk that could potentially pay off really well for them. They won’t have to worry about Aaron or presumably James winning individual immunity post-merge, they will not be down in numbers, and they can probably score some loyalty from Frosti and Sherea for protecting them.

That said, only one of them is getting the MVP award for Zhan Hu this week, and that’s Peih-Gee. Jaime made two mistakes. The first was in being far too blatant about throwing the challenge. It was obvious that she wasn’t trying, and then after it was over, she couldn’t stop smirking. That arrogance could well come back to bite her in the butt, at the very least in front of a jury.

The other mistake was even worse: she didn’t clue her new ally Erik into the plan until the challenge was over. She and Erik had just had that major bonding session in the river. Dude confessed that he was a virgin. (Side note: I was totally grossed out at the way she kept putting her mouth under the water. All of her smart strategy could be gone when she gets some kind of weird parasite.) He definitely wanted to stick with her, and she didn’t even give him the courtesy of telling him what the plan was. If nothing else, Erik worked his butt off in the first half of the challenge. If I were Erik, I would not have appreciated having to do all of that hard swimming for no good reason. And now, he knows that she can be sneaky. Worse, her loyalty to Peih-Gee seems to be stronger than to him. He didn’t turn on her this week (nor should he have), but he might in the future.

Peih-Gee, in contrast, made no such mistakes. She played her cards a bit closer to the vest when it came to throwing the challenge. She doesn’t have strong ties to Erik, and instead actually increased her bond with Jaime. She has put herself into a much better position than she was before, and for that reason, wins this week’s MVP award for Zhan Hu.

As for the Fei Longs, we didn’t see as much of them this week. I can tell you once again that Jean-Robert is not nearly as smart as he thinks he is. With two ex-Zhan Hus in their midst, he should be safe at tribal council, but he is annoying everyone so much that they might opt to keep Frosti and Sherea over him. This guy just cannot get into the rhythm of the game. First he’s slacking off, then he’s working so hard that it’s obvious to everyone what he’s trying to do. Even Denise broke her usual silence to make fun of him.

The smartest player still seems to be Todd. He saw Frosti and Sherea not just as cannon fodder, but as potential allies for him. That’s especially smart given that he’d just lost his ally Aaron to the other tribe. Between that flexibility and the fact that he is the lone player with clues to the hidden immunity idol, Todd is in very good shape. He wins the MVP award for Fei Long, and I look forward to seeing what he can do next.

In the meantime, I’ll be tuned in to see if Zhan Hu throws the next challenge or if James decides to win it single-handedly, Ozzy style. See you next week!

Betsy Wasser is the Associate Editor of Reality News Online. As a non-virgin, she is not to be trusted, but you can reach her with MVP nominations and feedback anyway at betsywasser@gmail.com.

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