Survivor: Thailand - Advice to the Remaining 15

I'm back! The Dear Abby of Survivor returns once again to dish out regular advice to the remaining players in the game. So after one episode, how does the game look for the tribes and their members? Let's take a look.

All

Start finding your potential alliance members. The best way to do this is to figure out a few tasks that need to be done (water runs, building shelter, gathering food, etc.) and using them to sound people out for a partnership or full blown alliance.

Sook Jai

Overall, your tribe has a short term problem with shelter, but are better off with the closer water hole over the long haul. While your tribe is younger and more powerful, there is something you need to do right away, and that is to practice your rowing. You got lucky on the first challenge; they had a better team effort, but the failure of one individual to come through was the deciding factor.

Jake. Well done with the selection if you're thinking long term. I have an idea about Jan's picks, but suffice for me to say that the best way to avoid being voted off is to avoid tribal council. That's kind of an obvious thing, but you've got a team that is the one to beat. Well done.

Stephanie. I have to admit, taking off your clothes for the tribe and the cameras is a way to get the attention of your tribe. The trouble is, the gals probably don't care and will hold it against you if they think that you're using your body to keep yourself in the game.

Jed. Mingle with the group more and concentrate on the tasks at hand instead of going off fishing. Doing anything solo is a huge mistake in Survivor. Kel from Survivor 2 is the poster boy for that kind of behavior. The tribe must decide on priorities, and if food isn't one of them, bite your tongue and starve with them. You're playing the game in a dangerous manner, and it could cost you.

Robb. In my section of the pre-game roundtable article, I wondered if you had the mental game down because you brought a skateboard with you. I'm beginning to feel I was justified. NEVER make a put-down of another player with them around, pointing out their clean, smooth hands, or other indications they aren't working hard. Instead, make a note of it and discuss it privately with the other tribe members. If you can find agreement, then forge the basis of an alliance by suggesting s/he might need to go soon. Common enemies are a great glue for alliances - consider the Colby/Keith/Tina alliance which banded against the Jerri's Kids alliance, or the Old and New Maraamu alliance and their common foe of the Rotu 4.

Erin, Shii Ann, Ken, Penny. Well, I'd love to give you specific advice, but there just isn't enough to work with yet. As you four get more air time, I'll be back with custom-tailored advice for you.

Chuay Ghan Tribe

Okay people, the first thing you need to hope for is some kind of switch to shift things up a bit, because you're looking like the weaker tribe right now. It doesn't help that I think you got the worst of the locations; sure you've got better shelter, but those water runs are going to be exhausting.

Jan. I have to wonder if you were very smart or very dumb in making your selections. You went for age over power, and while that makes for a weaker tribe, it actually improves your position within it. As the eldest woman, you might be seen as the weakest link from the start, and picked a few alternative targets for tribal council votes. You might also have assumed some kind of tribal mix up somewhere along the line, and were playing for your short term problem instead of the long run. Of course, you could just be a lunkhead when it came to tribe selection. Time will tell.

Ghandia. Stop blaming yourself. Yes you screwed up the challenge, but there is no reason to harp on it. Apologize and go on. It's hard enough for people to figure out who to vote out early without reminding them of a reason to vote you off.

Tanya. In a few words: get better, and fast. A sick individual is viewed as weak and a reason for the tribe to get rid of them as soon as possible to gain relative strength. If you can heal up and pull your weight, things will get better.

Ted, Helen, Brian, Clay. No specific advice at this time. There wasn't enough footage of you to get a good idea of your standing in the tribe. I'll be back with you later when there is something to work from.

John. What went wrong? Frankly, almost everything. Taking command was a bad idea, even if you were right. The only person who has ever really gotten away with taking charge was Michael Skupin from Survivor 2. Jeff Varner made fun of him in confessionals, but the jokes stopped when Michael delivered the goods by killing a pig. In other words, he earned it. Your joke about the water hole was NOT funny. Face it, you lost, and by your own hand.

Jeffrey Clinard lives in Las Vegas, Nevada. He can be reached at jclinard@earthlink.net.

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