Survivor: Thailand, Episode 4 MVPs: The Indecisive and a Dummy

Well, it is that time again. Time to figure out which two survivors this week made the right decisions, followed their instincts, and went for the gold. That's right, it is time to name this week's Survivor MVPs.

As I said last week, Ghandia would never have a shot at ever winning MVP. I was proven wrong this week because she almost actually did. However, there are certain questions that are starting to arise that are making me change my mind, like if she actually tried to use the incident between Ted and herself to cause a tribal split. If that is the case, then she is dumber than I had originally thought. No, Ghandia will never be the MVP because this time she was out-shined by the one that she once tried to vote off. I found it quite ironic that two weeks ago Ghandia wanted Helen off the island, and this week, she was all but pleading for her to vote for Clay. Good thing Helen was smart enough to realize Ghandia was a lost cause. So was Helen really the MVP for Chuay Gahn this week? In my opinion, without a doubt!

This episode, Helen really came into her own. She broke away from her bossiness, and seemed to be a mediator between the men and the women. Helen was friends with Ghandia and Jan, but was also seen several times sitting with the men and having conversations with them. She did not ignore anybody, and was considerate to all. Helen understands how to play the game, and this week definitely showed that. Another great move by Helen this week was addressing the fact that the men were not pulling their weight. Unlike Ghandia, who decided to complain about it the whole time, Helen chose to leave it alone for the time being and keep the attention off of her. This is a smart move because when it came time to vote it just gave the men another reason as to why they should vote for Ghandia. There was nothing funnier this week than watching Helen ramble off all the chores she does at camp when Jeff asked her if daily life was hard. I must admit, she really won me over this episode, and now I am a true Helen fan. She does still remind me of a woman I used to work with who constantly got on my nerves, but I am willing to look past that.

Tribal council this week brought Helen her shining moment. This is when she showed that she knew how to play the game by sticking with the men. Voting off Ghandia at this point was a smarter decision. Not only was she weak, she wasn't exactly the brightest bulb in the bunch. Although she was a hard worker at camp, when it came time for the challenges, Ghandia simply was not pulling her weight. Helen knew this, and understood that the weak are still a liability at this point. Also, by sticking with the men, she guarantees herself another week if they lose the next immunity by pegging Jan as the one who went against them. Helen definitely covered herself this episode, and that is why she is the MVP. She is the first person to win the title twice, and I don't think this will be the last time.

Now, as usual, I had a problem when it came time to pick an MVP for the Sook Jai tribe. It just seems to me that each week there is never someone who really breaks away from the bunch and is shown leading the team. At least, not since Jake formed the team the first day on the island. This week, there was some footage shown of Stephanie cleaning the camp, gathering the food, and preparing for the reward challenge, but she cannot be the MVP because she is not playing the game well. To be an MVP, the person must be focused on the game, not to mention pull their weight. Stephanie, at this point, seems like she doesn't care about what happens. This put her out of the running.

So who is the MVP this week for Sook Jai? After careful deliberation, and a little help from my esteemed RealityNewsOnline colleague Susan Schechter, I have decided that Oaturat is this weeks MVP for Sook Jai. Now, you may be wondering who Oaturat is. He is the one who was in the reward challenge, and did that beautiful somersault down the hill. Oaturat was the only person in Sook Jai this week who did not constantly complain that Stephanie was distancing herself, or that everyone was getting cranky. He showed that when it came to thinking, he was the smartest in the tribe, even though he was running late while getting ready for the reward challenge. It seemed that Oaturat was focused on the game at all times, and showed this in the reward challenge. Had it not been for him, the team may have lost. Oaturat on several occasions rolled, tumbled, and shook his way to the finish line. Since he was so helpful, the tribe won some needed food. Yes, even though he was only part of the tribe for a few days, Oaturat is this week's MVP for Sook Jai.

There it is, two more MVPs to add to the books. Helen and Oaturat were the shining stars this week on their respective tribes. Next week, I'm willing to bet that Helen shows us another big move. This woman is definitely pulling a "Kathy" and surprising me more each week. Like I said, she is really starting to grow on me. Let's see if she can make it two weeks in a row because we know our beloved Oaturat will not.

Phil Kural is a junior at Temple University, and can be reached at pkural@astro.temple.eduwith any MVP suggestions.

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