Survivor: Pearl Islands, Episode 5 MVPs – Chug! Chug! Chug!

So last week I said that there was no way Jon could possibly pull off MVP status two weeks in a row. Was I right? Well, let’s not dance around the subject – yes, I was. I can officially say that he is starting to get on my nerves. His remarks to Darrah at the reward challenge not only probably embarrassed the rest of his tribe, but embarrassed me as well – and I wasn’t even there! Over on Morgan, we once again got to see some smiles as they won two more challenges in a row. It’s nice to see that they are united as a team, finally. So who were the MVPs this week? It was actually a little rough to choose because pretty much everyone over on Drake was scrambling for position, while Morgan was just taking it easy and learning things from Rupert. However, I was able to pull this all apart and name our MVPs.

First, I would like to take a look at everyone’s favorite underdogs, the Morgan tribe. Thanks to Rupert, they finally learned how to spear a fish. They were so lucky to have him this week because I don’t think they would have done so well on the reward challenge without him. He was definitely the biggest asset to their tribe this week, and if it were possible, I would give him their MVP award. However, by the end of the reward challenge, he was already back with his “family” as he called them, the Drake tribe. Can’t blame the guy. If I were him, I would probably go back as well knowing that they were probably talking crap behind my back, which they sort of were doing to Rupert.

Since that is the case, you may be asking who was the MVP for Morgan this week? I’m going to give that award to Ryan again. Oh, thanks to everyone letting me know that everyone on the Morgan tribe wasn’t saying “Ryan O.,” but “Rhino.” Makes MUCH more sense to me now. Anyway, Ryan did the smartest thing by listening to what Rupert had to say when he was over on their tribe for a little. Rupert even said that he trusted Ryan a little more than the rest of them and that he was a good guy. Plus, now that Ryan knows how to spear fish, Morgan will be a happier tribe since they will finally get some protein in their diet, as long as Ryan does the fishing correctly. Plus, you have to give the guy credit for chugging two of those nasty shakes during the immunity challenge. I’m not so sure that I could have done it, but Ryan was able to down not just one, but two of them. He sure is positioning himself well in the tribe and I think the fact that he has bonded with Rupert more so than the rest of his tribe, he is going to be around for a good while, even after the tribes merge. Ryan was a shoe-in for MVP this week for Morgan.

Now that we have figured out who the MVP was this week for Morgan, let’s take a look at Drake. I think it was a given that when they decided to let Morgan win that one immunity challenge, it would give them a boost in the morale department. As much as Drake wants to act like throwing the challenge was a good idea, it wasn’t. Morgan got the boost they needed and are now on a role. Now, when concerning an MVP, I really don’t think anyone on the tribe deserves it that much. We have players like Sandra, Trish, and Christa who didn’t get all that much airtime this week. Then, there is Jon, who I’m slowly but surely wanting to choke. Rupert didn’t spend that much time with Drake this week, so I can’t really give it to him, and in my humble opinion, Shawn isn’t very deserving of it either. That leaves me with one person, and that one that was eliminated – Michelle. Oddly enough, that is who I chose as the MVP for Drake this week.

It has happened in Survivor: Thailand, when Stephanie did it. It has also happened during Survivor: The Amazon, when Dave pulled it off. That’s right, the castaway who was voted out has won the MVP. When the episode began, it was fairly obvious that if Drake were to go to tribal council again, Michelle would get the boot. However, by the time it was actually time for them to go, I had serious questions concerning if it would really be her. Michelle stated that she knew she was a target. However, she turned it around and even made Rupert believe that Shawn might be a better person to vote out because he does less work than her and eats more. Apparently, Rupert could not convince everyone else of that, especially probably Jon, seeing that we know they have a secret alliance, and Jon would never want to get rid of an alliance partner before someone that nobody was aligned with.

Another reason I chose Michelle for the MVP might actually be a different perspective on things. Many viewed the way Michelle downed her concoction as a sense of pride. I don’t think it was that way. I’m thinking that she knew in the back of her head that her tribe was going to lose. I also think that she had it in her mind that maybe a twist would occur and Morgan, if they won, would be able to choose someone to come live with them. By showing that she is a strong competitor, and praying that they would not be able to take Rupert again, I’m guessing that she was hoping it would be her that they would choose, helping her escape the next tribal council. That was probably the only way she knew she would be safe. However, that didn’t happen and everyone saw her as not looking to be weak-stomached as defiance; go figure.

But that is basically all I have to say about this week. Good job to Ryan and Michelle for being the MVPs for their respective tribe this week. Like I said above, Ryan is definitely putting himself in good position right now by becoming the provider of food for Morgan and working on a relationship with Rupert over on Drake. Michelle is out of the game, but she put up a fight. I believe she did all that she could to try and hang around but in the end, it just wasn’t working out for her. I’m guessing that Rupert is going to once again take charge of the Drake tribe this week and become its next MVP. On Morgan, I’m hoping that Andrew finally shows us why he’s the leader and does something of leadership quality. Oops, there’s a little bit of personal opinion showing. Oh well, until next week!

Phil Kural is a senior at Temple University, and can be reached at pkural@temple.edu with any MVP suggestions.

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