Survivor: All-Stars, Episode 7 MVPs – Double Header

It’s nice to finally watch a normal episode of Survivor again. When I say that, I mean the kind when people are actually being voted out, instead of quitting for one reason or another. While I’m on this rant, I might as well get something else off my chest. I was expecting to be awestruck by this season. Why is it halfway over and I’m still feeling pretty empty? Maybe it’s because of all the emotional episodes? Hmm, maybe it’s because people are not being voted out because of how they are playing the game, but because of how they played it in the past, or maybe it’s just because the players just aren’t being that exciting? I’m not really sure, but what I do know is that besides three or four players, nobody is really worth watching this time around.

What does this have to do with my weekly article? Well, tons actually. MVPs are based on performance. When I don’t see anyone performing, I can’t pick an MVP, which is what happened this week with one tribe. The other tribe had some moments, and I was able to select someone, which was somewhat of a relief. I used the footage that was given to me, and I was able to conjure up a few ideas. This is what I have come up with, and the one MVP I was able to choose this week.

Concerning Chapera, what was the deal this week? I’m sorry, but there is only so much footage I can watch of them on a boat doing absolutely nothing but eating, drinking, and having fun. That’s all well and good, but 85% of the footage we saw of them this week was doing just that. Therefore, there was really nothing for me to use when selecting an MVP for their tribe. Sure, they competed in the reward/immunity challenge, but that doesn’t really help me because everyone did the same thing. There wasn’t much going on at camp before the challenge, so that’s another reason I have nothing. Finally, even though Kathy joined them for a while, it didn’t seem to me like anyone was really capitalizing on her being there, but they as a group just tried to make her feel comfortable. Therefore, there is no MVP this week for the Chapera tribe simply because I have nothing to go on when trying to pick one.

Thank goodness for the Mogo Mogo tribe! There was plenty to work with on that side of the island, so of course, there is an MVP. There are actually a few people that can be considered for the title this week. First, we have Kathy. She was very smart when she realized that being on the other side could be a disadvantage as well as an advantage. Everyone is looking for her vote, and she knows that as well. Also, Kathy was wise to the fact that she should not tell her other tribe members that Chapera welcomed her with open arms and made her feel like one of them. Then, we have Shii Ann. In my opinion, she did the right thing by joining up with Lex to vote out Colby. If she had voted out Jerri, she would have been the next one gone if there wasn’t a merge, and she knew that. So instead of just getting rid of Jerri because she is annoying, she took the safe route and got rid of Colby, buying herself some much needed time. However, even though they both did a good job this week, I picked Lex as the MVP for the Mogo Mogo tribe.

I said it last week and I will say it again: Lex is such a better player this time around then he was last time. He realized that he can’t go on sprees demanding who votes for him and try to be the outright leader in the tribe. Instead, he is playing the safe route and staying below the radar when in actuality, he is pulling all the strings in the tribe. I’m sorry, but it was a brilliant move on his part getting rid of Colby. Now he has both of the women on his side and Ethan is in too much of a bind to want to go any other way than with Lex. The only thing I would be concerned about if I was Lex is that if a merge comes, he is going to look like a bigger threat now that Colby is gone. However, I don’t see that being a problem just yet.

Wow, looks like I’m going to be keeping this fairly short this week. I guess for the fact that I had nobody to pick for the Chapera tribe is pretty much hankering my article. Basically, this is what I have to say to the editors: Listen. When you only show the tribe on a boat doing absolutely nothing but getting drunk – it doesn’t help me pick an MVP. Please stop doing that. As for Mogo Mogo – Kudos to Lex! He is quickly becoming my favorite cast member this season, and I’m hoping that he makes it to at least the final four, even though I didn’t predict him to do so. But you know what? Good for him!

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

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