Survivor: Exile Island – Should They be Called the CaSayWhat Tribe?

Back in the first installment of the show, the remaining castaways were at one point allowed to look into a mirror to see what they looked like after so many days. Not surprisingly, they were shocked at what they saw and couldn’t believe how much weight they had lost (and it wasn’t all fat either). It’s too bad the members of Casaya can’t look into some kind of mirror, or they would see how silly some of their comments look.

Let’s start with the obvious, Shane. First, there was his comment that Bruce was grating on his nerves and he wanted Bruce to shut up. It’s easy to wonder how many of Shane’s tribemates, including his allies, are thinking that about HIM! After all, since the game began, he’s been moody and irritable, and when Courtney asked him for some help, he instead said it was her problem to fix, since she got them to that point. Boy, what a team player this guy is!

Then there’s the whole matter of the stump. Shane should’ve watched the show enough to know that there’s not a lot of privacy out there, unless you want to isolate yourself from the rest of the tribe. Yet he ranted and raved about HIS stump, saying everyone else should find their own. Now, what would happen if everyone in his tribe thought that way and insisted on his or her own stump, log, or whatever?

Of all the things to get worked up about, this certainly ranks low on the list. It’s almost like Shane was put in the game as a joke, and the real title is, My Big Fat Obnoxious Survivor. Again, he’s in the majority alliance and he’s behaving like this. How much longer will it be before his teammates decide he’s more trouble than he’s worth? If I were Courtney, Aras, and Danielle, I might want to replace him with Cirie. (Did I just say that?) Not only did Cirie help out in the subsequent immunity challenge, she causes far less drama than Shane.

Most likely, Shane isn’t nearly this grouchy back in the States, but is continuing to react to the lack of nicotine in his system. In other words, he might not be a jerk in real life, but he certainly plays one on TV.

Then there’s his comment that Courtney is a lunatic. Hello? Boys and girls, can you say “reality check”? Courtney has at least been trying to be a team player, while Shane sniped at his own alliance and ranted and raved about a stump. And he called HER a lunatic? He also wondered how he’ll get through the game with her, but with Shane’s attitude, I think no matter WHO he was aligned with, he’d find somebody to take his withdrawal symptoms out on.

But Shane isn’t the only one to make eyeroll-inducing statements. Aras asserted he was in a tribe with three nutballs. Is this coming from the same person who had two of his teammates go through some bizarre ritual for starting fire in episode one? And what about letting those outside of his alliance know where they stood? How “nutball” is that? Too bad for Aras and Shane the prize at the next reward challenge isn’t a smidgen of self-awareness.

Over at La Mina, could this be the “Love Tribe” Gabriel wanted to build in Marquesas? These people seem to honestly like each other, including the now-ousted Misty. First of all, note how nobody has come down on Sally for losing the spear, as far as we know. In fact, Austin very deftly refrained from finger-pointing at Tribal Council, simply saying they haven’t had much luck with the spear. From a team and strategy standpoint, I can’t imagine anyone handling this any better.

Then there was Misty’s ouster. She stated she never saw it coming, and I believe her. In fact, it seemed like the whole Tribal Council was one of those “gotta be somebody” votes, and they really did all get along. For further proof, look at Misty’s exit. After getting her torch snuffed, she turned and waved goodbye to her now-former tribe, and in her closing comments, she wished her team the best of luck.

The next piece of evidence is Dan saying the companionship has been “excellent,” and Sally saying she never knew she could care so much for her tribemates as she does. These comments, made at Tribal Council, came across as genuine and sincere, and not strategic in any way.

We should also look at Terry’s comments when voting out Misty, calling her smart and saying he wished it didn’t have to be this way. Remember that when you vote someone out, they can’t hear you, so you can say anything you want to the camera. But Terry said nothing to disparage Misty, even going so far as to compliment her.

And then, of course, there was the RealityNewsOnline interview with Misty, in which she said the tribe was “very together” and they “didn’t have drama like the other tribe.”

Here’s something to ponder regarding La Mina: How would Rupert have reacted to Sally losing the spear if he’d been playing this time? It happened in his tribe once, and he didn’t hide his displeasure very well. Would he have called her out at Tribal Council, or simply alluded to it, i.e. saying, “We had the spear until SOMEONE lost it”?

Finally, how much tribal harmony would there be if Shane were in this tribe instead of… oh, take your pick, it doesn’t matter. No doubt he’d find someone to take his frustrations out on. Most likely it would depend on whoever talked to him first.

Well, we’ve got one tribe that gets along almost too well, and other one that seems like a powder keg waiting for a match. It’ll be interesting to see what transpires on Thursday.

If you haven’t already, be sure to check out these other Survivor: Exile Island Episode 3 articles:

Ken can be reached with any comments, criticisms, or money orders at YourNextOfKen@aol.com.

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