Survivor: Cook Islands – Survivor Live, Episode 4

It really sounds like Billy was trying to make too many moves too soon. He should have read our annual What Survivors Should Have Learned column.

To continue the story, J.P. didn’t want Billy coming into a merge playing the “poor me, I’m a heavy metal outcast” card and gaining sympathy from the others. J.P. thought the others just might believe Billy over himself.

The tape of Thursday night’s challenge is run next. Ozzy’s the star. J.P. admits that in the challenge, he started swimming too soon. His reason was that he was unsure of the depth of the water. He says, “Ozzy is under-estimated because of his athleticism. That’s why I think he can go very far in this game, he can even win.”

Oh J.P., you still don’t get it that the game is more about people than physical deeds.

Jenna calls for appreciation of Cao Boi’s unconventional but effective fire-starting methods. J.P. tells us Rebecca had taken on the title of “the fire girl.” He suddenly realizes she maintained the fire a lot, and she hung out around the fire… but… he’s not sure he ever saw her actually start a fire. Ha! Dalton remembers that Rebecca did start a fire back on the Hiki tribe.

J.P. talks more about Ozzy, saying, “Ozzy can do everything. He’s athletic and he provides a lot.” He says they were great buddies, though at first he was wary of him because of things Billy had told him.

J.P. clarifies, his alliance with the Raro guys was to “make the final merge” but his pact with Cristina preceded that, so he would have taken her over the guys. I don’t know why he would make her that kind of promise; it obviously didn’t go both ways. Jenna says when she played, her aim was just to get on the jury and she didn’t seriously plan further until that objective was secured. She notes that allies you count on get cut down along the way and you constantly have to “re-tool.”

J.P. says again that he wanted to get himself, Ozzy, Cristina, Adam, Nate, and Brad “up there, that was my goal.” He then adds, significantly I think, “The people I didn’t give my word to, I didn’t talk to.” I guess he decided that he didn’t need support from those potential jury members?

Dalton asks J.P. his opinions of the newly-formed tribes. J.P. admits he was only thinking superficially, but thought his tribe looked “bad-ass.” He’s learned.

Dalton next introduces “Probst’s Thoughts,” where Jeff Probst records a message to the departing player. Jeff notes J.P., Adam, and Nate were the physical threats. Jeff saw early that J.P. is a natural leader, and his willingness to speak his mind would either serve him well or become an Achilles heel. He concludes, “And the results speak for themselves.”

J.P. agrees with Jeff. On his first tribe, when he saw Cristina and Ozzy go head-to-head but later work it out, J.P. liked that; it’s more his style. But when the teams were reformed he found himself with what he calls “insecure people who can’t handle a person like myself.”

He says the women he hangs out with (in the real world) “make me look like a softie.” OK, fine… but his fellow players were NOT those women and he could not or would not adjust his approach for the situation at hand. In a nutshell, that’s why he lost.

He thinks his approach would have worked better on the other tribe. I have my doubts, but who can say for sure?

There is some talk of previous players. Jenna and Tina did not have the physical game, but Tom Westman and Terry did. J.P. saw himself as like the latter pair, but Dalton suggests that to carry that kind of authority deep into the game may come more readily from an older player than J.P., who is what I would call “a young thirty.” As it was, he came across as smug.

J.P. says that ever since the pre-show interviews, Probst has been able to push his buttons. He suspects he was cast to be a typical hot-tempered Latino guy. He’s been brought up to believe one should speak their mind. He says he’s learned that in this game, it’s often better to shut up.

In the last Tribal Council he had a bit of a run-in with Probst and was glad it wasn’t shown. Apparently J.P. is restricted from telling the details of this story, but here’s what he could say – Jeff asked J.P. his opinion of something that was said by another player, and J.P. called Jeff out for putting words in their mouth. The producers told him later he’s one of about three people who have had such confrontations with Jeff. The hosts say, “Judd!” J.P. insists he was respectful, he didn’t tell Jeff to “shut up” or anything like that. However, when he heard something he didn’t agree with he never let it go unchallenged.

The third segment always begins with the new “minus 10” feature, where Dalton reads ten categories for J.P. to comment on, each in less than ten words. He is unable to limit himself to ten words in almost every category, but here are the highlights:

10. Volleyball – fun, intense

9. Being blindsided – sucks, heartless, no trust, let down, messed up

8. Cecelia – beautiful, curvaceous, Latina, hot, sexy, cuddly, warm, thoughtful, cool, energetic

7. Throwing challenges – it needed to be done, necessary, part of the game

6. Karma – is a bizzle, The Curse Of

5. The Goonies – ya gotta love the Goonies

4. Fetch me a machete – get it, what’s wrong with that

3. Swimming – Ozzy kicked my ass, I admit it

2. Billy Garcia – nice guy out of the game, not as a player, love to get to know him

1. Jenna’s ensemble – it’s too much

J.P. asks Jenna, “What is that, your boyfriend’s jacket?” It is.

The next call is a bust but we do hear J.P. say that he only had that seat three times, and that everyone took a break there at some point.

Dalton asks J.P. to name “the one thing he will take away from the game, the biggest positive.” It’s time for the softer side of J.P. again! He tells us, “I learned a little bit about myself.” He adds that Mark Burnett warned them this would happen, that playing Survivor is an eye-opening experience to take advantage of, and a chance to think about where one is in their life. J.P. says he was right and adds, “I’m excited to start a whole new life.” Jenna is happy to hear that J.P. has learned from the experience, as too many contestants do not.