An “Insider” Look at Survivor: China, Episode 1 – “There’s No One More Proud”

Chicken’s Final Words

Chicken looks truly sad as he starts off by saying he was shocked that the “young group” didn’t come together. He doesn’t think they ever will. They aren’t playing the game “by category or whatever. They’re just playing by the seat of their pants.” Chicken thinks if it had been a group of older people with one younger person, it would have been the same. The outcast would have gone. Even at the temple, Chicken says he knew there was a good chance he’d go first. Chicken says he knows there’s a lot of luck in the game. Chicken finishes by saying that “there’s no one more proud” who’s ever been on the show. He’s honored to have been a small part of the show.

Aw! Chicken seems so sad to have gone. He seems genuinely please to be part of the show, but he also seems like the awkward kid who all the other kids won’t play with at school. I hope he had a blast at Loser Lodge!

Chicken, The Day After

Chicken starts by saying he thought about the game in many different ways before it began. He put himself in different positions while thinking about the game – 24-7! He was so excited to get here. He hasn’t seen anyone as excited as he was. He planned on being himself. He didn’t have another game plan. What’s great about the game is it can change in a million ways. “It’s the greatest game in the world.” But going in as himself wasn’t enough strategy. He didn’t think about ways to fit in.

Chicken knows that if he didn’t go first, he would have gone second. The rest of the group – the young people – clicked really well. They were the same age and had the same education. He hangs out with farm guys and that’s who he relates to. He couldn’t relate to them, even though he tried. They’re all young characters... except him. It’s just the chemistry of the game. As soon as they got on the boat, they bonded. When they got to camp, they bonded even more. And Chicken didn’t. You have to come together at camp and in challenges all the time. Otherwise you can’t win.

Chicken says that if he could start over, he would have insisted on picking a leader for the group and making people listen to that leader without bickering. They needed some organization at the camp, right or wrong. They had all the elements of youth and strength to build a great tribe, but it didn’t come together. But they did get together well enough to do one thing: “vote my ass out.” He was amazed they came together well enough to do that. But they did.

I can’t say I think Chicken’s alternate, Monday-morning strategy would have worked any better for him. But he’s a fun guy to listen to and he’s right that the tribe isn’t organizing and functioning yet as well as they could. But being right doesn’t mean winning in Survivor.

Courtney Vents

Courtney starts by saying she knows she comes across as abrasive and “super-opinionated.” Courtney thinks as a female being really outspoken and not “overly chirpy-chirpy” everything is great, people think you’re overly negative. She’s not being overly negative! Everything isn’t great. The majority of people in her group wanted to sit down “like, eight times” to talk about things. Courtney just wanted to do things. They wanted to talk about strengths and weaknesses. Courtney wanted to find the water and get things done.

Courtney claims she does make friends easily but can’t deal with people being fake up front. She thinks people – like Todd – are really annoying. They can’t sit down by the fire and talk because they have no fire! She thinks everyone was trying to show off how great they were and pretend to listen to others, but really just wanted to talk about themselves. Courtney says it’s hard for her if she doesn’t like someone or thinks they’re stupid. She thinks she got the misfits and people who don’t have much personality on her tribe. But they do have a good dichotomy with some bigger and smaller types. The other group is all young – except Chicken – and homogenized.

Courtney’s not sure about her game plan yet. The folks on her tribe are all a “bunch of Survivor junkies.” Courtney can tell they’ve all been scheming and preparing for years. Some folks have already approached her, but it’s only been a couple days and it’s miserable out here. It’s cold and “I weigh, like, seven pounds!” Courtney’s cold all the time and it is miserable. She can’t stand being cold. The “monsooning rain” is demoralizing and they all have trench foot from all the water and mud. It is mud everywhere. “It is a horrible, horrible way to live.”

Sounds like Courtney’s having a blast, huh? I’d have more sympathy if she weren’t rolling her eyes in the temple before they even got out into the wilderness. Courtney doesn’t come across as stupid here, but she doesn’t seem to have a temperament much suited to the social game of Survivor. Also, as she points out, she’s tiny to begin with, so the physical deprivations of the game may be exceptionally hard on her, too. This doesn’t bode well for her future in the game.

Dave on His Tribe

Dave starts by saying he’s trying to provide suggestions and directions for his tribe. They way things are going aren’t necessarily how he’d do them, but he’s not the leader of the tribe. He’s already worried about taking too much of a leadership role. They’ve got a young tribe and there’s a lot of talking and chitter-chatter going on already. He’s going to try to tame his tongue and only let “the positive and productive” come through.