Survivor: China – Two Weeks Worth of Questions

Less than half the cast may still be in the game, but this tribe certainly isn’t called “Half De Fun.” In fact, with Amanda’s proclamation that Fei Long is no longer together, things could get, in the words of Artie Johnson, “Verrrrry interesting.” That brings us to our first question: Why exactly is Amanda turning on her alliance? So far, she’s played the best game of anyone; for her to turn on her alliance, she must have an awfully good reason. Chances are, some of the core people in her alliance have given her reason not to trust them, or she has reason to believe she’s in danger, so she’s trying to set up a counter-move.

But will it work? If I were Peih-Gee or Erik, I would be reluctant to take her at face value. They may think Amanda’s just trying to control the votes and pull a fast one on them and go straight to Todd with this information. Or is Mark Burnett throwing us a curve? It’s possible that Amanda’s plan falls apart and she decides to stick with her original alliance. But how would she explain it to Todd if Peih-Gee rats her out? If I were Amanda, I’d tell him that Peih-Gee will do anything at this point to stay in the game and is just trying to put doubts into his head.

Now let’s ask a few questions about the jury-bound Frosti. First of all, would he have been given the axe if he hadn’t started cozying up to Courtney? While doing so certainly didn’t help his cause, it must be noted that when voting to oust him, nobody seemed to mention his relationship with Courtney. Plus, remember that he was still an original Zhan Hu, which made him a target as it was, kidnapping or not. He did, however, get a great parting line in when he commented that the others ousted him with cheeseburgers still on their breath. It made for great video and yet didn’t come across as particularly bitter.

During the reward challenge, did it seem as though he and Erik carried their team? Courtney and Amanda maybe contributed a small amount to the win, but for the most part, they were along for the ride. In fact, it looked as though “the munchkin and the musician” could’ve won if it had been the two of them taking on the other six.

Has anyone ever done a better job of summarizing the show than Frosti did in his RNO interview? While he came into the game wanting to utilize his parkour skills, he noted that the show is about putting people in unfamiliar situations and seeing how they do. When you think about it, he’s exactly right. That’s why we have sitcoms like The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, not The Fresh Prince of West Philly. That also helps explain such shows as Green Acres and The Beverly Hillbillies. Whether scripted or not, “fish out of water” scenarios make for better television.

Now, let’s take a look at Courtney. Was anyone else surprised when she voted Frosti out, despite her relationship with him? I certainly was, because she hasn’t exactly been a master strategist so far. In the past, Courtney allowed her disgust for Jean-Robert, justified as it may be, to at times dictate not her vote and her interaction with her supposed allies, such as Todd. But, obviously, she made the right move and maybe now the others will trust her a little more.

Having said that, does she have a chance to win this game? Personally, I think she has a better chance of winning an NBA slam-dunk contest. While she stands a pretty good chance of making the final three, it’s hard to imagine anyone voting for her instead of Todd, Amanda, or for that matter, anyone else.

While Courtney’s comment about Peih-Gee being in her current predicament due to poor choices may have been accurate, did anyone else find it strange coming from a person who has basically been carried up to this point? More than anyone else in this game, and maybe ever, Courtney has made it this far in spite of her game play, not because of it. She sniped at Todd and Amanda regarding Jean-Robert, cozied up to an original Zhan Hu, got to enjoy the last reward due largely to the efforts of others and isn’t a target only because she isn’t seen as a threat.

By the way, did anyone else notice that she was the only one who ate at both the reward challenge and the immunity challenge? Then again, she definitely looks like she needs twice as much food as everyone else. Maybe she’s just got a high metabolism to go along with her small frame.

Now for a look at Peih-Gee, who seemed to be actively campaigning for all the negative energy no longer directed at Jean-Robert. Does she want to stay in the game, or does she think, since numbers aren’t on her side, she has nothing more to lose? First off, there was her attempt to “micromanage” James regarding the fire. She immediately brought to mind Alicia Calaway, who pulled something similar during Survivor: All Stars, and also got on a few nerves in the process.

But Peih-Gee wasn’t finished ruffling feathers. What was she hoping to accomplish by her tirade against James after the reward challenge? Even if she beats the odds and makes it to the final three, the odds may be even longer that she can overcome this display in the minds of the jurors. While I can understand her frustration at being the “most losingest” player left, there was no point in launching into a tirade about it. For one thing, it’s not like she was stellar in the reward challenge. In fact, it looked as though she had as much to do with the loss as any of them.

But let’s also give credit where credit is due: She did what she had to do in the immunity challenge, which is even more impressive considering that, of the four who did participate, she was the only one who hadn’t eaten at the reward challenge. Granted it was a mental challenge, but players from past seasons have noted that when your belly is full, you’re a better player all around both physically and mentally, which may explain why Colby won so many challenges in a row in the Outback.