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Survivor: Cook Islands – Survivor Live, Episode 3by Brian Towers -- 10/02/2006
It’s time for the third episode of the season of Survivor Live, CBS’s Internet interview show that features the most recently eliminated contestant from Survivor: Cook Islands. Hosted by Dalton Ross of Entertainment Weekly and Survivor: Amazon winner Jenna Morasca, this week’s guest is the victim of a last-minute voting switch, Cecilia Mansilla. She looks stunning in a red dress with matching lipstick. Let’s begin, as usual, with a trivia question. Since I’m not too inspired by all things Cecilia, I’m diving into my generic bag of questions this week. Here it is: which Survivor winner picked up the most Tribal Council votes (excluding final Tribal Council, of course) throughout their season? As usual, the answer will be near the bottom of this article. 
Dalton begins the show by alluding to the tribal realignment. Both hosts figure it came way too early, and I agree. When talking with Mark Burnett pre-season, Dalton got the impression the four tribes were going to be in play longer than last season’s gender/age split. Jenna calls it “lame” that the “experiment” was abandoned so early. Cecilia says she knew the boot was coming but was surprised that Cao Boi had flipped his vote. She feels Jonathan was so aggressive in arguing with Jessica, he just wore her down. Jenna doesn’t know why anyone trusts Jonathan. Cecilia reveals that they felt they needed to keep him because they wanted to keep strength around. Dalton thinks it odd that Cao Boi was ready to roll over on one of his original tribemates so early. Dalton brings up last week’s thrown challenge. Cecilia says they didn’t expect Billy to stay loyal after the merge, and “he was sucking the life out of us.” She adds that the way the picking worked out, he probably would have ended up on the other tribe, and that wouldn’t have helped her position any. Well, had he been there as an option, your team could have picked him over Cao Boi… Jenna notes that Ozzy stepped back from his former prominent role to be more of a follower. I’m surprised he didn’t work hard to save a former alliance-mate. Cecilia says that although it wasn’t shown, she was the one who decided “Princess” Becky was going to be the target. Jenna suggests it’s better to lay low and not be doing the dirty work in the early stages of the game. The first caller today is J.P. from Illinois. No, not that J.P.! He notes Cecilia wasn’t shocked when she was voted off and asks her thoughts before, during, and after Tribal Council. Cecilia repeats she wasn’t shocked; she knew Jonathan was winning the battle for Flica’s vote. Cecilia admits she lost some of her spirit and was ready to go. She thought it was about to get ugly and she didn’t want to partake in that. “It’s all about the experience. I got what I wanted, so let me go on to something else.” Oh, please – you deserve to be voted off. Where are the REAL Survivor players? The clip is run of Jonathan trying to get Flica to think strategically. There’s no one home under Flica’s bandana, and I think she’s another non-player who needs to go away. Candice’s name comes up. It’s noted that there was no coverage of her stay on Exile Island. Cecilia informs us that Candice is the smallest player on her tribe and that’s probably why the others chose her as the one to go to Exile Island. Dalton wonders if Aitu’s non-performance in the challenge last week made other players decide that Cecilia was a weak link for challenges in general. Jenna says it’s too early to plan a final five. I have to disagree again. Successful alliances in the Borneo, Africa, and Palau seasons were all formed in the first few episodes. Cecilia points out that many players this season are not fans of the show and don’t have advanced strategies. No, really? She says mostly they just play week to week. Cecilia points out that Yul did all the work to save Becky. Becky did nothing to save herself. Heidi (no, not that Heidi) in North Carolina asks Cecilia her opinion of throwing the challenge. She was definitely in favor of it. She says within 20 minutes of hitting the island, Billy was trying to form conflicting alliances and kept stressing team-negative things such as “he wasn’t Latino, he was metal.” 
Dalton still hates the idea of throwing a challenge. He agrees that, had they tried, maybe they wouldn’t lose that particular challenge, but how about the next one, or the one after that? Cecilia still doesn’t admit to the possibility that they would lose any challenges in the future. After trying to advance the point twice, Dalton gives up. Young Lindsay from California has skipped school today. She asks all three to name their favorite Survivors from other seasons. Jenna asks Cecilia if she’s seen the show - ha! Cecilia says Cirie, Dalton names Sally from last season, and Jenna names – surprise – Ethan. Jenna adds Big Tom, and Dalton names Rupert and Boston Rob, but from their initial seasons only. Jenna doesn’t care much for Rupert and adds Jerri and Rob Cesternino to her list. Jenna notes the challenge was an exact repeat of recent one, from Palau. She adds that if Cao Boi hadn’t fallen, they might have won. I don’t know about that, but there’s no doubt he was lagging badly and that’s what hurt them. Perhaps he should have dropped out as well? Dalton thinks they made a big tactical error by having the women all bail out so quickly. Cecilia says it was Yul who figured the other team was more physical and this was the way to play it. Cecilia thinks she could have made another lap without losing pace. Cecilia agrees that the other team is more physical (with J.P., Adam, Nate, and also Brad) and calls them “the Beefcake Tribe.” By comparison, Aitu does have Yul but they also have the two older men, Jonathan and Cao Boi. She adds that Ozzy is “super-athletic, but weighs about a buck 50.” Jenna tries to make the point that big doesn’t necessarily mean strong, but Cecilia is pretty sure this challenge was about raw power. I have to agree with Cecilia. Jenna must be back to liking Ozzy; she’s anxious to have the challenge clip run so she can look at Ozzy some more. Dalton is as exasperated with her as I, but he runs the clip. Rebecca was the last woman standing. I’m surprised Flica didn’t last longer.
Cecilia says they tried to run at the start, but that was a bad idea. She informs us the challenge only lasted about 15 minutes, and that luckily it was overcast, so it wasn’t unbearably hot. Kane from Ohio asks if anything was not shown in the episode that might explain her boot. Cecilia says she and Ozzy were talking to Cao Boi and Flica, and Jonathan came up to them. She spilled it that Becky was their choice to go. She regrets that she blurted it out; she shouldn’t have revealed the plan. She adds that there was no big reason for Becky to be the one they picked on; she hadn’t done anything wrong, it was just a “not me” thing. Dalton discusses Jenna’s Haterade. Last week it was over the “frat boy mentality” of J.P. and Ozzy. This week, Ozzy is cute again and Jonathan’s aggression is her target. Jenna doesn’t like they way he was getting into Flica’s face. Dalton says, “But you know what? It worked.” Discussing Jonathan, Cecilia says, “He seems to have no qualms about doing whatever it takes. Maybe it wasn’t the best place for me to be, in a reality show that is a contest, but I have a real life to go back to. I don’t want to embarrass myself. I’m going to see these people again and I don’t want it to be all bad, I want it to be positive and good.” Jenna explains, “See, you have to be ready to embarrass yourself on this show.” I’m thinking Cecilia is right; she had no place being on this show, and those of us who are lucky will all forget her quickly. If you can’t “outwit, outplay, outlast,” then you shouldn’t be taking a spot that tens of thousands others covet. Thankfully, moving to our next caller finds Kellen from Kansas. Most of his multi-part question gets ignored, but they do address why Sundra’s name never came up in the boot discussions. Cecilia says Sundra was on her and Ozzy’s side. I think you’d need to ask the five who voted Cecilia out that question. Dalton remembers that Jonathan stole Yul’s chickens, and it’s odd they are now allies. Cecilia again says that Yul and Jonathan probably explained their version of the game to Cao Boi and Flica better than she did. Cecilia saw Flica’s laid-back attitude and thought not pushing her was a better idea. Obviously, that was an error. The caller (Kellen) also mentions that Dalton talked about Cecilia’s socks. Her boyfriend is a ball player and she was “representing with the baseball socks.” Also, she wore the one sock to protect her knee and a badly scraped shin that still has a scar on it. A still from the show shows Flica with two green knee socks pulled up high and Cecilia with one up, one down. Dalton next introduces “Probst’s Thoughts,” where Jeff Probst records a message to the departing player. He starts out hesitantly, choosing his words very carefully. Probst wonders if Cecilia was using sexuality in the game. He thinks Cecilia didn’t realize she had that effect and was playing “a very cagey game.” Cecilia doesn’t know what Jeff is talking about. She admits to flirting with J.P., but it was “innocent and cute.” She adds that Ozzy has a girlfriend. Dalton mentions that Billy is available, but Cecilia wrinkles up her nose and says, “I may take a pass on that.” Jenna mentions Parvati’s flirting, but the jury’s out on its effectiveness. Cecilia mentions how it didn’t work for Misty last season. Jenna says, “It’s never worked since my season.” Jenna adds that she didn’t go into the game planning to flirt, it just developed. Greg from Oakland asks if Cecilia is single (yes, but dating) and if there’s any behind-the-scenes romancing going on (no, just J.P. and her). The third segment always begins with the new “minus ten” feature, where Dalton reads ten categories and Cecilia comments on each in less than ten words. Here’s how it plays out:
Number eight generates some charming conversation about Survivor potty arrangements. Jenna wonders if anyone still digs a latrine on this show. Cecilia says they didn’t; they were told to just go in the jungle and “mark your hole. You don’t want to dig up somebody else’s surprises.” Katherine from Connecticut asks if it’s ironic that the people Cecilia chose for her team ended up sending her home. Specifically, Cecilia chose Flica with her pick, but Flica voted her out. She wishes she’d ended up on “the Beefcake Tribe.” Dalton says Cao Boi is no conformist, and was surprised he flipped his vote so readily. Cecilia says Jonathan may not have convinced him, but Yul had more influence with him. Remembering how wrong they were last season on this topic, Dalton thinks Cecilia’s tribe is the stronger tribe and may have a better dynamic. Jenna agrees, noting that it does depend on the challenges, which are supposed to be less physical than in some recent seasons. Jenna asks if Candice would have been voted out if she had been there. Cecilia doubts it, as there were three original Raros on the tribe, and with the two Pukas, they’d have had the majority.
Dalton wonders how Billy felt watching from home, and segues to the clip of Cecilia telling Candice and the others about Billy’s hidden love. Candice, of course, has no feelings for Billy. Dalton calls it “every man’s nightmare.” It’s also Billy’s nightmare that his team conspired to send him home only to see the teams disband in the next episode! Vicky from Oregon is a new viewer of Survivor Live. She wonders if it was too early for Yul to show Becky the hidden idol. All think so. I agree, as he already had Becky’s allegiance sewn up. Cecilia says they asked Yul if he had the hidden idol and, unable to lie, he changed the subject. Jenna says Yul is too nice to win, and that’s why Ethan likes him. Cecilia confirms that Jeff didn’t explain anything about the hidden idol at Tribal Council. Jason in Indiana asks Cecilia whom she might have taken to the final two. She names Jonathan, reasoning that no one would like him. Asked what she’d do with a million dollars, she says she’d pay off debts and invest the rest. The last caller is Christina from Miami, who wonders what Cecilia missed most from home. It’s Chap Stick and dry socks. She adds, “I got to do things that I would never have done,” and, “I’m not the princess I thought I was.” It’s time for Jenna’s “Question of the Week.” She asks, “What are you going to do now that Survivor is over?” Not much - Cecilia is just going back to her job and her life. She has an increased awareness of family and friends and seeks rich life experiences. She is looking forward to seeing the members of her original tribe at the finale. What, she didn’t see Billy in Loser Lodge? Dalton has the promo clip for next week run. At Raro, new lines are drawn, and Cao Boi goes too far. The former is the beefcakes allying together while the women work, and for the latter, the hosts decide Cao Boi is a culture unto himself. To the strains of Live’s rocking theme, Jenna pancakes us out. We’re done, and not a moment too soon! CBS Website: Here’s the promo items for this week:
I also had a quick peek at their “Popularity Poll” results, and two players are far in front of the rest. Perhaps it’s no surprise that Yul leads, but Cai Boi is in second place! And while we’re talking website… all is not well there yet. This show was posted Friday with no picture or sound for the first and third segments. That’s right… over 40 minutes of silent black screen! Furthermore, if you click on the link to other shows for Survivor: Borneo, you get the current season instead. Really, people, if you expect us to care, it needs to be better than this! Trivia Answer: Here’s the answer to my trivia question – last season’s winner Aras picked up eight votes along his path to victory. No, not all from Terry – though he did contribute three of them. In Conclusion: Everyone is invited to share his or her opinions at the eAddress below. If the show is posted correctly (as I am away on Friday), I’ll be back next week to report on another Survivor Live interview! If you haven’t already, be sure to check out these other recent Survivor: Cook Islands articles here on RealityNewsOnline:
Brian lives in Toronto where he can be reached at uncle_bto@rogers.com. He’d like to hear your opinions and promises to respond to all serious email! Be sure to sign up for our e-mail update so you can stay informed about new articles on the site! And take a look at the rest of the site. You can find all of our recaps and other info on this show at the Survivor: Cook Islands page, and take a look at our The Amazing Race 8 page and our Apprentice: Martha Stewart page. You can even buy reality show stuff at our Reality TV Store! For more news about Survivor, be sure to check out SirLinksALot: Survivor: Cook Islands and Survivor Fever! |