Reality High Test Results, October 19 – 25: The Clueless and the Annoying

Welcome back to another week at Reality High! This time there’s not just one Survivor going home, but two! And of course, there’s an Amazing Race team that’s also going home, after the non-elimination leg last week.

In any case, the remaining 15 contestants from Survivor: Cook Islands and the remaining seven teams from The Amazing Race 10 returned, and I gave them the tests for this week. They took the tests, returned them to me, and I took a look at them.

When I saw Cristina’s answer to the first question, I knew it was going to be a long day for me:

1. You had just been told by someone at Tribal Council that you were annoying. How do you handle it when you get back to your camp?

A. Save your hurt feelings for confessional time. Instead, try to correct the problem by becoming more laid-back.
B. Privately talk it over with the tribe mate who made the remarks.
C. Confront the tribe mate in front of everyone.

Unfortunately, Cristina chose “C,” and I had to tell her that she was wrong. Confronting Adam in front of everyone just wasn’t a good idea! It only made her look worse. When I told Cristina that, she said that she thought the people on Raro were her friends, but she noticed that people had been treating her differently for days. I said that she had every reason to be upset, but it’s still no reason to confront everyone. She seemed to want to argue the point, but decided to back off. Maybe she didn’t want to go to Detention.

Proving once again that Cao Boi’s got very little common sense, here’s his answer to the second question:

2. True or False: If you want to flush out the hidden immunity idol, you need to determine who has it before talking to anyone else.

Cao Boi answered “False,” and I just groaned. Cao Boi actually had enough brains to realize that there was a possibility that Jonathan and Candice might hook up with the original members of Raro at the merge. He also believed Jonathan actually had the hidden immunity idol. So he decided that they should have a 3-3-2 split vote, with three people voting for Jonathan, three others voting for Candice and the other two voting for either Cao Boi or Flica (most likely Cao Boi). That’s a great idea, right?

Well, it would’ve been if Cao Boi hadn’t made two mistakes. First, he mistakenly believed that Jonathan had the hidden immunity idol. Second, he told Yul – who had the hidden immunity idol. He really should’ve talked it over with Flica, Ozzy, and Sundra first, because those three had never been to Exile Island. Then he should’ve done some sleuthing to find out who had the hidden immunity idol, if indeed anybody did. Once he figured that out, then he could’ve come up with a plan to flush it out. But Cao Boi jumped to conclusions, and therefore the plan backfired on him.

And the cherry on the top of Cao Boi’s lack of common sense was in his answer to the third question:

3. True or False: When four people you are trying to get to join in on your plan are in a tent whispering together, be very afraid.

Flica answered “True,” but Cao Boi answered “False.” And I reached for the Excedrin. Cao Boi obviously trusted Becky and Yul too much. He relied too much on the fact that they were all originally from Puka and therefore should be natural allies. He should’ve realized that Becky and Yul were allied with Candice and Jonathan, that alliances that stick together for more than two episodes are probably going to trump those that were forged in just two episodes, and that others were annoyed by him even back in Puka. Unfortunately for him, he didn’t.

And speaking of Becky and Yul, I smiled when I saw what their answers to my fourth question were:

4. You are in an alliance with two people who are being targeted by a third person outside your alliance. Who should you vote out?

A. The outsider who cooked up the original idea and who is the least athletic.
B. The outsider who was in on the idea but who is very athletic.
C. One of the two alliance members who are being targeted.

Becky and Yul answered “A,” as did Sundra. I was happy to tell them that they were all correct. Although Jonathan may not be trustworthy, and I suspect this will come back to bite him later on, you need numbers at this point, and right now Jonathan and Candice give all three the numbers. And it certainly would not be in Yul’s best interests to allow Jonathan to go and thus expose the fact that he had the hidden immunity idol. So they had the right idea and let Cao Boi go home.

After Cao Boi’s completely unsurprising boot, Raro had to go to Tribal Council. And that led to the fifth question:

5. The winning tribe gets the right to “kidnap” a person from the losing tribe, thus making that person immune and a part of the winning tribe until the next reward challenge. Who should be “kidnapped?”

A. The one who is most in danger on the losing tribe.
B. Someone who can help you win the next reward challenge even if that person’s in no danger yet.
C. Someone who is neither in any danger nor will be any help during the next reward challenge.
D. A or B will do nicely.

Aitu chose “B.” Although I would’ve probably gone more for “A,” the correct answer is actually “D.” After all, Nate is a strong man. He really gave Jonathan and Yul a hard time during the most recent reward challenge (they had less trouble with him than Becky or Flica had with Cristina, and than Parvati and Rebecca had with Candice, but they still had trouble). And the men on Aitu just aren’t as strong as the men on Raro. So why not “kidnap” someone who can help you win a reward challenge?

Now it’s time to look at the first Tribal Council victim, Cao Boi. Quite frankly, it’s not all that surprising that he was sent home early. As I said before, the guy’s just not all there when it comes to brains. He mistakenly believed that Jonathan had the hidden immunity idol and first revealed his plan to the one person who did have it – Yul. And worst of all, he had previously considered voting out Becky, and both Becky and Yul knew it. Neither one could trust Cao Boi after that, and Cao Boi paid for it.

And then there’s Cristina. Why was she voted out? I’d have to say it was primarily her personality. She just wasn’t able to dial back her strong personality, and therefore she clashed with her teammates, especially Adam and Jenny. Therefore, she weakened her tribe and everyone who could vote except for Brad turned on her. She could’ve done better if she’d formed more solid alliances and if she’d toned down her personality, but it was not meant to be.

Once I was done with the questions for the Cook Islands contestants, it was time to look at the answers for the AR 10 teams. I first took a look at a couple of answers to the sixth question. When I saw them, I just groaned:

6. You have to go to a travel agency to get tickets on a flight to Kuwait. What is the best tactic to persuade the travel agents that you need to get there right away?

A. Tell them you’re involved in a race.
B. Tell them that you’re beauty queens.
C. Tell them that there’s a medical emergency.

Unfortunately, neither Dustin & Kandice nor Peter chose “A,” which was the correct answer. Dustin & Kandice chose “B,” and I told them that it wasn’t the best answer, but it wasn’t the worst one either. After all, they didn’t resort to falsely claiming there was a medical emergency like Peter did this leg or like Charla & Mirna did in The Amazing Race 5.

Peter chose “C,” and I had a long, hard talk with him. I told him that while it was true that Sarah had a prosthetic leg it was still no excuse to falsely claim there was a medical emergency. He protested that Sarah’s leg was leaking fluid, so there was a real medical emergency. I retorted that she could still move, so it still wasn’t a true emergency. A true one would’ve been Jim’s misfortune in TAR 5, when he gashed his knee.

However, on the bright side, Peter & Sarah did get the seventh question right:

7. True or False: It’s a good idea to ask travel agents what location you have to go to if you haven’t been told where it is.

Peter & Sarah and Rob & Kimberly answered “True,” and I was pleased to tell them that they were right. All the teams had been told to go to a mystery location in Kuwait (actually, the Kuwait Towers), but none of them had been told where it was. Peter & Sarah and Rob & Kimberly had the right idea to get help from the agents at the travel agency, especially since there was Internet access there. Tyler & James also got help at the travel agency, but they directly checked the Internet. However, that’s going to be the only good thing I’ll say about Peter for the rest of the race.

Then I looked at four answers for the eighth question, and I alternately sighed and smiled:

8. You want to find a way to your next destination once you get off the airplane. What is the best way to do that?

A. Get directions from the pilot and write them down.
B. Get a local to take you there.
C. Get locations from someone on the plane but don’t write them down.

Well, at least nobody answered “C.” But the Backpack Alliance members (David & Mary, Erwin & Godwin, and Lyn & Karlyn) all answered “B,” and that really wasn’t much better. I reminded them of what happened to Duke & Lauren in Episode 3, when those two had to wait for a local to take them to the Hanoi Hilton, only to be screwed by her. All three teams hung their heads a little sheepishly. However, it didn’t really hurt any of them in the end, since one team came in first, and the other two stuck around.

I noticed David & Mary’s answer to the ninth question and I was delighted:

9: True or False: It’s a great idea to go for the Fast Forward if you’re marked for elimination.

David & Mary answered “True,” and I was happy to tell them that they were right. They finished in last place in the previous leg, but by going for the Fast Forward and getting it (with some help from Erwin & Godwin); they didn’t have to get hit with a 30-minute penalty. So they’re safe for now. Of course, that put Erwin & Godwin in a potentially precarious situation, since there was no way they could’ve known how badly either Tyler & James or Peter & Sarah would be lost, but it worked out for them.

Although Lyn & Karlyn screwed up with the answer to the eighth question, they were able to redeem themselves with their answer to the tenth question:

10. True or False: When choosing Detours, camels are faster than filling up 10 110-pound bags of feed.

Lyn & Karlyn answered “True,” and I was pleased to tell them that they were right. I’d have to say that using a robotic jockey that was controlled by a voice-activated remote control to race a camel would be faster than filling up 10 bags of feed and carrying them to a spot one at a time. Now if only they would stop bickering with Dustin & Kandice. Then again, Dustin & Kandice are known to cut in lines, and they aren’t allied with Lyn & Karlyn either.

As for Peter & Sarah, I’m sorry to see Sarah gone, but I have this to say about Peter: YIIPPPEEEE! I’m so thrilled to see Peter is finally gone! But why were Peter & poor Sarah finally eliminated? Basically, they got really, really lost. It was so bad that when they finally got to the Detour, they found out that they had to skip it and go directly to the Pit Stop. When you finally arrive at a Detour location only to get that kind of news, it shouldn’t take you long to figure out that your time in the race is over.

It was time to give the contestants and teams who were still in the game their grades. I gave Becky an “A-,” which delighted her. Flica got a “C,” mainly because while she has more common sense than Cao Boi did, she still isn’t a strategic player. Sundra and Yul each got an “A-,” and both of them were delighted as well. As for the AR 10 teams that were still left in the race, I gave Dustin & Kandice an “A.” They cheered. David & Mary got a “B+,” and they were delighted. Erwin & Godwin sighed when they got their “C.” Lyn & Karlyn got a “B” and I took them aside and told them about a little plan I had to get revenge on Peter. They said, “Count us in!” I smiled. Tyler & James got a “B-,” since although they did great with the questions on the quiz itself, they got themselves really lost. And Rob & Kimberly got a “B,” which pleased them.

When I was left with the latest victims, I first turned to Cao Boi. I told him, “Well, you were colorful. You were entertaining. Unfortunately for you, you were also completely clueless. You had little sense of the strategic game, and practically no sense of the social game involved in Survivor. That got you knocked out of the game. Part of me will miss you, but at least I won’t have to try to teach Logic, Game Play, and Strategic Technique to a completely clueless guy anymore.” Cao Boi admitted that he had been clueless when it came to Survivor. At least he has some self-awareness.

Then I turned to Cristina. I told her, “Well, it’s too bad you were sent packing. You have a very strong personality; unfortunately, you just didn’t know how to rein it in. This led to clashes with your fellow Raro members, especially Adam and Jenny. Then you agreed to vote out J.P., and that left you at the mercy of the others. Stephannie’s weakness may have helped to spare you, but you were just living on borrowed time and the only thing that could’ve saved you was being ‘kidnapped’ by Aitu. And that didn’t happen. So out you went.”

Finally, I was left with Peter & Sarah. I told them, “I have mixed feelings about your elimination. On the one hand, I’m really sorry to see you go, Sarah. You were really inspiring in many ways. On the other hand, I’m absolutely thrilled to see you go, Peter! You really got on my nerves pretty quickly. Treating Sarah like a child isn’t going to get you on my good side… or hers, for that matter. At least you both realized that you’re better off as friends than as dating partners.”

Before they left, I gave them their grades. Cristina got a “D,” and she just sighed. As for Cao Boi, I had to give him an “F.” He sighed, then brightened and said, “I have a great story for you. It involves a dream of mine.” Before he could continue, I said, “Sorry, but I don’t have the time to hear it.” He sighed again, and then left after Cristina. I gave Sarah an “A” and a medal of honor just for putting up with Peter, and she smiled as she left. I then shoved Peter’s grade into his hands. It was an “F.” He said, “I knew it,” as he turned to go.

But before Peter could step out the door to join Sarah, I stopped him. When he turned to ask me what I wanted, I asked him, “Tell me who you think most annoys Phil.” Peter said, “I don’t know,” – and a bucket of slime dropped on his head! And then we heard Lyn & Karlyn laughing! Peter started cursing the single moms, and then he started cursing me because he figured I was in on it, but I was laughing too hard by that point to care. Finally he stomped out, cursing all the way down the hall as I thanked Lyn & Karlyn for their help.

Once again, nastiness never felt so good.

If you haven’t already, be sure to check out these other recent Survivor: Cook Islands articles here on RealityNewsOnline:

Belle Book is a library clerk for a community college in Pennsylvania. She would love to see Yul win Survivor: Cook Islands! If you wish to contact Belle, she can be reached at BelleBook@aol.com.

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