Let me start by saying two things:
I am already loving season 19 of Survivor. Nice casting and lots of villains to love/hate.
Second, can I pick ‘em or what!?!
Mick, my pre-season choice for Ultimate Survivor, didn’t disappoint as he was instantly elected as the Foa Foa (in yellow) Tribe leader. He then led his team to an early reward challenge victory by aptly, without any prior knowledge, picking his tribe’s strongest swimmer, strongest physical player, most agile individual and smartest player.
The Galu (in purple) Tribe selected Russell, the dreadlocked attorney, as their leader and he didn’t fare quite as well in his selections for the challenge but it is clear the tribes are evenly matched which should make for some exciting competitions and eliminate the ‘have and have-not’ scenarios from the past few seasons.
Besides Mick and Russell, other players that caught my eye where Shannon from the Galu Tribe who prefers to be called Shan-bo, her nickname since her days in the Marines…part Shannon-part Rambo. I offer Shan-let. Part Shannon-All Mullet. Still, Shannon seams to be a player and could be a real threat if she keeps her mouth shut and performs well in challenges.
On the Foa Foa side you couldn’t help but notice Russell H. He is the human embodiment of a bull-terrier. Small, powerful physique, nasty snarl and he can turn on you at any moment. Russell H. got the game going right away by making no fewer than four alliances with what he called the ‘Dumb Girl Alliance’. He worked the dumb short haired blonde, dumber long-haired blonde and the stupid Marisa (his words, not mine). Then he hedged his bet by trying to make a pact with Betsy, the street-smart cop who saw right through Russell and questioned his integrity right away.
Russell H. may have also earned a spot on the list of dirtiest player in the game’s history by pouring out the contents of his tribe-mates’ water canteens while they slept and burning Jaison’s socks in the campfire in an effort to make everyone around him ‘uncomfortable’ and get them to start blaming each other. This puts Russell in Johnny Fairplay territory as one of the most devious players to ever put on a buff.
The Galu Tribe made a nice comeback in the immunity challenge and sent the Foa Foa side to their first vote. As always, host Jeff, attempted to tease-out some of the personal differences between the players which led to a confrontation between Russell H. and Marisa. Despite Russell having four alliances on the go, the Tribe chose to get rid of Marisa – why? I’m not entirely sure, but it seems Russell is running the show right now.
Next week we are led to believe that things get physical between the tribes and that one male player takes down an opposing female player which sets off fireworks. Prediction: Russell is the male and likely tangled with either Kelly or Laura, the two smallest females on Galu.
So who’s next to go home? Who knows……The Scribe has spoken.
