I’m going to come right out and say it; I’m getting a little tired of Survivor Samoa. Watching Foa Foa members get picked-off one after the other is starting to get a little tedious and it is becoming increasingly probable that the ultimate survivor this season is going to come from Galu unless something miraculous happens…and soon…please.
Tribe politics was front and centre this week on Galu as the tribe was forced to pick a new leader following the untimely exit of Russell S. for medical reasons. The men of Galu put their plan in motion to bring outcast Shambo on to their side of the tribe by electing her chief. A quickie election is organized by Eric, and before the women know it, they are under the leadership of Shambo. The funny thing as I see it, it appears that Shambo actually believes she is the tribe’s leader. Nothing could be further from the truth as look to Eric, Dave and John to play Shambo like a fiddle in the coming weeks.
At the reward challenge the tribes play Survivor’s version of the matching game. Foa Foa was never really in the game and lost badly to Galu who received a trip on a pirate ship/sale boat and a hearty meal as reward – not to mention the items they were allowed to keep from the matching game.
Galu’s leader, now Shambo, is instructed to send one team member back to camp with Foa Foa and she selects Laura, explaining that she needs her men strong for the challenges.
Realizing that he’ll need some allies at Galu once the tribes merge, Russell H goes to work on Laura immediately by playing to her ‘good Christian values.’ He informs her that there’s no point looking for the idol because Ben found it and took it home with him. They agree to stay close when the tribes come together and Russell believes he has made another ingenious move that will pay-off down the road.
Nothing really significant happens until the immunity challenge where the tribes go head-to-head in a boat race to pick up fish-shaped puzzle pieces that they then must put together back on dry land. Foa Foa jump out to an early lead, but as has been the case throughout the season, they fade near the end with Jaison all but quitting mid-challenge, leading to another Galu win.
The Foa Five will be just four following the Tribal Council and the only drama left is whether it’s Liz or Jaison going home. While Liz is a strong competitor and looks to be in better mental shape then Jaison at this point in the game, Foa Foa choose to keep Jaison’s size and strength in the game – something that hasn’t really mattered so far. Is this another terrible decision by Foa Foa? Time will tell.
The dilemma now for the producers of the show is when to merge the tribes. Another loss or two by Foa Foa and we could see one tribe completely eliminated before the merge – now that would be interesting. But my guess is they’ll merge sooner rather than later and then we’ll see if Russell can work his magic by putting a wedge between the Galu tribe. We will also see if Shambo can play an integral role in shaping the future of the game for her Galu tribe mates by realizing the power her leadership position holds.
The Scribe Has Spoken…
