Survivor Week 4: Revenge is Sweet(er Than Sugar)

So what was sweeter: the revenge or the jar of sugar that Sandra killed? It's time for another Survivor recap.

1) Can we spend less time on challenges? And more on character development?

I shouldn't be forgetting each week who is on the green tribe or what their tribe's name even is. Aubry inadvertently spoke for all of us when she couldn't remember the name of her tribe.

There really shouldn't be two different challenges when there's three tribes. There should just be one challenge for immunity and reward. First place receives immunity + reward, second place receives immunity and third place goes to tribal. I can't believe a tribe that comes in second even gets reward, even if it is a diminished form of what the winner's get. Then it becomes "don't come in last", when there should be more incentive to finish first in the most important challenge.

In addition to that, a greater number of challenges produces less thrilling results. It reduces the probability of the weaker tribe winning. This seems to be how the green tribe, despite losing the last two reward challenges, is still untouched. Five of the tribe's members have yet to go to tribal council and claim their torches. On the flip-side, the one time that the blue tribe comes in second, they're sent packing for tribal council. Once again, another bad shake of things for the tribe.

I think there's more interesting stuff going on but instead we're stuck with this weak blue tribe, the original members of Mana. I'm not saying rig the challenges so we see more of the green tribe, but how about cut the reward challenge and then give the viewers an extra ten minutes of camp life and confessionals?

2) The show's gameplay has not been as exciting as billed yet.

As the show continues to try to push the Game Changers mantra in to our faces, the actual gameplay has been far from game-changing. In fact, it's reverted to the early days of Survivor where one tribe pits itself against the other.

The tribe swap has created an us vs. them mentality among players, as the members of the original Nuku and Mana tribes continue to target members from the other that are in the minority. This was the first week that an original Mana member wasn't voted out. But I find it fascinating that people that were on the same tribe together for just six days are clinging on to each other. Tai didn't need to play an idol on anyone last week. He was safe. So it will be interesting to see who from the original Nuku group will be selfish and put their needs before the group's needs--a group that no longer is physically intact with each other. And for JT, this is what led to his elimination.

3) JT- is he actually the show's worst winner ever? (He isn't)

The biggest problem with all-stars seasons, particularly when some players have better Survivor resumes than other players on the season is that their legacies can take a big blow from what happens when they play again, and then revisionist history is written.

I watched Survivor: Tocantins in the off-season, and was impressed by how JT ran through everyone in the game. He was so well-liked that his adversaries were giving confessionals where they said they wanted JT to win more than they wanted themselves to win. JT played a near-flawless game, and even came back despite a numeric disadvantage at the merge. He played a lot of folks with his southern charm and quickly became one of the show's greatest challenge competitors. And strategically, he made a great move in throwing Stephen under the bus when he needed to and he worked the jury masterfully, earning a unanimous win. If he never plays again, he's a easily in the discussion as a top 10 winner.

But then he makes three clear mistakes over his next two tries. But two of them were risks that had they played out differently, might have been worth taking. Remember, he's already won a million dollars, so now it's like he's playing with house money and is willing to take big gambles. The show pushes for big moves and swinging for the fences, but then laughs at those that strike out.

Should he have given Russell the idol? Absolutely not. But remember, he has no idea who Russell Hantz is. Not everyone on the Villains tribe was an ultra-villain. Had it been Coach or Tyson or maybe even Randy, and they were actually in the minority, the move could have paid dividends. So how could JT know that Russell is who he says he is? Had his risk paid off, he might have been in the best position out of anyone in the game and we'd be talking about him as the first ever two-time winner and indisputable GOAT.

Last week JT gambled on Brad being loyal to him. His hope was to idol out Sandra. Though it was in his best interest to get rid of Sandra, it was in the best interest of the other tribe to pick off the team's strongest member so they can beat them in challenges. Had Sandra gone home? JT has Malcolm at his side who was close with Aubry and suddenly he's got numbers while the tribe stays strong. Should he have stuck to the tribe's original plan in retrospect? Absolutely. He clearly made the wrong move two times, but we shouldn't come down too hard on the guy for wanting to play the game hard and wanting to produce exciting moments for the show. He's basically been playing with nothing to lose the last two times and I applaud him for playing a gutsy game.

As for not playing the idol after being caught screwing over his tribe in the previous vote? That's indefensible. Aubry must have assured him that he was safe. Aubry has to really be on the outs from the other three if she voted with JT and was stunned at the result.

JT did not play Wednesday night's episode well at all and let himself get too cocky, leading to his downfall. But I plead for you not to define JT by his recent blunders, and instead remember the dominant force that couldn't be stopped in Tocantins. And if you want to use JT's blunders as an argument for why Stephen should have won instead, look no further than what happened when Stephen played without JT. Do they need each other? Probably not. Do they make one heck of a dynamic duo that would crush it on The Amazing Race? Absolutely.

P.S. We've now lost three of the season's seven or eight most interesting and popular players. Selfishly I wouldn't mind letting go of someone like say, Debbie, next week... (more on this in a bit)

4) Sandra owned the episode.

Though her team lost, Sandra controlled the vote, and stirred up craziness as only Sandra could. The face she made to the camera during JT's argument with Michaela was priceless, although I feel the actual "sugargate" scandal didn't deliver much.

Though she's in control right now, I'm not feeling great about her moving forward. We all know what Sandra is capable of, but I think she's showing too much cockiness. It's an arrogance that's really off-putting. In her previous tries, Sandra was more sassy than she was cocky. She challenged the cocky players (Fairplay and Russell) and made herself a great antihero. This time she may just be the villain. And just about every villain (not just in Survivor) has its downfall.

5) Debbie's outburst: more Sue Hawk or Brandon Hantz?

Definitely Brandon Hantz. Sue Hawk's blowup in All-Stars was at least warranted. Debbie was acting insanely delusional, just as Brandon was. Though I've made it clear that I'd like less out of the challenges, I did enjoy how they edited this part. I liked seeing them strategize on who should do what part as it was relevant to the story. Even greater, I loved seeing the black and white flashback to what Brad actually said to Debbie. I also laughed when Debbie continued to bombard Brad during the immunity challenge. She sounded like a fed-up, entitled little leaguer.

But man, if you weren't on the Brad bandwagon already, how could you not be at this point? He kept his cool the way an athlete does when Debbie got in his face and started spewing falsehoods. He remained calm and kind. He handled the situation beautifully. And the way that his tribemates reacted when Debbie started targeting him? Everyone had his back. In no way is he a dictator, and in fact, he's emerging as an excellent leader. Though he got a rough edit his first time out, Culpepper had a reputation as a very nice guy as a football player. It's good to see that side of him and to see him doing well. I wouldn't quite yet crown him as the greatest former professional athlete to play Survivor but he certainly is working his way up the list (Jeff Kent remains king).

Debbie handled things as badly and as irrationally as she could. She's easily my pick for the next person to be voted out.

6) I'm intrigued by next week's twists.

As Game Changers continues to glorify itself for its fast pace and numerous twists, I'm in for a new tribe swap. I think the first tribe swap's been a bust and only made the show worse. (This is me being results-oriented). I think going back to two tribes will make things more interesting, and hopefully we get in to a situation where the original Nuku tribe is forced to turn on each other. It will make the show more interesting and hopefully people start to abandon their thin day one loyalties.

Teased in the trailer for next week is "the return of a former Survivor." So what might that mean? I have some (doomed-to-be-wrong) theories:

Theory 1- It's Boston Rob, Rupert or Parvati showing up for a reward challenge. For those that might have missed it, once upon a time Rupert showed up on the Israeli version of Survivor. The tribe that won reward won a day with Rupert, as he came back to camp with them and helped them build a shelter and caught some fish. Could it be an appearance from Rupert or another Survivor legend? Also, it's worth noting that Parvati was out there for several days of media coverage during the season and the show could have found an easy way to incorporate her into a scene. Although I'm not sure how I'd feel about bringing the media out of the press box and in to the battlefield.

Theory 2 (the least interesting and most likely one)- It's Monica Culpepper as a part of a very early loved ones visit.

Theory 3- A random former player joins the season late. Perhaps they finally settled that contract dispute with Brian Heidik and they were only able to get him for two thirds of the season? (This by far least likely).

Theory 4- A player who played on this season returns as a re-up of the unpopular outcasts twist... And it's Malcolm. Production realizes its mistake and fears the backlash from the fans after screwing the season's most popular player. Although I hated the outcasts twist in Pearl Islands, I would totally be ok with this happening. Malcolm got screwed.

After loving the first two episodes of the season, my excitement level has gone down over the last two weeks. Maybe a twist will be a breath of fresh air.

Survivor Week 3 Recap: What the Heck Did I Just Watch?

As zany and gripping as Wednesday night's tribal council was, it was one of my least favorite episodes in the show's history.

So much felt wrong about the twist and the way it unfolded.

1) Two tribes should NEVER go to tribal council together.

Twists can make the game exciting. And clearly the show wants big moves and crazy things to happen. I'm all for tribe swaps. But I don't like when Survivor messes with its perfect formula to create shameless drama (ie: the Tyler Perry idol).

Obviously life isn't fair and neither is the game of Survivor, but what happened Wednesday night was downright egregious. In no way is it fair for one tribe to get to try to vote someone out from the other. This premise strays so far away from the core of Survivor.

A tribe shouldn't have that kind of power over another. These are decisions that should be left in-house. How can someone outwit and outplay the other castaways that they have zero connection too who can vote them out? This was ridiculous.

2) Jeff should have been more clear with the rules for tribal.

While saying "oh by the way you guys are going to tribal together" makes for good theater, it isn't the right way to present a twist. Jeff should have laid out all the information regarding the challenge and tribal council, before the tribes picked who was sitting out. The castaways should know what they're in for before they receive their punishment. This wasn't right.

3) Where the heck did that idol come from and what happened to the challenge idols?

Last week I shared why challenge idols are great. They come at a price. So why didn't we see any talk of idols before the challenge? How come one easily showed up when Tai needed one, when his tribe was down in numbers? Meanwhile we saw no talk of idols on the other side?

Not to mention, I've never seen a more helpful clue for an idol. The clue literally had an "X marks the spot" drawn on to show exactly where Tai could find the idol. It couldn't have taken him more than 15 minutes to retrieve it.

This whole thing is fishy to me and it makes me question the integrity of the game. From an entertainment standpoint, this tribal council would really only be interesting if the tribe that was at a disadvantage had an idol. Otherwise they get voted out 6-5. Seems a little too unbelievable for me.

4) JT's legacy takes a blow and it's not entirely his fault

JT was one of the most likable players ever. In Survivor: Tocantins, there were confessionals of other players saying they wanted him to win more than they wanted themselves to win. Everybody loved this guy.

He made an ill-advised, risky decision in Heroes vs. Villains and made a similar mistake this time, giving too much power to the enemy. But we shouldn't be too hard on him.

JT was in the worst spot among the players. If just his tribe goes to tribal council, it could potentially be him. Now the other tribe's coming with, and if he votes with his new tribe then everyone is going to be mad at him for "flipping" even though he's on a new tribe and needs to protect himself. But he also wants to integrate himself in to the new group. Either way he comes off as disloyal. But that's not fair because this isn't a merge, and the tribes will go back to being themselves in the morning.

Now he's in a terrible spot and will likely be the next boot. Unless the producers save him with an idol.

One of the biggest problems with all-star seasons is that great players and characters can take a big hit to their legacy. Despite everything great they do their first time playing, people will remember the bad. This shouldn't define JT, not by a long shot.

5) Survivor isn't just about big moves.

In fact, Survivor is more about the small, subtle moves. And for myself as a viewer, I don't keep watching Survivor hoping for the craziest moments and biggest gameplay moves to happen. I like all that Survivor has to offer, and the game is just part of it. I'm drawn to seeing people from different walks of life come together and form friendships, coexisting and creating a new society. I like seeing heart (for instance, Adam and Jay crying together over their sick family members).

But sometimes I feel Survivor turns into something more like WWE than reality. It wagers on the big strategic moments and often loses key characters as a result. Wednesday night was a prime example. So was it interesting? I wasn't bored watching tribal in the least bit. But it felt a little too artificial for me to consider one of the best tribal councils ever.

6) We lose one of the best Survivor fan favorites ever far too early.

Whether it was Sandra or Malcolm, one was due to get idoled out of the game once JT revealed the plan to the opposite side. Instead we keep Sierra and Brad? Both fringe players? Poll the fans and ask who they want to see stay and the answer is easily Malcolm and Sandra. We'd rather see JT and Sandra go toe-to-toe, than have an idol mess it all up. We lost one of the few true "game changers" on the season and we will likely lose another next episode.

From what I observed, I didn't find any flaws in Malcolm's game. He got screwed by a twisted twist and he should be furious. Hopefully it isn't the last time we see him on our TVs. And hopefully this is the last twist that happens in Game Changers.

Survivor Week 2 Recap: Idols, Goats and GOATs

Another week, another episode chock-full of exciting Survivor: Game Changers story lines to examine. BUT FIRST, drop your buffs.

1) Switching from two tribes to three can be a game-ender

I understand the thought process behind splitting the tribes in to three, as it can make for a more exciting post-merge game and it can be an easy way to ensure that each character is visible in the episodes. But being on a tribe of just six people this early in the game can be a death-sentence.

It's really easy to find yourself on the wrong side of the numbers in a tribe so small. And it's even easier when there's a tribe swap and the other five people are from the other tribe.

Life isn't fair and neither is the game of Survivor, but this twist screws quite a few players, and hopefully it doesn't come at the expense of some of the show's headliners (more on this later). Troyzan, Caleb and Hali are by no means the stars of the season, but others, such as JT and wait for it... Sandra, could be in trouble (more on this later).

I also won't be surprised if this isn't the last tribe swap of the season. We could see a 2-3-2 tribe format, because at the end of the day Survivor is just one 39-day playoff series, right?

2) Trozyan was the star of the night

When a castaway cries, it's normally a good or terrible sign for their life in the game. Troyzan finding a clue to the idol was a semi-touching moment, and assured that the next time the green tribe (we'll just call them that for now) goes to tribal council will be at least interesting.

The actual action of Troyzan stealthily snagging the idol was hilarious. By far the funniest thing to happen yet this season, and a good job on his part. No one caught him. His tribe wins immunity, he buys time and finds himself an idol. Great night for Troyzan.

And good on the green tribe for not losing the challenge. You wanna talk about getting screwed? Look no further than the tribe that barely got any food and tools and had to start a new camp from scratch.

3) Challenge idols are back

I like the concept of challenge idols and having to make some form of sacrifice in order to obtain an idol. It makes idols a lot more interesting.

It appears you have to find a clue before an idol is planted in a challenge. I like that.

I personally think that they only planted one idol clue in the episode. The show probably wants to capitalize on on the drama of having a player after a challenge idol, and my guess is that the show doesn't want to burn the premise out after just one episode. Besides, if there were three people looking for idols in the same challenge, it might be a little too chaotic and difficult to follow. So the green tribe, being the new, underprivileged tribe got the first clue. Otherwise, I would think JT would have come across a clue in his not-so-subtle search.

4) JT, a 'hero' again

JT's valiant attempt at looking for the idol left him empty-handed while those conspiring against him started planning his burial. But he bounced back tremendously, leading his tribe in catching two goats and passive-aggressively convincing his tribe to let them go. JT and Malcolm really got a nice hero edit here, appearing as two southern gentlemen that don't want to harm innocent animals, and I think this is the start of something.

Malcolm has been clear about wanting to keep physical threats around for his own protection, and what better threat is there than former winner and challenge beast JT? Malcolm can get all that he wanted from Tony, without the craziness, in JT. And I don't see why JT and Malcolm wouldn't get along, they seem to be two very like-minded guys. If it happens, can we call this the "GOAT alliance"?

5) Sandra might be in danger

While Malcolm and Aubry voted in the majority in Tony's elimination, the show depicted them being more in the Tony camp than the Sandra camp. Couple in the fact that Michaela wants it to be known that she is a competitor and she hates losing, and the three former Mana tribe members could vote with JT and turn the tables on Sandra.

I know that Sandra is Sandra, but her willingness to eat a baby goat and a mother goat without any conscience could serve as a symbol for her cut-throat-ness to her tribe mates. None of them want to be the innocent goats led to the slaughter. She was outnumbered 5-1 in the goat decision. Could this foreshadow the slaying of the GOAT?

6) Another strong showing from fringe players

Once again, some of the castaways that fans deemed unworthy of returning showed some potential. Maybe the producers knew something about bringing back Troyzan, Brad and Hali?

Culpepper played a notoriously aggressive game his first time out, but now he's looking like a seasoned vet. Though the tribe is much weaker losing "Beastmode Cowboy" Caleb, Culpepper prevented a Kaoh Rong power alliance. I don't believe Sierra when she says that her and Hali have "no relationship at all" from being on the same season, but I do think their ties don't run as deep as three players from the same season in a tribe of six. Culpepper did a good job of subtly turning Tai against Caleb, while not being demanding. I like where his game is going thus far.

Though Hali finds herself at the bottom of a weak tribe, she displayed some of her abilities as a prospective attorney, providing a sound, logical argument while keeping her cool. She might be able to slither her way in to an alliance with Brad and Sierra, if they can win a challenge or two and buy her some time. Or maybe she'll stumble upon an idol clue on the shore.


Despite a boring vote, episode 2 brought a lot of excitement, thrills and high quality camp scenes.

Does "Logan" Live Up to Its Lofty Expectations? (Contains Spoilers)

*This blog contains spoilers.*

At this point, we all are familiar with the hype surrounding Logan.

The supposed-last Hugh Jackman X-Men film is receiving high praise from critics and fans alike, many saying that it is the best superhero flick since The Dark Knight. Others are clamoring for Logan to receive Oscar nominations for best picture and best male actor. Unfortunately, I left the theater Friday night feeling disappointed that the 10th installment to the X-Men film franchise didn't live up to the buzz surrounding it.

The first half of the movie I was all in. I was loving the ride that Wolverine and Professor Xavier were taking me on, excited to see where it would lead me.

X-23 (AKA "Laura") is introduced and immediately she garners my respect. When a main character in a film is a kid with superpowers, it's risky. It hinges on the child actor's ability to deliver and the director's ability to make it believable and something the audience wants to invest in. I can think of a number of films where too much has been invested in to a child with crazy powers and it doesn't work well (most notably Looper- but that's another story). X-23 is fantastic however, and the whole premise involving her and her complicated relation to Logan, as well as their chemistry together worked very well.

This is the first X-Men film to receive an "R" rating, another facet that added excitement to the film. It provided some newer layers and depths to be explored, but I think the writers ultimately got lost in their new freedoms, which led to a big turning point in the film, which is where I stopped loving the direction the film was going.

This comes as a result of the introduction to X-24; my biggest gripe with Logan. We get a very nice, touching family scene. Heart goes a long way in creating quality superhero films. Moments later however, the film forcefully shifts from a sweet, road-trip story to a jarring horror film. I don't think it was a very smooth transition, and I didn't like what it did with the story.

Forget the fact that a kind, innocent family gets slaughtered for no apparent reason, other than being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Charles Xavier dies for the second time in the film's franchise, this death being even worse than the first. How many times do you have to kill Professor X?

I didn't like the way that Professor X went out. I don't know why the film franchise felt the need to bring him back, just to kill him again. And if he had to die, I think they could have utilized his death better in the film's story-telling. I didn't feel that the death helped the story and instead, we lost an interesting element to the story's fabric.

So we lose Professor X and enter in one of the most generic, plain villains we can find: X-24. The hero-fights-a-clone-of-himself thing happens a lot in movies, and in many cases comes off as lazy. Wolverine has already fought a number of villains that possess similar qualities to his. In X2, he fights "Lady Deathstrike", a mutant controlled by Stryker that has the same healing powers as Wolverine as well as claws. She's basically a female version of Wolverine. As if that weren't enough, X-Men Origins: Wolverine features Wolverine fighting other members of 'Weapon X' such as Sabretooth and an unofficial Deadpool, who each have the same regeneration powers.

Now we have an actual clone of Wolverine that's being controlled by a similar group that is trying to control mutants. Ho-hum.

I would have liked to see a new villain, a new challenge! A new enemy. Donald Pierce made for a much more interesting villain, but he wasn't developed well. Instead, we get the same old thing. Having a good villain is key to a superhero movie's success.

In some ways, the plot felt similar to that of Iron Man 2, in which Tony Stark has something inside of him that is slowly killing him and he fights a bunch of rogue suits similar to his Iron Man suit. This time around, we're aware that something on the inside is killing Wolverine, but I think this could have been better explained. It's never addressed why, 20 years in the future, he's aged more than he ever has in his centuries of existence.

Also, what happened to all the other mutants? There are hints thrown that they all were killed off, but why couldn't this be more clear? Jean Gray and Scott Summers were resurrected at the end of Days of Future Past, potentially setting the series up for a new trilogy featuring the mutants at Xavier's school. These films can still be made, considering this story takes place in the future, but if a future film culminates in the mutants all being killed, I don't have much interest in seeing that movie.

Another question: what's with the adamantium bullet? X-24 is presumably dead after getting shot with the alloy, but when Wolverine gets shot in the head with it in Origins, he just loses his memory. There are some significant continuity issues here (which isn't unfamiliar to X-Men).

There are some big plot-holes that shouldn't be excused.

In the end, we see Wolverine finally die. After two decades of discussing with your friends how you could kill Wolverine, I find his death to be anticlimactic. Nevertheless, it truly is heartbreaking to not only see Wolverine die, but to know his story arc; to know that he never finds peace or joy in anything in his life. It finally appears that he's found something he genuinely cares about and wants to invest in- Laura. But then he dies.

This didn't have to be the story for one of my favorite superheroes. It could have ended differently. But it appears the writers wanted to create something ultra-dark. Not every movie has to have a happy ending, but I wasn't 100% satisfied with the way this film ended. I think there was more potential with this one.

Whether it's actually the end for Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, time will tell. Technically the studio can always make films that take place prior to the year 2029, so there are some possibilities there. The film set itself up for a future with X-23 and her mutant friends. X-23 has a bright future in a the X-Men universe, but that future would be even brighter if it included Wolverine.

Masterpiece? No way. Logan is an alright superhero movie, but not one of the best, and not even the best X-Men film up to date. I'd give this film a 6.5/10. It wasn't bad by any means, but it did have its flaws. Logan was in my eyes, overrated and I don't think it will receive any Oscar buzz. I think this chatter comes as a result of it only being March, notably a time when there isn't a lot of great stuff out there in theaters.



What did you think of Logan? Did it live up to the hype? Comment and let me hear your thoughts!

Survivor Game-Changers Week One Recap

Survivor added another milestone to its long list of unbelievable television achievements Wednesday night.

Wednesday night aired the show's 500th episode, the premiere of Survivor: Game Changers, and naturally, there is plenty to dissect.

1) Why is it Survivor: Game Changers?

The episode opens with a sweet intro that shows some of the game's biggest personalities making some of the most memorable moves in the show's history, followed by Jeff emphasizing how each member of the cast has changed the game in someway. Okay. So did Hali change the game by being the first female to chop a coconut at approximately 2:02 p.m. on day 2? Did Caleb change the game by being the second contestant to ever almost die in the middle of a challenge? And Brad Culpepper changed the game by being the first man whose wife lasted longer on the show than he did?

"Game Changers" is just a cheesy, generic title, as very few of the game's competitors have anything in common with each other as players. Only a select few can be characterized as "game-changers", while another handful can be pegged as "all-stars." Though some contestants may not appear as worthy as others for a return on an all-star season, I will say however that I was pleasantly surprised with the showing from the cast this week (more on this later).

Jeff proceeds to go in to his typical "this game is all about big moves" spiel that he has grown accustomed to over the past 15 seasons or so. This isn't necessarily true, and it showed last night...

(Also I have no idea why Jeff feels the need to narrate the scramble that happens on the boat every season now... When did that become a thing?)

2) Ciera's sin was playing the game too hard, too fast

When you find yourself in a tribe of 10, the best thing that you can do is stay out of drama, pull your weight at camp, do well enough in the challenges and keep your head down. It's easier to hide in a group of 10 than it is in a group of six (we've have seen a good number of six-person tribes in recent seasons). By throwing Tony's name out immediately, Ciera exposed herself as a schemer. Obviously everybody that's playing on an all-star season is going to be scheming (whoops, maybe not everyone on this cast), but at that first vote, people are looking for a reason to vote someone out; it doesn't matter who, just someone. You don't want to be the person controling the vote at this point. It's only day 3 and there is plenty of Survivor left to be played. Instead, you want to be in someone like Malcolm's position, who gave a good quote about how all you want to be doing is being friendly and having people approach you and want to work with you. Conversations and relationships, especially at this stage of the game, are key.

Ciera should have taken a more hands-off approach, especially considering that she isn't one of the tribe's strongest physical competitors. Unfortunately for her, this may have been her last chance to play. However, I also thought Second Chances would be Jeff Varner's last chance to play.

3) Tony's sin was also playing the game too hard, too fast

Coming in, we knew Tony could find himself in danger early, mainly because everybody had seen the way he played Cagayan and now had a Tony Vlachos scouting report in their back pocket. Initially, I liked the way he started the second half of the episode by pulling Sandra in. Winners sticking together and covering each other's backs makes a lot of sense. But Tony fell victim to his own paranoia. It seemed that he was more concerned with putting on a show for the fans and building a "Spyshack 2.0" than laying low and playing differently. The best players are able to adapt. Tony actually had a lot of people willing to play with him, but it was too hard for him to not play the game aggressively. As a result, the first to players attempting "big moves" had to take the fall.

4) Sandra is the queen

Sandra flexed her muscles once again as the game's best. The biggest key to Sandra's game is escaping the first couple votes. Everybody knows how good she is at playing Survivor, clearly. She also is an all-time challenge liability. Somehow she was able to convince her tribe to vote off the physically imposing Tony and keep her instead. Her elite social game was on full-display.

For Sandra, I don't blame her at all for turning on Tony. She was in on sticking with him until he accused her of plotting against her. She wasn't. After playing the game with two of the zaniest schemers in Jonny Fairplay and Russell Hantz, she finally had had enough and cut ties with Tony. It was the right move for her at the right time, and it appears that she has gained a loyal following in her tribe.

5) The buffs are about to be dropped

After just two votes, it appears that a tribe swap is among us. After watching the Mana tribe lose for the second straight time, I caught myself thinking, "It's time for a mix-up already." Mana looks significantly weaker and without Tony, it definitely appears to be at a heavy underdog. In a double-episode premiere, it's most exciting when you get to see all 20 castaways go to tribal council. I want to see the other group have to make a move and I'm glad the tribe swap is happening now.

It wasn't great for Cirie to be put on the same tribe as Ozzy. Naturally the tribe members are going to side with the all-time challenge stud over the all-time schemer in a one v. one shootout. Hopefully the tribe swap plays itself out in that Cirie and Ozzy land on different tribes.

Everything is about to change and it'll be an entirely new season if there is a tribe swap. The last six days will in many ways, be erased.

6) Strong night from the castaways

Initially looking at the names of the cast, I was in many ways disappointed. 20 castaways are returning for Game Changers, and spots are being filled by Brad Culpepper and Sarah? Can't we bring back real game changers like Lex, Fairplay, Kathy and Brian Heidik?

While I will always hope for more old-school players to come back, I must confess that I was pleased with what I saw from the cast last night. I saw a lot of smart confessionals made by some of the fringe players, particularly Sierra and Culpepper. If Culpepper can sit back and not play the bold game that he did in Blood vs. Water, he could do pretty well. Caleb was good too.

I like Sierra and Hali to go deep in Game Changers, as non-threatening females tend to do very well on all-star seasons. Sierra was a good challenge competitor her first time out and I don't see anyone having any reason to target her. Now she's got the legacy advantage and if she finds herself a good alliance, she'll be in a great spot.

Michaela's performance was not the best in week one. Though she managed to keep her mouth shut for the most part, she did show a bit of her fieriness that she possesses. I don't think she's going to be able to keep it all in the rest of the way if she nearly blew up on day 3, but it's a marathon, not a sprint, and several players have turned it around after a rough showing week one.

We didn't see a lot of interactions involving both JT and Zeke. I think Zeke could be targeted by JT as the last time JT played with an unknown returning player, he got screwed badly by Russell. JT knows Zeke was brought back as a "game changer" for some reason. JT's going to remember what happened and he may plan accordingly with Zeke. I expect him to be cautious if they find themselves on the same tribe after the swap.

Tai was hilarious and fun as always, and it was fun seeing him interact with JT. Once again, I'm reminded of how fun returning players are at the start, and how great it is to see our favorite Survivors interacting with each other.


Overall, I thought it was a very strong first episode for Survivor: Game Changers and I can't wait to see what lies in store next week.