I just strapped a feather on my forehead giving me unprecedented Survivor insight and the ability to write this week's edition of my 5 Redemption Island Revelations.
5. Pagong Show – The Zapatera tribe started this week on Survivor only being down 6 to 5 in the numbers but ended this past episode at a 6 to 3 disadvantage. Without Mike and David, Zapatera has lost a good chuck of its brawn and brains respectively. Going forward, the threesome of Ralph, Julie and Steve will really have their work cut out for them to not be eliminated in three straight tribal councils.
With 9 players in the game the problem is that it just doesn't benefit any of the remaining Ometepe tribe members to switch to vote with Zapatera. Even if Zapatera could convince Grant and Andrea to switch (for example) it's hard to argue that either would be in a better position by defecting since they all believe they're going to the end with Rob. The best case I can make is that one of the three remaining Zapatera members has a shot to shake things up when there are just seven people left. At that point, whomever is left from Zapatera could potentially create a new foursome with the three most ostracized Ometepe members – but waiting for Ralph, Julie or Steve to pull off a maneuver like that might be like waiting for Kirstie Alley to be hoisted in the air without incident on Dancing with the Stars.
4. Chisel Hammered – Mike Chisel became the first former Zapatera member to be sent home this week. Physically, Mike seemed like the best bet on Zapatera to be able to at least hold his own against Rob and Grant in the challenges. Mike also appeared to be the driving force behind the effort to get Matt to switch before the last tribal council. Now Mike heads to Redemption Island where he will be reunited with Matt. Anyone care to take a bet on how many times the phrase "I told you so" might happen to come up before the next Redemption Island duel?
3. Murphy Down – After a surprising effort in both the challenges this week, David Murphy became the second member from Zapatera to be voted out of the tribe. Didn't you almost feel that David did himself a disservice by competing so hard in the two immunity challenges? It's a catch-22 for David; had he chosen to eat the hamburgers instead of competing, he is likely condemned for being lazy. Instead he competes, nearly wins the challenge and in the process is seen as a bit more of a physical threat and ultimately voted out. It's counter-intuitive, but for future Survivor players it is good to take note: If you're down in the numbers and you want to stay in the game, it just may be a good idea to put down your pride and pick up a hamburger.
2. Feather Knows Best? – Once again, the two sides of Phillip Sheppard never cease to amaze me. Tonight, we saw some of Phillip's most eccentric behavior to date. His decisions to don a feather and disclose the prophecies of Great Great Grandfather at tribal council are things that might even make Coach blush. On the other hand, Phillip seemed keenly aware of the results that his actions are having on Boston Rob. Is it possible that all of Phillip's theatrics are intended for an audience of one man? Could Phillip be a strategic mastermind who realizes that his polarizing behavior might just be the key to Rob taking him to the end of the game? One way or another over these next few weeks, we're going to find out if Phillip's head has a screw loose or if he's actually been the one screwing with us.
1. The Boston Strangler – Boston Rob appears to have this game on lockdown as he continues to strangle out the Zapatera tribe's chances and the possibility for a mutiny in his own tribe. Its looked somewhat inevitable over the past few weeks that Rob will be sitting in front of the jury once again in this season's final three. As Rob's chances to get to the end appear to be growing, I'm firmly beginning to believe that his chances of winning the game are slipping away.
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