[heySkippy]

Damn, for a while I though Russel had pulled it off. Not that I'm too sad about about it, but there it is. Rob has entertained me this season, Russel, not so much.

I got a hoot out of them lying to Russel about what was witnessed at RI. Not sure if I want to wish him luck there or not. Not that it'll matter, at this stage it's a super long shot for anyone to win out from the loser bracket.

Still, it's continuing an unusually entertaining start to a new season.

 

[Jeeters]

I knew they weren't going to pull it off as soon as I saw tribal council starting at the show's 00:46 mark. Too soon, so I knew they needed time for showing two rounds of voting. Darn, though, I'd have loved to see Ralph get it. "Ressell"? Seriously? Or did he spell it that way on purpose for some reason I'm missing.

 

[heySkippy]

I like Ralph, I knew men not so unlike him back in Kansas and Oklahoma where I grew up. They cultivate that hillbilly dialect and are laughing at everyone who doesn't see that they're just having fun being themselves.

I don't think he's got a chance to the end though.

 

[Einselen]

I understand wanting to throw the competition to get Russell (or one of his alliance members) out before the HII could do much damage but Ralph maybe should have stepped up and said hey look, the HII is gone already, let's keep winning as much as we can and first time we lose then we can take out Russell. Yes, not great strategy on Ralph to come out and say that but also throwing a competition when you don't need to is also not always the best strategy.

I really thought maybe Russell did have a chance and that there would be a flip. They did go after the best person to flip IMHO. She was already uneasy about throwing the competition and they made a good point about the numbers when it comes down to the end, but right now it was too big a risk for her to jump ship already and so she played the smarter move.

 

[dfergie]

Throwing challenges seems to always come back and bite the team doing it... would have been a perfect Ralph blindside though if it had worked...

 

[betts4]

I am glad to see Russell out, except that he is not really gone.

I loved the look on the older woman's face as the Russell alliance realized she hadn't voted how they thought she should.

 

[uncdrew]

Glad Russell's gone and next Matt will send him home. I don't think Russell is that great solo so certainly favor Matt in a solo contest to stay.

Now I'm disliking Stephanie. Way to make sure you're going home next ding dong.

The tribe did it right. Get rid of the cancer. Gotta do it.

For once the editing didn't fool me at all. I knew Russell was gonzo from the get-go.

 

[latrobe7]

I can't count Russell out until he's fully gone. And I think throwing a challenge is seriously bad-mojo, the Survivor Gods do not approve!

I did not like the decision to throw the challenge (especially considering how obvious they were about it); but I'm glad to see Russell voted out. They just need to be sure to send Stephanie the next time they go to Tribal...

 

[Peter000]

I can't count Russell out until he's fully gone. And I think throwing a challenge is seriously bad-mojo, the Survivor Gods do not approve!

Yeah, I feel the same.

Two rules I will live by should I ever be on Survivor:

1. Never tell anyone I have the immunity idol
2. Never throw a challenge.

 

[appleye1]

Yeah, I feel the same.

Two rules I will live by should I ever be on Survivor:

1. Never tell anyone I have the immunity idol
2. Never throw a challenge.

I 100% agree, but Ralph would have had a real problem following both of those rules this week (as Einselen alluded to.)

 

[jradosh]

I loved watching the smug get wiped off Stephanie's face.

It was a smart move, getting the alliance of 6 to split their vote by pretending to have the HII. It gave Russell's alliance the best chance at the upset. I'm sorry it didn't work (only because they were entertaining... not 'cause I particularly liked them).

Thank goodness we hardly saw Special Agent Dummy this episode. But... (preview spoiler)

Spoiler

from the previews it looks like he's featured again next week. Maybe because he's getting the boot? (I can hope)

It's disappointing to see the same challenge setup from last season (that pinwheel thing).

 

[Peter000]

Did Ralph use the immunity idol? I don't remember Jeff even asking for it.

 

[Jeeters]

Ralph didn't play it, and Jeff didn't ask for it. Or they edited out Jeff asking for it. He did ask for it last week when I-forget-her-name played it.

EDIT: come to think of it, she wore the neckeless last wee at tribal council, therefore making it 'public knowledge' that it existed. I suppose Jeff had to play dumb last night since not everybody would should/would know that a hidden IM exists.

 

[betts4]

I laughed when Stephanie (or maybe Russell) said "this will be the best blindside ever!" I mean, doesn't everyone say that? Don't they all think it will be the best blindside ever? and usually they are pretty good.

Russell and his harem. I was also amused at how at TC when it was brought up that Russell doesn't do anything around camp Stephanie jumped right in to defend him. He barely said a word, just let her do it all.

 

[fmowry]

I've liked Russell from the previous seasons but he has such a target on his back that it was an impossibility for him to go far from the getgo. They did make it interesting though and I thought for a moment that they could pull it off.

Assuming the Redemption Island "winner" gets back into the game at the merge or later it will be tough to run the table for the next few weeks to stay alive.

Stephanie might be overly cocky but she seems to understand and play the game more than many others. Faking the idol was enough to get them to split the vote. But she really could have not said much at tribal and maybe laid low for a few weeks hoping that they would win immunity challenges and she would be safe. Now she's next to go.

Good season so far though. Seems inevitable that Robs tribe will be eating their young in the next few episodes unless they go on an immunity run and keep winning.

 

[LifeIsABeach]

Stephanie is an idiot. Her whole "strategy" was to ride Russell's coattails to the end and win. It worked on Russell's first two Survivors because no one knew Russell and his game (his second season was filmed while the first was being played). Did she really think people would be dumb enough to fall for it now that they have seen it twice? Sorry Stephanie, you are no Parvati (in looks or brains). Russell also showed he is not as smart as he thinks he is by trying the same stratgey again.

 

[Steveknj]

Ralph didn't play it, and Jeff didn't ask for it. Or they edited out Jeff asking for it. He did ask for it last week when I-forget-her-name played it.

EDIT: come to think of it, she wore the neckeless last wee at tribal council, therefore making it 'public knowledge' that it existed. I suppose Jeff had to play dumb last night since not everybody would should/would know that a hidden IM exists.

As soon as they didn't cut to Jeff asking if anyone wanted to play the idol, I knew that Russell was a goner. I would think Jeff HAS to ask for it each week and because of the second vote, they didn't have time to show it.

While I'm glad Russell is gone, never liked the guy and am sick of seeing him for the third time in four seasons, he IS entertaining. Though a lot less so than Rob this time around. We'll have one more week or more of Russell anyway.

I also knew that Russell would be an early goner once Ralph found the II. Russell's strategy the other times was to find the idol and then use it to control the game. Without it, he just doesn't have the people skills to convert people to his side. Plus Stephanie, being as loud and obnoxious as he is, was probably not a good person for him to align himself with.

 

[Peter000]

Even though the odds are against it, I wouldn't be surprised at all to see Russell ride out Redemption island and come back into the game. He's a pretty good challenge player, and a physical dude.

 

[VegasVic]

Just because my hands aren't moving doesn't mean my mind isn't working lol.

He could have faked it better and at least moved pieces around.

 

[uncdrew]

Yeah, I feel the same.

Two rules I will live by should I ever be on Survivor:

1. Never tell anyone I have the immunity idol
2. Never throw a challenge.

One rule to live by for Survivor:

1. Don't have rules

I do think there are times when it's right to tell people you have an immunity idol, and I think there are right times to throw a challenge. I agree with your rules 95% of the time. Ralph did/is doing great by not sharing the fact he has the idol.