Static Zombie

It has been frustrating from a game-player's POV, hasn't it? It's not like I was rooting for Shii-Ann the week before, but I was certianly rooting for the *idea* of a Shii-Ann: someone with their back against the wall who really stirs things up last-minute and rocks the game.

She Devil, it turns out, did *not* have a few tricks up her sleeve.

Nor, it seems, do ANY of the others.

But I gotta tell ya, if it comes down to Rob and Amber as the final two... I think Rob's getting that million. You may think Rob's alienated the jury, and, no doubt, he's probably pissed off most of them... but I don't think they *respect* Amber. And that could HUGE.

Because given the choice between the Snake and the Rat, well... you remember how that came out, right?

It's tough, because Rob and Amber both have played the game better than the others, in terms of manipulating people to stay in the game. (Amber less so, but saving herself when transferred to the other team was no small thing.) In those terms, neither Rupert nor Jenna deserves to win.

Final Episode Big Surprise notwithstanding, it seems like it comes down to the tiebreaker between Amber (assuming Rob wins immunity) and Jenna/Rupert (I'm guessing Rupert, since Jenna is a wee bit less likeable and far less likely to win a challege). Then Rob wins immunity again and picks Amber (if available) or Jenna. Rob vs. Jenna -- certainly a study in constrasts.

I can't see how Amber can win -- of course, I can't see how the other 3 didn't spend all night making plans to vote her out while Rob and Amber were cuddling at the movies...

Just because they didn't show us any plotting, doesn't mean there wasn't any. I'd like to believe Rupert and Jenna were working on swinging Tom over to their side the whole time, but we don't know.

As for the finale surprise, I don't think it's actually a surprise in the finale itself-- I think it's in the reunion show, when Sue Hawk will "unveil a new look that comes after breast enlargement, an eye lift, a facial peel, a tummy tuck and liposuction" according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Dave, I think the emotions on this jury are running stronger than in any previous jury. The players on it are PISSED at Rob. In their heads, the may recognize that Amber is as much at fault, but Rob was the front man wielding the hatchet. That's the brilliance in Amber's game-- she's gaining all the benefits of Rob's treachery while keeping relatively clean. Rob's played very well-- setting Rupert and Tom at each other last night was marvelous-- but Amber, by letting Rob do all the dirty work for her, has played even better. And I suspect, if it comes down to her and Rob, that the jury will reward her for it.

I assumed Tom was caught in a Christy. Off camera, he was waffling between the two groups of two, he got caught in their pincers.

The surprise also sounded monetary from the brief clip. Perhaps $10,000,000 (or 2M) to the winner instead of 'only' $1,000,000.

If Rob has really pissed the jury off that badly, then the only person he would match up well against is Jenna. If Rupert does not win immunity, would Jenna dump Rupert for a chance at final three rather than going for the mystery meat tiebreaker Mark has cooked up? After the way Pappy got bumped, going for the tie is risky to all.

I assumed Tom was caught in a Christy. Off camera, he was waffling between the two groups of two, he got caught in their pincers.

The surprise also sounded monetary from the brief clip. Perhaps $10,000,000 (or 2M) to the winner instead of 'only' $1,000,000.

If Rob has really pissed the jury off that badly, then the only person he would match up well against is Jenna. If Rupert does not win immunity, would Jenna dump Rupert for a chance at final three rather than going for the mystery meat tiebreaker Mark has cooked up? After the way Pappy got bumped, going for the tie is risky to all.

One of the entertainment shows (Extra, Access Hollywood, whatever) showed Sue's new look this evening -- it was definitely an improvement, in a large-scale cosmetic surgery way.

Especially given that a "let's all get Rob" strategy conference failed during the movie, I sorta hoped that they would show a bit of it, if only to raise tension ("will Rob get voted out?").

I could see Rupert beating Rob on the "pissed off jury" angle; he has at least been working on the Survivor side of things catching fish and the like. And I perceive that Jenna has irritated more people than Rupert. But I certainly wouldn't rule out any action on Jenna's part; she's not the most thoughtful person out there.

Loved this episode. My favorite part of the Survivor season comes after the core alliance has finally picked off its last easy target, and has no choice but to cannibalize itself. Rob Cesternino and Jonny Fairplay have kept there from being such a core alliance for two seasons now, so this was a treat. (All things considered, it's preferable for a Rob or a Jon to shake the game up, rather than have to watch week after predictable week of the core alliance shooting ducks in a barrel.)

Watching the votes being cast, and presuming that the most likely outcome was Rob/Amber/Tom voting for Jenna and Jenna/Rupert voting for Amber, it occurred to me how wicked it would be if this was the moment Rob chose to betray Amber. He's been hinting all season that he wouldn't let her get the million (including in this episode), and he's got to realize that he has a significant chance of losing to her in the Final Two instead of, say, a simple vote-slave like Tom. And if not for Tom's atrocious spelling on the parchment, he might have even been able to claim that he voted for Jenna and that Tom had cast the fatal third vote for Amber. When Rob cast his vote and said to the camera that he was "tired of carrying you through this game," I perked up at the possibility that this might actually be Amber's downfall. Alas, no, Rob really does seem to trust her to the end, and he probably will lose for it. That is, unless he breaks the 2-2 tie at the next Tribal Council... Well, an Amber-hater can dream. :-)

You know, Scott, I never really thought about it... but you're right. If Rob wanted to get rid of Amber, this would have been the perfect time, because she never would have suspected him. In her mind it would have been a 3-2 defeat (and the genius of it is that having received 3 votes, Jeff wouldn't read the remain one(s)), and thus Rob would have kept Amber's vote on the jury.

But, as I said at the start of this thread, I think Rob's only chance at the money might be against Amber. He was certainly gonna lose to Tom (so bye bye, Tom). He'll probably lose to Rupert. And I don't know about Rob v. Jenna, but I suspect Rob's car win and Machiavellian game play would outweigh Jenna's motor mouth.

Not that I'm sure Rob *can* win, but interestingly enough, I think his best chance is against Amber.

Actually, his best chance might have been against Shii-Ann, but we'll never know.

Wait a minute... didn't Brian from Thailand win the car *and* the million? And if not, who won the car in Thailand?

Dang, a Rob vs. Shii Ann final tribal council would have been interesting. She and Amber used variations on the same strategy, but she and Rob would not have been afraid to tear into each other when questioned by the jury, unlike the loving couple.

I think Ted won that black SUV in Thailand, and got drunk with Helen in the same reward.