Let's cut to the chase. We're only one episode in, and it's already clear that this season will be all about Russell. I can only imagine how many little happy dances the production team must have done as the dailies came back. If Coach was Survivor gold, Russell is platinum.
I think it's hilarious that this guy is a multimillionaire, and is there to play the game. It's not about the money for him, it's about going up against opponents mentally and physically. I feel sorry for everyone else this season, because they're playing an entirely different game and don't even know it.
I'm surprised the rules permit players to destroy other players' stuff. Getting rid of an opponent's socks may seem small, but that player is going to be really unhappy, physically uncomfortable, and disadvantaged. Imagine trashing their shoes, or their underwear. Why not plant a snake in their bed? What exactly are the limits of what players can or can't do? It seems like if you can avoid getting seen by other players, you could get away with a lot-- especially if you remember to sabotage yourself in a trivial way, so nobody suspects you.
What amazed me about tribal council was that Russell appeared to be completely honest, saying Marisa told him she was feeling uncomfortable about him. And instead of everyone thinking, "Geez, Russell totally turned on her based on a single minor comment, that guy's trouble" they all rallied behind him. They all viewed Marisa as the guilty party (or decided to jump on the "anyone but me" bandwagon). And Marisa, after Russell stabbed her in the back at tribal, didn't even have the sense to out him as a snake and tell everyone that he approached her about having a secret alliance.
I love that Betsy, the cop, smells a rat, but hated that she a) chose to say something about it to Ashley (if I'm remembering that right), and b) proceeded to call Ashley out as the weak link at tribal council. You can bet Russell is going to hear about Betsy's mistrust of him, and I have no doubt he'll engineer her ouster. She's the oldest woman in the tribe, it shouldn't be a hard sell. I'd have thought Betsy would be smart enough to keep her eyes open and her mouth shut, her friends close and her enemies closer.
This could be a very entertaining season.
Posted by Peter at September 21, 2009 11:57 AMI guess the real question is: what game is Russell playing? It's one thing to burn someone's socks - not totally sure of the advantage to doing that, but okay. And they can easily be assumed the next day as lost.
But how to explain everyone's water is gone, just all of sudden the next morning? I was surprised, actually, that we didn't see more footage about that. Could the tribe really not care? I mean, it's not like everyone's canteen leaked, right? If your water is gone the next morning, then you KNOW someone stole it.
On the one hand, I admit I'm a little amused by the whole thing, even though the guy strikes me as kinda stupid, especially for a millionaire.
But while the producers may be dancing, I was surprised how turned off I was, as well, by the whole thing. The guy's a thug. And with seemingly (so far) no elegance. This is exactly the stuff I hate from reality television, and, IMO, it's beneath Survivor.
But I'm glad it got you posting again. (though I was tickled by the thought of you not posting anything here until your anniversary next year)
Posted by: Dave on September 21, 2009 5:18 PMHardly a thug, I think. He's not making demands. No "Nice water supply you have there. It'd be a shame if something... happened to it." He's causing discomfort as a strategy. He believes he's prepared to endure things his opponents are not, and he's willing to force the issue. It's an incredibly risky move, because the moment he's found out he's gone. Which is why it's fascinating to watch. Very few players who are there for the money would be willing to take that risk. For this guy, that risk is the whole point.
Without socks, your feet will blister. That'll hurt you in competitions and generally make you unhappy, irritable, and eventually an unwitting accomplice in Russell's plan to spread discontent in camp.
Not sure why you think he's stupid, unless it's his accent (in which case, shame on you). He seems pretty savvy to me, and I'll bet he's a shark in the boardroom.
Posted by: Peter on September 21, 2009 5:36 PMi was turned off too. i don't think he's stupid, but he is mean. it's one thing to have a strategy that puts the other players at a disadvantage, but it's another to take pleasure in their discomfort. russell is so unpleasant that this may be the first season of survivor i don't watch.
Posted by: dana on September 21, 2009 9:18 PMNo, I get your description of what he's doing. But that wasn't his description of what he's doing.
He came off as stupid to me, a) because he called everyone else stupid (I mean, like, EVERYone else), and b) because he didn't have an explanation for his plan beyond the phrases "gonna shake things up" and "these idiots won't know what hit them."
Having said that, I'm willing to admit "stupid" was somewhat of a water-cooler knee-jerk word. Swap out "juvenile" for it. Or "blowhard."
If he truly has a master plan, he hasn't showed it to me, yet. Nor has he convinced me that he could show it to me. Nor that it'd be any good. Nor that HE could pull it off, since I think something like this would require a TREMENDOUS amount of finesse.
Also "a-hole" + muscles = thug :)
Not sure what he's done - or what Burnett's showed us - that makes him seem "prety savvy" to me. If Russell had said or done something pretty savvy, there's no doubt they'd show it - that'd be pure Survivor gold. I think it's more a case of your being intrigued by the idea of such a plan, and doing a little wishful projecting.
Or maybe I'm projecting, too. We'll certainly see in the weeks to come, won't we? Which, of course, is all part of that pact-with-devil thing Burnett's had going for years.
Posted by: Dave on September 22, 2009 8:12 AMI predict he got all that air time last week, not because he is a main focus for the season - but because he flames out early.
I give him 3 more weeks, tops.
Posted by: michael on September 24, 2009 6:09 AMOK. Disregard my last comment.
Posted by: michael on September 25, 2009 5:55 AM