Last night the latest season of Survivor started. As usual, I was watching. I've been a fan of Survivor since the first season. Although this season was wrapped in controversy, I still intend to watch it till a winner is named.
This season, as with previous seasons but with a controversial twist, the survivors are grouped into 4 teams with 5 members each. The twist being that each team is comprised of other members of the same ethnicity. So, there is an Asian ( Puka Puka ), Latino ( Aitutaki ), Black ( Manihiki ), and Caucasian ( Rarotonga ) team. While some have complained that this is racist, I can't say that I share the same sentiment. The producers of the show did this, I believe, for two different reasons.
First, the show has never had a non-white, one-million dollar winner. And historically, non-white races haven't been well represented. This season they are equally represented. And, of course, I'm sure they did it for the ratings. Evidently Survivor has been slipping so they decided to stir the pot a bit. Additionally, it doesn't seem to have really mattered significantly to the competitors. After ten people have been eliminated from the game ( and ten remain standing ) the teams will merge anyway.
The teams were forced to jump from a ship off the Cook Islands. They were allowed to salvage what they could from the ship before getting aboard small rafts and paddling to their island. They were able to gather fire making materials, chickens, machettes, water, etc... basically what they could grab in about 30 seconds. Rarotonga was able to grab two chickens - more about that later. I've always been one to believe that at the outset how well a team will do depends a lot on how well they all get together. That held true at the immunity challenge. Teams Puka Puka and Aitutaki seemed to have it together really well with Aitutaki seeming to have the best group effort. The Manihiki team wasn't really clicking - they were composed of three women and two men. One of the men, a musician named Sekou from L.A. tried to be a leader but didn't really live up to the challenge and the rest of the team didn't appear to view him that way.
Two women from NY seemed to hit it off pretty good as did the two guys and kind of branched off on their own alienating the other woman on the team. After team Manihiki lost the immunity challenge Sekou tried to convince the alienated team member to align with the guys and vote out one of the women from NY. While I admire his efforts and certainly found logic in his argument, I knew the women would align and vote out a guy. Sekou ended up going home and the first one voted off. Hopefully they won't need any heavy lifting because he was pretty fair sized guy. The remaining guy on the team seems pretty fit, so it may not be too big a loss for team Manihiki.
Comic relief was provided this episode by teams Rarotonga and Puka Puka. First, Jessica ( Rarotonga ) from Chico, CA released the two chickens that her team was able to salvage from the boat before getting onto the Island. They had put the chickens in a box and turned it upside down for a makeshift cage. The chickens went running off into the jungle. Its probably good they didn't lose the immunity challenge. Prehaps Jessica extended her stay for one more episode.
According to Cao Boi, a 42 year old Vietnamese man from VA on team Puka Puka, the younger generation has lost touch with their Asian roots. Evidently he possesses magical healing abilities. One of his team members, Brad from L.A., had a headache. So naturally, Cao stepped up and used his magical hands to "pull the bad wind" from Brad. Using a massaging type of technique, Cao mished and mashed Brad's face in an effort to exercise the "bad wind" from Brad's body ultimately leaving a small, about one inch, vertical line, blood blister? hickey? I have no idea - in between Brad's eyes. It was hilarious!! Even the other members of the team found it pretty comical.
According to Cao, when the "bad wind" is gone and his body is completely healed the hickey will disappear. Brad said his headache did go away.
First, the show has never had a non-white, one-million dollar winner. And historically, non-white races haven't been well represented. This season they are equally represented. And, of course, I'm sure they did it for the ratings. Evidently Survivor has been slipping so they decided to stir the pot a bit. Additionally, it doesn't seem to have really mattered significantly to the competitors. After ten people have been eliminated from the game ( and ten remain standing ) the teams will merge anyway.
The teams were forced to jump from a ship off the Cook Islands. They were allowed to salvage what they could from the ship before getting aboard small rafts and paddling to their island. They were able to gather fire making materials, chickens, machettes, water, etc... basically what they could grab in about 30 seconds. Rarotonga was able to grab two chickens - more about that later. I've always been one to believe that at the outset how well a team will do depends a lot on how well they all get together. That held true at the immunity challenge. Teams Puka Puka and Aitutaki seemed to have it together really well with Aitutaki seeming to have the best group effort. The Manihiki team wasn't really clicking - they were composed of three women and two men. One of the men, a musician named Sekou from L.A. tried to be a leader but didn't really live up to the challenge and the rest of the team didn't appear to view him that way.
Two women from NY seemed to hit it off pretty good as did the two guys and kind of branched off on their own alienating the other woman on the team. After team Manihiki lost the immunity challenge Sekou tried to convince the alienated team member to align with the guys and vote out one of the women from NY. While I admire his efforts and certainly found logic in his argument, I knew the women would align and vote out a guy. Sekou ended up going home and the first one voted off. Hopefully they won't need any heavy lifting because he was pretty fair sized guy. The remaining guy on the team seems pretty fit, so it may not be too big a loss for team Manihiki.
Comic relief was provided this episode by teams Rarotonga and Puka Puka. First, Jessica ( Rarotonga ) from Chico, CA released the two chickens that her team was able to salvage from the boat before getting onto the Island. They had put the chickens in a box and turned it upside down for a makeshift cage. The chickens went running off into the jungle. Its probably good they didn't lose the immunity challenge. Prehaps Jessica extended her stay for one more episode.
According to Cao Boi, a 42 year old Vietnamese man from VA on team Puka Puka, the younger generation has lost touch with their Asian roots. Evidently he possesses magical healing abilities. One of his team members, Brad from L.A., had a headache. So naturally, Cao stepped up and used his magical hands to "pull the bad wind" from Brad. Using a massaging type of technique, Cao mished and mashed Brad's face in an effort to exercise the "bad wind" from Brad's body ultimately leaving a small, about one inch, vertical line, blood blister? hickey? I have no idea - in between Brad's eyes. It was hilarious!! Even the other members of the team found it pretty comical.
According to Cao, when the "bad wind" is gone and his body is completely healed the hickey will disappear. Brad said his headache did go away.
