Survivor Gabon “It All Depends on the Pin-Up Girl”

The Ace Has Been Played

As a child of the 80’s, I clearly recall spending endless hours and quarters at the local video arcade. Classic consoles like Dig Dug, Ms. Pac Man, and Super Off Road consumed both the majority of my free time and a ridiculous chunk of my mother’s pocket change. Though I broke free of my early career in loitering, those frivolous times did provide me with an interesting life lesson. Back then, there was always a certain stress associated with beating the new game in the arcade. Dumping coin after coin into a virtually endless chasm of currency, I frequently threw my hands up and conceded defeat. “Never again,” said my prepubescent self. Of course, ten minutes later I would return to the scene of the crime, motivated by youthful pride and a large Mountain Dew. More often than not, it was that Hail Mary attempt that resulted in victory, and I took that lesson to heart.

After six episodes of Survivor Gabon, I was once again pushed to the point of frustration. The repetition of events and lack of personal stories caused me to question how much more I could take of the Ace and Sugar show. Thankfully, I reached for my last quarter after the first commercial break, and was rewarded with an exciting and surprising dose of reality goodness.

The shocking elimination of Ace at the Fang Tribal Council was a definitive game-changer, eschewing the person who has been given far both too much camera time and too much respect for his strategy. By turning the tide on her initial partner in crime, Sugar has fully established herself as the power center of this season. Though I thought Kenny’s argument to vote Ace out of the tribe was ridiculously simplistic and uncompelling (much like Kenny himself), it appears that Sugar did not have to be talked into the strategy at all. From day one, America’s Pin-Up Girl saw the bigger picture, and unveiled a long term campaign that should extend her stay in West Africa significantly.

After weeks of relative anonymity, tonight’s dual Tribal Council twist led to increased coverage of the dominant Kota tribe. First, learned more about Bob’s personal story, both from his “talking head” and his poignant reaction to receiving letters from home in the Reward Challenge. In last week’s recap, I mentioned the importance in creating characters that viewers can root for, rather than simply building up antagonists such as Ace. That approach worked wonders for Bob, who must be the favorite of Joe Six Pack, Joe the Plumber, and Sarah the Beauty Pageant contestant by now. Next, a small splinter emerged in the alliance between Marcus, Charlie, Corinne, and Randy that impacted the Kota elimination. With Dan and Susie at risk, it appeared that Randy played the role of maverick and cast the deciding vote against Dan.

In anticipation of a merge in the next two weeks, there are now a number of intriguing storylines to follow:

1. Will Sugar be blindsided by her new allies with the Immunity Idol left unused, or will her competitive advantage in the “outwit” portion of the game continue?

2. Can Randy take up the slack left by Dan’s absence, or will he be exposed as a potential risk in the punishing physical challenges?

3. Is there any reason to believe that Crystal will show any evidence of being a past Olympic champion, or will she continue to be the most grating person on network TV?

4. Is it too much to ask to see more of Charlie and Marcus, this year’s most adorable couple? The love in Charlie’s eyes and the indifference in Marcus’ body language is reason enough to offer more insight into their dynamic.

5. Will anyone besides Sugar ever get back to Exile Island, or will the Sugar Shack have to be retired with all of her frequent visitor points intact?

With eleven contestants left in the game, I will start predicting the overall winner and the next Survivor to be voted out of Gabon.

Overall Winner: Charlie

Next Week’s Elimination: Susie

Let me know what you think, GMMR Tribe! What has been your favorite moment of the season? Are you finding that your favorites change from week to week? Did you notice the three amazing hippo shots this week in HD? Were you shocked by Ace’s fate? Please send along your predictions, so that we can play this game together.

–posted by Erik
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How does Erik stay grounded from his luxurious life as a substitute teacher? He keeps it real with ALF DVDs & Fantasy Football. On weekends, the GMMR HOUSE & SURVIVOR guru spends quiet time imploring the TV gods to bring back Sports Night & Ed. Erik resides in South Florida and spends his summers following Dave Matthews Band.