SURVIVOR – REDEMPTION ISLAND Recap: ‘You Own My Vote’

“I don’t know if he’s delusional. I think he’s a good-hearted guy. I do. Just might not all be there. Let it be a lesson to you…government jobs –  stressful.” – Boston Rob on Philip

Probably worthwhile to begin this week’s recap by begging for a little personal redemption. The brand new season of SURVIVOR: REDEMPTION ISLAND premiered last Wednesday and I wasn’t able to cover it here on GIVE ME MY REMOTE. You’ll be happy to know that I’ve paid the price. I’ve spent the last week in solitude on a deserted island and after going head-to-head in battle against another well known TV blogger, I have emerged victorious and I’m back in the game, ready to cover the show.

Let’s do it!

I’m usually not a fan of the “previously on” segments, but it was worthwhile to recap last week’s Tribal Council for no other reason than I thought that perhaps I had imagined the entire affair. But no. Philip really is that bizarre. What was that?! Definitely the strangest Tribal Council I’ve ever seen…and it was only the first one! Boston Rob has to be wondering what yahoos he’s playing with this time around.

Phillip obviously boarded the long train to crazy town because his antics just continued after returning from Tribal. Ometepe hadn’t even settled back into camp before Phil pulled Rob aside to kiss a little ass. To show just how much “integrity” he has, Phil offered his voting power to Rob until the time comes that Phil is voted off the island.  Say what? You’re not even a week into the game and you’ve transferred your power to one of the most notorious players ever to land on the island? Buddy, relax.

I get that Phillip is a fascinating being, but the producers are so focused on his shenanigans that it doesn’t leave much time to get to know the rest of the Ometepe tribe. Truth be told, his loosey goosey tighty whiteys are reason enough to get him booted off both this island and Redemption ASAP.

Lest we forget that there is another tribe, the cameras give us a glimpse into the life of Zepatera. Ralph took a break from clucking, crowing, yodeling – or whatever the hell he was doing (I’m a city girl, I’m not familiar with that bird-like sound he was making) to find one of the hidden Immunity Idols.  Didn’t seem like he was looking for it, but rather just stumbled across it. Nice win!  That’s really going to piss off Russell. I like it.

We haven’t had the chance to get to know many of the folks from the Zepetara Tribe, but Ralph is definitely an early favorite. I like a guy that has no issue with standing up to Russell. (More on that confrontation later.)

At the combined reward/immunity challenge, Omatepe once again fell short. While the other tribe enjoyed the benefits of fishing equipment, Omatepe was — surprise — trying to figure out whose torch to snuff out. Phil tried to play the martyr by holding a post-challenge meeting and taking the blame for the loss. He may have been the last leg, but it was a team effort. He can’t be blamed.  And let’s be honest…he doesn’t really blame himself. He was just saying all that to get in the good graces of his fellow castaways.

The joy of Zepetara’s win was short-lived as Ralph saw Russell insidiously snag the clue to the hidden Immunity Idol out of the reward basket and into his pocket. Russell bragged about the clue to his hags, but was soon confronted by Ralph. Russell denied having the clue. Big mistake. Huge. Russell wasn’t happy that someone had the balls to confront him, but I loved it.

Meanwhile Boston Rob — who knows a thing or two about forming strong alliances with members of the opposite sex — is doing his thing. Hell, Rob’s so committed to his alliances that he went on to marry one of his partners and have two kids with her. So when Rob saw Andrea and Matty getting their flirt on, all kinds of red flags went up and Rob knew he had to shut them down before they got too deep in each other’s pocket. Further exacerbating the issue was Matt’s congratulatory high fives to Zepetara immediately after their big win. I don’t think I saw his act as a traitorous move, but Rob did and that man carries a lot of influence.

Listen, I know that there are quite a few Boston Rob haters out there, but how can you not respect the artistry in his game play? Tonight he orchestrated Tribal Council to perfection. He gathered the votes for eviction, but strategically only let a certain few know of his plan. The rest of the tribe believed they were splitting the vote between Kristina and Phil, and ultimately sending Phil to Redemption Island. But Rob knew that Kristina would be forced to play her Idol and all her votes would be negated. (My boy is wicked smaht.) In the end, it was Matt who was completely blindsided by the vote. He will now join Francesca on the Isle they call “Redemption.”

I might be praising Rob for his tactics, but I’m not yet convinced of his strategy. Based on the footage we were able to see, Matty didn’t seem like a viable threat. Yes, I could see his relationship with Andrea becoming a liability over time, but he’s a strong, physical player and I think they could have benefited from his presence, at least for a few more weeks.

I get what Redemption Island is, but I haven’t yet figured out how the battle royale will go down. If Matt joins Francesca and the two fight for survival, will the winner go back to the game or stay put? It’s times like these that it really bothers me that I don’t have Probst on speed dial.

Before I turn it over to you for discussion, I have to share a screen capture from tonight’s episode. You can’t help but laugh at Phillip’s lower third…it seems maybe even the producers aren’t buying this whole ‘I’m a former federal agent.” B.S. Hilarious!

Thoughts on tonight’s episode? Was Matt the right one to go this week?