Too Sick to Go Forward

In the above picture, you can see Dana is just in extreme pain. The harsh elements of the jungle were just too much for Dana, and she became completely ill during the fifth episode of Survivor: The Philippines. It was no surprise when the medical team had to come in and escort Dana from the game. It is always sad to see a player leave the game by circumstances like this. Her entire tribe was in tears, and I think that Dana would have gone deep into the game if it were not for this bump in the road.

It made it even more heartbreaking when Kalabaw also lost the immunity challenge. Even though Denise was clearly the outsider of the tribe, the men knew that they needed her strength. So, Katie and Dawson were the targets when Kalabaw made the long hike to Tribal Council to vote out one of their own.

I was actually unsure of which woman would go home. Katie did horrible in the immunity challenge; however, Jonathan was definitely irked by Dawson's poor performance during the puzzle portion of the competition. However, even Dawson's biggest ally Katie sided with the rest of her tribe to vote Dawson out. This leaves Kalabaw down to 5 compared to Tandang's 7. Will they be able to overcome the numerical disadvantage? It looks like only time will tell! For now, I think that Tandang definitely has five strong members left standing to compete against Tandang. Either way, it should be interesting!

"My Heart Breaks for Matsing"

There is only one tribe that has been the prime focus of the past few episodes. Obviously, it has been Matsing. Again and again, the Matsing tribe continues to lose and take the long hike to Tribal Council. Last week, we watched as the beauty queen Angie Layton had her torch snuffed. It looked like the three remaining members (Russell, Denise, and Malcolm) would be able to finally win a challenge! Why not? They are the three physically strongest people on the tribe. However, Malcolm screwed up the immunity challenge, sending Matsing to Tribal Council once again. The outcome of the vote was obvious. Returnee Russell Swan was sent packing by the strong duo of Denise and Malcolm. It was no surprise that Denise and Malcolm had each others' backs once again. Now that only Denise and Malcolm are left of the Matsing tribe, what will happen next? My best guess is that there will be some sort of tribe switch that will condense the three tribes into two. But we'll see.

Make sure you check out the above video where "The Facts of Life" star Lisa Whelchel expresses how badly she feels for the Matsing tribe!

Episode Two: "Don't Be Blinded by the Headlights"

Well, here is my first post for my new blog! This blog will individually analyze the strategy and social aspects occurring within each tribe of this season of Survivor! I will be starting off with the second episode which was titled "Don't be Blinded by the Headlights". Let's check out the Tandang tribe, who placed first in this episode's immunity challenge!

Abi-Maria

Abi-Maria had somewhat of a breakdown during this episode. After the first episode, it seemed like Abi-Maria really was in a great position. She and R.C. had quickly pulled in Michael and Pete into a majority alliance. However, R.C. is now worried that Abi-Maria may be too paranoid and a little bit of a loose cannon. In my opinion, Abi-Maria really needs to calm down or her tribe mates may get annoyed with her and vote her out. It is always better to keep quiet in Survivor, and I think Abi-Maria will definitely struggle with that. In addition, it should be noted that her tribe sat Abi-Maria out of the last challenge, singling her out as a weak link. I would not be surprised if Abi-Maria's game ends sooner than later. Lucky for her, she seems to be on a tribe that is dominant in challenges.

Artis

Artis has been a quieter member of the Tandang tribe. We know that he is not in the majority alliance; however, he seems to have integrated himself in the tribe a lot better than Lisa has. Artis's name has not come up at all. I do not think Artis is seen as a target, but he definitely has not been playing a superior social game if others are not even considering aligning with him. It was also noticeable that he was a little slower in the past immunity challenge. I think Artis may be fine for a Tribal Council or two, but he definitely does not seem like someone who is playing well enough to win the game.

Lisa

 Lisa Whelchel was definitely more successful with her role as Blair Warner on the 80's television show The Facts of Life than she has been on Survivor thus far. It is clear that Lisa has alienated herself from her tribe. She said that she is an "introvert by nature" and doesn't "do well with chit-chat." Well, perhaps she should have considered that before applying to be on a competitive television show that is mostly a social game. Lisa has a lot of work to do if she wants to make it far in the game. She is lucky that her tribe has won the past two challenges, because it is clear that otherwise she would have been the one to get the boot. She needs to get out of her shell a little bit and work on integrating herself into some sort of alliance. At least she has proven herself in challenges with her impressive puzzle prowess!

Michael

Mike is the returnee this season that seems to be playing the best game. His tribe mates quickly invited him to join a majority alliance, and he seems to be in a really great position on his tribe. I really think Michael will go far into the game. He is playing well socially, and he is a great asset to his tribe in challenges. He isn't coming off as too big of a leader. Mike is coming in at a bit of a disadvantage because he is a returning player. The "newbies" will not want a returnee to win, so he will probably be a target later on. However, for now, he is playing quite the impressive game.

Pete

We still do not know much about Pete, but we do know that he is in a great position in his tribe. His tribe knows that they need him for challenges, and he is a part of the majority alliance with R.C., Michael, and Abi-Maria. For now, it seems like he is sitting pretty. However, he must not be seen as smart because R.C. did call him "dumb" back in episode one. So, we will see if that affects him later when he has to start playing strategically.

R.C.

R.C. has definitely impressed me with the game she has been playing. It is almost impeccable at this point. She is coming off as the strategic ringleader of the tribe. If anyone is calling the shots on Tandang, then I think that it is her. She is the one that created the majority alliance, and she set herself up in a fantastic position. I think R.C. is due to go a long way in the game, and I definitely think she is playing well! Also, it is important to mention that she found the clue to the hidden immunity idol. If she finds it, then I think she will be the most powerful person in the game.



Okay, that wraps it up for Tandang. So let's move on to the runner-ups in the last immunity challenge! Let's take a long into the Kalabaw tribe!

Carter

 Carter is the only person remaining in the game who has yet to receive a single confessional. So at this point, it is hard to tell where Carter's head is at. It is obvious that he is someone who is seen as a physical asset to the tribe. I do not think he is a target at this point; however, is lack of receiving an edit tells me that he will not be winning the game. I guess Carter is playing well for now because his name has not come up, but he needs to play a little harder and stick out a little more if he wants to be the Sole Survivor.

Dana

 Dane is definitely an interesting personality on the Kalabaw tribe. She seems to be well-liked, and she really has been vocal about wanting Jonathan to be the first one out on the tribe. The Kalabaw tribe has received the worst edit out of the three tribes, so it is hard to analyze the social dynamics. However, I think Dana is in a good position for now.

Dawson

 Dawson has been a quiet member of the Kalabaw tribe. Although she seems to be well-liked, her tribe sat her out of the last immunity challenge which means that she is probably seen as somewhat of a liability in challenges. She mentioned that she knows Jeff Kent was a professional baseball player, but she isn't telling anyone until it becomes valuable information that she can use to her benefit. This tells me that Dawson is a smart, strategic thinker. If Dawson can prove herself to be a great strategist, than she can make it far.

Jeff

 Jeff seems to be hiding his knee injury well. No one else has talked about it yet, and he still has been doing well in challenges. Dawson knows that he is a professional baseball player, so he could be in danger if that ever comes out. At the moment, Jeff seems to be in a good position. We'll see if that changes any time soon.

Jonathan

 Jonathan found the hidden immunity idol this episode! This was definitely needed for him because he seems to be the first target if his tribe loses immunity. Unfortunately, it does not look like Jonathan is doing well with creating any alliances within his tribe. If he uses the hidden immunity idol correctly, he could definitely turn his situation around. So, we will just have to wait and see what happens with that!

Katie

 Katie seems to be under the radar at this point. She does not seem to be the type of person who will step up and take charge. If Katie makes it far in the game, then I think it will be because she rides coattails. She is not a liability in challenges, and she does not have any personality conflicts with anyone just yet. She is playing decently, but she needs to be more vocal if she wants to win.



So, last but not least, let's look into the remaining members of the Matsing tribe! After losing their second challenge in a row, they are down to only four members!

Angie

I do not think that it is unfair to say that Angie is out of her element. She is a beauty queen, and she is the youngest person on her tribe. However, I do not think that Angie is necessarily playing a bad game. She paired up with Malcolm, which I think is a smart move for her. She is playing the type of game that could get her far, but she definitely will not win. Others just do not respect her strategy enough for her to get the jury votes. She also could be a target if her tribe keeps losing because now she is physically the weakest person left on Matsing.

Denise

I think that Denise is playing a great game. Even though she is 41 years old, she is a strong physical asset! She also has a tight alliance with Malcolm, and I think both of them will go far. Denise is a strong all-around player. I think she has what it takes to go very deep into the game.

Malcolm

Malcolm is probably in the best position on his tribe. He has an alliance with both Denise and Angie. Even though a romance is blooming between Malcolm and Angie, Malcolm succeeded in getting Denise and Russell to vote with him against Roxanne at the last Tribal Council. I think Malcolm has what it takes to go far and win the game!

Russell

Russell seemed to win some brownie points this episode by calming down and keeping a little quieter. After he stepped down from his leadership pedestal, I think that he gained some respect from his fellow tribe mates. Also, his tribe mates know that they need him to start winning some challenges! However, Russell has trouble controlling his emotions, and that could definitely come back to haunt him. Russell still has a long way to go before he can win the game. I'm not sure that he has what it takes to overcome his "returnee' status and make it to the end.




Well, that wraps up my analysis of the 16 castaways remaining after episode 2! There is still a lot of game left, and so much still can change before we get to the finals! I'm excited to see how it plays out!