South Pacific Episode 10: Stupid, stupid people

Jim and Whitney have both figured out Coach, and reckon he's gonna take Cochran or Edna to the end. Whitney speaks 100% truth - Coach is running the show, and will win the game unless removed. "I don't understand how smart people can be so stupid" she says.

Cochran, the karate kid

Cochran joins in with Coach's dragon-chi. He thinks sucking up to the leader will help his game. Coach confides in Cochran the fact that he's worried Albert might be thinking of making a move. For some reason Cochran is worried about this even though it can only benefit him.


So, onto the Redemption Island challenge. Their task is to keep their poles from falling. Jim can't stop laughing during the explanation. During the duel, Rick and Brandon openly cheer for Jim. Jim smiles at this. Funny, Brandon was cheering against him last episode. Probst asks who's cheering for Keith and Whitney (of course) says she is. Nobody is cheering for Ozzy. Haha.

The three boys bond after the duel

Jim drops out of the challenge first, and then Keith, becoming the first two members of the jury. Ozzy claims to be in the best place he can be. He's away from all the strategy (which he was never any good at anyway) and can just focus on kicking everyone's ass. Obviously it's an intimidation tactic, but nobody's going to vote for somebody who's being a dick. Jim throws his buff in the fire, after Probst confirms there is no secret double Redemption Island like he was hoping. Keith follows.

Ozzy thinks he's found paradise. His fishing has never been better. He has a long and very cocky confessional about how everyone who comes there is gonna have a tough challenge ahead. Then he climbs on top of a coconut tree and a helicopter shot zooms out. What the Hell? OK, clearly this guy is coming back into the game. Everyone else can just give up now. I like how they then cut back to camp at Rick and Coach checking the net and finding no fish.

Cochran says something smart for the first time in the game and claims that if he can help Dawn and Whitney get further they might vote for him. Probably not, but they might. He's considering flipping back if the possibility arrives. Maybe he just wants to betray everybody. Nevertheless, Dawn has a slim lifeline.

You're still my number one

The immunity challenge involves carrying a bowl of rice on your head and walking along a plank to empty it into another jar. Dawn takes an early lead. Brandon and Sophie are next. Everyone else quickly falls out of it. I think this challenge was designed to make people look as silly as possible. Sophie takes a gamble and fills her bowl up to the brim. It pays off, Sophie wins immunity!

Dawn isn't giving up. She's hoping the twist that Probst promised is something good. Cochran is guessing that it's a double elimination and worries that if a Savaii wins the second immunity, he's going to go next. Whitney then gives a great confessional calling out the useless players. "Rick isn't even playing Survivor" she says. Poor guy, he's getting one of the most embarrassing edits of all time.

Albert is a chess master

Albert is considering getting Edna out. He's figured out that he can only win if he gets every Savaii jury vote, and doesn't feel too bad about backstabbing Edna, as he wasn't going to get her vote anyway. Also it appears everyone dislikes her. "She brings nothing to the table" says Albert, "this isn't outorganize, outclean, outgather". Sophie is now in the swingvote position. As a side note Albert's chess set was pretty impressive. Showing him beating Cochran could turn out to be symbolic.

"Anyone who goes against the family is dead" says Coach sounding very Godfather-esque. (Picture Coach as Michael and Albert as Fredo). A few of the Coachlings have noticed Albert talking with Whitney and Dawn and Coach decides the best method of keeping his control is fear. Like Boston Rob once said, fear keeps people loyal.

At tribal council, Coach denies he is the leader. Whitney scoffs at this and states she always sees people running to Coach with information. Time to vote, and Whitney is hoping that 4 Edna votes come up. But unfortunately, only two do, and the rest are for Dawn who heads to Redemption Island. Probst then announces that they'll get right in to another challenge, and another double elimination will occur. "Dammit" says Whitney.

Whitney in defeat, still smiling

The challenge is a survival trivia quiz...it's a little lame, but I guess they're limited as to what can take place at tribal council. Albert, Edna and Rick fall out on question one. Whitney, Sophie and Coach are soon the only ones left in and then Whitney and Sophie. Interesting...it's always fun when the underdog stays in contention. Sophie gets the clam question right and wins immunity. Crisis averted for Cochran.

So predictably, Whitney joins Ozzy and Dawn on Redemption Island for a fish supper and the rest of the tribe go back to camp. I thought Albert's move made sense, so what went wrong? Talk is cheap, actions speak louder.

STAR OF THE WEEK: WHITNEY DUNCAN

Could've given it to Ozzy or Albert (maybe next week), but I'll give it to Whitney, for being the speaker of truth or giving it a good go in the challenge and for smiling all the time. Notice how many of the recent awards are the people leaving the game? That's never a good sign.