The ranking of Survivor seasons *updated with S23*

1. PEARL ISLANDS - The perfect Survivor season. Memorable, larger-than-life characters like Rupert and Jonny Fairplay, unpredictable boot order and an Outcast twist that, whilst unfair, added lots of new dimensions to the season.

2. COOK ISLANDS - In a word, epic. To watch 20 people in 4 tribes battle it out to get down to 1 was a great journey, particularly once the Aitu Four staged their amazing comeback. Yul was a likeable and worthy winner, and Cao Boi was amusing.

3. HEROES VS VILLAINS - A fanboy’s wet dream. Pitting so many big characters against each other was sure to guarantee explosive confrontations and memorable moments, and it did not disappoint.

4. MICRONESIA - A great concept, but the Fans tribe was laughably bad. After that initial mismatch, the game changed and one of the most successful and ruthless alliances of all time (the all-female Black Widow Brigade) emerged. Cue blindsides galore and memorably stupid moments like Jason’s stick and Erik giving up immunity.

4. MICRONESIA - A great concept, but the Fan’s tribe was laughably bad. After that initial mismatch, the game changed and one of the most successful and ruthless alliances of all time (the all-female Black Widow Brigade) emerged. Cue blindsides galore and memorably stupid moments like Jason’s stick and Erik giving up immunity.

5. CHINA - Beautiful location, inventive and unique challenges, and one of the best casts ever (even Chicken is memorable) make it another great season. Todd is one of the few strategists to backstab and still win. The James blindside was great.

6. VANUATU - Chris had one of the best winner’s stories ever, to come back after being outnumbered by 6 women. This season also introduces the adorably paranoid Eliza. Underrated.

7. NICARAGUA - Fabio is one of the most likeable winners ever. Constantly unpredictable, there were many memorable moments, from fiery tribal councils to a double quit, and great characters like Marty and Brenda.

8. PALAU - Despite no original gimmick, still ends up being one of the most unique seasons as one tribe decimated the other. Thus, it was a season of two halves. Stephenie emerged as a true hero.

9. SAMOA - Russell was the star of the show, but a lot of the rest of the cast left a lot to be desired.

10. TOCANTINS - Coach’s crazy antics were the highlight of the season. He was a joy to watch, you never knew what he’d do next. Credit to runner-up Stephen Fishbach, an expert strategist overshadowed by the charming J.T.

11. ALL STARS - Probably the most drama-filled season of all. The competition was dominated by Boston Rob physically and tactically, and he left a lot of people angry and bitter. Amber and Rob also gave us the first on-screen Survivor romance.

12. EXILE ISLAND - Worth watching for Shane alone. But this season also contained Terry’s amazing immunity run and competition with Aras, and the evolution of Cirie, now one of Survivor’s best ever players.

13. GUATEMALA - Physical, brutal season with some great confrontations (Jamie vs. Bobby Jon, Judd vs. everyone), but a lacklustre winner keeps it in the bottom half.

14. GABON - Probably the most personal and nastiest season, the personal grudges and Randy’s intense dislike of everyone and everything was awesome. But at least a good guy won in the end. It also had one of the worst tribes ever, Fang, and one of the show’s biggest surprises, Sugar.

15. AMAZON - Cesternino’s wit made this worth watching and kept the power shifts interesting. Jenna and Heidi add eye candy. However, the cast in general wasn’t the best.

16. FIJI - Easily the worst twist, but the Dreamz car deal and the fall of the four horsemen were both memorable moments. Earl, Yau Man and Michelle were all cool characters.

17. SOUTH PACIFIC - So many of the previous seasons problems flared up again, and in many cases even worse. I rate it slightly higher because it had one of the most realistic casts for years, an exciting and evenly-matched pre-merge and because Coach is still cool even as a gamebot.

18. REDEMPTION ISLAND - Started strong, but too many big characters getting voted out early lead to one of the most predictable and one-sided seasons ever. The Redemption Island twist failed, as did the "Rob vs Russell" twist. No season that introduced the craziness of Phillip could ever be a total loss, though.

19. AUSTRALIA - The first ever evacuation, a handful of memorable characters like Jerri and Colby, and an unexpected winner makes this one of the best of the early seasons of Survivor.

20. BORNEO - The season that started it all. It’s interesting to see the birth of the show’s gameplay and pioneer Richard Hatch in action, but it’s also frustratingly slow in places and hadn’t quite reached its potential yet.

21. AFRICA - The best thing about Africa was Lex. Ethan was a likeable winner, but had it far too easy. There was the first and best tribe swap, and a look at the community outside of the game.

22. MARQUESAS - Most boring cast/winner ever. Boston Rob was the only person worth rooting for and even he was at his worst. The best thing this season gave us was the coconut chop challenge, now a staple of the show.

23. THAILAND - Was a drag to get through at times. Shii Ann was one of the few redeeming qualities. However, Brian Heidik is pretty much the perfect Survivor player.

South Pacific Episode 14: Three Times A Lady

This is it! It all ends tonight! We start on Redemption, with Brandon's entrance. Ozzy's sympathy for Brandon evaporates when he finds out he gave up immunity. "He's trying to play a game of faith, when he's playing with human beings that are greedy and all want that money". Perfect quote to set the tone for the rest of the episode. Back at camp, Sophie loves that Albert looked bad in front of the jury for not giving the necklace back. Coach snaps at Albert for trying to bullshit him.

Well, it was a hell of a ride, Brandon

The last duel begins. Brandon and Ozzy simply have to hang onto a pole for as long as they can to get back in the game. Brandon puts in a mammoth effort but an unbelievably focused Ozzy outlasts yet another competitor. Brandon is jubilant in defeat, because he feels he's won the game of life.

Coach still claims he wants to take Ozzy to the end, but Ozzy doesn't buy it. Ozzy then says he wants to take Coach to the end. I love the way he phrased that, haha. Albert is confident one of the four of them will defeat Ozzy in the next challenge. Let's see if he's right....

The challenge is a crazy one, involving building a stack one-handed. Sophie looks to have a secure tower, but runs out of tiles. Coach comes close, but his stack falls. Ozzy voluntarily dismantles his stack to try a new strategy. Sophie drops her stack and tries to get Albert to drop his and pick hers up. It comes down to Ozzy and Coach. Ozzy calmly does it and wins immunity.

The run continues

Ecstatic at being safe, Ozzy tries to stir shit up at camp. Coach and Albert think Rick is the obvious choice, not just because he sucks at challenges, but because he could actually win. Hard to believe based on screentime, but he's actually quite likable, works hard, and has ruffled the fewest feathers. Ozzy has a different target in mind...Sophie, who he calls a spoiled brat.

Rick is really nervous that he's going out, so tries to get Coach's loyalty. Coach chooses his words very carefully, but tells Rick he won't vote him out. Ozzy tells Albert that Coach gave him his word that he wanted to take him to the final three. Albert quizzes Coach about it, thinking it's ridiculous - yet when Coach doesn't say no, you can tell he remembered Coach is ridiculous. Oh man, and Coach accuses Albert of not understanding the jury?

Why did I ever trust that wacko?

It was funny to see the jury all smile at Ozzy having the necklace. You can tell they loved it. Rick pleads his case at tribal, knowing it is weak. Ozzy and Sophie go at it about the personal attacks they've made at eachother. Sophie is actually reduced to tears right before the vote. Rick is voted out, and rolls his eyes. No Redemption for you! Coach tries to hug Rick, but Rick tells him to have a seat. I think that's the third time Coach has been snubbed for a hug. A pissed-off Rick says he wishes he'd made a bigger move (or...any move?), but he trusted Coach, and Ozzy has his vote.

Ozzy isn't sharing his coconuts, but Sophie won't mind as she's not giving Ozzy any plaintains either. Coach feels betrayed by Ozzy, as he told him to keep that conversation confidential. Ozzy says he didn't trust Coach because of how burned he was by this game last time he played, which touches Coach.

The final four arrive at the last immunity challenge...Ozzy says he's been waiting 38 days for it. He gets off to the best start. In fact, Albert and Sophie are constantly getting in eachother's way and Coach is doing a barrel roll for no reason. Ozzy's got this. He retrieves his fifth bag and has a huge lead. Coach, Sophie and Albert arrive at the table in that order. Ozzy gets stuck on the puzzle, whilst Sophie moves through it very quickly. Ozzy can feel his million dollars slipping away as he hears the last three words he wanted to hear...Sophie wins immunity.

Coach transfers his power

So the three Upolu members are celebrating together pretty openly, having finally defeated their enemy. Coach tells Sophie she's the new dragonslayer, as Ozzy was this season's dragon. Ozzy's last play is to appeal to Coach's need to see who is the more deserving, and force a tiebreaker. Albert's not that worried, but it is Coach...

A legend says Sayanara to Survivor

At tribal council, Rick and Brandon are shooting daggers from the jury. Ozzy talks about his million dollar puzzle and how it'll haunt him for the rest of his life. Then he throws Coach under the bus, but he does not budge, and Ozzy's torch is snuffed for the third time. It's a fitting end to his Survivor career, and he even gets a standing ovation from the jury.

The final three tuck in to the big breakfast on day 39. It's funny, Albert is confident about his chances (he shouldn't be!) whilst even his two remaining allies still think he got lucky to make it this far. All three reflect on what they've learned, and Coach does his final tai chi session.

The final three stay strong after a tough tribal

The final three arrive at the end of the road: final tribal council. Ozzy, wearing pigtails, warms them up by saying the jury doesn't want to vote for any of them. Jim asks Albert why the other two shouldn't win, and Albert immediately breaks his "no compliments" rule. Coach apologises to Rick, who is the most bitter so far. Brandon forgives Coach for his betrayal. Albert then fumbles Brandon's question when he refuses to give a yes or no answer to whether he knew if Brandon was getting voted out the night he gave up his necklace. Whitney calls Albert sleazy and disingenuous and Sophie condescending. Both of them were clearly caught off-guard by the level of hate and Sophie starts breaking down again, like she vowed not to. Edna has no questions, just a statement. Keith asks about the idol, allowing Sophie to mention how the idol was really discovered.

So there we go, a surprisingly great tribal council, with a very logical Sophie, very apologetic Coach and a very nervous Albert. Cochran is the first vote for Coach, saying he played an awesome game. Dawn votes for Sophie. The scene cuts back to L.A. and Jeff reveals the votes, and it's a 6-3 victory for Sophie.

STAR OF THE WEEK: SOPHIE CLARKE

On a night overshadowed by the returning player juggernauts of Ozzy and Coach saying goodbye, let's not forget that this girl just won a million bucks. She did it quietly but effectively, calling the shots from behind the scenes and had her finger on the pulse of the game the whole way.



Reunion show highlights:

• Coach's reaction to his votes coming up was awesome. He seemed to love this season.
• Ozzy ate up way too much airtime. That guy talks a lot.
• I really felt bad for Brandon when he said his family has basically disowned him. I bet he's a good kid at heart.
• I was excited at Probst complimenting Jim, but then by trashing his favorite Cochran he probably dashed his Allstars chances.
• Despite the awful name, I am so excited for One World. It looks like the perfect blend of old and new, and definitely a step in the right direction.

South Pacific Episode 13: Living On A Prayer

The final five are happy that their day one pact has come to fruition, but at the same time, Coach is wary that the real game starts right now. Albert pulls something from nowhere and claims he wants to blindside Sophie. Yeah, apparently she's the biggest jury threat right now.

Like Arnie, he will be back

The duel between Edna and Ozzy is a puzzle. Edna gets a lot of help from the crowd when Albert basically tells her how to do the first section. She begins stacking her blocks so that no vertical colours align, and she comes close, but is wrong. Ozzy takes his time and gets it right, staying on Redemption Island for the final duel. Just what will it take to get rid of him?

Brandon is deluded into thinking Albert and Coach will never write his name down. Meanwhile, Sophie and Coach talk about what a threat Ozzy poses. Sophie wants to send Brandon to battle Ozzy, calling them the two most dangerous players in the game.

Albert tries to plead with Coach to listen to him that Sophie is a threat. Brandon approaches in the middle of the conversation, and Coach snaps at him, comparing him to Russell in his bullying tactics. Brandon is offended (who wouldn't be?) and Coach apologizes and hugs it out. Then Brandon comes up behind him during a confessional about getting rid of him. Hilarious.

Guaranteed Final Four

The challenge involves grabbing bags of tiles off a wall, and finding which pairs don't match to get a combination for their wheel. Brandon and Rick lead the challenge. Albert has fallen behind the person he just called out as being terrible in challenges. Rick is stumped on the matching pairs part, so Brandon races off first with Coach behind him. Brandon wins immunity, which is what nobody wanted to hear. He picks Rick to share the pizza reward...why? Oh, who knows why Brandon does any of the things that he does. Back at camp, Coach pouts about the divine intervention that saved Brandon.

Can open, worms everywhere

The Pizza delivery guy comes on a jetski. Sophie goes over to the picnic to "smell the pizza", when it's really to ask the two of them to vote out Albert. Rick repeats what Albert said to him earlier about the two of them going to the end together, knowing it was bullshit. Brandon's eyes widen when he hears this.

With Albert's lies finally exposed, Brandon and Rick confront him directly and let it all out in the open as Albert is forced to try and dig himself out of his hole. Sophie is pretty much taunting Albert, saying "where's all your strategy now?".

Albert later tries to get Brandon back on his side, and Brandon tells him he's not voting for him. He then even says he'd give Albert immunity if he felt he was in trouble. He's made some pretty erratic moves this game, but this would top them all. Coach hears the plan and although he doesn't show it on the outside, it's clearly good news for his gameplan. But could he really take this opportunity and not look like a complete dick? He prays and asks God to decide what he should do.

Coach assumes the position

At tribal council, Jeff can barely even finish his first sentence when Brandon takes off the necklace and hands it to Albert. The jury are stunned, as they should be. Albert says he isn't giving the necklace back because he doesn't think Brandon is going to get voted out. Smart to keep immunity, even smarter to pass the buck to Coach. But Coach has an easy out himself, when he says God told him who to vote for, and Brandon appears to accept it.

Rick votes Brandon, labeling it a dumb move. Brandon and Albert vote Sophie, and
Sophie votes Brandon. Coach's vote comes up...and it's Brandon. Yep, Lil Hantz follows

"God did it" - excuse of crazy people everywhere

in the footsteps of Erik Reichenbach as the second person ever to give up immunity and get voted out. And everyone thought that would be a one-time only thing. When Brandon gets to Redemption Island, he doesn't really seem to care. I can't believe someone would throw away their game so easily. He better hope he wins his duel against Ozzy.

The repercussions of Brandon's move might say a lot in terms of Coach's chances of winning this game. Has the pendulum begun to swing to Sophie? We'll find out on Sunday!

STAR OF THE WEEK: ALBERT DESTRADE

With his villain edit on the rise, I'm glad there's someone there to play the game and not give a shit about honour and integrity. He appears to be the only one correctly assessing jury stock, but with people gunning for him now he may have to win immunities to get to the end. Or, alternately, have people hand it over to him again. I don't know what the hell he said to Brandon, but good job.

South Pacific Episode 12: Spit On A Million Dollars

Ozzy blatantly asking Cochran to vote for him was incredibly unsubtle. Cochran didn't like the assumption that he would lose, even though it's a fair assumption to make. "Do I have a chance against you in a duel?" Cochran asks. "You have a chance" says Ozzy. And then cut to confessional: "he really doesn't stand a chance." Probably the best editing jump they've ever done.

Edna is insulted that this guy dictates her fate

Edna skips out on the tribe prayer, upset at being at the bottom of the alliance. She has a little cry in private and whilst I feel for her, this isn't new news to her. She tries to push for Brandon to get the chop. Meanwhile, Brandon comes back with the Sprint phone from treemail, which makes Edna feel a bit better when she gets to see her sister. Rick's wife is also on there, Albert's mom and her thick Cuban accent, Coach's surprisingly normal-looking brother...and Brandon's dad, who seems nice, but don't be fooled - he is a Hantz!

At least Cochran made Ozzy nervous

Ozzy and Cochran get to the duel, which is a table maze puzzle. You'd think a smart guy like Cochran would do well here but remember that Ozzy is also good at puzzles - he won the hardest puzzle in the show's history back in Cook Islands. Cochran gets help from Albert and the rest of the tribe but it doesn't do him much good. Ozzy is much better with the grappling hook and gets all three of his bags before Cochran has his second. Ozzy takes it slow, knowing he has a nice lead. Cochran picks up the pace, snags his bags, and works quickly through the maze. Ozzy drops his ball twice, giving Cochran the chance to cause an upset. He doesn't and the two both reach the end at the same time...Ozzy gets it, and wins the duel! Cochran sure scared him though.

Cochran is still giddy as a schoolgirl as he burns his buff and walks out. Now, Ozzy gets to choose which people and their loved ones he gets to take back to Redemption Island. He picks Albert, Coach and Brandon.

Coach talks to Ozzy and tells him he wants to take Ozzy to the final three. Please don't let this be true. It's Coach's game to lose right now and he may continue to do that if he continues with his "take the best warriors to the end" bullshit.

Brandon's dad tries to knock some sense to him

Brandon's dad tries to give him advice, as he can see he's struggling with the game. He tries to snap him out of his setting a good example crap, and encourages him to play to win. "It's the Hantz way, baby". Sean uses another classic Hantz trick when he goes up to Coach and pushes for him to take Brandon to the end.

The immunity challenge takes place on a pineapple-shaped board. It involves stepping on tiles until you run out of room. Most of them crowd around the centre. Albert is out first, then Brandon, who for some reason finds it necessary to verbalise that his strategy was to stop Edna winning. Edna gets more and more frustrated every move, realizing that Coach has half the board spare and can't lose. Coach wins immunity.

Edna's last move

Rick isn't happy with Brandon, and Edna campaigns to get Brandon voted out. She then asks Coach for the idol, but he cannot comply as he thinks he would be voted out next if he did that. Then she tries to get votes from Sophie, the person who's stuck to her original gameplan to the letter, and Albert, the person who tried to get her out earlier. All are long shots, but Edna has to play every card she has left.

All smiles: still looking glam at tribal council

Edna tries to rile up Brandon at tribal council, and although he gets very sad, he actually keeps his cool. Edna uses the loyalty and integrity card against Coach and the jury roll their eyes at this. Brandon looked worried for a minute right before the votes are read, but he was never in any danger - everyone writes Edna's name down, even Coach.

I guess it's nice to see that a day one final 5 alliance managed to hold the whole way, but a string of predictable boots has sucked the life out of this season. Luckily, I have no idea who's going next episode.

STAR OF THE WEEK: JOHN COCHRAN

The most controversial player of the season and one that I have a lot of mixed feelings about. But he deserves credit this week for running Ozzy close, and I really felt his joy as he gave his final speech. "When you say come on in, guys...I'm one of the guys!"

South Pacific Episode 11: The Princess And The Frog

So, now that there's no more Savaii to vote out, Cochran is alarmed to find out he's going next. Really? Right now is time for him to prove his salt as a Survivor strategist, otherwise his move was for nothing, and only served to move him backwards in the hierarchy.

Dead man walking: Cochran's back to scrambling

Cochran is doing his thing, which is telling embarassing stories. He made a prank call to a girl and asked to swap sperm with her because he didn't really understand what sex was like back then. Back then? He also comments on how creepy the Upolu cult is, particularly Brandon's constant praying.



Cochran gives a speech about how Upolu owe him because they wouldn't be here without him. Sophie gives a great confessional in response: "I don't feel indebted to you. Screw you. You made a dumb move, you should've stuck with your tribe". Coach is actually considering switching the vote to Edna. Wow. Thank God Sophie has some sanity.

Almost a game-ending yawn for Dawn

The duel involves stacking plates. Not unfamiliar territory for a waiter and a mom of six, I'm sure. Dawn gives some great expressions as she wobbles and recovers, and it becomes apparent just how delicate it is. Dawn loses her pile first and lets out a curse word! I'm sure she'll be forgiven. If there was ever an appropriate time to swear, that was it. Whitney then follows, and the duel is over.

Dawn is crying throughout her final words, talking about how she's learned that anything is possible now that she's lived her dream. Dawn really did not want to get rid of her buff, but did it because she loves Jeff. Whitney is also crying, and she goes on her way to Ponderosa to be reunited with Keith. We then see more of Ozzy on his Redemption Island "home." OK, we get it, the dude can fish!

Edna tries to climb the ladder

Cochran is also going fishing, with Brandon. He takes one of the fish he caught and tries to take credit for it. Albert puts the fire out, which pisses off Edna. Rick is not an Albert fan either, and apparently calls him "Prince Albert", because he lies in the hammock doing nothing. Edna asks Coach if she's going next and he's straight up with her. She then says it's unacceptable that she's 6th. Credit where it's due, she is playing the game after all.

Target practice: Coach out in front for once?

Coach charges Cochran with some tai chi, hoping it'll improve his performance in the challenge. The challenge, by the way, is one of those second chances ones, where they have to throw a beanbag on a barrel (waitaminute, they never did that) and then use that dreaded slingshot which Coach scored zero with last time. Coach takes the lead in the challenge, and Cochran is somehow ahead of Rick. All that changes when the tai chi power wears off, and Rick books his place in the second round first, followed by Albert and Sophie. Rick takes down two targets first, but Albert comes from behind and wins the immunity. He gets to choose who gets the spa reward, and gives it to Coach (suckup) and Cochran. Intriguing.

Over the massage, Coach discusses the possibility of Cochran staying longer. Cochran wonders if Albert gave him the spa reward because he just wanted his jury vote, or because he still wanted to work with him. Lying about his birthday might've gained him some sympathy points, but not enough to keep him in the game. Albert tells Cochran he wants to keep him in the game longer than Rick, and is especially gung ho about it after finding out Rick has been calling him "Princess Albert". It's funny, because Albert never really struck me as an emotional player.

"Are you kidding me, Rick?" - Albert doesn't like being
insulted by someone he calls "as sharp as a bowling ball"

Coach says that he's the swingvote. He could make life so much easier for himself by keeping his goats around longer, but he's the sort of person that prides himself on having honor and integrity, which might force him to stick to his word. Edna is emotional at tribal council because she knows she's 6th. Why didn't she realise this earlier? Brandon is also emotional because he's struggling with the game, especially after Cochran bags on his lack of strategy and his open book nature. Jim's facial expressions from the jury are great here...still managing to be a star with no lines. The only person not really emotional is Sophie, who doesn't buckle under the pressure of Cochran asking what would happen if Edna won immunity, or when Jeff asks if anyone felt tribal council was revealing, where she just calmly and bluntly stated "no".

Edna and Cochran vote Rick. Cochran winces as his name comes up, wondering if he has miraculousy escaped the boot again...but alas, it is not to be. The other 5 votes are enough to send Cochran to Redemption Island, where he gets to play Ozzy at sports. "Just...take the steps" Jeff tells him. I find it hilarious they left that bit in.

So, Upolu used Cochran to get the numbers advantage and then discarded him when they no longer needed him. It should be clear to him now that his gamble was a poor one.

STAR OF THE WEEK: SOPHIE CLARKE

She's a no-nonsense, reasonable, logical girl and I admire her level head. She seems confident she's got this game under wraps....almost dangerously so.

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.

South Pacific Episode 9: The Pagonging Begins

Ozzy brings Cochran aside to speak with him and calmly tells him he screwed him over (doesn't stop Brandon sticking his nose in though). Jim and Whitney are much harsher, Jim telling Cochran to never talk to him again and Whitney expressing her disgust, also pointing out that she saved him so many times before. Cochran seems pretty calm throughout, believing their reaction to be understandable. "He just lost me 6 weeks of my life" says Whitney. That's a pretty grim assessment isn't it? Obviously she wanted to win, but a life-changing experience on a tropical Island is a pretty good consolation prize.

Coach relishes being the king of Te Tuna

Then they cut straight to the challenge as there's a lot to get through this episode. The castaways have to throw coconuts into a hole and then get juice from the coconuts to fill a tube on the other side of an obstacle course. Dawn lands a coconut first. Whitney and Jim are next followed by Sophie. Ozzy is frustrated because he knows he's going out.

Jim emerges victorious

Sophie and Jim contest the second part of the challenge. Jim fills his almost to the brim, giving Sophie a chance, but she throws up halfway through, allowing Jim to win it. It's a funny moment, first when Jim starts celebrating before he's even done it, and then when after getting the necklace he takes a drink of the juice. Hasn't he had enough?

Ozzy has a talk with Coach and tells him he's not ready to go. Jim starts thinking his only move left is to give his necklace up to Ozzy and make a rousing speech to try and get them to vote out Cochran. What? That's a terrible plan.

At tribal council, Jim tells the others that by voting out Cochran they can send a message about loyalty and integrity, words that ring true to Coach's ears. Coach proposes a different theory. "The message that would send is that if you stand up for yourself, you get screwed". Ozzy says he's gonna beat everyone on Redemption Island. Jim keeps his necklace, wisely. And the tribe vote Ozzy out, who is still cocky. Whatever Ozzy wrote on his vote for Cochran was unairable.

Ozzy checks out the reef on Redemption Island, and catches his biggest fish ever. Him and Keith will be eating well tonight. Ozzy seems to like it on Redemption Island.

I won't lie, I found this part kinda sexy

The next challenge is a balance one. Jeff gives them the option to sit out of the challenge and eat, which all of Upolu plus Cochran take. Jim, Dawn and Whitney are left to balance their ball, whilst standing on a board. Brandon celebrates Jim dropping out of the challenge. Dawn declares she is staying in the challenge to let them eat. Brandon buys her attempts to suck up. Whitney wins immunity and Albert comments on how he doesn't like that Dawn is now integrating herself into the dominant alliance.

Cochran walks around camp with Rick's hat and Coach's jacket, much to everyone's amusement. What's with these people wearing eachother's clothes so much? Brandon is wearing Cochran's shirt and Whitney is wearing Elyse's bikini. "Cochran is playing the greatest 3rd place game in Survivor history" says Jim. He might be right!

The dream team: Oh, what could have been

Jim starts scrambling. His proposal to Sophie and Albert is to vote out Edna as he feels they're the ones on the outs of the alliance. Albert has a different plan: get rid of Dawn. She's more likeable and quite a challenge threat herself. Coach compares Jim to a rhino and Dawn to a snake. Harsh comparison although I feel Dawn did come off fake this episode for the first time ever. I don't blame her though, butt-kissing is smart right now and I think she does have a decent shot of integrating herself in the group.

Lay off them, Brandon!

At tribal council, Brandon snaps at Dawn for saying she didn't like the Upolu tribe eating claiming she seemed alright with it at the time. Whitney cries because she feels villainised. Anyway, the predictable boot occurs, and everyone seems more than happy to send Jim on his way.


"I hate to say I told you so..." says Ozzy, likely referring to how he wanted Cochran out from the start. "I thought we were going to be the final three?" Jim says. Oh, how times change.

STAR OF THE WEEK: JIM RICE

There's always some great players that just simply lose the numbers game. This season that was Jim. Jim is a great player that got a bad hand and could've run the game if Savaii had made it through that first vote. I like how he stood by his tribemates as he went down fighting, no matter how big a target it made him.