Let me guess. Last night, you sat in the front of the TV, jaw agape, as Russell handed his not-so-hidden immunity idol over to a stunned Parvati. Once the votes were read, and you learned that the hail mary immunity idol pass to this season's femme fatale worked, you deemed Russell the greatest strategist to ever play the game. And you would be wrong.
This week's episode was an absolute treat for anyone who enjoys watching the game's better players in a strategic dance that ended in spectacular fashion. But Russell's big move was not a sign of brilliant gameplay but rather desperate measures. Was it smart? Sure. Did it work? Obviously. Will that kind of left field manuevering win him the game? No. And that's because Russell is not playing a complete game, while Rob on the other hand is.
They say those who don't acknowlegdge history are doomed to repeat it. They, and "they" are very wise people whoever they are, also say close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. Both these cliched bits of wisdom are applicable here. Russell may get close, even as close as he got the last time around as runner-up but he can't win. And if he keeps throwing around immunity idols like hand grenades, he won't get nearly as close as he did before to claiming the Sole Survivor title he insists he is so deserving of.
Now, about history repeating itself, here's what I mean. Survivor has seen many great "strategy" players make it to the very end, only to fall short on that other, often overlooked but equally important part of the game - the social aspect.
Colby, Ozzy, Lillian, Rob and yes, Russell are all examples of strong strategic players who came "this" close to winning. But a jury of their pissed-off peers, still licking their fresh wounds and bruised ego, were bent on giving the million bucks to anyone but them. And this time around, I think a jury would be more inclined to give a million bucks to Bernie Madoff than Russell Hantz.
Yes, Russell kept the Josephine to his Napolean, Parvati, around and she's now deeply indebted to the little man. But the smartest move Russell made during the whole over-dramatized immunity idol play was kowtowing to Coach. Now, every time the thought of betraying Russell crosses the Dragonslayer's mind, those few words about honor and integrity will turn him right back around. I think it's safe to say Russell's got Parvati and Coach in his pocket from here on out.
So far, I've said a lot about Russell's play last night and little about "Boston" Rob. And that's indicative of what a superior player the Survivor vet is. While Russell was scrambling about, trying to piece together a daring escape from certain elimination, Rob had everything under control. As "the smartest guy in the room," there's no need for him to engage in doubletalk and seed paranoia. Of course, he did a bit of that with Russell, but everything he wa only speaking the truth. If you've got the idol, he's gunning for you.
When it came time to assemble a voting strategy, Rob laid it out plain and simple to his tribemates. Three for Russell, three for Parvati. Idol or no idol, one of these fools was going home. Too bad the fool turned out to be Tyson. But as far as flushing out the idol, mission accomplished. How many more buzzer beating three-pointers can Russell make from half court? Not too many more if Rob's always got the ball.
Aside from round one of the Russell/Rob main event, here's some other highlights from last night's double elimination card.
Props to Colby: A class act who proved that in the end, "Superman in a fat suit" will take out a loud-mouthed crippled braggart any day.
Props to Sandra: For voting for Russell so he can "wash his smelly ass."
Props to James: For letting us know he planned on getting "good and drunk" five minutes after getting the boot.
Props to Tyson: You just got voted out but you're "still awesome" eh? Ok, "awesome" maybe, smart? No so much.
What does our jury of Survivor fans think about this week's double elimination episode? Is there really such a thing as "banana etiquiette?" Am I wrong about Russell? Make your case in the comments!
