Random Survivor Thoughts

So now that life without Johnny Fairplay has officially begun Mark Burnett and Jeff Probst begin to search through the rubble to try and save a show that has already lost its main antagonist. It won't be an easy task but there are a few candidates who can be expected to step up and fill the void. Here are a few random thoughts following Thursday's premiere.

For all the words that can be used to describe Eliza, flying under the radar would not be included among them. For better or worse she quickly established herself as the brains behind an alliance that includes some pretty colourful players such as Jonathan, Ami, Cirie, and Yau Man. Although I hated during her stint on Survivor I respect the way she's come out of the gate firing. There was already talk from the couples (Parvati, James, Ozzy, and Amanda) targeting Eliza as a potential evictee but if she's able to rally the troops and vote out the lovebirds there's a legit chance she is for real and be will be around for the duration.

My sleeper for this year is Cirie. Although she contributes next to nothing except confirming at least once at episode that she is in fact "a couch potato" (thanks, Cirie like we couldn't tell already) she is someone who gets a long extremely well with her competitors and unlike Eliza, she is flying very much under the radar and shouldn't be a threat for weeks to come. If she's not sitting in the final three I will be very shocked, albeit happy.

The couples alliance is an interesting dimension just days into the filming. I actually like the move for James. Why? Well he's such a physical threat and will always be throughout the show, he more than anyone needs a solid group he can rely upon. There will always be a target on his back and getting a small group of 4 together is a great way to try and get some long-term security. If he entered the "single" alliance where it's more every man for himself he would be in a lot more danger. Besides, when his group is initially targeted, one of the females will likely be voted off first as it is still too early to take the team's best player. That theory changes closer to the merge but the way James is setting up he might have some close friends by that time that will help him get deep into the game.

I don't like the move for the rest of the crew... I think Amanda and Parvati are playing their flirt cards a little too early and will feel the rath from the fellow female castaways. Ozzy was a loner in his first season on the show and probably should have tried to stay that way or at least become part of the group with numbers because I think he'll be making an early exit as well.

As for the favourites, it's really too early to give solid opinions because we saw so little time of them up on the first day. Unlike my colleague, I'm going on record to say Kathleen's inclusion on the show is an absolute joke, same for Chet's. Why CBS insists annually on including people who have absolutely no chance of winning blows my mind. Kathleen and Chet are both old odd-balls who clearly stick out among an otherwise youthful and normal tribe.They have no chance of fitting in with their tribe. Period. I understand people rooting for the underdog... that's why Yao Man remains such a popular character. But make no mistake about it.. these two are not underdogs, they're merely an afterthought when it comes to the overall group dynamics of their tribe and if they're not two of the first three people evicted from their side I'll be shocked.