Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains…Not Who They Seem Though…

The latest season of Survivor is less about the location (it’s Samoa again, FYI) and more about the castaways. It’s another all-star season, but the producers have specifically chosen returning castaways based on their honorable merit or infamous strategy. While there are some less deserving returning castaways, there are certainly plenty of favorites. Boston Rob, Colby, Rupert, Parvati, James, and last season’s Russell are easily some of the most memorable castaways to ever play this game. It’s always great to see returning favorites come together for a big season, but no one could have guessed just how things would play out for this clash of titans.

The expectation was no doubt that the Villains would quickly begin making deals, scheming, and everyone coming up with their own conniving plan to keep one step ahead of their tribe. As for the heroes, the expectation was that they would quickly unite and work together, like a well-oiled machine. Neither of these things happened.

For the most part, most of the Villains looked to Boston Rob for leadership, and he stepped up willingly to take the role. Actually, it was pretty impressive seeing how useful he was both at camp and in challenges, so villainous behavior aside, he’s one of the more worthy players in the game. Because of him, the Villains have maintained unity and acted pretty much just the way one might expect the Heroes to have acted. Granted, Russell has been overplaying his hand and walking a thin line…he’s been trying too damn hard to win using a conniving strategy. So far though, the Villains have been on a winning streak and that hasn’t been necessary, so all Russell is doing is putting a big ass target on his back.

As for the Heroes, alliances were formed early, causing a stretch of awful decisions. James managed to put a target on Stephanie, probably one of the strongest female players ever in this game, blaming the immunity challenge loss on her. They didn’t turn things around until they received a clue to the hidden immunity idol…and Tom found it. Tom and Colby found themselves on the outs early on for no real reason at all, but Tom taking possession of the idol gave him a chance to prove himself to the tribe (even though Tom is that older guy, he is the man and my favorite this season). This really shook things up, in that Tom suddenly had something to barter with and offered to use the idol for the tribe once they reached the merge, so long as he was safe. Not only did he ensure his safety, he convinced JT to vote against Cirie, played the idol because not everyone held to their word, and gave their weakest physical player (but in all fairness, a strong social competitor) the boot. Cirie went packing and there was hope for a new order in the Heroes tribe. A brand new day.

Somehow nothing changed though. The Heroes did not pull out a win in the immunity challenge and once again were faced with tribal council. And despite the fact that James’ leg was in a splint due to an injury in the reward challenge, the tribe was convinced that voting Tom out was the right move. James even defended it, pointing out that Tom only further confused everybody during puzzle challenges, and therefore was the weakest link. James’ damn leg is in a splint! For all intents and purposes, he’s useless. Sure, maybe he’ll be okay, but Tom is not a maybe…he’s actually perfectly fit for challenges at the moment. The Heroes have been screwing each other and themselves from the get go, and at this point, they deserve to get picked off.

So far, Heroes vs. Villains has been a great season to watch, but at times, painful. This ain’t amateur hour, and yet, some of these castaways are playing as if they’ve learned nothing. The Heroes refuse to learn from their mistakes, whereas the Villains are holding it together because they haven’t done exactly what everyone has expected them to do…turn on each other. It’d be great to see the Heroes get their #%$@ together, but after the questionable decisions they’ve made, it’s tough to say whether they actually deserve any redemption. So far, the Villains are completely out-mastering the Heroes, and they will definitely be standing a lot longer than the Heroes.