Survivor - Episode 20x5 - Heroes vs. Villains 'Knights of the Roundtable' Summary - Screen Caps - Jeff Probst Blogs Survivor 20

Preview episode 6 of Survivor: Heroes vs Villains

CBS

I started watching "Survivor" with my family a decade ago because my son, then age 6, liked the challenges.

When he was about age 11 or 12 he gave up on the show, I think in favour of video games. My spouse and I probably watched a couple more installments before we quit it, too. I tried watching the one with Courtney and the now-booted Randy and Sugar in it--Micronesia?--Tocantins? but couldn't stomach it after about 7 episodes of utter stupidity.

I'm feeling the same way now. Now in it's 20th installment, this show has devolved into a game of who is the best schemer. Even if a good player gets fairly far you just know the weaker, nastier people are going to win. If I had to pick one million dollar winner who turned me completely sour on the game it would be without question the aptly-named Parvati Shallow.

I'll be frank. I just read in a couple of different places who wins Heroes vs. Villains-- well, who the final 2 are--and I dislike them both intensely. For the jury it's going to be a choice between bad and ...bad. So why should I sit through more stupidity?

I'll just take comfort that I'm not alone as I've included a couple of excerpts from Jeff Probst's blog, EW.com, MSNBC and a couple of others and if they have to endure this show that honestly needs to be put down or at least put out to pasture, then I suppose so can I. This is the only 'Reality" show I've ever watched and it was pretty cool once--but that was long ago. In Survivor, the bad guys almost always win, and for me that's not entertainment.

Next time on Survivor:

IN A HIGH STAKES CHALLENGE, BOTH TRIBES BATTLE FOR THE CHANCE TO WIN IMMUNITY AND A COVETED REWARD THAT PROMISES TO IMPROVE NOT ONLY THEIR MORALE BUT THEIR ENTIRE TRIBE'S STRATEGY, ON "SURVIVOR: HEROES VS. VILLAINS," ON A SPECIAL NIGHT, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 24

"Banana Etiquette" - When the castaways discover that two people will be sent packing in a rare double elimination, everyone scrambles to save their own skin, and one castaway surprises everyone and risks it all at Tribal Council, on SURVIVOR: HEROES VS. VILLAINS, airing on a special night, Wednesday, March 24 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network

Jeff Probst blogs Survivor 20 Heroes vs. Villians

Okay onto Survivor…and THE DUMBEST DECISION YET.

Once again, Rupert tried to sell his vote based on keeping his tribe strong.

Rupert: (referring to James’ bad leg). “He’s still stronger than Tom.”

Rupert, if you really believe that James, with his bad leg, is still stronger than Tom, then you need to stop drinking that pirate grog because you’ve lost your friggin mind.

Ah, but that isn’t what Rupert believes. Rupert is doing what he needs to do to keep his alliance strong. Once again, let me, “Mr. Back Seat Driver,” point out why this makes no sense. Your own personal alliance may be intact, but your tribe is dwindling and if and when there is a merge, you are putting yourself in a very weak position because you will have fewer members than the Villains.

You know how I feel. James has been a problem from day one. First it was his attitude and now it’s his physical limitations.

And no, I’m not friends with Tom, nor am I enemies with James. I’m just sharing what I feel and I’m guessing what the audience feels as well.

RUSSELL FINDS THE IDOL

I loved the exchange between Russell and Parvati:

Russell: Just grab onto my coattails.

Parvati: I don’t ride coattails, baby.

Russell: You’ll ride these.

Russell is very good at using the idol. I’d say he’s as good at using it as anybody. He really understands how to leverage its power and he completely changed the game by securing Parvati in his alliance and then bringing over Coach.

IS PARVATI RUSSELL’S ACHILLES’ HEEL?

Do you think Russell made a wise move? Or is he falling prey to one of the most deadly flirts in Survivor history? Both Russell and Parvati pulled out their big guns and told the other everything they need to know. Russell believes Parvati will ride his coattails. Parvati told him very clearly she does not ride anybody’s coattails. It may be the showdown of the season thus far, even more so than Russell vs Rob.

Parvati and Russell have both proven they can play this game very well. It’s a deadly duo if they stay teamed up but there is no way this relationship ends peacefully.

REWARD CHALLENGE – SCHMERGENBRAWL

I think my favorite part of the challenge was when Rupert threw Jerri up against the side of the course: “Like I meant to do that!” And Jerri responded by draining the winning bucket for the Villains. You think it was the chocolate that made the difference?...

You may remember SCHMERGENBRAWL as the challenge that resulted in me tossing somebody (Ben) out of the challenge for unsportsmanlike behavior and also resulted in the evacuation of Mike Borassi due to dehydration. We should have known that it was too rough, even for Survivor.

But instead, we brought it back again this season. Once again it was physical and once again it resulted in a major injury as James was removed from the challenge after wrecking his knee.

This challenge will NEVER be played again. It was officially retired after last night’s challenge...
(NOTE: No Survivor next week and...

NEXT WEEK

Due to the NCAA college basketball tournament, SURVIVOR WILL NOT BE ON NEXT WEEK! I know, we hate it too.

THE FOLLOWING WEEK

Survivor will be on for a special Wednesday night episode: WEDNESDAY MARCH 24^TH

BACK TO NORMAL

On April 1^st we return to our regular Thursday night time slot.)

Read the entire article at: Jeff Probst blogs Survivor 20 Heroes vs. Villians

Find out what each tribe member had to say as they cast their votes

CBS

Screen Cap Source: See more

In the space of one episode on Survivor Heroes vs. Villains, the Heroes have gone from an amazing blindside to yet another amazingly dumb decision. Between their stupidity at Tribal Council and their streak of losses, they’re starting to look like so many tribes to come before them, except as previous players, you’d think they’d suck less. But you’d be wrong.

They kept James around, despite the fact that he can barely walk and is an increasingly antagonistic bastard. (Does anyone still like him the way they liked him in China?) Instead, they voted out Tom Westman. Now, as a previous winner, a likable guy, and someone who isn’t a part of the dominant alliance, I get why they wouldn’t keep him around. But the choice was Tom, an able-bodied, capable person, or James, who can barely walk!, and they kept James, thereby ensuring that they’ll continue to suck at challenges even more.

The challenges tonight were a replay of Schmergen Brawl from last season; since this season was filmed in Samoa, too, they just left up the structure and returned to it. Its brutality as a challenge led to James’ knee injury, and to Rupert slamming Jerri Manthey’s face into a post for no discernible reason at all. (“Wow, stop!” Probst yelled, and Rupert said, “I did not mean to do that. You okay?” Jerri, who remarkably wasn’t even bleeding, said, “Whatever, dude, whatever.”) I’m sure that’ll make Rupert a hero to Jerri-haters, but her resilience impressed me and his action did not.

Read the entire article at: Reality Blurred

What does it take, exactly? How badly do you have to be injured before your tribe will you vote you out? Do you need to be shot at close range in the face? Will that do the trick? What about if you lost a limb — an arm, say? Is that enough to get sent home? It is not my desire to sound macabre. I’m just curious and all, seeing as how last night the Heroes tribe decided to keep a player who could not even walk! How absurd is that? James looks like he just stepped off the battlefield in a Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks produced HBO war miniseries, and then the tribe kept him instead of able-bodied Tom. Because he’ll definitely be more of a help in the challenges, right?

Remember when James said the tribe had to get rid of Stephenie based on her past results in challenges in Palau. Okay, let’s apply that same criteria to Tom. Hmmm, well, let’s see — his tribe that season never lost a single immunity challenge. Not one. And then he proceeded to dominate the individual challenges as well. Yeah, let’s get rid of that guy and keep Gimpy McGee over here with the occasional bouts of roid rage. (And what’s James’ record in challenges anyway? Sure, he’s massive, but he has never dominated in the way that Tom, Terry, and Ozzy did.) You know what? If I could swap a player out, I actually would take Probst’s niece over James at this point. C’mon, she’s a Probst so you know she is scrappy, surely has ingrained leadership skills, looks great in baseball caps, and will help your tribe get the benefit of the doubt at all times from the host.

My favorite part of the Heroes deliberation came courtesy of Rupert and Amanda. Rupert claimed that you don’t get rid of people because of injury, citing how it would have been just as wrong for people to have gotten rid of him for breaking his toe. Exactly! Because your tribe has been doing so well in challenges with you and your broken toe! Amanda put her rose colored glasses on as well, telling Rupert ” James is okay, right?” Of course, he’s okay! Pay no attention to that man limping with a splint covering his entire left leg! He’s fiiiiiiiiine. Absolutely fine. Nothing to worry about.

Obviously, Amanda and Rupert are concerned about their alliance numbers and nothing more, but in doing so, they are making it that much harder for their own tribe to win. And not only that, but they are running the risk of alienating people that may flip and align with others on the Villains side if given the opportunity. As for J.T. and Candice — I don’t now what the hell they are thinking. James, Amanda, and Rupert seem like an air-tight threesome (not ITALIC {that}] kind of threesome — get your head out of the gutter) so why would you want to be in an alliance on the outside of that? Had they both aligned instead with Tom and Colby, they would have made a much stronger foursome on a much more level playing ground. I think they flat-out blew it on this one. However, as we’ve seen in pretty much every single puzzle so far, thinking through all the possibilities has not been a strength of the Heroes tribe.

Read the entire article at:
EW.com

TRIBAL COUNCIL recap

"Knights of the Roundtable" (CBS)

At Tribal Council, host Jeff Probst points out the obvious fact that James presents a huge liability to his tribe due to his injury. His tribemates stand up for James with the exception of Tom, Colby and Candice, who contend that he is only being kept for a loyal vote for his allies. James accuses Tom of being the sole reason why their tribe continues to lose challenges, and proclaims that he is much stronger with a bum knee than Tom is without any ailments. With this, the Heroes cast their votes, and with five out of the seven votes cast against him, Tom was voted out. Tom Westman, the 45 year-old from Survivor: Palau became the fifth person voted out of SURVIVOR: HEROES VS. VILLAINS.

The Losers tribe — or, uh, Heroes — lost yet again, unable to compete physically or mentally with the Villains and keeping their losing streak. Then they did their best to stay losers by keeping someone who’s literally unable to walk. So heroic!

As Jeff Probst said at the end of the episode — our last episode for two weeks, because basketball will interrupt next week — “Even with a bad leg, James is more valuable to the tribe than Tom.” But before he was voted out, “Survivor: Palau” winner Tom Westman identified the real reason during Tribal Council: other arguments are “all nonsense,” Tom said, because James is “being kept because he’s a loyal vote.”

The reward challenge almost knocked James out of the game. It was a replay of the brutal “Survivor: Samoa” challenge Schmergen Brawl. Having participated in a rehearsal in Samoa before that cast did the challenge, I can promise you it’s very, very brutal, and we weren’t even playing for $1 million.