JD calls his shot at the challenge and ends up doomed by the result.
God, I love watching people mess up inSurvivorchallenges.
Sorry, I just do!
The Yase tribe on ‘Survivor 41’.Robert Voets/CBS
I love when folks fall repeatedly off a balance beam.
I love when contestants appear absolutely clueless on a puzzle.
I love when every single shot someone takes at a target misses.
The Luvu tribe on ‘Survivor 41’.Robert Voets/CBS
And if they can manage to yell “Money!”
while doing so… well, that’s just a bonus.
It’s all incredible, and I have relished every second of it over 40-plus seasons.
Jairus “JD” Robinson on ‘Survivor 41’.Robert Voets/CBS
Hell, my job for an entire season was simply to make fun of the challenge foibles ofStephen Fishbach.
And don’t think it’s just me.
TheSurvivorproducers know that stuff is gold too.
They even put goofy circus music sound effects in during one of Fishbach’s epic challenge blunders.
They probably would have usedThe Benny HillShow’s “Yakety Sax"if they could have gotten the rights.
(Perhaps if they pooled all their Fire Tokens it would have been enough.)
But in my old age, I’ve gotten a bit soft.
I was clued into this fact when I horror of all horrors!
caught myself sniffling during a Loved Ones visit.
Which brings us to Heather.
Now, I know your first question: WHO THE HELL IS HEATHER?!
Seriously, where did she come from?
Is Heather even her real name, or is this whatPurple Kellylooks like 20 seasons afterSurvivor: Nicaragua?
No, seriously, I swear!
Well, stumbled is putting it mildly.
It was kind of awesome.
But then, somehow, some way… something evenmoreawesome happened.
Toss, miss, fall, repeat.
Toss, miss, fall, repeat.
Like a freakin' metronome.
Yet she kept going.
And she kept apologizing to her tribe.
And the tribe kept responding that they loved her.
They started encouraging her.
They chanted her name.
They cheered her on.
None of it helped, of course.
But not unlike the mythical Grinch, my heart grew three sizes watching this display.
“We all fail sometimes,” explained Danny.
“you might’t win it all.”
I mean, okay, not the most original motivational speech, but it still hit the emotional bull’s-eye.
Because it felt so genuine!
You really did feel the game was put completely aside in this moment.
Okay, let’s hit up a few other must-see moments from this week.
It was also the show’s first “previously on…” in years.
I’m so glad those are gone, by the way.
Anyway, that was a cool little nod.
Finding a bunch of baby turtles heading out to start life at sea.
Another moment that had absolutely nothing to do with the game but was so amazing and added so much.
It also made me want to go rewatchPlanet Earthall over again.
(Did I even watchPlanet Earththe first time?)
(See, I had to go and ruin the nice moment above with a completely uncalled-for joke.
Old habits die hard, I suppose.)
(More if you are Shan, less if you are Heather.)
But sometimes producers have a certain other point or theme they need contestants to help drive home.
Maybe it’s to satisfy an Applebee’s product placement.
(Hiya,Karishma!)
Perhaps it is to help sell an ill-fated Adam Sandler cross-dressing comedy.
(Howdy,Coach!)
First off, how the hell would these contestants know?
They have nothing to compare it to.They’ve never played before.
“I don’t know thatSurvivorhas ever been soSurvivoruntil season 41,” exclaimed Shan.
Also, isn’t that kind of an insult to the folks who played the 40 seasons prior?
The point is, I don’t care if this is the easiest or hardest season ofSurvivorever.
We’re just happy it’s back.
No need to shove that storyline down our throats.Survivoris hard no matter how many days you play.
“It makes sense that Erika said my name,” responded Sydney.
“I am the threat of threats.
I am savvy as hell, good-looking, I’m a physical threat.”
Modesty will get you nowhere, Sydney.
Which is precisely why Sydney was cast on a reality television program.
(Whether you love her or hate her, she is so much fun to watch.)
They’re just bored.
And so people look for anything to break up that monotony.
Seriously, more often than not, that is what it boils down to.
Thankfully, it turns out that Luvu is terrible at throwing challenges.
Speaking of which, props to theSurvivoreditors.
UnlikeBig Brother, we usually never hear mid-challenge narration duringSurvivor, which I think is a good thing.
Death of a Dream
Oh, JD, JD, JD.
Okay, let’s start with the bad.
JD did not play this game well.
this week… on a missed shot).
Judging by whatBrad told us in his exit interviewlast week, JD also had difficulties in the water.
And then there were his strategic miscues.
There’s no getting around it: From a game perspective, it was a bad showing by JD.
That has to be a difficult blow for anyone.
It has to be even harder for a 20-year-old.
“It sucks so bad.
At least my hair looks cool.”
And I totally get it.
I really, really hope JD will not let this early exit get to him.
I hope he is not embarrassed by his performance.
Because here’s the thing JD should keep in mind.
Did he play well?
And on that list are trueSurvivoricons.
Icons like Tyson, who voted himself out of the game.
Icons like James, who sat on two immunity idols as he was shipped over to the jury.
And here’s another thing JD has in common with those other players: He made for great TV.
If JD wanted to make an impact on his favorite television show, then mission accomplished.
And then, who knows what happens?
Hopefully JD is able to focus on those positives instead of the negatives.
Plus, you secure his extra vote.
Across the board, this was a much stronger episode than last week’s installment.
The personalities popped, the creative touches flourished, the editing was on point.
It all served to illustrate what makes the show so special when it is firing on all cylinders.
And we have a few cylinders to fire ourselves.
And my exit interview with JD will be ready Thursday morning, so keep your eyes peeled for that.
