Survivor Redemption Island

[Minder Thr33]

I love Special Agent Philip! He's hilarious. But something's not right with him. I just don't believe that someone unstable like that can become a Federal Agent. There's no way he could pass the psychology tests.

Did anyone notice that his job title in the show has a question mark at the end of it? He's probably just a poker player that thinks he can turn his "hand reading" abilities and play it off as a federal agent.

 

[Art Andrews]

Julia, I totally get what you mean with the difference in Rob and Russell's approach. Rob's is certainly the longer term strategy that has a better chance at working. You have to be willing to change and adapt. Rob is doing that, Russell is not.

I suppose the respect I have for Russell comes from the fact that he says he is going to do something, openly, without much sneaking around and somehow he just MAKES it happen. He doesn't coddle and doesn't pander. He just says, this is how it is going to be and through sheer force of will it happens. Obviously, that approach has finally caught up with him. I just can't tell you how many times I have seen Russell make people do things that were not in their best interest simply because he wants them to do it. And as I pointed out earlier, he doesn't physically threaten or harm anyone (which historically is often the way someone imposes their will on someone else), which only makes it all the more interesting to watch him work.

 

[dbuck]

Russell played to the other players paranoia by telling them if they don't vote THAT person off, they were going after THEM next. He made it seem he wasn't in charge, and that a greater conspiracy existed.
Russell's second season was filmed before his first aired, and when he showed up for two up no one knew his game. This time, he showed up and everyone knew him, and some wanted him gone asap while others realized his style doesn't win but they can ride his coattails pretty close to the end and perhaps sneak out a victory by aligning with him.
Rob can make it seem like he's trying to keep the team strong while weeding out his competition.
Russell plays on the rampant paranoia everyone feels when playing the game but now that they know his style, his powers of persuasion are greatly diminished. His main weakness is that he believes he was robbed by others who cannot see his greatness and that he is the best player ever, so he believes his style is the only style.
I didn't like Rob the first season he was on, but he reads people very well, and is very good in challenges. I find myself rooting for him, but he is too big a target to win.
Phony special agent Phillip just might become Rob's best ally now that he was shown the error of his ways.

I am still waiting for the season when two people make a secret pact early on, but act like enemies so they can always be on the other alliance but play it so they protect each other. Far too many people jump into three man alliances early on and get clobbered, but someone who is the unallied swing vote always stays in the game.

 

[BoozeBeGood]

I keep saying I WILL be on this show one day. I am completely addicted to survivor and I would LOVE to play this game!!

I love Russell but I'm kinda glad he was sent to Redemption Island. He played the same old game, granted yes it does work, but I'm ready for something new and different, not people with experience running the noobs.

 

[yt]

I love Special Agent Philip! He's hilarious. But something's not right with him. I just don't believe that someone unstable like that can become a Federal Agent .

I read that he is a background checker for DOD, not a big deal. I am so over Russell, he is believing his own hype. Go Rob!

 

[Art Andrews]

Well, if you are going to go out, that is the way to do it.

 

[Star Wars Chick]

I think tonight was the first time I shed tears watching Survivor. I honestly am heartbroken to see Russell gone. I hated Russell the first day he was on Survivor then quickly fell in love with him. He is one of the truest players of the game. He gets that it is only a game and that you play by the rules of the game, rather than trying to have integrity while playing a game that forces you to at some point compromise your integrity. While I would never play this game as I would not want to have to do what is required to play it, I respected and admired that Russell was able to separate the game from real life and play it to it's fullest. He just couldn't play his game a third time with people that knew how he played and rather than trying to join him decided to let him do what he does and vote him out for it. Can't blame them but they would have been smarter to join him when they saw he was on their team- much as Rob's team did. While I have utterly disliked Rob on Survivor (I heavily rooted for him and Amber on the Amazing Race as I loved the fact that they are in love and worked so well together), I find myself rooting for Rob to win over the other players in this game. If Russell can't, then I hope Rob stomps Russell's team. Got me seeing Russell cry, he truly loves this game and I loved seeing him pour out all the secrets for the other team to enjoy. Glad to see him go out... Russell style!

 

[micdavis]

The producers must have hated that. Russell is ratings gold. Such a shame.

 

[Alan Cross]

Ha. Thought the same thing. The producers did NOT want Russell to go. Count on that.

 

[Guri]

Wow... he cried.... I actually felt bad for him for about 10 seconds, until he started talking.

It always amazes me how people get so mad at others for doing to them what they would do and have done to others. It's a game, this is how it's played, and yet when Russell doesn't win or gets voted out he thinks everyone else must be playing it wrong. :lol

I'm torn on Rob right now. I think he's a good player, but I wanted him to get caught with all his sneaking around.

Nobody is really standing out as someone I want to win yet...

 

[Minder Thr33]

Wow... he cried.... I actually felt bad for him for about 10 seconds, until he started talking.

It always amazes me how people get so mad at others for doing to them what they would do and have done to others. It's a game, this is how it's played, and yet when Russell doesn't win or gets voted out he thinks everyone else must be playing it wrong. :lol

I'm torn on Rob right now. I think he's a good player, but I wanted him to get caught with all his sneaking around.

Nobody is really standing out as someone I want to win yet...

Then you don't understand the competiveness of some people. It's like athletes crying at the championships. If Russell got voted off b/c his team lost fair and he still didn't have the numbers, it would have sucked still, but he would not have come close to being emotional. He may have said a few choice words to his former tribe, but that would be it. When your team throws a match like that, you have to feel anger. When you try your best to redeem yourself and fail, then you have to feel upset with yourself. Why should he protect his former tribe when they let him down? Because it was Special Agent Phillip, I don't think he could use that information. If Rob was there, he would for sure control the game. Russell peeved people off in the social game, but he never let his team down in the physical game, no matter how lost they may seem.

 

[Art Andrews]

Nobody is really standing out as someone I want to win yet...

At this point, my interest in finishing this season is minimal. Outside of Robb, there is not really anyone worth watching. Most of the players are annoyingly arrogant or simply non-entities. Blah...

 

[Guri]

Then you don't understand the competiveness of some people. It's like athletes crying at the championships. If Russell got voted off b/c his team lost fair and he still didn't have the numbers, it would have sucked still, but he would not have come close to being emotional. He may have said a few choice words to his former tribe, but that would be it. When your team throws a match like that, you have to feel anger. When you try your best to redeem yourself and fail, then you have to feel upset with yourself. Why should he protect his former tribe when they let him down? Because it was Special Agent Phillip, I don't think he could use that information. If Rob was there, he would for sure control the game. Russell peeved people off in the social game, but he never let his team down in the physical game, no matter how lost they may seem.

I understand Russell being Russell and trying to screw his team over for voting him out by letting out all that information. I wouldn't be surprised by it if he did that even if they didn't throw the challenge.

And I get the crying part... I felt bad for him.

What I find funny is that he only acts like he's all about what's best for the team when it comes to trying to save his own butt! He continually did things that are for himself and his alliance and not for the team. Which is again, fine....

What I find funny is when anyone gets all indignant as if the right way to play is what it takes for THEM to win. And Russell isn't the only one who does that, btw... it's pretty common. Players double cross others, but when they get double crossed they're all 'how could they do that to me?!'



Art, From the looks of the previews, Russell's little chickibabes might provide you with some entertainment...

 

[Minder Thr33]

I still don't agree with it, though. In a way, Russell was double-crossed. But not the way other contestants on the show were.
The difference with double-crossing alliances is that it is ALWAYS seen as a last resort. You play the game and winning the challenges should be the primary focus. If things don't go your teams way, then you don't really have much of a choice but to figure out who to vote out. A double-cross is always bound to happen, just not this way.

 

[Art Andrews]

I still don't agree with it, though. In a way, Russell was double-crossed. But not the way other contestants on the show were.
The difference with double-crossing alliances is that it is ALWAYS seen as a last resort. You play the game and winning the challenges should be the primary focus. If things don't go your teams way, then you don't really have much of a choice but to figure out who to vote out. A double-cross is always bound to happen, just not this way.

I think this simply shows how shortsited the members of Russell's team are. None of them seem to have a long term strategy, just immediate gratification. I believe you will see them eat one another after this because they aren't in it for the long haul.

 

[Minder Thr33]

Ya, I hope so. I haven't cheered for a team during a tribal challenge in such a long time. If only Philip told Rob and the rest of the team that they threw the last challenge, it might have motivated them just that little bit extra to win the match.

Still don't know how RI is going to pan out, but how can you not cheer for Matt? I don't know if I like it in terms of Survivor. I like how people who were voted off wrongly have a chance to come back. I don't like how it's challenges only and there's no social part to it (a big part of what makes Survivor, Survivor).

 

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

I think this simply shows how shortsited the members of Russell's team are. None of them seem to have a long term strategy, just immediate gratification. I believe you will see them eat one another after this because they aren't in it for the long haul.

Most people on the show are like that though. They are gunning for the main threat and then someone ticks them off. All of the sudden the big threat is forgotten in favor or whatever ticked them off between tribal councils. On countless seasons some of the winners, or at least people who got to the final three or four, squeaked by because of things like that. They kept getting overlooked and people voted over petty things.

 

[BoozeBeGood]

After Russell left, I changed the channel. Sorry but no one outside of rob interests me now and I'm not a big fan of him either. Such a shame

 

[letmebestormy]

All Russell has done in three seasons is prove beyond a shred of a doubt he has a strategy that will get him 2nd place or worse. He never changed it and will undoubtedly crow to America yet again in the post finale show that he is the best player ever and was surrounded by fools. He's his own worst enemy.

His strategy is 100% flawed if winning is the goal.

 

[Minder Thr33]

Anytime you don't win, your strategy is flawed. In his case, he didn't take into account that everyone holds grudges and will pick the lesser person, just so they don't claim him the sole-Survivor.

People on the jury tend to pick people that don't make big moves and don't hurt people. So Russell would have had to do a 180 to follow that logic, and that wouldn't even guarantee him a final seat. He had strong alliances the last two times and was caught with the short end of the stick this time. People hate him for all the back stabbing, but he really was faithful to his own alliances. Just don't let it on that your even considering voting him out or your cut off the alliance.