Film & TV Survivor: Redemption Island

[Tha_Wood]

another very solid episode. this is turning out to be very good.

 

[Flipmo]

I didn't comment on last weeks episode cause Funk pretty much got it covered what I had on my mind. As for Russell, even if he changed his game, I don't think it would matter. He has this legacy that people fear and are cautious about.

That being said, I'll wait till others see tonights episode then I'll comment. I'll just leave you all with this.

Keep hope alive.

:smile:

 

[Tha_Wood]

very good episode. glad with the outcome.

 

[Flipmo]

Any reason why?

 

[Da_Funk]

very good episode. glad with the outcome.

hahaha I'd agree. Fuck him. And flip, I'll throw it out there, the only reason I hate Russell is because I'm a boston rob fanboi through and through.

Tonight's episode was kind've lack laster compared to the other two. The redemption island challenge was so anti-climatic. I'm happy franchesca went home, this is the only place I can really say it since she's my girlfriends favourite person on the show. One can't help but wonder how the challeneg would've turned out had Russell's tribe not thrown it. Stephanie's intial conviction at tribal, and then the revulsion she showed after the vote was my favourite part. Going into the vote you knew Russell was going, otherwise they would've shown the "six" scrambling.

 

[Flipmo]

I like Rob as well. I don't have this Rob Vs Russell grudge. They both have styles that I enjoy watching, and they're interesting personalities - I just like Russell's "I don't give a fuck, I keep on going" attitude. If there's one thing that these 2 guys have in common, it's that they love playing the game, and give it their all.

I'm just thinking it's stupid to lose a challenge on purpose. Russell said it best, they've just given the other tribe the momentum and Rob will take advantage of that. That being said, I don't think Russell is going home, lets be honest here - nobody on Zapatera is interesting; players like Russell (and Rob) bring the ratings. They're gonna want to hold onto him at least until the merge.

We'll see though.

Oh yeah, fuck that Man-sweater guy. In addition, I want to pork Stephanie - that little fireball minx.

 

[Flipmo]

What Jeff Probst blogged about the episode.

Historic Moments in time:

Jan. 10th , 1935 Canned Beer invented

May 6th, 1954 – First Sub-Four Minute Mile

July 20th, 1969 – Apollo 11 lands on the moon

March 2nd, 2011 – Russell Hanz voted out of Survivor: Redemption Island

Survivor fans all over the world will no doubt remember this day for decades, and if science hurries up, perhaps centuries to come. Those that missed the episode will no doubt tell their kids years from now, “I was there. I remember it like it was yesterday. Sitting on the couch and yelling at the TV.” And Russell Hanz will no doubt be telling this story to his grand kids, “I was so good they had to purposefully lose a challenge to get rid of me!”

It happened.

After back to back seasons during which he was never voted out, lasting the entire 78 days, Russell Hanz finally met a tribe he couldn’t control.

Russell Hanz is gone.

More on that later…

THE FIRST EVER REDEMPTION ISLAND DUEL

More history was made as Matt and Francesca squared off in the first ever Redemption Island duel.

Some background:

DUELS
We decided to use smaller versions of previous challenges as the duels because we knew they worked and we didn’t want any risks when it came down to a one-on-one duel.

LETTING THE TRIBE WATCH
The decision to let two members of each tribe watch was made just a few days before we began. That was Mark Burnett’s call. He was right. It created yet another layer by separating the tribe. The two people at the duel have valuable information but in exchange for it, they’re away from camp where alliances can shift quickly. The opposite is true for those left at camp. Information is king in this game so anytime you can create a situation in which some people have the info and others don’t, you increase your chances for great reality.

THE ARENA
The idea for the Redemption Island Arena came early in the process but the design and execution of the Arena was still mind blowing. The first time I walked into the half finished Arena I knew it was going to be a good season. The creative team that is our Survivor Art Department really hit it out of the park with this one. They created a ruin that looks as though it has been there for hundreds of years. It was built small enough to remain intimate but large enough to accommodate our cameras. It is one of my favorite builds of all time. What will they do next year?!

PRIOR TO THE DUEL
From a producing point of view we were certainly nervous before the first duel. Remember, this is a massive format change. Survivor had worked just fine for 21 seasons and now we are changing everything. This was our first test of the twist that we had pinned the entire season around – would the duel work?

From a drama point of view we couldn’t ask for me. I really thought Francesca was going to win. She was ahead so quickly that it appeared over. But Matt never panicked. Not for a moment. He continued to take his time and re-work his stick until he had it just right and then he went on a tear and made history, winning the first ever Redemption Island duel.

Matt is now the guy to beat on RI and if he can continue to win, Matt will get a chance to come back into this game..

The possible threat of Matt returning is already causing Rob major stress. You saw him trying to soothe Andrea, but I don’t think she was buying it. If Matt gets back in the game and Andrea is still around, there will be trouble.

LYING TO RUSSELL
I’m guessing so many of you were finding a lot of joy when Zapatera lied to Russell about who lost at the first duel. It does seem fitting that everything Russell had done to others for two seasons is now being done to him.

What is most fascinating to me is the justification of ethics. My most favorite topic. When someone is taking an action that “we” support then it’s awesome, it’s fantastic, it’s brilliant. But when it’s someone that “we” don’t like taking the same action, they’re a villain, a loser, untrustworthy. I’m just sayin… the Zapatera tribe is acting as dickish to Russell as Russell has acted to his tribemates in the past. Is one action more acceptable than another?

STEPHANIE & RUSSELL
Stephanie is no joke. She is a player. She’s smart and she’s feisty. Her idea for a fake idol, while not a new idea, was still a good one. It was a worthy performance as she pretended to protect her bag. The double team effort to get Julie to flip and join their alliance was a valiant effort. I give Russell credit, he chose the right person for his alliance as Stephanie is a barracuda. Stephanie’s problem now is quite obvious. She and Krista have nobody left. They must make a move or they’ll be gone soon.

RUSSELL’S ARM PIT
Damn that was nasty. Note to future Survivors, if you’re gonna shave body parts that previously have not been shaved, please do it a few times before you leave for location. Let your body get used to the sweating and the clothing rubbing against the skin because nobody should have to endure that visually disturbing sight.

THE CHALLENGE
As for the challenge itself, you might remember this from last season. It was a huge construction build and so unique that we decided to use it again. If you are one of the people strapped to the wheel it’s a bit unnerving to be spun round and round while going under water, having to take a gulp of water and then spit it into a tiny trough. You wanted to play Survivor, you got it.

Now to the more interesting aspect of the challenge.

THE THROW
It’s very easy to back seat drive in this game but if you examine Survivor history, throwing a challenge rarely works out well.

When you let the other tribe win a challenge you give them confidence. You give them what they need to begin to believe in themselves. You risk the momentum shifting to them.. Often, you are also giving up a valuable reward. All so you can get rid of one tribemember, which also reduces your numbers, potentially making you weaker when you go to the merge.

Zapatera was so focused on getting rid of Russell that they could see nothing else. From day one, their focus has been “get rid of the cancer.” They wanted him out so badly, they not only threw a challenge, but they gave up a TARP! Next to flint, a tarp is the most sought after item on Survivor.

The other big risk is that anytime you go to Tribal Council, regardless the plan, you risk being voted out.yourself. Blindsides are very common in this game.

That’s how badly Zapatera wanted Russell gone!

THE OTHER SIDE
Having said all of this, I’m sure there are times when the risk feels worth the reward. Leaving Russell on your tribe is risky. He’s a proven player who can manipulate and if you go to a merge, and he’s on the bottom, it’s a given that he’ll flip.

I’m not second guessing Zapatera’s move, but it will be interesting to see if history repeats and Zapatera lives to regret their decision.

TRANSLATING RALPHSPEAK
I don’t know if it’s my Midwest roots but I understood Ralphspeak almost immediately. Sure, it takes a moment, you have to let it roll through your brain, but as it makes it’s way across your neural pathways, it slows enough that you can pick up enough words to make sense. Ralph is a sharp dude, don’t underestimate him just because of the unique way in which he speaks.

RALPH’S SLIPPERY SLOPE
Ralph’s biggest issue is not his manner of speaking, it’s his ego. Ralph is heading down the same slippery slope of ego that has consumed Russell. Ralph is not quite as smart a Survivor player as he thinks and his biggest liability is his mouth. He doesn’t think before he speaks. Ralph has the idol and he’s been strong in challenges. He has so much going for him but if someone doesn’t get his ego in check he’ll do himself in.

WHAT I DON’T UNDERSTAND
When the entire tribe knows they threw a challenge and they’re about to vote out the person that they threw the challenge to vote out… and that person knows they threw the challenge too… why do they still lie to me when asked, “Did you throw the challenge?” I never get this. Maybe it’s just a basic premise surrounding the idea that “saying less is more” at tribal council. But now that I’ve seen the interviews confirming that they absolutely threw the challenge, I am once again confused as to why they wouldn’t say – “Yes we threw it, so we could vote out Russell. Come on Probst, how hard is this to figure out?”

As I often do I refer back to the idea that maybe this is why I am only a host, not a player.

THE NEAR BLINDSIDE
Did you think Russell had Julie convinced? Ah we’ll never know how close she was to flipping sides. A lot? A little? None at all?

THE OUTCOME
After all was said and done, Julie stayed true to her alliance and just like that – Russell was voted out.

Were you happy? Sad? Are you rooting for him at Redemption Island or do you want to see Matt destroy him?

This is brand new territory for Russell but we all know that Russell can never be counted out. He is always playing. But he will have his work cut out for him with Matt. Matt has had a few days to adjust, Matt has been to the Arena before, Matt has already competed and won a duel. On top of it all, Russell thinks he is going to battle against Francesca, a far cry from the athletic abilities of Matt.

Will Russell try to intimidate Matt? Will he try to befriend him? Will Matt ask Russell to pray with him? Ah so many good questions.

You don’t want to miss next week – it is do or die time for Russell Hanz. You can’t get a better tease than that.

 

[Da_Funk]

^where did you find the blog Flip? I haven't been able too, and was under the impression he stopped.

 

[Flipmo]

It's on his official website now.

Jeff Probst

 

[Da_Funk]

I like Rob as well. I don't have this Rob Vs Russell grudge. They both have styles that I enjoy watching, and they're interesting personalities - I just like Russell's "I don't give a fuck, I keep on going" attitude. If there's one thing that these 2 guys have in common, it's that they love playing the game, and give it their all.

I think it comes down to me being an all or nothing person. When I drink, i get wasted, when I'm in a relationship i give it my all, when i work i work my ass off. When I'm a fanatic of one team (in this case, rob) I hate their opponent, admittedly its a blind hatred but fuck it. I'm not trying to take anything away from russell though, I loved him in samoa and he's top 5 to ever play.

If you watch any of the pre game interviews, Russell and rob both talk about how if they both do make the merge, the only way to survive is by aligning.. so it will be very interesting to say the least should he come back.

I'm just thinking it's stupid to lose a challenge on purpose. Russell said it best, they've just given the other tribe the momentum and Rob will take advantage of that. That being said, I don't think Russell is going home, lets be honest here - nobody on Zapatera is interesting; players like Russell (and Rob) bring the ratings. They're gonna want to hold onto him at least until the merge.

We'll see though.

Oh yeah, fuck that Man-sweater guy. In addition, I want to pork Stephanie - that little fireball minx.

Hahaha, I kind've like the hillbilly, ralph. I'm on the fence about stephanie, hot and crazy? or hot and strategic?

 

[Tha_Wood]

I'm not a russel fan probably due to the fact he is a bit overrated. He did ok in samoa but I don't really think he ever had a chance of winning. And because I think if the cast of HvV had seen him play in samoa he would have gone first instead of randy.

 

[Tha_Wood]

anyone got an early pick for the winner. im gonna go out on a limb and say matt, the dude on redemption island. only because of a comment he made last episode about coming back from redemption and winning and how cool it would be.

 

[Tha_Wood]

on a side note anyone remember this chick from season 9. shes hot. Julie Berry i believe her name is. she dated jeff for a while.

 

[Flipmo]

Spoiler alert..........................
































Fucking crap - he got eliminated... :frown: Go Boston Rob now. lol... Matt's got momentum now, no doubt. Else from that, lmao @ Russell spilling on the beans on everyone before leaving. Also, Rob running through the woods, lmao. Rob is probably the top 3 best guys to ever play Survivor, no doubt about that lol.

PS: Still wanna sex-up Stephanie. :smile:

 

[Tha_Wood]

just watched it then. they made the right move voting out who they did. i was glad to see russ go but then again i felt a bit sorry for him, because he did put his heart into the game.

 

[Da_Funk]

Its a shame he couldn't even leave with class.

Woods, I think its too early to pick a winner but I'm going with one of these 3: Rob, Grant, or David (the defense attorney)

More on the episode tomorrow.

 

[Tha_Wood]

im seeing matt as some what of a jesus figure.

 

[Flipmo]

im seeing matt as some what of a jesus figure.

When I watching it, and Matt was saying that he had God on his side, I laughed. Then he beat Russell... first thing I told myself is, pff, who the hell does this guy think he is, Jesus?
Glad to see I wasn't the only one. lol.

I like Grant as well. He's a powerhouse during challenges, he also seems pretty level-headed and loyal. Wonder when he's gonna make a power move.

I wouldn't say Russell spilling the beans was classless. They all threw a challenge, just to get him out, then kept adding salt to the wound after he was eliminated. I wouldn't give them the time of day to be classy and fair either.

 

[Flipmo]

Probst blog on episode 4.

AN ERA ENDS

It’s still settling in. Russell is gone. The evil, tattooed, sock stealing, water dumping, idol finding Survivor gnome is gone. His reign is over.

For any of you who are already frustrated that I’m going to dedicate most of this blog to Russell, you might as well stop reading.

This time, let’s skip the beginning and save that for the end…

PHLLIP
Am I still the only one who enjoys Phillip? I read your tweets and your comments on the site and I am surprised that Phillip annoys so many of you. Don’t you see any fun in watching him? It’s not like you’re stuck on an island with him. He’s on your tv. For my money he is gold every time he opens his mouth.

Even something as simple as grabbing the tree mail becomes an adventure as he peers through the rolled up scroll like a telescope.

My favorite Phillip moment of this episode was after the Duel when Phillip was walking with Rob and Grant – holding court, stretching out the story of what he learned at Redemption Island, much to the frustration of Rob.
Rob: Hey dumbass, aren’t you in MY alliance? Don’t you work for me?

Even simply writing that sentence makes me laugh.

THE GAME CONTINUES
Despite losing one of the biggest players of the season, the game continues and Boston Rob is on fire. On fire. This is why Rob gets invited back so often. He’s really good and he’s really fun to watch. After four times playing, Rob has his PhD in Survivor.

For those of you who complain about it being unfair because Rob has played before – let me remind you of the basic rule of Survivor – the tribe votes out whoever they want. Just like Zapatera did with Russell, Ometepe could have chosen to get rid of Rob early on, but they didn’t. They gave Rob a chance and now Rob is starting to prove his worth as a leader, while simultaneously playing a very good game and positioning himself as a threat to go deep. As many days as he lasts in this game, he earns them all. I feel that way about every contestant. Whether they sand bag it like Sandra or come out swinging like Russell. You earn it.

THE RACE FOR THE IDOL
Rob searching for the idol while the rest of the tribe was playing “Sunday at the beach” was one of the most riveting scenes we’ve ever had. We had to cut it significantly for time. He was really hustling to make sure he got back before Grant and the girls realized he had been gone.

As I watched the first cut of this at home on my MacBook Pro, I was literally squirming in my seat. Remember, I’ve never seen this footage. I was screaming “Hurry up! Find it! They’re gonna be out of the water soon and wonder where you are!”

I’m really not as biased as I sound, it’s just that I love good drama. If it had been Ralph or Natalie or Russell or even Sarita I would have felt the same way – “Hurry! Hurry!”

THE REWARD/IMMUNITY CHALLENGE
Let me educate you about the future of television. Product integration. It’s a phrase you hear in every conference room of every advertising agency in New York and every television network in Hollywood.

On Survivor, product integration is when you take something like the Sears Craftsman tool kit or the Sprint Evo phone and you build it into a challenge or a reward. Lots of you guys complain about these product integrations. But here’s the thing – you are the same people who are DVRing your show to watch it later at a more convenient time. The problem is when you watch it later, you skip through the commercials. The advertisers know this, so their only option is to get their products inside the show so you can’t avoid them.

This is not going away. This is the present and the future of television. Product integration. Don’t waste energy fighting it. Embrace it.

While we’re talking about it, let me brag on Survivor for a moment. Nobody integrates product as well as we do. Last night you watched an incredibly dramatic challenge that was built all around tools from Sears. The tools were used to complete the challenge. The tools were necessary. It worked really well.

Many shows just shove product integration into their show. We work hard to make it work as well as we can even though the products don’t always lend themselves to the middle of a jungle.

But the bottom line is this…without Sprint, Sears and our other sponsors, we aren’t on the air. It’s that simple.

WHAT IS RALPH CROWING ABOUT?
Fortunately, Zapatera won the challenge, because if they hadn’t I would have been on their ass for throwing the challenge in the last episode. But I will say this, if I was on the Ometepe tribe I would have a hard time not knocking Ralph right off that perch as he crowed like a Rooster. That is one annoying move.

Ralph’s ego is going to be his biggest obstacle. He’s not alone. It happens to a lot of people. They do something amazing, like finding the idol, but then they so badly want to share their brilliance with everybody else that they weaken their position by telling everybody.

I do it in my life all the time. I’m constantly giving away information that would be better off kept to myself. It’s so hard to just shut up. Ralph – shut up. You’ll go further.

On the other hand, the fact that his crowing annoys me, means it probably annoyed Ometepe, which means it’s working!

THE REWARD
I offer proof once again that Survivor is the toughest reality show of all time. Note this conversation from Mike and Ralph regarding the food reward:

MIKE: I’ve never been this hungry in my life. I haven’t thought about sex in two weeks. All I’m thinking about is food.

RALPH: It tasted great. I sucked stuff out of my fingernails that haven’t been cleaned since I got here. And I asked any of the others ones if they wanted their fingers cleaned and licked, I’d work on them too.”

RALPH: Steve, can I lick that mustard off your nose? Your tongue ain’t long enough.

TRIBAL COUNCIL
Once again Ometepe is back at tribal council and by a 4-3 vote, Kristina is sent to Redemption Island where she will have to face Matt in a duel.

Okay now to the guts of what made this episode historic. The Fall of Russell. It started with a late night arrival at Redemption Island.

REDEMPTION ISLAND
Russell was not expecting to find Matt sleeping in the shelter. He was expecting Francesca. I think that tiny little “lie” that Zapatera told him had a big impact on Russell’s psyche. I think expecting to find Francesca and instead finding a young, very fit Matt threw him for a loop and began his downfall.

MATT v RUSSELL: GOOD vs EVIL
This duel was the closest thing we’ve ever had to Good v. Evil. Matt, the young man who puts all his faith in God, battling against Russell, the older man who many believe is a force of evil. It was historic before it began.

THE DUEL –
As many of you already know – challenges and duels are created and built weeks in advance. We had no idea who would be playing this duel but I couldn’t have been happier that it involved so many different skills: balance, patience and thinking ahead.

Everybody on the crew was invested in this duel. We all loved Matt, he was a favorite, he had been on Redemption for days and he was very likable. On the other side, you have Russell – a guy that has been such a polarizing force on our show that you couldn’t help but want him to win simply because it is such a huge story if he does. It’s also a huge story if he loses. So in that sense, it was a win-win.

The drama was fantastic. First Matt thought he had it… but he was short. Then Russell thought he had it, but he too was short. I was pacing back and forth, as excited as I’ve been at a challenge in a long time. Finally Matt, who never panics, got it together and won the duel. In doing so Matt single-handedly put an end to the Russell era. It’s over.

THE TEARS OF A WARRIOR
The tears that Russell shed were real. It was a very emotional moment for a guy who has spent most of the last two years of his life playing this silly little adventure game called Survivor.

It was emotional for all of us to watch him break down. It was a gift from Russell to let us see the emotion. We all knew the day would finally come –when Russell was finally sent home- and we all wondered how he would respond. I loved that he shared it with us. That’s how Russell did everything – full tilt boogie.

I’m guessing that a lot of the Russell haters were moved as well.

Like him, love him, hate him, despise him – there is simply no denying that Russell has given Survivor as much if not more than Survivor has given him.
If you are a fan of Survivor, then you too owe Russell a nod of the head. The dude brought it. Every single day he played – he brought it.

In some ways he reignited our franchise as he brought in a new kind of villain. An unscrupulous terror.

To give context… Johnny Fairplay is a clown… Russell is a villain. I’m not sure Russell is a nice person. I wouldn’t want Russell to know where I live. There isn’t much I would want to do with Russell outside of Survivor.

But within the world of Survivor, Russell is family.

When you make a deal with the devil, you must be prepared to get burnt. So complaining about Russell would be hypocritical. We put him on the show in Samoa, we invited him back in Heroes v Villains and he completed the trifecta with Redemption Island.

Russell will go down in history as one of the most notorious contestants of all time. Maybe THE most notorious.

For all he has given us, I have to take my hat off to him and say “thank you.”

RUSSELL LIVES ON
Before the tears could even dry, the Russell of old was back, once again stirring up trouble. As with Rob, this is another example of why some players get invited back and most don’t. Russell played Ralph like a finely tuned fiddle. He baited the hook, dropped it in the water, let Ralph nibble on it and then hooked him. As charming as Ralph is, he was so outmatched it was hard to watch.

Russell suckered Ralph into bragging about the idol in front of the Ometepe tribe. They now know he has it and if a merge comes, and Ralph still has the idol, it may cause him more problems than it will help solve.

In that moment, Russell flipped the game once again and he did it after he’d already been knocked out of the game. That’s why he’s played three times and… despite his claims that he’s finished… that’s why he’ll probably end up playing yet again.

Thanks for the memories, RH.

I hope you will all leave your thoughts about Russell departure on the comment section. Love him or hate him, if you’re a fan you have to have an opinion.

 

[Flipmo]

Seems like Jeff is hinting like he might be involved with the show somehow in the future. I know that Jeff signed on for another 2 seasons of Survivor, then we'll see what happens after then.