Survivor-Samoa

[Buddy08]

Anybody watching Survivor this season? Already there is an evil person among them- pouring out the water and burning people's socks. I hope someone catches onto him quickly.

[Hair_Razor]

Oh my God that guy is a jerk!! I think the cop lady is on to him but she will probably get kicked off because of what she said this week.

[Disneypixie513]

Russel was utterly obnoxious! I think he's the most obnoxious person ever on Survivor.
Next week looks interesting. I can't beleive it'll only be the 2nd week, and they all look ready to kill each other..

[thrillme]

Russel is totally unbeliveable. OBVIOUSLY he's in there to "stir" things up. He's so evil my son is rather intrigued. Of course he believes he doesn't deserve to go all that far but he does make for interesting conversation.

Jeff said in last season's blog that he doesn't know everything that goes on in camp...only so much that the producers tell him...so it doesn't look like he knows about this. The finale is going to be interesting.

I just can't believe that someone would come on for the sole purpose of being a JERK. The water...the socks...WHY . I can't believe he's going to hang around long...he's going to get busted.

Alas...it looks like it's going to be an "interesting" season. Lots of "eye candy" for us ladies this time.

[stitchaholic]

I am definitly rooting for the purple team! I wanted to jump through the set and throttle Russel,JERK! i hope thwe girls gang up on him in the end and get him outta there.

[Ian]

Sorry ... I couldn't help but feel that that Russell dude was a plant by the producers to "stir things up." He just seems like a total fraud to me.

[SBETigg]

Russell is a bit over the top, isn't he? You could be right, Ian. I think they look for these types specifically when they go through applications. I'm a little concerned that he could go further than I would like. But he didn't even bother me as much as that Ben guy. Russell is almost cartoon villainy in action, but Ben seems really on the edge of sociopathy to me. What were his reasons for disliking Marisa to that extent so early on? A little too intense for me (and it pains me that his last name is my maiden name, rrg).

Oh And Ashley? Self-righteous, isn't she? Already so secure in her alliance? I hope she enjoyed watching last night to see her "alliance" behind the scenes. I didn't like Marisa at first either, but I regretted that when she had the nerve to question Russell from the start and then to bring it up at tribal council. These people had better catch on. Loved Betsy the cop and Liz, and the other Russell and Shambo! She is going to be a hoot if she sticks around, and she seems to have some social skills because she knew she had to stifle her inner marine and go with the flow for a while. The purple team is far more likable so far, but we haven't seen much there yet.

[laprana]

Russell is a bit over the top, isn't he? You could be right, Ian. I think they look for these types specifically when they go through applications. I'm a little concerned that he could go further than I would like. But he didn't even bother me as much as that Ben guy. Russell is almost cartoon villainy in action, but Ben seems really on the edge of sociopathy to me. What were his reasons for disliking Marisa to that extent so early on? A little too intense for me (and it pains me that his last name is my maiden name, rrg).

I totally agree!! I really dislike Russell, but that's the point of his "character" on this season, isn't it? But Ben...he seems like a real jerk. I didn't understand at all why he came down so hard on Marisa. Maybe something happened that we just didn't get to see? But still, it seemed like his dislike of her came out of nowhere! Despite Russell and Ben, though, I'm so glad Survivor is back on!

[thrillme]

II didn't understand at all why he came down so hard on Marisa. Maybe something happened that we just didn't get to see? But still, it seemed like his dislike of her came out of nowhere! ....I'm so glad Survivor is back on!

He took out Marisa because she "questioned" him. She said him talking to other people made her uncomfortable. She was a weak enough "link" that he threw her out on the chopping block and most went after her just because it wasn't them.

Producers pick people based on their personalities. They don't want a bunch of people who get along. I don't like him but...he's definately adding something to "SPARK" the flame...lately the first episode has been starting a little slow.

I LOVE Survivor. It's the true King of reality shows.

[TheDuckRocks]

Sorry ... I couldn't help but feel that that Russell dude was a plant by the producers to "stir things up." He just seems like a total fraud to me.

Just what my husband and I were saying last night. I think I'm going to Google this guy, his whole backstory sounds fishy to me and I'm not talking about what he's telling the other players.

[laprana]

He took out Marisa because she "questioned" him. She said him talking to other people made her uncomfortable. She was a weak enough "link" that he threw her out on the chopping block and most went after her just because it wasn't them.

Oh yeah, I totally got why Russell went after Marisa. And I bet he'll do the exact same thing to anyone else who questions him or gets suspicious of him. I think in the preview for next week's show, they showed him talking about the same thing about one of the other tribe members...maybe the police woman?

What I didn't get was why Ben was so hateful toward Marisa. Maybe he was trying to get on Russell's good side by being mean to her?

[Ian]

See and I'm the exact opposite ... I'd like to see 18 real people on this show. Not some group of handpicked quasi-actors who fill certain "roles" like the nutjob, the villain, the hot chick, the Alpha Male, the nerd, the gay guy, the old dude ... These casts are completely predictable now. Go back and look at the last 10 Survivors and tell me every single one of these roles isn't filled on every season.

I'm sort of tired of the show being cast. I don't know why they moved away from the interview process they used to have where they just picked real people who wanted to test their skills. The fact that they recruit most of the people on the show now is a detraction for me, especially when they pick people so over the top.

[SBETigg]

I'm sort of tired of the show being cast. I don't know why they moved away from the interview process they used to have where they just picked real people who wanted to test their skills. The fact that they recruit most of the people on the show now is a detraction for me, especially when they pick people so over the top.

I agree, Ian. They say they still do interview real people who apply, and I think they do fill some of those roles from genuine applicants. Naive? Maybe. But no doubt they're looking for types: the innocent, the cutie, the villain, the wise elder, the all-around good guy... and they have recruited some, including actual actors, for quite a few seasons now. The year it was really badly obvious was the year that half the cast came from Los Angeles and had actually starred in productions together-- the Jonathan season. He was the one that sounded like Alan Alda. I think Earl won that one? And Sugar from a recent season came straight out of central casting, it seems to me.

[Ian]

If memory serves, I think last season someone said that only one of the cast was an actual applicant and the rest had been hand-picked. Or maybe that was the season before. They all run together. I think it was the Sugar season, which was two seasons ago?

But anyway, it sounds like you know what I'm saying. If you cast the show and recruit actors to play certain roles on the show, well, that ain't "reality." It's called network television.

[Nascfan]

I think we're confusing "reality" with what these shows really are.....unscripted television. After all, isn't that truly what they've become? Shows without a written dialogue script, but nothing much real about them anymore with the casting. The first 10 or dozen seasons, much more real people. Although Ian's right, there was always the token gay guy, the older guy and/or lady, the cutie 20something year-old, etc. But at least they were, or certainly seemed, to be real people with real lives outside the game, much unlike the almost cartoon characters they've got now. The Russell character is too straight up villain to be a real applicant. Has to be casted. Still watch it though. I can't seem to tear myself away for some reason. Maybe it's that train wreck syndrome.

[Buddy08]

I love Survivor. It's my favorite reality show and I do like reality shows. Whatever the contestant process, I'm still going to watch it. Jeff Probst just won best reality show host on the Emmy's.

[thrillme]

I love Survivor. It's my favorite reality show and I do like reality shows. Whatever the contestant process, I'm still going to watch it. Jeff Probst just won best reality show host on the Emmy's.

I love it too...but I'd have to give Jeff an emmy based on his "dimples" alone

[Melanie]

Okay, Russell is comical. Ben is well, ignorant.

[SBETigg]

This "Russell is the worst villain ever!" routine is getting old fast. I love Survivor, but I did not enjoy tonight's show. It seemed so set up. The whole Ben and Yasmin thing, ugh. No fun. I think the team made the wrong choice, kept the wrong person. I do love watching Jeff Probst, though. He's definitely a winning host!

[thrillme]

Yasmin annoyed the heck out of me. It's too bad SHE wasn't on their team. I know I'm pulling for her out as soon as possible. Ben well...he played rather dirty...as did some of the others but...Yasmin...UGH...

Russell has to go eventually but he's an interesting character. I really wasn't quite ready for "Betsy" to go but...she apparently forgot one of the main rules of Survivor. "Keep your friends close and your enemy's even closer". Once she saw the hold Russell had on everybody she would have done well to have played along.