Episode Report Card Sara M: B | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT One Decade Older, If Not Wiser
By Sara M | Season 20 | Episode 1 | Aired on 02.11.2010
He talks to J.T., Colby, and Stephenie about Cirie and they seem to agree that they should be afraid of her. Meanwhile, Cirie, Candice, and Amanda talk about voting Tom or Stephenie out to get rid of that alliance. Cirie leaves the decision to Amanda, who stands there with her mouth open. Cirie interviews that Sugar, while annoying, should not be the one to go home tonight because Sugar makes Cirie look that much stronger and less annoying. Unfortunately for Cirie, she's in an alliance with Amanda, who whines that they shouldn't get rid of Stephenie because she's a "really strong swimmer" and they need her to win challenges. Like in Stephenie's first season in Palau, when her swimming skills helped her win approximately zero challenges. Amanda says that tonight's vote is a choice between getting rid of a weak player to help win challenges, getting rid of a strategic threat, or getting rid of someone no one likes.
The tribe arrives at Tribal Council, which this year has been built in a treehouse forty feet high. It takes them a while to climb all the stairs to get there, which just gives the editors more filler to pad out the two-hour show. Probst recites his torch/fire/life speech, then goes right to Tom (a man, naturally) to ask how important prior relationships are to this game. He points out that Tom and Stephenie and Cirie and Amanda have played together before. Um, way to ignore the fact that Amanda and James have played together TWICE before, and James played with Cirie as well. Tom says it's a "clean slate" now and prior relationships aren't important, which everyone knows is not true. Probst asks Sugar, who hasn't played with any of her tribemates before, if she agrees with Tom. She does not. Probst reminds us all that Amanda has played twice and come in second both times, and asks if that could put a target on her back. Amanda says it could help her, since people who have seen her play the game before know that she is loyal to her alliances and can trust her. Also, she sucks out loud at Final Tribal Council, so she's beatable in the end. James pats her on the back for her improved Tribal Council speaking abilities this time around, which seems kind of condescending to me. Amanda concludes by reminding everyone that there are people on the tribe who have gone farther in the game than she did, a.k.a. Tom and J.T.
Probst announces that Cirie has proven to be a definite "threat to win the game" and asks why her tribe should keep her in the game because of that. So, apparently, Probst only talks to women when it's to point out all the reasons why they should be voted out as soon as possible. Cirie says she's no more of a threat than anyone else here. Stephenie says her decision will be based on keeping the team as strong as possible so they won't come back to Tribal Council. Probst changes the subject to the immunity challenge, saying that while the first half went great for them, when it came time to do the puzzle, it was a "disaster." James, who wasn't part of the puzzle-solving team so who cares what he has to say about that, says the four tribemates weren't working together as a team. Probst asks Cirie if she shouldn't be voted out tonight for "blowing it" on the puzzle. Why doesn't Probst just say "Hi guys! Fire represents life. Now vote Cirie out because she's a strategic threat and too stupid to complete a puzzle. Right, James/Tom/J.T.?" Cirie points out that one challenge shouldn't determine one's worth in the entire game. That makes too much sense, so Probst turns to Sugar and informs her that "there's no debate" that she lost the immunity challenge for her entire tribe, so why shouldn't they vote her out? Hey, what about when Colby lost a point in that reward challenge to freaking Douche of all people? Are we not going to talk about that? Sugar says she's afraid of that, and that's why she was crying before, but she herself wouldn't vote someone out because of one challenge. Probst just can't stop talking about the point, and asks Candice why she shouldn't vote out someone who was on the puzzle team. Notice how none of Probst's favorite strong hot men were on the Heroes' puzzle team. I'm just saying. Candice says if you vote someone out for not doing well on the puzzle, then no one on the tribe will volunteer to do puzzles in challenges. Although in that last case, I think that might have been a good thing. They would have solved that puzzle sooner if they just left it on the table and hoped the wind blew the pieces into place.