Episode Report Card Sara M: C | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT This Is Stupid
By Sara M | Season 22 | Episode 7 | Aired on 03.30.2011
Meanwhile, David acknowledges that he's feeling nervous today, as he doesn't think his tribe has "seen the light," a.k.a. agree with his brilliant plan of keeping the tribe strong but fractured like two seconds before a merge. He runs around camp collecting large pieces of driftwood, which Steve and Mike notice and laugh about how David is suddenly pulling his weight for the first time because he knows he's at risk tonight. But is he? Mike interviews that he's starting to think it might be a good idea to take Sarita out instead after her less-than-stellar performance in the challenge. Julie asks the guys without David or Sarita around what they want to do. Ralph is still set on David, but Steve says he thinks they need to keep the tribe strong and take out Sarita, even though they love Sarita and can't trust David. Mike interviews that they have a tough choice between Sarita and David tonight. I don't understand; if they were going to vote based on strength, then they should have voted Sarita out instead of Stephanie last week. But they didn't, so why vote her out now? Then they'll have a tribe that isn't as strong as it could be AND has a trust problem with David. It's the worst of both worlds, so it's probably what they'll end up doing.
And so, the tribe arrives at Tribal to be raked over the coals by the insufferable Probst. He asks Ralph what is wrong with his tribe. Ralph says they were doing well in the challenge today and came very close to winning, but Probst doesn't like that answer, so he cuts Ralph off and says excuses are for losers. "I'm a loser, then," Ralph shrugs. I kind of love how unimpressed by Probst Ralph is. Of course, Probst has to bring up Li'l Russell and how Zapato has lost three of the last four challenges since they deliberately lost one to get rid of him, which I still maintain was the correct decision and would have worked out fine for them if the producers hadn't geared two (possibly three) of the last four challenges to Onomatopoeia's strengths. Julie pleases Probst by saying that they obviously gave themselves bad karma by throwing the challenge, and that they mistakenly believed that their tribe was stronger than the other one and would survive one thrown challenge.
Probst asks David if the problem isn't that they aren't as strong as the other tribe, but that they're divided while the other tribe is very cohesive. David agrees with this, even though I would say Onomatopoeia is more divided and less cohesive than Zapato is, what with everyone openly hating Phillip and Phillip being wildly unpredictable. At least Zapato make an effort to pretend they all like David. David makes a good point, however, when he says that the tribe worked much better as a team when they had a common enemy in Li'l Russell. Once he was gone, they fell apart. Actually, it seems to me that they only fell apart when David decided he was better than everyone else and wanted to keep Stephanie around instead of Sarita because she dared to say he stressed out during challenges. He says Onomatopoeia look like they all get along really well and probably have a great time with each other at camp all the time.