Ozzy, you Better Get Out Of There, The State of Survivor Cook Islands Episode 7  11/6/06

Ozzy, you better get out of there The State of Survivor Cook Islands after Episode 7, Nov. 2, 2006 By Don Hart

Ozzy is in trouble. His physical prowess and survivor skills are amazing. He's brought Richard Hatch food-providing to new Survivor heights. His performance in competitions, especially where swimming is involved, is indeed Poseidon-like, as Cao Boi noted. However, his game strategy is very weak. All his original Hispanic-American tribe are gone, as well as his best Aitu buddies Cao Boi and Flica. So what lies ahead for him? He's clearly left out now in a tribe of six, with the other five in an alliance.

Next week we are previewed that there will be a surprise ten-second opportunity for any of the surviving twelve to switch to the other tribe. If we were Ozzy, would we bolt from Aitu to Raro? For us viewers it would take quite a bit longer to decide. Switching tribes is a very dangerous move, but what other option does Ozzy have? Looking ahead to a single tribe merge, his chances look equally bleak. Strong, young males have never fared well in a post-merge single tribe. Ozzy has a tough road ahead of him, whatever he does. He's a strong physical threat with no alliances, but his chances with the less cohesive Raro could very well be better than with Aitu. Ozzy, maybe it's time to get out. Ten seconds, however, are not enough, even for a more strategic player, to make such a daring move.

How bad was Brad's decision not to swim?

It was bad, but what were the other four Raros thinking in letting Brad have his way in the reward competition? After 2-3 weeks, with lots of swimming competitions already behind them, it should have been clear to the clueless Raro Five that Brad would have been better in swimming than Rebecca. It was easy for the Raros to target scapegoat Brad after the loss, especially after Nate's criticism from the Aitu sidelines, but all five Raros should be blamed. You had to feel sorry, though, for Rebecca struggling in the water and then collapsing afterwards.

Was it a bad move to vote out Flica?

It is hard to pick a worse game player than Flica. But as a potential ally she could have been a good, although clueless ally. For the power alliance of Jonathan-Candice-Yul-Becky (hereafter called "Power"), why not target Sundra, whose 5th-wheel status was no longer vital in a 7-member tribe? There is a good possibility that Sundra will abandon the Power post-merge. Flica's roller-derby physical strength could have been valuable in the remaining inter-tribal competitions.

You had to laugh, or be irritated, at Flica's second vote against Jonathan. Jonathan was her closest original Rarotonga tribal ally. He was the one who used his influence to cajole Flica into abandoning her good choice of ousting Becky. And it was Jonathan who then became Flica's ongoing target. In a response to a Jeff Probst question, Flica had to know she was going home, yet she stuck to her "having fun" take of the Survivor experience. Well, Flica, if you played a more strategic game, you could have had more fun.

Is the Power wisely keeping their alliance quiet?

They sure appear to be. In Episode 6, Cao Boi approached Yul with his "Voodoo" plan, and in Episode 7, Ozzy proposed an alliance with Candice. Those outside the Power appear oblivious to the strength of the Jonathan-Candice-Yul-Becky alliance. The Power appears to have done well in keeping their power under wraps, wisely not flaunting their advantage.

Is Survivor's pre-Tribal Council editing getting a bit stale?

Yes. By now we should all expect (and probably prefer) editing which tries to create a more dramatic Tribal Council. The Survivor editors cleverly present several possibilies for eviction in scenes immediately preceding Tribal Council. You had to be amused in Episode 7 at the difficult time they had in Episode 7 to resort to including what appeared to be a repeat of a Yul shot telling the camera about everyone's uneasiness with Jonathan. It was good to know that Flica did not go out without some plotting, but her ultimate lack of success was pretty transparent.