'Survivor' Insider: With the past winners gone, players look to the merge
By SANDRA DIAZ-TWINE
SPECIAL TO THE POST-INTELLIGENCER
EDITOR'S NOTE: As those who watched Sandra Diaz-Twine win the million on "Survivor: Pearl Islands" know, she isn't afraid to speak her mind. Here's what she had to say about last week's "Survivor All-Stars" episode, in which nice-guy Ethan -- the last remaining past winner -- got the boot. The next episode airs tonight at 8 on CBS/7:
Poor Ethan.
Well, he's actually not poor at all, but he was the last remaining winner left on the show.
Ethan was lucky to have lasted this long, because honestly he could have been gone a long time ago, before Sue left and even before Colby.
So congrats to him for making it as far as he did -- or shall I say for being allowed to stay in the game as long as he did.
It's not surprising that Lex voted off Ethan. I used to say you need to keep the strong players around until the merge, but Lex didn't wanna wait that long. And because everyone knows Ethan is physically strong but chokes during challenges, there wasn't really a good reason to keep him around. So I won't argue Lex's decision.
I just hope for Lex's sake the two tribes merge soon. But when that day comes, there won't be enough room on one island for both Rob and Lex. Somebody's gotta go, and because the Chapera tribe outnumbers Mogo Mogo, I think it's safe to say it wont be Rob saying "adios."
Everyone knows Rupert is my No. 1 favorite and Rob is my No. 2, but when I hear Rob talking awful about Rupert and making fun, it upsets me.
I wanna root for Rob and all the great things that the Chapera tribe have accomplished together, but not if he's gonna continue to be an ass every time someone does a good deed, such as Rupert catching fish. "Rupert's stock just went down 20 points." Wow, Rob, can you be any meaner?
As for Rob and Amber, it wouldn't shock me if they left Panama as Mr. and Mrs. Mariano, because it's obvious now that it's more than just attraction -- it's definitely love.
But it seems Jenna wants to jump on the Rob train as well. I wonder how Amber feels about that? By the looks of it, it seems as if she doesn't seem to mind when all three are shown cuddling in the shelter. Which is a highlight for tonight's episode, so let's tune in to see how this sandwich ends up.
Shii Ann, I wanna congratulate you on scoring two points in the reward challenge against Alicia, who we all now is the strongest woman in the Chapera tribe.
As far as teamwork is concerned, Shii Ann did a superb job. I couldn't believe it, because I assumed Alicia would win, but Shii Ann was able to stay balanced and dominate, which didn't make Alicia happy at all.
What should we expect tonight? Well, the episode will be a recap of highlights and never-before-seen footage from our favorite all-stars. (CBS is promising to show Colby dealing with a "sensitive situation" -- literally, the effects of a caffeine high on one survivor and more on Rob, Amber and Jenna.)
Next week, meanwhile, we can look forward to hearing Jeff say "survivors, drop your buffs" for the merge.
But will this be the merge everyone's anticipating or just one more twist?
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