So his holiness Mike descended from his alienating throne to speak to the little people this week and the little people responded with: "Mike who?? Off with his head!"
Leaving Carla a crying wreck while Chappie stayed happy and the rest of us tried to work out who the stuff's in these new tribes.
I was iffy about the switch in Episode 3 already, feeling it was too soon and confusing, but then, at Tribal Council, I decided I'm okay with it because what Nico said is true... their old alliances didn't have much time to solidify so it creates extra tension and an additional dynamic. How long will it take until first alliances collapse?
All it took was one "Body Corporate" conversation in the case of the old Vuna.
The buffs go where now?
Trying to remember the new tribes was almost as difficult as trying to remember the old ones - a dodgy situation when it's important to remember both to keep track of the alliances.
Here's a colour co-ordinated overview:
| Old Vuna |
New Vuna |
| Anesu |
Anesu |
| Carla |
Dino |
| Chappies |
Kiran |
| Kiran |
Marisha |
| Mike |
Nicole |
| Paul |
Qieän |
| Pinty (Axed) |
Renier |
| Santoni |
Thoriso |
| Tyson |
Tyson |
| Wardah |
|
| Old Zamba |
New Zamba |
| Amy |
Amy |
| Anela |
Anela |
| Dino |
Carla |
| Jason (Axed) |
Chappies |
| Marisha |
Mike (Axed) |
| Nicole |
Paul |
| Qieän |
Santoni |
| Renier |
Shaun |
| Shaun |
Wardah |
| Thoriso |
|
If you're still unsure of who's who, you'll find names with pics here >>
Who's who in the zoo
Get the polaroid and photograph that
While everyone scrapped for a place in their new tribes through the Reward and Immunity Challenges, important new information came to light.
For starters, Marisha proved she's an Amazonian woman as she sandbagged flailing Wardah like a spider captures a fly. Don't mess with that chick, man - she'll get ya!
Santoni and Chappies emerged as a tight twosome, very possibly united by their similar accents. They speak so similarly they could be brother and sister.
Out of everyone Santoni changed the most between last week and now as she hit the accelerator on gameplay by whispering the intel to Paul that empowered Tyson with the idol.
Will be interesting to see if it ends up being to her advantage or not.
Sulky Qieän managed a pained smile when her tribe won and some of the girls suddenly ditched their shorts for bikinis and booty, which they showed off in splendid style while leaping up that awful, slanted platform in the Immunity challenge. That task was very undignified and yet they still managed to look good.
Smash proved he's the ideal person to include in a scrum, Thoriso held her own while facing the cliquey, "cool" girls with a carrot and Amy had the ethical dilemma of "Lying and saving myself, or telling the truth and putting a target on my back," when she returned from Immunity island.
Ultimately she made the right decision because Mike left and would have left no matter what decision she'd made. The tribe switch actually changed nothing when it came to the chopping block.
Matters of concern - things that bothered me
1. Renier's hair. If it's that big now and he manages to stay for another 13 episodes... need I say more?
2. The Futurelife prize at the Reward Challenge. Cringe. I don't like it when there's a marketing punt for anything within the action of a Survivor episode - always find it tacky and inappropriate. On the Jeff Probst one too e.g. when they went on about the Sprint phones during family calls.
The only time it's ever worked for me was the Mountain Dew on the American one years ago but other that I don't like it - it takes me out of the action and leaves me feeling sold to.
3. The lack of tickling in the Reward Challenge. I'm sure it would be a good strategy to get the sandbag from your opponent.
4. Still no mention of catching fish - I knew that reward was a dud.