Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, Expert Opinion, Week 2

Amber Dowling, TV Guide Canada
What constitutes a hero anyhow? Tom, frequently touted by Jeff Probst as one of the greatest winners of all time, was a righteous fuddy duddy — and hypocrite — last night. He called James a bully during Tribal Council for pointing a finger at obnoxious Stephanie, but in Palau the former firefighter bullied Ian Gallagher into quitting the final immunity challenge 12 hours in, costing Gallagher a million bucks.

And James … what Samoan bug crawled up his knickers? Perhaps he’s cranky from secretly cutting himself (it wasn’t shown on camera), but the gravedigger told us he would play a more social game this season — did that mean calling the shots like a man on Scooby Snacks? James’ disdain towards Stephanie combined with Rupert’s desire for her ousting solidified the early tribal divide typical of all-star seasons, thanks to pre-show chatter (or bedding, as in the rumoured case of Sugar and JT), and set the scene for a major blow-out with our so-called Heroes next week.

Michael Bolen, National Post's theampersand.ca
Thursday night’s episode succinctly presented two of the game’s most durable truisms. 1. Brains are always better than brawn and 2. “Perception is not reality, reality is reality.”

Eric from Samoa may have been a certifiable nutcase, but his pronouncement on the constructed nature of Survivor continues to prove prescient. It was only too convenient to present James as the gullible but lovable, “aww shucks” strongman during his two previous seasons. But now, without any obviously dastardly characters to draw upon amongst the Heroes, the producers have begun casting the gravedigger’s fury over defeats in a dark new light. What was once an endearing illustration of zeal is now portrayed as boorishness verging on lunacy. Yet, somehow his tribe didn’t see it the same way, and Stephenie went home. Who knows where the truth really lies?

It isn’t likely to be found in the Villains camp, where the level of game-play is just that much higher. The Heroes may have three of the strongest players in history in Colby, James and JT, but the Villains continue to outdo their rivals in puzzles. 

Kat Angus, Dose.ca
You know it’s a good episode of Survivor when Boston Rob collapsing is merely the amuse bouche before the delicious main course. But before we get to the filet mignon, let’s talk about Rob’s medical emergency, a moment that rang a little false.

You mean to tell me the cameraman saw Rob pass out and, instead of calling for help, decided to wait until a member of the Heroes tribe came along? I don’t doubt that Rob collapsed or needed medical attention; it just seemed more likely that cameras completely missed his fall the first time and the incident was dramatically reenacted later on. Not that it mattered in the long run – Rob turned out to be fine, just dehydrated, and he’s still in the game.

And it’s a good thing for the Villains, since his newfound take-charge attitude is what led the tribe to their second consecutive immunity win. And that’s when the Heroes tribe went completely crazypants.

Bill Brioux, TV Feeds My Family
In Week Two, Boston Rob was near death after eating a bad burrito or something. Jeff Probst gave him a foot massage and that seemed to help, except then Rob started hallucinating. “I respect it too much not to play,” he babbled, red eyes blazing, before pointing at the sky and shouting, “Da planes! Da planes!”

Rob snapped out of it just in time to help the Villains win another immunity challenge. These challenge deals seem extra lame now that the Olympics are on. After watching Shaun White corkscrew a mile in the air on a snowboard, well, who cares about fame-sucking weasels pushing building blocks around in the sand?

Then James went berserk and threatened to kill any of his tribemates who didn’t vote Stephenie off the island. Then I switched to the hockey game for about half an hour. What the hell?? Switzerland?? A shootout?? Canada won, 3-2.