Saturday, September 27, 2008

Survivor Gabon: Good & Great Moments Except for Some!

Everything is simply good and great in SURVIVOR GABON during its two-hour premiere on Friday, September 26, 2008 (Philippine Time).

The fact that it is the first season to be shot in high definition using the Sony XDCAM; Gabon, tagged as the Earth's Last Eden, is probably the most luxurious place for the new set of castaways to outwit, outplay and outlast each other in 39 days.


I am completely satisfied with the Gabon's Opening Intro. It's uniquely done and perhaps, one of the bests of all time. You MUST watch the Survivor: Gabon Intro to believe! Here you go...



Like in Season 5 (Survivor Thailand), two of the oldest castaways, Bob Crowley the 58-year-old Physics Teacher and Gillian Larson the 61-year-old retired nurse, were given the honor to select their own tribemates. After the schoolyard pick, the castaways were equally divided into two tribes, FANG (the red tribe and this word means as one of the long, sharp, hollow or grooved teeth of a venomous snake by which poison is injected) and KOTA (the one with the yellow flag; Kota means "A city of northwest India south-southwest of Delhi"). Geez, this is like Samburu-and-Boran all over again in Survivor Africa!

Unluckily, Giliian seems unsuccessful in choosing her tribemates as the Fang Tribe lose three straight challenges in a row.



A huge disappointment is when Michelle Chase was the first one to go due to her negative personality. Seriously, the idea of voting her out was somehow irrational. Although she seems pessimistic in all stuffs, Fang might still her competitive spirit in group challenges. It seems like Fang has forgotten to review their Strategy Manual 101. Hey Fang, did you still remember the Boran's strategy of keeping Clarence Black and letting go of Jessica Camacho back in Season 3?

Fang's second tribal council was a good one. They unanimously let go of Gillian despite of her positive and mother-like charisma. But before they let her go, the tribe wanted to vote out Dan Kay, the 32-year-old lawyer from Boston. What's wrong with Fang? If they will continue doing this senseless decisions during Tribal Councils, I'm sure Fang will be put in the LOSERS CIRCLE like the Ulong Tribe in Survivor Palau: Season 10.

Another stand-out character in the show was Bob, the Physics Teacher in Kota. In his senior age, seeing him solve the puzzle pieces to Kota's immunity victory was beyond my expectations. No doubt, he was a physics teacher. Physics is a complicated subject and Bob has managed to solve the puzzle like he was drinking water. Looks like Kota really needs him in the succeeding mental challenges.


I didn't feel Kelly Czarnecki, the retail sales in those first two episodes. It's a lucky call for Kelly that she was in the group of the winning circle, Kota. Yet, there were several stand-out characters in Kota and Kelly's recognizable appearance was nowhere to be seen. She was my first pick as one of my favorites but unexpectedly, I rarely hear her speak. What's wrong with the editing production? I thought Kelly was the "hot chick" of the season.

Matty Whitmore, the personal trainer, was doing great in Fang Tribe and played this "I'm-A-Hero" type of strategy during the game. He opted to help his two other tribe members who struggled climbing the hill during their First Reward/Individual Immunity Challenge. His only downslide was his ability to make crucial decisions for his tribe. His emotions swallowed him as he decided to vote out Michelle Chase over Gillian Larson during their first tribal Council.


If you want to read other interesting and odd events about the two-hour premiere of Survivor Gabon, you can go to:
“SURVIVOR” CONTINUES TO RULE THE RATINGS
Michelle Chase Exclusive Interview at BuddyTV
Survivor: Gabon: 2-Hour Premiere Recap
The Funny News: Doctor's in Scandal
Jeff Probst blogs 'Survivor: Gabon'

Photos courtesy of:
www.journeys.travel
www.survivor.com
http://www.cbs.com/primetime/survivor/

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