Survivor: Ghost Island: Episode 5 "A Diamond in the Rough" Review

"I guess it's fair to say;

I was pretty hot today;

You see me glow;

This ain't pay-per-view;

It's a free show."

-Chris Noble

This was a much slower paced episode of Ghost Island then we've had before.  It was different, but a little predictable.  Let's take a look at how everyone did this episode.

Who Played Well:

We'll start on the Malolo tribe with Jenna.  I was really hoping she would be the one to go, as I find Jessica and Michael far more compelling television.  Alas, it was not to be.  But I think she did a good job flirting with Sebastian and I think that helped sway him to keep her in the game.

Next we have Michael.  He is the one I think should have gone home from a logical point of view, but  he did a good job pitching to the Naviti 5 why he should stay and saving himself.

Moving on to the Naviti 5.  First off, good on them for sticking together and focusing on taking out the Malolo.  But I do think they picked the wrong person to go after.  Stephanie was easily the riskiest pick of the three options.  She had just gone to Ghost Island and if she did have an advantage, she 100% would have played it and probably on herself.  I just don't understand why Naviti took that risk, when you have Michael who is just as big of a threat, but is far less likely to have an idol, or even Jenna, who is virtually no threat.  It ended up working out for the Naviti, but it was a risky move.  For, Bradley, Sebastian, and Kellyn, I think it was a mixed week, but it was a net positive.

As for Desiree, I really liked that she searched Stephanie's bag, which is probably what gave them the confidence to go after Stephanie, which was Desiree's idea.  Still a risky move, but I give Desiree the most credit for pulling it off.

Moving over to Naviti (who we didn't see much of), I'll start with Chris.  He did excellent in the reward challenge.  It really was an impressive performance, but more importantly, Chris recognized that Donathan was upset and bonded with him over it.  With both his physical ability and his newfound relationship with Donathan, Chris might be able to convince the original Malolo's to take out Domenick instead of him.

I do give some points to both Laurel and Donathan as well, for strengthening their bond by having a talk on the beach, as well as for Donathan keeping his options open to possibly work with Chris in the future.

Who Sucked:

I really only have one person to talk about this week and that's Chelsea.  Again, I don't love the move of her alliance voting out Stephanie.  It was risky, but it worked out.  But, she gave a poor performance in the Immunity challenge and is probably the main reason they lost.  Not horrible, but everyone else did at least fine this week.

James didn't really do anything this episode, and we didn't see Angela, Domenick, Libby, or Wendell.

Finally, we have Stephanie, who did pretty much everything she could.  I don't think she should have gone home this episode.  The only note I have is she should have faked she had an advantage or an idol of some kind to try and put the votes on Michael or Jenna.  I'm bummed to see her go, as she was my winner pick.  But, that's Survivor for you.

Verdict:

The "Stacy's Blog Has Got It Going On Award" goes to...I can't believe I'm going to say this...Chris.  His performance in the reward challenge was amazing.  And he also had a great read on how Donathan was feeling and bonded with him.  It just might save him in the future.

The "Not The Player For Me Award" goes to Chelsea, pretty much by default.  Stephanie was a risky person to vote for.  Chelsea and her alliance was very lucky Stephanie did not get to play a game on Ghost Island.  Plus her performance in the Immunity challenge probably cost her team the win.

This wasn't my favorite episode of the season, and I'm bummed to see Stephanie go, but I'm psyched for the upcoming tribe swap.