I know that might sound like an overly harsh title but clearly the old pirate is leaving a lot on the table in the intelligence department regarding his play so far in Survivor Heroes VS Villains. It's not just the fact that his tribe has been getting their asses handed to them day in and day out in the challenges but its more his decisions on who to vote out that has made him look totally overmatched as far as his chances to win.
Now let me state right off the bat that I am one of the biggest Rupert fans around and that's why his performance so far is that much more painful for me. I thought he was a tad overwhelmed in Pearl Islands and but than played a great game deserving of a win in All Stars (if Jenna didn't plant a huge knife in his back, he surely would have wiped the floor against Rob or Amber). And on top of it all, Rupert's tremendous popularity with fans was confirmed when he won the bonus millions dollars at the All Stars reunion show as the most popular contestant ever. So when I found out he would be competing in H VS. V I thought this was the perfect last opportunity for Rupert to finally grab the title of sole Survivor that he deserves. Unfortunately, through six episodes the evidence suggests that its just not going to happen this time around and that he will go down as one of the best players to have never won the game.
Getting into the nuts and bolts of the problem, things got off to a bad start for Rupert when he decided to enter into an alliance with Amanda, Cirie, James, and JT when he was much better served joining up with Tom, Colby, and Stephanie. For starters, Tom, Steff, and Colby are all players who have proven athletic track records that have resulted in excellent performances in challenges. On top of that, all three of them are for the most part very honest, ethical players that don't backstab or cause hysteria in their own camps with their scheming. This is very important for the fact that players like Cirie and Amanda, who are constantly plotting against others, undermine the cohesiveness a tribe needs in order to be successful as a whole. Now I am not taking anything away from the athletic ability of James and JT but both of these individuals are not the most honest (JT) nor are they the most easy to get along with (James who is prone to temper tantrums).
Be that as it may, it wasn't too late for Rupert to switch things up after making that early alliance when the Cirie vote came up and JT did the right thing. Rupert could have easily jumped sides to Tom and Colby and he would have been welcomed with open arms and than maybe the game doesn't continue down such a rotten path for the heroes. The fact of the matter however is that Rupert stubbornly stuck to his word, much to the dismay of Jeff Probst who seemed incredulous that such an experienced player would make such a foolish decision in sticking with physically weak players Cirie and Amanda and voting out the strong in Tom.
It has really become incresingly clear to me that Rupert just doesn't have the ability to play the scheming and strategic game needed to win Survivor. He doesn't plan out who his best options to align with ahead of time and seems stubbornly loyal to the detriment of his game. At this point in the game, I think Rupert has a pretty slim chance to win due to the following issues:
1. The heroes tribe is looking like they might be going into the merge down in numbers which leaves them at the mercy of being picked off one-by-one.
2. In order to save himself if they are down in numbers, Rupert doesn't seem to have it in him to join up with the villains and vote off the heroes. Colby and Candice I can see doing this due to the fact they have been disrespected by their tribe from day one. Rupert however would never do this.
3. Even if they aren't picked off one by one, Rupert doesn't stand a chance in the plotting game against guys like Russell or Boston Rob.
So all in all, it looks like Rupert will never get that elusive title I thought he always deserved. After his performance so far in Heroes VS Vllains, I am starting to rethink whether he deserves it at all.
What do you all think????? Am I being too hard on Rupert? Or has his game dissapointed you so far like it has dissapointed me?
No comments:
Post a Comment