Oh, and got voted out.
But weve seen a lot of live Tribals lately.
Maybe not quite to this degree.
Credit: CBS
But weve seen them.
What really struck me about this weeks episode ofSurvivor: Edge of Extinctionis what came before it.
No, not Eric staring off into the distance pensively at Extinction Island.
Im pretty sure that is contractually required to happen for every contestant who lands there.
No, Im talking about what happeneddirectlybefore Tribal.
No, not the commercial break.
Ugh, why is this so difficult?!
What Im talking about is the most awkward, silent family dinner I have ever seen.
You probably think Im being a Sarcastic Sally right now, but Im not.
Because, for one thing, most of the time contestants in this game arenotscheming or wheeling and dealing.
Rather, they are just sitting around doing nothing.
That is the one element of being out there that does not really translate onto the screen.
All we see on screen is the action, but the standard default for this game isinaction.
This scene perfectly captured that.
But it also captured something else.
Go back a few weeks to the Aubry ouster as a perfect example.
What we saw in this latest episode was the extreme version of that.
But perhaps the most remarkable thing about this scene is that the producers let it play out.
Silence is considered a killer on television.
With our short attention spans thanks internet and smartphones!
(Not to mention less than hygienic.)
Every second is precious.
And consider what limited time they actually have to show us what is happening on the beach.
All that said… now lets talk about that wild, crazy, bonkers Tribal Council!
But then these major moments happened.
Major Moment #1David told us about taking a poop.
Its just not going to happen.
Major Moment #2Theres an art to Tribal Council.
So the key is to say something while saying nothing at all.
Boston Rob was a master at this.
This was the impetus for everything that came after.
But 3 + 2 + 2 = 7.
And last time I checked, 7 > 4.
But getting all those seven on the same page to trust each other is easier said than done.
After Rick floated the idea of the team-up, The Wardog went into attack mode.
He relentlessly courted Ron and Julie.
But he showed flexibility as well.
You tell us the name and well do it right now, he said.
The Wardog kept the pressure on.
He could tell Julie was about to break away, and he wanted to give her that final push.
Which brings us to…
Major Moment #5Honestly, I dont think any of this happens without Julie.
We had seen all episode that Julie was emotionally vulnerable.
Getting blindsided at the previous vote put her in a bad place and she appeared close to breaking.
Then, at Tribal Council, she broke.
I dont have Kama control!
Im on the bottom of Kama control!
Im ready to jump ship.
Im ready to jump ship And then she ran over to the Lesus to confer.
That should have been priority number one.
Well, thats not entirely accurate.
Priority number one should have been asking production why they cant have their swimsuits with all these water challenges.
There were tons of other great little moments in this fracas.
There was Kelly telling David she had planned to vote him out.
There was David overhearing Victoria talking about getting him out.
There was Rick and David coming back together and using their joint idol (unnecessarily) for David.
All the votes were going to either Kelley or David.
Yet Julia went home.
And it wasnt even close.
And it wasnt because of an idol or an advantage.
Has a tide ever turned in such a dramatic effect before?
Thats the brutality ofSurvivornow: You truly never are safe.
Okay, just a few real quick hits before we wrap things up.
The episode began with The Wardog telling us that The Wardog controlled the vote.
Also, why were Joe and Aubry convincing Eric not to quit?
Thats one less person to beat to get back into the game.
Did Jeff Probst just give us our first everSurvivorgender jinx?
So what happened next?
Five women dropped out in a row.
Okay, thats going to do it from here, but you are far from done, my friend.
I recommend you do so.
And for endlessSurvivorscoop, follow me on the Twitter@DaltonRoss.
Okay, now itsyourturn.
Who gets the credit for the big Tribal Council move: Rick, The Wardog, or Julie?
Did the silent scene feel as awkward watching on your couch as it did out there on the island?
And who wins the Aubry vs. Eliza facial expression battle royale?
