Im not good at quitting things.
Its not that I am so dedicated and have incredible fortitude in the face of adversity.
Not in the least.
Credit: Robert Voets/CBS
Rather, I am a creature of habit.
It explains why I still eat like a kindergartener.
It explains why I never took my junior year abroad while in college.
It explains why I kept watching24, like three seasons after I should have.
Sometimes its just easier not to quit things.
But not if your name is Keith or Wendy.
But Im not going to do that.
Im not angry or anything.
In his next scene, hes asking to leave.
In her next scene, shes allget me the hell out of here!
So, what gives?
How weird was that?!?
But I would argue that Keith and Wendy quitting actually is agoodthing for the show.
All season weve heard how hard Edge of Extinction is.
Yes, true, mostly only from Reem and Keith, but whatever.
That has been the narrative.
Now all that talk about the difficulties has been backed up.
As I wrotelast week, Im in a weird place with the Edge of Extinction twist.
But if we are going to have that twist, then we should go ALL-IN on it.
Im not like those people who have been complaining about spending too much time at Extinction Island.
Now the Edge of Extinction has claimed two victims.
Thats intriguing as well.
That sells the concept of the island and the experiment.
While previously the threat of anyone actually quitting seemed minimal at best, now the threat is real.
Next time Reem complains about the conditions, well take her more seriously.
If, say, Lauren goes there and gets sick again, maybe shell pack it in.
IthoughtI knew, but then these two jokers went ahead and quit.
Will they be the only ones?
Well have to wait to find out.
Theyre Heeeeeerrrrrrreeeee…Its kind of weird to have a merge be something after an afterthought.
The merge is one of the signature moments of any season.
Jeff Probst tells people to drop their buffs.
Theres always lots of celebrating.
Not unlike Ron Burgundy, its a pretty big deal.
Its unclear into what category the Outcasts should be placed.)
stare!YOUget an F.U.
He can get in on this!
Seriously, Im not.
Because that wasnt even the best part.
The ending is a nail-biter of epic proportions as Wendy battles against her Tourettes to take the lead.
She gets two inches away from winning TWO INCHES!
and then her ball falls off.
That leaves Rick Devens to clean it up and indeed he does, getting himself back in the game.
Thats good for him and good for producers too.
Hes charming, hes funny, hes a good narrator, seems like a decent dude.
Plus, he gives my pregame pick to win in David another ally, which is to say hisonlyally.
Probst makes a big announcement that Now Extinction begins again.
So Chris starts crying.
And then Aubry starts crying.
And then Reem starts crying.
And then Keith starts crying.
Lets fing do it!
Thats how strong it is.
LETS FING DO IT Okay, lets!
Splurge at the MergeHey, look who gets the first confessional interview at the merge.
Wow, thats two weeks in the row.
Shes clearly leaving poor Aurora who now takes the pole position in terms of all Have You Seen Me?
milk carton placement in the dust.
Note to futureSurvivorcontestants: Complaining about screen time on social media really works!
Still, beggars cant be choosers, I suppose, especially when angling for camera time.
The big question is how Devens will be accepted back into the game.
Kelley wants him gone, which is no surprise since she helped send him packing the first time.
On the flip side, Julie likes the cut of Ricks jib!
Almost as much as I like talking as if Im from the 1920s!
She thinks it was super neat-o the way he won himself back into the game.
I do think Chris description of buyers remorse when they got back there is pretty apt.
But I do find the nice glossy bow producers put on their choice to quit a bit curious.
I mean, wouldnt that have been true five minutes into day 1?
And couldnt he get evenmoreby staying longer?
I swear Im not trying to hammer the guy.
I have mad respect for that.
I just dont understand his quote or his justification for leaving.
And the fact that it was presented as some sort of uplifting moment to remember only confuses me further.
Same thing with Big Wendy.
Id much rather have someone feel good about herself than bad.
But wouldnt you be evenprouderif you didnt quit?
Again, I dont want these people to be miserable.
But I would have much rather heard how Extinction Islandmadethem miserable.
Why did they change their mind and leave?
Were never really told.
What we were hearing and what we were seeing just didnt match up.
IM DOING IT AGAIN!
She first tries to convince Joe that the law-firm of David & Devens are after him.
But Rick has an ace up his sleeve which is, to say, a package in his bag.
Its a mysterious package.
That has the potential to lead to disagreements about who should give their half to whom.
A nice wrinkle in the game.
Also, paraphrasing lyrics from the band Kansas is inherently a dicey proposition.
So, moving on…
Yes, its our first individual immunity challenge of the season.
At regular intervals, they must move down the beam where it gets narrower.
I like this challenge.
And the crazy wind only adds to the drama.
As does everyone hitting on Julie during the course of the competition.
Lauren: Julie, youre hot.
David: Julie has some guns.
Eric: Yeah, shes buff.
This was no pushover challenge.
It involved strength, endurance, concentration.
Hell, Im with the others: Julie is a badass.
I mean, Ron Clark, has a different idea.
Ron wants Joe out.
Victoria and Julie want Kelley out.
Who will win this battle of wills?
Lets head to Tribal Council to find out.
JuryXLBefore Jeff can start Tribal Council, he has to bring the jury in.
Wait, what?!?
The jury always starts at or after the merge.
It turns out that the folks at Edge of Extinction are also members of the jury.
So, what do we think?
How can she possibly be well-informed enough to cast a meaningful vote?
But look at it another way.
He made the merge.
Hes on the jury, but lets say David, Rick, and Lauren make the final three.
I have no problem whatsoever with early boots having a vote for the million dollars.
We saw this before in Redemption Island seasons where folks bonded over their new common enemy.
However, what happens when you give those people a vote for a million dollars?
Is that fair in the least?
And had he not frozen in that final puzzle, it would have worked and he would have won.
We very well may see a similar scenario here.
And the question is: How do we feel about that?
Is that a legitimate victory?
Are you cool with someone winning the game who may have only played around 10 days in it?
Something to think about as the season moves on.
David and Devens thought Kelley was going home.
Kelley, Lauren, and The Wardog thought David was going home.
Joe and Aurora thought Rick was going home.
They were all wrong.
(Note: the folks that insist on specific targets often win the battle but lose the war).
The answer: often.
The Kama folks need to be careful.
Okay, now itsyourturn.
Are you happy Rick got back in the game?
Do you like the bigger jury?
Is it fair if someone from Edge of Extinction ends up winning?
Are you sick of me asking questions?
Weigh in on the message boards below and Ill be back next week with another scoop of the crispy!
