I am not going to sit here and say that the hidden immunity idols have exactly been hard to find this season on Survivor: Samoa. Heck, at this rate producers may as well just start hurling them right at the contestants’ faces. But even without the complete lack of subtlety, what Russell has done so far in finding two hidden immunity idols with no clues is pretty damn impressive. But can he do it again? It’s certainly going to be a lot harder now, and for one simple reason — he’s no longer the only person looking. Last week, Dave from Galu remarkably opined that “If he suspects there’s one here, I’d be surprised.” That made so little sense for so many reasons I can’t even get into it now for fear of blowing a gasket and resorting to typing in all caps for the rest of this post in anger. Suffice it to say that the Galu alliance has finally figured it out. Previews for this episode make it out to be a full-on immunity idol scavenger hunt, with players not only searching high and low, but also following Russell around to see where he is searching. Now, Russell doesn’t just need to locate it, but he needs to locate it before everyone else, and, if possible, away from prying eyes. If Russell does manage to find it, there is no denying that he will have taken his place as one of the true greats of the game — win, lose, or draw. (P.S. There are no draws in Survivor.) Of course, just as remarkable as Russell’s ability to locate HIIs is his transformation from vile villain to fan favorite. As the scrappy underdog taking on a cocky majority in Galu, Russell has become a character viewers have started to root for as opposed to against. Still, I know one person who is not a fan: Check out our Survivor Talk exit interview just ahead with the recently ousted Kelly, who has some not-so-kind words to share about both Russell and Shambo. And for all the Survivor scoop, follow me on Twitter @EWDaltonRoss.
Image Credit: Monty Brinton/CBS
Comments (1-15) of 63 Add your comment
Only the idol, an immunity win, or pulling Galu members to his side will save him but considering what he pulled off last time, I don’t think the latter will happen.
I think your wrong there Rebecca, I think for the first time in a long time, there is going to be a dead lock on Survivor this week. The old Foa Foa has no choice but to stick together and i think they have Shambo on their side as well. Finding the idol would certainly help, but i would actually like to see a tie vote. It just adds more drama. Russell will certainly be targeted if he can not win, but i have been intrigued by him since day one and want him to go on. The fact is Laura has just as big a target on her back right now from rubbing people the wrong way and winning immunity twice. This should be a fantastic episode, one i am very much looking forward to.
Zzzzzz…Wake me up when Survivor gets interesting again. Since Fans Vs. Favorites, it has sucked royally. Or….let’s play a drinkin game. Every time Russell boasts to the camera about how he has everyone around his finger, take a shot of tequila! SNOOZER!!!!!!!!
I never understand why people come to these boards and b**ch and complain about NOT liking a show? No one is FORCING you to watch it….so don’t! Move on!
Agree, besides Fans Vs. Favorites was a terrible season, mostly because there was not a single memorable fan. Seriously had it not been for that stupid decision made by Eric on FVs.F, Betsy would have been more memorable. (She lasted 6 days, Eric lasted 36 DAYS!)
Now I’ll admit Samoa hasn’t been the best season but Russell is a brilliant character and keeps the contestants on their feet. He is this season’s saving grace.
Fairly certain that Russell’s days are numbered! His only chance is to WIN immunity. I must say I’m starting to root for the little troll. It’s an underdog thing.
He’s not an underdog. To hear him talk he’s King of the World.
he still stinks
I have always respected his way of playing the game EXCEPT for how he’s so nasty! You can play hard and not be unnecessarily nasty. So, yes, he’s a great player, but I’m still not rooting for him. (Though I am rooting for him more now than I was at the beginning simply because he’s earned my respect somewhat.)
So, you’re not rooting for him, though you are rooting for him more now? Ok, just wanted to clear it up.
I don’t know who’s more delusional: Bad Russell (I miss good Russell) or Shambo.
Sorry, but just because Russell is an underdog doesn’t make him any less of an a-hole. He may be a great player, but there are still other strategists left in the game this season (such as Laura) who don’t make me want to throw something at my TV. I really hope he doesn’t win.
Shambo is definitely more delusional.
You could be right, Jason. After all, Russell isn’t exactly the most physically able person out there. He’s sneaky as hell but as long as they’re aware of it, they may be willing to cross over and take out the big threats. Then again, old tribe alliances may win out (aside from Shambo, of course).
Finding idols–whether you have clues or not–is totally meaningless. Playing them smartly is what matters–Russell did last week (and arguably the week before even if he didn’t get any votes). But he’s hardly an all-time great Survivor player, at least not yet. Ultimately this game is supposed to be about social politics–the only reason Russell didn’t get out last week was because he had a get-out-of-jail-free card. I’m not begrudging him or saying that he didn’t use it well, but I have more respect for players like Richard, Tina, Brian Heidik, Tom Westman, Todd, etc. who manage to entirely avoid getting the votes against them.
RUSSELL FOR THE WIN!!
As one of the most despicable people to play the game, ole Russ is right up there with Richard Hatch, BUT he is still quite likable. Even Jaison has begun to respect him for his gameplay. My question is whether an equally sneaky female would garner the same loyal following.
Main Entry: 1wiz·en
Pronunciation: \ˈwi-zən also ˈwē-\
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): wiz·ened; wiz·en·ing \ˈwiz-niŋ also ˈwēz-; ˈwi-zən-iŋ also ˈwē-\
Etymology: Middle English wisenen, from Old English wisnian; akin to Old High German wesanēn to wither, Lithuanian vysti
Date: before 12th century
intransitive verb
: to become dry, shrunken, and wrinkled often as a result of aging or of failing vitality
transitive verb
: to cause to wizen
oh, I didn’t see April already called you on your lack of digital dictionary usage… or word check ..or proof reading…
Rooting for Mick Dreamy… and hoping all Russell’s shinanigans keep Mick in the running to win.
PLEASE! Mick may be easy on the eyes, but he’s a moron – did you see him staring at that puzzle last week! My friend’s 4 yr old could have figured it out quicker than him. And he’s a doctor!
Your friend’s 4 yr old is a doctor? No wonder he could figure it out. I’m impressed.
Are you sure he just didn’t play Operation a lot or did he play doctor with little girls?
I’ll say it again–if they wanted us to root for and like Russell they should never have shown the water dumping and sock burning he’s an idiot and i will never root for him or consider him great. Shambo sucks too