Thursday 9 April 2020

Unlabelled [Reality-TV-Fanatics] Survivor: Winners at War recap: Podium idol attack!

[Reality-TV-Fanatics] Survivor: Winners at War recap: Podium idol attack!

by Crime Time Tamil on April 09, 2020

Survivor: Winners at War recap: Podium idol attack!

April 08, 2020 at 09:00 PM EDT

Hey, everyone. Before we get into this week's Survivor recap, I just want to make sure everyone is doing okay out there. As someone who lives in New Jersey and works in New York City — the two places hit hardest so far by this insidious virus — I can attest to the severity of what we are facing out there. I hope everyone — no matter where you live— is staying safe and staying home to protect not only yourself but to protect others as well. I'm not exactly sure why I just morphed into a #CBSCares PSA, but there you have it.

Okay, as for episode 9 of Survivor: Winners at War, let's get into it. One thing I've meant to weigh in on when it comes to the Edge of Extinction is that whenever the group there receives a message…ß˚∆µ∂"œoF@*#J)^VZQi85hfß¬˚∂πeie…

Whoa, what the hell?! Why is Adam Klein barging into my house and grabbing my laptop, forcing me into typing gobbledygook that makes even less sense than what I usually write? YOU KEEP 6 FEET AWAY FROM ME AT ALL TIMES, ADAM KLEIN! The dude is trying to rip the brightly-lit Apple logo right off of my machine, even though it clearly does not rip off! Wait, what's happening? Now he's walking over to my Mr. T action figure collection and attempting to rip the mohawk off of my talking Mr. T doll. I PITY THE POOR FOOL THAT TRIES TO RIP OFF MR. T's MOHAWK! Dude, do you want to get beat down like Rocky Balboa and his dearly-departed trainer, Mick? Hold on, now Adam is destroying everything in my house while simultaneously tearing into his own chest and ripping out his own beating heart and holding it aloft like he is Mola Ram from the Temple of Doom. Dude, that is NOT an idol either!

Obviously, we all got a good laugh out of Adam trying to dismantle Jeff Probst's voting podium in the hopes that the fleur-de-lis symbol was actually an immunity idol because he noticed the same symbol on the idol Denise found at the start of the game. And we were right to laugh. Because it was hilarious. But here's the thing: As much of a doofus as that made Adam out to be — as he demonstrated not only that fleur-de-lis was not an idol, but also that he did not possess the strength to separate it from the plank of wood it was superglued onto — and as much as he became the butt of the joke as Probst hilariously offered him a glimmer of hope that perhaps it could be the idol ("You're convinced it's not?") before slamming the door shut on his Survivor hopes and dreams, here's the thing… ADAM WAS RIGHT!

I mean, no, technically he was not right. He was wrong. That's what was so funny about it. But the instinct was still spot-on. First off, a bit of history. We saw Adam earlier in the season pause and gaze around at objects in the voting room, apparently looking to see if there might be an idol present. And he wasn't the only one. While it did not make it onto air, at the first Tribal, Boston Rob started full-on examining the shelves in the voting area looking for an idol while Ben looked under objects on the voting table to see if there might be any secret messages. Many players felt there was a chance that an idol might be hidden somewhere at Tribal Council.

Now, let's go back to this last Tribal Council. Clearly, Adam felt vulnerable. He knew he was in trouble at the first post-merge vote but escaped. However, a lot of the chatter at this last Tribal focused on him, and he had already been busted by Ben for voicing his concern that Sarah and the Marine were too close. Adam had to know he was in major danger. And when you are in major danger, you have nothing to lose. I mean, except your dignity in terms of looking like a buffoon to millions of people on national television. So Adam could have sat there and worried about looking foolish on TV, or he could have taken a chance and attempted to tear down the entire Tribal Council set in the hopes of getting 3 more days on the island. Give me the player who is less concerned with looking cool and more concerned with doing everything imaginable to stay in the game. Give me the player willing to risk his pride for another shot at the title. Give me the guy hovering awkwardly around Jeff Probst's crotch level in the hopes of obtaining a special surprise. Give me Adam Klein!

Don't mistake what I am saying for a single second. Please, by all means, make fun of Adam for that ridiculous bit of theater. It was absurd, and you should have all the fun in the world at his expense. Because what's the fun in watching Survivor if we can't laugh at a poor sap going head-to-head against a fleur-de-lis? But, at the same time, recognize and respect the cojones it took to go up there and do that. To do it front of the biggest legends in the history of the game. To do it in front of millions of viewers. And to do it in front of Jeff Probst, and I mean right in front of Jeff Probst.

And can you imagine if it had actually worked? Forget about a Ben Bomb. That would have been an Adam Bomb! Or… wait for it… an Atom Bomb. Get it? Adam Bomb, Atom bomb? Because atom sounds like Adam? Oh, you did get it? And over-explaining it just ruined it? Gotcha. Well, it didn't work — either Adam's ploy or my lame name pun. But respect for trying. It would have been so much easier for Adam to sit there, play it safe, and do absolutely nothing. Instead, he gave it a shot. And the people who are not afraid to fall flat on their faces are the ones I love the most.

The most hilarious thing about the attempted robbery of a fleur-de-lis is the fact that IT WAS NOT EVEN THE MOST HILARIOUS THING AT THAT TRIBAL COUNCIL! No, the most hilarious thing at Tribal was the brilliant silence that followed Adam's desperate plea for intel after scrambling and whispering amongst everyone.

"I'm trying to figure out is it me, is it him, or is it somebody else?" he asked after Nick said he felt safer post-scramble. This question was answered with complete silence. And then more silence. And then awkward looks in the complete opposite direction as far away from Adam as possible. And then more silence. Adam finally pleaded again, "Anyone?" More silence. More awkward looks. The entire thing was glorious. I loved it. And I love it when Survivor lets a moment like that breathe. There's an old adage in writing going all the way back to Chekhov that states: "Show, don't tell." And sometimes, a scene with absolutely no dialogue can tell you the entire story without a single word spoken.

Go back to episode 3 of this season on day 9 of the game. Sele lost the immunity challenge, and when we returned from a commercial break, instead of immediate scrambling, we saw a good 20 seconds of the contestants all just sitting there in silence. The tension was so thick, and you saw everything you needed to see on the faces of the players. It was the most powerful moment o