EPISODE NINEThe inevitability of the way things are playing out sucks and Gareth’s got lot to do with it. Argh - I can’t stand how willingly he's given all his power away nor how he’s managing to win the Immunity Challenges considering the scrawn-fest of crucifixion he’s become.
The fact that he genuinely seems to think that Jacinda and Lezel will somehow squeeze him into their smug little final-two alliance is too ridiculous and that he doesn’t have the decency to give us some kickbutt strategic action when he’s supposed to have the balls of an Archers Aqua man annoys me like you cannot believe.
All that blubbery girlie rubbish him and Zayn had going on about keeping their word to the final four is the biggest load of drivel I’ve ever heard and they deserve losing the million bucks for it big time. Also, what's up with how Zayn sucks up to Gareth? The scene where he was talking to us and then suddenly turned away to ask Gareth what was up flipped my brain.
The inevitable demise of Mzi started at the beginning of the episode when everyone returned from Tribal Council after voting Brigitte out and generally hung around doing stuff I can’t remember. A lot of talking went on between everyone in between the Reward and Immunity Challenge but I can’t remember any of it because it changed zilch.
The only person I remember doing anything kinda interesting during this time was Voinessa who tried to make herself a bit useful for the first time.
She had a go at sucking up to the girls by sudsing with them and badmouthing the guys and she almost managed to win Immunity which was very much inspired by the way she’s sexily boobtubing her Survivor buff. I was pleased to see she’s able to wear it like this and it put me on her side in the challenge even though I was iffily muttering about it being over as quickly as it was.
The superficiality of the challenges seems to be getting worse. They really have no three-dimensional dynamics to them and constantly fail to manipulate strategy, status and the emotional vulnerabilities and strengths of the players.
At this point in the game getting to winning a challenge should be a humdinging mind, body and soul battle between them and yet that Reward puzzle was just way too introverted and luck-of-the draw to inspire this. Obviously there’s some kind of skill to it but the process of solving it didn’t add anything new or exciting to what was unfolding between them at all.
Same thing with the slingshot-a-plate Immunity Challenge which was basically the type of hit-and-miss game you play at a funfair and didn’t tap into how much someone really wanted to win.
There was no running or negotiating or frenzied energy behind it which someone desperate to win could overcome to be victorious. It was also so based on “one-chance and you’re out” that it didn’t give anyone extra ammo so that if they suffered in one aspect of it they could take it to the next level in another.
Ultimately they were both frustratingly disempowering and seemed to be done for the sake of having something to do instead of what they mean which gave Mzi no proper opportunity of passionately fighting to save himself.
As for the actual reward that Jacinda won, the massage looked super except I didn’t like that they kept their bikini tops on nor that that drippy shower didn’t have an enclosure so they could go beserk and get nude. Yet again, it wasn’t a wild, all-consuming, madly passionate experience for them - it’s like things constantly hover on the surface of experiences without edgily delving into the gritty heat of them.
The moments that did though where the juicy ones involving Lezel and Zayn having their fight about whether or not to keep Mzi , Vanessa giving up at Tribal Council and of course Zayn being soo unbelievably pathetic. His claiming that he was being held to ransom by them and couldn't vote as he wished was so ludicrous I couldn't work out if his baby-scene was for real or if he was acting and decided on the latter.
As much as Zayn needed a slap I did agree with him about the whackage of Mzi being a terrified move. The thing is Jacinda and Lezel have no choice and did what any cowardly Survivor player should.
The cool thing is that despite the predictability of it we have been left with excellent promise of seeing their premature victory slapped off their mugs when Mzi returns to haunt the bejesus out of them. Which I have no doubt he will. If Vanessa’s next and he joins them and there are two who are going to return there’s just no ways he won’t win a challenge.
I must say I had a very good time making neighing sounds seeing Horse spend three days warding off those creepy birds on the island. She doesn’t seem to have eaten a smidgen does she? Mzi will obviously sort the situation out for her pronto.
Dead Man’s Island has defs turned out to be a saving grace.