When Survivor: Samoa began, like many other fans, I had an idea of who'll make an impact and who will be eliminated early on.  For some of you who saw my power rankings over the past few weeks, you would've noticed that I always put Natalie on the bottom ranks.  Admittedly, I never really held her in high regard.

Come to think of it.  At the very beginning she was one of Russell's "dumb blondes", the people who he struck alliances with early on, only to eliminate when the deed is done, like Marisa.  When she got eliminated, it felt Russell would kick her out soon, especially after having found more reliable allies in Mick and Jaison.  The gender lines being drawn then on Foa Foa wasn't helping, either.  Liz was the most vocal of the females, and Natalie was just hanging on to her (or to Russell, although she was still dispensable).  When Liz got voted off, Natalie's demise seemed inevitable.  What else could a naïve Southern belle do?

Maybe the merge did save her, but I still thought Galu would kick her out first.  After all, they're still undergoing a Foa Foa purge.  If things went differently the guys would have banded together and Natalie would be left stranded, shivering, and willing to extinguish her flame.  Maybe Natalie would've stuck with Russell, but he would've deemed her useless to him, especially since he would have other alliances to explore.  Whatever the case is, I always thought she would go and I wouldn't care much about it.

Well, scratch that.

Yes, we all know Natalie is suddenly a major player in the game.  Well, not yet that big, but judging from how she engineered Erik's blindside last week, it seems she can do more provided we give her more time.  She'd probably pull off a couple more upsets, which is why Laura thought she'd vote for Russell too.  I think that event was partly due to circumstance, too.  A group effort, more than one person flipping things around in her entirety.  Taking advantage of the situation's more like it.

The moment when I realized Natalie's a possible formidable force came when, last night, she killed a rat and presented it as lunch.  Now, it's not exactly the most groundbreaking of developments, but it's a breakthrough for her.  She's no longer that naïve Southern belle, the one who'd follow where the crowd goes and would get swept away by it without her knowing it.  With Russell, she was learning stuff; with the rat, she was taking the lead, and who knows what'll happen soon?

She doesn't look like a threat, really, or at least not as big as she already is, considering Foa Foa has stabbed Galu's back twice already.  Watching her show the dead rat, with her Southern accent, was pretty endearing, but it was a bit sinister, too.  Here's the person who could take over the game when Foa Foa fails (and it will happen soon).  So much for us thinking she got eliminated early because she didn't have an intro video on the CBS website.

Oh, heavens, why did I underestimate Natalie?





- Henrik Batallones, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
(Image courtesy of CBS)