On one hand, it's ridiculous and sad that
Jean-Robert Bellande was so far behind-the-times on
Survivor: China, the only one with no inside knowledge of the immunity idols. Then again, I suppose that's what you get for being annoying and having no one like you. The other castaways had absolutely zero trust in the poker player, and for good reason – he never shut up. The breathtaking ignorance continued when Bellande, after being voted off, told the camera that his tribe mates realized that he was clearly the best player in the game and had to get rid of him. The delusions never ceased with Jean-Robert. Maybe now Courtney will start playing the game as opposed to just being pissed off at Bellande.
James decision to not use the immunity idol at last night's tribal council was almost deadly. I bet Todd wished he had switched his vote to James at the last second. The thing is that for Todd and Amanda, it helps them very much to have Bellande gone, because he was such a loose cannon and would likely eventually throw Todd and Amanda under the bus, whether he meant to or not. However, I get the feeling James is about to go on a immunity challenge run. At this point, James may have a free pass to the final four, if you combine potential immunity wins and his two hidden immunity idols. Todd and Amanda may have a really difficult time ridding themselves of James' presence. I actually think that Todd should have gone through with the blind-siding James plan, but then told James about it, so he uses up one of his idols. That way, Jean-Robert still goes, and it's one less idol to worry about. But, maybe Todd is still holding out hope that James gives him one of the idols back.
For the first time in, well, maybe all season, I enjoyed Courtney. She's kind of funny sometimes. It's still not fun to look at her skeletal body, but she's the type of person who's going to be vastly more enjoyable in real life as opposed to the Chinese wilderness. Both her Susan Lucci comment (regarding Jean-Robert's tribal council legacy) and the “Screw you guys,” quote at tribal council made me laugh out loud. Courtney made me laugh. Maybe I'm not totally on board yet, but we'll see how she acts with Bellande gone for good.
As for making me laugh, James is becoming more personable by the day. You can tell that he's a million times more comfortable in front of the camera and around people now than he was in the first few days. He's one of the more out-spoken castaways now. James is probably my favorite player in the game and one of the reasons is that he's always keeping it fun, keeping it light, while remaining unafraid to voice opinions. He has to be the favorite to win the whole thing right now, with Todd and Amanda close behind.
-Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer
(Image Courtesy of CBS)