For a recap of the episode, click here.
| Bikal | Gota | |||||
| Andrea | ~ | Tonya | ||||
| Brandon | ~ | Karen R. | Eddie | ~ | Steve | |
| Brenda | ~ | Colin | Hope | ~ | Cheryl | |
| Cochran | ~ | Kristen | Julia | ~ | Dick | |
| Corrine | ~ | Warren | Laura | ~ | Mea | |
| Dawn | ~ | Lee Anne | Matt | ~ | Cara | |
| Erik | ~ | Kim | Michael | ~ | Brendan | |
| Malcolm | ~ | Christi | Reynold | ~ | Alyssa | |
| Phillip | ~ | Erin | Sharmar | ~ | Lauren | |
| Sherry | ~ | Pat | ||||
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: I wanted to ask you about a scene that was funny but also seemed to go against the Survivor philosophy and approach to filming. Usually the only time players directly acknowledge or address the camera is in their one-on-one confessional interviews. Otherwise, when they are with other people they are supposed to act as if the cameras are not even there. Yet in this episode you all showed a scene of Phillip speaking directly to the camera and introducing his tribe by their new Stealth-R-Us nicknames as they posed and made funny faces and gestures at the lens. Was there any concern about this being a departure by showing the tribe blatantly breaking the fourth wall?
JEFF PROBST: Nah. We rarely do it, in fact I can’t think of another time. But being that it was Former Federal Agent Philip Shepard and the favorite tribe all having played before — it was just a fun moment and was clearly telling the story of what was happening. Don’t you worry your pretty little head about it, Dalton.
EW: My head is pretty. Thank you. Moving on, Shamar was practically bragging about how he was just going to stay in the shade for 40 days while everyone else worked. I bring this up because in the early days of Survivor you guys took some hits from people who said you cast too many African-American males who were portrayed as the stereotype of being lazy. So when Shamar gets into an argument about his work ethic and two people call him lazy — on one hand that gives you good island drama to play off of, but did it also make you feel a bit uncomfortable since you have been down this road before with some other contestants?
PROBST: Not at all. Shamar was put on the show for exactly the opposite reason — he is an American hero. He fought for our country, he protested down on Wall Street. We had absolutely no idea he was going to react in such a manner. I honestly thought he would be one of the audience favorites out of the gate. It just proves once again that you really cannot predict with any kind of certainty how someone will react in the game until.. they are actually in the game.
EW: Strategy question! If someone takes out a hidden immunity idol and says they are going to use it — like Reynold did in this episode — shouldn’t you just vote them out immediately since it is an obvious bluff and pretty much guarantees that they are not going to use it at all? That way you can get rid of both them and the idol. Or is changing course at Tribal just too risky?
PROBST: I think the key phrase here is “pretty much.” There are so many variables in the game that anytime you change a vote or split a vote there is risk that someone either screws up or doesn’t go along with the plan. Idols seem so easy to get rid of – just ‘flush” them out, what’s the big deal? But there have been so many game changing moments tied to idols that everyone is very gun shy – and rightfully so!
EW: Please tell me Brandon is not going to pee on Phillip’s crispy rice. What else can tell you tell us about next week’s episode?
PROBST: Shamar is not done bellyaching. Will he stay or will he go? Tune in next time on.. Survivor… to find out!
