Survivor: Caramoan 1x12 "The Beginning of the End"

Apparently a memorable episode to watch, but like Dalton Ross last week I missed it.  Alas!

The big development of last night was double elimination, two sets of immunity challenges and tribal councils.  The first to go was Reynold, the second Andrea, and it only figures.  At this point we can all acknowledge that this is a season of attrition, where no one's really in charge and the ones outlasting are the ones who manage to capitalize on the players outwitting themselves.  Happens all the time.  Definitely happened last season, for instance.

I'm told the first challenge was especially fun because Andrea and Brenda made up their own wrinkle when it came down to them, because the balancing act was so easy for them (as opposed to everyone else) that they decided to one-foot it after three hours.  I forget what my spoilers said about her, but Brenda is looking more and more like someone worth rooting for as a winner.  She's not the biggest personality, but she knows what she's doing.

Andrea on the other foot hand got far too confident.  She apparently really didn't hear her name being tossed around at that tribal council.  She was looking forward to a blindside, of either Brenda or Dawn.  She talked about Dawn around Cochran.  She ought to know as well as anyone that Cochran and Dawn are about as strong an alliance as anyone, and were well before this season, and this is no Boston Rob/Lex situation we're talking about here.  (Although again, Lex was the one who got that ball rolling when he got rid of Ethan.  Just saying.)

Anyway, Reynold was obvious as the first to go.  There was just nothing else keeping that mustache hidden. And then Andrea went.  That leaves people like Erik still around.  Seriously, how is Erik still there?  Hasn't he voted himself out yet?  (I don't even know if there's a rule against that.  I guess there should be.  I'm not talking about quitting.  I'm talking about literally writing your own name down.  I'm sure this would never cross anyone else's mind as a legitimate strategy.  But Erik...?")

And that's why, folks, that Cochran has stumbled into the perfect scenario to win, the guy whose first notable move of the season was acquiring...a sun burn.  This is the episode that will explain for posterity why that happened, if indeed that's how the season ends.

Apparently next week is the loved ones episode, and someone is so good at manipulating this occasion that Probst cries.  Not in a Johnny-Fairplay-went-there sort of way (although perhaps this will be the real version of that) or Jenna-didn't-get-to-see-her-babies moment redux.  Anyway, we'll see.  Probst cries.  The dude is committed to this reality show.