Just wanted to mention, that i still back Cirie winning... and obviously we'll all find out later today what's what. I can't wait, very excited. I've had moments of serious doubt about Cirie being able to win this...but decided that this was a good thing. The winner needs doubt, right. Heck, I even had myself convinced that Erik was gonna pull off something amazing... yeah, amazingly stupid is more like it! Yikes!
Anyway.... I've been rereading some of the early posts and my notes from early on, and I noticed a comment about Jonny Fairplay and how he was like this all star season's richard hatch... so whoever was connected to him would be the winner.... but... upon reflection (and the luxury of time) maybe it's not the DIRECT connection....but the indirect connection. So...while Parv and Amanda had more direct connections to JFP (because of their alliance trying to bring him in and Parv's little talky-walky with him)....Cirie had NO connection with him....in fact she had an anti-connection. She was passed up by BOTH early alliances in favor of JFP. Even Natalie had a directly edited moment linking her to JFP....in E2, when the Fans learned who was voted off... there was a face shot of Natalie clapping and nodding and mouthing the words "good job." In this season, of these final 4 women.... only Cirie has an indirect link to JFP..... in JP's season, he was ultimately ousted because of a mini and temporary alliance of 3 women... and the winner in his season's strategy was "as long as it isn't me." Just something i thought of as odd.
I was also struck by how important reputation was as an early theme....and even one that has carried through (people were voted out early because of reputation...good or bad.... JFP, Yau, Ami to some degree, Eliza) and now, reputation is being touted again....Erik's reputation of having no integrity/no value to his word, Amanda's "reputation" of being a jury threat, etc. Perhaps this is how Cirie gets her votes... she has a good, overall reputation (that extends seasons), therefore her jury connections are all generally positive vs. someone like Parv's who has been getting her hands really dirty.
I also feel that there are still several early "cues" or prophecies if you will - that are still partly or wholly unresolved. ... just to name a few off the top of my head and some random late night thoughts about them....
1. JFP's Slow and Steady comment ? Well... editting wise.... not Natalie... she went from inv to OTTNN5 in 2.2 seconds. Cirie and Amanda have had slow starts (Episode 1) with peaks and valleys, Parv had a great start editing wise (like the hare in the race) and ended up taking a nap part way through the race....had to do some damage control, and...now.... is she still trying to catch up or is she burning out again???
2. JFP's haven't these people ever played/watched the game before? I'd ask this about Amanda and Parv... if people HAD paid attention, Cirie wouldn't have been passed over in favour of JFP... and they'd know Cirie is good with people, reads them well and is SMART. Ozzy at the start of Episode 3 wanted to get rid of Yau, Jonathan and Cirie.... yet, Cirie is still there. I can't quite make the case for Amanda, these people would have missed part of her show as they were filming while it was still playing. Parv was neither here nor there in her season... mostly a party-time fun-girl character.
3. JFP's Fans dumber than they look? Well... so far... yes. But we still have Natalie....and I have to wonder how smart it was to get rid of the only other fan in favour of a 3-1 faves majority??
4. Penner's comment that the couples are stupid? well, we still have Parv and Amanda, and they have been playing reasonably smart. Ozzy, did not play it smart, and James... well, he saw what was happening, but didn't know what to do about it. The biggest question is whether P & A can continue to play smart.... like really, Parv, you probably need to get rid of Amanda...
5. Cirie's plan of breaking up the couples? Well... the boys are gone, but there is still one couple left in the the Coupley alliance that Cirie needs to do something about....
6. Mary's prediction that a fan will win? Only Natalie is left from the original "FAN" tribe.... but Cirie was identified early as a fan of the show (in both he first season and E1... and she was also shown connecting to the Fans at home). Parvati also called out Cirie as the biggest fan of the remaining women when she & Cirie had the little exchange of "beating Erik" at the Reward challenge.
7. Penner's "Lamb to the slaughter" to Parvati? definately unresolved.... it's between Cirie and Parv....
8. Eliza snaking Parvati in the end? Well... you could say that Eliza didn't... because after all, Parv was part of the group who voted her out, and Parv was pretty mean to her at TC....but Eliza still has a say.... and at the end of the day.... a win comes down to a difference of 1 vote.... (très cool if the F3 is like a 2-2-2 tie and the last vote... Eliza's....determined the winner, that would be so awesome!)
9. Penner's bigger picture comment? It was said to Eliza.... but there was a cut to Cirie listening to what Penner was saying..... and earlier, we had Eliza comparing herself to Cire (to Jonathan no less!)....
10. Eliza's taking the goat to the F2 comment. If it is an F2... i think it would be a result of all of the injuries/removals from the game that has messed up the order of the challenges verses how many people would be left in the game... several years ago I read somewhere that the number of challenges and type of challenges (but not the order) had to be pre-arranged with the CRTC due to some gaming laws .... this is the only thing i can come up with if it does become an F2.... otherwise it's F3. But regardless.... No one in their right mind would take Amanda to the F3.
11. Alexis' E1 comment on the fans knowing the favs strengths/weaknesses...
from what we've seen.... Parv has changed SOME of her game, however there is still a lot of the flirty, lazy strumpet about her. She's all about her beauty rest and suntanning and flirting with whomever and pee water and what have you. She doesn't really take herself seriously.... how will others? She couldn't believe that James (her survivor boyfriend) would give her credit for a good move.... how can she believe that there is hope for her to convince a jury that she's done a good job? She's got a big job to overcome her first season reputation. Amanda.... we have only recently learned is apparenty the best strategic player out there (WTF??) and is playing a great social game. Hmmmm. It took them 12 episode to tell us this. While a change from China... not good for her chances. Cirie... has come a long way. Fear was her biggest issue as identified by her epsiode 1 clip. She was afraid of EVERYTHING, even leaves. Cirie has OVERCOME her problem from her first season. We had a whole lot of time dedicated to telling us this. Alexis, in her exit episode, wins a major reward.... she takes Nat and Cirie.... we hear nothing of Alexis on this reward, we see Nat helping her mom down some stairs, and we see Cirie and her husband swimming with the jellies.... several times. Cirie tells us about the trip. Cirie tells us that she has grown and is no longer afraid.
As for the final four to final three moment,... I think it's almost a certain that Cirie goes up against someone (amanda maybe?) in a tiebreaker and wins. I noticed the fire at night scene too.... i thought it was very interesting....I feel like if Cirie were being given the best playah eve-ah edit.... she'd be edited more like she was on Exile Island.... this time, she has been well hidden by the members of the Couples Alliance, and the Black Widow Brigade and the OTTness of Erik and the Ami drama and the Jonathan drama....and Natalie's jugular flossing extravaganza.... But shown just enough that we know she has been in on pretty much everything going on.... but like a queen bee, she's keeping her hands from getting too dirty. Her numbers are good.... vis, mor diff, confessional counts, etc
I also think Nat will be in the F3 (Alexis has told us who she'll be voting for!).... I love those final comments, what they edit for us to see, is often quite telling. I just cannot justify a win for her tho'..... i mean really, she seems like a red herring to me. Started way too late. But i guess "keeping my head down and working heard" as an early strtaegy to explain the absense could be viable. I just dont see it tho'.
I feel like Amanda has come on too strong recently to be a viable choice for a winner. I was also thinking back to the China finale....she was soooooo disappointed. Granted, I know the girl can act, damn, she shoulda won an oscar for her TC Performance with the HII....but, this seemed like genuine, profound disappointment....like she knew without a doubt that she lost out on both chances at a million.
Parv still has a good edit... a very good edit, except for the small, cumulative, slightly negative comments that occur almost every episode. I think it's okay if the audience doesn't really like the winner....but they have to respect them. I am not sure that Parv is respected. She also doesn't fit in with my female winners editing theory (where an Episode 1 CP for a female is a bad thing)..... Interesting thing, only PArv has a CP in E1 of the remaining 4....so if anyone other than Parv wins, then there may very well be something to be said about the E1 rule as it applies to women.
Anyway....here's to an interesting season. Looking for some resolution for the loose ends.... It's been fun.
i'm off to bed.... i can barely keep my eyes open.
Go Cirie!
















