Grid Effect

Relatively speaking, I am new to this show. I picked it up halfway through the Palau season that featured Tom the fireman, who is probably the most charismatic reality show contestant in the history of the genre (or at least that I have seen). I have watched it on and off ever since and for the most part have been underwhelmed, last night was no expection.

There are several reasons for my discontentment. One being the excessive amount of contestants in the earlier episodes. Typically there are sixteen, but this year they increased it to twenty for the initial four team racial split that lasted two episodes. And usually with sixteen there would be six or seven episodes of going through the motions before anything entertaining/interesting happened. But with the increase to 20, over half the season is formulaic nonsense. The camera time is so divided between 15-20 people that it is hard to understand individual personalities or the rationale for their decisions. It’s like an episode of The Wire without the brilliant writing and plot development. Which, to be honest, would border on the unbearable. But for whatever reason, I continue too watch. Ultimately, we are subject to the editors/producers interpretations. Which are motivated more by ratings than an accurate portrayal. I mean, we always are but with fewer players there is more time available for each of them.

But for whatever reason, I continue to watch. The approach does have its high points, on odds alone the unpredictability factor sky rockets. Obviously when the premise is voting people off an island one at a time, its more difficult too determine who is staying and who isn’t. And with so many opinions available, people go home for extremely frivolous reasons. Let’s take last night, for example. The losing tribe (Raro) is set to send Cristina home because commons consensus appears to be that she is annoying around camp. Then a contestant by the name of Stephannie, who last week alluded to being the weakest member of her tribe (which is probable, though unproven) and was more or less content with going home before being bailed out by a spontaneously formed women’s alliance that opted to vote out JP, for being (surprise) annoying around camp.

But that was last week.

This week she did get the boot. Why? Because, I kid you not, she said she wanted some mashed potatoes and gravy. It was such an innocuous comment to one of her tribemates that for whatever reason was taken literally. But Nate, the guy she confided to about the mashed potatoes got on the gossip mill and told everyone on the team about Stephannie’s yearning for the gravy and mashed potatoes. When he decided to do this I assumed everyone would essentially laugh him off, because it is/was a joke. Almost along the lines of saying “I am so hungry I could eat a horse”. Instead everyone interpreted it as “she doesn’t really want to be here.” And that very well could have been her perogative. But the selective editing did not illustrate that, so we are left to assume the entire Raro tribe is a group of overly literal, pretentious goons because every last contestant voted her off! Either that or every other contestant really prefers baked to mashed. So be it. If that was the dividing line, I so would have voted with Stephannie. Thankfully though, I never have to meet any of these people.
The previews for next week imply multiple people being voted off in next week’s episode. Good.