CBS

Our Thanksgiving leftovers can finally finish digesting in peace — after waiting two weeks for last episode’s cliffhanger to be resolved, we learn that the “more business” Jeff Probst warned of after Frosti was voted out isn’t an additional elimination vote but is instead a reward challenge that, apparently just for dramatic effect, takes place at the Tribal Council location. Peih-Gee wins the challenge, which is a quiz on Chinese culture (before you think that her Chinese heritage gave her an advantage, consider that “What is the capital of China?” was one of the questions). She chooses Erik and Denise […]

The majority of this episode wasn’t all that exciting for me. The high points of the first half: * Now that overbearing Jean-Robert is out of the picture, Peih-Gee senses that the tribe’s need to be irritated is going unfulfilled, so she steps into the void by micromanaging and by picking a fight with James regarding his lack of effort in the reward challenge. James responds in his James-like way — gruff, yet with peculiar word choice: “Every time you bring something up, I will quickly blast you back and make you look quite silly.” * On the reward for […]

I think the overall theme of this episode is meant to be “Jean-Robert is stupid,” but some other stuff happens, too. When captains pick teams of four for the reward challenge, the picking follows Zhan Hu/Fei Long lines, except Denise is the odd woman out, making her feel like the big, fat kid that no one wants on their team in gym class. I know, someone had to be left out, but it wasn’t a very smart move for the other members of Fei Long to send Denise the message that she’s toward the bottom of the totem pole. The […]