New at BOP: Review: Matrix Resurrections Movie Review: Moonfall Movie Reviews: Scream The #1 Movie in America November Forecast The Many Saints of Newark October Forecast New Trivia Question All site updates Share & Save   Tweet Print this column

At the same moment on the other side, boastful Matt impresses us when he aids Colton in his heat. Colton places too much weight on his teammate in a manner eerily reminiscent of what Kat just did to Kim. Matt braces his back and locks his feet in place, thereby securing both men at once. Hilariously, Colton exclaims “I’ve got you” at exactly the moment Matt defies gravity and the laws of physics. Matt may have an ego, but he also has some game. Colton finishes his round without further incident.

The men’s lead is already almost insurmountable, but Kat’s collapse under pressure is no less noteworthy because of it. During her next attempt, she gives Christina an unrequested breast exam. To her credit, she has deduced that coming in behind the other women is the easier maneuver. Bending them backwards in the process is less good. Christina is forced to brace herself and in the process grabs another teammate while still being groped by Kat. Probst dictates that Kat jump in the water. Again.

On her third attempt, Kat sexually assaults Monica, approaches Christina from the wrong side and once again forces the woman into the water. As if this were not enough mistakes, Kat jumps into the water herself….something she didn’t have to do. All of her progress is lost. Kat has melted down completely and sensing this, Christina positions herself in first so that she can make the next attempt. Moments after the men make their first (and only) mistake as Bill and Jay simultaneously fall, Christina receives a strange lack of support from Kim and collapses into the water.

At this point, something noteworthy occurs. Monica, whose husband competed in the NFL for nine years, demonstrates leadership and desire when she too jumps into the water. She takes control, tired of watching the younger women fail repeatedly. Monica is barely into her first attempt to pass Christina when – you guessed – Kat grabs the women to secure them. This forces Christina and Monica to dive into the water and start over again. For the Hell of it, Kat dives into the water as well. Probst is taken aback by the way that Kat has jumped into the water not once but twice when there was no cause to do so.

Before the men win the challenge, Monica navigates her heat in remarkable fashion. She develops a strategy wherein the women are instructed to “push me around” because “I’m strong in the core”. This works extraordinarily well with Monica completing her heat faster than anyone else thus far save for maybe Leif. This demonstration of grace under pressure when the rest of the team was in total panic mode is significant. It leads us to evaluate Monica as the first woman this season capable of winning Survivor. Unfortunately, she is not in the power alliance of her group, but she is in the weaker tribe. Monica will need a great deal of luck in order to prove us right. Right now, the imbalance between the two tribes is as large a chasm as there has ever been in the history of Survivor.

Continued:       1       2       3       4       5       6