Rob feels this was another high quality, “Level 1” episode of Survivor, even though they were disappointed with the result. Stephen says if you weren’t rooting for Malcolm on some level, “you have no soul.” Rob’s two favorite people to watch this season have been Malcolm Freberg and John Cochran, but they were pitted against each other.
Stephen and Rob break down what led up to Malcolm’s loss. Stephen thinks Malcolm set himself up to be at the bottom from the beginning by aligning-along with Corinne Kaplan– with the pairs of Phillip, Andrea, Dawn and Cochran. While Rob in hindsight now questions whether Malcolm should have played both idols last week, Stephen thinks that decision did have beneficial effects this week. It led to Erik start to question his allegiances.
Rob thinks the Favorites made a huge error in splitting the votes this week, and Malcolm and his Three Amigos alliance could have had a shot. Rob thinks Cochran was right by suggesting they vote unanimously.
Next they talk about Andrea Boehlke’s idol-blocking move by following Malcolm around. Stephen doesn’t know why Malcolm didn’t keep digging, or why Cochran didn’t get the rest of his alliance to search for the idol. Rob wonders why Malcolm didn’t recruit the bros to search for the idol and is curious to ask Malcolm about the idol search in his exit interview.
Then the Know-it-Alls discuss whether Erik and Sherri made the right call with their vote. Rob and Stephen are unclear where Sherri stands. Stephen thinks Erik Reichenbach is playing this season like Malcolm played last season, but Rob strongly disagrees. Rob thinks Erik is more like Carter from Survivor: Philippines. Stephen thinks maybe Malcolm and Corinne should have remained solid with Stealth-R-Us, but Rob thinks there are too many hypotheticals in that scenario.
Rob and Stephen predict that the bros (Reynold and Eddie) will follow closely behind Malcolm, but he looks forward to seeing the Three Amigos in the “PonderBROsa” videos.
Next they discuss the Survivor Auction and the poor moves made by many players. When Eddie doesn’t bid on the immunity challenge advantage, Stephen wonders if perhaps Eddie had spent money on something earlier that wasn’t shown on TV. Rob doesn’t know why players bid “$500” immediately for food items, but not the immunity advantage.
They also talk about Brenda going into “Dawn mode” in this episode. Stephen thinks it was a ploy to get airtime. Rob and Stephen were surprised to suddenly see Brenda and Erik get so much coverage in this episode.
Next they talk about Cochran purchasing the immunity advantage and then winning the immunity challenge. Rob has a hard time thinking of an instance where a person who purchased an advantage did not win the immunity. They also discuss Malcolm’s legacy and whether he will be back for a third time. Stephen loves Malcolm’s joy at playing the game. Both Stephen and Rob hope to see him back.
In the viewer question segment, the Know-it-Alls discuss whether Erik is throwing immunity challenges, why Probst allowed Sherri to purchase the rest of Reynold’s pizza, Andrea and Eddie’s vanishing showmance, and who is now in the driver’s seat.
Tune into the Rob’s exit interview with Malcolm and podcast with Malcolm’s former tribemate Jonathan Penner.
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Listen to Rob’s Exit Interview with Malcolm Freberg:
