This week Carolyn “Mama C” Rivera from Survivor 30 Worlds Apart gives us her thoughts on episode 3 and the season so far! But first, the recap.

DAY 4-6

Post tribal Adam is impressed and congratulates Figgy and Taylor. Really, did they even do anything? I think most of the credit goes to sneaky Michelle and Jay. Zeke is livid with Hannah and she explains how she didn’t plan to vote out Mari until they went to tribal. Zeke wants to be alone, but Hannah feels terrible and refuses to give him space. Step away from the Zeke, Hannah! Adam is just as frustrated and they are both annoyed that she is playing the victim. At the same time you think maybe the guys should just hear her out so they can get a good night’s sleep…

ZEKE HAS SPOKEN. [Image credit: CBS]

Takali Beach. While the majority alliance are taking in the sunrise, David, Ken and Cece ponder what to do as they are the bottom feeders of the tribe. Don’t give up guys! Paul attempts fishing; Ken already has that down pat, dude! He talks up his fishing skills and comes back empty handed. Ken is laughing on the inside and confesses Paul never follows through with what he says he can offer to the tribe.

Vanua Beach. Adam comes back to camp with treemail and everyone has to put their hand in a bag and draw orange rocks. The chosen ones are to attend Season 33s Survivor Summit! And funnily enough the mix of Taylor, Figgy, Will and Jay get to go on the school excursion, get ur bags packed kiddies! Aren’t they they kids you totally want running your school…

Survivor Summit. Dave, Chris, Paul and Cece head out for Gen X and the two groups meet on a secluded island. SURPRISE, it’s feast time! I’m interested to see who falls first in blabbing information. Faylor keep their relationship under-wraps when asked about any boyfriend/girlfriend hook-ups. Paul wants to get to know the youngens and he’s putting himself out there, ZZ Top and all. Dave tries to sweet talk Figgy and Taylor, but little do they know Faylor are throwing questions back at him and CeCe. Dave makes a pact with Taylor that he would side with him at a merge and vote off any Gen X that’s still around. Obviously a BIG CALL to make, Dave! Everyone is just all talk at the summit.

Pretty good excursion if you ask me. [Image credit: CBS]

Takali Beach. Gen X head back to camp and they let Ken know he’s all they talk about at Millennial beach. Ken Doll is the talk of the island! Ken proves to us that he is more than just a plastic doll with no penis – his words. He approaches Lawyer Lewis about maybe voting out Paul, but she doesn’t want to go against her alliance… yet!

Ken’s right. [Image credit: CBS]

Vanua Beach. Faylor, Will and Michelle are just chilling out like they are having a Sunday picnic. Taylor even says they don’t even have to worry about what’s going on back at camp. Cocky bastard. Adam can see what’s going on and calls out how bad Figgy’s game is right now. He gives Michaela other options on how to vote, trying to break up the QuadForce. She’s gonna sit and think about it, after all she still dislikes Figgy!

Adam works on Michaela. Love this guy! [Image credit: CBS]

IMMUNITY/REWARD CHALLENGE

Carry heavy bags over and under an obstacle course, including a balance beam. Throw sandbags to knock down puzzle pieces, once all knocked, reassemble the puzzle. First to finish wins Immunity and reward – comfort. Blankets, pillows, hammock, candles, lush!

Gen X fall behind pretty quickly and to make matters worse Cece takes on the balance beam, with a bag… she is SO. SLOW. It’s like watching someone in slow motion. The millennials have a great strategy using athletic people multiple times to carry the heavy bags across. We hear Purple Lucy say her first words this season, “calm down” and “ssh”. The millennials are on to their sandbag throwing and Jay is up to pitch. Ken is the thrower for Gen X and starts to catchup. Zeke and Michelle start assembling the puzzle for millennials and I think Michelle’s proven herself on this tribe that she’s a puzzle queen! Dave and Sunday start on the puzzle for Gen X. But they are way too strong and millennials win immunity and reward!

I needed to include a Bret pic this recap! Go Bret! [Image credit: CBS]

Jay stops Probst (excuse me, Jay!!) and wants to switch their comfort reward for fishing gear well serves you right for choosing those chickens. Probst says OKAY, but Gen X have to agree with it. And they give the millennials a HELL NO. Michaela makes a hilarious comment how their parents would’ve said yes.

Takali Beach. Chris makes it clear that three millennials crossed the balance beam the whole time Cece tip toed across. Sunday reiterates the fact Cece has not down well in challenges and it really is the best for the tribe right now; they need to remain strong. Right now, I don’t see how Cece is NOT going home. Dave wants to put feelers out there to get Paul out, because what do they have to lose.

Lawyer Lewis, your eyes look positively pink! Paul tells Lewis that the girls are good, until they’re not. But ya know, he’ll let her know. WHAT?! This comment could have been taken a couple different ways, but Lewis took it the way I would have too. To the girls she goes!

Capt’n PinkEye rockin’ the glasses | Paul effs up. [Image credit: CBS]

Lawyer Lewis approaches Sunday and Lucy and lets them know that Paul reacted strangely when she asked him if he was doing an all-boys group. They decide to make their own GenX-TriForce. To be honest I feel it’s too early to lose trust with Bret and Chris at this point. It’s just less messy to take out the weakest link in Cece, then take Paul out next if they feel the need. There’s only David and Ken left anyway. Alas, they choose their path.

TRIBAL COUNCIL

Probst notices Dave is calmer at this tribal and he actually gets something out of him this week. Cece tells Probst that she knows shes at the bottom and possibly going home tonight. Cece is proud of herself to get across the balance beam, but to Probst it looked like a train wreck. Then Probst takes a different turn no one saw coming. He asks Paul if he texts, and he doesn’t. Thank goodness Sunday does and he asks if she texts “You” or “U”. Probst is such a wannabe millennial; I bet he knows what “Sickie, sickie, nar nar” means! Ken then talks about how beautiful the English language is. I don’t even care if it sounds lame, Ken is amazing and can just keep talking… Cece gives Probst her odds staying in this game at 10%. Pretty accurate, but she’s wrong tonight. Maybe Paul needs to start texting, his three former alliance ladies turn on him and vote him out. If only he didn’t mince his words with Lewis earlier. Paul-6, Cece-3.

One ounce of doubt and sadly the rocker goes home 🙁 [Image credit: CBS]

“NEXT TIME ON… SURVIVOR”: Looks like Purple Lucy is the new dictator of Takali. Is she going home next? Michaela gets her puppies out and Probst almost gets swept away!

S33 Episode 3 Q&A w/ MAMA C

Welcome to Reality Ramblings, Mama C! Thanks for doing this before heading to the Rodney Bowl weekend!

LyndzO: Firstly, did you go into this season fresh or look up the contestant bios beforehand? Did anyone stand out for you that said, ‘hey, I think they’ll go far’?

MamaC: I never go ahead and read or look up anything on the contestants.  I like to see them as they are on the show and make my decisions based on what I see.

LO: How have you liked the season so far? The cyclone evacuation was also pretty exciting in episode one!

MC: I love the concept of the season and the show so far has been great.  The characters are beginning to emerge…

LO: Were you surprised with the first two boots of the season (Rachel and Mari), and do you think there was more they could have done to stay in the game?

MC: I was actually not surprised with the first two boots.  I am not sure they could have done more.  I think they were coming across as too strong personalities which could have been something that people chose to get rid of.

LO: In Worlds Apart you found a hidden idol on Day 1 and shared it with Tyler on Day 2. Players like Wentworth have kept idols hidden until they play them. What do you think about David sharing his idol with Ken last week? Is it good strategy?

MC: I think all decisions depend on the situation.  In some instances it is better to stay quiet and others may be better to share.  Each has its own risks and both are a gamble.

LO: Where do you think Hannah stands in the tribe after her last minute voting switch last tribal and do you think she’s burnt bridges with Zeke and Adam?

MC: Right now both Zeke and Adam are really upset because they didn’t know what was going on and their plan didn’t work.  Their feelings are hurt and they know they are now at the bottom.  At some point they will get over it and if she still wants to work with them I suspect they will work with her.

LO: This episode we saw the TriForce in Figgy, Taylor and Jay along with Michelle being very comfortable in their tribe position. Do you think they can make it deep in the game and is it in Michaela’s best interest to join Adam and Zeke to vote against them?

MC: She has a lot to think about.  She has the option of going to either side.  The issue is she does not like Figgy, so I think long term she will switch to the other side at some point.  I don’t think that the threesome or foursome will stay intact.  There will be a shake up, tribe swap and that powerful four will be broken up for a part of the game.  Then we will see how they can build relationships to stay in the game.  Time will tell.

[Surely the “Figgaela” alliance won’t last long…]

LO: There’s been a lot of talk among viewers that the Gen X tribe are becoming ‘dull’ and with the Millennials dominating air time how long do you think the show will persist with the current tribe splits?

MC: There will be a change up pretty soon.  We have already begun to see the differences in how the two generations look at life.  So it is time for a switch up to see how they get along with the others…

LO: Challenge time! Were you surprised that the Millennials had a better strategy going into the challenge than the Gen Xers? Was it painful for you as it was for me watching Cece on that balance beam?

MC: I thought it was very interesting that the Millennials, although thought of as the “ME” generation, are showing us that they ARE true team players in these challenges.  I am glad they were able to develop the strategy.  The Gen X team is still looking at each individual to do their part and not of the strengths of the entire team and building off of that.  CeCe definitely should have dropped the bag and let someone else take it, but she didn’t want to NOT do her part for the challenge, even though it probably lost the challenge for the entire tribe.  Bad move.

LO: At Tribal Council do you think the right person went home with Jessica, Sunday and Lucy voting against the boys? (Paul-6 Cece-3).

MC: I think that Paul went home specifically because he basically told the girls they were on their own.

LO: Post tribal, how do you see the Gen X tribe moving forward: 2-3-3 (Chris/Bret, Jess/Sunday/Lucy, Ken/Dave/Cece) OR 5-3 (everyone v Ken/Dave/Cece)?

MC: The Gen X tribe needs to regroup and begin to work together or they will continue to lose.  But I think there will be a mix up so really it won’t matter with the current teams because things will change very soon.

LO: This season, like your season (Worlds Apart), has a defined tribe make-up. Do the players really buy into this notion of the theme, as it comes up in the edit quite frequently, or is this CBS pushing their theme?

MC: I think that the theme absolutely plays out.  CBS Never pushes the theme.  When you are out there and you hear the theme you immediately grasp onto your tribe theme and it becomes part of who you are.  I still to this day talk about the theme, because it helps to create the game.  I love the themes that are created!  I have no idea what casting looks for, but they do a FABULOUS job casting the right people to play the game!!

LO: Who are your top 3 favorite contestants so far, and why?

MC: Well I like David, Ken and Will. David found the idol, but he needs to chill a little bit.  He is very paranoid, but he was able to get people to switch and get into the majority.  Good move.  Ken, I just like.  He has been chill so far, but I just like him.  Will is so young I want him to do well.

[Will one of Mama C’s FAVE 3 win this season?]

LO: Who do you think will go home next?

MC: I can’t predict… (LO: I’ll take a punt with Cece or Lucy)

LO: Describe Jessica Lewis’ pink eyes in one word:

MC: Painful – I feel bad for her because she has a bad infection.

LO: I know it’s early days, but who do you think will be in the final 3?

MC: I don’t have a final three yet… (LO: No fun, Mama C!)

LO: Any final words, Carolyn?  #YEAHBABY!

ALL IMAGES USED IN THIS ARTICLE ARE COPYRIGHT CBS. THIS IS A PERSONAL BLOG AND ALL VIEWS ARE MY OWN.