Judging by the CBS promos for the second episode of Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, it seemed a distinct possibility that "Boston" Rob Mariano was in serious danger of leaving the game due to medical reasons. When he fainted in his camp and laid unconscious just 10 minutes into the show, the exit threat was raised to level red.
Wake up, Rob! Don't leave us with Randy and Jerri!
Yet one bottled water and a pep talk from Jeff Probst later, he was fully alert, mumbling something about winning the game and blaming his condition on "cry baby-itis." Red Sox caps for everyone! Make no mistake: Rob needs to go far. Not only is the guy a scheming mastermind (as he proved in Survivor: Marquesas and All-Stars), he's wicked awesome in challenges. Sure enough, during too-complicated-to-explain-on-a-Web-post immunity challenge, he led his Villains team to a second-straight victory. If Rob were an Olympian, he'd be Shaun White.
Which means Heroes tribe member Stephenie LaGrossa is Lindsey Jacobellis. Yes, she's a serious competitor — but it takes more than talent to get the gold. Now she's out of the game. (Thus concludes the end of my Olympics analogy. Thanks for playing). It's not a terrible surprise; after all, the tough-talking Steph has always had a problem reining in her emotions and being a team player. Plus, her allies Tom Westman and Colby Donaldson didn't exactly make a strong case for her to stay. That said…ousting her over Amanda Kimmel? Really?! Amanda may be cute, she may be unassuming, but wearing chic eyeglasses to Tribal Council doesn't make her a smart Survivor.
But if she ever aligns with Rob, she will be.
— By Mara Reinstein for UsMagazine.com
