Tribune legacy bloggers Jeanne DePaul and Susie Engle give their thoughts about “Survivor” from Feb. 3.

Susie: Talk about wicked games. “Survivor” goes from favoring schoolyard picks in which the perceived old, weak and scrawny players are shunned like science geeks at the dodgeball court to first impression votes, where perceived old, weak and scrawny players are shunned like … well, you know where I’m going.

The already-formed tribes thought they were voting off the old lady, Sandy, and the weak girl whose name I have already forgotten. Of course, this being “Survivor,” they were just giving them a helicopter ride to camp. Good thing for the girl with the strep throat. I always wonder about the avowed fans who vote off the “old folks.” Have they never watched this show before? Young does not necessarily equal strong and it often does not equal smart and savvy. Getting rid of the smart players early in the game will only guarantee a lot of hungry days and cold nights when the incompetents realize they don’t know how to build a shelter, find and/or cook food or build a fire.

Jeanne: No, old doesn’t always mean weak and stupid. But in this case Sandy means not very bright, because she had time, it seemed, to find that hidden immunity idol and she didn’t. “What are paces?” Yikes! And it took her forever just to find the stupid stick on the beach, and then she couldn’t seem to track down the lone palm tree standing there in plain view. I mean, really.

I also wonder about her teammates, though, who didn’t explore enough to find the beach and see how all the sand was recently disturbed. Hmmmmm. Didn’t they think she might be up to something?

For all her posturing, Sandy isn’t too bright, but she’s strong and probably less annoying than Carolina, which is why she stayed.

As with most first episodes, only a few stand out. I already don’t much like Benjamin, or “Coach” as he apparently wants to be called. I’m already well tired of Tyson, the naked guy, but I sort of like Spencer the youngster.

Susie: Agreed on Sandy, who would probably drive me insane if I had to spend extended time in her presence. Still, they were voting on her based upon age alone, which is ironic. At 53, she’s only four years older than the former Army Guard guy and seven years older than the muscular blonde woman who is a principal in real life.

Speaking of real life, I’m a little vexed over the proliferation of wealthy folks popping up on this season. Brendan Synnott started Bare Naked Granola and sold it for a gazillion bucks. Taj is a Grammy-nominated recording artist who’s sold a gazillion albums and there’s a couple of others. I guess they love the game, but they sure don’t need the money and, as has been pounded into our heads over and over again for 17 seasons, it’s all about the money. I have to wonder how many of the millionaires are going to get to 20 days in and decide it’s time to bag on the deprivation.

And I’m with you on Coach and Naked Guy. Both get my vote for the Most Annoying prize. I had to laugh at Coach’s soliloquy on leadership and all. Carolina tried the leadership route, but got dogged and voted off for being whiny and bossy. For my money, Coach is way more bossy than Carolina. Of course, men get away with it more than women do.

Jeanne: That’s it exactly: When women try to lead, they’re pegged as bossy female dogs. And when men try to lead, they’re pegged as … well … leaders. Hmmmmm.

I don’t mind the rich people influx. For one thing, they have to love the game to live with the deprivation so that’s a nice change from the people who are recruited for the show, never having seen an episode. They also likely to bring some cunning to the game, since generally they got — and stayed — rich because they’re not dumb. It will be interesting to see if the rich folks step up the plate, or wilt like hothouse flowers at the first freeze.

You know, I’m not sure I’m ready for this edition of the show. I still haven’t gotten over Sugar getting aced out of either of the top prizes last fall, after she outplayed everyone. Bob wasn’t evil, but he didn’t play as well as Sugar.

Way back in the beginning of time, when Richard Hatch won, my friends and I yelled at the TV because he was so evil. But everyone on the jury said they voted for him because he had played the best game. And that made a certain amount of sense, because he really did. “Survivor” has turned from rewarding those who outplay everyone to a popularity contest about who’s the nicest and that’s a drag.

OK, that’s what we think. Now what do you think?

Trib bloggers Jeanne DePaul and Susie Engle indulge in a little cross talk about the “Survivor” episode of Dec. 11. Have something to say? Feel free to comment.

Jeanne: OK, one of the best dramatic “Survivor” moments in a long time was Sugar slowly taking off that long-held immunity necklace and handing it to Matty to play. That took me by surprise — I had no idea she was going to do that, and obviously it caught Kenny and Crystal by surprise as well. I love when the Hidden Immunity Idol gets played.

I laughed when I saw Matty trying to talk to Sugar and her mouthing to him, “Let me do the thinking” while pointing to her head. To his credit, Matty trusted her to do just that.

The only thing I think is going to cause problems is Sugar’s choice to oust Crystal instead of Kenny. Kenny is the power player there; Crystal was just along for the ride.

Susie: Well, in terms of strategic moves, ousting Crystal before Kenny is likely one of the more boneheaded things to do. On the other hand, I think it shows how this game messes with people’s heads and makes them react with emotion, rather than acting strategically. Think about the three pivotal events of last night’s episode:

1) Kenny goes off on Bob for not having a hidden immunity idol, knowing that would push Bob into feeling guilty. Bob, feeling guilty, offers immunity to Kenny, if he ends up winning it. That was pure emotion on Bob’s part. He managed to convince Kenny to let him change the offer later to giving him immunity ONLY if he thought Kenny was in jeopardy. Which only goes to prove how smart Bob is … he was able to win Kenny’s trust again, vote out one of Kenny’s alliance, but still honestly tell Kenny that he wasn’t in jeopardy. If he manages to make it to the final three, I think he’s a lock for the $1 million. His vote against Crystal and denial of immunity to Kenny further ingratiated him with the four vipers in the jury box.

2) Crystal, feeling unaccountably cocky and somehow untouchable, decides now’s the time to grind an ax with Matty. She was ticked off that he’d voted for her and obviously had been ticked off at him for a long time and instead of keeping her mouth shut, she decided to go off on him, thus angering Sugar and sealing her fate.

3) Sugar gets ticked at Crystal and goes gunning for her instead of Kenny. If she’d orchestrated Kenny’s downfall first, there’s no way Crystal could have been a threat later. Crystal’s not going to win any reward or immunity challenges and would NEVER receive enough votes to win the $1 million. She’s the perfect person to go in front of the jury. In fact, Sugar should have tried to get to final three with Crystal and Susie. The vipers hate Crystal with a passion and think Susie has flown under the radar and doesn’t deserve to be there.

OK, I’ve blabbered on too much. Your turn.

Jeanne: Yeah, Sugar was strictly playing on emotion there. She was disbelieving of Matty when he went to her and told her Crystal was a problem and she still planned to stick with them. But when Crystal went off on Matty, Sugar’s eyes were opened and she realized what snakes both Kenny and Crystal have been. It brought her to tears, but she should have stepped back and thought for just a minute about the advantages of voting off Kenny.

I’d have no problem with Bob, Sugar or Matty winning the whole thing. I’m not convinced that it won’t be Kenny. If he wins immunity a couple of times, he’s golden for final three.

Crystal was never going to win a single competition so she was no threat there. Speaking of which, do you see anything in her that indicates she was ever a world-class Olympic sprinter? I don’t.

And as an aside here, I’ve disliked Kenny from the beginning. I do think he’s a good player: He’s managed people and gotten very far in the game. But I don’t like his cocky attitude in his confessionals about how he’s running the game and everyone is his puppet. Without the attitude, he might be one of my favorites.

Susie: Kenny earned my grudging approval a couple of weeks ago when he started orchestrating blindsides. I also liked seeing the supposedly “powerful” gang being slowly picked apart, piece by piece. It’s supremely satisfying to underdog supporters like myself to watch an alliance that believes they’re completely in command of the game to be proven wrong. I liked it when it happened to Randy, Marcus, Charley and Corinne and I like it now that it’s happening to Kenny and Crystal. Unfortunately, Kenny’s believing his own press, which is apparently being written in his own head, and he may end up looking like a fool. I don’t think he’s going to win the final challenge, which usually involves endurance of some sort. My money’s on Sugar or Matty for that one.

I think the real revelation in this game has been Sugar. I dismissed her from the start, as she admittedly dismissed herself. Her ability to find the Hidden Immunity Idol, coupled with her ability to advance her game even while being sent to Exile Island for so many days is admirable. She still has an ax to grind with Kenny, dating back to his manipulation in getting her to turn on Ace, may prove pivotal. If she wins the final immunity challenge, that little maneuver may end up biting Kenny in the butt.

Obviously, the genius that is Corinne of Survivor fame has never bothered to read any of the writings of American patriot Benjamin Franklin.

From good ole BF, she would have learned it is better to be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. Instead, she did an interview with Reality News Online in which she managed to be even more nasty, self-involved and actively delusional than she was on the show.

She actively hates, as in dripping with disgust and poison, arch enemy Sugar, to the point that she says, “I meant if I saw her hit by a car and dying by the side of the road, I would not help scrape her body off the pavement.”

Wow … just … wow. She did confirm that she was recruited to the show, a practice I vehemently believe should end right away. I know why they started doing it, but the best players are the ones who have institutional knowledge of the game, not the clueless come-latelys like Corinne.

I don’t like that woman. But I’m better than her, because I can honestly say if I saw her hit by a car and dying by the side of the road, I’d help scrape her body off the pavement.

Tribune bloggers/editors Jeanne DePaul and Susie Engle indulge in a little post-”Survivor” cross-talk about the episode of Dec. 4. Want to join in? Post your comment below:

Susie: Oh man, was that the survivoriest Survivor ever?

Jeanne: It was pretty good. I still hate Kenny, though. I agree with Sugar’s assessment.

Susie: Well, Kenny is becoming ridiculously overconfident and believing his own press.

Jeanne: That’s why I hate him.

Susie: What’s funny is how he managed to bungle it and still come out in somewhat of a better position. And he thinks that means he’s some sort of strategizing godfather.

Jeanne: Well, he didn’t really bungle it. I’m impressed with how he set it up so he would win either way, by having Crystal vote for Corinne.

Susie: Still, I can’t be sorry that the evil troll Corinne is gone. I don’t like that woman.

Jeanne: No, it’s good to have her be gone. She was nasty to the bitter end.

Susie: That comment she made at the very start of the show, I think, revealed the true nature of her character. “I’m nice to the people I like.”

Jeanne: And she doesn’t like anyone.

Susie: Was she the inspiration for “Mean Girls?” I do like Bob. I’d be pretty tickled if he managed to win it all.

Jeanne: Did you catch Bob’s comment about “I’m like a raven” because he collects all those things to build the fake idols?

Susie: I can’t believe that fake idol he put together!! It was awesome. Watch … what do you want to bet that CBS puts it up for sale in their Survivor store? Heck, I’d wear it as jewelry.

Jeanne: But wait … where in hell could he find all those beads and other stuff? That stuff wasn’t just hanging around there. Don’t you think producers put that stuff out there for him to find because the fake idols people were producing had to be more realistic looking?

Susie: I’m sure they did. It’s kept the game pretty interesting too.

Jeanne: It has, but it’s also sort of cheesy. Like, “It’s Survivor Crafts Time!”

Susie: But the HII has been one of the ideas that didn’t quite work because no one ever plays it. By letting people make fake ones, they are assured of mucho drama. Besides, a smart guy like Bob needs something to fill all the downtime.

Jeanne: I agree. I know why they do it. But I just think it’s pretty lame to have a Survivor just stumble across a pile of beads and say, “Oh look! A pile of beads!”

Susie: I had to laugh at Crystal’s comment about the mental aspect of the game kicking her butt. As far as I can tell, she sucks at the physical aspect, is a wash at the mental aspect of it and is just plain bad with the social aspect of it.

Jeanne: She did pretty good leading them through the reward challenge bog, though.

Susie: If it wasn’t for Kenny and his evil semi-genius, she’d have been gone weeks ago.

Jeanne: She has her moments.

Susie: True.

Jeanne: Speaking of reward, I think Bob got ripped off there.

Susie: No kidding. What was so special about that? A little bit of private time, some pizza, brownies and beer. Big whoop!

Jeanne: Since when does someone win reward and then ever other contestant gets the same prize (except for a slice of pizza)?

Susie: I think they just wanted to milk the emotion. And that makes the video/family visits my least favorite part of Survivor. I hate it when people start blubbering because they haven’t seen their family members for what … 30 days or something? Geez, I go months without seeing my sister and I never blubber around when I finally do.

I appreciated Susie and Bob, especially, for keeping emotion in check. And I love Mrs. Bob. What a cool lady.

Jeanne: Yes, but in their defense, you are generally around friends daily while they are in a cutthroat game where everyone is gunning for them. It must make a friendly face who they can trust outright seem so wonderful, it just triggers that emotional release.

Susie: OK … I’ll give you that. I still hate it though.

Jeanne: And I was impressed with how happy Bob seemed to see Mrs. Bob. And she was lovely.

Susie: Mrs. Bob won my heart when she made the comment about him smelling so good … like a campfire. Now that’s love.

Jeanne: The only time I really like the family stuff though is when they let Survivors see their loved one but won’t let them visit with them and it happens to someone really mean. Like I would have loved it if Corinne would have gotten to see her loved one from a distance but would have had to say goodbye to him right away.

And speaking of that, did you catch how she said she loves that her brother gets how mean she is?

Susie: I just started to type the same thing. Maybe she tortured him when he was young and now he’s just happy she’s moved on to someone else.

Jeanne: They probably deserve each other.

Susie: Probably … now for the speculation … who do you think is most in danger next week?

Jeanne: Sugar is planning another flip. I love it.

Susie: I know, but she’d be a fool to stick with Bob permanently. Bob is an easy win if he makes it to final three.

Jeanne: She is the only one who recognizes Kenny for the threat he is. Why does Kenny think everyone loves him?

Susie: Because he really doesn’t have social skills. He mistakes expediency in the game for true affection. The only way Kenny or Sugar can win is if they go up against one another and Crystal. If Bob or even Susie ends up in the final three, especially if the other one isn’t there, they’d spoil Sugar and Kenny’s party for sure.

Jeanne: I dunno. Susie hasn’t played much of a game, and neither has Bob. Bob is well-liked, but juries often don’t have respect for those who haven’t plotted six or eight moves ahead. Sugar on the other hand has played pretty well, managing to stay in even though she stabbed Ace in the back long ago. I thought back then that Sugar was only riding Ace’s coattails. I have to give her credit for being that involved even though she spent so much time on Exile.

Susie: Yeah, but Randy, Charlie and Marcus are all going to vote together and Randy hates her like fire.

Jeanne: You just never know. Randy will never vote for her (and that was a major mistake on Sugar’s part … laughing like that), but the other jurors likely will make up their own minds.

Susie: Hmmm … well, time will tell, I suppose. The real question is whether Corinne is going to stick to her vow to play mean to the other Survivors “forever.”

Jeanne: I’m betting no. I’m betting she won’t want to be seen as “that girl” on the reunion show. She’ll put on a happy face and tell Jeff “it’s all good.” Randy, however, is a different story.

Susie: I think Corinne really means what she said. The problem is that being out in Survivor means you don’t really see how you’re coming across. I think she’s probably pretty shocked at how unpleasant she is appearing and is going to play nice just so everyone doesn’t spit in her eye, especially if she wants to parlay her post-Survivor fame into any kind of lucrative venture.

Jeanne: Exactly. She means it now, in the heat of the “They voted me off!” moment. But she’ll change her tune when she thinks she might get a hosting gig on VH-1 out of it.

Susie: And unfortunately, the fame game is pretty sexist. Men can be nasty, but women of reality world are really not rewarded for that kind of behavior.

Jeanne: No. But luckily no one will want Randy to do anything. Randy will be just as nasty on the reunion show as he ever was, except he’ll insist that one of the reunion show band members has the hots for him. Can’t you just see it?

Susie: OK … I’m hysterical now.

Jeanne: Good!

Is Corinne of Survivor: Gabon the most unlikeable Survivor ever? OK, maybe she has to share that distinction with alliance-mate Randy, but I actually think Corinne might be a tad worse. Not even Jerri Manthey of Survivor: Australia could match the reprehensible Corinne.

You know, I don’t think it’s just editing. After all, no one forced her to spew her poison confessionals, which if you watched Thursday’s recap episode, you know included fantasies of actually poisoning her tribemates. She has that whole flirty, I’m-too-hot-for-color-TV vibe going on, even before she pranced around in a bikini for her audition tape and declared that she was going by win by virtue of being flirtatious and manipulative.

Imagine, then, her shock at being not only upstaged in the hot category by pin-up girl Sugar, but outflirted and just plain outmaneuvered by people she clearly sees as her inferiors. I had wondered about her vehemence in respect to Sugar in the Nov. 20 episode. Now we know that it was sparked by Sugar’s attempt to tell Corinne that her negativity was costing her allies in the game. The fury on Corinne’s face at such an affront was a thing of evil beauty. The forums at Television Without Pity have been lit up over the trollish Corinne. One poster summed up Corinne’s character so succinctly, I just had to share:

Corinne is a thin, white, young and “attractive” woman. She’s probably had a pretty easy ride. She thinks she’s smart, successful, sophisticated and hot, and so far not much has happened to dispel that. In her mind, Ken is a geek, Crystal’s butch, Susie is old and ugly, Bob is just old, and Sugar is a bimbo. (Sugar is the only one of these people who I think Corinne might see as a threat –and that being in the “hot” and appealing to men department– which is why Corinne harps on her lack of education and unemployment). In Corinne’s world, she is better than these people. But that’s not the way it’s working out in the game, and it’s making her crazy.

It’s also not the way the world always works, post-high school. (And thank goodness). If she doesn’t adjust to it, life is not going to be pleasant for her. She is NOT going to cope well with getting older.

Hilarious. And so true. Still, fellow blogger Jeanne DePaul and I have been going back and forth on whether the nastiest of the Survivors will have a change of heart and kiss and make up for the reunion show. I think they’re probably urged to do that by the producers, but it’s much more fun if they let their true feelings show. I doubt I’d be so ready to forgive and forget if I’d been on the receiving end of some of the comments that Sugar, Bob, Susie, Crystal or even Kenny has been.

All in all this is shaping up to be one of the best seasons ever of Survivor. I wouldn’t have a problem with either Kenny, Crystal, Susie, Sugar or Bob winning. Even Matty would be OK. This is going to be one fun December.