Omar breaks bad with a big lie to remove another obstacle in his path to victory.
Hai Giang
Those are some gracious words in defeat from Hai.
Yet not entirely accurate.
Hai Giang and Omar Zaheer on ‘Survivor 42’.Robert Voets/CBS
The game did not outplay Hai.
He possesses no advantages.
In fact, helosta vote at Tribal Council.
Jeff Probst on ‘Survivor 42’.Robert Voets/CBS
He appears unlikely to win a single challenge anytime soon.
But is there a bigger threat in the entire game thatOmar Zaheer?
And this week Omar added an entirely new wrinkle to his repertoire that of a villain.
Hai Giang on ‘Survivor 42’.Robert Voets/CBS
Make no mistake, everyone lies onSurvivor.
But some lies are bigger than others.
And completely making up something someone said about someone else is a whopper.
But that is exactly what sneaky Omar did.
He is my puppet."
And that one simple lie was all Omar needed to turn a rock solid ally against his partner.
And it was also delicious.
This full heel turn by Omar does not make him a bad guy.
It makes him agood player.
Evil brilliance, sure… but brilliance nonetheless.
At this point, is there any way Omar isnotwinning this game?
Or maybe season 42 is pulling a season 41 and completely ignoring the actual winner until the final episode.
Eat your heart out, Tom Laidlaw!
No purple edits in this cast.
Everyone has had a moment, even Lindsay, who waseverywherethis episode.
But still… Omar.
And I enjoyed watching him get his hands dirty this week.
Not as dirty as arectal palpitation mishap, mind you, but dirty nonetheless.
If all that happens in the process, great.
But he’s not there for that.
He’s there towin.
Let’s say Mike does not make the final 3.
It actually doesn’t even have to be Mike.
One pissed-off juror can have an outsized influence on the jury if persuasive enough.
And me thinks Hai is persuasive enough.
Not saying that will happen by any means.
Omar certainly better hope it doesn’t.
Okay, let’s look at a few other big moments from episode 10 ofSurvivor 42.
So how did it go?
That’s because they didn’t show it.
Like…anyof it.
I would think that might have been some pretty important material to cover, but apparently not.
I guess I get it.
I mean, Jonathan’s strategy last weekwaspretty bad.
Almost as bad as Lindsay’s idol hunting skills.
That’s a serious trade-up.
Maryanne went from having an idol that everybody knew about to now having one that nobody knows about.
She Sells Sanctuary
Just look at how happyJeff Probstis in that photo above.
It’s raining cats and dogs and yet… the dude is beaming!
What the f&% is wrong with that guy?
This is the way Probst always is when it rains at a challenge.
And I love that he loves it.
And why shouldn’t he be grinning?
Probst knows a downpour looks dramatic and incredible and shows what an ass-kickerSurvivoris.
Actually, I can.
The number is one.
And his name is Jeff Probst.
Or forget about the trailer.
Maybe the other diva hosts would rather spend some time in… the Survivor Sanctuary!
Seriously, for a second there I thought we were about to be introduced to anactualGhost Island!
(Is that Chris Noble I hear doing spooky rapping about Dwyane Wade?)
and started playing them back at the Applebee’s feast.
They should also immediately go and start inserting the ghostly noises into past episodes from former seasons on Paramount+.
Michael Skupin burning his flesh off back in season 2?
Juice that with a little ghost audio, won’t you?
Bob Dawg about to go “drop a deuce” in Casa de Charmin?
Fire up the ghost audio!
I will say… it was pretty legit.
I mean, that was some seriousPlanet of the Apes, Caesar-on-the-rampage-throw in action right there.
Mike already knew where his decision was heading: “I’m not anybody’s puppet.
I’m not playing anybody else’s game.
I’m playingmygame!”
(Actually, you’re playing Omar’s game, but close enough.)
But it’s almosttooperfect.
Because then you start thinking: Should I just work with Hai now because nobody trusts him?"
Hai’s big game fault seemed to be not blending in enough.
But Hai took his blindside like a champ, exclaiming, “Well played, gang.
Oh my God, that was amazing.
That’s how I wanted to go out.
And in this case, brilliant was spelled O-M-A-R.
Okay, a few programming notes.
We’ll also have an exclusive deleted scene for you because that’s how we roll.
And for moreSurvivorstuff, you could follow me on Twitter@DaltonRossand Instagram@thedaltonross.
Otherwise, have a great week and I’ll be back next time with another scoop of the crispy.
