The Funny 115 - version 2.0

Okay now this one is going to be more of a guilty pleasure.  Probably because, in my opinion, it is one of the single most ridiculous things I have ever seen on Survivor.  

Not surprisingly, it involves Shambo.

Shambo - Dreamz with a mullet

In episode 10 of Samoa, the epic showdown between Shambo and Laura is about to reach its conclusion.  Shambo doesn't like Laura.  Laura is kind of befuddled by Shambo.  It is one of those great epic one-sided feuds which seem to happen all too often on Survivor.  All we get every episode are lots of confessionals about how Laura is the devil, and Laura is the beast, and Laura killed the Baby Jesus, and then Laura will counter with some variant of "Yeah I think Shambo's mad at me for something,"  I love feuds like that.

Shambo and Laura, BFFs

So anyway, in episode 10, Shambo sees her chance to get rid of the evil, murdering, villainous monster El Guapo... er, I mean Laura.   Shambo has somehow backed into an alliance with the numbers to get rid of her mortal enemy, and all parties involved know that if Laura doesn't win immunity tonight, she is probably going home.

"If I do not win immunity tonight, I will probably be voted out."

"**** you Laura, **** you, you stupid ****."

"Tonight's challenge is very important.  If we do not win, the Galus will have a difficult road ahead of us."

"Laura, I hope you die and the undertaker defiles your ****ing corpse, you piece of ****.  **** you."

So anyway, yeah.  It's episode 10.  And in order to win immunity, the members of Aiga must throw rocks and try to hit a clay target.  If you don't hit a target you are out of the challenge.

The first nine members of the tribe all step up to the line and throw their rocks.  Shambo misses.  Russell misses.  Jaison hits.  And so on and so on and so on.

Finally we come to the last member of the tribe to throw, Laura.  

The fate of the Galus will all ride on whether Laura can hit this target or not.

And... well... if you want to see one of the most ridiculous players in Survivor history at the top of her game, here you go.  

It's time for the first installment of the Shambo Show.

Laura winds up with her rock.  She knows she is in trouble if she misses.

Shambo looks on in excitement.

Laura throws.

Laura misses.

Laura is sad.

Shambo, because she is Shambo, starts laughing.

Very loudly.

Laura is sad.

Shambo continues to laugh

Sad.

Shambo continues to laugh while high-fiving Russell

Shambo smiles and laughs at Laura in triumph.

Sad.

Seriously, if you ever want to see a textbook example of how -not- to play Survivor, go back and rewatch Samoa.  And watch how the editors took a complete lunatic and somehow turned her into a beloved fan favorite.  Shambo's edit might be the most generous edit in Survivor history.  She could be the original Jane.  (Mario's note:  Well except for this scene perhaps, where they completely threw her under the bus.)

By the way I love how I can use the phrases "how -not- to play Survivor" and "Samoa" in the same sentence and I am not talking about Russell.  Kind of ironic.

P.S.  I have already had several people tell me that there's no way this moment went down exactly like we saw on TV, and that since Laura and Shambo are never in the same frame at the same time you can tell it was completely edited.   And that since it was edited, it's not fair for me to say it is indicative of Shambo as a Survivor player.

All I can say to that in response is:  A) Yeah it's probably edited, but then again almost all Survivor moments are TV creations.  Other than a guy doing a faceplant in the mud nearly everything we ever see on Survivor is made up in some way by the editors.  B)  Whether it is edited or not, what we are watching is a TV show, not a documentary, so all I can do is comment on what the editors present to us.  That's all we have ever been able to comment on.  And C) Whether this moment is 100% completely true or not, Shambo was still an absolute train wreck as a player, or as Donald Trump might say, "a 'uge disaster."  So take this moment for editing or take it as you will.  I stand by the Dreamz in a mullet comparison.

P.P.S.  As a great follow up to this moment, a poster on Survivor Sucks named PrettyGoodYear1988 just pointed out to me, "I don't care if that moment or any other moment was edited.  It still was indicative of Shambo's one-sided feud with Laura, which apparently even continued at the reunion when Shambo was like, "We're just two strong, opinionated women and we clashed the minute we got out there," and Laura was like, "Yeah, I don't recall that.""

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