Getting Rid of the “Snakes” – Episode 4, Chapter 4

The title for this episode was definitely on the mark because the Hunahpu tribe, specifically, was nothing but a big ‘ol “hot mess”. In this episode, we were able to see how the diversity among tribe members effected the tribe’s ability (or inability) to work together as a cohesive unit. Evidently, the Hunahpu tribe is still in the storming page because they have stopped playing nice and moved, instead, into the more aggressive realm of secondary tension. Then again, the Hunahpu isn’t the only tribe with problems…

At the beginning of the episode, I thought that the focus was going to be on the Coyopa tribe. As this tribe returned from their last tribal counsel, the spotlight was turned on Dale. He knew that if he didn’t start being more social then he was in danger of being eliminated next. I think Dale is right to be worried but, if he does get eliminated, it won’t be for being a bad tribe member. If anything, I think the Coyopa tribe would single out Dale because of how different he is from the rest of the tribe.

When thinking about Dale’s three layers of diversity, it should be noted that a couple of things that make him different are things that he cannot change. For example, the external layer of Dale’s diversity tells us that he is a dad. Of all the members in his tribe, I believe he is the only member left who has children. Next, part of Dale’s internal dimension of diversity is his age. Dale is much older than the rest of his tribe and, for this reason, he has often been referred to as the “old guy”, “dad”, etc. Thus, the only thing left for Dale to rely on is his personality. He admits that he has let the social game slide a bit and, that may not have been a very wise decision.

It follows, however, that it may be difficult for Dale to talk with his tribe members because there is also a generational dimension that stands in the way. Dale is 55 years old and a Baby Boomer whereas most of his fellow tribe members are Millenials. The textbook states that these two generations may have the hardest time working together because their views on work vary so drastically. That being said, it looks like Dale is going to survive another day on the show so we’ll see how this dynamic plays out as time goes on.

Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for one overly cocky member of the Hunahpu tribe. Drew went home this week and, I was not at all sad to see him go. From the beginning of the episode, at the Reward Challenge, Drew made it clear that he was going to do whatever he wanted to do. Despite the disapproval of his tribe, Drew exhibited his masculine upbringing by trying to barter with Jeff Probst to get some fishing gear. It didn’t work but, I don’t think that had any effect on his confidence. Drew still seemed to play the recognition-seeker role as he boasted that “these people would be nothing without me!” We’ll see about that…

Drew’s tribe seemed to get along just fine without him when he was sent off to Exile Island to accompany Jaclyn. In fact, Jon was even joking with his tribe that Jaclyn might have to do all of the work at exile because the only task Drew did well at camp was nap. This may have been true and, thus, I thought Drew was an interesting choice for a trip to Exile Island. I don’t understand why Jon sent a lazy womanizer like Drew out there with his Miss Michigan girlfriend. If Jon had thought about the layers of diversity and the fact that both Drew and Jaclyn were unmarried, attractive, heterosexual people of similar age and opposite gender, then maybe he would’ve picked someone else.

That being said, Drew definitely did acknowledge that he found Jaclyn attractive and, it’s possible that he was trying to earn her approval when he told her that he was going to throw the next Immunity Challenge. I can’t be sure if her good looks had anything to do with it or not but, Drew took on the role of a blocker and set out to accomplish his own personal agenda. For the rest of the episode, I watched him aggressively try to manipulate his fellow tribe members and, I’m glad his plan didn’t succeed. Good riddance, Drew. The Hunahpu got rid of a “snake” after all.