1)  4

2)  3

3)  5

4) I was able to use  my intuition and understanding of people along with the concepts I learned in the book and apply them to the show.  I provided a through analysis of each shows events and made a consistent effort to connect  Survivor situations with course concepts.

5)  I think that my blogs could have been better if I had been more organized in my process of analysis and application of course concepts with episode content.  My blogs were scrambled eggs and often failed to follow a smooth and orderly progression of concepts and content. If i had picked a specific course topic for each episode,  my blogs would have been much more eloquent and informative.  If I had given myself more time to do the blogs, instead of Sunday night, my blog content and participation would have benefited greatly.

6) I have never blogged before, and did not have a good time blogging about Survivor, but I think that it was definitely and effective means by which to engage visual information in a deep and meaningful way.

7) I did not like the deadlines.  I did not like having to watch a reality TV show( although I DID get sucked in) I liked blogging, just not about meaningless reality television.

8) I think that the blogging could be more expansive in so far as what students blog about.  It would have been nice if students could blog about something meaningful and important( as determined by each individual student)  If students were allowed to chose what they blog about, it would be a much more engaging experience.  I am in a lot of political science classes at the moment and I would have been able to easily apply course concepts to current international events.  Some people may be into entertainment/sports gossip, both of which lend themselves to blogging and can easily be applied to concepts from the book.  If students could blog about things they actually like, students would be more engaged and actually learn/remember how course concepts apply to real life.

Natalie is resentful of John for having voted off Jeremy. She thinks that he has become the alpha male or the group.  According to the chapter on Group Member Roles, Jon  appears to exhibit the traits of a Dominator: Prevents other from participating; asserts authority and tries to manipulate others; interrupts others and tries to monopolies discussions. Jon and Jaclyn could be seen as a Special Interest Pleaders: Speaks on behalf of an outside group or a personal interest; tries to influence group members to support non-group activities. Jon and Jaclyn seem to have a deeply intuitive knowledge of the game and are ultimately self interested players ( as is everyone else) They are effective at creating the illusion of alliances, while simultaneously carrying out their self interested plans. Jon, Jaclyn, Reed and Alec worked together as a cohesive group unit in order to win the first challenge. There ability to interpret member task roles and Verbal and Non-verbal behavior helped them to secure the victory. Natalie, Baylor, Missy and Wes were unable to work together. Their inability to function as a cohesive unit made them weak and ultimately lead to their defeat. Baylor is sad because her mom hasn’t won a reward yet, soon after Reed gives up his winning spot to Missy. Reeds motivation stems from his desire to eliminate Jon. The winning teams reward sent them off to a baseball game wherein Jon, Jaclyn and the rest of the crew were reenergized. This experience bonded the group members. Meanwhile, on the other side, Reed is formulating a strategic plan to get Jon voted off. Baylor and Natalie work as a team to find the hidden idol. Baylor and Natalie are bonded through their fear of Reed’s ability to motivate group decisions. The second challenge involved endurance and the fight against temptation. After each of the members slowly gives up, Reed ultimately defeats Natalie and wins personal immunity. At the tribal council, the topic of trust is examined within the context of the inherently distrustful Survivor environment. The original alliances were destructed when Jon and Keith decided to play their immunity idols. This turn of events helped save both Jon and Keith from elimination. Randomly, Wes was voted out.

After the first challenge, Jeremy and Nadiya decide to give up their winning spots on the yacht to Jacklyn and John. This act was initially viewed as selfless, but upon further analysis, it appears that Jeremy and Nadiya were utilizing their group decision making and problem solving skills. Giving up their spots was a sign of appreciation for John and Jaclyn , but it also was an attempt to solidify their alliances. Even though Jeremy and Nadiya weren’t facing a problem in the present moment, they utilized their problem solving skills to ensure future protection. It seems as though Both Jeremy and Nadiya were Rational decision makers because they quickly concluded that their present sacrifice would be rewarded with future protection. After Jeremy is sent off to exile island, he quickly realizes that the hidden  idol is not there. He becomes suspicious that John has the Idol and begins to question the strength of their alliance. In the group cohesion section of Listening in Groups, one of the four strategies of enhancing group cohesion is the ability to emphasize teamwork: Cohesive group members believe that their combined contributions are essential to group success. In this particular circumstance, Jeremy is under the impression that he and John are in cohesive group relationship. Group conflict is the result of the broken trust of these two group mates. When Jeremy returns, he is certain of John’s deceit. This conclusion alters the course of the show. Reed is becoming increasingly vulnerable to being voted off. He becomes suspicious of of keith and decides to look through his bag wherein he finds out that Keith has an  idol. Reed Tries to form an alliance with some of the girls by revealing what he had found in Keith’s bag. As the number of contestants dwindle, the game has become more intense. Members within both tribes are realizing that the alliances that they have formed are fleeting and that there can only be one winner. Jeremy gets blindsided and voted off. I am so extremely interested to find out how this amazing show turns out! SO GOOD. SO GOOD!!!

After the previous weeks recap wherein Drew was voted off, John scrambles to make amends with his fellow tribe mates. He is fearful that his past decision to team up with Drew will come back to haunt him at the next tribal council. John pleads his case to Jeremy who deflects his apology with a superficial and insincere acceptance. John feels as though his personal goals have been exposed and that his relationship with his fellow tribe mates will suffer the consequence of his selfishness. The eventual tribe-swap relinquished John of his fear of being targeted. Keith feels like a loner in his new tribe wherein he is the only member without a loved one; he views his position as vulnerable.

On the hunapu tribe, Jeremy plays to Alec’s ego in hopes of forming an alliance with both him and Natia. Dale doesn’t like the way his new tribe members, specifically Baylor and her mother, are consuming more than their fair share of rice. Dale places great value on the conservation of scarce resources while his new tribe mates do not.  Dale views these members as harmful to the group as a whole.  He sees them as self-interested and unconcerned with the groups collective interests.  Hunapu wins the sand bag toss easily while Coyopa struggled to effectively communicate with one another despite the fact that Coyopa is a tribe of loved ones.   This inability to effectively communicate may be the result of a lack of individualism within the Coyopa tribe.  As a group of couples, Coyopa has become weakened because of the security and comfort that comes with being with those with whom you are comfortable; this comfortability detracts from the competitive edge of individual motivation.   Kelly jaclyn John and dale initially plan an alliance against Missy and Baylor. Jaclyn John are unsure about who they will team up with; they are the couple in the middle and will ultimately decide who goes home. Ultimately Kelly is voted off. It seems as though Coyopa decided that they needed to eliminate Kelly because her and her father posed a big threat because of their “survivor smarts” and overall intelligence.

The episode begins with coyopas discussion about the previous weeks tribal council wherein Jon Rocker was voted off. As the tribe members speak, Dale, the oldest member of the Coyopa tribe, is quickly confronted with the realization of his in ability to trust others. He knows that if the Coyopa tribe finds themselves at tribal council, that he will be voted off. Drew clearly has a continuously evolving self-inflated ego and sees himself as Coyopas most essential asset. After a competitive match, John beats his girlfriend Jacklyn who is then sent off to exile island along with Drew. John immediately starts to question his choice in sending Drew to exile island because he knows that Drew isn’t a solid/contributing group member and his girlfriend may suffer the consequence of Drews laziness. Hunapus, Alec, is projecting the feelings of inferiority he has towards his brother onto Baylor. He masks this insecurity by treating Baylor as if she were his younger sister.

In the second challenge, the ring toss, Hunapu loses for the first time and will be sent to tribal council. This loss came as the result of Hunapus inability to work together as a cohesive group. Drew and his arrogance lead to a substantive conflict between he and his fellow group members. He was insistent in his need to control the ways in which the group performed the task of throwing the rings onto the post. The illusion of Drew’s inability to perform was in reality a formulated plan to purposefully lose the challenge. His stated intention was to rid his team of weak links in order to ultimately strengthen the Hunapu tribe. He is an idiot. Before Tribal council, Drew decides that Kelly is the most threatening tribe member and wants to voter her off. Jeremy feels that Keith, being the oldest and most untrustworthy Hunapu member, should be voted off. Drew will not even consider Jeremy’s position on the topic. Drew continues to prove himself to be the most self-interested group member, as he is unwilling to even consider others opinions. Drew is unable to balance the cohesion/balance that a successful group requires. As a whole, the Hunapu tribe was unable to establish group goals, so at the beginning of tribal council, it was very unclear who would be voted off. Drew’s arrogance lead to his elimination.

Episode three begins with a recap of the previous episode and then quickly leads into a Coyopa discussion about the events leading to Val being voted off. Josh, Coyopa’s voice of reason, is immediately distrusting of Jon and his private walk off with Val before tribal council. Jon has clearly proven himself to be singleminded and untrustworthy.
Meanwhile, the Hunapu tribe, after having the luxury of avoiding tribal council, struggles to motivate Drew to contribute in group activities. Drew fell asleep as the rest of the Hunapu tribe struggles to weave a roof for their shelter to protect them from the coming tropical rainstorm. In The Benne and Sheats Functional Group roles sub category of Self-centered Roles, Drew would be considered the Deserter: Withdraws from the group; appears” above it all” and bored or annoyed withe the discussion; remains aloof or stops contributing. Drew is not an active group member and will suffer the consequence when the Hunapu tribe finds themselves at Tribal council.
Wes wins the first challenge for Coyopa and proves further that he is a strong group member who contributes his fair share to his tribe.. Wes would likely fall within the Benne and Sheats group maintenance role of the encourager-supporter- praises and agrees with group members; provides recognition and person to person encouragement; listens empathically. Winning the first challenge of the episode, Wes became the Energizer of the Hunapu tribe, -motivates group members to do their best; yeps create enthuses, for the task and, if needed, a sense of urgency; serves as the groups cheerleader”
Jon becomes a target after his aggressive and negative attitude becomes all too uncontrollable. His girlfriend, of the coyopa tribe, fears that Jon will be voted off as she becomes aware of the negative feelings expressed toward Jon. Although Jon has leadership qualities, which are mainly derived from his physical prauous, he lacks the ability to work effectively with others. The negative implications of Jons childlike insecurity and aggression outweigh his athletic contributions. Jon is clearly a blocker-stands in the way of progress; presents negative, disagreeable, and uncompromising positions; uses delaying tactics to derail an idea or proposal.

The episode starts off with josh’s admittance and  justification to Baylor as to why he used her when he put her name down on his card at tribal council.  Josh has proven himself to be a trustworthy group member.  He is intelligent and is able to balance his individual needs with his tribes needs.  His honesty with Baylor provides the viewer with an in depth look into his strategic plans. In the end, Josh is selfish and self interested, but he is likable and intelligent and knows how to form strong bonds with his tribe-mates.

Meanwhile, Jon, Jaclyn’s boyfriend is feeling the need for his tribes approval as he seeks to regain respect after having lost his tribe flint. Jon is clearly insecure and a recognition seeker, ” Boasts about personal accomplishments; tries to impress others and neck,e the center of attention; pouts pr disrupts the discussion if not getting enough attention. ” This attention seeking attitude is presented when he is seen squatting the 50lb wood pale. Jon is scared and insecure about his mistake and is struggling to make it up to his tribe.

In the beginning of the episode,  John and his girlfriend, Julie,  compete for the for the prize of fishing gear.  John is an immature hot headed idiot who’s impatience eventually leads to his defeat.  He  is sent to exile island with Jeremy as a consequence of his loss in the challenge .  Jeremy is well aware of Johns controversial past, but is willing to make a compromise wherein the both agree to protect each others significant other.  Jeremy is self interested and this agreement is strictly related to his individual needs.

The drama of the show ensues…

In the end, Val finds herself in a very complicated(stupid) situation.  She is thought to have the ability to protect herself, but she really doesn’t.  Her elaborate lie eventually ends with her getting voted off.    Although Val is a strong member and holds high member confidence, she over estimates her preconceived  expectations as her individual need to keep her lie a secret from her group is revealed when she is voted off.  It seems that her individual needs got in the way of her collective group interaction/participation.

After the cast had been dropped off in the remote jungles of Nicaragua, each pair was isolated and put to the test of making a fire using the only the flint and stone that were provided.  While some pairs were successful and others were not,  this test allowed the audience the ability to examine the dynamics between the loved ones before they were inevitably separated into two groups: The Huahpu (Blue) and the Coyopa (orange).

After everyone became acquainted, the loved ones were split up and the first challenge ensued.  Jeremy (the firefighter) and his wife, Valerie (the police officer) were paired against each other and were forced to compete in complex battle of a horseshoe esque competition.  The winner of this challenge would receive a flint and the acceptance of their group as someone with leadership/ competitive qualities thereby expediting the storming stage process.  Jeremy’s win in the first challenge helped the Huahpu tribe feel an immediate sense of shared success.  Even though Jeremy won the first challenge independently, his fellow group members cheered him on because his success would ultimately benefit the entire group collectively.

As the show moved forward the true personalities of the individual players of both groups began to shine through; the two tribes began establishing roles and group norms.  Dale, of the Coyopa tribe, knew that his age would be seen as a weakness from the perspective of his younger tribe-mates. In order to compensate for this perceived weakness, he felt the need to prove himself as a worthy and valuable tribe member.  Faced with the challenge of starting a fire, the Coyopa tribe struggled as they attempted to rub sticks together in hopes of igniting a flame.  Dale, in solitude, patiently attempted to use his reading glasses as a way of using the suns energy to ignite the flame.  In the end, Dale was successful and the group was proud of the old man they had initially misjudged.  Ultimately, Dale, through his creative and unique ability to start the fire, was saved from elimination.  The intrinsic reward of the fire( shared by all group members)and the fact that his actions proved him to be a competent tribe member are the key reasons why Dale was not eliminated.

Nadiya, of the Coyopa  tribe, was voted off because her fellow tribe-mates perceived her as a threat.  This perception was backed by her widely known history of backstabbing on a former reality show, The Amazing Race.  As she fought to pin other group members against Dale, she was unsuccessful because her hidden agenda and backstabbing reputation outweighed Dales inherent weakness.

The Hunahpu tribe won the first tribal (game thingy?) which allowed for a continued sense of group progress.  Once again this group experienced the successful realization of group efforts rewarded.  Each members performance and individual goals were in productive alignment with the tribes goals.  They have seen the result of their efforts rewarded twice already.. Future episodes will prove whether or not they can maintain this winning momentum.

First post!