Survivor: Gabon, Episode Six -- Elephant!

With much of the season's focus thus far on the struggling Fang tribe -- typically the 12 minutes of the show that airs after the Immunity Challenge exclusively features the losing tribe -- Ace has remained a major part of the footage that makes it to air. He competed with Marcus for attention when both were on the Kota Tribe, but now that he's on Fang, it seems to be the Ace show, for better or worse. He seems marginally more likeable now, if only because he's surrounded by a group of contestants depicted even more negatively than he is (with the possible exception of Matty).

Ace was a big part of this episode, and the most memorable part of it, for me, involved him. But it probably isn't the part you'd think it is. It was the scene where, were this a play, you'd say Ace had either "broken the fourth wall" or broken character. Ace is giving a confessional, talking strategy with a producer (who stands behind the camera, giving the impression Ace is talking directly to viewers), when behind him an elephant loudly plunges into the river. Startled, Ace turns around to see what the distraction is, then grins and talks over a producer (a rare instance of us hearing the voice of someone behind the camera).

"I'm in a very good position, coming from a tribe that I didn't have any alliance with, and now suddenly, you know I've got people there -- oh my God, this is amazing, I've just turned around and there's an elephant swimming in the water. Oh how beautiful. I guess that's one way to get from one side to the other."

This is a jarring moment as a TV viewer, because even though Survivor is shot in documentary style, and is "reality," it's so edited and packaged that the end product is, while not "fake," not exactly reality either. We get lulled into forgetting this is being filmed, that it's TV -- so when a, for lack of a better term, really real reality intrudes, it causes some momentarily weirdness. There's people behind the cameras? What? Ace's tone changed from slightly sinister to laughing and amazed? What happened to his game face?

Indeed, for a few seconds, Ace wasn't a reality TV contestant, but a human being.

This column wouldn't be complete without a mention of what I'm sure everyone who still cares about Survivor will be talking about tomorrow: The sheer naivete of Sugar. She makes Jenna and Colleen look like Richard Hatch. Okay, first she makes no effort to hide the *hidden* immunity idol (see that word there in asterisks, Sugar? Hidden? Hint hint!) even though contestants on Survivor have a history of snooping in one another's bags for such items. Hide it, Sugar! Goodness! Second, she hands it over to Ace without him even asking (OK, sure, he was seemingly asking for it by not asking, but still, come on!) Worst of all, out of nowhere she ups and tells Ken that she gave Ace the idol. Wha-wha-what? She did this as casually as you'd tell a friend what you had for dinner last night. I don't know if Ken was more surprised that she gave away her idol or if she TOLD him she gave it away. Ace seems like a decent strategist so far, but he's sure picked a dim-bulb companion. I wonder if in real life, she tells anyone who asks her Social Security number?

And oh yeah, I was going to talk about last week's episode, which aired while I was on vacation and which I only got around to watching tonight. Ummm. How bout that cool Immunity Challenge with the blindfolds, shields, giant balls and baskets? It was like life-sized Plinko. Fun!