John Rocker's anonymity was pretty much shot to hell week two as the dudes gradually figured out who he was.
Last week, two guys knew. Now pretty much everyone does.
Sure, the exact content of what Rocker said to that Sports Illustrated reporter 15 years ago has understandably faded in many people's minds but impressions are impressions.
Will that hurt or help Rocker? Hard to say. How he behaves now is probably going to matter far more.
Anyway, he and his girlfriend Julie McGee (who is on the rival team) face off in the first challenge. Winner gets reward. Loser goes to exile island.
She ends up beating him on a tough balancing challenge. His height is his disadvantage given the way the challenge is set up since he has to duck beneath a pole and he can't keep a ball on a paddle. Julie's steady hands help and she never lets the ball fall once.
When Jeff Probst asks Rocker how it felt to be beaten by his girlfriend, he growls: "Remove the friend part. I just got beat by a girl!"
That's our Rocker!
Jeremy Collins, who joined Rocker on Exile Island from the rival team, tells the cameras he recalled Rocker had said racist things. "I'm not saying he's a racist," he says. "But it will follow you the rest of his life."
While on exile island, they both decide to support each other's ladies and also share the immunity idol clue.
Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
During the immunity challenge which features one-on-one matchups in a gladiator-type battle, Rocker is ferocious against a smaller Jon but Jon manages to shove Rocker off platform and gives him a bloody nose to boot. Surprise! Rocker's team ultimately lost 5-4 and has now lost all four challenges to date.
With his team about to lose another member, Rocker fishes for and finds the Immunity Idol.
"The athlete types always make it right before the merge, then they're gone," Rocker says, showing his knowledge of the show, having prepped the previous six months. "I'd love to save this for the fourth or fifth council. Play it, then make it through the merge. This buys me extra time."
The trick, of course, is to actually use the idol when you need to. Not everyone has. That's what blindsides are all about.
Rocker knows Val, Jeremy's wife, is in trouble on his tribe so he tells her they are trying to "split" the vote between her and Baylor and give her a shot at using her idol.
Problem: she doesn't have an idol. Or two, as some suspect. Several vote for her to suss out said idol.
Of course, it doesn't appear. Rocker looks upset when he realizes Val has no idol.
In the first round, the vote is split 4-4 between Val and Baylor. In the re-vote, Rocker flips, upset that she didn't have anything though he is not helping Julie's cause. Another person flips, too, so it ends up being a 5-1 vote against Val, who felt she was immediately at a disadvantage since she was placed on Exile Island last week.
This is merely an observation: Rocker's team has lost its only two minority members in the first two weeks.
TRAILER FOR NEXT WEEK
Rocker shows his temper and his past is fully exposed.
Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
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