[Cadaverous Pallor]

Flippy, this is an honest question - how much reality TV have you watched? Most of the questions you pose can be answered with "that's the deal with these shows."

First - any time there's a group project on these shows, there's always someone who didn't contribute enough and they're kicked off. For Eric to bring it up immediately is expected, and for Simon to ask is expected.

Second - the shows are highly edited and designed around beats and story arcs. You really don't need a script to manipulate what we see into a storyline.

Third - people know they are on camera and act up. They want their plot points to be heard so they speak obviously and complain pointedly.

Fourth - the "confessional" shots are always done later, after the show was filmed, and are responses to prodding from someone off-camera.

All of this stuff is as old as the Survivor hills, and much of it dates older, from the Real World. Noticing it is like watching Seinfeld and complaining because the actors pause when the audience laughs.