“Survivor” What-Ifs?: Ghost Island

Rested and ready, it is time once again to explore alternate timelines.  How one small change might leave a big impact on something.  Me being me, we’re of course going to use this thought experiment to look purely at “Survivor”, because clearly that’s really important!

In all seriousness, it is my honor to have you back here for “Survivor What-Ifs?”, the blog where we make one little change on a given season and see how it makes things play out differently both on that season, and on subsequent seasons.  Our subject for today is “Survivor Ghost Island”, one of the more maligned seasons, both for a fairly predictable outcome, and for starting a lot of the trends people are saying are ruining modern “Survivor”.  I tend to be kinder to this season than most, but I’ll admit that’s partly because I really enjoyed the dominant alliance, and thought the dynamic between the two leaders was interesting enough to keep the season from being terrible.  I also admired the certain amount of restraint production showed with the “Ghost Island” twist.  Granted, the latter is more of a “Could have been worse” situation, but in this day and age, I’ll take what I can get.  Still, even as someone who defends this season more than others, I won’t deny it has some big problems, and while I would consider it “ok” it’s definitely far from being on the greats.  Perhaps, though, one little change may make that different…

Before we discuss said change, however, a couple of quick bits of business: Since it’s been a while since we’ve done one of these blogs, let me give a quick refresher on the format.  The blog will be divided into three sections.  “The Impact” will look at what the exact change is to the timeline, and how it affects the episode it occurs in.  “The Fallout” will look at how that change impacts the rest of the season.  “The Legacy” will look at how this change impacted the show down the road, both in terms of returnee seasons, and how the season would have been looked back on.  

Second, a reminder that there are SPOILERS ahead.  It’s difficult to talk about changing the timeline without talking about how things went down in our time.  Thus, be aware that if you haven’t seen “Survivor Ghost Island” or any subsequent seasons, you read at your own risk.  Duly warned, let us jump in.  

THE IMPACT

While there is some debate about where, exactly, Ghost Island goes “wrong”, as a season, I think most would agree that the death knell for anything interesting happened when Chris became the merge boot.  He was really the only major force speaking out against the pairing of Dom and Wendell, and once he was gone, their march to the end was all but assured.  All the more frustratingly, he HAD an idol to save himself.  One that was only good for one extra Tribal Council!  Almost no reason not to play it, since he knew he was likely getting votes, had no vote of his own, and SAW Dom play a legacy advantage!  Yet he didn’t.  And thus, the season suffers.  

So what if he does?  What if circumstances get Chris to play his idol?  By my own self-imposed rules, I can’t have him have a brain-wave about this, of course.  However, luck-based circumstances COULD make Chris play his idol.  Recall that, when he got said idol, it was only good for one Tribal Council.  However, Chris could play 50/50 guessing games, at the risk of losing his vote, to give it more Tribal Councils it could be played at.  Such a luck-based thing definitely falls under the purview of “Survivor What-Ifs?”, and could definitely change how Chris uses his idol.  

In our timeline, Chris got his first guess right, before getting the second one wrong.  This gave Chris a reason not to play his idol at the Tribal Council he goes home at.  But what if he got the first one wrong?  Now Chris’ idol is only good at this Tribal Council, and even if he did make a fairly large mistake in not playing his idol in our timeline, I do not think Chris is stupid enough to not play an idol at the only Tribal Council it’s good for.  As a cascade effect of this choice, Chris is now immune at the merge, along with Dom.  

So what happens then?  Thankfully, we had a split vote in our timeline, which would likely be no different in this timeline, so we can be assured that backup boot Libby goes, becoming the first member of the jury.  Thus, the merge will be further impacted in the next section.  

As an aside, this also means we likely don’t get Chris’ Ponderosa rap, at least not right away.  A fact that I personally rejoice in, but I know makes a lot of the fanbase cry.  

THE FALLOUT

If you were to force me to say honestly what I thought would happen with this timeline change, most likely what happens is that Chris goes one one episode later, and the season proceeds pretty much as we know it, just with Chris and Libby swapping boot order.  Chris just did not have the social capital to do much.  Heck, part of the reason he went at the merge in our timeline was because he was an easy consensus boot.  That said, just ending blog with “And everything else was the same, the end.” would be boring.  So, is there a cascade effect from here that could lead things to go differently?

In fact, I would say there are two.  The simple one is that Chris wins immunity.  Dude was good in challenges; there’s always the chance he could have pulled out a win.  Then, in the interest of ending the civil war amongst the original Naviti, Domenick might go just to end the argument.  

Slightly more complicated is how Chris might be able to leverage that last Tribal Council.  While Chris didn’t have MUCH social capital to work with, it’s not NONE.  Him getting votes might have been the wake-up call he needed to be more diplomatic.  With him then out of the danger zone of “Easy consensus boot goes” he found himself in at the merge, I could see Chris making basically the argument I just made to the rest of Naviti.  “We need to be united, but Domenick’s witch hunt against me only divides us.”  With a bit more time to think, it’s possible Naviti might choose to rally around Chris rather than Domenick.  If so, then Domenick goes at the second post-merge Tribal Council, and we’ve got ourselves a timeline worth talking about!

Regardless of whichever way it happens, a bit part of Chris’ being saved is due to him playing up the “Naviti Strong” trends we saw in our timeline.  Therefore, it would only make sense in the altered timeline if Ghost Island ended up being a pretty straight Pagonging.  Michael, Jenna, Lauren, and Donathan all go out one after another, barring any shenanigans with the split Tribal Council at the final 10, and it’d be tough for them to get the numbers mathematically at that point anyway.  Thus, the Naviti alliance is somehow even MORE dominant in this timeline than in our own.  

While “Naviti Strong” does keep Chris in the game longer, it does create a problem for Chris.  We’ll call it “The Problem of Wendell”.  The issue is that, while Wendell is not as disliked by Chris as Domenick was (Wendell’s opinions on Chris’ rap skills notwithstanding), Wendell’s not exactly happy that Chris knocked out his number one ally.  Wendell, however, probably has the smarts to go the Natalie Anderson (“Survivor San Juan del Sur”) route, and simply fold himself back into the majority, and wait for the time to strike.  Further, Wendell is a threat to Chris just simply running away with immunity all the way to the end, and at some point, Chris would be vulnerable.  Given his relative lack of social capital amongst the Naviti, I’d say it’s fair to assume that Chris goes out at some point.  He makes it farther, and is more of a strategic force, but saving himself with an idol does not win him the season.  

With no competition, then, does Wendell still win the game, just not in quite the same way?  Again, no.  Wendell was great in challenges, but even in our timeline, he wasn’t unbeatable.  He’s more well-liked then Chris, but with no more Malolo to vote out, and no larger physical threats left (save Sebastian, and let’s be honest, Sebastian did not have the puzzle skills to be considered enough of a “challenge threat” to shield Wendell), Wendell becomes a target.  So, who does become the driving force post-merge, then?  Why, the alliance of Kellyn, Desiree, and Chelsea, of course!  Yes, an alliance that existed within our own timeline, only stopped due to Domenick and Wendell outmaneuvering them while they were still stuck on “Naviti Strong”.  Without that pair, and with “Naviti Strong” being even more of the driving force of the post-merge, there’s no reason those three don’t waltz into the final three basically uncontested.  

Of them, I’d be willing to bet that Chelsea wins.  Despite being purpled on our television screens, all post-season interviews indicate that Chelsea was both well-liked by the cast, and a strategic driving force behind the scenes.  Kellyn might have been the face of Naviti, but that doesn’t mean she was as well-liked, and we’ve seen how the “mother” character often doesn’t get the credit they deserve at the end.  

A Chelsea win means there’s a retroactive change to the season, specifically in how it’s edited.  The product we see is COMPLETELY different from the one we get, because production doesn’t try to hide Chelsea’s game.  Far from it, they’d actually try and promote her as this black-widow-esque mastermind in the same vein as Parvati.  It probably wouldn’t work that well.  No disrespect to Chelsea, but unless she had some quality stuff they left on the cutting-room floor (along with her strategic talk), she doesn’t pop off the screen.  Probably remembered as a solid winner strategically, but not one of the most entertaining one’s we’ve ever seen.  Sort of the female equivalent of Tommy in our own timeline.  

THE LEGACY

This season leaves us little to talk about in the way of returnees, mostly because there was only one returnee season that aired after this one, and that was Winners at War.  This may come as a shock, but I don’t think Chelsea was getting the invite.  Again nothing against her, but I don’t see her being an entertaining-enough winner to get the call back.  MAYBE, if she had some really good moments we just didn’t see in our timeline, she could take Michele’s spot, but “Survivor Kaoh Rong” is still probably seen as the better season in our timeline, so all else being equal, I’d give Michele the edge here.  

Of course, this leaves Wendell’s spot on that season open for another guy to come in.  I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that Mike Holloway of “Survivor Worlds Apart” ends up filling in that spot.  We know he was considered in our timeline, and likely only dropped because all the slots for men filled up with people production preferred.  With no Wendell in the mix, that’s probably just the opening Mike needs to get in.  That probably changes the course of how that season goes drastically, at least after the swap, but that would also merit a blog all its own, so I’m not going to go into detail here.  

In terms of discourse AROUND the season, however, there’s a couple of big changes.  First and foremost, the discussion around bias against older women becomes even more of a “thing” that it was in our timeline.  People were salty enough at Chrissy’s loss on “Survivor Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers”, but now we’ve got two older women, who were good strategic leaders, losing back to back.  Admittedly to different archetypes (I don’t think anyone would say that Ben and Chelsea are at all similar), but still, the conversation around that bias becomes more heated, and there’s a lot more of a drive to give the “older” women a chance.  Probably increases the chances of the likes of Janet on later seasons, since players are not immune to public feedback, particularly those players who follow the online community closely.  

The other effects of the season changing are slightly less notable, but worth at least a mention.  Tie votes at Final Tribal Council, while still a specter over the audience, are not a thing we experience to this day with the change.  Chelsea winning, of course, also slightly decreases the diversity of the winner pool, since we’ve eliminated a black winner in Wendell to put her in instead.  Given that the petition for more diversity in casting didn’t come about until post-COVID, I don’t think this does anything radical like move the timeline for when that happens up, but it is more fuel to the fire.  And finally, this change probably elevates some characters (particular Chelsea and Desiree) to more prominence than they had in our timeline, while Domenick loses some favor conversely, and except for some proposed “Second Chance” ballots, you probably don’t hear about him much in the community.  On the plus side, Wendell stays big enough of a character that his and Brice’s podcasts and parties still happen.  

The big question, as always, is “Does this change make the season better or worse?”  Honestly, in this case, the change probably doesn’t impact how the season is seen overall that much, but if it does, the season comes out looking slightly worse.  The problem is that the real thing that killed this season was the “Naviti Strong” sentiment that no one could overcome, leading to a predictable outcome.  Since that sentiment is only stronger in this timeline, that doesn’t change.  Admittedly this season is less frustrating, since there’s less of a chance for anyone to talk about overthrowing Naviti.  On the other hand, it’s also more boring, since there’s not even a HINT of going against the Pagonging in this timeline.  In addition, as mentioned, we lose out on the tie vote, one of the few things that helps this season stand out from the others.  Given the “girl power” theme of the final three, there’s probably a hard core of fans who love the season for the strategy, but they’re very much a minority.  

Maybe not the most exciting change to talk about first, but I do find it intriguing how different paths can lead to the same feeling.  Then again, perhaps I’m full of it, and got this completely wrong.  Let me know in the comments what you think would happen in a timeline such as this!  In addition, I’m always looking for more timeline changes to blog about, so feel free to submit those there as well.  Rest assured, you will be credited if your request is chosen!  Some general guidelines for submissions to be considered are as follows: 

1. One Change Only: This can’t be a whole bunch of things or multiple things going another way to alter the course of a season.  This must be one singular event that alters the season in some way.  Cascade effects, where one change naturally leads to another, are ok, but they have to be natural and logical.  As an example, Shii-Ann not flipping and Chuay Gahn losing the final 10 immunity challenge on “Survivor Thailand” would definitely change things, but those are two independent changes that need to happen, and therefore not appropriate for this blog.  I should also mention that the change has to be an EVENT, not a play style.  Yes, “Survivor Heroes vs. Villains” probably goes much differently if Russell Hantz (“Survivor Samoa”) isn’t an asshole to everyone, but apart from that never happening, it’s a change in overall play style, not a single moment.  It’s also, as I say, implausible, which leads to my next ground rule…

2. The Change Must Be Realistic: An unlikely change is ok, but it has to be something that COULD have happened, or it’s not worth writing about.  Yes, Fang winning the first immunity challenge on “Survivor Gabon” would drastically change the season.  Would it ever happen?  No.  So there’s no point in writing about it.  

3. The Change Must Have An Impact: By this, I mean the change has to actually alter the season in some significant way.  Simply changing up the boot order is not enough.  Someone new has to win, the perception of the season has to change, or both.  As an example, I originally planned to do a blog on “Survivor Heroes vs. Villains”, with a timeline where Candice didn’t flip at the final 9.  I thought this could lead to a Heroes victory.  Then I remembered that Russell Hantz plays his idol in that same episode, meaning the flip most likely doesn’t matter, and apart from a slight boot order change, the season as a whole remains untouched.  Uninteresting, and therefore not worth talking about.  

In addition to these hard-and-fast guidelines, there are also what I call “Flexible Guidelines”.  As the name would imply, these can be bent with a compelling arguments, but they are things that should be borne in mind when suggesting new situations to examine:

4. US Seasons Only: This is nothing against international seasons of “Survivor”.  From what I’ve heard through the grapevine, they can be quite good.  The trouble is, as a citizen on the US, the US version of “Survivor” is the one I’m most familiar with, know the most about, and have seen the most of.  I haven’t even seen a full international season of “Survivor”, just the occasional clip.  Nothing knocking them, of course.  I just haven’t gotten around to viewing them.  So, while I won’t outright ban the suggesting of changes from non-US seasons of “Survivor”, bear in mind that I’m unlikely to pick them due to a lack of knowledge and lack of time to catch up on the seasons.  

5. I Will Not Do Brandon Flipping At The Africa Final 9: A flip by Brandon Quinton at the Final 9 of “Survivor Africa”, voting out Lex instead of Kelly, would indeed fit all the criteria mentioned above.  I’m refusing this particular scenario, not because it isn’t interesting or worth talking about, but because it was already covered by Mario Lanza in his book “When it Was Worth Playing For”.  He covered it so well and so thoroughly that I don’t think I would have anything to add.  I’m willing to consider this scenario if someone can give me a compelling reason that Mario is wrong, or there’s some aspect he didn’t consider, but until that time, this scenario is out.  Other “Survivor Africa” scenarios are ok, though.

6. Try Not To Repeat Seasons: This is by far the most flexible of the flexible guidelines, particularly as many seasons have multiple inflection points with a fascinating change to dissect.  However, to prevent a lot of repetition, I try and prioritize scenarios from a season I haven’t done a “What-If?” on yet, over ones that I’ve already covered one scenario on.  You can feel free to submit scenarios for seasons I’ve already looked at, but bear in mind that I’m unlikely to cover them until I’m out of ideas for “What-Ifs?” on seasons I haven’t done yet.  For reference, at the time of this writing, I have done scenarios from the following seasons: Africa, Marquesas, Pearl Islands, All-Stars, Palau, Guatemala, Exile Island, Micronesia, Gabon, Samoa, Heroes vs. Villains, Redemption Island, One World, Philippines, Blood vs. Water, Game Changers, Ghost Island, Island of the Idols.

It’s good to be back writing for y’all!  Look forward to more to come!

-Matt

Idol Speculation: “Survivor Winners at War” Episode 11: That is NOT an Advantage

(This spot reserved for a respondent who correctly guesses the name and season of the player who provided the title quote for the blog).

Subtly, our show starts off showing a shadowy silhouette, sitting silently by the stove. Yes, I know it’s a fire, but “fire” doesn’t start with an “s”. This is Jeremy, eagerly awaiting news of who was voted off. While waiting, he informs us that he was of the philosophy of “don’t leave with an advantage in your pocket”, as well as him getting a bad vibe at the last Tribal Council, hence why he left. I can’t fault either part of that logic, though it still doesn’t change the fact that Jeremy’s name is now “mud” with his alliance. Sure enough, Jeremy can only find out about Tyson’s exit by counting who comes back, as no one is giving him anything. Compounding the issue, Jeremy takes up the mantle of “Adam”, and gets into an argument with Ben over pretty much nothing. Ben keeps mum, and Jeremy gets frustrated. Privately, though, Ben does confirm that Jeremy was the target, meaning he was right to leave. Ben also tells us that his five is solid, and seems like it can ride to the end. If you think this means the winning fivesome is getting through this episode unscathed, then I have some beachfront property in Kansas to sell you…

BOOONG!

Oh, that loud reverberation you just heard through the internet? That we be Probst hitting my “anti-break-in” defense shield. I had it installed after the last former player crashed through my wall. I knew reusing that joke from “Survivor One World” would get Probst running her to blabber on about Kansas, and wanted to test my defenses. Moving on.

Jeremy is not the only one butthurt about this vote, though he is the only one to link it back to “meat shields”. Look, I get that it’s good strategy, but man does it get annoying when he comes back to it over and over again. Kim and Michele are also quite upset. Kim is understandable, of course. She wasted an idol, lost the vote, and is now down in numbers. Not the position anyone wants to be in. But Michele is a bit out of left-field, since an analysis of the votes after the fact tells us Michele actually voted for Tyson, meaning she was on the right side of the votes. Now, this could lead some to argue that the way the votes were split last episode made since, since the minority could not have more than two votes to use (Denise’s vote being stolen, and Michele voting with the majority leaves only Tyson’s and Kim’s votes to worry about). After all, if they had Michele on their side all along, they could only throw two split votes and still be safe. I say if so, they did an exceedingly poor job of showing this, and it doesn’t seem like that was the case. Michele, you see, is very upset at being “left out of the vote”, something that seems odd for someone who voted with the majority. My conclusion, therefore, is that Michele saw which way the wind was blowing, and guessed correctly so as to not be on the wrong side of the vote in terms of numbers. Smart move for Michele, but again, it begs the question of why not split the vote 3-3. Anyway, Michele and Kim stew, but can’t really do too much at this point.

Besides, they don’t have to! Tony is going to do everything for everybody now! Yes, for all that I’ve praised the man for controlling his more manic tendencies, and having improved game performance as a result, one can only hold in that much manic energy for so long, and 27 days is Tony’s breaking point. With an idol played at the last Tribal Council, he figures that one must be hidden again, and so goes looking for it. I’m all prepared to break out my argument from “Survivor Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers”, and ask why no one thought to set a guard or a tail, but then Nick comes in to save the day. Yeah, I never thought I’d type those words either. Nick has also got up early for idol hunting, and tries to spoil Tony’s plans. Tony, however, sends him off to hunt by the water well, and gets back to work himself. Jumping ahead a bit, Tony finds the idol, so inarguably his strategy worked. However, Tony sending off Nick isn’t going to get praise that easily. You see, this plan so easily could have gone off the rails. We have no indication that Tony had already searched the water well area, and there is a precedent for idols being held there. Tony might very well have sent Nick off straight to the idol, and screwed himself with that move. He didn’t, obviously, but the potential was there. This is like his move on “Survivor Cagayan”, where he gave Jeremiah a useless idol clue to put a target on his back, only to need to rush back and take back the clue since it could be easily called out as not belonging in the camp. It’s hard to argue with the results, but it so EASILY could have gone awry. This is why I’ve never fully gotten behind the “Tony is a genius” movement. He’s a good player overall, to be sure, and definitely brings the entertainment, but so many of his plans succeed through luck rather than foolproof strategizing that I just can’t give him too much credit for them.

We enter back into the game on a very human moment. As an internet critic, I am therefore obligated to snark at it. What’s that, Sarah? Being smart, fun, AND pretty isn’t enough for you? You need people to know that you’re creative? Having three envious, talented traits isn’t enough for you? Oh, you poor thing! Boo-stinking-hoo!

For all my snark, this is the second-best scene in the entire episode, and then only comes in second to a scene so hilarious it demands your attention. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Sarah has managed to cobble together a clothing line out of the materials they have, and so puts on a fashion show. Michele and Kim work as the models, while Sophie acts as MC, complete with a coconut microphone. It’s not laugh-out-loud funny, but still humorous, and makes up for it in a heartwarming human moment with our players.

Too bad Tony has to ruin it! Continuing on with the “Sarah and Tony rift” storyline that’s been building over the past couple of episodes, Tony snarks at Sarah’s fashion show. She brushes him off, and we instead see how Tony gets his kicks. The answer, apparently, is lying to people’s faces. Tony still wants Jeremy gone, but of course doesn’t want Jeremy to know that and try and pull something. Thus, someone needs to pretend to be a flip vote, and Tony, channeling his newly rediscovered manic energy, agrees to be that person, spinning a lie to Jeremy, Michele, Kim, and Denise about wanting to vote with them, but not being able to until now. Tony admits that he’s not an undercover cop, and so isn’t used to this, but his lie seems enough to convince Jeremy and Michele, since they talk privately about how good this is for them. Less convinced and Kim and Denise, since they’re the smarter of the foursome, and admit to wanting Tony out Good for them.

Over on the Edge of Extinction, we at first seem to be setting up for someone to leave, only for it to just be Tyson giving a very roundabout pep talk to Wendell. Then there’s some shade thrown at Adam, because it’s Tyson, and he can’t get through a sentence without ragging on somebody. Instead, we go to the old “Edge of Extinction” standby of “Sell an Advantage!” Natalie finds a bottle in the sand, with Parvati close behind. The pair find a clue to an advantage. It’s cryptic, but seems to indicate crawling and giving up. Naturally, the pair search as far away from the “give up” sail as it’s possible to go before realizing “It’s under the shelter.” I give them crap, but in all honestly that clue was pretty cryptic. Plus, they now face the challenge of getting everyone out of the shelter when no one has any incentive to do so. Parvati suggesting watching the sunset somehow works, and so Natalie gets the “advantage”. I use quotation marks, because this is really the “Survivor” equivalent of “GIVE US YER CASH!” They give the advantage to a player in the game. That player must pay an amount of fire tokens set by the finders of said advantage, or else not play in the immunity challenge, and not vote at Tribal Council. Steep stakes, especially when one has very little time to pay. Natalie and Parvati now have two considerations: How many fire tokens can they get, and who would be manic enough to try and scrounge up more?

Sure enough, after another heartwarming and humanizing moment where Nick talks about his negative reception during his season (being called “Vampire Donathan”, after Donathan Hurley of “Survivor Ghost Island”, who while a good player I like, I’m AMAZED got brought up on a legends season like this), we jarringly cut to the craziness that is Tony. This, without a doubt, is the funniest and best scene in this episode. Watching Tony’s excitement build and build in that little-kid way that only little kids and Tony can pull off is a delight. Then to see it all come crashing down, and the complete 180 of his mood? The cherry on top of the whole thing.

Natalie and Parvati want six fire tokens, and while they made a good choice of who to extort, the fact remains that Tony only has three tokens, and thus needs to get more. Worse, he needs to do it before the immunity challenge. Then Denise comes in with something called “Tree Mail”. I would tell you what that is, but honestly, I can’t remember the last time we had something called “Tree Mail” on this show. That’s how long it’s been: Even I, the “Survivor” fanatic, can’t rattle off this piece of trivia.

Needless to say, Tony has his work cut out for him. Tony first tries to beg off the people he’s convinced he’s with when he’s not, Michele and Jeremy. Michele, having none to give, spins Tony a lie about an “Extinction Advantage” as to why her tokens are gone. Frankly, it’s cockamamie, and I’m amazed Tony buys it. Live by the flimsy lie, die by the flimsy lie, I suppose. Jeremy is a little more generous, but still only gives one of his two tokens, showing that Jeremy hasn’t bought Tony’s lies quite as much as we think. Tony is able to bum two more off of Nick and Ben, promising to pay them back. Now, this was relatively easy for Tony. As such, you might even think it pointless. We don’t even see Natalie and Parvati buy anything with the tokens. But I say, no. This was a great use of advantages and fire tokens. The best twist play with the social and strategic game, and this definitely did that. Not only is there strategy and social game in play in who gets targeted with the “advantage” (strategy in how many fire tokens to get, social in the potential use of “you screwed me, so I will set an impossibly high cost so that you can’t play in the challenge or vote”), as well as in how you get out of it. Tony had to rely on both his friendships and his lies in order to dig himself out of a hole. A hole he didn’t dig, for once, but a hole nonetheless. Still, for at least having the potential to enhance social and strategic gameplay, this “Extortion Advantage” gets the “Idol Speculation” Seal of Approval. It is anything but pointless.

What IS pointless is our immunity challenge. Oh, not the outcome. Tony wins, and since Denise and Kim were targeting him, this will have some impact. Plus, now Tony can pay back two of his debts, since he won two fire tokens at the challenge as well. This creates a dilemma as to who he does and doesn’t pay back. After all, one person will be pissed no matter what, since they know Tony has fire tokens. We won’t see this dilemma play out or get resolved, but rest assured, it’s there. No, Tony winning makes the episode so far almost entirely pointless. You see, this episode had REALLY been playing up the “Tony goes back to his old ways and crashes for it.” narrative. It’s a good narrative. Solid, foreshadowed, and spectacular. Admittedly predictable, but when your flameout is this great, who needs misdirection. The flaw in building up this narrative is that no other outcome then feels satisfying, and that’s what we have here. Sure, we got a couple of scenes with people other than Tony, and I’ve tried to highlight them, but the fact is, the first half of this episode was “The Tony Show”, and so Tony not even being able to be targeted means that there was almost no point to what we’d seen so far. Of course, the show still has approximately half an hour to build up a new target, but then this brings us back to the problem of last episode. If you cram everything into the last half hour of the show, it feels rushed and wanting. Show, if I may offer some constructive criticism, EITHER GIVE US LONGER EPISODES, OR DON’T WASTE TIME ON STUFF THAT, WHILE ENTERTAINING, DOES NOT IMPACT THE PLOT! HALF AN HOUR IS NOT ENOUGH TO BUILD UP STRATEGY AND TARGETS IN A GAME AS COMPLEX AS THIS!

Ok, ok, rant over. Jeremy is the obvious target, since we know that he was meant to be targeted last episode. It’s revealed here that Michele is really the only one tight with him, as both Kim and Denise are more than willing to jump ship and vote out Jeremy. As such, the controlling five agree to throw two votes on Michele, just in case, while the remainder vote for Jeremy.

Jeremy’s counter-plan is not exactly the stuff of legend. With no wedge to drive, he decides to throw votes on Ben, because he annoys him. The tried and true reasoning for wanting to get rid of someone. That said, it’s not likely to win hearts and minds. What does sway things is Tony’s craziness, and here’s where it comes back to bite him in the butt. True, Tony’s true nature has reared itself, and while he’s taken some risks, it’s been nothing game-ending. It won’t be game ending tonight, either, since he’s immune, but now Tony has put himself in a losing situation. All Tony had to do was follow the example of Keith Nale and “Stick to the Plan”. He had a good setup. An idol, and a powerful fivesome he has inroads with. However, Tony’s got the itch to make a move, and so decides, for really no good reason, to vote out Sophie. Oh, he does GIVE a reason, it’s just that reason is stupid. Tony is only NOW concerned with how close Sarah and Sophie have gotten, and decides to target Sophie so that Sarah will be close to him. Now, you might wonder why this is stupid. After all, I praised this when Jeremy tried to off Nick to make Wendell close to him? Well, aside from the fact that that praise was qualified, with so many people left, Jeremy could have plausible deniability. If Nick had gone, he could have comfortably denied it, with no way to contradict him. With so few left now, though, Sarah could probably tell that Tony had turned on her. Do you think this will end well for Tony? I thought not.

Tony may have to make the smart move in spite of himself, however. Jeremy is not too trusting, particularly since Tony’s story involves him believing that both Kim and Denise have turned on him, which is a little far-fetched. That said, it DOES mean that after two more blogs, I can finally talk about the proper move here. Jeremy and Tony both have obvious best moves. For Jeremy, getting out Sophie breaks up the majority and gets rid of one of their idols, both of which he desperately needs right now. For Tony, as I’ve said, sticking with the Jeremy plan is the right move. No need to rock the boat at this juncture, especially when you’re so likely to get caught with your hand in the proverbial cookie jar.

Apart from Tony, everyone else has been kind of low-energy, and as a result we get a low-energy Tribal Council. Even Probst’s questions seem lazy, with him basically asking multiple people if they felt ignore, focussing on our supposed targets for the night (Jeremy, Michele, Ben, and Sophie). I’m sure he asked everybody, but asking in exactly the same way feels lazy. Vary it up a little!

Despite Jeremy having the most foreshadowing, I’m pretty sure Sophie will be going home tonight. It feels like it’s time, somehow, and we’ve been building to an epic Tony blunder. Sure enough, the split vote screws the majority, and Tony, Nick, Jeremy, and Michele band together to vote out Sophie. The right move for Jeremy and Michele, but Tony and Nick still lack an upside. Naturally, I’m upset to see Sophie go. Her snark was always good for a laugh, and apart from Denise, she was my favorite player left in the game. So, does this mean she has “Ethan Zohn” downside, in getting voted out without limited foreshadowing? Not exactly. While most of the foreshadowing was crammed in the back half of the episode, there WAS foreshadowing there, so Sophie’s exit does feel earned. Stupid move for some, but earned nonetheless. I think the better comparison is to Christian’s exit on “Survivor David vs. Goliath”. You get why it happened, but the player it happened to was all but invisible in their boot episode. That said, Sophie has the decency to give us some comedy on her way out, pretending to get lost on the way to the snuffer, and complaining about crotch idols. She has to decide who didn’t betray her when willing her fire tokens, and so sends one apiece to Sarah and Kim. Smart choices all.

For all my complaints, this episode is an improvement. It was entertaining, even laugh-out-loud funny at times, and that’s always appreciated. Really, my main gripe is the gripe I always have with an “Edge of Extinction” season: it’s too crowded. Trying to fit too much into an hour time slot just leaves things feeling rushed and convoluted. This episode is better than some that have tried, but the show REALLY needs to make some deep cuts if they want things to be foreshadowed before the last half-hour again.

But flaws in the episode doesn’t mean we can’t have fun! My contest to identify the speaker of the title quote is still ongoing! Simply write the name and season of the player who spoke the quote used for the title in the comments! First to correctly get it gets their username at the top of the next blog. Remember, one entry per person, and I only use seasons of US “Survivor”.

-Matt

Title Credit to Jean Storrs.

Idol Speculation: “Survivor Ghost Island” Finale: History Has Its Eyes On You

You know, it says something about your season when your finale features an event that is unprecedented, historic, an unqualified “Survivor” first… and yet it STILL feels incredibly predictable!

Let’s not mince matters: this is less of a season finale, and more of a question of “Who would win: Domenick or Wendell”. Surprisingly, the first person we cut to to answer this question is Sebastian. Granted, we’re as usual starting with the fallout from the previous Tribal Council, but even then, it seemed like Angela was the one who was most hurt over the Donathan plan not being correct. But no, it seems that power has gone to the head of Sebastian, and now HE wants to make a move. This is probably helped somewhat by the fact that his extra vote advantage can only be used at the next Tribal Council. Can’t fault the idea, but feel it’s too little, too late. Sebastian, however, thinks it’s a great idea, which will get him out of the collective shadow of Domenick/Wendell, and turn the tide of the game for him. Sure, Sebastian. And Laurel will stop being a dues-paying, card-carrying member of the cult of Dom and Wendell.

Speaking of which, Laurel goes to talk to Donathan, bringing with her a healthy pitcher of Kool-Aid. Unsurprisingly, Donathan is shocked he’s still here. Ever the loyal follower, Laurel tries to talk Donathan around to how this is them PROTECTING him, and how he should be grateful. Yeah, Laurel, shame Donathan for wanting to play his own game. No harm can come from that.

Moving on to our real stars, they spend the next morning discussing who they want gone after the upcoming immunity challenge. Will it be Donathan, the man who’s been making a big stink lately? Angela, who has the best immunity track record after Domenick and Wendell? Or could there be a shake-up, and they vote out Laurel, out of fear that she might take a few votes for old Malolo loyalty? Rather than take any of these smart options, they decide to target Sebastian, to which I must ask: WHY? Look the guy’s likable, strong, and plotting against them, but both Domenick and Wendell have him beat on the first two counts, and have no current way of knowing about the third. As far as they’re concerned, he’s their most loyal number, after Laurel. What good does it do them to target him? It’s one day later, and it STILL boggles my mind.

Evidently someone on production said “I want my maze to be seen FROM SPACE!”, as our traditional “Survivor” maze this time around is a gigantic skull-shaped one. Probst refers to it as one of the biggest ever on the show, and given how clearly visible it is from such a great distance, it wouldn’t surprise me if this was the case. What I also like about it is the presumed asymmetry. With most “Survivor” mazes, the paths to various puzzle stations have to be the same for everyone in different quadrants to keep things fair, but with three stations spaced throughout the maze, as opposed to an even number. That can’t happen. Good job shaking things up there, production!

The puzzle this time around is really cool as well. It’s another one of those “bonsai tree” type puzzles where the pieces have no clear place to be put, and this time it gets even worse. You have to actually build the circular outline of the season logo. So, not only to you have to find where the piece goes, you have to keep the structural integrity of the thing.

First to finish their puzzle and let Jeff Probst know wins immunity and a steak dinner. Wendell is the clear favorite to win this, and sure enough, he finishes his puzzle first. To make absolutely sure Probst is aware this time, Wendell yells out his name. Then he yells it again into a megaphone. Then he pulls up the billboard he rented in Fiji for just such an occasion. Then he pulls out his homemade flashing neon sign that reads “Wendell is done with the puzzle.” Just kidding. Though while the name yell is funny, I’m a bit surprised that Wendell didn’t at least go for “Jeffrey Probst”, to ensure no confusion. Hell, he could even have gone for “Jeffrey Lee Probst”, though that would have required looking up Jeff’s middle name in the Fijian islands, which would be rather difficult.

Thus, Wendell gets the choice of who to take on reward, ultimately going with Sebastian and Angela. Odd choices at first, and I was all prepared to read Wendell the riot act for this move, but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. I’m all for pandering to your partners, but now we’re at the endgame. There’s very little that can derail Wendell’s plans, especially since his hidden immunity idol guarantees him at least the chance to make fire for a spot in the finals. Thus, the reward is perhaps better used as a chance to curry favor with potential jurors. The favor of Donathan seems to have sailed, and Laurel and Domenick are pretty well locks for him in the end anyway. That leaves only Angela and Sebastian as question marks at this point (though really, given how Sebastian was so happy with Wendell about the shell thing, I’m pretty sure he’s good as well), and thus bringing them, and hopefully trading a steak dinner for a million-dollar vote, is worth it.

That said, I will still give Wendell flak for not taking Laurel. Domenick I understand, but Laurel is still the least-loyal of your allies, and as mentioned before, I don’t think Sebastian would have snubbed Wendell in the end anyway. Thus, probably smarter to take Laurel over Sebastian.

Sure enough, after our nice reward scene, we find that Laurel is pissed, though unsure of what moves she has left. Oddly, it’s Sebastian to the rescue, as he fills in Donathan about his extra vote, suggesting they use it to blindside Domenick. Worst case scenario: Domenick plays his idol, the person supposed to go home goes home, and chances of getting rid of Domenick improve greatly. Best case scenario: Domenick gets cocky, doesn’t play his idol, and goes home. Win-win, barring that you’re the person who Wendell and Domenick vote for. Naturally, since this plan has no downside, Laurel will be against it and immediately blab to Domenick and Wendell… Wait, what’s this? She’s actually considering it? And not telling Domenick and Wendell that we see? My God, this may actually work! Hell, they even get Angela in on the plan, thus further cementing success. All they need now is for no one to spill the plan…

And, there goes Angela talking to Domenick. I may have mentioned this before, but even if I did, it bears repeating. Angela, despite being incredibly tough, played this game at the wrong time. Her empty-nester issues were played up big time this season, and we can see the impact they have on her game. As she says, she wants to trust the people she was originally with, even if they’ve betrayed her. Despite the fact that taking out Domenick is clearly her smartest move, Angela can’t help but trust, because she wants so badly to. In life, I can’t really fault her this tendency. On “Survivor”, it’s a major flaw.

With no mystery as to the vote tonight, Tribal Council will be replaced with a magic show! Nothing up my sleeve, and PRESTO! Multiple idols for multiple people! With Donathan being uncharacteristically subdued tonight, it’s up to Domenick to make a spectacle of things. Fortunately, Domenick does this very well. He calls out the plans of Sebastian and Donathan, then to show how foolish it is, pulls out his real idol, and his fake idol. This serves two purposes. One, it scares people away from any mutinous plans. Most were convinced that Domenick had but one idol, but there was a rumor he had two. This lends credence to the rumor, especially as Domenick’s fake idol is a “real” fake idol, for want of a better term. If the stick from “Survivor Micronesia” can be an idol, so can this. Two, it’s a good bit of theater. Wendell isn’t the only one looking to score points with the jury. While Wendell is trying his best to do it socially, Domenick’s tactic is to go for the flashy moves, cementing him as the leader of the tribe. Not to be outdone, Wendell pulls out a few idols himself, one real and one fake. However, much as Domenick can be good socially, but not as good as Wendell, so to can Wendell not overshadow Domenick in flashy moves. Not only is Domenick’s theater better, but he scores points on smarts. Playing off paranoia that fake idols can be real, instead of giving up his actual idol, he plays the fake idol from “Survivor Millennials vs. Gen-X” pre-vote, hoping to scare people out of voting him. And it WORKS! This is crazy to me, but Sebastian does not play his extra vote. WHY? By his own admission, this is the last night he can use it! Even if you’re changing the plan and sticking with the majority, there’s NO HARM in playing it, if only to say you’ve played it! But no, Sebastian gets scared, and rightly goes home for it. Oddly, despite how I usually feel about Sebastian’s archetype, I’ve got mixed feelings about his exit. Yes, he was annoying at times. Yes, he was a bad player. But just imagine him at the Final Tribal Council. How would he have justified himself? That’s something I’d pay to see.

Oh, and this is once again a season where we randomly cut back to Probst talking to the cast and the audience before commercial. We WOULD get an interview with Sebastian, but only major characters get screentime, so instead of talking to him, we’re going to see James Clement (“Survivor China”) and Erik Reichenbach (“Survivor Micronesia”), because the editing and the boot order didn’t make this case seem weak enough!

Despite the reunion show no longer getting the airtime it deserves, we evidently STILL don’t have time for strategizing post-Tribal, as we head straight to our immunity challenge. It’s another puzzle/obstacle course combo that wouldn’t bear mentioning were it not for the fact that the puzzle is a trick one. Basically, four three-dimensional shapes have to build a pyramid, which is tough to figure out even when you’re not starved and dehydrated. My money’s on Laurel to win this one given her puzzle prowess, but once again, Wendell pulls out a victory. This puts him in a dilemma as to how he wants to use his idol, but we’ll get to that in a minute. For now, with Donathan clearly the next to go, let’s see what feeble attempt he has to save himself.

With almost no cards left to play, all Donathan can do is turn on his closest ally, Laurel. And, to his credit, he makes a pretty credible pitch to Domenick. Donathan says that he’d spare Domenick the fire-making challenge, since he wants to “Go up against the best”, and points out that Laurel may have more friends on the jury than him. Domenick at least entertains the idea, but quickly smells bullshit. Still, he floats the idea to Wendell, bringing back the question of who Wendell will use his idol on. After all, Wendell’s not going to pass up a chance to curry favor and look good in front of the jury. Given how close he and Laurel were, Laurel would seem the obvious choice, but now Wendell is second-guessing things. And I don’t buy it for a minute. I’ll give credit that this misdirection is at least DIFFERENT from what we’ve seen so far this season, and it’s doing the best it can with what it has, but with how close Laurel has been built up to be with Domenick and in particular Wendell, I don’t see her NOT getting Wendell’s idol.

To add on to this, it would be the smart move for Wendell to do. Again, I initially thought it might be best not to, since it might offend Domenick, but at this point, Domenick and Wendell are gunning for each other anyway, spared only by their idols. By keeping Laurel safe, you not only show your power in front of the jury, but you put someone pretty much guaranteed to keep you safe from fire-making if they win immunity. Given that Wendell also curried Angela’s favor with the reward, that means the only way he makes fire if he gives Laurel the necklace is if Domenick wins immunity. Pretty good odds for such a twist in the game.

Remember how I said that Wendell couldn’t outdo Domenick in terms of Tribal Council theater? Yeah, let this be the exception that proves the rule. There’s really nothing of note at this Tribal Council aside from idol plays, so let’s just skip straight to those. Wendell lets Domenick go first, thereby giving himself the recency effect, and then makes a big show of how he’s playing it for Laurel, and thus sending Donathan home. Point Wendell.

As Donathan was a big character on the show, we do get a nice interview with him about how he’s grown from the experience. Evidently it also gets Tai Trang’s (“Survivor Kaoh Rong”) Sia of Approval, as Donathan gets $10,000 to help care for his family. Good for him.

Once again, pre-challenge discussions fall by the wayside, as we head to our Final Immunity Challenge. Frankly, it’s the weakest of the bunch. It’s stacking alternate balls and bases, as in the final challenge from “Survivor Kaoh Rong”. It’s a tricky challenge, to be sure, but it’s one that lacks the epic grandeur one would hope for in a final challenge.

So, that one scenario where Wendell DOESN’T get a free pass to the finals? Guess what happens? Yeah, it surprised me as well. I thought for sure this was Laurel’s challenge to lose, given that it involved precision and balance, but she seemed to be the worst of the lot. We get a good bit of back-and-forth between Wendell and Domenick, with Domenick pulling out a victory. Good for him, and good for the show for keeping it quiet. Trust me, you’ll hear that very rarely in relation to this season.

Making sure we go there one last time, Domenick’s decision discussions will take place exclusively on Ghost Island. After much ooh-ing and aah-ing over the torch snuffers, we get down to our debate. Wendell, seeing the writing on the wall, doesn’t waste his breath trying to convince Domenick to take him, and instead just goes to practice fire making. Domenick quickly informs us that he debate is between the person he thinks actually has a chance at beating Wendell in fire-making (Angela), and the person he’d less like to see in the finals (Laurel). Both reasonable reasons to keep someone, but oddly, I find myself in agreement with Angela on this one. I’m not convinced Wendell loses to either of them in fire-making, so the choice is really who you want to see less in the end between Angela and Laurel. Given that Laurel is the last Malolo standing, and a better talker than Angela, she’s clearly the choice out. That said, I doubt I’ll be able to find fault in whatever choice Domenick makes.

This is not the only decision Domenick must make, though. Domenick got a note upon winning the Final Immunity Challenge, which tells him to hike to the top of Ghost Island. Here, he finds the voting urns from “Survivor The Australian Outback”, “Survivor Cagayan”, and “Survivor Game Changers”. We’re told that these are all the urns from finalist choices who “Made mistakes” (even though I agree with Mario Lanza in that Colby’s decision at least was not a “mistake”), and that Domenick must pick on in the hopes of, say it with me now, “Reversing the Curse”. Like most things with the Ghost Island twist, it’s not a bad idea, but the execution is underwhelming. Look, I like the tribute to past seasons, and they picked some of the cooler-looking urns (and the one from “Survivor Game Changers”) for the twist. My issue is that it doesn’t really add anything, other than one more brief moment of nostalgia for the superfans. You could make these urns more relevant. Granted, it’s a bit late in the season to introduce a twist, so I wouldn’t want to see that, but you could make it a symbolic thing. Maybe by picking the urn, you’re picking who you take to the finals (the note would say this, so Domenick wouldn’t be screwed by something he couldn’t see coming). Like, if you take the “Australian Outback” one you take Angela, “Cagayan” Wendell, and “Game Changers” Laurel, or something like that.

But no, all we get is aesthetic. That’s cool too, I guess.

Oh hey, you remember what I said about how Domenick really had no bad move in this scenario? Yeah, he managed to find one. For some reason, looking at the urns gives Domenick the BRILLIANT IDEA to give Angela his immunity, and fight against Wendell in fire-making. Do I have to spell out why this is a stupid idea? Well tough. I’m doing it anyway. You’re telling me, Domenick, that you would give up a GUARANTEED place in the finals, a finals in which you have an above-average shot no matter who you go up against, just to try and get Wendell out, a move that could take you from possibly WINNING the game to handing WENDELL the game? No. Not buying it. Domenick’s played too smart to get tripped up like this at this juncture. There’s no way this would happen.

I’ll give this Tribal Council this: It’s the most entertaining of the three, though mostly for one of Wendell’s comments. As before, he doesn’t shy away from the fact that he’s making fire, and tells Probst he’ll win so long as he sits at the station with the purple flag, rather than the “cursed” orange one. Salivating at people buying these superstitions, Probst points out that given Wendell’s seat, he WOULD get the orange flag, to which Wendell quips “Got any paint?” Ok, I may be tired of these superstitions, but that’s funny.

Domenick reveals to the jury that the took the “Survivor Cagayan” urn from Ghost Island for the final votes, justifying it by saying he played the game like Tony Vlachos on that season, and wants the jury to reward that. Good marks on the justification there, and it’s also the one I would have taken, due to looking the coolest. I would also have accepted taking the urn from “Survivor The Australian Outback”. The point is that Domenick did not take the “Survivor Game Changers” urn, and I respect him for that.

As expected, Domenick is NOT so stupid as to give up a guaranteed finals spot, and chooses Laurel to go along to the end with him, which as I say I can’t fault too much. Angela, not being the superstitious type, agrees to switch stations with Wendell. Unfortunately, this is a season where being superstitious helps, and Angela loses in no real contest. Can’t say I’m too sorry to see her go. I think she’s tougher than shown, but for what we got, she just wasn’t that interesting. Makes for the best Final Three.

Or rather, Final Two. There’s really no pretending that Laurel’s much of a competitor at this point, but her Day 39 confessionals do put up a good argument, going with her “Last Malolo Standing” distinction. Still, this really is the Domenick and Wendell show at this point, and while I’ve given the editors a lot of flak for repeating the same types of scenes over and over again, and for making who makes the Final Three INCREDIBLY obvious, I will say that they do a good job of hiding who wins between Domenick and Wendell. It’s the strategic game versus the social game. The bombastic figurehead versus the subtle manipulator. Even their placement in things keeps it all under wraps. Domenick gets the last word before Final Tribal Council, a spot usually reserved for the winner, but Wendell gets the last word AT Final Tribal Council, which is also usually reserved for the winner. My God, there’s actual tension here! I forgot what it felt like!

Even the jury seems to feel it, as even THEY have trouble deciding between Domenick and Wendell. At first, it seems like Domenick has the lead, as Wendell’s “I was the real ringmaster” argument was undercut by nearly everyone saying that Domenick brought them into the alliance. Domenick is his own worst enemy, though, as he continually interrupts Wendell and is belligerent on the points he makes. This rubs many people, most visibly Kellyn and Sebastian, the wrong way. Wendell may underplay his performance, and be a bit too humble, but at least the points he may stick as a result. And just to show how even a good performance can’t help you sometimes, Laurel has the best performance of the bunch. She’s confident, but not cocky. She makes her points, but doesn’t press them too much. She’s respectful, but doesn’t hold back in her arguments. She answers every question as well as she can, and what does she get? Jack diddly squat. Laurel, for all my berating, I feel very sorry for this. You did as well as you could, with the game that you played.

With Domenick and Wendell edited so evenly, who could be the winner? Why, both of them! Yes, with no clear favorite in this game, we can only end in a tie, the first ever at the Final Tribal Council. And boy, is it underwhelming! Don’t get me wrong, the novelty of seeing a “Survivor” first, and of these two competitors being so close in the end, does still have a lot of excitement. But with how even Domenick and Wendell were this season, coupled with Probst revealing the method for breaking Final Tribal Council ties back on “Survivor Game Changers”, it was pretty clear this was what it would come down to. This means Laurel gets to cast the deciding vote, thus sucking the remaining tension out of the season. I’m glad two worthy competitors had it so close, but with Laurel as your last vote, Wendell has it on lockdown. The guy most closely bonded with Laurel, who even gave Laurel immunity, you think he ISN’T getting her vote? Yeah, you’re delusional.

As Laurel goes to make Wendell the winner, I want to talk for a brief moment about the breakdown of the tie vote. We don’t get much info on why most of the jury voted the way they voted (another weakness of the new Final Tribal Council format, along with too much Probst interjection), but I think the breakdown of the votes helps explain it. Domenick got the votes of Chris, Libby, Des, Jenna, and Michael, while Wendell got the votes of Chelsea, Kellyn, Sebastian, Donathan, and Angela. Sound familiar? It should. That’s the order people were sent to the jury. I’m only hypothesizing here, but I think that Wendell’s strategy of making bonds worked better on later jury members because they had more time to bond with him/had more time for Domenick to put his foot in his mouth. Maybe I’m wrong, but that seems like a likely reason the votes broke down the way they did.

Back in Los Angeles, Wendell wins, and I’m happy, and not just because I’m a big Wendell fan. Wendell’s win here follows a historical precedent: That of the social versus strategic game. Let’s take the finals of “Survivor The Australian Outback” as an example, as it makes for one of the clearest examples of this dynamic. You had Colby, who was not subtle and played an up-front game, versus Tina, who was less abrasive, but also less visible. In that situations, as in all other times this sort of Final Tribal Council situation has happened, the vote has been close, but the social player wins out. Wendell is that social player, and once again, he wins in a narrow vote. Nice to see that, even so many seasons on, some precedents still hold.

Wendell as a winner reminds me a lot of Ethan Zohn (“Survivor Africa”), both in terms of play style and impact on the game as a whole. Ethan wasn’t the most strategic player, nor the most up-front. He made a few moves, but they were mostly in the background, and he spent his time playing to what strengths he had. This describes Wendell to a “T”. More important, though, is their legacy of what type of winner they were. Ethan reminded us that you don’t have to be a big-time schemer to win “Survivor”. Wendell, to me, helps counter the argument that one must make “BIG MOVES!” to win the game. Granted, Wendell had his share of moments, but if the winner was solely decided by who played the bigger game, then Domenick would be a millionaire. He’s not, and for good reason. Despite what the show would like to market, when subtle gameplay comes up against up-front gameplay, subtle always wins out.

The reunion show, such as it is, really doesn’t merit any talking about. We take more time to embarrass Erik and James again, plug some dumb new show, and only talk to 1/4 of the cast, including snubbing Laurel, THE FIRST PERSON TO CAST A TIEBREAKER VOTE IN FINAL TRIBAL COUNCIL HISTORY! DO YOU THINK MAYBE SHE’D BE WORTH AT LEAST A CURSORY QUESTION? Ugh, I hate to say it, but honestly, it might be time for the reunion show to die. Still do a live vote, still have the cast meet with the audience, still preview the next season, but don’t show it on tv. I’d rather have the full hour and talk with most everyone, get in-depth with the questions. If, however, we’re not going to do that again, then give us 30 extra minutes of content on the show proper, and just ignore the reunion aspect of the thing. If you can’t be respectful of your cast, don’t even put up the pretense of trying.

Oh, and next season is “Survivor David vs. Goliath”. Wow, they’re REALLY stretching for a theme, aren’t they? Biblical references are ALWAYS the audience favorite. Here’s an idea: FOCUS YOUR SHOW ON CASTING, AND NOT ON A THEME! Needless to say, I’m not super-confident about next season. It just seems like a forced and cringe-worthy thing to do.

I’ll be saving my thoughts on the season as a whole for the end of the blog. For now, let’s just focus on how my pre-season predictions hold up, starting with:

Brendan-Starting out with a mixed bag. I nailed his time in the game, but exaggerated his personality. I’ll still call this one a victory, though.

Donathan-Pretty much right, though he made it further than I expected.

Jacob-Definitely the fan I predicted, but much less smart and much shorter-lived than my prediction.

James-I didn’t have much of a read on him, and I still don’t. I did say he’d make the merge, though, so wrong there.

Jenna-Wrong. Much more subdued and longer-lived than I would have anticipated.

Laurel-Pretty much right, though she was stronger and showed less of her smarts than I would have thought.

Libby-A bit longer for the game than I expected, and less religious. Wrong on this one.

Michael-Again, wrong. The kid was savvier than I gave him credit for, and it increased his time in the game as a result.

Gonzales-Wrong, though in my defense, I couldn’t anticipate who would be sent to Ghost Island first.
Stephanie-I nailed her time in the game, but she was so much savvier than I anticipated that I’m still calling myself wrong on this one.

Angela-Pretty much right, for once on this list.

Bradley-Right. Enough said.

Chelsea-Didn’t have much of a read on her then. Still don’t now. She made it about as far as I thought, so, right.

Chris-Evidently Naviti was just the tribe I understood better, as I’m once again right.

Desiree-Wrong, as she was much calmer overall and consequently much longer-lived.

Domenick-Wrong. Much more self-control, and much better at strategy than I gave him credit for.

Kellyn-About the smarts I anticipated, but longer for the game. Mixed bag on this one.

Morgan-Wrong. There’s always one person screwed by the swap I can’t anticipate.

Sebastian-Longer for the game than I would have thought, but the guy did play about how I expected. I’ll give myself this one.

Wendell-Absolutely right. Suck it, doubters!

So, now onto the thoughts on this season as a whole, right? WRONG! It’s time once again for…

TOP 5 and BOTTOM 5!

As there aren’t enough tie Final Tribal Council votes to do a list on, we’ll instead talk about the other stand-out thing about this episode: mazes. Yes, they’ve been around since very early on in the history of the show, yet we’ve never noted what the best and worst mazes are. Time to rectify that today. Any sort of maze goes here, be it a large traditional one, a table maze, or something even weirder. Let’s look at them all with…

TOP 5

5. “Survivor Ghost Island”: Scale may not be everything, but it gets you a long way. The maze this episode may not have been the most exciting overall, but the sheer size of it makes up for a lot of that.

4. “Survivor Cagayan”: Here, I’m not talking about the final three maze, though that was cool as well. I refer instead to the vertical table maze from the one immunity challenge Luzon actually WON. Yes, I’m sure they won. We’d seen plenty of table mazes before, and they were kind of old-hat at this point, so turning them vertical was a stroke of genius. It kept an old challenge fresh, and it made for a nice comeback victory. Good times.

3. “Survivor The Australian Outback”: This one changed up the formula for your team maze by having teams run in parallel mazes, instead of the same one. This could have been confusing, but the aerial shots made everything make sense. I like how there was no order to finding the poles; that there were no clues which way to go. If you were lucky, you stumbled on a pole, and remembered where it was later. Rewarding a spotty memory is a good shake-up to me.

2. “Survivor The Amazon”: Again, mazes are a pretty common thing on “Survivor”, so you need to shake them up. From that perspective, blindfolds are maybe the best idea the show has ever had. After all, what’s more fun than trying to make people figure out a maze? Making them figure out a maze they CAN’T see! With the rain adding great atmosphere, and Butch being horribly lost, this is a fun maze for the ages.

1. “Survivor Vanuatu”: I say again: turning the maze vertical is a great idea. Doing it for your traditional “Survivor” maze, making for an impressively intimidating structure? Fantastic.

Honorable Mention: “Survivor Millennials vs. Gen-X”: Our shake up this time is not getting to see the maze again, but this time with the twist that it’s not blindfolds, but the maze simply facing away from you. Probst’s commentary and the novelty of the maze being on the outside of a door you can’t see past made for a good shake-up. This one loses points, and thus ends up on the Honorable Mentions, though, because of size. It does matter, and this one is just small.

BOTTOM 5

5. “Survivor Heroes vs. Villains”: I’ll be honest, this list was hard to do. There’s hardly a “Survivor” maze I dislike, and really it’s only the top three on this list that I have actual dislike for. The rest, while good, are just not as strong as the others. In this case, “Survivor Heroes vs. Villains” loses out because of a lack of originality. Granted, on a season so seeped in “Survivor” History, you’d expect some repeat challenges, but this season always went the extra step to make the repeats their own thing in some way. This was a direct copy, and thus it earns a spot on this list.

4. “Survivor Tocantins”: Another cool idea: Have people race through the “Survivor” logo. The problem here is that with the maze being in the rough shape of a line, it was kind of boring to watch when not seen from the air.

3. “Survivor Marquesas”: This one tried to be what the maze from “Survivor The Australian Outback” was, and it did have a cool door. However, having the tribes race in the same maze was confusing, and the circle shape just does not make for a memorable challenge.

2. “Survivor All-Stars”: “Say, you know what would be a fun idea? Take the maze from ‘Survivor Marquesas’, then divide it up into easily memorized quadrants, making the challenge super-easy! Imagine how fun that will be to watch!”

1. “Survivor Gabon”: This maze brings nothing new to the table, and is just dull. It’s got no color to it, the walls are just burlap, and everything just blends together. A maze should not do that.

Honorable Mention: “Survivor Borneo”: Ah, a non-traditional maze on this list. Rather than run around walls, people had to run an obstacle course while clipped to carabiners. This is a great way to shake things up for a maze, and did lead to the funny “Greg: Lost” moments. Really, it would be in the top five for sure were it not for the randomness. Most mazes can be solved with skill, but this one was almost pure luck, which demotes it to the bottom list.

No more stalling, onto my thoughts on the season as a whole. While I’ve avoided reading any other commentary post-Finale, so as to keep my thoughts my own, I did check out opinions prior to the Finale, and from what I can tell, they probably haven’t changed. I mention this to say that I hear the criticisms, and they are legitimate. The boot order pretty much let Wendell and Domenick waltz to the end unopposed. Ghost Island, while a good idea, was lackluster at best. And the editing was repetitive, not to mention clearly broadcasting that either Domenick or Wendell was our winner. All of these are valid points I completely agree with. So when I say that people are hard on this season, it’s not because I think this is an amazing season people don’t get. This, for me, falls into the category of “ok, but not great”. When I say I like this season more than others, I mean I disagree with those who call it a “Bottom 10” season. There are problems, to be sure, but worse then seasons with horrible characters on them? Worse than seasons that were predictable start to finish? This season has problems, but it’s not THAT bad, and I can only guess that such strong opinions are recency bias. Still, I can’t deny that this season feels recycled. I’m not sure whether the editors didn’t have a lot to work with post-merge, or if they were just asleep at the computer, but it seemed like we got the same scenes over and over again once the merge hit, and it REALLY detracted from the season. On top of that, I’ve always said that a strong finish for a season is much better than a strong start, and this season helps exemplify that. With rare exception, the pre-merge was great! But in being great, it got rid of all the true rivals to Domenick and Wendell, who were pretty much all on Malolo. You can’t even take the comfort of “Well, it just showcases how good Domenick and Wendell were at eliminating their competition!” Bear in mind, the only two Tribal Councils those two attended were the only Tribal Councils that a Naviti went home at. The best you can say about the pair is that they were smart enough to capitalize on the “Naviti Strong” sentiment to take it to the end. Ultimately, I would compare this season to “Survivor Heroes vs. Villains”. I’m sure many of you are now thinking “Blasphemy!”, but bear in mind, I have a much lower opinion of that season than others do, due to all the best moments coming in the pre-merge episodes, and the merge episode itself. I’d say “Survivor Heroes vs. Villains” hits higher highs (The J.T. Debacle comes to mind), but also hits lower lows (The post-merge essentially becoming the “Russell Hantz Show”, on the heals of a season that may as well have been titled “Survivor Russell Hantz”). That said, with fewer stand-out moments, I still give “Survivor Heroes vs. Villains” the edge, but in terms of level of excitement, they follow the same pattern.

If nothing else, this season gave us a great winner. Maybe we didn’t like the season that got him there, but he’s the winner we deserve, the winner we needed right now.

-Matt

Title Credit to Jean Storrs.

Idol Speculation: “Survivor Ghost Island” Episode 12: The Kentucky Public Education System

Spoiler alert: The Kentucky Public Education System is not very good! Look, I generally try to avoid racist or classist humor on this blog, as well as low-hanging fruit in general, but Donathan’s slip-up here is just too tempting to resist! Oh, not his gameplay slip-ups, though those will be dissected in great detail. I’m talking about his “If you’re going to blindside me, could you please let me know.” slip-up. Um, Donathan, I’m no longer sure if you know this but WORDS HAVE MEANINGS! Funnily enough, if someone TELLS you they’re blindsiding you, it’s no longer a blindside. It figuratively defeats the purpose. I say “figuratively” here so as not to misuse the word “literally”, something Probst does during today’s immunity challenge. Evidently the Kansas Public Education System is little better than the Kentucky one.

Moving on to non-political topics, Kellyn is understandably upset that her blindside didn’t go off as planned. In a good move on Kellyn, though, she spends less time moping and more time trying to do something about it, pulling Sebastian aside to talk. Recognizing that Sebastian and strategic talk go together like fafaru and pretty much anything else, Kellyn instead frames it as a moral issue, talking about how she feels like she’s the next to go. Sebastian assures her that she isn’t. Boy howdy, SOMEONE’S been drinking the Dom-Aid. I know that Wendell and Domenick are equal partners in the alliance, from what we’ve seen, but so help me, there’s no good way to combine the words “Wendell” and “Kool-Aid”. Point being, Sebastian really seems to be buying this stuff, forcing Kellyn to sit back and hope people come to her. Actually probably her smartest move at this point. With a solid foursome in place, there’s not much hope for her but that someone makes an ass of themselves such that they become too much of a nuisance and have to leave.

I’ll give Kellyn credit, though, at least she’s trying NEW things! We get our now requisite “Donathan wants to turn on Wendell and Domenick, but Laurel is against the idea” confessional out of the way early this time, even before our lack of opening credits. It’s the same scene we’ve seen a million times, but with a slight twist on it. Rather than simply COMPLAIN about not acting, Donathan decides to actually DO SOMETHING, even if Laurel won’t. Kellyn gets her wish of an ally coming to her, as Donathan tells her his desire to move against Wendell. Not a bad plan. Shame it won’t work. With Sebastian fully on board, and Laurel disinclined to budge, the most you can hope for is a 3-4 minority. At least it’s different, though.

Speaking of different, we get our reward challenge, which is TECHNICALLY reused, but given the changes made, I’ll give it a pass. It’s “Simmotion” the final immunity challenge first seen on “Survivor Tocantins”. I hated it there, and in subsequent instances of the challenge, because it was ALWAYS the final immunity challenge, and it just didn’t feel grand enough. Here, they solve those problems both by scaling up the size of the challenge, and making it the final reward challenge rather than the final immunity challenge, which has much less need for a grand scale. Yeah, we lose some of the complexity higher up, and having spools on “Survivor” just seems bizarre, but I’ll take what I can get this season.

Pairs are made via team captains, and I must complain about Wendell’s choice. Kellyn picking Sebastian I get. She’s trying to sway him, so taking him on reward is a wise idea. Donathan picking Laurel I also get. The pair are aligned, and it would be weird if he didn’t pick her. But Wendell picking Domenick? I get that everyone KNOWS they’re together, but whether you win or lose, that’s leaving some people alone to conspire against you. At least pick a potential swing vote like Angela or something.

Oh well, I can’t fault the pair’s skill. After some pretty intense moments, particularly a nice save by Donathan early on, Wendell and Domenick win reward. As per the pitfall of winning a reward that is not a large team challenge, the pair have to choose someone to come with them. Now, there’s an obvious move to make here, which is to take Laurel. Angela is out of the running, and Laurel is the cog in your alliance most devastating if she wavers. She is clearly the smart choice out of everyone. What I can’t get behind is how they do it. Out of respect for the other players, and so as to NOT broadcast how tight and cutthroat you are, at least pretend to discuss the decision before making it. But no, go ahead and pick Laurel without a second thought. I’m sure that will in no way piss off Donathan. Then they do the same thing when picking who to send to Ghost Island, wasting no time in picking Sebastian. Again, the smart choice. Sebastian is a loyal ally, thus keeping all advantages in your corner, but not so smart as to use it against you. But, yet again, take your time in picking him, lest you offend people.

Realizing that production still has a ton of previous advantages to get through, of course there’s a game of chance on Ghost Island. Sebastian wisely goes for it, as he’s in a fairly solid majority, and needs some sort of leverage at the end. Adding on to the incentive is the fact that evidently a 2/3 chance just wasn’t good enough, and so no the chances of selecting a key to open the advantage are 3/4. Unsurprisingly, Sebastian gets the key, and we’re left to wonder what advantage will come back this time. After all, a number of advantages were advertised previously, and we haven’t yet seen all of them. Both Lauren Rimmer’s shell idol from “Survivor Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers” and Stephen Fishbach’s Steal-A-Vote from “Survivor Cambodia” were known to be on the season, and could fit in the box, and yet we’ve seen neither. Which will it be?

The answer… IS THE WORST THING IN THIS ENTIRE EPISODE! Yes, even worse than the predictable nature of the boot! Look, I check the internet for “Survivor” commentary. I know the Ghost Island twist has gotten a lot of flak from people, partly for being underwhelming, partly for taking time from each episode, and partly for the games of chance being lame. And I agree, Ghost Island could be better, but I’m willing to cut it more slack than some, mostly because the producers are showing a good amount of restraint this time. But here I draw the line. The advantage is indeed a vote steal. But it is not Fishbach’s. No, it’s Sarah’s. You know, THE ONE THAT KELLYN PLAYED NOT TWO EPISODES AGO?! You haven’t even cycled through all the iconic twists and advantages of seasons past yet, and you’re already going back to using one’s we’ve seen THIS VERY SEASON? What are you thinking? On top of that this twist coming back so soon doesn’t even make sense with the “lore” of Ghost Island. Every other idol and advantage we’ve seen, the note talks about it “Sitting on Ghost Island, gaining power.” But that works because these advantages have been sitting there supposedly for YEARS, or at least a few months. Yet you’re telling me that something sitting there less than a WEEK can regain power! What fresh bullshit is this!

Ok, ok, need to learn from Sebastian and chill out a bit. Sebastian talks about how this will give him power in the game, and be his ticket to victory. Sure, Sebastian. Sure it will.

Off on our reward, we see that it is the usual “Give a bunch of supplies to the locals” reward, which I like to see. For all that “Survivor” can take and abuse the resources of non-western nations, it’s nice to see them do a little charity, and good to look at the cute kids. Even Domenick can’t help but comment on how the joy of kids is a universal language. Unless, of course, your name is Spencer Bledsoe (“Survivor Cagayan”).

While we’re on the subject of game-bot-ness, Wendell brings the talk about around to strategy, pointing out what everyone already know, which is that Laurel was brought along to keep her happy. She admits in confessional that she is happy, and that she does like Wendell and Domenick, but that she intends to turn on them and cut their throats. Sure, Laurel. Just like you were going to cut their throat all those OTHER times you gave nearly the exact same confessional. Yeah, you did a good job with the last episode, editing team, but your tricks have run thin.

On a somewhat better note, Donathan starts putting his plans for dissent into action, and he actually comes up with a pretty good plan. Donthan’s problem is that executing it well requires subtlety, subtlety he does not have. Donthan’s plan, since he can’t beat either Wendell or Domenick on his own, tries to turn them against each other. Wendell does a standard check-in, which Donathan takes as a lead-in to talk about how he feels left out of the alliance. Concerning enough for Wendell, but Donathan goes a step father and says to Wendell that if Wendell puts him on the jury, he’ll vote for Domenick. Donathan’s goal here is to try and get Wendell paranoid about the jury, and eliminate Domenick for him, or at least get Domenick paranoid enough to get Wendell out. And for all my complaints about Donathan overselling things, he’s actually ok here. His flaw is less in his delivery, and more in the fact that he’s trying this one Wendell, the guy who has the LEAST to worry about socially, and who’s the tightest in the bro-down. Where Donathan REALLY screws things us is when Domenick comes over to see what all the brouhaha is about, and Donathan repeats his lie more emphatically. Sadly, Donathan, this does not make it more believable, and you’ve now given incentive for Domenick to vote you out, both for a free vote at the end, and because you’re being annoying. Again, I’m happy that SOMEONE is finally doing SOMETHING about the dominant alliance. I just wish it had better execution.

Off to our immunity challenge, and it’s somewhat standard fare for this late in the game. Players build a puzzle bridge, solve a puzzle ladder, and do a slide puzzle to win immunity. Standard, reused fare, but I’m so happy it’s not yet ANOTHER endurance challenge that I’ll take it. Additionally, I really like the bridge puzzle this time. It’s different in a good way, as the puzzle is about finding the proper angle, rather than shape, for pieces.

As a plus for Kellyn, this is a challenge she has a really good shot at. She’s the puzzle whiz, don’t forget. True, Wendell and Laurel are both also pretty good at puzzles, and stronger than Kellyn, but these challenges so often come down to the puzzle that it doesn’t really matter.

Unless, of course, you fall as far behind as Kellyn. Granted, she’s not Angela, who only barely makes it past the bridge portion prior to a victor being declared (hilarious, by the way), but Wendell in particular gets a big lead early on. Only Sebastian is on him, and if you think Sebastian is winning a puzzle, then you’re smoking more pot than he is. Laurel and Domenick make it up, and there’s some competition between Laurel and Wendell, but that’s really the race. Sebastian has no clue, and Domenick further cements the “Tony Vlachos” (“Survivor Cagayan”) comparisons by throwing pieces around with reckless abandon.

So, while we wait for a victor to be decided, it’s time to note another milestone for “Idol Speculation”. Yes, the 200th blog just passed, but my longtime readers may recall that it’s a tradition for people from the current season (or a relevant one) to break into my apartment and shout at me their strategy. Superfan that I am, I still can’t fully get behind this tradition. You wouldn’t believe how much it costs to redo a wall twice a year. But for once, we’ve subverted the tradition. It’s the penultimate episode, and nothing has happened! They won’t be coming in next episode, because they have to be at the finale. I’ve done it! I’ve survived! No one has shown up! THERE WILL BE NO INTERRUPTIONS THIS YEAR!

WENDELL: Yo, bro.

ME: GAH! Wendell! How long have you been standing there?

WENDELL: Since the merge episode. Been waiting for you to notice me.

ME: Wait, you’ve just been standing in my room, arms outstretched, for a month and a half, waiting for me to acknowledge your existence?

WENDELL: Sure have. Kind of weird, I have to tell you. I’ve seen some stuff…

ME: Ok, ok, no need for the internet to know about THAT. Why didn’t you just say something?

WENDELL: I thought it would be cooler to just stand in an epic pose and have you notice me, rather than call attention to myself.

ME: But wouldn’t it have been smarter to have called out? Would have saved yourself a lot of grief.

WENDELL: Guess so. Nothing to do about it now. You mad at me?

ME: Actually, no. For once you didn’t break down my wall, you’re my favorite of the season, and you’re about the only person I’ve found on the internet who will call out out the rapping of Chris Noble, so that makes you ok in my book.

WENDELL: High five, bro!

(WENDELL and MATT do an epic high five)

ME: Ok, great to meet you and all, but seriously, go home. I’m sure your family misses you by now.

WENDELL: You go it.

(WENDELL exits politely).

In all seriousness, Wendell’s performance at the immunity challenge is, for once, a true “Survivor” First. Debate over whether the first declared winner or the first to finish wins immunity. Also one of the rare times you see Probst flustered. Yes, it is just as funny as you would imagine. It also creates a bit of a rules conundrum, as to whether Wendell (who finished first), or Laurel (who declared that she had it first) is the winner. Both sides have an argument. On the one hand, the way the challenge is described does say “The first to complete their puzzle wins” not “The first to declare they’ve completed their puzzle wins”. Ultimately, though, I have to side with the argument that the episode went with. Probst can’t check on everyone at once, and so it’s on you to declare you want a check. Plus, losing immunity seems like a reasonable price to pay for trying to look cool instead of just claiming victory.

Wendell’s a good sport about the whole thing, which I say speaks volumes about him as a person. It also gives Laurel excuse #85 for sticking with Wendell and Domenick despite it NOT being the strategically best move. Yep, there goes the last of the tension from THIS episode. Guess we’ll have to settle for the Kellyn vs. Donathan debates. These we get to very quickly, with Wendell and Domenick coming quickly to a consensus on Kellyn as the bigger threat, which is the correct move. Much as Donathan’s being annoying, that’s another wedge to use against him, and keep your core four solid. Kellyn, for all of her “Naviti Strong” preaching, is at least likable, and not prone to causing chaos, thus making her more dangerous in the long term. In addition, keeping Donathan keeps Laurel happy, and less likely to flip.

Donathan gets called over to be told he’s been spared, leading to the aforementioned misunderstanding of what a “blindside” is. Still, Donathan seems at least somewhat calm until Domenick and Wendell get a bit cute. Wendell, it seems has been making fake idols. Gee, show, sure would have been nice to see THAT instead of the same strategy confessional we see EVERY SINGLE EPISODE now. Granted, I’m not sure how much use a fake idol is on a season about using artifacts from seasons past, but points for effort. Also points for Wendell being the FIRST PERSON THIS SEASON to think of putting the papers in his fake. Rather than use his own (Erik’s idol from “Survivor Micronesia” is too distinctive for the note to be effective, I guess), Wendell asks Domenick to use his, and he agrees. So they do a handoff. Unsubtly. Right in front of Donathan. And then try to deny anything suspicious while obviously acting shady in front of a supposed “ally”. Yeah, Donathan may go a bit far here, but I can’t really fault him for how he reacts. Also, Domenick and Wendell, but mostly Domenick, way to NOT act suspicious and throw people off of your trail.

Donathan kicks it into high gear, and goes over to talk with Kellyn, at this point doing more harm than good, as Domenick and Wendell are now pissed, and even Angela’s tired of his shenanigans. I guess if we know that the main alliance will stay intact, we can at least get some mileage out of mystery as to who’s the target.

Tribal Council at first starts out on a slow burn, but picks up very quick. Following talk of being drained in relation to the immunity challenge, Domenick spills about Donathan’s reaction to his and Wendell’s maneuver. In a departure from form, Donathan handles this in a calm, collected manner, noting how it would be suspicious to anyone. Thus the whispering begins, with the invocation of Keith Nale (“Survivor San Juan del Sur”) via murmurings of “stick to the plan”. We also lose all mystery, as Wendell very blatantly tells Angela to stick with the “Hammock Plan”, aka, the one where Donathan goes home. Donathan remarks on the whispering, and Domenick tries to do damage control by asking if he and Donathan can talk. In a really badass moment, Donathan says “No.” Not a smart game move, but damn if it wasn’t satisfying. And for those of you who are worried about Donathan getting the last laugh, don’t worry. Donathan soon asks why he’s not being included in conversations, and Domenick reminds him that he shut down that conversation. All this lovely chaos ends when Wendell calls for a 3-2 split, making for some excitement this time around.

Indeed, the vote is a tie. Domenick gets a stray vote from Wendell, while the rest are split between Kellyn and Donathan (Kellyn having voted for Donathan in this case to save herself). Angela is heartbroken yet again, but the revote sends Kellyn home, who brags a little about her game, but overall takes it with good grace. I’m both sorry and not sorry to see Kellyn go. I think she had more game than people give her credit for, and you could especially see that in the last few episodes. As the only real strategist left outside of Wendell and Domenick (Laurel has lost the right to be called a strategist as of this episode. Sticking with Wendell and Domenick was pure emotion this time), she will be missed. That said, the talk of “Naviti Strong” did get old pretty quickly, and compared to Donathan, she’s less of an entertaining character. I mean, look at Donathan pulling up his bag at the first vote with his name. Comedy gold! Kellyn, for all her many good qualities, gave us nothing on that level.

This episode just BARELY scrapes itself out of being “bad”, and for once the mystery had nothing to do with it. I’m sure the show worked with what it had, but there was just no mystery tonight. Instead, the couple of funny moments (Wendell’s failure to be acknowledged, Donathan just being Donathan) made the episode fun to watch, if not for the overall narrative of the season. Still, as we are now down to the final episode left, it’s time once again to rank people’s winner chances. This will be tough, as there are a number of people I’d consider “tied”, and yet I don’t allow myself ties. Guess I’ll have to split a lot of hairs on this one.

1. DOMENICK: This is really close between Domenick and Wendell for me. The two have been in lockstep for so long, it’s hard to separate their games, possibly lending credence to Laurel’s “Split the votes” theory (though I doubt it). Domenick has been seen, both by the audience and by the jury, as the more strategic of the forces, but Wendell is the more social of the forces. Ultimately it comes down to jury preference. Does the social game win out, or does the strategic game. Going on past history, I’d normally side with the social game, but in this case, I think strategy may have it. This jury, while annoyed, does seem like the type that would respect strategy, rather than be resentful of it, so I don’t think Domenick has that downside. Plus, while Wendell is hard to beat socially, Domenick is no Russell Hantz (“Survivor Samoa”) or Jonny Fairplay (“Survivor Pearl Islands”) whom everyone just loves to hate. He’s had his moments, but he’s not someone you instantly dislike, which might give him an edge in a jury situation. Oh, and one can’t forget that the new jury format favors more strategic players, by Probst inserting himself in the discussion… I mean, by the players having more of a chance to speak!

2. WENDELL: Again, this was a really close one. Wendell has a few strategic victories under his belt as well, along with the social game being locked down. I see the jury not respecting that quite as much, but with a fair amount of respect nonetheless. If he’s articulate, or not against Domenick, Wendell could very easily be the winner of the season.

3. LAUREL: Perhaps a controversial call, but compared to everyone else, Laurel has the best shot. She’s got a lot of friends on that jury, and she seems like a smooth talker. If she can articulate how riding the coattails of Domenick and Wendell was her master plan all along, she might just take this thing. I don’t see how, but one must acknowledge the possibility. On the other hand, if she somehow successfully blindsides them, she’s got a much better shot.

4. ANGELA: A bit weird, seeing as we’ve seen very little of Angela, but the lady has stuck to her guns (proverbially speaking) out here, and won a few immunities. That’s worthy of some respect, and if she’s up against anyone but the threesome mentioned above, she might have a shot.

5. DONATHAN: He’s annoying everyone, jury included, and, as I’ve repeated many times this blog, not at all subtle. This at least means he’s PERCEIVED as doing something, which keeps him from the bottom spot, but with only failed rebellion credits to his name, he’ll have an uphill battle no matter who he’s up against.

6. SEBASTIAN: Truth be told, I really want to see Sebastian at the Final Tribal Council, just to see what kind of nonsense answers he’d provide. They won’t win him the game, but they should be a fun watch.

And there you have my rankings. Now, a couple of bits of business before we head into the finale. First off, my blog will be late. I’ve recently switch to first shift at my job, and while this does mean I get home in plenty of time to watch “Survivor”, it also means I have to be up at 6:30 AM. This means that writing a 2-hour blog after a show ending at 11:00 PM does not make sense. I will watch the show when it airs, and I solemnly swear not to read any other commentary before writing my blog, but I just can’t write it until the next day, without going to work sleep-deprived.

On a more intriguing note, I leave you with this. They say Ghost Island will be gone to “One more time”, yet I notice a multitude of unsmashed urns left on Ghost Island. There are a lot of fun ways they could go with this, though my guess is the final trip to Ghost Island will see multiple people go, but only one plays for an advantage. The boot order remains predictable, but that plus a Final Tribal Council with the best people left should make for a fun time then, at least.

-Matt

Title Credit to Jean Storrs.

Idol Speculation: “Survivor Ghost Island” Episode 11: Invasion of the Body Snatchers

If this blog seems slightly later than normal, that’s because I needed a cold shower after viewing this episode. I hadn’t been exercising or anything, but the creepiness factor of the family visit this time had me sweating proverbial bullets.

Still, we’ll get to that in a minute. In the meantime, we get to talk about the fallout from last episode. You’d think two votes along original tribal lines would have little to no fallout, but there is from the second Tribal Council. You see, our players this time around can do basic math, something you’d think would be obvious until you remember that Brad Culpepper is a previous contestant. Since he’s not on the season, Domenick in particular quickly realizes that six votes being played at a five-person Tribal Council is a bit out of the ordinary. As Ghost Island is based around old advantages coming back into play, he correctly deduces an extra vote twist. Given that Kellyn is suspicious of Domenick and Wendell due to them not voting for Laurel as she had hoped, she keeps quiet about this, and hopes the lack of information will spread discord amongst the dominant alliance.

Or, you know, she could come clean. That works too. In fairness to Kellyn, if she’s going to come clean, she does it correctly, bluntly stating the facts and offering an apology for getting them wrong. Not bad, but I still think keeping quiet would have been better. Oh well, I guess we get to just sit and wait for the smart Kellyn to come out and realize she has no shot.

Oh, and just to make it ABSOLUTELY clear that the Domenick/Wendell alliance is taking this thing, does Domenick and Wendell not taking her fears of an exit seriously make Laurel question her alliances? Of course not! In fact, she claims that this shows that Domenick and Wendell have her back. Yippee, even more predictability.

Speaking of predictable, it’s time for the loved one’s challenge. Now, since I’m about to make fun of this in a way that is slightly more cold-blooded than usual, allow me to preface my snarky remarks by saying that I actually really enjoyed seeing these family members. Some of them (Chelsea, Sebastian) were just your run-of-the-mill nice, but we had a lot of really tender moments. Wendell and his father seemed to have a genuine bond, and it was cool to have two “Survivor” fans out at once (though points are deducted from Wendell’s father for being one of those people who names his children after himself), Donathan had a good, tearful reunion with his Aunt, Kellyn and her brother seem to have a nice bond, and Angela and her daughter had a great discussion about the trials and tribulations of having a military parent. This last moment is sadly undercut by Probst’s line of questioning. He’s usually quite good here, but really drops the ball with Angela. He goes on to ask about her, in essence, choosing the military over her family, which is A, not at all how it is, and B, incredibly insensitive even if it were true. Geez, Probst, these people have been through enough.

So yeah, nice touching moment, fun and heartwarming for all the family. Now let’s ruin the shit out of it. Never before have I seen sets of non-identical twins look SO MUCH ALIKE! Granted, these people are family, so you’d expect some resemblance, but a lot of this is freaky. Our parent /child pairs (Wendell and his father; Angela and her daughter) look like younger/older versions of their counterparts, that’s at least somewhat expected. But then it gets freakier. While they’re built very differently, Donathan and his Aunt have the same face, Sebastian and his sister have the same nose and mouth, you get the idea. “But surely,” I hear you say, “You can’t mean ALL of them! I mean, what about Domenick and his wife? They aren’t genetically related.” True. I thought they were going to be the pair that saved us from this uncanny valley of resemblance. But even THEY look something alike! Not as much as the others, and their accents probably have something to do with it, but they seem to have a similar jaw-line. It’s bizarre, and it really took me out of the moment for a moment, though I’ll understand if others don’t feel the same way.

As to our challenge itself, it’s your standard balance beam obstacle course, with the winner getting an afternoon comfy feast with their loved one. I’d complain about how overused and basic this challenge is, but given that last season’s loved ones challenge amounted to “Pull beads out of a bag.”, I’ve learned my lesson. Don’t complain about the loved one’s challenge, or the producers WILL find a way to make it even worse.

If the challenge itself isn’t very good, the editing more than makes up for it, something I’ll be saying a lot throughout this episode. It’s true we have our early frontrunners (Sebastian, Laurel, Domenick), and our early slowpokes (Angela, Donathan), but nobody falls completely out of it, and the music does a good job of keeping us in suspense, once again employing the trick of “Play the dramatic music multiple times to fake people out.” Good thing too, because Sebastian (the early, big frontrunner) wins it all, a thoroughly predictable outcome.

This also further cements Sebastian as not the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree, if you catch my drift. While I’m not as big an advocate for throwing individual challenges as some are, I will say that the loved one’s challenge is one you really should throw. It inevitably leads to you having to choose who gets love and who doesn’t. Being in the public allocator position is bad enough on “Survivor”, but to do it when emotions are so supercharged is practically suicide. Anyone worth their salt knows to avoid this position.

Speaking of picking people to come with, Sebastian chooses first Domenick, then Wendell, then Donathan. Not terrible picks, though given that Sebastian was never really in any power, nor in immediate danger, there’s not a lot he could have done to mess himself up. Pandering to the power players (Domenick and Wendell) is a smart touch, though I would slightly question Donathan. If you’re trying to set up that things are still “Naviti Strong”, then Chelsea or Kellyn might have been a smarter move, but again, it’s Sebastian, aka “Sea Bass”, a nickname I have not acknowledged because I think it’s stupid, and because I don’t often get to write the name “Sebastian”. I’m not giving up that opportunity for a dumb nickname. Point being, no one’s accusing him of being a Rhodes Scholar.

Unfortunately for Sebastian, not only does winning this challenge screw him, it screws him more than usual. You see, Sebastian now also has the responsibility of selecting who goes to Ghost Island, but with a twist. Giving up ANY pretense of the “game of chance” Probst admits that whoever goes gets a free advantage, thereby ensuring they will have a target on their back. Probst then explains to Sebastian the rules for selection, which are confusing. The way Probst makes it sound, Sebastian can select ANYBODY whether they won or lost the challenge, but the way Sebastian talks, he makes it sound like he has to pick someone going on the reward. This distinction is important because, should Sebastian be unable to make a decision, those not selected get to pick. Now, if Sebastian can pick from anyone, his choice is simple. Pick Kellyn, Chelsea, or Angela, thereby keeping all advantages “Naviti strong”, and prevent a tied vote from occurring with four on reward and four at camp. If Sebastian can only pick from those next to him, or himself, the choice gets harder. Thankfully, Wendell steps up to the plate. His dad is also a big gamer, and so encourages his son in this choice. A bit risky for Wendell, since everyone will KNOW he has an advantage, thus increasing the target on his back. However, on the whole, I’d still praise this move by Wendell, since he was a target anyway, and the advantage could be helpful.

We leave as Kellyn is pissed (more on that in a minute), and we head to Ghost Island. Just when you thought Jacob getting the legacy advantage was the most USELESS advantage Ghost Island had offered up yet, wait until you see what clunker Wendell got left with! He gets Malcolm’s challenge advantage from “Survivor Philippines”, the one I famously decried for sullying the sanctity that is the Final Immunity Challenge. Since this ISN’T the final immunity challenge (the note specifies that it’s the upcoming challenge), I’m ok with its presence, though the more I think about it, the more this advantage seems very situational. With an endurance challenge, unless someone lapses in concentration, or some outside force (say, the wind) steps in, one usually loses because one is just not that good at the challenge. Thus, getting a second attempt really doesn’t help that much, as it doesn’t improve your skill level. Really, Wendell’s real advantage is that he has a ball and stick to practice with, giving him an edge in that regard. Still, production is setting it up like we get an actual cursal reversal (a runner-up title for this blog), so perhaps I’m wrong.

Ok, time to talk about Kellyn being woke. Yes, after all the betrayals, after being strongarmed by Domenick, after ALL THE SIGNS pointing to Domenick and Wendell running everything, what gets Kellyn to finally move against them? Being denied the loved one’s challenge. I mean, really? I get that emotions run high, and maybe Kellyn needed her buttons pushed to move out of her comfort zone, but blaming Domenick and Wendell for this? Why had nothing to do with you missing out on your family! That was Sebastian! The worst you can say is that Wendell volunteering for Ghost Island cost you some power, and again, THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH YOUR FAMILIES! Don’t get me wrong: I’m very happy that Kellyn is finally moving away from “Naviti strong”, but this reasoning, after all the other logical reasons Kellyn would have to flip, seems contrived. In fact, I bet it WAS contrived. There’s no doubt Kellyn was pissed about missing the reward, but I bet she really decided to make a move because Sebastian not picking her showed where she was in the pecking order. I suspect this was just a contrived reason that played better on camera. I understand the reasoning, but for someone as smart as Kellyn, MAN it was depressing to see her strategy reduced to an emotional upheaval, not helped by the fact that we know it will come to naught. The high emotions do make for more uncertainty than we’ve had in past episodes of late, but Laurel is surprisingly quiet, and given how she feels towards Domenick and Wendell, I doubt she’ll flip.

Donathan might, though. Unsurprisingly, Domenick uses the reward to offer Donathan and Sebastian a final three deal. A pretty good move for him, as it helps ensure his power (and given Donathan an incentive not to flip), and gives him a final three he can easily beat. Wendell and Laurel are his only possible competition (and even losing to the latter only happens with a very upset jury), so an final three without them is the smartest move for Domenick. Unfortunately for him, Donathan’s misuse of idol means he’s running more scared than ever, and it seems he has a phobia of muscles. Donathan lets us know that he’s not sure he could beat Domenick, Sebastian, or Wendell (the latter was included by proxy in the conversation) in a challenge, and so may flip on them. Now THAT is actually somewhat believable, were it not for the fact that Laurel seems to get final say, and she’s more of a stalwart ally for the Domenick/Wendell alliance.

Oh, and while I’ve been hard on Sebastian tonight, I should give him credit for at least playing the dumb surfer so well that, despite establishing a pecking order, no one targets him. Props.

We get to our immunity challenge, as mentioned previously with Wendell. It’s been gone for a while, and it is a good challenge in and of itself, so I’m not super upset at its presence. However, I must complain at YET ANOTHER ENDURANCE IMMUNITY CHALLENGE! Come on, I know they’re good, but give us some variety!

Though he’s not the first out, as expected Wendell ends up blowing his advantage by not being the best at this sort of challenge. It’s actually Domenick who pulls out the victory, much to my surprise, as he was holding his pole up much higher relative to the table than others, which seemed an unnecessary risk. Good for him, and for once immunity does have an impact, since Domenick was the intended target of the ladies, should their alliance have come to fruition.

Back at camp, we get our first death knell for Wendell as he and Domenick talk about how safe the pair of them are, and how nothing will go wrong tonight. They target Chelsea, which I have to admit in hindsight makes the editor’s slighting of her in terms of the show (four confessionals in 11 episodes when she won two immunities and was apparently a driving force being a lot of the votes this season? Not cool.) a bit more understandable. As I’ve stated in previous blogs, the flaw here is that there seems to be no real danger to the Domenick/Wendell alliance, and editing tricks can only take you so far. However, when you make the target someone like Chelsea, who’s been a virtual non-entity this season, compared to Wendell (the women’s probably target with Domenick immune), who’s had a decent bit of screen time, it makes the scenario seem much more plausible. Does it make it ok for the editors to keep her so in the dark when she made it so far and was vital to a lot of the plans this season? No, but it does at least explain things a bit better.

The women do indeed intend to go for Wendell, letting Donathan in on the plan so as to have a majority. Then, of course, we see Laurel go over to talk with Wendell and Domenick, meaning the plan will come unraveled. And it does, though not in the way you’d expect. Rather than Laurel dumping the plan in their laps, she keeps quiet, listening to them talking about targeting Chelsea, and how this makes them invincible. Rather, Wendell’s emotional intelligence comes into play. While he may not be the strategic force that Domenick is, Wendell is damn good at reading the room. Through no more than a few looks, Wendell gets the sense that something is off with Laurel, leading to a good chance of an idol play tonight.

As to where Laurel actually stands? It’s a bit hard to say. Donathan, as usual, is on board with blindsiding Wendell, with Laurel on the fence. She seems to be considering a bit more, yet all we hear from the pair is good reasons to NOT flip. Donathan mentions how they can vote out Chelsea and still get a 4-3 majority next round if needed. Laurel, meanwhile, notes in confessional that it’s a choice for her between who she can get to the end with (Domenick and Wendell), and who she thinks she can beat at the end (Kellyn, Angela, and Chelsea). Now, normally I’m in the “Go big or go home” camp, saying one should play to win regardless of how likely you are to get to the end, and it is true that I still think this is the smarter move for Laurel and Donathan, but she makes a compelling point here. While Donathan I think NEEDS to distance himself to have any shot at winning the Final Tribal Council, Laurel is well-spoken and a likable underdog, meaning she has a SLIM chance of beating Domenick and Wendell, thus giving her some incentive not to flip. That said, flipping is still her best bet. While we know Wendell at least wants her in the end, there’s no guarantee for Laurel. In reality, playing both sides of Naviti against one another is her best bet, both to get to the end and have a good argument for herself. However, she needs to do it soon, or there won’t be an opportunity to do so, and given that Domenick and Wendell have idols, the sooner the better. Worst case scenario, you flush an idol, and make things easier for yourself later on.

Credit where credit is due: this episode IS more tense than previous ones. The editing has done its level best to make this an up-in-the-air vote, and the music is so good that, despite my instinct saying Laurel and Donathan aren’t going to flip, it seems like a possibility. If they do, though, I bet Wendell plays his idol.

And it seems like it will come to that, as Donathan throws subtlety out the window, stating that there are cracks in the old Naviti, and he expects a blindside. I get what Donathan’s going for here. He’s trying to play up that he’s on the bottom to misdirect people, since that’s what he’s supposed to say. However, his lack of nuance here clearly indicates his desire to make a move, and thus indicates bad things for Domenick and Wendell. And they know it. While the rest of Tribal Council is good enough (nothing to write home about, but good), the expressions on Wendell and Domenick’s faces are priceless.

On a downer note, they refer to Donathan as dropping “Bombs”. Really? I thought we’d used up our stock with the “Ben Bombs” of “Survivor Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers”. I get the metaphor, and it’s appropriate, but after last season, I’m sick of the term. Something different, please!

Now, I’ve given the editors a lot of praise this episode, and they deserve it. From the music to what they emphasize, this episode is more tense than any since the merge. However, it must also be noted when they drop the ball, and they REALLY killed the tension during the vote. How so? Well, as usual with swing votes, they show people walking up and picking up the pen, maybe even taking the cap off, but then cut away before we see what they write. Naturally, as the swing votes, Laurel and Donathan get this treatment this time. The flaw here is that they wait a BIT to long to cut away from Laurel, and we see her put her pen at the bottom of the parchment. Why is this a problem? Well, a pen at the top of the parchment could make either a “C” for “Chelsea” or a “W” for “Wendell”. But tell me, who do you know who writes “W” starting from the bottom of the page? Clearly there will be no flip tonight, and while it doesn’t undo ALL of the editor’s earlier work, it comes close.

Sure enough, Chelsea goes home, with some nice words between her and Wendell about a game well played. A nice way to go out, and I’m not sorry to see Chelsea go. While she got a raw deal in the editing department, Wendell still seems like the more interesting player, so I’m much happier he stays. Also, to give the man his due, he has balls of steel! After all of Donthan’s theatrics at Tribal Council, were I in his shoes, I’d have FOR SURE played my idol. That fact that he didn’t shows that Wendell can read the room far better than I can.

Ok, ok, enough complaining. Despite the ending editing gaffe, this episode rekindled my faith in this season. It seems the editor do have enough tricks up their sleeves to make things exciting, especially with only two episodes left. Still, I think this season still goes down predictable lines.

-Matt

Title Credit to Jean Storrs.

Idol Speculation: “Survivor Ghost Island” Episode 10: Lavita Loca

Frankly, this title is not clever. That is because this episode is not clever. Granted, this episode is more clever than this title, but that’s largely because most everything is cleverer than this title. Much like how this episode is more tense than last episode, but only because last episode set such a low bar. Ok, now this introduction is getting confused. Point being, this episode is a repeat of last episode, just done slightly better.

Speaking of repeating things from last episode…

MATT’S MESS-UP!

Three in a row! Six more, and I get a free milkshake! Actually, this mess-up pertains not so much to last episode, but to my commentary on hopes for this episode. In my praising of the double Tribal Council, I cited it having been gone for a while as a factor in my enjoyment. Specifically, I stated that this twist had not been seen since “Survivor Redemption Island”. In fact, I was slightly off, as this twist was last used on “Survivor South Pacific” one season later. Now, this still does not defeat my point here, but it does make me lose some cred as a “Survivor” nerd. However, as those two seasons are considered by many to be part of the worst four-season run the show ever had, I think I can be forgiven for my encyclopedic knowledge failing me this time around.

As one would expect from a blindside, there’s fallout from it, but not the fallout one usually sees on “Survivor”. Rather than questioning or screaming, there are instead hugs and kisses. Domenick is very happy that Laurel gave him the correct intelligence. He credits her with saving him, despite the fact that he was never a target, but whatever, one big happy family. Laurel, for her part, returns the love, noting once again that Domenick and Wendell have become her “Ride or Dies”, thereby sucking what little dramatic tension was left out of this season. What’s that? You say there’s still a couple of spots left? Don’t worry, the ending of this episode will take care of that.

The next morning, Wendell and Domenick talk about how close allies they are. Why, they even make goo-goo eyes at each other. Not since Rodney and Joaquin on “Survivor Worlds Apart” has there been such a bromance. Only this one ISN’T made up of douchebags, so it’s much more fun to watch. Wendell then takes the time to spell out the alliance, noting that he and Domenick are riding the “Naviti Strong” train to weed out their competition, while having the sub-alliance with Laurel and Donathan, allowing them to take it all. To their credit, as I’ll come back to later, they HAVE done a good job of hiding the alliance. People like Kellyn are definitely AWARE that Laurel is working with them, but they clearly have no idea how deep. Where Domenick and Wendell differ, however, is in how they feel about each other. Wendell goes what we might call the “Rupert Route” (so named for Rupert Boneham of “Survivor Pearl Islands”), and says he’s with Domenick to the end, and will not vote him out. Domenick, however, while he wants to work with Wendell, admits that he’d cut him loose, should need dictate. Wow, even for a season with weak misdirection like this, that’s pretty lame. I’m sure some people will say “It’s the end of the Domenick/Wendell alliance!”, and it’s definitely concerning for Wendell that Domenick doesn’t quite share his feelings. However, it’s pretty clear that Domenick meant this in a “Him or me” type scenario, not that their alliance was breaking down. No, after tonight, there’s pretty much no way that happens.

This talk does segway into more idol hunting from Domenick, and it’s not too long before he finds a suspicious looking coconut. Inside he finds a fake idol, but not the one he made. Instead, he finds the one made by David Wright on “Survivor Millennials vs. Gen-X”, which I have to say looks much more authentic with the hot pink paint having faded somewhat. As indicated above, though, this idol has NOT gained power, and is instead just a fake for Domenick to use to fool somebody. I both love and hate this. I do love the fact that this plays with our expectations. The note sounds similar to real idols, and this is the first time that production has planted a fake idol. On the other hand, Domenick’s shown himself to be not so bad at the “Fake Idol” game himself, and thus this all feels kind of pointless. There are far fewer ways a fake idol can impact the game, and all this really lends us is possible future Domenick scheming. We could have been building relationships, or coming up with convincing misdirection, but nope, gotta find that fake idol!

As one would expect with a double Tribal Council, we cut immediately to challenge time! We do have yet ANOTHER endurance challenge, but this one at least is original. Rather than balancing something or pushing up against something, tribe members pul up on a bar to keep a ball against a pole. Last two people standing win immunity at the upcoming double Tribal Council. Not the worst challenge, and I get why they did it here, but again, I could use some variety.

So, how will we divide up who gets immunity? Will it be a gender-divided contest yet again, or will we finally get to see everyone duke it out in an all-out brawl? Unfortunately, we get neither, and my disappointment with this twist comes to fruition. It is NOT taking its cue from the double Tribal Council or “Survivor South Pacific” gone by, but rather from the merge Tribal Council of “Survivor Fiji”, infamously the WORST Tribal Council the show has ever had the misfortune to have. Players will be randomly divided into two teams of five, with each individual five some going to Tribal Council with one person immune. To make things SLIGHTLY more interesting, the team that wins outright gets to go to Tribal Council second, both getting an early peek at who the other team voted out, and getting their bootee extra prize money. Whoop dee do. SO much better than a straight-up double Tribal Council.

Now, before I go further, let me state that this twist is not AS bad as the one in “Survivor Fiji”, for two key reasons. One, it’s coming later in the merge, so alliances have had more time to form, thus making things less of a crapshoot. For another, talking pre-Tribal Council is allowed, thus preventing Probst from engaging in a cheep line of questioning. I can also understand WHY production would want to do this. “Naviti Strong”, and the relative dominance of the Domenick/Wendell alliance has been sucking the life out of this season, as I indicated at the top of this blog, and dividing up the merged tribe means the possibility of a shake-up, even if only for one vote. But the fact that so much of it comes down to luck still bothers me. I know that “Survivor” involves luck, more than most people are willing to admit, but this just seems like a bit too much this late in the game. Plus, the twist doesn’t even work in that regard! One team has Domenick, Wendell, Laurel, Kellyn, and Michael on it, while the other has Jenna, Donathan, Angela, Chelsea, and Sebastian on it, meaning the original Naviti STILL has the numbers, not matter how you slice it. So all this does is slightly speed up the Pagonging. Granted, that’s hardly a BAD thing, but not enough for this lopsided twist, especially when a straight double Tribal Council would have worked so much better.

Ok, ok, calm down. There’s still a chance for this to work out well. If Michael wins immunity, the Domenick/Wendell alliance will have to eat each other early, making for some great drama. What’s that? Michael’s out super early in this challenge? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! So much for that!

As if this challenge couldn’t be any more anticlimactic, no one exciting wins on the other team either. Chelsea wins again, and once again is rewarded with exactly ZERO confessionals. She must be so pissed at production right now. It comes down to a friendly rivalry between Domenick and Wendell once again, with some good trash-talking between the pair. Domenick ultimately pulls out the win. It changes nothing, but good for him.

Back at camp, we discuss Michael’s options, as Domenick has given the order that Michael is to be the next to go. Frankly, Michael’s options are few. His best hope is to get the idol that Donathan foolishly found with him around. True to my dire warning from earlier, Donathan refuses to give Michael his idol, and as well he should. Michael is tough competition, and never seen as a super-close ally for Donathan. Playing an idol on someone else is risky at best, and playing it for someone you have only the most tenuous of alliances with? Really not worth it. Still, it doesn’t change the fact that Donathan looks like a jerk for not having over the idol, and can pretty much guarantee himself a lost jury vote. Michael’s backup plan is to simply FAKE that he has an idol, and hope that his paranoia will infect the rest of the alliance and save him. Kind of a flimsy plan, but given how solid this alliance has been so far, I can’t say I fault him for going this route. And I’ll give him credit, he’s quite a good actor. He neither over or underplays it, but does pull off the convincing look of a guy who has an idol. It’s no wonder some people believe him later.

Michael first floats his idol lie to Kellyn, which initially struck me as a poor decision. After all, even if you convince Kellyn, it’s unlikely that Laurel, Wendell, and Domenick will turn on each other, and if they think you’re voting Kellyn, worst case scenario she goes home, and they stay loyal. However, Michael’s wisdom is soon understood, as it turns out that while Kellyn may not have the most power, she DOES have the most paranoia. She falls for the acting job hook, line, and sinker, and thus floats the prospect of eliminating Laurel to Domenick. Domenick is his usual, diplomatic self, and flat out tells her that no, Michael doesn’t have an idol, despite very little evidence. To be fair, Domenick finding the fake idol might indicate that there is no real idol re-hidden, but that’s flimsy evidence at best, and as Domenick doesn’t share his evidence with Kellyn, he just comes off as crazy. More sympathetic is Wendell, who tips a hat to Michael’s acting ability and admits that Kellyn may have reason to be concerned. Showing of HIS acting chops, Wendell subtly implies that he could vote for Laurel to Kellyn. Privately, however, he wants Laurel safe, and like any good ally, warns her of the impending votes. Naturally, this makes Laurel scared, since, to emphasize the point yet again, Michael has done quite a good acting job in this situation. Seeking reassurance, Laurel asks that the vote switch to Kellyn, which might not be a bad plan. The only thing that could potentially undo the Domenick/Wendell alliance (apart from a defection by Laurel, which seems less and less likely with each passing episode), is Kellyn getting off the “Naviti Strong” train, and using that enormous brain of hers. In that sense, she’s arguably more of a threat than Michael. Wendell, in confessional, still wants to stick with the plan, and even if Wendell DOES think Michael has an idol, it’s still a smart more. Worst case scenario, you’re probably not going home, and even if you thought that, you have an idol in your pocket. Laurel may not be too happy, but she’s one vote on the jury, and you can explain your plausible deniability on Michael’s idol. And, since we as the audience know Michael has no idol, there’s really next to zero risk.

What COULD put Laurel at risk is Kellyn’s extra vote. Yeah, remember that? Neither did I. You know you’ve got too many advantages in a game when you can’t keep track of them all. Kellyn intends to use it tonight to pile an extra vote on Laurel, which makes sense. If Michael’s immune, she’s a likely target, and so having one extra safety vote for someone who’s not you is a smarter play. Thus, Laurel takes her concern over to the other group of five, who are having their own strategic kerfluffle.

This kerfluffle, however, is simpler. With neither Sebastian, Chelsea, nor Angela being the great strategic minds of our time, they quickly agree that Jenna has to go, using Donathan as a decoy. A smart plan, but I guess that means that the “Sebastian/Jenna Romance” thing was all for naught. Jenna, not giving up, angles for Donathan’s idol, which he’s tempted to give over. I understand the temptation here a bit more than I do at Michael’s request, since Jenna is closer to Donathan, and it would be a resume-builder, but even so, it seems like an unnecessary risk for someone not in your core alliance. The talk does get Donathan slightly spooked, and so he and Laurel go off to confer in the Spooky Shack… I mean, the jungle. Laurel is truly concerned that she’s in danger and so Donathan considers giving HER his idol, something that I could actually get behind. If Donathan gives Jenna his idol, it’s possible HE’S in danger. Giving Laurel his idol still puts him in danger, but no more than not playing it at all, and helps save someone who’s ACTUALLY a close ally of his. But no, Donathan acts like he’s going to do the stupid thing and give it to Jenna, citing wanting to save his friends to “reverse the curse”. Personally, I don’t buy it. Donathan’s no strategic mastermind, but he’s not an idiot, and saving Jenna would gain him so little, I personally don’t see it happening.

Still, I’ll give the episode this: there’s at least SOME credible tension at both Tribal Councils. Will Donathan do a stupid and play an idol that votes himself out? Will Wendell protect Laurel and all costs, swinging the vote towards Kellyn? Both more plausible scenarios that save this episode from being awful, but again, comparing it to the previous episode, that’s not saying much.

Our first Tribal also sees us without our good Tribal Council talkers, and is thus quite dull. As such, let us skip ahead to the only interesting part of this: whether or not Donathan will do a stupid. At first it seems like he won’t, and then he stops Jeff Probst. Fortunately even Donathan is not stupid enough to vote himself out, and does play his idol, but on himself. Frankly, this is a move I can’t fault too much. While Donathan clearly wasn’t going home from our perspective, there was risk from his. All his main allies were on the other team, and given the whole Jenna/Sebastian romance, there’s a chance he could be axed unexpectedly. Whether or not this reverses the curse is unclear, since Donathan did play the idol and negate votes, even though he didn’t need to. The point is that Jenna goes home, and I’m not at all sorry. Name one thing that Jenna did on this season, besides romance Sebastian. I’ll wait. Yeah, she was kind of a non-entity this season, and probably to be the forgotten cast member this time around. I’m sure some would argue that Chelsea should get this honor, but oddly for me, the fact that we’ve seen so little of Chelsea makes her more notorious than Jenna. It’s sort of like Purple Kelly on “Survivor Nicaragua”. Yes, she did nothing, but she did SO little she’s actually more memorable than the people who actually did stuff. Jenna, you seem perfectly nice, but on “Survivor”, you’re a non-entity.

That being said, I call bullshit on Jenna not getting final words aired. However much of a non-entity you may have been on a season, everyone deserves at least that much respect, and it’s not like there was no way to record them after the second Tribal Council. Again, bullshit.

Since all the good show-biz people were in the latter team, their Tribal Council is much more entertaining. Granted, we start off on an awkward note, with Kellyn making comments about how attractive Michael is. Not saying that Michael isn’t attractive, far from it. However, even with Michael’s lying about his age, Kellyn believes she is still a good TEN YEARS OLDER than he is. A little creepy, if you ask me.

I’ve been giving Michael all the acting props, but I should be giving plenty to Laurel as well. She can amass laurels, if you will. The lady KNOWS she’s in with Naviti at this point, but does SUCH a good job of acting like a Malolo with nowhere to go that even I was convinced of it for a minute, and I know where her loyalties lie! You go, girl!

There’s also some good whispering from Wendell and Domenick to up the tension, though I do wish we found out what they were talking about. Still, I do want to highlight something Wendell did this episode. It was commented on “Inside Survivor” that Wendell was playing to the jury, being about the only person to directly address them, and in a diplomatic manner, no less. Since this got pointed out, I’ve been watching for him to do it again, and he did it tonight. He acknowledged the threat of an idol knocking out an “innocent bystander” indicating Libby in this regard, and thus hopefully indicating to her that he sympathizes. There’s that social game I know and love! That said, I’m not sure how well it worked in this instance. Libby seemed more offended at being called an “innocent bystander” than flattered at being acknowledged.

We have a pretty tense vote, where Kellyn does player her extra vote, as she should. I’ll also give her credit that she does a damn good job of hiding said vote, such that no one knows who played it, which could make for some good chaos next episode. This play, however, results in a tie, with everyone save the immune Domenick receiving votes (Michael voted for Wendell, Laurel voted for Kellyn, Kellyn’s two votes went for Laurel, and Wendell and Domenick both went for Michael). This removes all tension, as Michael rightly goes home on a revote. I can’t say I’m sorry to see him go. While I did grow to like the guy, and he was way smarter than I gave him credit for, his storyline was just getting too repetitive, and this season has too much of that as-is. Wouldn’t mind seeing him back at some point though.

Everyone this episode, I would argue, made the correct moves given the information they had to go on. While this keeps me sane, it also makes for an odd episode. I can’t outright dislike it, as we DID have some good misdirection, but again, for this season, that’s not saying much, and this ultimately cements Domenick, Wendell, Laurel, and Donathan as the final four in case they weren’t already. With no sign that Laurel and Donathan will flip anytime soon, and only eight people left, even assuming that Kellyn rallys Chelsea, Sebastian, and Angela to her side, it’s still 4v4. When that happens, it comes down to idols and advantages. Wouldn’t you know it, but all of those are now in the pockets of Domenick and Wendell after tonight.

Think I’m just blowing smoke? Here, let me predict right here, right now, how the rest of this season will go. Kellyn is gone next episode. She’s the only real strategic left to the Domenick/Wendell alliance, and with her paranoia getting the best of her, they will be able to convince Chelsea, Sebastian, and Angela that she’s too unstable. This gives the Domenick/Wendell alliance complete control for the next few votes. Chelsea goes next, having won at least two immunities at this point, and being Kellyn’s lieutenant. After that they’ll take out Angela, as she’s smarter than Sebastian and has probably won more immunities. Sebastian will lose on a puzzle and be voted out, bringing us to the final four, where things get more interesting. Here’s where the season gets less predictable, and where my enjoyment will subsequently perk up again. My guess is either Domenick or Wendell wins immunity, and keeps the other safe. Laurel and Donathan make fire, with Donathan most likely losing, and thus giving us one of the more competitive final three’s I’ll have seen. Then it will be interesting, but until then, a slog.

-Matt

Title Credit to Jean Storrs.

Idol Speculation: “Survivor Ghost Island” Episode 9: The Complainer is Always Wrong

Rather than start you off with an introduction to this blog, I’m instead going to apologize. I’d been good so far this season about making sure that my blogs came out on time. Despite my dire warnings of the new housepet wreaking havoc, she has so far been fairly immaterial to viewing “Survivor”, and she continues to be so. No, my cable decided that YESTERDAY would be the perfect day for the sound to go out on CBS, and given that I had to wake up early today, I thought it the better part of valor to go through the long way of resetting the cable, and just catch the episode the next day. Sadly, while I did my best to avoid spoilers, I foolishly went on Facebook, and accidentally saw who the boot was. Granted, the boot this episode is the person I thought was going to be the boot before the episode aired, so hopefully this spoiler won’t color my opinion on the episode too much, but in case it does: I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.

Speaking of sorry, it’s time for another:

MATT’S MESS-UP!

Not only is it bad enough that I have these two episodes in a row, but I in fact missed TWO THINGS last episode. First and foremost, I was so busy pointing out how Wendell was being an idiot at the top of last episode that I neglected to mention the actually GOOD gameplay at the top of last episode. Domenick admits to the group that he was being kind of an ass about the whole Chris feud, and swears to play a more quiet game. This is a smart move, and one that helps make Domenick less of a clone of Tony Vlachos (“Survivor Cagayan”) for me. Granted, we’ll see that this lasts pretty much only one episode, but it’s a good attempt, at least. My other missed point concerns Michael, and his pitch to Angela against Domenick and Wendell. While he did bring them up as targets, Michael also brought up Kellyn as a possibility, and this is who Angela went to first after the news. While this does prove that Michael has his finger on the pulse of who’s running things, I think it was a bad move to suggest targeting Kellyn to Angela. Bear in mind, it was Domenick and Wendell who burned Angela earlier in the season. They’re the people she has a vendetta against, and they’re the ones she’s likely to turn against. Kellyn, on the other hand, is the one who successfully brought Angela back into the fold, and with Chris gone, most likely her closest ally. Angela is probably not keen on targeting her, hence part of why Michael’s plan failed.

Fallout from the exit of Libby just about equates to her impact on the game: Virtually nonexistent. Thus, we start of the next day with Domenick telling Laurel about a dream involving the pair of them and egg-and-cheese sandwiches. Thankfully there is no dream interpretation, and we move on to Desi talking about managing the hunger by growing up on the streets. What’s this? Character development for an under edited player, and a fairly interesting story? Scratch that! Time for a strategy confessional we’ve seen a million times before! Desi gathers the Malolo Four and suggests targeting Kellyn, then Domenick and Wendell, to shake things up. In the process, Desi reassures them that the Naviti Seven, as they are now known, are not tight and will eat each other. Now, I’m a bit conflicted about what Desi is saying here. On the one hand, what little we HAVE seen of her games makes her seem more of an equal partner than a subordinate, at least in relation to Kellyn. On the other hand, Desi probably has a better grasp on where she is than we do, and it’s probably not a bad idea to make nice with the Malolos, should you want to use them down the line. The flaw in the plan is Desi’s execution. There’s a time where Naviti may have to use Malolo to better themselves in the game, but with eleven people left at the start of this episode, now is not that time. It’s just too many people, and too high a likelihood that someone will use this to turn Naviti against you, Desi. Better to just lead with the subtle hints, such as the “Naviti won’t stay strong forever”, to give people hope and a desire to work with you, but not plant incriminating evidence for yourself. Ah well, the fruits of her labors will be seen soon enough.

More evidence that this season is on a downward trajectory: they pulled the reward challenge from “Survivor Fiji”. Yes, “Survivor Fiji”. Going for the creme of the crop there, CBS. Teams of five, starting with two in a boat, will row said boat to prison cells that must be untied, freeing three tribe members. Then it’s your basic block picture puzzle at the end, with the winning five-some getting a picturesque picnic, while a member of the losing five goes to Ghost Island (the sit out is eligible for neither reward nor Ghost Island, both of which seem missed opportunities to me. It sucks when someone is left out of everything pure for challenge considerations). To be fair to this challenge, this is one we haven’t seen in a while, and the puzzle is devious, as there are actually extra pieces, but this is not stated to the contestants, leading to fun moments where they have to figure it out on their own. The puzzle ALMOST makes up for the rest of the challenge, but unfortunately, the bad of a post-merge team challenge circa “Survivor Fiji” is enough to sink it still.

The orange team consists of Sebastian, Michael, Kellyn, Chelsea, and Jenna, while the purple team consists of Wendell, Domenick, Laurel, Angela, and Desi. Fairly evenly matched, all things considered, at least until the challenge starts. Not sure where Wendell and Domenick learned to paddle a boat, but for some reason of “Have someone paddle at the back.” is beyond them. This gives the orange team a bit of a lead, which in a puzzle challenge wouldn’t be such a huge deal, were it not for the fact that orange also has the best puzzle solver of the season (Kellyn) with them, and thus makes the conclusion all but certain. Probst tries to amp up the drama by saying “reverse the curse” on Malolo again, but A, this is not the MALOLO team but the ORANGE team, and B, Malolo already reversed their curse right before the merge. You said so yourself, Probst. The inevitable rock draw happens, and Angela gets to be the one sent to Ghost Island this time. Yay. Way to make NO STRATEGY happen back at camp, as the in-control foursome of Wendell, Domenick, Laurel, and Donathan are left with Desi, who wouldn’t want to talk to them anyway.

Oh well, at least we may get some strategy on the reward. After our admittedly gorgeous nature shots, and Sebastian narrating said nature shots, the strategy talk resumes. Reiterating the now obvious point that rewards are a good time to get on people’s good sides, Michael gives a pretty good pitch, all things considered. Rather than openly strategize, which would make him more of a threat, Michael acknowledges his position on the bottom, and merely states that he hopes to be used as a number. This good pitch is met with mockery from the Naviti on reward, with Sebastian of all people giving a half-hearted “Yeah, that could happen, I guess.”, which is island-speak for “No.” This gives Kellyn well-deserved confidence, and she admits that he game is exactly where she wants it to be right now. I’m sure this confessional is is NO WAY ironic, and will be proven true as the episode goes on.

Angela finds that she gets to play for an advantage on Exile Island… I mean Ghost Island. Ok, seriously, I’ve been SO CLOSE to writing “Exile Island” several times, and I’m amazed I’ve lasted this long without making that mistake. I don’t mind the “Ghost Island” twist as much as some people, but apart from giving the season a name, there’s really no reason for it not to be “Exile Island”. It works pretty much the same way.

Anyway, Angela gets the same deal that Kellyn got last time, namely that she has a 2/3 shot at getting an advantage, but risks not voting in the process. Angela analyses that with Naviti going strong, her vote is of little consequence, and thus she can risk it. Astute, correct analysis. Unfortunately, Angela makes the fatal mistake of picking the unlucky rightmost chute, which has the no-vote in it. Angela curses her bad luck, we berate production for doing the same thing repeatedly, and we move on.

For the first time this episode, I’m wrong, as we DO get a bit of strategizing back at camp. Laurel and Donathan debate whether or not to go with Desi’s plan. Once again, Donathan seems to be the main person who’s gung-ho for it, and once again, Laurel seems to be the one to shoot it down. Frankly, I’m not surprised. As I’ve hinted at, it feels like the dynamic that played out last episode, but with less mystery. The fact is that if Laurel wasn’t willing to move when she felt burned by her core alliance, she’s not going to move now, when she’s clearly made her bed with them. This scene also has the unfortunate side-effect of really making Donathan seem like a bit player. He’s definitely fun and likeable, but any delusions of him being in power are gone. He’s riding Laurel’s coat-tails, nothing more.

Laurel informs Domenick about Desi’s plan, thus beginning to shake him out of that “Calm and collected” strategy he had been doing so well at. Admittedly, Domenick’s first response is actually quite measured, but give it time. Domenick informs Kellyn of the plot, thus shaking up Kellyn’s whole world. Oh, the irony! I could never have seen this coming!

Meanwhile, with the Malolo people, despite Michael’s valiant attempts at relationship-building, the man reads that he’s still on the bottom, and thus goes in search of the idol. Donathan agrees to go with him, which Michael is somewhat wary of, and with good reason. Donathan is the one who finds the idol, specifically the one held by Scot Pollard on “Survivor Kaoh Rong”, a much better season to be pulling from than “Survivor Game Changers”. While there is some hyperbole to be had here (I really don’t think Tai’s betrayal is one of the “biggest” there ever was, and the snubbing of Aubry’s role in that blindside displeases the Aubry Lobby), I do like the twist they do with this idol. Rather than work on it’s own, it requires Tai’s half of the idol, aka the half that was never played, in order to make a regular idol. This makes for a more authentic curse than we’ve seen. Tai’s half of the idol is hidden under the shelter. Sadly for Donathan, he’s not as “sneaky sneaky” as Kelley Wentworth, and thus requires help to get it. He first enlists Laurel’s help, which I can get behind, since the pair are close allies. Then, however, he also needs Michael and Jenna, which I have a harder time with. Maybe Jenna, just to keep your Malolo options open, but at this point, Michael is the primary target. If he knows you have an idol, and you don’t play it for him (since, after all, your train seems to bit hitched to Laurel, who in turn is hitched to Domenick and Wendell), then that’s an unnecessary betrayal. Still, at least Donathan gets an idol out of it, and I have to say, this is a good use of “Survivor” History. Rather than just repeating what we already know, we get a twist on the old idol concept, but a twist that makes sense given how events went down. Be happy. This is the highlight of the episode.

While our immunity challenge is at least individual, it still sucks. It’s the “Balance the ball on a plate with two ropes” challenge which was boring to begin with, and is now overdone. At least this one goes quick, with over half the players falling out in the first two minutes. Our bland challenge is won by the bland Chelsea, and we move on.

Without immunity, Michael would seem to be the obvious target, but the wrath of Domenick has been aroused, and he wants Desi gone. Here’s where Domenick flies off the rails. Now granted, he doesn’t go quite as far as he does with the Chris vendetta, but he’s still seen strongarming a lot of people, particularly Kellyn. Kellyn, being die-hard Naviti strong, talks to Desi and Chelsea, who both deny wanting to make a move. From what we’ve seen, it’s true of Chelsea, but Desi has to lie, and lie she does, saying that Laurel (Domenick had mentioned to Kellyn that Laurel was the one who passed information) is making things up to try to break them up. Kellyn seems convinced, so now all Desi has to do since her plans have blown up is lie low and wait for things to shift back to Michael. But no, she has to go and berate Laurel for blowing up a “good” plan. Wendell enters the area, and Desi abruptly and bluntly changes tactic, berating Laurel for a conversation that “never happened.” Now, the flaw here is not Desi’s lie. It’s definitely a good one, and Desi, for all her bad moves this episode, has an AMAZING poker face. Desi’s flaw is not going with this lie from the beginning and sticking with it, thus keeping suspicion off of herself. Oh, and being too forceful about the lie. When Desi leaves, and the Malolo bring Wendell in on the conversation, even though Wendell doesn’t know what’s going on, Malolo seems more truthful by demeanor alone.

Ironically, Michael gets an offer of an alliance only when he DOESN’T try and do something. Domenick is again paranoid, and so makes Michael and alliance offer. I don’t think it’s super serious, and it’s a good move on Domenick’s part ot keep his options open. Less good is what happens with Kellyn and Domenick. Kellyn is getting more and more paranoid, but more good reassurances from Desi keep Kellyn wanting to go for Michael. Domenick keeps strong-arming against Desi, though, leading to an outburst from Kellyn about how she always goes with what the guys want, and now the guys should go with what the girls want, in this case Michael.

Now, I’m jumping ahead a bit here, and spoiling the boot slightly early, but I want to talk about the implications of this scene because I think it explains something about how this season is being received. Personally, I’m enjoying this season a lot, and certainly way more than “Survivor Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers”, but even I admit that the last couple of episodes have been weak. Still, I couldn’t quite understand the hate until tonight, and now I think I get it. The problem here is not technically a Pagonging, but something of a similar nature. The problem is that our top four (Domenick, Wendell, Laurel, and Donathan) have no real competition. Once it was clear that their side would win out over Chris, the story was written. Pretty much anyone who could match them on a social or strategic level was voted out pre-merge. Smart for them, but boring for the audience, who now have to slog through a LOT of the less-good characters of the season (name one thing about Sebastian, Jenna, or Chelsea. I’ll wait.) in order to get to anything interesting. True, the episode can be EDITED to be more tense, but like the boy who cried “Wolf!” there’s only so many times you can get away with this before we stop believing. I bring this up with this scene because at this point, their only real competition left is Kellyn (some would argue Michael as well, and while he’s better than expected, he’s not on the same level as the rest of the strategists this season, so short of an immunity run, he’s not really a threat), and she’s so blinded by “Naviti Strong” that she’s not really putting up much of a fight. Even tonight, when she seemed ready to wrest control from the guys, she STILL kowtowed to their way, and eliminated Desi. Thus, the next few episodes just seem like a slog with an obvious outcome, rather than an exciting roller-coaster ride it should be. As for myself, I personally think the four who are in control are the most likable and interesting people left (save for Domenick, and even he gets in a good line now and then), and thus I’m happy to see them succeeding, but if you’re someone who DOESN’T like them, then this is not only a slog, but a slog to an outcome that isn’t fun. It’s a bit like the problem with Kim Spradlin’s win on “Survivor One World”. Even if she’s a good player, and even if you liked Kim, the fact that it was so obvious just removes the entertainment week to week. This isn’t quite as a bad as that, since it’s a group dominating the game instead of the individual, but it’s still pretty bad.

To the episode’s credit, Tribal Council is at least entertaining, as one would expect with Desi on the defensive. Things kick of with Desi and Laurel both giving their sides of the story. Desi in particular states that she’ll tell her side once and leave it at that. Once Donathan contradicts her story, she flies into a rage, arguing loudly and often incoherently. Pretty much all of the old Malolo speak up calmly against her, and it makes for a fun contrast that only adds to the credibility of Malolo. Even the vote reveal manages to eke out a bit of tension, by showing four Desi votes before two Michael votes, making it seem like it will follow the pattern of the second person revealed being the victim. But, as mentioned, Desi goes home. I can’t say I’m too sorry. While I can’t say anything bad about Desi, she just never really made an impact. Michael, at least, provides a good underdog story. Plus, I’d say it’s the right move for the Naviti people, if the goal is to stay united. Even if Desi wasn’t allying against you, she’s still stirring up disunity by arguing. In addition, keeping Michael around gives you a common enemy to rally around, and with ten people left, his threat to immunity is still relatively minimal.

Good move, bad episode. The drama was really just gone, and it’s starting to drag down the season. Point being, we lost too many players too early. We needed people like Jacob and Stephanie still around to add fun and strategy to counter the main alliance, and we just don’t have it. I’m not writing the season off yet, but for the first time since the premier, it’s slipping in my mental rankings.

Still, next episode looks promising. Not only is it the 200th blog of “Idol Speculation”, but we return to a Double-Tribal Council, of the type not seen since “Survivor Redemption Island”. Unlike most things from that season, I look forward to its return.

-Matt

Title Credit to Jean Storrs.

Idol Speculation: “Survivor Ghost Island” Episode 8: Deep-Throat Sea-Slug

Good God, CBS! What were you thinking? This show is on prime time! Children watch this! And you think it appropriate to show a lady deep-throating a sea slug? DISGUSTING!

Speaking of disgusting, it’s time for another edition of…

MATT’S MESS-UP!

Over the course of last episode, I hypothesized that one of the people Chris pulled over to his water well conversation spilled the plan to Domenick and Wendell, forgetting that there was no NEED to hypothesize. We, in fact, had hard evidence that this happened. In editing time at least, no sooner had the conversation ended than Donathan ran over to Domenick and told him the whole plot. Really, this should have clued everyone into the result of last episode. Donathan was one of the few people who said NICE things about Chris. And HE’S the one blabbing? Yeah, in hindsight, Chris was completely doomed, short of playing his idol.

Chris’ exit is the topic of choice post-Tribal Council, as one would expect. Libby is completely clueless about what happened, and no one seems to want to let her in on anything. Thankfully, Libby is not an idiot, and concludes that she needs to start making some in-roads with other people if she’s going to have any shot at this thing. Good for her.

Moving on to the people in the know, Wendell privately celebrates his victory in confessional this morning, but notes that something’s amiss. Wendell considers himself a smart reader of people, and for the most part I’d agree. I’ve said before that Wendell’s strength is his social game, and part of that is his social perception. It’s really his biggest asset… and it’s COMPLETELY missing tonight! Well, maybe not completely, but Wendell is off on a lot of things. First up, what to do about Laurel. She and Wendell have been pretty tight so far, and Wendell can usually get a good read on her, but today somethings seems “off”. Given her protestations in a minute, I’m not sure I see it, but fair enough. Perhaps there’s something we’re not seeing. Wendell seeks to reassure her, and tells her about Domenick’s true idol. It’s a move I can understand, but not one I can get behind. The idea, of course, is for Wendell and Laurel to bond over their shared secret. The flaw in this plan is that this secret is an idol. Look, between a couple of people, an idol secret can be a good bond. However, you have to be really certain. Apart from an idol figuratively losing more of it’s power with each person who knows about it, you run the risk of putting more of a target on your allies if they’ve got an idol. Still, Wendell could do worse. I mean, at least HIS idol is still a secret.

Naturally, the next thing Wendell does is tell Laurel about his idol, which I REALLY can’t get behind. Once was a risk, twice is foolhardy, especially since Wendell is now basically showing where all the power is consolidated. Power is good on “Survivor”, but you want that power to remain a SECRET! You do not want other people knowing you have too much of it! Sure enough, Laurel is now wary of both the fact that Wendell waited so long to tell her, and of how much power he and Domenick have. Way to go, Wendell! A solid, secret four alliance in the majority, and you gave people a reason to go against you! Kudos!

Oh, but the “Wendell makes himself a target” train is just getting started! Our reward challenge, at least in how the teams shake out, is DESIGNED for Wendell to stand alone. It’s the “Hit things with a giant slingshot” challenge, and as you’d guess, it’s a team challenge post-merge. My hatred for these is well-documented by now, so let me get it out of the way for the season: TEAM CHALLENGES SHOULD BE DONE WHEN WE’RE IN TRIBES! The point of the merge is to move to INDIVIDUAL competition. By not doing that, and by removing the “Who do you take on reward?” dilemma, you make the merge much less interesting than it could be.

Still, how does this spell doom for Wendell? You see, the teams are divided up as such: Orange gets Michael, Domenick, Sebastian, Kellyn, Desi, and Jenna, while Purple gets Wendell, Donathan, Libby, Chelsea, Angela, and Laurel. Which side has all the big, buff guys? Yep, it’s orange. As such, rather than hide his strength, as Wendell’s been doing most of the season, he’s really got to step it up. If he were on a team with one or two of the other big guys, he could afford to sandbag and make himself less of a threat. Here, though, any sandbagging would be obvious, forcing Wendell into an unfortunate position.

Thankfully, though, it’s a winning one. That slingshot is no pushover, and very few have the strength to wield it properly. Hell, when Donathan tries it, I’d say HE gets thrown around more than the bag he’s trying to launch. But purple also exploits the rule that everyone must SHOOT once, not hit a target. Thus, they quickly switch out people after one shot, so that Laurel and Wendell (the only two successful shooters for purple) can take all of their shots instead. Orange also picks up on this strategy, but too late. With Wendell scoring four of the six targets (Laurel was too exhausted on the last one), purple wins a day at the taco shack. Yay.

But of course, this leaves the decision on who to send to Ghost Island in the hands of purple. Now that the merge has happened, you’d THINK a consensus would be possible. After all, three of the main four alliance are here, Chelsea and Angela think they’re a part of that majority as well, and Libby’s liable to go along with what you say just to fit in. But nope! Rocks! You would think that someone like Sebastian, who’s a physical threat, but not a threat if he gets an advantage, would be the play, but instead randomness sends Jenna there. Great job giving someone outside the alliance a chance at the advantage, dudes!

Fortunately the alliance’s screw-up isn’t too bad, as Jenna gets no chance to play for an advantage. Normally this would be the point where we get an emotional story from her, but since we’ve got 11 other people to check in with, I guess we’ll just skip the Jenna character development. The purple team is celebrating with margaritas, and pretty much all of them intend to make use of this time for bonding. Wendell sees this as another attempt to bring back Laurel to the fold, and while we don’t really hear from her, it’s not going to hurt things, at least. What we do hear about is Libby attempting to break into the group, basically asking how things went down again. Not a bad plan, but I’m not sure about her execution. The only person she really seems to talk to is Angela, who seems to be the most out-of-the-loop of the original Naviti. The pair do seem to commiserate a bit over this, and again, I wouldn’t say that this is a BAD thing for Libby, but I don’t see how anything she did specifically brought her closer to the alliance.

Counter-measures are forming back at the beach, though. Michael confirms what most of us suspected: that the vote for Chris was done in part because he’s an easy consensus. Not only was he annoying, but he was a physical threat as well. Michael now wants to continue that trend. Normally this would put him at risk, but after Wendell’s impressive performance, HE’S now enemy A-1. To Michael’s credit, it’s smart of him to go for Wendell over Domenick. Both have the same number of idols and advantages now, and Wendell’s likability makes him more of a threat. Michael can assume that most of the original Malolo will be open, so he needs to pilot this plan to an original Naviti. Michael smartly chooses Angela to propose this to. After all, Angela seems the most out-of-the-loop, and one of the few people burned by the majority alliance who isn’t from the original Malolo. Really, this is a great deal for Angela! She’s swiftly falling into a follower position, and that’s not a winning game. Her bond with Chris likely makes her on the bottom, so switching things up really has no downside. Unfortunately, Angela’s loyalty sinks that ship. Now, you might be saying “But Angela’s stated goal wasn’t loyalty! It was chaos!” True. But if she really wanted to cause chaos, wouldn’t it have been better to change her VOTE? Then everyone’s scrambling to figure out the new majority alliance. Instead, Angela tells everyone from the original Naviti about the plot, putting Michael in harm’s way. Excellent job burning your bridges and ruining your opportunities, Angela!

Oh, and Wendell, upon hearing that Michael is targeting him, states that this will be another easy vote. Oh, Wendell. Wendell, Wendell, Wendell. Votes are never easy.

Our immunity challenge, as Probst gleefully informs us, is the classic “gross food challenge”. Yes, it’s a repeat, but it’s one of those things that is so quintessentially “Survivor” that I don’t mind seeing it over and over, especially after a decent length of absence like this challenge has had. We also get some pretty good foods this time around. We start out pretty weak with fish eyes, though this does give us our “Person who can’t handle even the most basic foods.” of the challenge. As you may have guessed, it’s he of the bad episode, Wendell. Round two is a classic, but a bit more disgusting. It’s the beetle larvae that Gervase had trouble eating on “Survivor Borneo”, as Probst joyfully reminds us. Round three is the best, the aforementioned sea slugs. Apart from just being disgusting thing in general, those suckers are HUGE! Serious props to Angela for this challenge in general, and for swallowing them whole in particular. Round four is sadly probably the second-weakest, just being raw clam. Come on, guys, it’s basically sushi! Still, mad respect for Angela winning this thing. Woman was a monster at this challenge, and for someone who’s had very few triumphs out here, it was nice to see her succeed.

This episode has been pretty messy so far, but things seem to get more coherent back at camp after the challenge. The original Naviti convene to confirm that, yes, Michael is the target, though they do make an effort to include Laurel and Donathan in the decision. Kellyn seeks to undo some of the damage Wendell did by offering Laurel and Donathan some leeway, though admittedly it does seem like a token effort rather than something genuine. More appealing is the prospect of a split vote, going five and four between Michael and Libby, in case of an idol. Not a bad plan, if Laurel and Donathan are loyal. If, say for instance, they were worried about the power of Wendell and Domenick, they could use that split vote to their advantage to take out a major threat and upset alliances.

What do you know? Michael offers the pair to stick “Malolo strong”, and take out Wendell. Again, probably an idea the pair should take. While a final four deal with Domenick and Wendell is appealing, the fact is you’ll be seen as a coattail rider at the end, and you have less power, thanks to a Naviti majority and how the idols shook out. Taking out Wendell now robs a lot of that power, and gives you resume points at the end. Both Donathan and Laurel consider it, and surprisingly it’s DONATHAN, the one who DOESN’T know about the idols, who seems more interested in the prospect. Not that he shouldn’t be, but I’d think Laurel would be the major advocate for it.

Of course, Libby is not to be the forgotten person in this equation. Domenick understandably tells her that Michael is the target, and encourages her to vote with them. Not a bad idea, since Libby’s been trying to get into the majority all episode. But then Donathan blows the whole plan up, letting her know about the split vote. Libby is conflicted, and I can understand a bit why. She’d have more power with the original Malolo, but she’s been working so hard to integrate herself. Voting against Naviti now would put a lot of that work to waste. On the other hand, pretty much all of that pales in comparison to the fact that LIBBY IS THE OTHER TARGET OF THE SPLIT VOTE! WHEN AN ALLIANCE IS ACTIVELY MAKING YOU A TARGET, YOU DON’T STICK WITH THEM! How is this sort of thing still a thing? Libby does say that Donathan could be lying, but what does he have to gain from lying to her at this juncture? Pretty much nothing. Take what he says at face value, in this case at least.

This means that a lot of the episode is going to come down to idol playing. Michael naturally will be bringing his idol, and makes it clear that he’s likely to play it. Wendell, in yet another blunder, is fairly noncommittal about the whole thing. He acknowledges the possibility, and admits that he doesn’t want to go out like Erik Reichenbach (“Survivor Micronesia”), but states that he’d like to hold onto the thing for a while. He concludes by saying that he’ll feel out how things are at Tribal Council. Given this episode’s track record of you getting the right read on things, dude, not sure that’s a wise idea.

I’ll give Tribal Council this: It gives Wendell little to no reason to be suspicious. Laurel and Donathan do a good job playing things close to their respective chests, such that there’s no reason to suspect a “Malolo strong” play tonight. Hell, DESI of all people is the one to raise the possibility of playing hard and flipping, and she’s been seen to be nothing but a solid member of the majority. The bad news of all this is that it means the only tense part of Tribal Council is the vote itself. For all my complaints, this episode HAS done a really good job of presenting me with options. Granted, this episode seems to be building to the downfall of Wendell, but Mike and Libby have both gotten enough screen time that there’s an outside chance they’re going. But as to the banter of Tribal Council itself, it just leaves me cold. The only thing NOT boring is annoying, as Probst tries once again to talk up the new format of the Final Tribal Council. Yes, I’m one of those few people who’s not a big fan of the new format. I’ve seen nothing to convince me that votes are changed by this format rather than the question and answer format, and the new format has some drawbacks that irk me. Apart from robbing us of great/funny Final Tribal Council questions, Probst is injected too much into the proceedings. I know Probst being “impartial” was never really a thing, but directly putting himself in the discussion is a step to far in my book. Go back to the questions.

After the votes are cast (with no shown confessionals), it’s idol tension time. After a suitable amount of suspence, Michael plays the stick with a face, which now gets to be an actual idol. Wendell does not play his prior to the reading of the votes, and I expect this to be the nail in the coffin of Wendell’s doom. Fortunately for Wendell, this turns out to be his one CORRECT move of the evening. Contrary to pretty much EVERYTHING we heard from them, Donathan and Laurel stay true, and even Jenna and Libby get in on the split vote. Michael’s idol WAS necessary to save him, making this the first instance of “reversing the curse”… halfway through a season about reversing curses, and over a relic that was only tenuously “cursed” at best. Great. Just great. However, the split vote held, with only Michael going for Wendell. As such Libby goes home, and while I’m not too sorry for her, I’m THRILLED that Wendell is still in this thing! Granted, he would have very much deserved to leave after his performance this episode, but he’s a dynamic and fun character. Libby, while better than your average good-looking young woman that this show loves to cast, never really developed into much of anything, and so, compared to losing a major mover and shaker of the season, this is the much better outcome.

This begs the question: HOW THE HELL DID THAT HAPPEN? Well, ok, we know HOW it happened. The original Naviti planned a split vote and it worked. The better question is why didn’t Donathan and Laurel go for Wendell, when it seemed like that’s all they talked about this episode. We can only speculate, but quite simply, the editors did us dirty. We’ll never know for sure, but I suspect that Laurel’s anger at Wendell was somewhat overplayed, and that Michael never really factored into her or Donathan’s plans, hence why they weren’t willing to stick their necks out for him. That said, this was clearly the wrong move for the pair. Instead of shaking up a more and more insurmountable hierarchy, and giving themselves some power, they instead left it in the hands of the people taking more and more control each day. Poor move, guys.

While there are a couple of good points to be found here and there (I still feel like I’m going to have a heart attack from that vote reading), this episode was just a mess. Frankly, it felt crowded. There was too much going on, and especially before the immunity challenge, nothing seemed explored in-depth. The boot was a huge misdirect, and it just leaves the audience feeling empty. The season as a whole is still quite good, but hopefully next episode picks up the slack of this one.

-Matt

Title Credit to Jean Storrs.

Idol Speculation: “Survivor Ghost Island” Episode 7: Everybody Knew

HALLELUJAH! PRAISE JESUS! A savior has been found! A savior to deliver us from the greatest evil in the game of “Survivor”! Oh, not entitlement or reading the room completely wrong! No, no, the greatest evil in “Survivor” is horrible rap that no one acknowledges is horrible. But now, our lord and savior Wendell has brought us salvation! Praise be!

Ok, ok, enough with the gushing. Time for a “Survivor” history lesson: Back in the day, believe it or not, the merge was a big deal. The exact date it would happen was kept a secret, and the tribes were brought together in varied and unexpected ways. Unfortunately, the producers preyed on the apathy of the viewing audience, and so now all we get is people by boats arriving at camp. Hell, we’ve even dispensed with tree mail at this point. No foreshadowing, just opening on people on boats heading to the new camp. Hell, we don’t even get much in the way of pre-merge confessionals, mostly just Kellyn being happy that she gets to show off her social prowess, and Mike being happy at his new lease on life. I guess I can see the argument that one’s time can be better spent on other aspects of the episode, but it does make the whole thing lose some of its grandeur.

Evidently whoever’s voted out last before the merge gets to pick the merge camp, as everyone is moving to Naviti’s old beach. Domenick is of course happy to see Wendell, but his hackles go up at the sight of Chris. Did I mention that Domenick and Chris don’t like each other? Yes? I just wanted to make sure. It was pretty easy to miss. I mean, they only mentioned it EVERY GODDAMN EPISODE! Seriously, if that storyline hadn’t come to an end this episode, I would have been incredibly pissed off.

The contestants are told to go to the other side of the island for a surprise. I’m guessing the tree mails at the camps indicated that this was a merge, as the note for the feast does not use the term “merge”, yet everyone seems to feel it’s a merge. Mike takes this time to comment on wanting to be the “Youngest Player Ever”. I’m guessing he actually means “Youngest Winner Ever”, since while he is 18, there was no press hype about Mike being younger than Will Wahl. You remember Will Wahl? He was the guy who couldn’t drink alcohol on “Survivor Millennials vs. Gen-X”.

Sure enough, it’s a merge, with black buffs for everyone. And thus begins the speechifying, mainly by Domenick, trying to extend an olive branch of unity to the tribe, while still harboring some resentment towards Chris. Not to be outdone, Chris also starts speechifying on a similar topic, before devolving into “rappifying”. And I’ll give him credit, it’s better than his first attempt at rapping, though this is less due to his technique, and more due to the fact that he doesn’t misuse the phrase “diamond in the rough”.

Kellyn, prior to the feast, had made a comment about deciding where to sit socially. I, for one, would have been inclined to decide where to sit based on where an advantage is most likely hidden. Come on, with a setup this typical, there’s no way that the producers wouldn’t hide an idol or advantage, or a clue to one of these, in that feast. Inevitably, they do so, and Chris is our big winner this time. It seems that production thought the Chris/Domenick/Wendell battle was too one-sided in terms of advantages, and so throw Chris a bone. He’s told to go to tree mail, where he finds a note that says a boat will take him to Ghost Island tonight if he can sneak out of camp, and that he can find an idol there. This is an idol twist I can get behind. Apart from changing things up from you basic idol hunt or Ghost Island game that we’ve become accustomed to, it’s a much more high-risk way to get the idol than we’ve seen. We had something similar on “Survivor Cambodia”, but there, Jeremy didn’t have to hike too far from camp. He could leave without arousing suspicion. Here, Chris is likely to be gone for much longer, thus increasing the risk. Plus, and idol hunt amongst “Survivor” lore? Chris will doubtless have to use his in-depth knowledge of “Survivor” to find the correct thing that is an idol amongst a bunch of other, powerless idols, and this in no way is a setup for profound disappointment from this “Survivor” fan.

As has been demonstrated many times in the past, however, good old-fashioned social maneuvering can sometimes overcome advantages. Wendell, being the sensible one caught in this conflict, decides to try and bridge the gap between Chris and Domenick. After all, while the original Naviti enjoys an 8-5 majority over the original Malolo, infighting can make that majority go away quickly. Working together, even temporarily, can make the infighting much safer. So Wendell gets the pair of them to sit down. Domenick, putting on his diplomat hat, makes the offer to Chris to work together, at least for one vote, to avoid an original Malolo comeback. Chris takes this generous offer, and considers what to do with it. He could say “Yes”, even if he doesn’t trust it, in the hope that Domenick and Wendell will then not gun for him, and if nothing else, he’s no worse off. Instead, Chris goes full Jonathan Penner (“Survivor Cook Islands”) by taking this generous offer, shoving it back in the faces of those that made it, and giving them the proverbial finger just for good measure. Ok, even as someone hoping for the success of Domenick’s side, due to it including Wendell, I’m not a huge fan of Domenick. The guy really started this whole petty conflict when he could have just let it go at several opportunities, and digs himself into more holes than he needs to. Chris, despite a certain amount of arrogance, is at least not the primary aggressor in this conflict. But here? There’s no downside to Chris saying yes, even if he doesn’t mean it. It possibly helps get a target off of your back, and gives you more options down the road. And yet Chris says no? At this point he deserves to lose, even if just for the stupidity.

Oh, and just to add to the “Chris is a moron.” counter? He mispronounces “suave”. Ok, “beneficiary” I can kind of understand, at least that was a polysyllable, but “suave”. How did you even mess that up?

Night falls, meaning it’s time for Chris to make like Kelley Wentworth (“Survivor San Juan del Sur”), and be “Sneaky, Sneaky” and get out of camp. This he does, and is whisked off to Ghost Island, lit up in flame. All right, now THIS is where Ghost Island can be ominous in its full effect! Creepy shots of idols! Creepy shots of snuffers! A mad hunt as Chris walks up the stairs and finds the idol sitting out on a table just waiting for him. Wait, what?

Yeah, I must admit, I’m disappointed. Ghost Island, being so full of “Survivor” relics, would have been a fantastic location for a proverbial Easter Egg hunt, and I was excited to see what they do with it. Having the idol literally served up to Chris on a platter is a big letdown.

Thankfully, the show does make up for it somewhat. Chris has specifically found JT’s idol from “Survivor Game Changers”, aka an idol that was so badly misplayed that it loses power, and is only good at the upcoming Tribal Council. Not that this should matter much to Chris, since really this upcoming Tribal Council, with the merge having happened and physical threats now the major targets, there’s really no reason he shouldn’t play it at this upcoming Tribal Council, and thus it still fulfills its purpose to Chris.

Fortunately for the viewer, it doesn’t stop there, as Ghost Island has updated its game slightly. Chris can add to the number of Tribal Councils the idol can be used at by playing the 50/50 guessing game we’ve seen so far. However, there are now five rounds, with each consecutive win increasing the number of Tribal Councils the idol can be played at. Of course, the whole “Lost Vote” thing still applies. A bit of a debate for Chris, but on the whole, I’d say the smartest move is not to play. True, if Chris IS in the majority, it’s a solid one where his lack of a vote won’t really matter. However, with alliances so up in the air, it’s a risk, and one that Chris doesn’t really need to take. As I said earlier, there’s no reason Chris SHOULDN’T play this idol at the first available opportunity, and thus no reason to take the risk. It’s a decently large risk for a fairly small reward. Odds like that get Chris Noble’s blood a-pounding, and so he plays. To his credit, he does manage to win the first guess, gaining him TWO Tribal Councils to use the idol. Gambler’s fallacy does Chris in, though, as he switches sides for the second guess, and finds a “No Vote” parchment, thus screwing him potentially and assuaging everyone’s fear that the show was just bluffing about the “No Vote” thing.

We head back to the newly christened Lavita Tribe (whose name is neither good nor bad enough to comment on beyond this moment). What we have left before our immunity challenge is really just more of Chris and Domenick bickering. It’s nothing we haven’t seen before, and with one exception, none of it bears analysis. However, I will first applaud the editing here, as they show Domenick complaining about Chris’ arrogance, only to interrupt it with Chris comparing himself to Dwayne Wade. They even made it look like Domenick was somehow sitting in on Chris’ confessional. Priceless.

Somewhat more interesting is how this all turns to strategy. Since the old Malolo will likely be the swing votes here, Wendell sets out to court Libby and Jenna, evidently because Domenick would do more harm than good in this scenario. Wendell gives a good pitch, and Libby and Jenna consider it. However, while Jenna’s dislike of Chris is known, and Chris may be strong in the challenges, Libby makes the good point that Chris is kind of bad at the whole “lying” thing, and thus might be better to work with. A fair point. So fair, in fact, that I’ll call it here and say that it would be much better for the original Malolo to side with Chris in this scenario. Don’t get me wrong, Chris isn’t quite as much of a moron at strategy as these ladies make him out to be, but he’s still pretty bad. Add onto that the fact that, if the old Malolo can exploit this fracture, their only real threat is a bunch of advantages, then Chris is far and away the smart move. Chris has one idol that works at two Tribal Councils. Between them, Wendell and Domenick have two idols that can work at any time, plus a legacy advantage. Much more threatening.

As is standard at this point, our first individual challenge is an endurance one. Contestants will hold a pole over their head horizontally, with a totem balanced on one end, while standing on an increasingly smaller balance beam. Last one standing with their idol wins. I applaud the show for trying something new (again, wish they’d do that with the MERGE), but this challenge just falls flat. Like me, you may think that the players look like they’re holding boom mikes. That’s because this challenge was inspired by the people on the crew who hold the boom mikes. The trouble is, it kind of breaks the illusion of this being “reality” if you’re drawing from television culture rather than local culture. That doesn’t make this the worst first individual immunity challenge, and I don’t want to squash the creativity of the crew, but I expect better.

This challenge also gives us our first look at the new individual immunity idol, which I have mixed feelings on. On the one had, it does a lot that’s different from your usual idol. The centerpiece of the necklace, which usually points away from the neck, is now angled towards the neck of the wearer, giving this idol a distinctive silhouette. Plus, they’ve managed to recreate the season logo (at least the shadow part) on the idol which is wicked cool. That said, something about this idol just feels off to me. I don’t know, maybe it’s just too big, but despite the cool features previously listed, it just doesn’t sit right with me somehow.

One would expect an endurance challenge involving balance to come down to the ladies, and indeed it does, with Kellyn and Libby duking it out for the win. This creates an interesting dichotomy in what could happen. Kellyn is not really a target here, but Libby’s name was thrown around as a possible target should things go Naviti strong. Granted, nothing’s given us any indication that the vote would go for anyone but Chris or Domenick, but still. It’s a winner of no consequence versus a winner of possible consequence. The winner of no consequence wins out, as Kellyn takes the victory. Good for her.

Chris is the one to strike first back at camp, pulling in literally everyone back at camp save Wendell and Domenick on a trip to the well to discuss splitting the vote between the pair, so as to flush out the idol. To Chris’ credit, he does make a good pitch. An idol’s a threat, and it gives Domenick and Wendell a good amount of power that virtually no one else has. Plus, splitting the vote is a great way for Chris to hide his “No Vote” without looking suspicious. The problem here is that Chris is about as subtle as a Mack Truck (copyright Malcolm Freberg, “Survivor Philippines”), and everyone, including Wendell and Domenick, notice. Apart from alienating some people by Chris seeming to think they’re that stupid, this gives Wendell and Domenick time to confer. Wendell tells Domenick about his idol, which given the situation, I can’t hate. From the outside, things look pretty desperate for the pair, and the more information they have about what’s going on, the better to plot their move. The pair again pitch their plan to the others, but we don’t really get any word on how people feel about it. Frankly, it’s chaos back at camp, so much so that LIBBY’S name comes up just for simplicity. Seriously. The original Naviti women (Kellyn, Angela, Desi, and Chelsea) all say that voting for Libby might be the best strategy for now. An idea that seems ludicrous at first, as four is hard to make a majority out of 12, but between the split vote and idols it could happen.

Despite the confusion, things become clear when Domenick, Wendell, and Chris all talk about playing their idols tonight. This will effectively be a lesser version of Advantagegeddon. Domenick will rightly play his idol, which will lead Chris to play HIS idol just to be safe, which will lead Wendell to play HIS idol just to be safe, which will leave Libby in the crosshairs. Not quite as bad as Advantagegeddon, since it doesn’t make for an elimination by default, but still out there. I wouldn’t fault any of these guys for playing their idol. Given what we’ve seen between Domenick and Chris, it’s the smart move for both of them, and since the vote is likely to be split, both of them playing idols makes it smart for Wendell to play his idol.

As you’d expect, Tribal Council is an over-the-top fun debate between Domenick and Chris about who started what and when. We get some more attempts at diplomacy from Wendell, and color commentary from Libby about how good this is for the original Malolo, but frankly it’s SO crazy it all blends together. Thankfully, it’s an enjoyable crazy, since Chris and Domenick don’t seem to ACTUALLY hate each other, and are more in-game rivals than actually feuding. This means that we get good mystery at Tribal Council, rather than annoying blustering.

But, of course, the real highlight is the voting confessionals for this episode. We see three, and of those, only Chris’ falls flat. For the good ones, Domenick starts us off, following in the grand tradition of yelling your vote for all to hear, goes off on Chris yet again. An entertaining move, but not a smart one. Do you WANT the guy you’re trying to blindside to know your vote? Granted, Domenick doesn’t know about Chris’s idol, but still, seems like an unnecessary risk. The real highlight, as mentioned at the top of the blog, is Wendell. The normally calm and collected peacemaker starts off simple enough. He praises Chris’ strength, but then rightly gives him some criticism on being entitled and socially unaware. Had it stopped here, there’d really be no need to comment on it. Some justified criticism explaining a vote from someone whose vote we already knew. But then, Wendell goes off. We see his dark side. It seems that what gets under Wendell’s skin is what gets under all our skins. Poor quality rapping. And seriously, Wendell just goes OFF on the guy. He starts off with a harsh “Your rapping sucks. You suck at rapping.” But then it just keeps going. And going. And going! And it turns into a thirty-second diatribe against Chris’ rapping. You can’t write this stuff! Comedy gold! While I find “Survivor” funny, rarely does it make me laugh audibly. Yet I was busting my gut over this. One of the most entertaining things I’ve seen from this show for quite a while!

Now onto the playing of idols/advantages. After a decently long suspense-building pause, Domenick breaks first. He’s been wearing his fake idol around his neck pretty much all Tribal, but wisely decides to play his Legacy Advantage instead, which is a wise move. As I’ve said, Domenick needs to protect himself, and it’s better to use the thing that’s time-limited than the thing that can be used at any time. This, of course, leads to a cascade where Chris, and then Wendell, play their idols…

Wait, why is Jeff reading the votes?

Ok, I’ll admit it, they got me. This episode was pretty good about keeping things mysterious, but I was CONVINCED we’d get a triple idol play. It made sense both narratively and strategically. These guys have cajones of steel for not doing anything.

Of course, in Chris’ case, he SHOULD have done something. Maybe his brain is steel as well. I think I’ve made clear that his is the wrong move strategically for everyone but Domenick and Wendell (and, if the next episode preview is to be believed, it has a downside even for them), but as a viewer, I’m ELATED! Chris, while definitely a three-dimensional character, was still on the whole arrogant, condescending, and taking up too much time with the pointless feud. Now we can get on with the narrative. This felt like just the right amount of time for this feud to brew, and now we get a satisfying conclusion. Good job, show.

Oh, and Chris can’t rap. That’s another good reason to vote him out.

Interesting factoid: Chris now gets to join an elite group of players who exited the game without ever ONCE getting to cast a legitimate vote themselves. Surprisingly he is not the first, but he joins a small group nonetheless. His only companions in this area are Wanda Shirk and Jonathan Libby of “Survivor Palau”, Gary Stritesky of “Survivor Fiji”, Kourtney Moon of “Survivor One World”, Dana Lambert of “Survivor Philippines”, and Caleb Reynolds of “Survivor Kaoh Rong”. And of these people, Chris is the only one attend Tribal Council (no, the schoolyard pick on “Survivor Palau” doesn’t count). Plus, for all you Chris fans out there, he gets to be on the jury, so don’t feel too sad for him.

Now, why do I say this move could be bad for Domenick and Wendell? Well, while Chris was a big threat to them, he was an annoyance and a distraction. Now, who are the biggest threats left in the game? Why, Domenick and Wendell of course! Granted, Wendell’s good socially, and both have idols, so they’re hardly in the worst shape ever, but I’m concerned for them next episode. Still, I’ve seen people come out of worse scrapes, so I’m not counting them out just yet.

But we’re talking about this episode, and while I was concerned for a bit, it ended up great! Things at the merge seemed fine enough, but very standard and even confusing at times. That Tribal Council redeems the whole thing, though. Exciting, mysterious, and an engaging climax! Who could ask for more? Well, you could ask for a…

TOP 5 AND… TOP 5?

Yes, it’s time once again for a list at the merge. Given my love for Wendell’s voting confessional, that means it’s doubtless time to talk about the best voting confessionals of all time. Since this list doesn’t lend itself well to the “Worst” ones, since it would just be me saying “they’re boring” over and over again, I’ll make this effectively a top ten. This category is pretty self-explanatory, so the only rule worth mentioning is that the limit is one per season. Apart from that, let’s get started!

10. “The ‘Outwit’ Part” (“Survivor Guatemala”): If I were doing “Honorable Mentions” on this list, this confessional would go there, but I’m not, so I’ll settle for putting it on the bottom. Brian Corridan was one of the wittier people on “Survivor Guatemala”, so it’s no surprise that his voting confessionals tended to be good as well. People may remember his “Golden Boy” vote a bit better, and I NEARLY put it on the list, but it seemed a bit forced to me. Brian, the self-proclaimed smart person of the season, saying to Bobby Jon, condescendingly “This would be the ‘Outwit’ part of ‘Outwit, Outplay, Outlast’” is more spontaneous and subsequently more funny to me. The problem? Despite Brian’s boasting, Bobby Jon wins out, since Brian goes home. Vastly detracts from the confessional, but funny nonetheless.

9. “You have made my life HELL!” (“Survivor Gabon”): There’s something inherently funny about people taking the “secret” vote and throwing the idea out the window. Crystal Cox’s vote for Randy Bailey does just that, and is funny enough to earn a spot on this list. That said, it DOES come across as fairly mean-spirited, and so I can’t give it too high a spot, but it’s too funny not to include here.

8. “Dragon Slayed” (“Survivor Tocantins”): Sometimes, simple is better. I’m in the camp that Coach’s whole “Dragonslayer” thing was forced and went on too long to really be entertaining. Still, if it had to last, this was a satisfying conclusion. Erinn Lobdell, someone looked down upon by the titular Coach, delivers the greatest comeback to the whole thing as she enacts her final vengeance. Granted, I’m not a huge fan of Erinn either, so this one doesn’t do it for me quite like it does for some other people, but like I say, it’s still quite good. Sometimes, the simple things in life are the best.

7. “This vote is a total bummer, dude.” (“Survivor Cagayan”): In keeping with the theme of “confessionals from people I’m not a huge fan of.”, we have a gem from Spencer of “Survivor Cagayan”. While I did fine Spencer enjoyable for humor, it was mostly humor directed at him rather than humor from him. What can I say, it’s funny to see a guy try and fail time and again. But credit where credit is due, Spencer did make me laugh at his vote-out with his impression of Woo. This is kind of an odd choice, since it has elements I said I didn’t like from previous entries. Specifically, it’s an unsuccessful, mean-spirited vote. What saves it is that I don’t feel like Spencer really thought he would be spared this vote, and so just wanted to go all out, and despite how mean it is, the impression is spot on. Plus, it adds to my theory that Spencer might have voted for Kass in the end had she been up against Woo, so there’s that.

6. “DENISE.” (“Survivor Philippines”): Like I said before, loud is good. Few people get louder than Jonathan Penner, and he even went so far as to turn around to make sure it was heard. Penner’s usually good for a laugh, and this time is no exception. Short, sweet, and incredibly funny.

5. “You can’t rap.” (“Survivor Ghost Island”): Need I say more about Wendell’s incredible voting confessional? While funny, it doesn’t quite measure up to the gems of yore in my opinion, but still comes pretty close. What it might lack in intensity in some places it makes up for in length. When you think it’s done, it just keeps going. And going. And going. And…

4. “You’ll still give me the money.” (“Survivor Heroes vs. Villains”): What list of quips would be complete without the great Sandra Diaz-Twine weighing in? In my opinion, this is the greatest Sandra badass moment there is. Rupert, having stupidly rejected an alliance with her, is voted out for his troubles. Sandra, to rub it in, notes that Rupert will vote for her regardless. Badass enough, but what makes it funny is that it comes to pass exactly as she says. Rupert realizes his mistake, and pays for it by voting for Sandra. That, my friends, is karma.

3. “You can always beat ‘em with these.” (“Survivor Micronesia”): Frankly, any confessional from the Erik Reichenbach boot would have worked, and if I didn’t have the one-per-season limit, Parvati’s would definitely be on here. As it stands, though, I have to give Cirie the edge for out-badassing Sandra. Cirie’s “Momma always said you can’t beat ‘em with these all the time, but you can always beat ‘em with these.” while first pointing to her muscles and then her brain was a good summation of Cirie’s character, and a badass callout. And bear in mind, these are compliments from someone who’s NOT a fan of Cirie, so that tells you how good it was, that it could break through the veneer of a non-fan.

2. “Checkmate, bruh!” (“Survivor Marquesas”): This confessional right here is why I say Sean Rector is funnier than Boston Rob. John Carroll’s downfall was a satisfying one, but this was just the cherry on top. Sean cockily (but not with bad sportsmanship) declaring his victory of John, while making references to both Vegas and Chicken and Waffles in one bizarre yet fascinating confessional. What could top it?

1. Casey Kasem (“Survivor The Amazon”): Kind of a cliche one to pick, but it’s a fan favorite for a reason. Rob Cesternino doing a spot on impression of a disc jockey to dis Roger Sexton on his way out is that one-of-a-kind comedy (and the rare non-sex-based comedy of this season), that will likely never be repeated. Mostly because of copyright reasons, but also because of Rob’s nearly unparalleled impression skills. He well earns the number one spot on this list.

Hoo, and there you have it. See you next week! May Chris’ rapping soon be forgotten!

-Matt

Title Credit to Jean Storrs.

Idol Speculation: “Survivor Ghost Island” Episode 6: Bradley and the Advantage Factory

Come with me/and you’ll be/in a world of idol saturation!
Living there/there won’t be/a straightforward vote…

Take note, all those people complaining about the lack of idols/advantages on this season: This is your fault! All this stuff now in the game? By proxy, that’s on you. True, it’s doubtful you were out on the island influencing production to plant these things, but you wished for this, you got it. Why is this a problem, though? After all, wasn’t this actually a pretty good episode that set up a lot of future intrigue? Well yes, yes it was. However, I’m willing to bet that at least SOME of you complaining about the lack of advantages this season ALSO complained about “Advantagegeddon” from “Survivor Game Changers”. And what did that involve? Three hidden immunity idols and a legacy advantage. And what do we have on this season? Three hidden immunity idols, a legacy advantage, AND a vote steal! In wishing for this to happen, you have invited in the possibility of that which you hate happening again. If we get another “Advantagegeddon”, I don’t want to hear ANY complaints! You wished for this, you live with the consequences!

Speaking of Ghost Island, and things related to it, it’s time once again for…

MATT’S MESS-UP!

Last episode, I neglected to mention something that wasn’t there: Ghost Island! Yes, in a remarkable show of restraint, the producers decided that the tribe shuffle was twist enough, and rather than screw somebody by forcing them out of new tribe dynamics, they just let things play out naturally. Despite the aforementioned complaints about the lack of Ghost Island on a season called “Ghost Island”, I’m actually ok with this. With three tribes, we now need all the time we can to adjust to the new dynamics. Ghost Island does nothing but distract from that. And again, I think it’s nice to see that the producers do have restraint, and aren’t just throwing a twist in every episode for the sake of drama.

“Previously on… ‘Survivor’! Malolo sucks!” Laugh if you will, but that’s hardly an exaggeration. Gone are the days of the (relatively) unbiased narrative.

Less sucky is Mike, who is taking the initiative to go idol hunting, as he is on the bottom of the tribe. Can’t really fault him on this score. After all, Angela, Desi, and Kellyn seem like a pretty tight group. You’ve shown some loyalty by voting with them, but in the event of another pre-merge Tribal Council, I doubt that’ll get you very far. Thus, idol hunting is the best bet. Now, it may seem wrong to berate players for repeating a mistake from a season they hadn’t seen, but Angela, Desi, and Kellyn all deserve berating. WHY DIDN’T YOU KEEP A TAIL ON MIKE? WHY? This is exactly what happened with Ben Driebergen (“Survivor Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers”), and you saw how that turned out! Well no, you didn’t, but we the audience did! And even then, it’s just common sense. Hell, it’s not like Mike was even sneaky about it. Desi even comments on it, yet you do NOTHING? Once again, a loss of respect points.

Mike is justly rewarded for his unhindered efforts by finding an idol. Specifically it’s the “F*cking Stick” from “Survivor Micronesia”. For one second, I think they’re playing with the poor boy’s emotions. “Ha ha, you get the idol that isn’t really an idol! Good luck fooling people with it!” or something similar. But no. Evidently idols work on Pokemon logic, as enough time and experience can evolve a fake idol into a real idol. Personally, I say that particular fake idol needed a LOT more time to work, but I suppose it’s good for humor’s sake.

Also, I don’t buy that this thing is “cursed”. To me, a “Survivor” object is cursed when it fails in what it’s supposed to do. Thus, things like James’ idol from “Survivor China” make sense, since they failed in their intended purpose. But the stick? It’s job was to throw people off the trail of the real idol, which it did. Ok, the point about how everyone who handled it (Eliza, Ozzy, and Jason) being voted out one after another is a good one, but not exactly the stuff of cursed legends.

Our second reference to last season is a much better one, coming in the form of a reward challenge. Teams of four must hold a ropes taught to support a platform, on which they must spell the word “Reward”. The first team to do this gets steaks, kebabs, a grill, spices, and the right to send anyone from the other two teams to Ghost Island. Second place gets kebabs, and third place jack diddly. I loved this challenge last season, and I love it now. It’s tricky, and leads to a good number of “come from behind victories”. This season, we are not disappointed, as each tribe falls out at some point, only to work their way back up.

Before we talk about the challenge proper, I have to take a moment to criticize Yanuna’s sit-out. Naiviti does the logical thing and sit out the top-heavy Domenick, but Yanuya? They go with Laurel. WHY? This challenge is designed for women (with their naturally lower center of gravity) to do well. Wendell and Chris are strong, don’t get me wrong, but they’re also incredibly top-heavy. They are, in some ways, a liability this time. I suppose I can’t argue with results, but still.

Naviti takes the top prize, despite Bradley’s barking orders clearly getting on some people’s nerves. They are the only tribe to figure out how to go fast, though, so it makes sense. Naiviti, being slow and steady (though not as slow as Malolo), takes second, under the leadership of Chris. I should mention, this is the first episode this season where we get not a single scene of Chris being a dick to somebody, or just being arrogant in general. This is partly due to seeing just about nothing of Chris. The most we get is him leading Yanuya in this challenge, and even that’s mostly just polite coaching, rather than barking orders. If Chris wants ANY chance at a comeback, this is the attitude he needs to adopt.

There’s also the matter of who to send to Ghost Island, and for once, we actually get consensus. Evidently using the argument of “Minimize the number of people who could possibly have advantages.”, Naviti agrees to send Kellyn back to Ghost Island. I get why that type of argument would sway people, but why not send Chris based on that logic? Domenick hates him, and so taking him out of the tribe dynamic (not to mention missing the reward, as I doubt meat keeps very well unrefrigerated in the tropics) would be a nice revenge, and the logic still works. Ah well, at least it’s nice to see that it’s not ALWAYS drawing rocks.

Kellyn’s second return is not as heart-wrenching, but that may be due to the fact that the producers have sweetened the pot, lest Kellyn be cautious again. Now there are three bamboo chutes, with two containing advantages, thus giving her a 2/3 chance of getting something good, rather than losing a vote. Unlike last time, where there was debate to be had about what’s best for Kellyn, this time the answer is clear: Go for it! Last time, Kellyn was in a precarious situation on her tribe, and every vote mattered. This time, she’s in a solid majority, and with Mike’s idol, what she does on the next vote doesn’t really matter. Kellyn is smart enough to realize this, plays, and is rewarded with an extra vote. Continuing the weird Pokemon evolutionary lines we’ve seen this episode, evidently vote steals (the advantage Kellyn actually won, specifically the one that ousted Michaela on “Survivor Game Changers”) evolve into extra votes, since, you know, they’re written on. Kellyn is obviously happy, and I’m happy to see smart playing rewarded.

Speaking of rewards, Naviti can’t seem to enjoy theirs for even five minutes. Bradley and Donathan had ended the challenge on slightly bad terms, with Bradley yelling at Donathan about how he was moving, and Donathan mentioning in confessional that he felt disrespected. Despite Donathan getting a happy confessional back at camp, and everyone doing the much deserved celebrating, Bradley is impatient, and starts snapping at people to get a fire going. Everyone’s a bit shocked to be snapped out of their reverie, but see his point and get to work. Does Bradley stop there? Of course not! When Domenick tries to help build a platform for their grill, Bradley says it’s already done, eager for his steaks. Ok, even speaking as someone who’s not the most socially aware, how can you think this is ok? Hangry is one thing, but you’re actively taking people out of feeling good for getting your meal a couple of minutes sooner. The best that can be said for Bradley is that he at least realizes that he’s impatient and can come off as a dick (his words) at times, but does he ever do anything about it? Of course not! And this is why his exit later, while a poor move, will be satisfying.

The wheels are set in motion as pretty much everybody takes the time to complain about Bradley. This gives Donathan and Libby hope, since any name that’s not them is a good name to hear. It also helps keep Domenick and Chelsea’s options open, which is always a good thing. Privately, though, Domenick admits that he’s not sure getting rid of Bradley is a good idea just yet. Keep that thought in mind, Domenick. It shows you’re playing right.

Despite their lack of steak, Yanuya still finds time to celebrate. Any food is good food on “Survivor” (save perhaps fafaru from “Survivor Marquesas”), and kebabs are pretty high up there. Lest any member of Yanuya not see this as cause to celebrate, Wendell decides to give them one. It seems he has a girlfriend named Nicole (sorry, ladies, but it seems Wendell is taken), and today happens to be her birthday. I’m assuming he means that particular day on the island, since Wendell knowing in advance what day an episode would air would make him some sort of God, and while he’s good, he’s not THAT good. Still, they sing her “Happy Birthday”, and it’s a sweet moment.

Here, though, Wendell proves that he’s not just social game. Wisely waiting until everyone else is asleep, Wendell goes idol hunting himself. Like with Mike, I can’t really fault Wendell for doing this, but for different reasons. Unlike Mike, we’ve no indication that Wendell is on the bottom of his tribe. He and Chris have made up, and should Wendell not want Chris around, well, who do you think Jenna and Laurel would like to target? Yeah, I see no way Wendell leaves on this tribe. However, having an idol is still not inherently a bad thing (I’d argue it’s also not inherently a good thing, as it can make you a target, but that’s a whole other blog in and of itself), and Wendell does two things here to make it ok. One, he waits until everyone is asleep, and thus he will not be missed. Secondly, Wendell waits until AFTER he’s established firm social bonds before going hunting, thus meaning he misses less. Put another way, the big negatives of hunting for the idol are the stigma it puts on you, and the loss of social bonding time. Wendell has eliminated the first problem by being sneaky, and since he CLEARLY has no trouble bonding with people, the second issue is eliminated.

Knowing as all superfans do that hidden immunity idols can be found in suspicious looking trees, Wendell of course beelines for a tree wrapped in a bunch of vines. He does find a note, but it seems that Wendell will have to put in a bit more work than some other people in order to get an idol. He finds a map to an idol, that he Buffy-speak describes as sucking, but eventually manages to dig up what he was looking for. Further confusing the idea of “Ghost Island” evolution, it seems that the Micronesia individual immunity idol (ie, the one Erik gave to Natalie) has now evolved into a hidden immunity idol. Ok, has the definition of the word “hidden” changed? James’ idol was bad enough, but I have no idea how you sneak something as big as an immunity necklace anywhere. Really, this whole thing was done just to add another tally to the “Humiliate Erik Reichenbach” counter, wasn’t it. There’s a drinking game for you: Take a drink every time that clip of Erik giving up immunity is played. Still, good for Wendell, finding an idol.

Malolo, as you might expect, is a bit down in the dumps due to losing so much. Desi states that Malolo is possibly the losingest tribe in “Survivor” history. This is how you separate the casuals from the superfans. Desi, I won’t deny that Malolo’s in a bad situation, but you are nowhere NEAR the losingest tribe ever. We at least get some entertainment value out of it, though. Buying into the “curse” idea, Desi gets Mike and Angela to help her burn the Malolo flag, hopefully ending the curse. While nonsensical, it is kind of fun to see people take the theme idea and run with it in their own quirky ways, which is what happens here. What I don’t get, though, is why Malolo cut the ropes to their flag. Untying knots is a thing, guys, and even if you hate the flag, you could still use the rope for something. I doubt the rope is cursed.

Today’s immunity challenge today is a sucky as the reward challenge was great. Not content with doing repeats from previous seasons, now we’re getting repeat challenges from the SAME season. Seriously, this is just “Octopus’ Garden” again, aka “That challenge where James sucked and Donathan was awesome” from the first episode. Sure, they’re not EXACTLY the same, but the idea is the same. Run out, retrieve objects to be thrown, and throw said objects onto a target to win immunity. Siting out balls and a basket for hoops and rungs does not a new challenge make.

To be fair, though, this challenge at least has some mystery. Granted, I doubt Yanuya loses, since we’ve seen no strategy from them, and physical challenges like this work in their favor, but the other two are a toss-up. Both have had a bit of “strategy” talk (I’m counting Mike’s idol hunt as strategy, since it would have a significant impact on the outcome of the episode), and seem at least somewhat likely to lose. Plus, the producers remembered to show us all preview scenes BEFORE the challenge. Sure enough, Yanuya gets an early lead, and to satisfy the storyline, Malolo’s flag burning helps them scrape out a narrow victory. For all my kvetching, this is actually a pretty fun outcome. Nice job, guys.

Giving Bradley some credit, he DOES seem to make an attempt to be more social following the immunity challenge. He makes the decision of who to go for a conversation between himself, Donathan, and Domenick. I guess Chelsea doesn’t rate even in bland strategy conversations. Of course, one good moment does not undo the bad. Domenick and Chelsea are still upset at how Bradley’s been acting, and seriously consider ousting him. Definitely a tempting option, but Domenick in particular still has to consider whether it’s too soon. And as mentioned before the answer is YES! YES IT IS TOO SOON! Look, I’m not saying Bradley is easy to live with. I get the temptation, particularly given how huge the majority of the original Naviti currently is. But the fact is, despite the majority, original Naviti is fractured, largely due to the Chris/Domenick feud. Thus, both sides need all the allies they can get, and for Domenick in particular, Bradley has seemed nothing but an ally. Libby? The one time you tried to work with her, she burned you bad. Plus, you’re much more of a threat than Libby, thus meaning that, in the event of a merge, you’re likely to go before her. Granted, you’re probably more of a threat than Bradley as well, but Bradley’s annoyance at least makes a good screen to your own annoyance, and might make him a target before you as a result. Or, you know, take him to the end and watch him get zero votes. Either way works. While Chelsea doesn’t have as many of these points, being a bit player in the Chris/Domenick feud at best, the fact remains that the split affects her, and so she needs to be careful here as well.

Tribal Council does have a good bit of mystery about it. The smart move says Libby will go, but the editing says probably Bradley, the talk, while generic, well balances original tribe loyalty with needing to placate new allies, and the epic vote out music is just epic. Who will the epicness curse?

Turns out it’s Bradley, who does not go quietly into the night. It’s not a rant, but you can tell he’s pissed, muttering sarcastically into the darkness. You already know what I think strategically of this, but what about as a viewer? Yeah, still not happy. Granted, Bradley got what he deserved, and I wasn’t going to be too cut up about either his or Libby’s exits, but in terms of viewership? I think Libby has untapped potential, as I mentioned after the first tribe swap, but apart from that, she hasn’t really brought anything to the table. For all his annoyances, Bradley at least brought out frustration in other people, meaning he was more invested as a part of this season, and thus better for us viewers. Not sure I’d ever want to see him on the show again, but I’m glad he brought us what he brought us.

On the plus side, another great episode. Perhaps a bit advantage-heavy, but fun nonetheless and we got to see more dynamics develop. Plus, with the impending merge, we may FINALLY conclude the Chris/Domenick feud and move onto other storylines. On the minus side, this swap didn’t feel like it really had the chance to develop, and that’s a shame. Sure, with the legacy advantage in play, the merge probably HAD to happen at 13, but it still feels too soon. Not enough to detract from this already good season, but something. That said, I’ve been proven wrong many a time this season, so perhaps the merge will increase the awesomeness!

-Matt

Title Credit to Jean Storrs.