Playing on the EdgeUp to now, the story had been narrated in large parts by Adam, not only from a daily life standpoint but also from a strategic one. Therefore, I consider it bad editing that the story came from someone that was to remain an outsider, someone who left the story so early.
If it matters, we know the reward challenge was done by having 2 captains drafting their respective teams. The captains were Jeremy and Kim so can we guess how the draft went? We know the teams:
Having an apparently loaded team, it stands to reason that Jeremy had the first pick so he probably selected two strong guys first. I’d say Tyson and Tony were his first two selections. That would probably mean that Ben was Kim’s first selection. Since there was a puzzle at the end, Kim’s second round pick was probably Sophie letting Jeremy select Nick in the 3rd round to which Kim would have answered with Sarah. In the last round, Jeremy saw the chance to have an all-male team so he seized it leaving Kim with the task of choosing who would participate and who would miss the reward. Michelle was chosen. Surprisingly, Kim’s team led all the way in the “heavy lifting” portion of the challenge and then won it on the puzzle.
The chaotic scene just before Tribal Council was a good example of how things often go even if we aren’t always shown that level of chaos. How much of the images came from this cycle and how much were spliced in from other time frames? We can’t tell but it was nice to see. The sound of crickets that answered Adam’s final question before the vote was quite hilarious as was his attempt to play the “Fleur-de-Lys” symbol on Jeff’s podium. Unfortunately Adam, Survivor’s creative team isn’t that smart!
With Nick’s elimination, we see the fall of another player whose win had been largely helped by production. There are still a few of those winners left, namely Ben, Tony, Tyson and arguably Jeremy, so their fall is probably imminent.
The Characters:Tyson: His involvement in the story came when Nick spurred him on by saying Sophie was gunning for him. He tried to get Jeremy and Adam on board to eliminate Sophie but Jeremy was hesitant while Adam had his own preference; going after Sarah. Tyson agreed. When Kim told him she didn’t want to eliminate Sarah, Tyson turned the tables and said that they had to go after Adam, the one who had convinced a group to go after Sarah. Tyson’s plan got immediate traction. He told us that he didn’t like confusion in the game of Survivor but creating confusing can make people forget to target the person at the source of it all.
We see that Tyson has managed to avoid the boomerang vote and he’s part of the group’s discussion but how long can that last? There is a lot less confusion when the group gets down in numbers.
Ben: His fortune cookie read: “You will accomplish things that many cannot.” I guess a challenge win or two is in Ben’s future! He didn’t like hearing that Adam was linking him strongly to Sarah. He knew that it was going to be hard to settle on one plan and that it might change all the way to Tribal Council. The editors proved him right because chaos started right after his interview when he confronted Adam.
The jury sees a very paranoid Ben and they don’t seem to respect his game very much so I doubt he’d get their votes even if he made it to the end.
Tony: Once more, Tony acted like a Survivor “know-it-all” with Nick and Michelle, telling them that they couldn’t act like that. His next tutorial came after the reward challenge when he told Sarah that she shouldn’t have given up her reward. In interview, he told us that a decision like the one made by Sarah can be very costly. A Survivor player needed to be barbaric, not emotional and humane. After the immunity challenge, Tony reminded us of his plan to target the Hyenas and he was about to get one. Even at Tribal Council, Tony had to tell Adam how the game is played: “We don’t say the name out loud; we go up there and vote.”
Tony the “know-it-all” is a new role for our cop and his advices have been correct up to now. However, I think Tony should concentrate more on his own game than in helping the others.
Denise: No one chose her for the Reward Challenge and she wasn’t much part of the group’s discussion at the end.
The only time we noticed her was when she told Kim she wanted to go after Sarah.
If word gets back to the policewoman, things could get dicey for Denise.
Michelle: In the first interview of the evening, Michelle told us that she was upset at being left out of the loop and that she would have voted against Wendell if she had been informed. To Nick, she said she hated all these people. Michelle read her two fortune cookies and their message (“As the purse is emptied, the heart is filled” and “Don’t be afraid to take that big step”) inspired her next decision: From Parvati, she received a 50:50 chance at safety; a coin that she’d have to flip and see if it lands on the “Safe” or “Not Safe” side. She took the chance and bought it for 4 Fire Tokens.
This was a better episode for Michelle but her name is still mentioned as an outsider. The 50/50 coin was rather expensive so let’s hope she gets her money’s worth.
Jeremy: He couldn’t believe that Sarah gave her reward to Nick. He reminded us that he had given up a reward before only to be rewarded by elimination. Moments after Probst had praised Jeremy for a nice recovery, saying: “This is how you stay alive in this game”, we heard everyone laughing at the way Jeremy fell into the ocean.
I’ll take the laughter that we heard when Jeremy fell off his perch during the Immunity Challenge as a clue that he will make a stupid move that will cost him the game.
Sarah: She gave her seat at the reward feast to the birthday boy, Nick. She claimed it wasn’t a strategic decision, that it was just a way to show that they could be kind to each other. Everything is strategic in this game. Adam’s interview right after the challenge had already made the point to the viewers. Right after hearing Tony’s interview about the “Barbaric Survivor” we heard Jeremy, Denise and Adam agreeing that it was a strategic move.
Will this move cost Sarah in the end? The players are well aware that she is a dangerous player so her time could be coming soon.
Nick: Nick didn’t like knowing he had been the alternate vote, especially considering it had been his birthday; he was going to let them have it. In his interview, he told us that the bloodshed had started and that he’d have no problem getting on board with that strategy; “I love blood” he said. During the reward, despite the taste of Chinese food still in his mouth, Nick told us he didn’t owe anything to Sarah. He started the chaos at camp by telling Tyson, out of the blue, that his name had been mentioned by Sophie. He told us it was his way to take control of the game because he was tired of being told what to do.
This is the first strong episode for Nick so it could be the start of a winning arc but he comes from so far behind that it still seems unlikely.
Kim: Probst made a point out of the fact that Kim chose the better team over Jeremy so can we take that as a hint that she’ll pick the better alliance down the road? I noticed that the editors captioned Kim’s welcome to Nick, making sure we noticed it: “Welcome to the Ladies’ team”. Is that a clue that a “ladies’ team will take over the game, maybe with the help of one boy leading to a FFM Final Three? Let’s keep it in mind. Her fortune cookies read: “You will make changes for the better”. Will she? Strangely, we heard words from two players during the Immunity Challenge: Jeremy was the first and that was to make us laugh while the other was Kim and her words were inspirational: “Don’t get distracted” and “Ride it” she told herself. Those words served her well in the challenge because, after a big battle with Ben, she won the Immunity challenge.
When the tribe returned to camp, Kim had the first interview, saying that it shouldn’t be a difficult vote; they could split it between Nick and Adam who, with Michelle, were not in the “big group”. Her preference was to eliminate Nick. When Denise told her that a group wanted to go after Sarah, Kim did the right thing, first telling Denise she was fine with that but then rallying Tyson against the idea of voting Sarah.
Not every Fortune cookie was read. For example, we never heard Nick and Sophie’s fortunes so maybe the ones that made it on the air were clues. Ben’s seem to indicate a challenge win or two, Michelle’s gave her the courage to buy the 50/50 Coin but Kim’s cookie seemed to have more importance for the long run. Making changes for the better is certainly needed for someone who, up to this point, had been clearly neglected by the cameras and the interviewers. Is this the start of Kim’s story arc, one in which the changes she makes improves her situation. This could be the sign that Kim makes it to the Final Three. She’ll have to continue telling herself: Don’t get distracted” and “Ride it.” Another hint came at the end of the second round: Sophie said: “Good job, Sarah” who, in turn, looked to her left and said: “Good job, Kim” who simply responded: “Thank you”. Will that be how the Finale goes: Sarah will be complimented for a good job while Kim gets to thank everyone? Kim comes from far back in the peloton so it is hard to see her staying up there as a contender especially when next week’s preview has her saying: “I am ready to go to the edge trying to make a move.” That has double meaning this season and could be a sign that she does go to the Edge of Extinction.
Sophie: She was not a factor in this episode.
I really don’t like the fact that my top contender was ignored in such a big episode but maybe it was to distance her from the chaos. Unlike Jeremy and others she didn’t appear confused at all because she never had a chance to express herself one way or the other. All I can say is that 1 invisible episode isn’t fatal, especially for a women’s edit but it would be harder to justify two. She needs to have a strong episode next time on Survivor to remain as our Top Contender.
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