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"Season 38 - Edge of Extinction: The Characters and their Stories"
"Season 38 - Edge of Extinction: The Characters and their Stories"
Another season is soon upon us and with it comes a new gimmick: The edge of extinction island. That could not only apply to this season but to the series itself (how long more can it survive?) and, unfortunately, this board. I know it's probably useless but I'm sending a call to all former posters, all lurkers and any new participant to jump in and share your opinions. This ised to be a fun, joyous place to share the Survivor experience and I'd like to see it come back to life.
As far as the season is concernced, the Edge of Extinction will be a place where players voted out will be allowed to stay for as long as they can. They will have a chance to reenter the game but they won't have to win weekly duels to stay, just endure starvation and total boredom.
So what's in it for us viewers? How much fun could it be to observe people with nothing to do, nothing to say? Well, I'll be looking for some strategy; a player who will do anything to sap everyone else's morale, bringing them down until they decide that it's not worth it anymore. Besides that, the concept has nothing really to offer because it's just a way to protect the four returning veterans just like Redemption Island was designed to protect Rob and RussHole. We'll see how it plays out.
For now, here are the new characters that will either amuse us, fascinate us (yeah! I wouldn't bet on that), disgust us and bore us:
The Manu Tribe
Dan "The Wardog" DaSilva
Age: 38 Hometown: Ossining, New York Current residence: Los Angeles Occupation: Law student/former military
Reem Daly
Age: 46 Hometown: Fairfax, Virginia Current residence: Ashburn, Virginia Occupation: Sales
Rick Devens
Age: 33 Hometown: Blacksburg, Virginia Current residence: Macon, Georgia Occupation: Morning news anchor
Wendy Diaz
Age: 25 Hometown: Los Angeles Current residence: Bell, California Occupation: Small business owner
Lauren O'Connell
Age: 21 Hometown: Bakersfield, California Current residence: Waco, Texas Occupation: Student at Baylor University
Keith Sowell
Age: 19 Hometown: Fayetteville, North Carolina Current residence: Durham, North Carolina Occupation: Pre-med student
Chris Underwood
Age: 25 Hometown: Myrtle Beach, South Carolina Current residence: Greenville, South Carolina Occupation: District Sales Manager
Kelley Wentworth
Age: 31 Hometown: Ephrata, Washington Current residence: Seattle Occupation: Marketing manager Previous season: San Juan del Sur, Second Chance
David Wright
Age: 44 Hometown: Philadelphia Current residence: Sherman Oaks, California Occupation: Television writer Previous season: Millennials vs. Gen-X
The Kama Tribe
Joe Anglim
Age: 29 Hometown: Chandler, Arizona Current residence: Ogden, Utah Occupation: Multimedia artist Previous season: Worlds Apart, Second Chance
Aubry Bracco
Age: 32 Hometown: Hampton Falls, New Hampshire Current residence: Los Angeles Occupation: Marketing director Previous season: Kaôh Rōng, Game Changers
Victoria Baamonde
Age: 23 Hometown: Bronx, New York Current residence: Bronx, New York Occupation: Waitress
Ron Clark
Age: 46 Hometown: Chocowinity, North Carolina Current residence: Atlanta Occupation: Teacher at Ron Clark Academy
Julia Carter
Age: 24 Hometown: Hazleton, Pennsylvania Current residence: Bethesda, Maryland Occupation: Medical assistant
Eric Hafemann
Age: 34 Hometown: Chicago Current residence: Livermore, California Occupation: Firefighter
LibraKitty 1 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "American Cancer Society Spokesperson"
02-05-19, 03:10 PM (EST)
1. "RE: Season 38 - Edge of Extinction: The Characters and their Stories"
Michel-I've been mostly lurking for about 17 years. I just wanted to let you know that I faithfully read your posts every week! They are amazing and I really appreciate the work you put into them. Now that I have a new account I hope to be able to contribute when time allows.
4. "RE: Season 38 - Edge of Extinction: The Characters and their Stories"
LAST EDITED ON 02-20-19 AT 08:56 PM (EST)
Hi michel! Showing up late to the party but I am excited for a new season, especially since I found last season so enjoyable. I am not so hot on the extinction island part of this though. Ugh.
But, just reviewing the daws above, I would have to give the "edge" to the fire fighter. Seriously, they need to venture into new professions, like Medical assistants and toymakers. LOL. I also like the looks of the divorce attorney. Both of those players are on Team Joe/Aubry.
Julie Rosenburg looks like Michelle that won her season, the season that had Aubrey and Debby on it....I think.
In the introduction, the cameras focused mostly on Wardog, Victoria, Wendy and Lauren who was on screen when Jeff mentioned the “million dollar prize”
Wardog had the first confessional of the evening: “You look at me, you think this is a New Yorker, oh! he’s a military guy but I’m currently in law school and I definitely don’t want anybody to know that I’m going to be a lawyer because first impressions could make or break my entire game.”
We can say that our first impression of Wardog isn’t that great. He does get credit for the first confessional of the season but it was rather bland. My first impression is that we’ll hear from this character but he won’t be very impactful.
Wendy’s interview was next: “I’m a super, mega, ultra fan of the show because you don’t know what’s going to happen. You don’t know when this is going to flip, when this is going to happen when that’s going to happen and this is my life.”
Well, Wendy, this show has become very formulaic and one thing we all know is going to happen is that you’ll be voted out early. Jeff described the returning players as being either desirable allies or easy early vote.
Of the four, fan favorite Joe was interviewed first: “I’m going to have a target on my back but I’m going to try to never shine brighter than anybody else.”
He’s about 20 episodes late in figuring out that tactic.
Lauren had an interview when the group saw the returning players: “My two favorite players are Kelley Wentworth and my total Survivor crush is Joe so then you see the boat coming and you see the blonde like that’s freaking Kelley Wentworth and then they get closer and I’m like...Is that Joe too?”
If anything, this could be setting Lauren up to be one of the season’s narrators.
During the mad scramble for supplies, Dan of the Kama tribe found a secret advantage.
Being close to drowning gave Keith a chance at an interview: “I’m not the best swimmer out here and I’ve never been in open waters. Naturally, me, who can’t swim, could cause me to be the first one gone because in this game if you are on the outs, you’re on the edge.”
He called it. At least he’ll rejoin the majority before the end of the evening... but for how long? Knowing how Survivor likes to have specific types of character, I have to wonder if this scene was set up to create a new “Donathan”. We’ll soon see that either Reem is one of the world’s best swim instructor or Keith is one of the fastest learners ever but for someone who almost drowned during his first contact with water he’ll be developing a very strong crawl on his next occasion.
Manu Day 1
Rick had an interview: “When everyone was introducing themselves, I’m so overwhelmed by the fact that I’m in this game. I was so excited because I’m a huge fan of the show. I’ve watched it since the very first episode. No one thinks News Anchors are tough. I’ve got the dad body out here but I have a huge belief in myself. I want to come out here as the cool man; I want to break through the wall. Oh! yeah!”
As a news Anchor, Rick is certainly comfortable in front of a camera which could give him a narrator’s role. Usually narrators are chosen because they last a while. The editors want someone that we’ll get to know well telling their story.
Kelley’s interview: “Playing the third time, I know I may have a target on my back initially so getting in an initial alliance at the beginning is very important. I played from the bottom on Second Chance; that’s not a good feeling and so this time I want to have genuine relationships which can be hard for me because I am a closed person but I have to be more open, I have to get to know these people on a human level.”
We saw her forming a bond with her fellow soccer player and her fan, Lauren. How well will that serve her? I’m not sure. Her tactic sounds a lot like Spencer’s plan in his second chance and while it got him far, it didn’t earn him the win. But she is right; first day alliances often take precedence over later ones.
After hearing that people were waiting for his expertise, David reacted in confessional: “The first time I played Survivor I was afraid to voice opinions. Chopping the wood; the sound of that rattled me. I had to plug my ears with my fingers and I was worried that my tribe was going to have a bad perception of me. This time, people are coming to me; these newbies are like; what do you think? What should we do? I’m trying to give them ideas. I want people to feel that I can help them navigate especially the very early part of this game so that they know I’m a friend that you can trust me. Keep me around!”
Like Kelley, David has the right idea even if he is using a more laid back approach. Alliances made with friends are much stronger than the ones made out of convenience.
Right after, we learned that Wendy had a mild case of Tourette’s syndrome which she explained in confessional: “I have Tourette’s with a touch of OPD. They are like a combo; if I do this one, I’ll go ah! and do this arm one and then there’s a whole bunch all mixed in and I feel like right now they are kind of good but if I get really excited or I get really concentrated or I talk about them they act up a lot... I’m kind of an open book in a way... Let’s admit; I’m awkward...They vibe in a way that I could never but I have to understand that this is a game and I have to play by the rules of the game. I have to play ball.”
This confessional was simply adorable. I’m happy that she gets a chance to play ball. Wendy’s smile was great to see and I hope she’ll stay a while.
Kama Day 1
Victoria had the tribe’s first confessional: “I’ve been dreaming of this moment since I was a kid. When I was 8 years old I asked Santa Claus for a Survivor buff. I’m just dying to get it started.”
For a first impression, this was rather superficial. A lifelong fan must have an idea on how they’ll play this game but Victoria is happy that her dream came through.
Joe’s interview followed: “Coming into this game, I’m really trying to put “Joe Amazing” away but it’s hard because new players are asking you what should I do? You don’t want to point yourself out as a threat but yet you have so much to offer to these new players so what do you do?”
What you do is bring back Joe Amazing and make fire by rubbing pieces of wood together, something very few people have been able to do over 37 seasons. Joe will always be Joe so he should form an alliance with other strong players and hope they carry him far enough that he’ll be able to win his way to the end. The season’s gimmick will help even if he doesn’t know about it.
Aurora had the next interview: “Having Joe on my team means that I am better set in this game. I don’t have to make fire; Joe did that. I don’t have to build a shelter; Joe did that. He’s just amazing and I would love to work with him. I’m gay and I’m still on Team-Joe!”
Aurora is showing a very pragmatic approach to playing with a strong, experienced player. That bodes well for her and maybe for Joe if she can spread that attitude around.
Julie’s interview: “I’m trying to help out around camp as much as I can but I live in New York City; I have no outdoor survival skill whatsoever. I think the closest I can come to is that I peed in the bushes of Central Park once but that was an emergency. So this is definitely going to be a test for me. I don’t want to be the person that everyone looks at like the older woman and she’s a mom, what is she doing here? She doesn’t have a clue.”
Juxtaposed with Aurora’s confessional, it shows Julie as being much less pragmatic but she does show some self-awareness and she seemed to mesh well with her tribe: She was applauded and received a high five just for chopping bamboo! It will be interesting to see if the camera focuses on her when Kama will be informed of Reem’s elimination. If we hear anything from Julie about that then that would be great for her story but if her reaction is ignored then we’ll know that Julie won’t be central to the season’s story. For now, we can wonder how she’d fare on the “Island of Extinction”. Would she even give it a try?
Ron’s interview: “I think Kama is off to the best start of any tribe I’ve seen any tribe on Survivor have. We’ve got all the rations; we’ve got fire on the first day. We have a positive spirit but I have something on my mind: I have a secret advantage in my pocket! There were 18 people on that boat and I found it and now I’m thinking; I got to get away and read this thing.” The clue told him to dig next to tree mail. He went right away while his confessional went on: “On Survivor, you have to lie, manipulate, cheat and as a teacher, I’m going to have all these students looking at me but they are not stupid: They know it’s a game and the rules allow you to do these things.” He soon found a scroll describing his “Advantage Menu”: He could either steal a reward, a vote or have individual immunity but the advantage lasted only for the first three cycles. His interview ended with these words: “Coming in, my goal was not to be the first one voted out. Now this has given me a new goal: I’m thinking this could propel me not only to last for a while but to win Survivor.”
While Lauren and Rick could be Manu’s narrators, Ron could have the job on Kama. He’s had an excellent start and winning the first immunity will only help. He’ll be a player to watch.
Kama Day 2
The sun was rising and the music was very mellow; a sign that Kama won’t be under stress any time soon.
Aubry gave us an interview: “Being a returnee, it is kind of terrifying to play with newbies because if I prop my head up too much it’s going to get locked up because I’m going to have that returning player target. So, I know that the best thing to do is to lie in the grass and come out like a cobra when the time is right.”
Interestingly, Aubry’s tactic is diametrically opposite to Kelley’s. Which one will be more successful? Unfortunately, the answer is going to be influenced by what players know about these players: They know Aubry is a strong tactician so they may not let her strike.
Gavin then had a confessional: “I’m from Irwin Tennessee but I’m not just the good Southern boy. I know the show and I’m here for one reason and one reason only and that’s to win the title of Sole Survivor. That million dollars is going to come in handy and for the town of Irwin I might buy us a fourth traffic light through Main street. I don’t know yet. We’ll see.”
Coming out of nowhere this confessional is very noteworthy. It contains a quote about winning the game so it’s something to keep in mind.
After telling Gavin that part of the fun of the game is figuring everything out, not being told what to do by returning players, Eric had an interview: “Being a firefighter, at the very core, it’s about taking care of people so we get good at developing lightning fast rapports. Like, for example, with Gavin: Right away, I get the sense that he is somebody that is thinking along the same lines. We’ll get rid of one of them if we lose and, if it’s up to me it’s about me getting Aubry out of here fast. If I can do it tomorrow: Great!”
Well, Eric didn’t get Aubry out on day three so will he come to regret it? The scene didn’t end before showing Aubry working with Julie which could be a sign that she’s be well entrenched in the tribe when they get to tribal Council. On the other hand, a first episode confessional that links one’s occupation with the way the person is intending to play the game is of the utmost importance in giving us a clue about the eventual winner. Like Rick and Gavin, Eric is a player to watch.
Manu Day 2
The music had more rhythm when we flew over to Manu. There wasn’t going to be much more stress than on Kama but there was something about to happen in this tribe.
Reem thought everything was going fine in Manu but she was already taking everyone’s clothes to the beach. She thought everyone was getting along.
Lauren’s Interview gave us the real picture: “Reem is so sweet and is just like such a helpful mom but I think some people are like: Stop moving my stuff.”
Keith’s interview came after he told Reem he was a momma’s boy: “I am young, I’m 19 and not having my mom out here is affecting me. I feel like Reem is a motherly person out here. I thought about going out to the water to practice swimming and Reem and Wendy even offered to help me with it. We live in a trailer deep in the country and that million dollars is going to change our lives so I’m willing to learn.”
Well Reem and Wendy proved to be great instructors because Keith was swimming much better after just one practice! With a “million dollar” quote coming right in the middle of that lesson we have to wonder if they thought him not only how to swim in the ocean but how to swim in the game also.
Back in camp, Rick and the others were quick to realize that Keith, Reem and Wendy had a nice little three person alliance. That led to Kelley’s remark: “Perfect! We got the numbers.”
Rick’s interview: “We started out as one big, happy family and we’re still a big happy family but, naturally, Keith, Reem and Wendy started doing their own thing and we saw that Keith wasn’t a great swimmer, Wendy is a whirling dervish and Reem’s a busy body. So, it’s been really helpful for the rest of us in the tribe because we’re sitting there going: Wow! Those three are dividing themselves and those might be the three we wanted to vote out anyway so OK; keep dividing yourselves.”
To stress that division, the scene ended with the camera going from the small group of three now working on palm fronds and then our view went over to the other side of camp where the rest of the tribe was huddled.
Day 3: The Challenge
The two tribes were fairly even until Joe took over at the balance beam. From there, the only members of Manu that gave them a shot at closing the gap was, surprisingly, David and Lauren.
With a gash on her forehead, Kelley had the exit interview: “Losing the first challenge is one of the worse things that can happen to you because you have very little wiggle room, like you’ve known these people for three days. I know from experience that any little thing can send you out of this game and you could be gone in a second.”
Manu Day 3
Keith had the first interview after returning to camp: “You never come out here expecting to lose that first immunity challenge but even though I feel more introverted, I need to have more one-on-one conversations.” With Reem and Wendy, he talked to Rick near the water well. Keith’s interview continued: “As soon as we got to the well, Reem and Wendy weren’t shy to put it out there: They want to get Kelley and Lauren. They have linked them as this dynamic duo who has control of everything so they are trying to get the vote together to get one of those two out. And there just dogging Rick down. He doesn’t even have a chance to breathe. So I wasn’t feeling the whole well vibe; that wasn’t going the way I liked it and something clicked in my head that I have to start playing this game for me and, at the end of the day, no matter who goes home, I just can’t be the one to go home.”
Keith walked directly to camp to tell the group all about Reem and Wendy’s plan. The group settled on getting rid of Reem so Wardog proposed talking to Wendy. She told him and David that she’d be voting with Reem.
Wendy’s confessional: “I feel like they are not giving enough credit to Reem. They are only taking her age into account. She can’t help her age but she can pull her weight which she has been doing.”
Wendy’s stubbornness got to Wardog who wondered out loud if they shouldn’t vote her out instead.
Wardog’s confessional: “Wendy; it was extremely surprising to me that no matter how direct we were telling her that it was going to be Reem, she pushed back. This caused an alarm in my head because what is going to happen down the road? Can I work with someone like that? So this vote tonight, it should be Wendy.”
Hearing that they were voting against her, Reem thought they were idiots. She promised to go down fighting.
Tribal Council
It didn’t take long for Jeff to realize that the target was directly on Reem. Like he said, it’s rare that we have a Tribal Council where almost all the conversation is centered on one person.
Wendy voted for Lauren. Reem voted for Kelley. Kelley, Wardog and Lauren voted for Wendy. Chris, Rick, Keith and David voted for Reem.
On the walk of shame, Reem found herself facing a fork in the road and she decided to go to the Island of Extinction.
The Story
Premieres have often been exciting, counting as some of the most interesting episodes of the season but this one was truly underwhelming. As such, it doesn’t bode well for the season. Wendy was an interesting side story but what chance does she really have? Reem’s choice at the end of the walk of shame was very well presented but this scene will be repeated a dozen times so it will soon become rancid. This island is designed for Joe; a place where survival doesn’t depend on the vote.
Undiscovered Species – These players remain undefined. One of them may very well find a role before too long but their lack luster premiere put a big question mark on their chances of succeeding.
Chris: For an athletic guy whose tribe went to Tribal Council, it’s troubling that we didn’t hear from Chris. The only good thing was that it didn’t link him with the mob mentality that led to Reem’s demise. The audience got the chance to connect very well with Reem and even more so with her early allies, Wendy and Keith so to be partially distanced with their tormentors could be a good sign for Chris but he’ll need a strong episode fast.
Julia: I thought I saw a young black woman but it could have been my imagination.
Victoria: The cameras did spot a red haired humanoid but was it a real person or just a bad camera angle. What we heard from Victoria is that she loves the show but that does not set her up for a big role.
Aurora: It’s not the first time we’ve heard of a lesbian that has the hots for a good looking guy but Aurora’s meaningless presence makes it hard to catalogue her.
Endangered Species – While they are yet extinct, these players don’t stand a chance:
Wendy: I found her adorable. I enjoyed the way she explained her condition and how it affects her. I didn’t like how she stubbornly stood by Reem but her cool attitude at Tribal Council should enable her to reintegrate the tribe.
Julie: Contributing to the work on the shelter is a way to make friends but in this game you need allies and Julie did nothing to secure her spot in the game.
The Dinosaurs – Like Jurassic Park, these old creatures are reborn and they had an immediate role in the story but will they survive the votes?
Aubry: Returning players have one tremendous disadvantage: Everyone know if they can be trusted or not. Aubry is a player that showed clearly that she can be disloyal so laying low and waiting for the right time to strike is the worst tactic she can have. She needs to open up and make people forget her inclination to make big moves.
Kelley: Why does Jeff continue calling her Wentworth? It was understandable in her second season where we had 2 Kellys but now? Maybe he feels like this is putting her in the category of the Penners and the Savages but it’s rather defeminising. Unlike Aubry, Kelley was always loyal to her allies, her problem being that she never had enough allies but people manly remember how she used her idols and how dangerous she can be when pushed against the wall.
David: I prefer the relaxed David than the fake neurotic one we had the first time but what does he really bring to the game? Hopefully he’ll come up with something original to trick these newbies the way he tricked Jay.
Joe: The season’s format is designed to give the victory to this fan favorite but, like Boston Rob had to work hard in Redemption island, Joe has a lot of work to do this time around and not trying to shine isn’t the best idea.
Thriving Specimens: These players had strong roles in the premiere but let’s not forget that pests thrive in our cities.
Keith: The episode was very Keith-centric, first showing the problems he will have to adapt to this new experience then putting him in the minority and later showing how he can turn a bad situation around. He had to turn into a snitch to save himself and while I hate snitches, his tactic proved successful. Spilling the beans about Reem and Wendy’s plan will, for some odd reason, gain him some trust with the majority alliance but will he ever integrate into that alliance?
Wardog: As one of those that led the charge against Reem and especially Wendy, Wardog could become the season’s “Villain”. His name and his thick New York accent will help create the role so I expect to see Wardog go deep into the game but he’ll hardly be a fan favorite.
Lauren: I was pleasantly surprised by her athletic skills. Often “College Athletes” don’t do well on Survivor and the editors remind us of their status as college athlete as a way to mock them but Lauren did fairly well in the challenge. Her future depends a lot on how the tribe will treat Kelley because she didn’t hide her bond to the returning player.
Rick At Tribal Council, Jeff referred to him as Devins, something he only does for his favorites. How could anyone become his favorite so early? Well, Jeff could know something we don’t! Seriously, Rick had a strong premiere and he could be his tribe’s narrator so Rick could be a long term player.
Gavin: His role was rather small but we got to know that he’s a Southern boy and that he plans of winning the title of Sole Survivor. That’s more than enough for someone during a premiere where he didn’t go to Tribal Council. The audience is ready to hear more from him.
Ron: Of the Kama newbies, Ron had the strongest episode but that was influenced by stumbling on the secret advantage. How he uses it and how his role grows will tell us a lot on his chances. Stealing the reward would be a death wish, stealing a vote would also make enemies while needing to use an immunity idol would show that his social game wasn’t good enough to keep him safe. The best thing that could happen to Ron is letting that advantage go to waste. For now, we've learned that Ron is a teacher who won't be stopped by morals in this amoral game and we know he's going for the win so it's a good omen.
Eric: In this short premiere, we got to know that Eric is a firefighter, we got to know about his tactical inclinations and that he is part of a strong duo with Gavin. That’s very impressive. The last two seasons with returning players were won by front line Public servants so why not another?
Previously on Survivor, at the Kama Tribe, the returning players were on the outs... (We see Eric and Gavin plotting against Joe and then hear Eric’s confessional where he said: “they had their chance.”) At the Manu tribe, Reem, Keith and Wendy were isolating themselves... (Here we got Rick’s interview saying: “Those were the three we wanted to vote out anyway.”) At Tribal Council, Reem dug her own grave... (we heard the part of the argument when Kelley said it was all part of the game) and was the first person voted out... and the first person to face a new twist: Go home or grab a torch and go to the edge of extinction.
The choice of characters highlighting the summary is always very telling. This time, the editors chose to present Eric, Gavin, Rick and Kelley as the ones directing the game. Therefore, we have to keep an eye on those four and see if they keep the same roles in the future.
If we go by this episode, it’s possible that each episode will start with the cameras filming the players on Extinction Island. Since most will not return to the game itself then I will make the editing choice to ignore their interviews unless they tell us something about a player still in the game.
Manu Day 4
Extinction Island had isolated drum sounds to underline its primitive nature while Manu barely a tune at all; it was almost like disorganized notes to accompany the image of a crab falling off a crate. If the intent was to show Manu has a disorganized tribe then we can predict they won’t be very successful at this game.
Wendy had the first interview: “At Tribal Council, my strongest ally, Reem, was voted out and now, I feel like I’m the next in line and I blame Kelley. She is the ringleader and I’m just like oh! it makes me so angry. Kelley has played two times before this. For me, she had her shot: Two times and you can’t do it then you can’t do it. Don’t try to mess up first time players’ game. She has this type of personality where she’s trying to become your friend and a lot of these people are eating that up. Not I, like I can see right through that.”
Unfortunately for Wendy, when she said a lot of people were eating whatever Kelley was feeding them we saw a group of three people standing next to a laughing Kelley and they were, you guessed it, eating! This alone is a hint to how this episode’s vote would turn out. The tribe would not so quickly abandon Kelley.
Wendy tried to get Rick and David on board.
Wendy’s interview went on: “David, the other second time player, I think it’s resonating with him but right now he is playing more of a “go with the flow” kind of game. I understand that but I think that Keith is with me so if Rick and David are on board then I just need one more vote.”
How many plans have failed for lacking just one more vote?!
Wardog and Lauren warned Kelley about Wendy’s intentions. We heard Kelley’s reaction in interview: “I completely understand Wendy’s position because I’ve been there. I’ve been on the bottom, I’ve been the target; I know exactly how it feels. She’s trying to get something going and someone in camp who is freaking out and knows they’re on the bottom is very dangerous. We can’t let Wendy fond the idol. I mean everyone else worked with me at the last Tribal and I’m getting the sense that they want to continue to work with me but any time your name’s thrown out there it’s just like “what if?” because sometimes these things catch fire. So, at this point, it’s Wendy on this side and me on this side. We’re basically going to battle and one of us is going to win the war.”
Just like Kelley predicted, her name did catch fire but it was quickly extinguished. Wendy lost another soldier so how far can this war last? Personally, I think Kelley missed a great opportunity to have peace talks with Wendy and turn her around. Like Kelley said, they had something in common, something over which they could have bonded. Sometimes, an olive branch is better than a sword.
Kama Day 4
Unlike the minimalistic music that opened the scene over at Manu, here we had a very joyous rhythm, a sign of Kama’s good fortune both present and future.
Ron was trying to build the Kama choreography.
Aurora’s interview: “Morale, I think, is a huge reason why we are doing well in this game right now, why we won the other day. You have to be in a positive place. We need to feel bonded and for us, dancing has become our thing.”
Aurora had a tribe dynamics confessional in the premiere and she’s continuing with that role in this episode. That’s telling me that Aurora is going to be around for a while but she’ll never really be part of the actual strategy of the game.
Aubry’s confessional was juxtaposed to Aurora’s: “I hate Kumbaya Survivor; it’s the worst but I want to blend in with everybody else. I like going to Tribal first when play Survivor because you see immediately where the lines are and you know how to work with it. When it’s Kumbaya and everybody is just wow! we just won the first challenge, you don’t really know what the hell is going on.”
If Aubry’s intention was to blend in but, unfortunately for her, the lack of rhythm she showed during the dance really made her stick out in that scene. She was always one step behind, one movement short. She may regret going to Tribal Council. Victory builds team spirit and team spirit gives a savvy player an opportunity to manipulate their “friends”. That’s what Aubry should be looking for. Fortunately for her, Joe is taking care of the winning. What happened next really made me question Aubry’s chances in this game.
Aubry started working on a lot of people in the tribe, mainly with “I bought an extra vowel” Victoriaa, Julia and Gavin. They listened to her pitch but where rather non-committal.
Aubry had another interview: “I’m finding it frustrating that these newbies aren’t being forthcoming about their perceptions of returning players.” I know Joe and I are under a magnifying glass; we’re like these ants that people are looking at real hard and I’m afraid the sun is going to come and zap us the hell off this camp.”
Victoriaa told Ron about Aubry’s comments. Rightfully, Victoriaa said she couldn’t do anything else but agree with Aubry. Ron repeated the line that they had their moment to shine.
Victoriaa gave us an interview: “Aubry, right now, is just going to everyone and I think she’s a little panicked. She’s saying: “I really like you. I think you’re a good player, you remind me of myself” and she says all that crap. She’s just doing her best to pull somebody in with her. She’s doing a great job at it so she might have to go.”
We then had a very clever montage showing Aubry repeating the same lines to everyone: She wanted to open a dialogue and they all reminded her of herself. This editors’ decision to present this montage really undermines Aubry’s chances in the game. It’s especially bad that we heard Victoriaa, Ron and Julia talking about Aubry’s words before we actually heard Aubry ourselves. It made it seem like Aubry was repeating the same lines to everyone for at least the second time.
Aubry’s plan was to lay low and wait for the right moment to strike but she’s already playing too hard to fast, trying to have a “secret” alliance with everyone! The worst part of the scene is that it ended with Aubry appearing satisfied, eating two handfuls of fruit, enough to satiate her appetite. It seems to symbolize that Aubry was satisfied with the work she had done on the newbies. A swap cannot happen soon enough for her. Manu Day 4
Again the music was rather in staccato.
Kelley and Lauren were looking for an idol. Rick and David were doing the same.
David’s interview: “Wendy thinks her back is against the wall because she lost her only ally which was Reem, so she’s worried that she could be next to go. So Wendy’s pitch is that we should get rid of Wentworth and the funny thing is that I know Kelley Wentworth is not going to let me get too deep into this game. I know she wants to cut me soon. She’s a really smart player and she’s going to do anything she can to eliminate threats. Orchestrating a blindside is very delicate. You have to be so careful about who you let know about it. I mean Keith seems to be tight with Wendy but trying to pull in Wardog that makes me very nervous because he doesn’t like to talk strategy until it is absolutely necessary. But at the same time, Wendy’s loyalty and trust, that could be worth than money in this game.”
Is this a nod at David’s paranoia that nearly got him voted out at the beginning of his first season? We haven’t heard anything from Kelley about targeting him. In fact, it’s been the opposite; Kelley wants to work with many people including David so maybe paranoia is returning.
Under the watchful eyes of two Bats, Rick and David made a pact to have each other’s back until Final 4.
Will the two bats come to symbolize Rick and David? If so, it will be a great sign for them that a strong animal imagery is associated with them.
Rick’s interview: ‘My strategy coming into this game was get with big guys and kind of slip through and I think David might be my guy. We’re two peas in a pod. I think we see the world the same way, we see the game the same way and I’m going to use my sense of humor and try to get in tight with him.”
David’s next confessional: “Rick’s is hysterical! I love the guy; he’s so much fun to be around. Rick is, honestly, the person I trust most in this game. Also, he’s very smart and strategic and that could be really great for my game. So, I’m going to try to keep Rick around for as long as possible.”
These two confessionals combined are of great value for Rick’s standing in the game. Not only did we get immediate confirmation that Rick’s sense of humor is drawing David to him but we hear from a known quantity, a mostly respected returning player that Rick is smart and strategic. Rick almost got David’s endorsement for the title of Sole Survivor. As for David, the symbolism wasn’t as positive; he told us he’d want to keep David around for as long as possible JUST as the camera showed Rick turning his back on David and walking out alone into the jungle. I think this scene told us that Rick will outlast David. He will be able to use the big guy and slip through unarmed.
Kama Day 4
Once more the music was upbeat for our approach of the Kama camp.
Eric and Gavin were talking about the hidden immunity idol.
Gavin’s interview: “This is Survivor season 38 and advantages and idols are on everyone’s mind. I’m the biggest fan here; I’ve been wanting to do this for so dang long. As a fan, watching through the TV I’m thinking how in the heck do people find these stuff and it’s the same for me now: It’s just shooting in the dark. You truly have no idea where it’s at.”
Eric’s confessional: “Geographically, this space is huge. We have no idea where these idols are hidden or if there are clues or markings and the jungle is so thick that you really have to search for an extended period of time and time away from the tribe is suspicious.”
Julie’s interview: “Recently, I’ve seen the men disappearing and they are gone for a long time. Whether they are going off alone or going off in pairs it’s quite obvious; there’s a lot of idol searching going on.”
Next we had Victoriaa’s confessional: “You know, I wish I knew what is going on with idols and advantages. I’m sure people have started looking but I have no idea how you would even begin to start looking. I mean; it’s a big place and everything is unique in its own way but also exactly the same. They are all trees that look funky. Where do you begin?”
Julie’s interview: “It is interesting to me that the women and men do fall into these preconceived roles. I don’t know if it’s about living this primitive life style where the men were the gatherers and the hunters...no the women were the gathe...who the hell were the gatherers... I don’t know. I think it’s my own personal issue that I have to figure out: I’m not a sneaky person and it feels kind of sneaky to me to have to slither off searching for idols.”
This isn’t very promising for Victoriaa and Julie. It makes me wonder if either will fall victim to someone’s idol. The answer to Victoriaa’s question is easy: You begin by getting up off your ass and open your eyes and walk around. It must be noted that all this searching is a great set up for the player that will soon come up with an idol. Viewers will remember that everyone including David, Joe and Kelley failed but that someone was successful. And that someone was on the other tribe.
Manu Later in Day 4
Lauren’s interview: “There are a lot of people looking for an idol and the odds of me finding it are slim but, ever since I was a kid, finding an idol was on my Survivor bucket list because my two favorite female players were Parvati and Kelley Wentworth. Those were my role models, they were my Survivor Queens. They weren’t just women that went around riding coat tails, they were badasses especially Kelley Wentworth. I mean Kelley found two immunity idols in her season and she used them brilliantly. So I always wanted to find an idol and this is Survivor; you can find an idol anywhere. I see this tree that is fallen over and I’m thinking; if I were an immunity idol, I’d be hiding in there. I can’t believe I pulled out my beautiful immunity idol package! I feel ecstatic! Finding it on the same tribe as one of my role models makes it astronomically more exciting. I just have to hide it because I’m 100% keeping it to myself. I’m very tight with Kelley but I’m definitely not telling her. I’m glad I have it and she doesn’t.”
That was a remarkable interview. I would have preferred hearing that Kim Spradlin was one of her role models but that’s just me. We have to be impressed that she plans on keeping the idol a secret even from Kelley but will she follow through on that idea? Also, I hope the idol doesn’t get swept away at high tide because I didn’t really like her hiding spot! With the set-up of everyone looking for idols, two women saying that they don’t even know where to look, I think it’s a tremendous sign for Lauren. She should have a nice journey in this game.
Day 6
I guess nothing happened on Day 5. Well if no idols were found on the day what else could possibly interest the new school viewers? It’s not as if they’re interested in camp life... The camera did show Julie when Jeff mentioned that Reem had been voted out but we didn’t really get a reaction from her.
Julie sat out for Kama which tells us what the tribe thinks of her.
The challenge itself was rather long and boring but again, would they show us camp life instead? It’s not as if this show was meant to feature people building a new society under drastic conditions. It’s all about idols and challenges and “big moves”...
With Joe once more leading the way, Kama won rather easily even if Manu gave them a bit of a scare in the end.
Keith’s performance in the water, in the cage and during the ring toss was simple atrocious.
That led to Wardog’s confessional: “Losing our second challenge definitely is deflating. It hurts. But now I’m thinking this isn’t just a binary equation of just Wentworth or Wendy even if they’re going to war with each other. Maybe there’s another option. There is a Pan C that no one is thinking of: Keith is a liability in challenges. Maybe a new game plan has to be enacted.”
Manu Day 6
Chris was apologizing for letting his team down but no one wanted to hear it; Chris, they all agreed, had done his best.
No one was comforting Keith, the one that had all the reasons in the world to feel bad. At least his interview told us he knew it was his fault.
Out in the ocean Wardog seemed to surprise Lauren with his idea of eliminating Keith.
In confessional Wardogexplained: “At this point, we’re down in numbers. We can’t lose again; we need strength and Keith is not strong in challenges. He’s killing is, All the things add up and I’m asking myself how is Keith in this game helping the Wardog out and the answer is that he’s not.”
Wardog is shown to be very cold and analytical; a trait often shared by many eventual winners.
Kelley wasn’t impressed: “I knew that this was going to happen; Wardog is leading the charge to vote out Keith and it’s stupid. I don’t know what he’s thinking. Yeah! Keith failed miserably but he’s not a threat to anybody whereas Wendy wants to get me out. So I’m not happy.”
Kelley is becoming a one-note character, fixating on Wendy when the vote against Keith was just about to save her skin. Wardog explained his reasons to keep Wendy, the better swimmer, over Keith.
David’s interview: “I knew that convincing Wardog to vote out Wentworth was going to be difficult and sure enough, Wardog is very adamant that Keith is going home. So now, I don’t think that I have the five votes I need to get rid of Wentworth and it’s like damn!”
Personally, I don’t get David’s fixation on eliminating Kelley. Doesn’t he realize that it would open the door to voting him out next? It’s like these weaker players who agree to vote out the weakest not realizing there next in line. The funny thing is that it also applies to the stronger players: As soon as Mike agreed to vote out Joe in Worlds Apart, he stood next in line.
Chris finally had his first confessional of the season: “Unfortunately, Keith has shot himself in the foot which kind of sucks because he’s a good kid and I know this game means a lot to him. Honestly, I don’t want Keith to go because Keith has specifically told me: “I’m with you until the end. I’m going to stay loyal to you over anyone else” and that’s not the type of player you vote out.”
Chris will not be able to save his ally and friend but, editing-wise, he gained a lot of momentum: In a rather disorganized tribe filled with cold, calculating players, Chris comes out as a good guy, the type of guy that viewers like. Hearing Chris’ plan, Rick had a quick reaction: “Holy crap! We might still be able to take out Wentworth and the vest part of that is that Chris actually came up with the idea. I mean, Chris came to me and we both think it’s prime time for a blindside. This is huge.”
What Rick saw as a huge opportunity turned out to be a wet petard.
David’s confessional revealed his enthusiasm: “This is so exciting: I feel like we’ve been handled this gift. It’s Christmas because I’m all about blindsiding Wentworth. I think that’s a great idea. This tribe is not big enough for two returning players so I want to take her out before she comes after me. As long as everyone is on board with this plan, it’s almost going to happen on its own.”
Unfortunately for David, the Grinch was in Fiji in the person of Wardog who saw Kelley as a potential shield.
Wardog’s confessional: “Chris is throwing cold water on my plan. He wants to take out Wentworth but I think that’s very short-sighted. Yes, she’s a returning player, she’s a threat, she plays the game hard, she finished in fourth place the last time; she’s a gamer but she has a bigger target on her back than I do and that’s a great reason to keep her around. I want the plan to be my plan but I want everyone else feel like it’s their plan too. I don’t want them to look at me as the one calling the shots; that would just get me in trouble. So Chris and myself, we have to make a decision but if we are going to take out Wentworth, this is the vote.”
Wardog is showing to be a smart player; not only will it be his plan that works out in the end but he’s managed to stay shielded and he isn’t reveal himself as a strategic threat.
We heard Kelley’s thoughts: “People are acting very strange and it’s making me nervous... There has been a shift and I’m like; if I were in their shoes what would I do? There is no question I would vote me out. It’s not like these people know each other’s game but they do know mine. I’ve been in this position before and both times I was blindsided. I trust Lauren but not these other people so my heart is beating very fast right now. IK feel like it’s going to be déjà vu and if they take me out before Keith I’m going to be so pissed off.”
There was a very noticeable break in Kelley’s confessional right after she said that people were making her nervous. It made her observation sound even more accurate because we saw people looking suspicious.
Tribal Council
There were lots of talk of loyalty and challenge performance but, in the end, we saw one vote against Wendy, one against Kelley and the rest were against Keith.
Reaching the fork in the road, Keith left us hanging...
The Story
Up to know, both episode titles have come from returning players; we first had Joe sating “It smells like Success” after making fire and now it was Kelley’s turn to comment that “one of us is going to win the war”. Kelley won this battle but it wasn’t fought against Wendy. That is still up in the air. The strange thing is that the episode made it almost certain that a returning player will not win this season. David will probably get cut unexpectedly by Rick, Aubry doesn’t realize that everyone is aware of her tactics to get in with the newbies, Kelley is fixating on Wendy while Joe was left out of the story altogether.
The Island of Extinction has forced a change in the traditional formula; we no longer get Jeff’s “words of wisdom” after snuffing the torch and the episode started with the player that has just been voted out instead of hearing those who had returned from Tribal Council. It takes away from the game itself but it’s the cost of making this gimmick work. Both Reem and Keith received an unusual amount of content for players voted this early and that will probably continue for the next exits. That adds to the confusion of reading the long term players’ stories: Players on the Island of Extinction are going to be long term characters even if they won’t be returning to the game itself.
The Characters
In the Tour de France, they have what is called a “voiture-balai” , a “broom-car” that hangs at the back of the field to take out the cyclists that are so far behind that they have to be picked up and are thus eliminated from the competition. These players should get on the “voiture-balai” .
Julia: We still haven’t heard an interview from Julia. It’s certainly not a good sign for her long term prospects.
Aurora: She is narrating the events of her tribe but it’s almost as if it’s a disembodied narration. Some stories are told in the first person, the author squarely putting us in the position of his hero and letting us read his thoughts. Tony in Cagayan was an example of this story telling technique. At other times, the story is told in the third person, the author putting us in the position of an unnamed observer. We’d have to go back to Borneo for an example of this technique. In that first season, Jeff’s off-camera narration often told us what was happening. Here we have a combination of the two; the narrator isn’t completely anonymous but is she really part of the action?!
Wendy: We have to give it to her; she isn’t giving in. She fought back nicely and performed well enough in the challenge to merit another three days in the tribe.
Julie: Can we really take her seriously as a player? I don’t think so.
The Over-the-Hill Gang – Often, old glories try to play one more season and it kind of takes away from their greatness. It seems all 4 returning players are in over their head this time around:
Aubry: The editor’s montage making fun of Aubry’s strategy killed her chances of being viewed as the Sole Survivor.
David: His character had depth in the Gen X tribe but, in Manu, he has become a one-note character, obsessed with getting Kelley out before she gets him. The fact that we haven’t heard Kelley once say she’d want to get David out makes me think that she’ll outlast him.
Kelley: The war between Dominick and Chris that was so meaningful in Ghost Island casts a shadow over the one between Wendy and Kelley just like a conflict between India and Pakistan outweighs a discord between Macedonia, a new country, and Greece, an old Glory. Our old Glory is becoming a one-dimension character that is obsessing over a trivial opponent and forgetting to solidify the bonds with the others, just relying on their good will.
Joe: He was a large part of Kama’s win but he was only a small part of the story, mostly shown but not heard while looking for an idol. That seems to tell us that he’ll need that idol but won’t get it.
The Peloton – These players are hanging back in the pack, waiting for their time to pounce...or not:
Chris: Yes, Keith would have been a loyal ally but it was much too early to be thinking about carrying someone to the end so Chris made the right choice, presumably voting against his ally. (I’m going on the assumption that Kelley was the one that voted against Wendy while Keith voted against Kelley.) We had evidence that Chris’ input in the tribe’s strategy is being considered which is all that he needs for now.
Gavin: There was nothing bad about Gavin’s presentation in this episode except that it was very limited. He had an interview but it was only to set up Lauren’s find of the idol. His only other moment was as a participant in the scene mocking Aubry.
Eric: Just like Gavin, his presence was minimal but he was a large part of the challenge win so maybe that was enough to keep him in the viewers’ mind.
Victoria: I noticed that Victoriaa was the one carrying the idol into the challenge, she was the one who went to accept it from Jeff after their win and she’s the one that told Jeff which reward the tribe wanted. If anything that means she’s the tribe’s representative and that’s a better sign than being the tribe’s sit-out. She was also the driving force in telling us that Aubry’s attempts at gaining allies were completely transparent. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Victoriaa leading the charge to send Aubry out of the game.
Ron: Initiating the Kama dance certainly helped Ron’s status within the tribe. He has been able to socialize with these younger players and he seems to be appreciated. More importantly, he was part of Victoriaa’s talk about Aubry and he clearly stated that he’d side with her over the returning players. Now, it’s not enough to have social skills, we have to see if he can transpose them into a social game, using his bonds to get his allies to vote the way that is best for him.
The Échappée – These players are at the fore-front just like cyclists that take the early lead in a long stage. Some cyclists do it only to show their sponsors’ colors, others try hard but fade before the final sprint while some manage to hang on and win the race. Which are these?
Rick: He’s found a solid ally in David who gave him positive comments. Such a nice personal endorsement, especially coming from someone that the vast majority of the audience appreciates, is a tremendous way to advance someone’s story. We know that this news anchorman is a good companion, that he makes people laugh and that he has a strong handle of the game. Will it be enough?
Lauren: Some players stumble upon idols while others can’t keep theirs a secret. Lauren’s find was nicely set up: We heard that the search grid was enormous, we heard that there was nothing that stood out to help the search and we also heard that women rarely find idols but then, suddenly, violà! Lauren had an idol in her hands and was determined to keep it secret to everyone. This montage looked too important if this was to be a wasted idol so I expect that Lauren will do damage with it. Will it carry her to the end?
Wardog: Not bad for a guy who had the reputation of not being strategic. He wants others to see his plan and think it’s their own and it worked. His presence at Tribal Council was both reserved and on point. He could be an emerging orchestra leader. Up to now, Wardog’s presentation hits all the right notes; we heard a bit of his personal story and we’re starting to hear his tactical thinking. We’ll have to see if his character can keep growing. How far can he go?
Previously on Survivor, at the Kama tribe, all eyes were on the returning players... Victoria and Julia are shown in the ocean listening to Ron saying: “They’ve had their moment to shine. It’s our chance.” Then we hear Aubry saying that they were under a magnifying glass. At the Manu tribe another returning player was being targeted... David and Wendy are seen in the jungle listening to Rick: “We agree that Kelley is a huge threat.” David, in confessional, saying: “I’m all about blindsiding Wentworth.” Chris wanted to bring in War Dog... but War Dog had his own agenda: “It’s got to be Keith.” At Tribal Council, Keith was voted out... and had a decision to make. We’ll eventually see that he went to the Island of Extinction.
The episode we were about to watch was almost a copy of this recap: In Kama, the returning players will be in danger and the same will happen to Kelley until War Dog put his foot down and made everyone follow his agenda. And when we weren’t witnessing strategy, we were seemingly listening to Tai v 2.0 in the person of Wendy trying to save the chickens. It was practically Survivor Copy/Paste!
The Reward Challenge
With this questionable formula, a full quarter of the episode will be gone before we get a first look in camp
Strangely, when Jeff said that Keith was the one voted out, the reaction we had was from Julia, the only other African American in this cast and she was laughing at Keith’s elimination. For someone we hardly know, the editors aren’t doing her any favors.
With a nice comeback mostly thanks to Chris, Manu won their first challenge and chose the chicken coop.
Ron didn’t exercise his option to steal the reward. Can you imagine the reaction of Manu if he had?
Wendy had a confessional: “I should be happy about our first win but suddenly my ankle started throbbing when I was leaving the challenge. I just looked down and it seemed really tender and it started looking swollen. Now, I can’t even move it. Can it get any worse?”
Manu Day 7
Chris and Rick carried Wendy back to camp.
Wendy’s interview resumed: “On the second part of the challenge, we had to disassemble the wheel barrel and I took out a pin and lifted up the wheel and it just fell on my ankle but I was just so focused on the challenge that I was just like; I’ll worry about it later. When I walked into camp, like I calmed down or something, it just started throbbing and progressively got worse and worse. I’m worried because I’ve never broken anything. I just don’t want this to be serious.” After everyone gathered around the chicken, we heard more from Wendy: “I have to sit down here in pain listening to what they are going to do with these chickens it’s so upsetting. I’m just like; poor chickens. What did they do to the players? The players signed up for this game, not the chicken so why should they be penalized? Coming into this game, I said if my tribe were to win chickens I’d release the chicken but I would I be able to do it with this busted ankle.”
Ok, so now we know why there was a chicken reward, why Manu won it and why Ron didn’t steal it. It had all been planned when someone in casting heard of Wendy’s plan. I think it’s very possible that she was casted because of this idea much like Fairplay was casted because of his “dead Grandma” idea.
Rick’s interview: “It was probably the most surprising part of my game so far when Wendy asked me to be an accomplice in a jailbreak. She wants to set the chickens free. She is literally willing to sacrifice her entire game of Survivor to save these chickens. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone like Wendy. She’s a lovable, emotional nut.”
If only we could say the same but we’ve had Kimmi, Shambo and Tai already so this is a lot like an old joke.
Kama day 7
Victoria gave us an interview: “We lost the reward challenge today which kind of sucks but we haven’t lost an immunity challenge yet. We haven’t had to go to tribal yet and that’s way more important. I have found myself in a group of six: Me, Julie, Julia, Gavin, Ron and Eric which makes a lot of sense because there is a general feeling in the tribe that returning players have played before; they’ve had their shot. This is our first chance so we should get to play before they do. Joe and Aubry are a target and Aurora seems to be the only one who is 1000% with the returning players so, if we were to lose the next immunity and had to go to tribal I think that one of them has got to go.”
That interview is more substantial than your regular narration but it still doesn’t give us much insight into Victoria’s personality. If we remember the lessons of some previous seasons, going to TC early isn’t always bad. For example, after the merger, Galu was no match for the often tested Foa Foa group. Right now the group of 6 seems intent on voting out the returning players but how will they cope with the pressures of a swap and a Tribal Council? Victoria will soon find out. Despite these questions, it’s certainly a good sign that Victoria’s character continues to be pushed to the fore front whenever we’re visiting Kama. It seems she has more importance than the other five. Victoria went out to the ocean to talk to Ron about Joe and Aubry only to realize that Joe was right behind her. She mostly covered up what was being discussed.
Victoria’s reaction: “Oh! my god! Joe was over there and I had no idea.”
Joe’s interview: “I feel like I just can’t get a read on Victoria and Ron because you ask them what they are thinking and they give you nothing. So, I have a funny feeling that I might be on the chopping block.”
Really Joe, you couldn’t read that body language? I mean it’s quite obvious that if someone gives you nothing it’s because they’re not with you. It’s like when you’re invited to a game of poker and no one tells you who the pigeon is then you should realize that you are the pigeon.
Aubry’s interview: I think Joe is looking for redemption just like I am and we are scared coming into this new group of players. I think that returnees are an easy target so I feel like I do need the idol.”
She dashed off into the woods and soon, (Well not so soon because this scene was spliced together from some footage of another day: At first, Aubry is wearing her blue blouse with black shorts while her hair is tied in a bun and her buff tied all the way around her head then, just a moment later, she’s in a red bra and a yellowish green skirt, her hair is loose and the buff is on tied over the top of her head!)
Aubry’s interview continued: “It’s something I’ve dreamed about my entire Survivor experience. I’ve done nearly everything in Survivor except win and get a hidden immunity idol. I know how hard it is to win and I’m here to win but first I need to check one more thing off my Survivor check list. I want every experience in Survivor and that’s one I haven’t had. So, I keep looking... I find the idol and I break down in tears. I never thought I’d find one. I’ve been through so much in Survivor and this is something I haven’t gotten yet. I’m so proud of myself. It’s worth the struggle and I love this game so much that I’m going to make it work for me.”
That was a nice scene for Aubry but a returning player will always get a good treatment under such circumstances so it doesn’t tell us if Aubry will use her idol successfully.
Manu Day 7
War Dog’s interview: “Wendy is losing her mind... Back home, she eats chicken and pork and meat and all that. She’s like; I know I’m hypocritical and I said you’re absolutely right; you are hypocritical. Even when she is on the losing side of an argument she’s just so stubborn to the point she says she is going to be a vegetarian. Well tell you what Wendy, mark my words, if you are a vegetarian, I will be your friend outside the game but the minute I find out you have one piece of meat in your belly I won’t talk to you again. She lost her rocker.”
War Dog does look menacing but would Wendy really care about your friendship outside the game?!
Kelley’s interview: “If this tribe loses again I would want to target Wendy because Wendy does not want to kill the chickens, she had to be carried in to camp because her ankle is so bad and on top of that, I saw one vote at Tribal for me and that was from Wendy. If you are coming after me then I have to get you before you get me. I mean; it’s kill or be killed. If you come after me, like: Watch out!”
With the scene ending on a last look at a teary-eyed Wendy, who is fast becoming a fan favorite, the editors were asking a question: How can poor little Wendy, all alone and with no allies, overcome such an attack? Well that should have been our first hint that she was going to survive the evening. Her elimination was becoming much too obvious so it wasn’t going to happen. Now, the bigger question becomes: Will she outlast her tormentors? The upcoming swap makes it impossible to guess what will happen next but, editing-wise, a strong connection has been established between Wendy and the audience so maybe she does have a leg up (!) on her competition.
Day 8: The Immunity Challenge
If the end of the last scene wasn’t enough, the challenge scene opened up with a close-up of Wendy’s bad ankle. I wonder if the editors are still sticking it to Jeff who back in Palau quit because of a bad ankle. The following season, Amy also hurt her ankle and the way the cameras kept focusing on it and Amy’s valiant efforts to stay in the game looked a lot like taking shots at Jeff, telling him; see, if only you had manned up like Amy is doing you wouldn’t have quit.
Even though she walked up to Jeff to give him back the idol, Julie didn’t let go and the other tribe noticed.
Julie is better at holding immunity idols than grabbing cameramen’s attention.
During the swimming section of the challenge, Jeff took notice of Wendy’s great form. In fact, Manu reached the puzzle first but there, David, Lauren and Kelley failed miserably. For Kama Julia, Aubry and Ron figured out the puzzle and won a third immunity challenge in a row.
David was chosen to deliver the kiss-of-death post-loss interview: “Losing the immunity challenge was incredibly devastating but I’ve always wanted to target Wentworth and I think people are going to be really focused on Wendy so I have a real opportunity to take out Wentworth. I trust my Survivor instincts, it’s my Survivor spidey-sense and it’s telling me right now: Target Wentworth.”
Fortunately for David, this time the person chosen to give the post-loss interview wasn’t the one on the verge of being blindsided but his idea certainly died quickly.
Wendy’s interview right after returning to camp: “Going into today’s immunity challenge, I was injured and I killed it. I feel like I did the best I could have done. I’m bummed because I know all eyes are on me at the moment and I feel like tonight, I’m going home. If it’s me tonight, they are not eating that chicken... I took their flint!! Being the smarty I am, I thought they can’t cook the chicken without fire and they can’t make a fire without flint.”
David was still exhibiting his one-track mind: “The flint; it’s disappeared and there’s this theory floating around that maybe Wendy took it because she’s really been against us killing a chicken. Everyone is losing their mind about the flint and so they are probably going to want to vote out Wendy because of this chicken debate but I want to take out Wentworth.” Confronted by David and Rick, Wendy didn’t flinch; she told them that Chris had it last.
David went on with his plan: “Wendy is absolutely the best smoke-screen I’ve ever worked with. She has like delivered on a silver platter this like: vote me out. I don’t want to vote out Wendy, I think Wendy is someone I can use. She’s loyal to me, she’ll vote with me I think every time. What we really want is to send Kelley home. Kelley Wentworth needs to go home and now it’s a matter of pulling over Chris.”
Isn’t David starting to sound a lot like Chris Noble when he was talking about Dominick? I really didn’t like David in his first season because I felt he was acting but now he’s out of things to say and so h is stuck on one note. David went to Chris with the idea of eliminating Chris. He added a warning: Do not say anything to Lauren or War Dog. Of course, Chris didn’t heed that advice.
Chris in confessional: “Wentworth; she’s too good to keep around. The problem is that I’m in pretty close with War Dog and David wants it to be just us four but back home in my real life, I’m someone who is open with everybody so my biggest fear is that I burn bridges with some of the relationships I’ve built out here.”
After talking to Chris, War Dog had a confessional: “Wendy should be out of here tonight. Wendy’s got a hurt ankle. Wendy doesn’t want anything to do with having the chickens or anybody having a chicken but Chris has approached me for the second time about keeping options open and taking out Wentworth. The problem with that is I trust Wentworth way more than I trust Chris. So I decided that, maybe it’s not Wendy or Wentworth, maybe it’s Chris.”
War Dog is quickly becoming this season’s main strategist. He’s decided the last two votes.
Kelley’s confessional: “So Chris is coming after me now, saying my name and trying to potentially put this plan together to get me out. That’s not going to work for me. If you are coming for me then you have to go. No more Wendy; vote Chris.”
Kelley is using the right strategy but she hasn’t figured out yet that David was the one behind this whole plan. This is the difference between this battle and the Chris Noble versus Dominick fight: One combatant is missing information about his rival. That could be Kelley’s downfall.
Rick in confessional: “Oh! crap! War Dog puts Chris’ name out because Chris is going after Kelley which I’m like (censored) because he doesn’t know I’m going after Kelley. It sucks because now it’s all coming to a head. I’m getting pushed into a corner where I’m going to have to betray someone. I’m a villain now! I’ve been turned into a villain.”
I’d say it’s great in this game to be viewed by the audience as a likeable villain and there’s no doubt that this is what Rick would be if he continues in this “villainous” streak.
David’s interview: “Oh! my God! Now it looks like Wendy isn’t even an option to vote for anymore which was a simple vote. Now, it’s become a vote between Wentworth and Chris. So now, Rick and I find ourselves in the middle. Whatever name Rick and I land on that is should be going home tonight. On one hand it’s good to vote for Wentworth because she’s the person I least trust in this game but, the funny thing is, if I vote Chris out no one in the game would know that I’m the one coming after Wentworth. No matter what, tonight’s Tribal Council is going to be huge: Secrets are going to get exposed, betrayals are going to get exposed and I don’t think anyone is going to look at those betrayals kindly or quietly.”
If anyone thought that this season was going to feature the returning players then they should realize that the titles of all three episodes so far have come from one of the returning players. After we had Joe’s quote for the premiere and Kelley’s in the second, now we have David’s line “Betrayals are going to get exposed”. Production is doing everything to connect these past stars to the audience to the point of seriously neglecting many of the new players which is a shame. There was another problem with airing David’s remark: It told us he and Rick would be voting against Chris. Like David said; no one was going to take this betrayal kindly so had they voted against Kelley they would have had to live with the furious War Dog and Lauren, completely alienating both. Voting against Chris really only leaves Wendy in camp asking questions and she’s certainly not as dangerous!
Tribal Council
Jeff asked Devens (Rick to all of us) to describe this tribe. He called it “Losers”. War Dog agreed; they were a disaster. Rick and Kelley both talked that loyalty was now becoming the main criteria for the vote. David pushed the idea further saying that someone who is a liability in challenge isn’t a target anymore. It was about eliminating the biggest social threat. As Jeff noted, Kelley really took note of that comment. She said she had to process what David said. He tried to be reassuring but the cat was out of the bag. Rick pointed out that this could an advantage for them over Kama who hasn’t tasted the strategy of Tribal Council.
It was time to vote.
After Five votes, we had three on Chris and two on Kelley with two votes left and then Jeff killed any remaining suspense by saying: “The third person voted out of Survivor” before we even saw him turning the parchment.
Why the f*ck does he do that? If the votes are tied 3-3 and there’s only one vote left then fine, you’re actually building the suspense by delaying the turn of the parchment but here we KNEW that there would be 2 sure votes on Kelley from Wendy and Chris and 3 on Chris coming from Kelley, War Dog and Lauren. It was the other two that were mysterious but by saying “Third Person voted out” it had to be Chris because a Kelley vote would have given us a 3-3 tie with one vote remaining. I’ve said numerous times that Jeff is dumb but this stupid habit it the worst.
Chris chose to go to IoE with revenge on his mind.
The Story
Figure this out: The tribe lost 3 ICs in a row, their weakest player is hobbled by a bad ankle yet she isn't even in danger. Instead it's 2 of the strongest players in that tribe; Kelley and Chris. Dumb? Actually not really because Survivor has become so formulaic they were probably expecting a tribal swap next. They should make them suffer for 2 or 3 more cycles before swapping.
The Characters
The Figurants – These players have no relevance to the story:
Julia: The only things we know for sure about Julia are that she is in with Victoria’s group and that she found it funny that Keith was voted out.
Aurora: Her small role as the returning players’ sidekick could easily lead to her being collateral damage when the votes turn against those old stars.
Julie: We still haven’t learned much about Julie and even less about her intentions in the game.
One-dimensional characters - These players have a role to play in our story but they aren’t well developed:
Eric: His solid first episode still gives him an advantage over the first three and we have to consider that Kama’s winning streak combined with the time spent (wasted) on the Island of Extinction is taking airtime away from Eric. Maybe the swap will bring him to the fore front.
Gavin: The exact same thing can be said about Gavin but he is shown more often than Rick so maybe his importance will grow more.
Joe: He is the main reason Kama hasn’t loss but that’s about all we can say about Joe. The fact that we heard him say he couldn’t read Victoria and Ron when they were evidently plottiong against him doesn’t paint a good picture. The swap to 3 small tribes is ideal for Joe so maybe he’ll start to amaze us once again.
Ron: When players say they have each other’s back, the expression is used figuratively. However, it also has literal significance. When two people are talking out in the open, it’s primordial to be the look-out for your interlocutor. If Ron hadn’t been looking at his feet he could have warned Victoria’s of Joe’s presence. Unfortunately for Ron, the episode didn’t give us anything else but that pathetic scene.
David: His obsession with Kelley is quickly becoming a satire. He should know that everyone in the game is dangerous so why the obsession on a player that hasn’t even targeted him yet? His main advantage was that Kelley didn’t know he was going after her but then his remark at Tribal Council alerted her.
Lauren: She found an idol and she is tight with Kelley and War Dog but what else can we say about her?
The Main Characters – These players are driving the story
Wendy: She is certainly an interesting character but she is mostly used as comic-relief. She has absolutely no game and while she may last a while now that her ankle injury isn’t too serious, she doesn’t stand a chance to be the season’s Sole Survivor.
Kelley: She gained the trust of War Dog and Lauren and that is what saved her for the first three episodes. Will she be able to do the same in her new tribe? It would be a complete reversal of her first season: She started strongly in Hunahpu, being a strong member of Jeremy’s alliance but the tribal swap quickly ended her game. This is now Kelley’s challenge.
Aubry: There wasn’t much to Aubry’s story until she found the idol. That strong effort could reward her nicely but there’s still a difficult road ahead for her.
Victoria: The numbers game tell us that a player from the original Kama has a better chance of winning the game than a member of the disastrous Manu. If that is the case then Victoria is the only player, outside the returning glories, that has been continually developed in that tribe. As such, she has to be considered one of the favorites for the title right now. Of course, there’s another number that is growing this season and that is the numbers of outcast players. If one returns to the game and makes it to the end, that player will have a unfairly huge advantage with the jury: They will have spent a lot of time with the other Outcasts outside of the game.
Rick: He is quickly becoming the likeable villain and that could serve him well if the game’s strategy ramps up at any time. He knows the game of most people, everyone confiding in him. That should be a huge, fair advantage going forward.
Wardog: There is another villain in this game and that is War Dog. He has been able to manipulate his tribe to get what he wanted. Will he be able to do the same in his new group? It could all depend on where Wendy lands!
Off to the Edge of Extinction - Chris: He certainly has a better shot at returning to the game than Reem or Keith but it will be a long road ahead for him
Thanks for all of the assessments of everything, Michel. Seems to me you are right on the money. It seems to be a very shallow theme this season, us (the newbies) against them (the returnees). Most of us think this is a broken record theme, and therefore we are finding this season to be shall I say somewhat lackluster.
It makes me not like them, if all they have to say is "it's my turn". Makes me favor Lauren, Aurora, who choose to work with the returnees and like them.
It also pulls the game down of the returnees. David is seriously whacked if he's so focused on one end point, to get Wentworth out. Or is this just editing? Why would he want her out so much when she is such a good shield for him? I do like Rick on that tribe the most, but I hope he has his own game and just doesn't go along with David.
Wentworth seems to be the biggest target of all of the returnees, and I must say she appears a bit defensive and with a chip on her shoulder. It's ugly. But, with all of the focus on getting her out it would be ironic, and we all know how the editors love irony, if she were to outlast all the returnees.
Funny how we hear Joe commenting on how he will not out shine the others and proceeds to do it. Hmmmm, not a good foreshadowing of his game.
Aubry, what is wrong with her? She's a smart player and yet we were shown her repeating the same mantra to all the newbies. One thing I think she is capable of however is executing a blindside with her idol!
While Ron, Victoria are on the winning Kama tribe, I think these two are just vocalizing their desire to get rid of the returnees. No substance. I do think Julie and Julia are good, but at this point quiet.
Gavin and Eric seem to be getting along well, the verdict is not back on them yet. With all of this pitting returnees vs newbies, it makes them all seem villainous while the returnees are the victims, underdogs, dare I say, heroes?
Thank you, FP, for transforming my soliloquy (or is it shaquilo?! sholiquy?!!*) into a dialogue! It's much more fun that way.
Yes, I blame the IoE for the lack of stories this season. The themes of starvation and despair are the only ones that can come out of the forsaken place (Maybe we'll have mental games coming into play later). Those themes aren't very entertaining. Nothing really happens there; it's huge waiting room for the players, and, from what I've heard, they aren't about to leave.
With so little time left to see what's happening in camp, the only story that can be developed is new versus old; it's easily identifiable and it's marketable to the vast number of fans who are in love with one returnee or the other but for us who require much more flavor in our plate, it's rather bland.
*As bonus for keepîng me entertained, I give you a little quiz, FP: Which player comes to mind when the word soliloquy is messed up like that?!
Previously on Survivor, at the Kama tribe, Aurora, Joe and Aubry were outcasts. At the Manu tribe, Wendy was ruffling feathers...but War Dog had a plan of his own: “Maybe it’s not Wendy, maybe it’s Chris.” At Tribal Council, Chris was voted out. (We see War Dog winking at the result)
Chris wasn’t greeted with open arms when he joined Reem and Keith.
By ignoring Rick and David’s role in the elimination of Chris, this recap really paints War Dog as the dominating player. That bodes extremely well for him. On the other hand, it wasn’t a good sign for Rick and David. We already know what will happen to Rick so David is probably not far from IoE either. Manu Day 9
David was making fire and when Rick said: “Nice looking fire” he said he wasn’t as good as Chris.
The fact that such a throwaway comment was included right after the IoE scene makes me wonder if it isn’t an indication that Rick will win a fire challenge. It could be the challenge to return into the game or maybe even the Final 4 challenge. Let’s keep it in mind if it comes to that later on.
Wendy’s interview: “Wendy is always under the threat of going home but it’s never Wendy... I put the flint back and David found it... I feel that if I simply go with the flow, things will work out.”
Wendy is getting awfully close to the time when playing Dumb Survivor could get her to the end.
Kelley’s interview: “Right now, there are five people that are working together and then Wendy is the outsider. She just is not a normal person. She hid our flint and thought it was funny. Who does that? She’s always going to be the person that you are not able to trust so that means Wendy is the vote. It makes sense for everybody.”
Is it a good sign that Kelley was chosen to talk against the rising star of the season? My old philosophy teacher would ask Kelley to define normal and quickly tell her that there is no such thing as a normal person but besides that, everything Kelley said about Wendy is accurate especially in the context of an amoral game such as Survivor. Unfortunately, the fans will be screaming against Kelley and rooting for Wendy.
The Swap
First, Jeff noticed the big reaction out of Kama when they saw that Chris was voted out. They couldn’t understand why Kama would vote out what they seem to think was their best player. I even heard a “This is so wrong.” Speaking for the tribe, Ron said that Chris was carrying the tribe so it was a huge betrayal.
Lauren’s rebuttal was swift: “You have no idea what our camp life was like.”
Unfortunately for her, part of Kama would soon learn most of Manu’s dynamics.
After Jeff ordered them to drop their buffs, Julie had an interview: “I literally turned to Joe and said: “I’m going to pee in my pants right now. You have this pit in your stomach, you have no control over that part of the game; it’s completely random who you end up with. It immediately turns your whole game upside down.”
This was the obligatory “we have to sell the randomness of the switch to our viewers” interview. Don’t buy it!
The players picked buffs and we wound up with: In Kama: Kama. In Manu: Kama + Wendy In Lesu: Manu less Wendy
Jeff asked Gavin if he’d seen such a swap. He quickly answered no.
And he calls himself a super fan! To me, it was practically a repeat of the swap in season 8, All-Stars when all of Chapera Less Amber wound up together and Mogo Mogo stayed the same only adding Amber. I sure hope the comparison between Amber and Wendy doesn’t go any further!
Kama Day 9
We had an underwater shot of a school of fish just swimming around. Then the camera settled on a single fish with yellow stripes and, seemingly right above it, a blue heron pouncing on the unsuspecting little fish and gobbling it up.
Yes Kama was just as happy as fishes in water. Will they turn out to be easy prey like that lone yellow fish was?
Joe’s interview: “Coming into this tribe swap, I was super nervous because I really didn’t know where I stood with the original Kama tribe. Our numbers just got cut in half so it’s a whole new dynamic now. I think the one big difference that I’m doing in this game versus my past seasons is I’m really trying to build more solid, strong relationships. I feel good with Aurora, ever since early on we kind of connected and I do feel like she’s on my side but there’s only five of us and really want to make sure that we’ve got a little bit of a majority going so I’m trying to solidify a relationship with Ron who I seem to have a really good rapport with.”
Ron’s confessional: “I had a great conversation with Joe at the watering hole because I had to convince him that I was with him. I acted like I love him, I adore him and he was like; “alright Ron, I got you.” So he’s walking around feeling really confident but what he doesn’t know, 20 minutes ago I told Julia to go through Joe’s bag; I’ll keep him at the watering hole. I had to make sure Joe doesn’t have an idol because if we lose a challenge I may consider voting him out. He’s too big of a threat, he’s a challenge beast and he’s a returning player. We need to get him out of here as quickly as possible because if they get to the merge, they could be really dangerous. We’re probably not going to lose a challenge when you look at how strong our tribe is but if we do have to worry about it, we know that Joe doesn’t have an idol. He’s going to be an easy target.”
In what was a very rare editing decision, the cameras flashed back 20 minutes in time to show us what happened just before Joe and Ron went out for a walk. Just like last week’s montage that killed Aubry’s chances of winning the game, this editing choice paints Joe in a bad light, an image that he cannot possibly erase from our memory. Unfortunately, going through someone else’s personal belongings isn’t a very flattering image so Ron and Julia’s images are also tarnished. Ron should have realized that Aurora had to be his first target all the while keeping Joe on edge so that he wastes an idol if he had one.
Lesu Day 9
War Dog was calculating the odds of obtaining such a strange result out of the random draw. He established those odds at less than 1%
That’s what I’ve been saying about practically every swap in the last 20 seasons but somehow people still believe they are done randomly! Ever since Fang made those terrible decisions that almost let them win the game by continually losing challenges, production has put its foot down and decided on the tribal breakdown.
In confessional, Rick told us that, without Wendy, they had no real outsiders so that they’d have to vote between themselves.
Kelley’s interview: “Coming to a new camp sucks. There’s no shelter, there’s very little rice. Being a returning player, I know that Survivor is hard. Even the strongest person can break under these circumstances.
Right after this interview, we saw Lauren breaking down so Kelley’s confessional served as an excuse for Lauren. Since we heard that even a returning player is finding it rough then we can understand a new player’s moment of weakness. As a matter of keeping track, this scene also showed us David making fire for the second time in this episode. Will it mean something in the long run?
Lauren’s interview: “I thought coming out here would be super fun but I really underestimated how difficult it is to not eat and not sleep. It’s a lot harder than I ever expected it to be. I’m so hungry but I can’t eat the rice anymore because it makes me really nauseous but more than that I think the hardest part for me is not being able to talk to my family. I really miss my mom and dad a lot and it’s really hard not to have that support system that tells you like; it’s OK, everything is going to be OK. You are kind of with these four other people that you kind of trust but they’re not your family; they’re just people you’re competing against”
The good thing is that she delivered this interview with a smile. The viewers saw that she was down but she was not out. Her sentiment of loneliness is at the very root of the Family Final Four theory which states that in most seasons, the Final Four will shape out to be an ersatz family model with someone playing the role of Father/Provider, another being Mother/Protector accompanied by a couple of kids. The inclusion of this confessional at this time is a strong indication that Lauren will last long enough in the game to see either mom or dad during the family visit.
We followed a speeding octopus over and through vegetation at the bottom of the ocean to join Manu.
Aubry’s interview: “I am really excited about the tribe swap; we have four Kama and the lone Manu. If we lose, we’ve got Wendy; she’s the easy pick-off. The thing that’s tough is that I really like Wendy. She is very sweet and she’s a kind heart. That girl is giving me everything about the Manu tribe. She’s giving us the full run down of every single player. This girl is a wealth of information and she’s an asset.”
Aubry liked Tai; without him, she wouldn’t have finished second so she owes him close to $100K so, of course she’s going to like Tai v2.0 but will her friendship with Wendy be as profitable? I doubt it! The information Wendy gave Aubry about Kelley being like the godfather of the old Manu could prove costly. We know the real ring leader is War Dog but Kama doesn’t know that.
Manu Night 9 – The Great Chicken Caper
Wendy’s interview: “The chicken are free...That was my master plan and I’m ecstatic! I’m so happy!”
I just have one question for Wendy: How long does she think the chicken will last in the jungle?! They’re CHICKENS!!
We returned to the Edge of Extinction for the stormy night. The next morning Chris caught a couple of fish and he split them with the other two. He explained that they could be all part of a new tribe so he wanted them to stay strong.
That’s the problem when a game keeps its rules secret. Knowing what I know of the Edge of Extinction I would have kept both fishes and said: “You want food, the ocean is there or, if you prefer the easy way, the white flag is there. These are mine.” I liked the observation Chris made about coming in with the goal of playing a perfect game but failing so maybe that was part of the journey. It was a big change from the belly-aching we’ve constantly had from Reem and Keith.
Manu Day 10
Eric’s interview: “Woke up this morning, the chickens are gone. There’s only one person here who doesn’t want us to eat these chickens; it’s Wendy. The chickens are a soft spot in Wendy’s heart but if I catch one, it’s not going back in the coop, it’s going under the machete...”
Victoria’s interview: “Girl, you’ve set free breakfast, lunch and dinner. I am still 100% all for killing the chicken. I do not care if Wendy cries herself to sleep at night. She kind of went nuts; you’d rather get voted out than see a chicken die? It’s bizarre. That’s not someone you can trust, that’s, you know, someone you vote out.”
The Immunity Challenge
One thing this challenge showed was that Wendy’s ankle wasn’t bothering her anymore. So, her injury was not really part of the story yet they showed it in great detail.
Kama was first to solve the puzzle and they started cheering for Manu who earned second place.
After last week’s disaster, I would have thought that Lesu would have known not to rely on Kelley and David to solve a puzzle.
Kelley had the post-mortem interview: “This tribe is so bad. We’re like the Cleveland Browns of tribes. We can’t get anything right. I feel like I’m in a nightmare. This is a group of five people that have been voting together and now we are like cutting out one of the family. It’s horrible.”
Kelley’s negativity will not help her situation with the fans. Lesu Day 11
The five players were feeling terribly low. Rick had the first interview, saying that they’d have to cannibalize themselves. Walking out into the woods, Rick promised not to write David’s name and David made the same promise. They agreed they’d have to eliminate Lauren who was feeling sick.
David’s interview: “Wentworth is the person I want out of this game for sure... (You don’t say! How could we ever have guessed?!) but the timing just isn’t right. I have no evidence to back this up but I’m a hundred percent convinced that Wentworth has an Hidden Immunity Idol. I know Wentworth’s game; she always starts looking for the idol on day ” and so, I think best case scenario tonight is that the vote goes towards Lauren.”
Lauren’s interview: “Going into this Tribal, I feel like my life in this game is on the line. I’m worried that they are going to think that I’m the weakest even though I don’t think I am. I think that not eating gives this perception that oh! that’s the reason to vote her out. I was a collegiate athlete, I played Division I soccer for four years like I’m a strong player and I don’t even think people know it. I think that I have a little bit of security knowing that I have the idol but that’s stressful to play too because I want to be able to bring my idol into the merge.”
Both ladies agreed that Rick would be the most likely to flip after the merger.
Once more, that put War Dog in the position to decide the course of action. He is quickly becoming the featured strategic player. Often that role is enhanced by the editors like it was during the recap of the previous episode we’ve had at the beginning of this episode but this time it’s entirely factual: We have two pairs of unbreakable allies and one player that is connected to both. In this situation, the fifth person’s problem only come if they have to go to two more Tribal Councils because, at the next one he could simply side with the remaining pair. It’s not the usual course to take but the two pairs could see how safe the fifth person is and they decide to turn on him instead. That’s what Rom and Amber did to Big Tom who was so happy to be the swing vote. They went with Rupert and Jenna instead but it greatly helped their decision to know that the Jenna-Rupert pair was only one of convenience and that Jenna certainly wasn’t totally invested in the (for some) lovable pirate.
Kelley’s interview: “War Dog’s in control of this vote. I think that he does want to work with me. My only fear is that he could use David and Devins to put out Lauren. It would be very bad for me. War Dog is really hard to read. I think he is trying to play Survivor like Poker so I don’t know if he’s telling the truth. I know he’s not just having this conversation with me. There’s no way.”
Survivor has often been compared to Poker, one of the few other games where players are allowed to lie or, at least, bluff to gain advantage. Kelley was absolutely right in her assessment of War Dog but, at the same time it gives our mastermind very complimentary insight from another person, something that winner soften get. (“Tom is a man’s man” as BJ said in Palau or “Danni is strong, she’s trustworthy” as Hoogeboom told Rafe, greatly helping the former beauty queen to the title of Sole Survivor.)
To prove Kelley’s point, we saw War Dog making his rounds, talking in turn to Rick, Lauren and David.
After doing his due diligence, War Dog gave us an interview about his findings: “After being able to talk to each person individually, it’s obvious that I am in the classic swing vote spot. I love it because I’m built for this game. Whether it was being in the Army, whether it was playing Poker or now in Law School, I’m always thinking, always going through options, never closing doors and that’s what I’m doing now. The five of us who are left are a really tight knit group but it’s no longer about a tribe now; it’s about War Dog and I need a dance partner. Who can get the War Dog closer to trying to win the million dollars? I’m going to get to this: Go with your instincts, go with your different set of tools, blend them all together in the blender and see what color comes out. That’s what I’m doing right now.”
What an impactful interview. It took him only a couple of sentences but he incorporated his style of play to his real life occupation and to the goal of winning the game. To me, that sounds a lot like the winning quote, something that would certainly be repeated during the reunion right after Jeff hands him the check. Also notable “I need a Dance Partner” is the first episode Title Quote that doesn’t come from one of the returning players. It’s as if, having invested the audience into their old favorites, the editors are finally turning their attention and ours at the same time, to the new ones.
Tribal Council
Once more, Probst turned to Devins for the news. It’s the earliest that one of Probst’s man crushes leaves so early. Those that he names by their last names, the Penners, the Cochrans, usually last at least until the merger. What will Probst do now? Poor guy!
Quite appropriately, Rick’s “last report” started like this: “Lesu is less than you expected.”
An emotional Kelley told Jeff that despite being strangers, they all felt really close.
I’m sure Kelley was surprised when she learned that David didn’t share those feelings towards her.
Rick noted that the other two tribes were cheering for each other so it was them against everyone else.
A win coming from one of these players would make quite a story. I’m sure production had it in mind.
War Dog was smiling because he was in a very complex game. It was the ultimate competition.
David expressed how he needed to play Survivor to discover things about himself that were worth more than the million dollars. Everyone agreed that it was a very special Tribal Council.
It was time to vote.
We heard Rick voting against Lauren saying: “You’re such a terrific person but the not eating worries me about you and about our chances in challenges.”
Lauren voted against Rick with the comment: “I’m so sorry. I hate this vote so much.”
Unless it’s Dominick shouting out for everyone to hear that he was voting against Chris, we don’t get many comments anymore. Even the CBS site which used to run the whole set of votes in a secret scene had stopped publishing them. It’s really too bad.
When Jeff read the votes we saw that Kelley followed through on her promise to vote with Lauren while David respected his and didn’t write Rick’s name.
So it was a tie until Jeff turned the last parchment which read: “Rick Davins”.
After getting a laugh by saying he hated them, Rick left saying he was rooting for them. That must have changed when he realized he was still in the game. He didn’t hesitate a second.
The Story
The problem with having 38 seasons is that it’s hard to come up with new stories. How often have we seen the story of a tribe that simply cannot win an immunity challenge? Mara’amu in Marquesas, Chewing Gum in Thailand and Morgan in Pearl Islands were the first examples but a tribal switch and the idea of throwing challenges changed the course of those seasons. Finally, with Ulong, we had our first real collapsing tribe. The story was pushed to its natural completion and many enjoyed it even if the end game was totally predictable. Survivor decided to revisit the partially collapsing tribe story at other times, namely with Fang in Gabon, Jalapao in Tocantins, Foa Foa in Samoa, Espada in Nicaragua, Matsing in the Philippines, Luzon in Cagayan, Ta Keo in Cambodia, Takali in Millennials vs. Gen X and, most recently, with Malolo in Ghost Island. It’s to be noted that despite Survivor being mostly a numbers game, a member of the collapsing tribe made it to the Final episode a majority of the times, even winning in a few iterations. Despite a few close calls like Laurel in Ghost Island, Ken and David in Millennials vs. Gen X, Kelley and Spencer in Cambodia, Kass and once more Spencer in Cagayan, we haven’t had a winner in those decimated tribes since Denise in the Philippines. For a while that was even production’s favorite story with JT and Natalie White winning despite terrible numbers at the merger.
So here we are again with Manu/Lesu playing the role of the collapsing tribe and if we base our analysis on the lack of development of almost everyone that wasn’t part of Manu during episode 1 and the animal imagery of the Blue Heron eating a yellow fish it appears that we are heading for a minority winner. Which one will it be?
The Characters
The Eliminated Players - The Editors have done everything short of directly telling us that these players won't win:
Reem: She’s only there to complain, not even thinking about what she’d change if she was back in the game.
Keith: Momma’s boy is still crying.
Julia: In four episode all we really know about Julia is that she is Ron’s accomplice in going through other people’s personal belongings. That qualifies as a Kiss of Death from the editing team.
Julie: The only interview she had in this episode was to tell us how she felt about the swap. If she was supposed to be seen as a real player we would have heard what she intends to do to navigate the switch but all she said was that it made her sick to her stomach. How will it end for Julie? Will we see her peeing in her pants or in the bushes?
Joe: First he couldn’t read Victoria and Ron even if they were openly plotting against him within earshot and now he gets tricked by Ron, believing he’s found an ally when he actually fell into Ron’s trap. Joe is painted as a Dumb Player and Dumb Players never win. You’ll object that Fabio was a Dumb Player but I’ll reply that Fabio was a Dumb Person in real life while the editors bent over backwards to make him look as smart as they possibly could.
David: It’s been four episode and every time David has wanted to eliminate Kelley but had to settle to vote against someone else. With Rick, he was the deciding factor in the successful blindside of Chris yet all the credit went to War Dog. Now, he’s even lost his closest ally so how can he survive much longer?
Kelley: She came in as a fan favorite but her constant negativity must be costing her a lot of support. She first complained about Reem and then about Wendy, a new fan favorite and then complained even more about the new camp, the conditions and the tribe’s challenge performance. That’s not the way the editors would portray their eventual winner.
Aubry: I still don’t think she can recover from last week’s montage showing her to be a bad player, the new players reading her like an open book. This week’s image was more positive but she gobbled up Wendy’s read of the original Manu, not realizing that Wendy was far from that knowledgeable about their true dynamics.
Ron: His edit was fairly good for a new player on Kama but then we were shown him asking Julia to go through Joe’s bag. That part could have been easily edited out of the episode. In fact, it had been erased until the editors pulled a rarely used trick out of their bags: The Flashback. While it was customary in “Lost” and more than an occasional tool in Big Brother, I don’t recall seeing it many times in Survivor. In my opinion, it killed Ron’s already feeble chances of being our Sole Survivor.
Wendy: She’s always one of the stars of the night but she’s never portrayed as a player. They even had to ask her if she was playing to win. She said yes but in actuality she’s playing for a return invitation or to be an youtube star. Freeing the chicken showed just one of the numerous flaws in the game whenever there is a swap: The players that would have eaten the chickens weren’t the ones the won them. Manu had won only once and yet the swap deprived them of their reward.
The editors haven’t provided evidence about these players' status yet, they’ve just been ignoring them which is almost as bad:
Aurora: She was close to Joe and everyone knew it. Joe’s challenge performance kept her safe up until now but if they lose a challenge she would be in clear danger just because the tribe could use a weakened Joe. He’d be much more useful than she could ever be.
Gavin: His first episode wasn’t bad but he’s now had three duds in a row. There could be many stories told about this young guy but none of them seem important enough to tell. The lack of connection between him and the audience is likely fatal for his chances of winning.
Eric: He wasn’t invisible in this latest episode but it wasn’t enough to connect him to the audience. He looks like a strong guy but we haven’t been shown any signs that it will help him down the road.
The Contenders –
Victoria: Of all the players in Kama, Victoria is the only one with a possible winner’s edit, the only one with any consistency. Compare her interview to Eric’s: The two were juxtaposed and both answered the question of Wendy’s caper but while Eric only talked about the chicken and what he’d do to them if he ever catches one, Victoria was still talking about the game: She couldn’t trust Wendy so Wendy had to be voted out. I don’t expect a Kama winner but, after four episodes, she’s the only viable option. Maybe there will be a complete change of storylines after the merger; we’ve had that a few times most notably in Gabon where the pre-merger was all about Fang sucking big time yet they emerged in control of the game after it. Of course, Sugar’s wackiness was the reason for that disconnect and Wendy could play a similar role here.
Lauren: Her moment of weakness could be seen as fatal for her chances. However, War Dog’s vote would have been evident if the audience hadn’t seen Lauren being unable to eat and feeling nauseated so, for that reason, I won’t eliminate her yet. . Anyway, I feel that by prefacing her illness by incorporating Kelley’s interview about the tough conditions and showing Lauren’s own interview where, with a smile on her face, she told us that she still felt strong, the editors redeemed her. At the very least, since she was the one chosen to talk about missing her family, something everyone must say if prompted with the right question, then she should make it as far as the family visit.
Chris: For the first time, we had a second look-in at the events happening on the Island of Extinction and that was mostly to show Eric catching fishes and acting as provider for his companions of misfortune. There was really no need to show that clip but it showed Chris as a true survivalist, especially compared to his two inept partners. He doesn’t know how the Island of Extinction works so he wants to keep them strong. Yes, it could be that the players return as a tribe of Outcasts just before the merger like they did in Pearl Islands but I think it will be a lot more like Redemption Island where the players will compete against each other for the chance to return to the game. The Outcast format didn’t guarantee that a player would return (production took care of that however by providing the Outcasts plenty of ribbons to make a solid pole) and if no one was to return then the Island of Extinction would be just another dud. I’m sure production wants their new idea to have a big impact in the game and the biggest impact it could have is delivering the Sole Survivor. If the Island of Extinction works like Redemption Island than the player that returns just before the final episode would have a tremendous advantage because he would have lived many days with the jury members. Of course, that would be plenty of reason to send that player right back out of the game but circumstances have changed since Ozzy’s return: The Final 4 Four Challenge will be a piece of cake for someone who had to work hard to make fire every day.
War Dog: If we have a traditional winner, one who dominates the game’s strategy and gets to tell the audience about his personal life and how it contributes to his game play then it can only be War Dog. This former Army man has been the season’s mastermind up to now but he’ll be faced with a numerical disadvantage at some point. This Poker player has a few aces up his sleeves though: Kama hasn’t yet been tested in Tribal Council and they’ve been told that Kelley is the godfather. There should be an idol in Lesu so that could be another ace in his sleeves. It’s a bit early to make the call but, going by the edit, War Dog has to be the favorite to win the title of Sole Survivor.
Close to the Edge - Rick: We’ll have to see how he’s portrayed on Extinction Island but, from the start, Rick had been a player to follow, someone that had been clearly identified. Will he be the one returning to the game?
Previously on Survivor, at the Manu tribe, Wendy was making enemies. At the Kama tribe, Joe thought he was making friends We heard Ron saying that he wasn’t aligned with Joe who was dangerous. At the Lesu tribe David and Devins saw eye to eye and so did Lauren and Kelley, leaving War Dog in the middle. At Tribal Council, War Dog made up his mind.
Another summary that greatly favors War Dog and this time it’s not fabrication; it really was his decision. Another thing to note is that Ron’s portrayal is a lot less evil than it could have been. We didn’t hear about his trick to go through Joe’s bag with Julia’s help.
The Comeback Kids
The Reward Challenge
I really liked the rule that each player had to land a bolo but guess what? Kama still won and it was another absolute disaster for Lesu.
Kelley had the first interview of the players not on IoE (after 8 minutes of airtime!): “How bad can we be? When you’re putting David who basically acts like a female, he weighs less than me, it’s like we have three girls and War Dog. So I’m just trying to figure out what to do because we can’t win anything.”
Maybe one thing that they shouldn’t have done was eliminating Chris! I know, the swap would have probably been different with one different player but you can’t complain about losing challenges when you vote out your best challenge performers. If it was a good strategic move then you have to deal with it and be ready to see rewards go away right under your nose.
Kama Day 12
Julia had her first interview of the season! Winning that reward showed us again that the Kama tribe is a force to be reckoned with in this game. We are completely dominating and we’re on this winning streak. However, it is in the back of my mind that Joe is the biggest threat in the game right now so I would rather get him out of this game sooner rather than later.”
Joe’s interview: “We’re all love and sunshine on Kama right now, it’s Kama strong but it’s pretty obvious that I’m a big target and that I’m a challenge beast so it sucks. It’s really difficult to try and shake that stigma so I’m just trying to do everything I can to make it comfortable for my tribe mates, make them feel like they need me so that I’m not the one going home.”
Ron’s interview: I’m in a good situation, game-wise, and since Day one I’ve been telling everyone that we have to get rid of Joe but now I have another consideration: Joe is a workhorse. I mean he does everything and a lot of people on our tribe do not. We’re not catching the fish and we’re not getting all the food. We don’t know what to do. So, I’m starting to realize that I don’t like the idea of camp without Joe. I think I’d be miserable”
Ron’s confessional was really underlined by selected images that fit perfectly in the story that only Joe can do it right: Aurora failed in getting the coconut, Ron himself didn’t catch a fish, I don’t know what Julie was doing at first but it wasn’t working and then she went to the ocean where she stood motionless, just looking at the ocean probably wishing the fish would volunteer to jump in the net she was holding. If we needed any other hints that none of these Kamas can possibly be portrayed as the eventual winner, we have it right here.
Ron opposed Julie’s idea of eliminating Joe but she countered that they could survive without him.
Julie’s interview: “Joe cannot go too far in this game. That’s a no-brainer and I’m very concerned that the four returning players are all still in the game. If you don’t get rid of returning players by the time the merge hits, they could end up running with the whole thing. So, if we were to lose immunity, Joe has to go now.”
OK, not all 4 returning players will make it to the merger but 3 of them will so should we take Julie’s words as an omen and say that the returning players will indeed end up running the whole thing? It’s a possibility but the fact that one left could be enough to counter Julie’s “prophecy”.
Manu Day 12
Erichad an interview: “Peanut butter and jelly is something like a flavour change, some proteins. It’s pretty good but I’m so hungry today. Today is like the first day that I’m real hungry. Wendy doesn’t want us to eat the chickens so they’re free range; they’re part of the island. Working with Wendy is like carrying around an alarm clock but you have no clue when it’s going to go off but there is the issue of the returners; the longer they’re in the game the more dangerous it gets. So, like all things in the game; it’s a balancing act.”
Aubry compared Manu to a waiting room because nothing was happening. Right then, a chicken came to taunt her! Her goal was to find someone with whom to talk strategy.
Aubry was about to get her wish; she did come across a strong strategist in Victoria but it didn’t help. The new player talked strategy with Aubry just to placate her. She first warned Eric and Gavin about her plan then completely tricked Aubry into thinking they had a women’s alliance.
Victoria’s interview: “I think it’s in our best interest to get rid of Aubry first when she doesn’t see it coming. As a person, I really like Aubry but, for me, it might sound bad but I have no problem separating friendships from the game. I don’t really care how people feel out here but now I have to keep Aubry thinking that I’m on her side.”
It was funny that when Victoria did sit down with Aubry, the returning player used the words: “unless I’m missing something major”. Indeed she was missing something and she was sitting right next to her: The best female strategist since Natalie Anderson.
Lesu Day 12
David gave us an interview: “This tribe is so on the edge of extinction that scientists stopped looking for us. They already think we’re dead. We’re like the last four dodo birds living on a remote island and I think I’m next should we lose the next immunity challenge. But if I know my Survivor history at all there’s absolutely a hidden immunity idol on the Lesu tribe so finding it is critical because I need it bad. I look around at all my peers back home and they’re married and they have kids and that’s something that kind of escaped me for years. I’m 44 years old and all I have is a two bedroom apartment and some DVDs on a shelf but I need to shake that. I need to shake that in my life, I need to shake that in this game. It wasn’t until I played Survivor the first time that I started getting off the couch and living my life again. It’s time to build on that and move forward rather than stay in this one spot. I absolutely want to find the hidden immunity idol and I keep looking and I keep coming up short but I will never give up in this game.”
Right then, we heard Kelley giving out a loud sigh of despair as if she was giving up. That is another bad sign for her.
Lauren had the next interview: “Even though I have been so sick, luckily War Dog is on my side, Kelley is on my side and I have an idol from the original Manu beach so if we go to another Tribal it’s going to be David.”
After War Dog explained why Lauren could hurt them both, Kelley had a confessional: “’War Dog is a crazy man. I think he has a little Tony in him, a little Tony Vlachos in the War Dog, but if we do lose, and it seems to be a trend on this tribe, it’s always important to have an A, B and C plan. I do have a terrific relationship with Lauren and I want to work with her but I feel that War Dog has been truthful with me so far, he’s been the one that’s come to me with ideas and desperate times call for desperate measures so I have to figure out a game plan that is going to work for me going forward. It’s Survivor and it’s killed or be killed.”
The scene ended with Kelley laughing and calling War Dog an evil mastermind.
It’s quickly becoming evident that the relationship between Kelley and War Dog is the biggest story to resolve going forward. For all the bad signs we’ve had concerning Kelley, I think it’s important to note that she is starting to get a handle on War Dog and that she will even consider eliminating him.
Edge of Extinction Day 13
Chris found a box that contained a map for everyone. Rick figured out how to use the map and they realized that it pointed to two different trees up on top of the hill. They agreed they’d all go look together but Keith jumped the gun.
Reem had to wake Keith up when Chris came in with the box and I noticed that Keith was in the same position he had been at the beginning of the episode. The suggestion was clear; Keith had done nothing all this time and now he was trying to steal whatever Chris and Rick had been ready to share. We even heard Keith telling us that he would never have figured out that map. I’m sure most of the audience muttered exactly what Rick said: “What an A__hole.” I agree.
The three raced to catch up to Keith then Chris used his body to block Keith away from the tree with no leaves, grabbing the first prize. On the other side of the plateau, Rick was picking up the second.
When Jason tackled Alicia to grab the To Tang idol, I strongly felt that he should have been penalized and forced to give the idol to Alicia, its rightful owner. Here it’s very different; Chris had found the clue and Keith was trying to steal it and since they’re both men then the block was completely fair.
The prize Chris found consisted of three sticks that would help him practice for the upcoming challenge. Rick, for his work, found an advantage to send to a player still in the game. This told Rick that despite being on IoE, he was still part of the game.
The Immunity Challenge
Once more Lesu fell far behind, the other two tribes releasing their two pieces well before Lesu got their first. The two tribes even reached their final platform before Lesu got a single puzzle piece. After finishing first once again, Kama started giving advice to Manu but that didn’t prevent Lesu from completing their comeback and avoiding a fifth date with Jeff.
The joy expressed by the four member of Lesu reminded me of a similar scene in Marquesas when little Mara’amu finally earned a victory. However, Jeff was stressing Lesu’s ineptness so much that everyone must have figured the comeback was coming, making it somewhat anti-climactic. Jeff is so dumb... I also noted Jeff saying: “Lesu is not a tribe that quits; they are just a tribe that has a very hard time winning. Indeed, it will be hard for anyone from Lesu to win this game but, if they don’t quit then it’s still possible. I wonder if Jeff’s line, which we heard in voice-over, was delivered while our host was still in Fiji or of he was asked to add it in during post-production! If the latter is true then we have to see this as a clear hint of things to come. Even if he said it live, the very fact that it aired could be a sign of future events.
On another front, David seemed to be Lesu’s hero, the one that figured the puzzle, but we didn’t hear anyone complimenting him which is another bad sign for his chances in the future. So if a member of Lesu is our Sole Survivor then it won’t be David but we had already eliminated him last week.
Victoria had the post-game interview: “Right now, we do all have a common goal; like we all think Aubry needs to go but I still think we are making a big move and big moves are always risky so I’m really going to pick and choose my words carefully not to over or under expose what’s really happening.”
Those are words of wisdom from Victoria: Often a player speaks too much or chooses their words poorly, alerting his target and giving that person a chance to reverse the trap. But, as Victoria noted, you can also under expose your plan making the players that you are counting on think that you are lying to them and then they turn against you.
Manu Day 13
Aubry had the first confessional once the tribe returned to camp. She said it was surreal how easy it was because the four original Kama tribe members came together to vote against Wendy. Aubry even added that she was still thinking about Victoria’s plan to go after one of the big guys. We even heard Aubry saying: “I know Vick and I are good right now.”
Choosing to show just how hard Aubry was falling for Victoria’s trap is quite revealing. Here we have a veteran player that is generally regarded as a really smart player who has an idol and she was about to be played just like James had been played in China and Erik had been fooled in Micronesia. Those two fell to the hands of Todd and Cirie, two of the cleverest players in the history of the show. Is that how the editors want us to view Victoria? The only problem encountered was Wendy who, like the world’s worst wingman, couldn’t fall in line with Victoria’s proposal. All she had to do was agree. Aubry’s confessional continued and we heard her say that she didn’t know who these people were as players.
She was soon about to find out!
When Aubry checked to see if her idol was in her bag ready to be used, she found Rick’s envelope giving her an extra vote. The scene ended with Aubry wondering what to do with the Royal Flush she had been dealt!
This scene is unique in the history of Survivor. In the early days, the scene that showed the losing tribe scrambling to come up with a vote was extremely short. At times we’d have confessionals from only 2 people and barely anything else. That was done to keep the audience in the dark about tribal dynamics. Then that scrambling scene was expanded and in the later seasons, we’d hear from many different players in an attempt to confuse the audience. This time, the scene lasted only 4 minutes and for the very FIRST TIME we heard confessionals from only one player and it was all to show the extent of the upcoming blindside, show Victoria’s ability to outwit a veteran.
Tribal Council
Everyone but Wendy had to pick up their torches. Gavin told Jeff that the mood in camp was relaxed. Aubry and Victoria said that they still talked. Wendy said everyone was confused about her game play. She was simply happy to be there. Aubry said Survivor was about finding the black cat that any witch needs for Halloween. Was Jeff trying to warn Aubry when he mentioned that she was the only returning player? Even if he was, Gavin didn’t fall for it, simply saying that he connected well with Aubry and liked the advice that she was providing. He added that he could trust her. When Jeff tried to get Wendy to mention the negatives about Aubry, Wendy couldn’t come up with one, saying Aubry was the nicest person ever.
The cameras gave us a close-up of a smiling Victoria when Aubry said that this was going to be easy.
It was time to vote:
Aubry voted for Wendy.
Everyone else voted for Aubry who was shocked. Before standing, she told them that they were unbelievable players and once more the camera highlighted Victoria’s smile.
Aubry’s extra vote would have been quite useful in the next TC but Rick chose to send it to the wrong person. I imagine that Aubry had to give up both advantages before going to the Island.
The Reward Challenge
For obvious reasons, the camera focused on Kelley, David and Joe when Jeff announced Aubry’s fate. Joe commented that Kama wasn’t as strong as before.
As for the result, it was like a broken record: Kama won it or I should say; Joe won it for Kama while Manu finished second. (I have a question: When Joe was just about to win it, Julie yelled out: Do it for Sierra. Who did she mean?)
It would be extremely sexist to say that the War Dog throws like a girl so I won’t say it. Not because it would be sexist but because it would be inaccurate: Laurel had a much better throwing arm than the War Dog. War Dog throws like a toddler!
Kelley had the interview for the losers: “I think the Kama tribe is completely on Joey Amazing’s shoulders. The dude wins everything. I’m just jealous that another tribe has basically had a two week vacation. It’s so frustrating that I want that and I don’t have that and there’s nothing I can do about it.”
Even though everything she said was true, viewers are going to complain about Kelley for being jealous and admitting she can’t do a thing about it. She signed up for this, didn’t she? And even more importantly, she didn’t sign for pastry and peanut butter so why so much complaining? She wouldn’t be in this predicament if she had worked with Chris over the War Dog! Still, production knew that Joe was one of the best athletes to ever be cast and they still chose to go down to small tribes of 5 where his dominance is even more significant. Add the fact that the IoE is built for a Survivalist like Joe and we have even more evidence that the season was set up to give Joe the maximum chances of winning. So Kelley is right to complain. It’s her way of blowing the whistle!
Day 14 at Joey Amazing’s Luxury Resort
I have to call it for what it is!
Julie’s interview: “It feels a little like I’m going into these challenges expecting to win and I know I shouldn’t expect that but it’s even hard imagining us losing at this point. At this point, I’m pulling the wool over Joe’s eyes. He is the biggest target in this game, he knows he is and I just keep pretending I’m going along with him but short term, to have Joe on our tribe right now is a huge benefit.”
The only way to describe Julie in this moment is an ungrateful b*tch. Of course, she shouldn’t just let Joe win as we’ve seen weak players do for strong players in other seasons but she should realize that her chances of winning have been increased by being on Team-Joe. Kama should be focused on strengthening their alliance, not breaking it down. The other two tribes are there for that.
Joe’s interview: “Seeing Aubry go home, it’s definitely a tell-tale sign that these new players are seeing us returnees as threats. Strategically, man! that really hurt my game because I felt I could really trust her. It’s really hard when you want to come back and play this game that you love so badly but you also know that you are at a disadvantage as soon as you hit the mat. You have nowhere to hide, you have no... You’ve got no one to rely on...but it makes you appreciate all the people that you do rely on at home. I’m so blessed to have so much love and I appreciate all my people, all my family. You have to take all that and use it as fuel. You have to remember that, when you think you are going home, when you think you are on the outs, when you think you have no one that wants to work with you; that’s the challenges. How adaptable are you really? How much can you go beyond what you think you are capable of? Because, if you have a mindset where you no longer have options then that’s probably where you’re at and I don’t want to be there. The other tribes have seen us being a very strong group of five and the first thing I’d want to do is take out that group of five; split them up, take out some big threats in this game. So, if I can make everyone feel like they are big threats maybe we can all unite.”
Whenever viewers complain about people crying on the show, I remind them that even the strongest have had moments of weakness. Even Joe cries...
Julia’s confessional: “When you start hearing Joe saying that you’re a threat it’s like Oh! crap! like if people see me as a threat, that’s going to make my game a lot harder once we do get to a merge. So, I’m definitely anticipating having to adapt and rearrange some things to stay in the game.”
Finally the editors have given a role to Julia in this story. With every story arc, we have to ask if this is a long one or if it is the beginning of Julia’s end story. Because she is on Kama and I do not expect the Sole Survivor to emerge from Kama, I’m thinking this is the meteoric type of story arc, one that will soon send Julia to the Edge of Extinction. On the other hand, if she does survive the first few Tribal Councils after the merger then we’ll have to revisit this interview and see it as the beginning of her own comeback story. She would be coming back from total obscurity after all!
Lesu Day 14
Lauren’s interview: “We lost yet again and it’s just so frustrating; not even that we’re losing but it’s that we’re losing and coming back to this crappy-ass beach that has no food, a crappy shelter; we’re sleeping in the mud. It’s 24 hour days of just hell; absolute hell. I never cry at home and I’ve cried like four days in a row now.”
Lauren certainly has more reasons than Joe to cry... War Dog’s interview: “We have like almost no food for days and we’re all feeling it, especially Lauren. The idea of fishing I think is counterproductive because we need to save our calories and energy for these challenges but at least David still has some life, you know while Lauren has kind of given up so maybe she’s the one to go next. I know Wentworth is good with it but to pull it off, I need David.”
When War Dog brought the idea to David in front of her, Kelley reacted: “I understand that at some point I have to vote out Lauren. She is like wasting away. However, War Dog, who is like a psycho when it comes to number crunching and flipping alliances is almost scaring me more now. I don’t know if I want to work with him.”
Kelley and David agreed that the War Dog never wants to hear their opinion. It was a dictatorship.
David’s: “War Dog is playing really hard, flipping back and forth and it is really freaking annoying. He really does nothing at camp; he spends most of his days strategizing and crunching numbers also, he kind of sucks at these physical challenges and all that is putting a huge target on his back which is great for me. It’s funny because, when the game started, I wanted to vote out Wentworth but now I find myself working with the person I thought was my biggest adversary out here but if that is going to get me to day 39 then that’s what I’m going to do.”
This is the first negativity thrown in War Dog’s direction. It could be significant in his chances of winning but there are two schools of thought on such negativity: Either it’s to tell us why he will be voted out or it is to set doubt on his chances of winning. We heard a lot of negativity thrown in Tony’s direction and it fooled me into thinking he’d be voted out so I have to be careful especially considering that we heard there is a bit of Tony in the War Dog so the editors could be playing with Kelley’s words to throw in a bit of the Tony-edit into the War Dog-edit!!
Island of Extinction
Chris found another box with information. Unfortunately for him, he and Rick misread the map and it was Reem who first spotted the box. Keith, who was with her, grabbed it and learned that it was something that he could use to penalize one of his competitors during the challenge to return in the game. Keith was happy to let us know he’d use it against Chris.
I’ll skip over Reem’s insanity...I wish the editors had done the same.
The Immunity Challenge
For once, only the winning tribe would get immunity, the other two would be going to TC.
Finally!!
Of course, War Dog looked foolish once again, this time getting confused about throwing a ball through a hoop and, with Joe at their lead, Kama won once again.
Do you remember that I wrote that this season was being set up expressly for Joe? Here’s another example. Only once Kama had walked out of the challenge arena did Jeff announce that both tribes would be going to TC together to eliminate only one player.
David’s interview: “Going into Tribal tonight, I’m like panicking. There is 4 Lesu and 4 Manu; we could find ourselves in a tie and going to rocks. I’ve gone to rocks before and, as a fan it’s exhilarating, as a player, it is nauseating. Strap yourselves in everybody; it’s going to be chaotic.”
Manu Day 16
Eric’s interview: “The challenge went horribly; Kama won again with the added twist that both tribes will be going to tribal Council, wait for it; drum roll: Together. This is an interesting problem because, if we go to a four-four tie, everyone votes again and if no one changes their vote, we draw rocks. Anyone could go home.”
Wendy was sure that David would change his vote if they went after Lauren or War Dog.
Victoria’s interview: “I think right now the fact that they have two returning players is an advantage for us: You don’t come out here two or three times to get sent home before the merge by rocks. So, in term of this crappy situation I feel that our side could possibly be slightly better off.”
Eric had a second interview: “Everything is a gamble tonight but I’m a big fan of this game I’ve been imagining myself in these exact situations for years. You don’t imagine yourself in the easy Tribal Council vote, you think of yourself in this situation, going into Tribal Council, probably going to rocks. That’s what makes a person like me, at home, want to play this game. It’s this tonight but is it scary? Yeah! I could go home tonight, no question.”
Gavin’s confessional: “No one wants to go out with rocks; that’s the big fear in this game but I did sign up to play Survivor and I feel like that’s what I’m doing tonight. It feels good but I’m also going to be crapping bricks. I have a hundred percent trust in Eric and Victoria and, after the last Tribal Council, Wendy is with us 100 percent. I’ll draw rocks for one of them; I hope they do the same for me.”
Victoria’s interview: “The whole thing tonight could come down to drawing rocks and we all agreed out here on Manu that we are down for that. I’m not! I’m willing to put my vote where ever as long as it keeps me in the game. If I feel like I have to betray an alliance to move myself one step further in the game I’m going to do it because I’m going to find an in somewhere else. Don’t ever trust me, man! I don’t know if anyone has figured that out yet.”
So much evilness in such a cute face! Personally, I’m impressed with Victoria’s determination and her ability to separate friendships and the game but the vote was resolved before facing the prospect of drawing rocks. Why show this confessional then? It will certainly polarize the audience; many admiring Victoria’s readiness to outwit everyone while others will see her as a turncoat and complain about her lack of morals. Survivor is an amoral game and that’s how it has to be played. You can bluff about going to rocks actually doing it isn’t smart. Finding an in somewhere else is.
Lesu
Kelley wanted to target Victoria but War Dog rejected that plan, saying they had to put four votes on Wendy.
Kelley’s reaction: “Once again, War Dog didn’t listen to what anybody else had to say. He tries to just overpower people; he’s got his plan and that’s that but, to be honest, War Dog is right. Wendy is not an original Kama member so, hopefully, if we have to revote someone will flip and help us vote her out.”
I laughed when Kelley backtracked and admitted that War Dog was right; Trish, like Kelley is doing now, always complained about Tony but mostly went along with his wishes.
Lauren’s : point of view “This plan really makes me nervous: I didn’t come this far just to go to rocks but War Dog always has his own agenda and nobody can have an input. So I’m pissed. I’m so close to making the merge and this could ruin everything.”
War Dog’s assessment: “We have a good plan tonight however, I’m worried to death about Lauren. She is a wreck. All she talks about is the merge feast: Food-Merge-Food-Merge-Food! I can’t work with someone like that so I’m like; do I really want to go to rocks for this girl? Ha! I’m not so sure. However, the Manu tribe might be targeting me but if I can find an idol that would give me tremendous power.”
While War Dog was giving us this confessional, we spotted another Blue Heron and this time, the bird was running around the beach, much like the War Dog who had decided to explore the area. The bird was next seen flying around the jungle but it was Kelley, not War Dog, who found the idol.
David’s comments: “War Dog disappeared. He’s not helping at all; he’s not contributing at all. He goes off into the jungle looking for an idol. War Dog is creating a war. I guess that’s what War Dogs do but he is creating a war within his own tribe. He’s very divisive and we need to be united.” Soon the four were looking for the idol.
Kelley’s thoughts: “I want to find the idol before War Dog. He’s a schemer and a manipulator. He’s already calling the shots and with an idol he’s just going to get more and more powerful.” Right then, we had a perfect shot of Kelley talking to War Dog who, while looking at her, was facing the camera. Unbeknownst to him, the idol was attached to a tree right behind his left shoulder!
Kelley went on: “And then, I look up in a tree and Bing! It’s just sitting right there! In Survivor, you never give up because this game is always changing and knowing that tonight is such a crazy Tribal potentially, having that safety is huge.”
Returning to camp, Kelley whispered to Lauren: “I’ve got it.” Lauren responded: “I have one too.”
Lauren’s interview: “Tonight’s Tribal Council is huge. I mean, Kelley and I both have idols but I have no idea what I’m going to do.” She told Kelley that she didn’t want them to have to play their idols immediately. Her confessional resumed: “Tonight, the Manu tribe is most likely targeting me or War Dog. Everyone is banking on the fact that they won’t want to go to rocks for Wendy but if they stay strong, rocks will determine who goes home.” Kelley was shocked when Lauren told her she wouldn’t go to rocks for War Dog. “If we go to rocks, it’s a one in six chance that you go home so if they’re voting for War Dog, I’m going to flip but I can see them going after me so I have to decide if I’m going to play my idol or not. Tonight is going to be a lot of on the fly decisions and you just never know what is going to happen.”
This season has really been the season of the women when it comes to finding idols. Let’s hope that Lauren and Kelley, unlike Aubry, play theirs wisely.
On another note, I think the choice of sequences tells us a lot about the relative importance of these two tribes. The editors gave top billing to Lesu, relegating Manu to the role of the “opening act”, the group playing when no one is yet settled in their seat. I think we should read exactly that into this editing choice: The four Lesu players are the stars, the comeback kids.
Tribal Council
Victoria and Lauren both stressed the fact that their respective tribes were united. War Dog said he was ready for a gun fight at O.K. corral. He then called David his Wyatt Earp, Lauren was Virgil Earp while Kelley was his Morgan Earp making him Doc Holliday. Jeff was gobbling it up.
Hopefully for Lesu, the comparison will stop there because Morgan and Virgil were killed shortly after it and Doc Holliday didn’t have a long life. Will Kelley and Lauren fall at the merger? History might have gone differently if the Earp brothers had Hidden Immunity Idols!
Kelley was the first to pitch the idea of welcoming anyone willing to flip. Like a good retail salesman, Gavin matched his competitor’s offer.
David said he had gone to rocks before and would do it again for “his people”.
Victoria didn’t believe David.
The whispering had been going around but then David invited Wendy to step aside to talk to her privately. When both returned to their stumps, Jeff sent them to vote.
Neither Kelley nor Lauren played their idols.
The first vote went 4-4 against Lauren and Wendy prompting many different secret conversations which caused David to say that this was the worst cocktail party ever.
That was the chosen title quote for the episode and it came from another returning player. War Dog is still the only new player to have a title quote. Is there anything to read into that? Not much but it is something. Personally, I was starting to see this season as the worst cocktail party ever but with Lesu’s comeback there is hope to salvage some sort of story.
The revote went all against Wendy who seemed happy to get voted out as long as Probst called her “Big Wendy” and gave her a hug. The two tribes applauded her.
The Story
If this season is indeed the story of how the Lesu players made an incredible comeback, this episode will be seen as the turning point. In the evening’s first episode, the Lesu tribe finally avoided going to Tribal Council and the original Kama players turned on one of their own, showing the other half of Kama that the group wasn’t entirely together. We remember that the vote against Gabe, who was loved by Paschal, Neleh and Kathy, was a sign that Rotu wasn’t one happy family and it led to the demise of the Rotu four after the merger. The Aubry vote could cause the same domino effect.
The Lesu comeback continued in the second episode where, despite all their bravado, the original Kama members crumpled and refused to go to rocks for Wendy. Of course, she was an original Manu member so the decision was completely understandable but what it did was give an opening to a new alliance. The seven players who voted against Wendy have now opened some communications channels and that could be bad news for the five actual members of Kama.
The Characters
The Eliminated Players:
Reem: She’s a crazy person.
Keith: A__hole.
Julie: She has been shown to be extremely ungrateful. A person with a one-track mind will not be able to adapt to the upcoming change. She should be worried about the other two tribes instead of targeting one of her own.
Joe: He is trying to get numbers on his side but he will be entering Tribal Council for the first time this season and everyone will be reminded of that when he goes to pick his torch. Instead of sticking with his ungrateful tribe, Joe should realize that is only chance would be to take Aurora with him and align with the 4 members of Lesu. They’d still be a vote short because the returning players will unlikely side with the original Manu members but with two idols it could work.
David: We finally have more dimensions to David’s character now that he’s finally decided to work with Kelley instead of wanting her out. The problem is that, overall, we’ve had numerous bad signs in his edit. The latest one came after the immunity challenge: He was responsible for winning it for his tribe and we heard no one congratulating him. David seems relegated to playing the role of being a number for the comeback kids.
Ron: Like David, he’s changing his mind about his desired target but, for him, keeping Joe won’t help. He is the image of Kama, their cheerleader so he should fall soon after the merger.
Julia: If Joe wins the merge immunity, she could be everyone’s target if the 4 Original Manu and the 3 New Manu can come together. Having two tribes at Tribal Council could have big repercussions down the road. We’ve often seen tribes that didn’t go to Tribal Council before the merger become immediate targets after it.
Aurora: She’s been ignored too much by the story tellers to enable us to eliminate her from consideration.
The Trailers – They have fallen far behind the leading group, the real contenders, but they are still pedaling fast on their little bikes.
Gavin: His words in camp and at Tribal Council helped seal Aubry’s fate but he was portrayed as a mere side-kick, going along with Victoria’s plan. He also performed well during the challenges but that could only serve to prevent Joe from winning all the challenges. His overall portrait is too weak to see him as a true contender.
Eric: These two trips to Tribal Council gave us amuch better picture of Eric but he's still shown to be riding Victoria's coat tails, following her tactics. Answer this question: If Eric is our eventual, winner, which pre-merger scenes would be shown during the reunion? For me, the answer is none and that just can't be.
Kelley: I had put her in the eliminated group a bit too early because, like her tribe, her edit made a strong comeback in the two episodes. I can’t place her yet with the contenders but she still has life. She is finally seeing War Dog as a threat and she is thinking of eliminating him, she gained David’s trust and she found an idol to use after the merger. All this could be very useful.
The Contenders –
Rick: His first interview on IoE was very strong because we heard him say it was a test to see if he could come out on top. Then, finding the envelope, he realized he was still in the game so he is being positive despite the odds against him. That was enough to leave him in contention for the ultimate prize.
Lauren: These episodes weren’t kind to Lauren even if she showed a lot of determination in the challenges. We had too many visuals of her weakness to keep her as a top contender. However, now she’s made it to the merger and she has knowledge of both idols in play. That could be vital going forward.
Victoria: I have doubts that this season will give us a winner from the original Kama tribe but if we do then Victoria is our candidate. She has been shown to be a strong strategist, completely fooling Aubry. The returning players was impressed by the game play of her tribe mates but we know that those words fit Victoria most of all.
Chris: Even if it seems likely that Keith will penalize him, Chris is the obvious favorite to return to the game. He’s been the only one to show challenge skills that could rival Joe so it would make for interesting individual challenges. If the overall story is about an original Manu player making a comeback then this season could be his to own.
War Dog: The biggest question we have to answer about War Dog’s edit is determining how much Tony there is in his edit. If it is only a little then War Dog may fall short but his story resembles a lot the one of our Cagayan winner. Like Tony, he’s crunching numbers all day and all night, he’s dictating his plan on his allies, he’s bad in challenges and he’s entering the merger with a number deficit. Unlike Tony though, he doesn’t have an idol and he can’t even find one that’s right there under his nose! Many things need to go right for War Dog to win but his edit is definitely the most impressive of all the players this season.
Close to the Edge – Aubry and Wendy I don’t think either has what it takes to get back into the game. The challenge should be very physical and they’ll be facinf Chris. Of course, we don’t know the nature of the penalty that Keith will impose on Chris but will it be enough? I doubt it.
So far this season has not grabbed me. Entertaining the thought of the Lesu four coming out on top has crossed my mind, not quite the Aitu four but...David, finally is playing nice, when all his other options are spent.
Kelley is really growing on me too. So, I am finding myself rooting for her. I like Lauren too. While I think Wardog was cast as a possible "Tony-type", so far he's falling way short. Time will tell.
Victoria does seem like a player, but I do not like her.
It will be interesting to see Joe go now, at the merge, and especially when he sees there are returnees. He's still a great long shot.
The merge better be more than just us vs them regarding the returnees. Just so over that.
For the first time ever an episode that isn’t a season premiere didn’t have a summary at the beginning. Instead, we started with the familiar “Come in Guys”.
It used to be heard after 10 minutes of show time but these days, Jeff wants to be on TV, needs to be the big star so he can’t stay out of the action too long!
We were already in the Challenge arena.
There were some reactions from Kama when they saw that Lesu was intact but they were happy to see that the other Kama faction had stayed intact by eliminating Wendy. War Dog was quick to realize that those reactions meant that Kama was still going strong.
It’s strange that none of the twist from the previous episode was discussed during the merger feast. It had to be but it wasn’t significant; as we will soon see the small Kama faction didn’t continue working with the original Manu members.
Gavin had the first interview of the evening: “As soon as Jeff said we are merged that was like a dream come true but I don’t know what’s going to go down so I’m a little worried. That’s what makes Survivor great; you don’t know what’s looming around the corner.”
I wouldn’t read too much into the decision to give Gavin the first confessional in the all-important merger episode. His bit was a aired mostly because he said what production wanted us to hear: “Survivor is great”.
Probst thought that this moment was going to be seen as an iconic one.
Lame gimmicks are not what I call iconic. I couldn’t identify the male voice making the title comment: “There’s always a twist.”
Rick was the winner. He gave us an interview: “Before extinction, the game was getting the best of me but if I can win my way back into the game what the hell is out here that’s going to scare me? I can win these people over, I can win challenges. I’m a whole new man thanks to the edge of extinction.”
When the merged tribe left for the Manu camp (the chicken joke has to go on, it seems) Jeff told the five losers that they could go back to the Island of Extinction. All five were enthusiastic at the perspective... for now.
Aubry’s words were used to represent what the group thought: “When you think you’ve gone low on Survivor it can go so much lower and the lower you go the higher the high.” She felt like a child on Christmas morning.
Merge Tribe Day 17
There used to be symmetry to the game: You spent 19 days in tribes then the merger occurred on Day 20 so, once the feast was digested, you had 19 days to play the individual part. So many seasons have been lame during the tribal part that it gets reduced more and more.
Julia’s confessional: “We arrive at the merge feast and I have this overwhelming feeling of excitement and joy because we’re going into this merge with all the Kama members back together so we have eight people. If we can stick together we’re going to have the majority and that’s an incredible feeling.”
Kelley : “Of all the faces that I saw during that challenge, Devins was the one person I thought: Oh! hell! No! Like, why are you back here now? I don’t want him back here.”
This doesn’t make sense at all. Rick left Lesu quite amicably compared to Reem, Keith and Chris so I’d think she’d have been more disappointed in seeing one of them. Of course, she was probably dismissing Reem and Keith and probably even Wendy since they were not contenders to win that challenge but why didn’t she fear Chris the most? She had to fear him more because he was voted out specifically for targeting her. It just fits the story better to have Kelley saying this so don’t tell me this “reality TV” is real.
Rick’s next interview: “I’m back baby! I love it! I’m back in the game but there is definitely the fear that you are going to be the easy vote out because you just came back in. Maybe they resent it, maybe it’s just easy so I need to make a human connection real early so they don’t vote me out as the easy vote back to Extinction Island before they get to know me.”
Not surprisingly, the camera showed Kelley’s face when Rick said he had fears of being voted out right away. Julie’s interview: “The minute I started speaking to Rick at the merge feast, I knew I really liked him and I thought he was a genuine person, just the fact that he had that big hero moment and he was able to win a spot back into this game. I’m rooting for him. I would never want to see him go back to the edge of extinction so quickly. It sounds like a scary place that I never want to go to.”
The cameras flew us back to the Island of Extinction even if I never want to go back there either but for different reasons than Julie: It doesn’t scare me, it just bores me. But I guess we had to see the two quitters. How lame?
Vata Day 17
Kelley’s interview: “I’m working with Lauren and we have two idols; that’s a lot of power. We can do a lot with that if done right. The problem is that I’m in this minority group and I’m going to need every tool that I can, given the situation that I’m in. I have to have a talk with Joe. Here I am again with Joe freaking Anglim who was in the majority alliance during Second Chance and here he is again in the majority alliance and I feel that I am at his mercy. Why? This is an absolute nightmare for me. We’ll see how well I can pitch him. This is a sale pitch for me.” Joe told Kelley that Aubry, Aurora and he were on the outs with the Kamas. Kelley went on: “I definitely feel that Joe will come with me but I am still trying to decipher, to figure out this Kama tribe so I think the best plan is to make it an easy vote, to take out Rick.”
Kelley can’t see why she’s always in the minority while Joe is in the majority but the answer is simple: Joe wins, she doesn’t. Of course, it could be that it’s the role production wants her to have because she played very well in Second chance when her back was up against the wall. I don’t recall her being so negative back then and it was about to get worse. Haven’t they learned that a minority should offer their votes to the other side, not impose their choice?
As soon as she heard Lauren and Kelley’s plan, Julie reacted: “I am shocked; Kelley and Lauren want to vote out Devins out first and send him right back to the edge of Extinction. Just from a moral standpoint, I don’t understand how you can do that to somebody, to send them right back from where they came after facing the odds. Kelley and Lauren seem like they are so brutal that maybe one of them should be sent on their merry way off to the edge of extinction.”
Vata Day 18
Rick in confessional: “When I got back to camp, I opened my bag and there was something in there, I was trying to keep a straight face...I have to find out what is sitting in my bag...” For returning onto the game, he received a conditional idol: He’d have to give half to someone and it wouldn’t be good for the next Tribal Council but the one after that.
Vata Night 18
Rick shared his idol with David, the person he trusted the most. We can certainly question Rick’s decision: Yes, David is the player he can trust but David was already in his corner. As bargaining chip, the half idol could have gained him a new ally, like Julie who showed him she was partial to his plight.
The Immunity Challenge
It was a balancing endurance challenge and while Joe and Lauren gave a great effort it was Julie who won it, displaying her strong upper body in the process.
Kelley gave us the exit interview: “The plan to vote out Devens has been discussed with everyone and everyone appears to be on board but there are so many different ways this could go. All I know is I have a Hidden Immunity Idol. I’m very excited that I have that; it’s a little cushion because, playing Survivor before, I know how crazy the voting is after the merge so I may have to bring out the big guns.”
Vata Day 19
Julie was so excited to give an interview: “I would have been scared to death going into Tribal Council tonight but the fact that I’ll be wearing the immunity necklace there’s no blindsides on me tonight and that’s like the most comfortable feeling I can have.”
What? Why Julie would have been scared to death? It’s not as if she’s in the minority and a huge target, is she? If ever a confessional was scripted it’s this one. Julie wanted to eliminate Kelley. Is she related to David?! Julie’s confessional continued: “Kelley is a huge threat and, as a returning player, she needs to go. These are the kind of things that I knew I had to start orchestrating. I’m not simply going along with what people are telling me.”
Julie told Rick that everyone on his old tribe want to give him a return ticket to the Island of Extinction.
Rick’s interview: “I feel totally betrayed by those three Lesu members. To send me right back is a total stab in the back but i got people on my side apparently which is awesome.”
Informed of Lesu’s betrayal, David told Rick that the vote should go against Wentworth.
Chase the old habits away and they come galloping right back, I see! Notwithstanding that Lauren and Kelley did bring their names up, a Survivor player should never be so gullible. David and Rick should have talked to Lauren and Kelley to verify Julie’s words. If they are so easily manipulated then the Kama 6 won’t have much problem navigating to the end.
Rick’s interview continued: “There’s a whole lot on the line tonight. I feel like if I can get through tonight then we have that Hidden Immunity Idol and it could be whole new ball game. It might be the path forward in this game that I’ve been looking for.”
Why does U2’s song: “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for” came to mind?! Probably because we’ve heard something identical EVERY SINGLE TIME someone found a new advantage in the game. What they don’t say is that many of those “advantages” have come back to bite them in the butt.
While Joe wanted to finish painting the tribal flag, the others went hunting for Wendy’s chickens. Ron stayed in camp to talk to Joe and feel him out about his plans. Joe didn’t give Ron anything as far as which way he wanted to vote. “I don’t know” doesn’t cut it when talking to an ally.
Ron’s interview: “Joe made a mistake” I asked: Joe who do I vote for, what’s going on and he was very vague and that didn’t make me feel good. Joe is like brushing me aside and right now, I don’t know that I can trust him. What he doesn’t know is that my true alliance is Eric, Julie, Julia, Gavin and Victoria. We’re the Kama 6 so I’m thinking that Joe losing is a great opportunity because, if you’re playing Survivor and you have a chance to take out Joe, every time is the right time. I have to convince the Kama 6 that it’s Joe tonight.”
It has to be noted that Joe made a rookie mistake but we all know that Joe isn’t smart when it comes to strategy. He had to give Ron something or at least say that he was going to vote with him. Voting out Joe doesn’t accomplish anything because it’s exactly like giving him individual immunity up to the returning challenge but the Kama 6 haven’t learned how to deal with the new reality that is the Island of Extinction.
Victoria’s interview: “Ron wants to do Joe because Joe lost. Now it’s time to get rid of Joe. I’d rather go the safer option and get rid of Kelley but it’s definitely important to get the decision right tonight. It’s hard to know what’s right.”
I think it’s quite telling that the person we saw Ron approaching first and the one giving the corresponding interview was Victoria. I have no doubt that Ron talked to each member of the Kama 6 and while Victoria may have actually been the first he contacted with this new plan, it didn’t have to be shown that way. Any conversation that Ron had could have been inserted here. The way it was presented gave Victoria the role of mediator within the alliance; the one that presented the different options to the other members.
After talking to Victoria, Gavin had a confessional: “There are a lot of different options tonight, Joe being one of them. I’ve heard Rick’s name thrown out there, I’ve heard Kelley Wentworth’s name thrown out there. There are three very good options on the table and we need to figure which one is going to best suit us.”
War Dog’s name was never mentioned! The combination of Wendy telling Kama that Kelley was the alliance leader and his own poor display in challenges have effectively shielded War Dog from the chopping block. His method of playing is proving to be quite efficient.
When it looked like the Kama 6 were having a hard time coming to a consensus, the editors turned to an old trick: Using the smoke from the camp fire as a symbol for “The Fogs of War”!! The smoke was heavy this time, the chant more like a lament and the music was deeply sombre while Julie gave the interview that is transcribed below. The smoke enveloped Julia, Eric, Kelley, Joe and especially Ron while he was resting in the shelter. Notably, we had clean images of Julie, Gavin and Victoria during that time, two of the three that wanted Kelley out first. Was it to indicate that Kelley would have been the better choice but that the Fogs of War confused the Kama 6 and lead them to the wrong decision?
Julie’s interview that was heard during the “Fogs of War” scene: “There is not a general consensus as to who should be voted out because all of us could make a different case as to why Kelley or Joe should be voted out because all are good cases, it’s getting tricky, it’s getting very tricky. It’s really important to make the right decision because the very first vote after the merge can dictate the game.”
Tribal Council
First, five people had to grab their torch, never having attended TC before and then Jeff surprised the players by saying: “We will now bring in the members of the jury.”
While it figured that the players on the Island of Extinction would make the jury I wasn’t sure if they’d be allowed to attend TC. They could have received their information strictly from the person voted out but now we’ll have to see Reem’s face at the end of each episode. In his latest interview, Jeff calls her a star but that just shows how disconnected Jeff is with our section of the viewing audience.
Julie told Jeff that she was excited to meet new people. Ron reacted to that because, as he said, he loves Kama. Kelley was thinking that new relationships had developed. When asked if there had been any talks of sending Rick back to the purgatory, Victoria answered “Absolutely not. That would be pure evil and why would we vote out somebody that isn’t a big threat coming to the merge.”
Here I thought we were back to Redemption Island where Boston Rob said he loved playing with newbies because they talk too much. What Victoria said should have alerted Kelley and Lauren that the plan had changed. At least Joe’s radar registered a hit.
Victoria tried to cover her tracks by saying she didn’t mention physical threats. Ron said he didn’t know if there were idols which led to War Dog’s intervention: “Every season, you feel that way until, all of a sudden, four idols pop up at the same time.” Joe explained that he was relying on his Kama allies. Ron added that, having the majority, they didn’t need to scramble. Kelley chuckled at that.
It was time to vote and when Jeff asked if anyone wanted to play an idol, Kelley and Lauren sat on theirs.
Kelley, Lauren and War Dog voted for David. Rick and David voted for Kelley Aurora and Joe voted for Rick The Kama 6 voted against Joe.
Kelley said it was a good play, Lauren added that it was brilliant while, from the peanut gallery, Reem judged it lame. Joe left saying they made a big mistake, leaving the door wide open which was the worst thing they could have done.
The Story
I was hoping the story was leading us to the three Manu players joining the four Lesu and taking over the game but, in a rather linear way of playing, the original Kama 6 got back together. However, despite all the talk of being strong, I don’t think they will make it to the end. First, I think they’ve already made mistakes, most notably in leaving Rick and David out of the loop. Julie even told Rick that they couldn’t give them much information so that has to tell them that they have no future working with them. Can they go back with the other three Lesu who betrayed them so completely? Well, Kelley and Lauren could say that they voted for David only because that’s what they were instructed to do and it was only a way to stay safe. Another mistake was leaving Aurora out of the loop in a time when her vote still matters: It’s still only an alliance of 6 in a tribe of twelve. Things could get tricky for the next vote and half of the Kama 6 has already shown that they don’t have the guts to go to rocks.
So, the big question is: Was it a good play for the Kama 6 or was it a big mistake? It certainly had brilliance in it because they completely divided their opponents, getting them to vote for three different players and turning on each other in the process but I see it as a mistake still. They’ve effectively given the equivalent of Individual Immunity to Joe and they’ve shown the other half of the tribe that they cannot be trusted. And that half of the tribe possess the three idols that are in play. More symbolically, the Fogs of War scene showed that these players aren’t seeing the battlefield properly. Of the players that had an opinion, Julie and Victoria were the only ones not enveloped in smoke but their voices were overruled by Ron, the player that was clearly shown being engulfed in that fog. I think the group of 6 will soon regret getting rid of someone that was in their back pocket.
The Characters
Who Dat? – These characters still have no depth
Aurora: I don’t know much about Aurora’s game play besides voting with Joe. One thing I know is that she won’t be our Sole Survivor.
Julia: By voting against Joe she clearly didn’t listen to his advice of protecting the strong challenge players which is how she views herself. As someone featured in the Fogs of War scene, I don’t have any hopes for Julia.
Eric: His main role seems to be to lead the tribe on their chicken hunt. It’s not the role a player would want but that’s mostly what he’s received. He was also caught in the cloud of smoke when Julie was talking of the importance of making the right decision.
The Failing Players – These players don’t seem to be on the right course:
Gavin: Compared to the other three, Gavin wasn’t ignored in this pivotal episode but consider his two interviews. In the first, delivered right after the merger, he complained: “but I don’t know what’s going to go down so I’m a little worried” while in his second he said: “There are three very good options on the table and we need to figure which one is going to best suit us”. To the viewers we aren’t presented to a decision maker but a mere follower.
David: For one week, David seemed to understand that his game would work better if he played with Kelley instead of against her but this week, his old habit returned in a hurry. As soon as he heard he was being targeted by his old Lesu tribe mate, he decided to vote against her in return. It would have been smarter to talk about the new developments. Then, maybe, the 6 person voting bloc wouldn’t have been able to decide the vote in a 13 person tribe.
Rick: I was surprised that he didn’t react negatively when Julie told him she couldn’t reveal much information. That and his decision not to use his idol as a bargaining chip make me think that Rick won’t succeed.
Ron: It was his decision that turned the Kama ship from its original course and it seems that decision wasn’t the right one so that should spell trouble for Ron. Add the fact that he was completely engulfed in smoke when Julie talked about being unable to make a decision and we have serious doubts about his chances of making it to the end.
Julie: This episode was certainly her coming out party. Winning the merger immunity challenge compensates fully for a very weak role in the first six episodes and maybe it is the start of her winning story but I think she was led on the wrong path by Ron. The Kama 6 showed their hands and they aren’t the majority yet. They don’t even possess a single idol to level the playing field.
Kelley: While it was Lauren that mentioned Rick’s name as a possible vote, we know that Kelley was behind what was called an evil decision.
Aubry: She may be able to win the 2nd challenge to return to the game but we know that she doesn’t have the physical capabilities to win two or three in a row. She failed during Kaoh Rong against fairly weak competition so even if she makes it back she doesn’t has what it takes to win it all. The Island of Extinction concept doesn’t fit with her type of game.
Still Hanging On – The Contenders
Lauren: Like Kelley, she was ready to go after Rick but even Jeff said that was a natural move to make with a player that had already been voted out. She hung on to her idol so the main question remains her heath. Her challenge performance was encouraging but we know that something will happen during the next challenge. Let’s hope she’ll be OK.
Victoria She should be lumped in with the other Kama 6 and her words at Tribal Council makes me wonder if she’s forgotten her vow not to say too much but there’s still something different about her presentation and those of her allies. She wasn’t driving the vote against Kelley and she wasn’t sure voting against Joe was the right move yet she was the first that talked with Ron and she also talked with Julie so maybe she’ll be able to find the right path later on.
War Dog: This was an unusually quiet episode for the star of the first 6 episodes. Maybe the intent was to show that he was able to adapt and make sure the target wasn’t on his back. He’ll need a strong episode to reverse the situation and maybe that’s simply not in the card but it would fit with the Phoenix theme that could be emerging this season.
Chris: Despite his penalty, Chris came very close to winning to return ticket so he has to be seen as another strong contender for the second invitation back.
Joe: This game is much too complex for Joe’s simple approach. Even if he was in a good position at the merger, he made a huge mistake when he talked to Ron. After talking to Kelley about working together, he was conflicted about his alliance with Kama and he couldn’t even find a way to work around his dilemma. All he had to do was tell Ron that he’d vote with him and that they had to stick together. Now that he’s on the Island of Extinction the game becomes as easy as if he’d been given the necklace for each and every Tribal Council and we know that his survival skills will put him in the good graces of the jury. Instead of providing for the tribe he’ll be providing for the jurors. That’s a much better investment. All he’ll have to do is win 2 or three challenges when the time comes.
First confessional after merge feast: Julia’s confessional: “We arrive at the merge feast and I have this overwhelming feeling of excitement and joy because we’re going into this merge with all the Kama members back together so we have eight people. If we can stick together we’re going to have the majority and that’s an incredible feeling.” Survivor is getting so predictable that with this confessional I knew it would be one of the Kama tribe members going, and let's face it, there was only one that they wanted gone....Joe.
Kelley : “Of all the faces that I saw during that challenge, Devins was the one person I thought: Oh! hell! No! Like, why are you back here now? I don’t want him back here.” Agree with you, Michel. This felt wrong. But, it makes me think that Kelley is being spoon fed to us with these types of confessionals. Since the theme of this series is them vs us, I feel of all the returnees her portrayal is tended and manipulated the most. She is in the minority within the minority. Can she pull it out? I feel like it will be her vs them.
Julie’s interview that was heard during the “Fogs of War” scene: “There is not a general consensus as to who should be voted out because all of us could make a different case as to why Kelley or Joe should be voted out because all are good cases, it’s getting tricky, it’s getting very tricky. It’s really important to make the right decision because the very first vote after the merge can dictate the game.”
With this confessional it makes me feel this is foreshadowing to Julie's quick demise. As Joe was a target as the challenge beast, will she be the first casualty as the new challenge beast of the "Kama 6"? Frankly, I would love it, as it would most definitely underline the mistake for her with the very first post merge vote.
When asked if there had been any talks of sending Rick back to the purgatory, Victoria answered “Absolutely not. That would be pure evil and why would we vote out somebody that isn’t a big threat coming to the merge.”
Ugh. that's all I have for Victoria. Way to put your foot in your mouth. I have a feeling that Victoria may be the last Kama standing, it could come down to Wentworth vs Evil Victoria. Hmmmm?
Here I thought we were back to Redemption Island where Boston Rob said he loved playing with newbies because they talk too much. What Victoria said should have alerted Kelley and Lauren that the plan had changed. At least Joe’s radar registered a hit. I <3 Boston Rob.
My thoughts. Definitely this was a major cluster F*ck. The newbies that were not the Kama 6, and the remaining returnees could have made something big happen, but there were too many obstacles in their way. Joe was on the fence, not trusting them but wanting to trust them. David, who in my opinion has been a major disappointment, but I suppose he's being true to his character that is ALL over the place. He could have been key to swaying Rick back to Kelley/Lauren/Wardog. But, with this vote the lines should be clear. Now, can they check their doubt and insecurities at the door to get together and play this game to come out on top? I really don't know.
Of all the players I was most impressed with how Wardog transitioned. But, I don't know if he transitioned that well or if editing made it look like he did? I am hopeful for him. However, he, Kelley, and Lauren seemingly are a tight threesome.
Great point regarding Joe. Yes, I do believe he will come back. And, I had not considered how he WILL be feeding the jury and fostering their animosity toward whoever voted them out. This could be interesting. Guess I cannot cross Joe off the list!
Thank you FP, yes there is a villain streak in Victoria but, personally, I like it. I hope she does what she promised to do and cross one of her "friends". I remember that, at the beginning of Gabon, Corinne promised to be a real b*tch and would own it but she really didn't do anything but talk. I'm hoping that's not Victoria but, up to now, she's talked the talk but hasn't walked the walk.
Let me ask: Do you think the camp fire smoke scene meant something or am I reading too much into it?
Let me ask: Do you think the camp fire smoke scene meant something or am I reading too much into it?
Frankly, michel, I thought it was brilliant. I think the editors constantly throw us hints and lead the story with imagery. I am sure they were thrilled to stick it in that way. But, sometimes the story is vague....like when Christian walked past the "Outplay" flag last season....was it a tip he won, or just for that challenge....got to be careful how long we extrapolate it. But, I loved it and I do buy into it.
Sorry, I meant to say something about that! Excellent assessment! Fire and Smoke definitely are used as foreshadowing and misdirection. We need to pay attention! Well done!
I couldn’t identify the male voice making the title comment: “There’s always a twist.” I'm pretty sure that was Joe who said the Title.
Kelley : “Of all the faces that I saw during that challenge, Devins was the one person I thought: Oh! hell! No! Like, why are you back here now? I don’t want him back here.”
This doesn’t make sense at all. Rick left Lesu quite amicably compared to Reem, Keith and Chris so I’d think she’d have been more disappointed in seeing one of them.
Both you and FlowerPower felt this Confessional didn't make sense. That's because Kelley didn't say that!
Kelley was jumping for JOY when Rick won that Challenge! It appears editors spliced that together to make Kelley say that!
Check out this Extra Video which has the exact same "Oh! hell! No!" scene at 00:24 but with different dialogue before and after!
When it looked like the Kama 6 were having a hard time coming to a consensus, the editors turned to an old trick: Using the smoke from the camp fire as a symbol for “The Fogs of War”!!
Wow! I totally missed that watching Live. Just watched it again and the stark contrast between players in smoke and players in the clear really jumps out now that you pointed this out. Thanks!
So, the big question is: Was it a good play for the Kama 6 or was it a big mistake?
I think it was a big mistake. Kama 6 should have voted with Joe & Aurora to whittle down the fractured original 5 Manu at least until they have a 2-3 person Majority and then take out Joe/Aurora.
Chris: Despite his penalty, Chris came very close to winning to return
At least the editors wanted us to think Chris was close. In Wendy's Exit Interview she said she finished the FIRST Ball and thought she was going to win. If you watch carefully you can see there are 2 balls in the tray at the end of Balance Beam. When Wendy nearly finishes it is a scene from her 1st Ball but when she runs up to get the Ball it is actually her 2nd Ball as her tray is now empty. When Chris drops his ball you can clearly see in the background his 2nd Ball. I don't think Chris ever finished the 1st Ball. And of course when Rick wins you can clearly see his tray is empty, and his 1st Ball is in the Rails behind the Snake's head as the 2nd Ball goes through the hole and rolls down the Rails toward the 1st Ball.
Joe: (snip) All he’ll have to do is win 2 or three challenges when the time comes.
Joe might only have to win One IC!
In Redemption Island seasons the Final Returnee came back when there were 4 players in the game so they had to win 2 IC's to guarantee a place in the Final 3.
With the new Final 4 Fire Making Twist I'm hoping the Final EoE Returnee will come back when there are 5 players (instead of 4) in the game. So Joe would have to win the Final 5 IC and then he could either win Final 4 IC or make Fire and make it to the Final 3!
Thank you so much, Sheldor, I haven't yet been able to listen to Kelley's video but it should come in handy in my argument with Aruba about this show being scripted! If it's not exactly according to the script then they change the words or alter the action.
I had noticed the two balls but didn't write about them because the second could have been there only in case they dropped the first. I should have known something wasn't kosher.
I also appreciate the kind words. We'll see if Ron is a victim of the Fogs of War!
It looks like we’re witnessing the extinction of another Survivor tradition. The Luxury items are long gone, the fallen comrades aren’t shown anymore, the naming of the merged Tribe doesn’t make the final cut and now it appears that the “Previously on Survivor” segment is on the endangered species list. Two weeks in a row without one and this time it wasn’t because the editors were anxious to show us their season’s gimmick. Well, I do appreciate hearing a little less from Jeff but the summary was usually a good tool to analyze the edit; it sort of extracted all the superficial stuff and gave us the story’s essentials.
I guess we’ll have to keep our own records.
As for the upcoming episode, I thought its theme was:
A Pilot Wins in the End.” Or A Dog at War
Vata Night 19
Aurora had the first confessional of the evening: “Well, after my first Tribal, there were two idiots; one was Joe the next one was me! We were the only two out of the original Kama that were in the dark about tonight’s vote so that pretty much sucks right now. If I have to work with Kama and play nice, I can do that but I have no allegiances, I don’t care how I go at this point but I’m only going with the numbers.”
After receiving thanks from David and Rick, Ron gave an interview: “By saving David and Rick, they trust me, they’re loyal, they owe me a major one. I really wanted Rick and David to be so angry with the members of Lesu because I don’t want them for a second thinking of going back to work with them and the chasm that I built within Lesu is so strong that they are not going to cross it. War Dog, Wentworth and Lauren are on the bottom and they know it.”
Hearing that confessional, I figured Ron was heading for an epic fall in this episode. Well, I didn’t miss by much. Indeed, Ron was going to be blindsided but it was his friend Eric leaving for Island of Extinction. While he was less visible than Ron, he was the one pushing the “Family Visit” as if it was the “Nec Plus Ultra” in this game, the ultimate goal. Only a fool should fall for that non-sense. Strangely, there was a fool listening to Eric at that point and I’d never have guessed that it would be Rick as we were about to find out.
Kelley, War Dog and Lauren felt humbled by the big move pulled by their rivals. War Dog wisely figured that Aurora had been left out of the loop so all they had to do was to get Rick and David back on board, pull in Aurora and then threaten to go to rocks.
The real mastermind of this season had been quiet at the merger but he was now back and he’ll be working it throughout the episode.
War Dog’s interview: “Right now we need each other for the next few votes otherwise we’re all done. So, if we patch those wounds with Devens and David and bring Aurora in we can say we have nothing to lose, maybe we can go to rocks.”
The Island of Extinction segment showed us Joe in tears, counting the days left in the game. It was a moment for Joe to share with his fans.
The Reward Challenge
Personally, I have always said that we are cheated out of a lot of interpersonal dynamics when the editors don’t tell us who were the captains and their draft order. It would only take 5 seconds to inform us so don’t tell me it’s a question of time. This time though, it was the worst I’ve ever seen it; the challenge started and we didn’t even know who was on which team. We had to find out as the challenge evolved. Would you go to a ball game if you didn’t know who was playing? Of course not so why do we still watch this crap?
I’ll be kinder than those editors and tell you:
On the Blue team, we had War Dog, Devens, Aurora and Eric doing the swimming and retrieving. We would eventually see that they were teamed with Victoria and Julia, handling the puzzle.
(I noticed that there wasn’t a lot of difference between Aurora’s free style form and Franziska van Almsick’s. They even look a bit alike!)
On the Yellow Team, we had Kelley, Lauren, Julie and Gavin out in the ocean so that left David and Ron acting as their landlubber.
With three guys handling the physical part of the challenge, Blue was off to an early lead and the puzzle was relatively simple so Yellow wasn’t able to catch up.
To think, some people see these silly games as the highlight of the evening while I’d be happy with an episode, maybe even the whole post merger, without a single challenge!
Ron had the post-game interview: “So we lost and everyone’s upset but I’m sitting back thinking this is awesome because the last thing I want is for Wentworth and Lauren to be strong. I want them to feel lost and lonely because I’m the puppet master and I’m trying to break them down.”
Now that’s it’s surfaced, it seems that the man’s arrogance has no limits. It’s too bad that they went for his ally Eric instead because sending Ron to the island of Extinction still holding bits of string in his hands would have been perfect. Notice also that, on a second level, the editors really played a nasty trick on Ron by including a confessional in which he says he wants to break Lauren down and she was soon going to actually break down physically. Viewers could ask: Would he have been happy if she had died out there?
Vata Day 20
Lauren gave us an interview when half the tribe was enjoying Chinese take-out: “I just needed some sort of food and some sort of win. I am so freaking hungry.” Quite cruelly, the editors inserted a scene where the victors had just finished enjoying their reward.
Kelley seized the occasion to apologize to David for their votes against him. David was very receptive and he apologized himself.
Kelley’s interview: “At this point, I’m kind of on the bottom with War Dog and Lauren. I don’t know where Rick and David stand completely but we’ve got to bury the hatchet. It’s dumb; unless the group is totally going after each other and forgetting that there’s this whole Kama situation. It’s exactly what Kama wants and they just run the game. If the Lesu Five come together and ... (See below) if the Lesu Five come together and pull in Aurora, we have six people to try and vote one of these Kama people out.”
There was a funny image that interrupted Kelley’s confessional: There was a bug in Kelley’s plan, literally! She forcefully swatted that troublesome fly away and it wound up right on Ron! Well, we saw Kelley swatting the fly towards the right side of our screen and then the next image had another fly coming in from the left side of our TV and landing on Ron’s knee. So I thought the imagery was clear: Kelley was going to get rid of her problem and it was going to land squarely on Ron’s lap. We know that Kelley has learned how to play from the bottom so now we’ll have to see how Ron manages it.
Even if Kelley told him that they had a shot at grabbing Aurora, David realized they’d only be six. Kelley countered that Kama would probably split their votes if they thought they had 9 people going against the three Lesu.
David’s interview: I’m really excited about what Wentworth is proposing because the Kama tribe is in control of this game. I’m not in control of anything. I’m just a piece in their game, especially to the people who are in charge of it like Ron and Eric. We need to band together and flip this game on its head. I just have to pull in my strongest alliance member which is Devens. That should be no problem.”
Right then War Dog was talking to Devens who proved to be a huge problem by using sarcasm: “I’m dying to get back with the old Lesu now that I know that I can trust you guys. I really want to get back with you all. Except that I don’t F___ing want to get back with you guys at all.” The sound of a cymbal crash underlined the finality of Devens position. War Dog pointed out that the game had to be played to win so he couldn’t understand why Devens could be playing so emotionally.
Rick’s interview: “That was so stupid: Don’t come out here and War Dog at me. Don’t yell at me how I’m not playing the game that I should be playing. I don’t like to be barked at, I’m not going to play with them. If I know I can’t trust Lesu then let’s do everything I can to get in with Kama. They just saved me at the last tribal so don’t bark at me about how I’m playing the game just because I’m not doing what you want me to do. He needs david and I to swing with them but like it’s just not going to happen.”
With this confessional, Rick showed the limitations of his game. He closed a door on his own, locking himself with a group that didn’t even count him as one of their own.
I liked David’s comment to Rick: “You always remember one conversation on Survivor...” I’m sure Rick was remembering this conversation when he saw the episode play out on his screen. David explained that they’d both be puppets if they went with Kama. David’s logic didn’t shake Rick’s obstinacy.
David’s interview: “There’s nothing more important than breaking Kama but unfortunately, Devens is not on board; 100% opposed to it. Devens is letting emotions run his game so the last thing I want to do is give him half of the idol I have so that he could do something even more irrational with it. It is so frustrating to have found someone that I can trust as much as I can trust Devens and realize I have to find another path to day 39. I wanted it to be with Devens but the way things are shaping up right now, I don’t think there’s any hope for that.”
Edge of Extinction – Day 21
Chris had messages for everyone. They were going on a hunt. Aubry was determined to get the prize first and she did. It was a chance to practice for their next challenge and an extra vote to send to someone.
It was interesting hearing Aubry saying that she had to be sneaky, sneaky like Kelley Wentworth to get the clue that was under everyone’s nose.
The Immunity Challenge
We had a funny moment When Devens fell off fifth: Jeff had labeled the first four players out of the challenge “four of the fittest” so Devens added: “Five of the fittest”. David commented that Devens probably fell off just for the joke.
It wouldn’t surprise me at all if he did.
That challenge didn’t favor the men at all as we soon wound up with Lauren, Veronica and Aurora facing off for immunity. That’s when the cameras gave us close-ups of Lauren saying she felt dizzy. We could see her eyes loosing focus so we knew something was wrong.
If the filming of this scene was from actual footage then I’d accuse the cameraman of criminal negligence. It was clear that Lauren was in trouble so why didn’t he call medical right away? I counted a full minute of air time between the time Lauren said she felt dizzy to the time she collapsed so that’s the minimum amount of time that the cameraman had time to react. Instead, she had to faint and fall to the ground before any help came her way. Was he waiting for her to die out there? Of course, those close-up images were probably recreated a few hours after the end of the challenge to give viewers the full sensation of someone about to collapse. At least I hope they asked Lauren to recreate the unfocused look. While it was less sickening than someone filming a young woman’s distress without intervening, what we saw and heard from Jeff and Aurora was also in bad taste.
After calling medical to Lauren’s aid, Jeff told Victoria and Aurora to continue with the challenge. That’s when Aurora started pleading for Victoria to give it to her. The pleas went on for a while but Victoria held up for some time before eventually falling off.
Jeff should have stopped the challenge right there and then to focus everyone’s attention to Lauren. That challenge could have been resumed afterwards or they could even have settled it with a tie-breaking question or even simply a coin flip because it was all very distasteful. At least, when Lauren said she felt embarrassed, Jeff said it proved she was a warrior.
I have another question to ask Jeff: Why was he standing behind the contestants? Was it to get a good look at the women’s butt?
Lauren’s interview: “It was really scary when I passed out but I was even more pissed that I was on the ground because that means I didn’t win and it leaves me very, very vulnerable but playing my idol is the absolute last resort.”
Vata Day 22
Aurora’sinterview: “There’s not as better feeling going into Tribal knowing that you’re a hundred percent safe especially when everything around you has told you lately; you are not safe. So I get back to camp and I’m happy but then i go in my back and there is a parchment and I’m pretty sure I don’t have a parchment. So I immediately sneak away. I went from feeling not accepted to this; having the power of an extra vote to cast at any time. It’s amazing but right now, I’m going to stick with the numbers and hold my tongue until it’s time to make a move.” On the beach, Ron led a cheer for the 7 “Kama Strong” players. He added that they’d see all their loved ones if they stuck together. Eric seconded that feeling.
Ron’s interview: “Eric and I are working together to control everybody and we’re using the Loved Ones visit as a threat almost by saying; don’t we all want to have our Loved Ones here? By saying that, it makes them not flip and have another alliance. It’s genius.”
Eric’s interview: “I know this Kama alliance won’t last forever. Things are going to get crazy and when it does myself and Ron have David and Devens in our pocket to make the big move but it’s not a worry for today: Let’s use our numbers that we so craftily acquired and let’s split some votes and let’s get some of those Lesu players out starting with Kelley.”
I’ve often said that splitting votes is the best way to turn a minority into a plurality but it seems Eric never listened to me! Kelley’s interview: “The original Kama people along with Rick Devens are all this big voting bloc and they are going to vote probably for myself or Lauren tonight and it’s a scary thing. Luckily, Lauren and I have idols. When you have an idol it’s just like a gut feeling and hoping that you are right.”
That’s when the Dog went to War.
It started with War Dog talking to Julia, telling her that he could be going home or Kelley or Lauren but that the seven Kama weren’t going to be the Final 7. He rightly surmised that Ron and Eric’s plan was to use Devens and David.
Did he really come to that conclusion on his own or did David inform him of that plan? If David told War Dog that Ron and Eric were working to get them on board then it takes a bit of shine off War Dog’s image but shown this way it paints him as this great player, the only one able to see through the deception.
War Dog’s interview: “You know you got to go out there and find cracks. You can’t just say: Oops, I tried but it didn’t work. You keep fighting in this game. My best strategy is to convince these younger Kama people that they need soldiers for a war because, once that war starts, who is Devens and David siding on?”
Notice that the editors used the same montage as they did with Aubry in an earlier episode. We saw and heard War Dog making the rounds, talking to Julia and Gavin and repeating the same exact words to both. That earlier scene told us that Aubry was going to get played by these players but here we have the opposite impression. Why? It’s because we didn’t hear any Kama player laughing at War Dog’s attempts. Instead, they heeded his advice. That’s a huge difference in the editing world.
Julia’s interview: “War Dog was breaking down his perception of the dynamics of Kama saying that Ron and Eric are trying to pull in David and Devens and eventually make a move on Gavin, Victoria and myself. War Dog might have a point and I didn’t realize it until he said it. So, I’m going to have to test Eric by trying to push a David or Devens vote and that will be the true testament to who is working with whom?” Julia went to Eric, asking if they should vote for David first. Eric’s reluctance told her all she needed to know as we heard when her interview resumed: “War Dog was right; they are going to try to use David and Devens down the road to flip on us Kama members. It might be my time to make a big move.”
Gavin’s interview: “Eric and Ron saying we’ve got to get to the family visit was like an epiphany; it hit me, like I’m going to win for my family. That’s why I’m stepping my game back up and coming in guns blazing.”
Interesting choice of words considering we heard that War Dog was Doc Holliday and his Lesu allies were the Earp brothers. I’m not sure Gavin has the skills to defeat those gunslingers.
Victoria was hesitant when they brought her in on the plan. She thought it would be best for them to wait for one vote before making the move.
Since Victoria has been portrayed up to now as a slightly more skillful player than Gavin and Julia, it suggests that this plan will indeed fail to get the young Kama players to the end. Julia’s confessional: “Every decision, every option carries some risk in this game. Tonight, we can stay Kama strong and it can be an easy vote, taking out Kelley or we can pull in the people at the bottom and we can make a big move now and target Ron or Eric. They’ve taken advantage of the power that this alliance has gotten but the bad part for them is that we realize it and they might be on the wrong side of the vote at Tribal Council.”
Tribal Council
Eric told Jeff that the Kama 7 made a group decision. He said the Lesu players come in packages. That made War Dog laugh, saying one package may have gotten more attention than his. Devens was completely up front saying he wasn’t with the Lesu Five. He was trying to get on board the Kama train. After saying that Kama saved Devens and him, David said that everyone had to decide if they wanted to be a Pilot or a Passenger adding that a “Pilot Wins at the End.” David called himself a “passenger”.
We’ve had numerous discussions about this, an idea that is front and center in the Nash Theory of Survivor. That states that a “pilot”, or really a leader, is more likely to win in a season when there aren’t many leaders while a “passenger”, a follower in the Nash terminology, is most likely to win in a season where there are many leaders who set out to kill each other. Since we know that Jeff and his team have a great fondness for Nash’s theory then winners have often been portrayed obeying that law. (S1 Hatch the only leader going against a leaderless tribe. Vecepia, a follower, won in Marquesas, a season that featured Hunter, Rob, Sean, Kathy and John all trying to lead. In S9 Chris, the leader of the fat guys’ alliance, won over a tribe of women which was split between Ami and Mia before the merger and then between Ami and Scout after it. The examples abound.) Here however, the Theme is simple: “A Pilot Wins in the End.” I apologize for the tangent.
Ron said they had to avoid that type of panic, Eric adding that they all want to see their Loved Ones.
War Dog asked: “Are we playing for the Million Dollars or for the Loved Ones’ visit?”
David, to his personal (faked) dismay, agreed with war Dog. He nicely added that most players had blank résumés with only an address that read: 404 Edge of Extinction Drive. Jeff asked Victoria if it was just a question of “When do I make my move?” Victoria hinted that with 12 people still in the game shooting your shot could mean shooting yourself in the foot. Aurora said that everyone had a chance to take control of the game but who was going to decide to do it.
It was time to vote.
When Jeff asked if anyone wanted to play an idol, Lauren and Kelley stayed put.
Eric and Ron voted for Kelley. Julie and Devens voted for Lauren. War Dog, Kelley, Lauren, David, Julia, Aurora, Gavin and Victoria voted against Eric.
The Story
Finally these new players are showing that they are game savvy. Our early impression that they weren’t good players was mostly due to the fact that so much time had to be spent on the fan Favorites but now the game is in full motion and it looks like it will be an interesting ride. My favorite seasons are always the ones edited to follow the Nash Theory so hearing an indirect reference to it piqued my interest. If we were to count the different pilots, I’d say we’d have to include Ron, War Dog, Julia Kelley and Devens so there should be enough fireworks to favor a follower but the Nash Theory only states that a type of player is more likely to win under a certain condition. Maybe we should limit ourselves to what we heard on the show: A Pilot wins in the End.” So who will it be?
The Characters
The Fallen Pilots: The Edge of Extinction offers a shot at redemption that wasn’t given to past Fallen Leaders.
Eric: His portrayal before the merger was so thin, so impersonal that it would take a huge redemption edit to give us a satisfying winning story. I’ll eliminate Eric for good.
Ron: His arrogance was on full view and his attempt to sell the family visit was so pathetic that I don’t think Ron could ever present a winner’s résumé no matter what he does from now on. The “Fogs of War” imagery didn’t let us down.
The Passengers – According to the Theme delivered by David, these players don’t stand a chance, yet, according to Nash they’d be favored.
Aurora: She wasn’t even riding the Kama Train, just running along the tracks so flipping didn’t improve her standing much. It certainly didn’t give her the command of the game. That advantage will need to be used in a way to dazzle the jury if she’s going to have a chance.
Devens: He had an option to go back with Lesu but he slammed that door shut. That puts him in no man’s land, a place where the trains don’t go so how can he pilot anything. He can’t even get his idol back. If he wants to make it to the reunion he will have to walk.
Julie: Last week, she had been spared from the “Fogs of War” smoke probably because she was reluctant to eliminate Joe so early. Who can say that wasn’t a mistake now? Joe is a great passenger and he would have voted with Kama no matter what. Unfortunately for Julie, the “smoke monster” (!) caught up to her this week as we saw her engulfed in the camp fire smoke just when Julia and Gavin were thinking of voting against her alliance.
Gavin: This vote gave him a chance to steer the ship but it was only for a moment. We even heard him say that he wanted to eliminate Ron before Eric because he was much closer to the Firefighter than he ever was to the Teacher but he didn’t even get his way there.
Victoria: With the theme in this episode stating: “Pilots win the game”, Victoria’s chances of winning are dwindling. She was a pilot in the early days of Kama but her game was too relaxed so she fell out of the driver’s seat. Ron was first to take her place but he was swiftly shoved aside by Julia. Victoria was slow to adhere to the plan of her young tribe mates and that could be an indication that her position should have been heard. As is, I think she did shoot herself in the foot.
Chris: His portrayal on the Island of Extinction was promising for a few episodes but now his role has faded back into the background. I don’t think his story is leading to victory.
David: He called himself a passenger, in direct contradiction to his definition of what it takes to win so I’ll eliminate him.
Julia: She jumps up in the peloton of racers chasing the front runners because she was portrayed as the “Pilot”, the one that guided the young Kama half into making a big move. Unfortunately for her chances, the edit also showed that her piloting lesson was accomplished under War Dog’s guidance and she has already ceded the wheel to him.
The Contenders
Aubry: At first, I noticed a certain quality in Aubry’s interviews: Where the players interviews are usually filmed in such a way that we see the person sitting and we have a view of their surroundings, all Aubry’s confessionals were done in close-ups but then i realized that the same applied to Reem and Joe so it’s nothing special. Still Aubry’s chances cannot be completely dismissed and she’d have a strong case to present to the jury if she beats Joe, Chris, Eric and whoever else comes her way.
Joe: With such a clear path to the end game we’ll never be able to eliminate Joe but I would prefer not seeing an outcast win, especially if it’s a returning player.
Lauren: If a passenger is going to prove David wrong (proving that Nash was right after all!) then it would be Lauren. She was called a warrior and her idol could certainly impress the jury if she plays it right. She could profit from the jury’s perception that the returning players have had their chance already. I can imagine her sitting between Kelley and Joe at the end and wouldn’t that be a wild throwback to her quote at the season’s opening? She wanted to play with Joe and Kelley but what if she beats both of them in the end. Joe could be penalized for having been an outcast while Kelley could be seen as just another passenger so the jury would be happy to reward the woman that had the roughest ride of them all. Was she a Passenger? Yes, but it was quite a bumpy ride.
Kelley: I simply loved the montage that the editors did with Kelley’s confessional when she was assaulted by that fly. Survivor is often compared to the “Lord of the Flies” and there is even a theory that was popular among viewers for a while. It went back to the image of the pig’s head covered in flies in the famous book and it stated that “A Winner Has Never Been Shown With a Fly on his Body.” I’ve contested it but, to be honest, I’ve never had an example to refute that theory. This season, we clearly saw Lauren with a fly on her foot during a challenge, she even commented on it tickling her so that would eliminate her but what about Kelley’s fly? Kelley was in terrible danger, close to the Edge of Extinction but, just as she swatted that fly away, she escaped once more. I think it was even more significant that, after Kelley swatted the fly away we saw a fly landing on Ron’s knee. WShile that would eliminate Ron if we go by the “Fly Theory” what I enjoyed most was the perfect coordination of the fly’s path: With her hand. Kelley swatted the fly to the right of our screen and when the image changed to Ron and Aurora in the shelter, we saw the (or rather “a”) fly traveling from the left side of the screen to the right before resting on Ron’s lap. The angle of the fly’s trajectory was perfect; it gave us the impression that Kelley not only got rid of her problems but sent them directly on Ron’s lap. Can he deal with it as well as she’s done? She's done such a good job that I doubt Ron can handle it!
War Dog: In an episode titled “I’m the puppet master” the editors showed us clearly that the real master was War Dog. If a “Pilot is Going to Win” then it should be War Dog. It was extremely telling that the editors showed War Dog talking to Julia and Gavin using the same words for both to the point that his sentences were spliced together between screen shots of both listeners. Such a montage had been used to discredit Aubry but here it underlined War Dog’s mastery of the game. Such portrayal is usually reserved to the winner.
The only thing holding me from declaring War Dog the Sole Survivor is that all the attention, all the doubt is cast on Kelley. From the start, what we’ve heard has constantly been “Let’s get Kelley out.” It started with David, Reem, Wendy, Chris and now it even spread to Eric while absolutely no one has mentioned the need to get rid of War Dog. Is it to show that his game is truly exceptional or is it telling us that they won’t respect his game? Would the jury, most of which will be comprised of players who thought that returning players had their chance already, vote for a returning player over a new one like War Dog or Lauren?
Previously on Survivor, Devens and David weren’t seeing eye to eye. Facing Tribal Council, War Dog tried to get Kama to turn on each other...and it worked. At Tribal Council, Ron and Julie were left in the dark when Eric was voted out and he chose to go to the Edge of Extinction.
Now that we’re not sure we’ll be getting many of these summaries let’s make the most of it. What is apparent is that Julia and Gavin’s role in voting out Eric didn’t really matter, it was all about War Dog. The only four other players that Jeff mentioned were Devens, David, Julia and Ron but the intent of those comments was probably to set up this evening’s fireworks.
Vata Night 22
War Dog had the first interview: “Tribal Council was fun; the War Dog controlled the vote and now I know the Kama people are fractured. I mean, Ron and Julie didn’t have any idea it was coming; their reaction was gold. So now, myself, Lauren and Kelley may have a chance to crack this game open.”
Even if the use of the third person in talking about himself is in poor taste, we must admit that War Dog is quite lucid in his assessment. He isn’t overly confident; he knows it’s still undecided but he now has a chance to do something.
Ron’s interview: That Tribal Council was a disaster. Julie and I were left out of the vote and so I’m kind of gutted. I spend a lot of time making Kama strong; we had the numbers. I’m sure people are going to look at this and say: “How stupid were they? All they had to do was vote out all the Lesu member” but we haven’t done it. All the power that I thought I had, now I realize that I have absolutely none. I’m on the bottom and I’m probably going to be voted out next.”
After forcing the original Manu to go to 4 Tribal Council four times in a row, the 4 of the 5 last votes have sent a Kama member to the Edge of extinction. As it will stand at the start of the next cycle, there will be 5 original Manu and 5 original Kama left in the game...And Kama never lost a single tribal immunity challenge!
Gavin’s interview: “I pulled out a huge move there: Eric was my closest ally in this game but he was kind of keeping me behind the curtains. I don’t want to go to the Final Three with a blank résumé so I stepped up and decided to be the first one to throw the punch. I made it apparent that I have this new alliance and I told them that I’m with you guys now. This proves that I’m ready to take this six (he was including War Dog, Lauren, Kelley, Julia and Victoria), a new alliance, to the end.”
David’s confessional: “Tribal Council went exactly the way I wanted it to go except for the fact that Rick and I voted differently because he wasn’t willing to see my side of it; the right side of it. Even if I wanted to split with Rick, I couldn’t because we have to figure out who gets custody of our “kid”; this little nugget of an immunity idol that is so very powerful but not as long as it remains in half. So, the relationship needs to work between us because that idol is a tool we are going to need to avoid one of us going home and then we could maybe shake things up and take control of this game.”
It’s interesting to read this interview in light of the fact that they did work things out, they did put the idol back in one piece, they even played it but it was all a waste, David receiving only 1 of eleven votes. In other words, David accomplished his entire plan but he isn’t closer to controlling this game than he was at this moment.
Edge of Extinction Day 23
We had a long segment where Eric weighed the possibility of quitting. That was contrasted with Joe and Aubry’s resolve to stay in the game. Then Chris brought back a bounty of fish to nourish everyone and Eric came to the conclusion that he’d want to use this hurdle to give his kids a lesson in perseverance.
Vata Day 23
We saw sharks hunting for small fish.
Consider this: We had just seen Chris coming out of the water with a nice bounty, now we see sharks hunting and, during Tribal Council, we will hear David talking about sharks eating minnows so let me ask you if there is a correlation between these three events? If there is then it would be telling us that Chris is the shark that will eat all these minnows before all is said and done.
Rick’s interview: “Everything is up in the air after Eric gets voted out. I was right that there were huge cracks in Kama; I just didn’t expect them last night. I’m going to concentrate on Ron and Julie because I showed them that I was loyal, I voted with them.”
Julie’s interview: “I was really upset that I wasn’t included on the vote for Eric last night. It made me question what to do and what the future of my game is going to look like. There’s no one watching out for me here and oh! my god! It’s like it’s been 23 days and I’m counting the days until I see my family again because it’s this feeling of no support. Last night’s blindside on Eric that I wasn’t a part of, just added to it. I try to remember why I signed up for this and it was to push myself and it was to prove myself but I feel like what am I even doing out here? And where do I go from here?”
Julie told Rick, David and Ron that she didn’t want to make this about her but then why did the editors make it so much about her in this episode?
Julia’s interview: “David is very sneaky and strategic but there’s this trio of Lesu players in War Dog, Kelley and Lauren and moving forward together with them; that is something that worries me. The next few votes, I’m really going to have to evaluate the social relationships in the game and whether I have the numbers because they have a trio that is just as strong together and don’t seem to be going anywhere and it’s all very concerning for me.”
This would be another episode where Kelley was going to be the main target yet, like Julia said, she and her closest allies don’t seem to be going anywhere. Will they make it to the end?
Day 23 The Immunity Challenge
It’s funny that there is no reward challenge this week after I had just complained about the waste of time they represent. Could they have heard me? Of course not but it’s strange that an episode that would include one of the longest Tribal Councils ever didn’t have a reward challenge. How could they have known that they would need all that extra time to show all the craziness that was going to unfold? If it wasn’t for the day count then I’d wonder if, like in Borneo, they filmed a reward but never bothered to put it on the air.
Gavin won immunity.
Gavin’s Interview: “I felt so accomplished beating David in this challenge because my plan was to get David sent home tonight and if David had won it would have been the worst possible scenario for me but now I can say that I’m the reason that David got sent home.
We’ve seen enough episodes to know that this post game interview rarely works out. It’s often the kiss-of-death interview, the editors taking extra pleasure in showing a cocky player about to get his comeuppance. It wasn’t going to be like that for Gavin but he’d be losing his second “closest ally” in two consecutive Tribal Councils!
Vata Day 23
Rick’s confessional: “For the first time since we’ve merged we get back from the immunity challenge and there’s no pretense: everyone scatters and David and I are left in camp with Julia who I wanted to talk to anyway to give her my pitch that there is a big target in Kelley, Lauren and War Dog. Then Gavin comes in and I’m able to give him the same pitch. Then Victoria... I’m trying to be patient; I’m trying to let them see that’s what best for all of us is to break up a power trio in the game. Meanwhile David and I will probably flip a coin to see who gets to use the immunity idol tonight if we feel things aren’t going our way.”
Lauren’s interview: “I actually wish that David would have won because Ron would be next on the chopping block. Ron is a strategical threat, he is kind of the leader of the Kama cult for a while and I don’t trust him.”
Julia’s gave us an interview after hearing Lauren’s pitch for Ron: “So Lesu is telling us that they are fine with the David vote however, they keep pushing other options like Ron. It makes me believe that they might be all working together on the low and they are trying to bamboozle us. So, I much prefer to change it up and reunite Kama strong and target a powerhouse in this game which is Kelley.”
I find it interesting that we only saw Lauren talking to Julia but the medical student doesn’t say “Lauren is telling me... She keeps....” but instead we heard: “Lesu is telling us... They keep...” Either Julia is simply projecting what all of Lesu is saying just by Lauren’s words or there have been other talks between the Lesu trio and members of the young Kama brigade. Knowing Kelley and War Dog, I believe they must have said something also but it’s only Lauren that was featured. We have to remember that it’s not only players that have to build their résumé to the future jury members but also the editors have to build the résumé of the eventual winner for the audience. Was that what they were doing by showing only Lauren’s pitch?
Victoria’s interview: “There’s the Lesu three package deal and then there’s Dave and Devens. We want to get rid of whichever package we consider most dangerous first. Three is bigger than two and it seems that we are all leaning towards Kelley. If we get rid of the Queen bee maybe the whole hive will fall apart.”
Kelley’s name has been brought up as the main target so many times this season that it’s become a theme all its own: “Kelley has to go” yet she’s still there. After seeing Parvati, Rob, Cochran and Tyson win in seasons with returning players while even bad ones such as Coach and Stephenie made it to the Finale, many viewers say that returning players have an unfair advantage over the new ones. How would the editors combat that negative reaction if Kelley is our winner? They’d insist on her precarious position in the game, show that she was clearly an underdog and that her win certainly wasn’t an easy ride and that’s exactly what we’ve seen in every episode up to now.
Julie’s interview: ”The Kama group, obviously, want to make Ron and I feel extremely comfortable but I don’t know if what they are pitching me is really true. I don’t know who I can trust. That’s what I can’t stand about this game. How does the paranoia ever go away? I don’t have anything to lose right now because I am already at such a low and I got to somehow pull myself together fast. It’s happening soon and I need to make a move.”
Gavin’s confessional: “Everybody wants to blindside Kelley but that is not what I wanted because I’ve gotten closer to Kelley but they shut it down and I was pissed. I thought I had a vote in what we said but it turned into a dictatorship.” Having established their plan, the group gathered in silence around the camp fire.
Silence is never a good thing when a vote is pending as a couple of veterans were about to tell us:
David’s interview: “Moving forward, I’m just trying to establish trust with the remaining Kama people but I’ve developed over my time a Survivor “spidey” sense and now we find ourselves sitting at a dinner table and no one is saying a word. And if no one is saying a word it’s because they are probably talking about you and thinking about you and voting you home tonight. There is no question that we are playing the idol tonight; the only question is on who?”
David and Rick agreed that David was the target.
The music became very somber letting us hear only heavy chords as Kelley observed the group.
Kelley’s interview: “The Kama people all day, they have been fine with me and then Julia just going <yeah!: thumbs up; big smile! “We got the plan!”> Ah! OK? And then Aurora is just sleeping and won’t talk to me and Victoria is just like scrapping the pot, not looking at me, not saying a word. Gavin comes in camp and he has his head down; won’t look at me. I’m having flashbacks of Cambodia like y’all have some plan in motion and you’re trying to make me feel OK. Y’all making me crazy (The episode’s Title Quote); there’s a good chance I’m getting some votes. My gut is telling me that I may want to play my idol and trusting your gut in this game is huge because even the people that you think you can trust; you can’t always trust. And right now, I’m trusting people acting very strange.”
This segment proves without a doubt that returning players have a better understanding of the game as both David and Kelley saw through the Kama’s pretense but only Kelley will emerge from Tribal Council with an idol so we can say that her feminine intuition was stronger than David’s “spidey” sense.
Tribal Council
The clock told us that the players were getting there early so we had to expect a lot of developments before this vote. There was a time where the players were under strict orders from Mark Burnett to stay silent until the host asked you a question. Now that the host is in charge the protocol is much less rigid and we were about to witness a free-for-all.
Jeff started the evening on the subject of trust; how you can’t trust anyone but that you have to trust some people making it possible to blindside people. Julie said that being on the wrong side of a blindside fells bad. Aurora said that you can’t let everyone in on blindsiding someone or else it won’t happen. War Dog understood this to mean that last week they used a group of people to take Eric out and that they could be blindsiding that group this time. War Dog wondered if he was a passenger in their plan or in our plan. Kelley said that the vibe in camp suggested that the Kama people had gotten back together. David said he saw a bunch of minnows in the ocean that were eaten by a shark passing by. He felt that one of the Lesu people was the minnow. Devens, who wasn't sure if he was the minnow, the shark or the poop in David’s story, said that Gavin, Aurora and Julia and Victoria were the hot dates of the day. They had promised to get back to him with an answer but intentionally let the clock run out. Gavin said that plans change. Julie said she felt at an all-time low. She started crying. When Julie said that the plan she’d been told was probably not the plan that was going to be executed, Kelley turned to Julia, quietly asking if they were good. Julie assured Kelley that they were. When Julia said that to Jeff, Devens practically jumped out of his seat saying Julia had just given the game away: They were going with the Lesu Three. Aurora said the Lesu was playing the game, one side saying they’ll vote against the other while that other side said the same. For her, Lesu was playing Kama. War Dog got really confused when Aurora added that there were other things in the ocean besides minnows and sharks. That’s when Julia turned to Aurora whispering: “You’re spilling the beans”.
For me, that was the theme of this episode but the beans were spilt well before Aurora spoke and by Julia herself!
Seeing how Gavin, Aurora, Victoria and Julia were strongly working together, Devens suggested that the 5 Lesu players team up with the two left out Kama players to take control. That really got to Julia who countered that Lesu was supposed to be so dysfunctional they’d never work together. Devens said it wasn’t his plan but Aurora’s! After Julia called him a simple passenger, Devens said that his GPS was working so he squarely turned to his left where sat the other six. War Dog was first to start the whispering, telling Ron and Julie that he’d work with them. Julie agreed that Rick’s proposal was sounding better and better. While a smiling David answered Jeff’s question, War Dog leaned over two more times to get into Ron’s ear, saying: “If I go Aurora, they’ll go Aurora. It’s up to you two.” When Jeff said he wasn’t going to ask any more questions but was going to watch instead, the whole group got involved. Kelley stood up and whispered in Aurora’s ear. David tapped Kelley on the shoulder as soon as she got back to her stump but Ron called him and Devens over. While walking over to Ron, Devens whispered in Kelley’s ear: “A truce can get both of us a long way.” War Dog informed Kelley that they were talking about voting out Aurora. Kelley then turned back to Gavin, Julia and Aurora to see if their plan was the real plan, adding: “I’m not trying to turn on you guys.”
That left Kelley out of the main conversation that was happening at the other end of the room but I think she did it on purpose for a few reasons: First, it prevented those three of joining the conversation, it also prevented anyone to come to them and talk behind her back and, maybe most importantly, it showed that she was more sympathetic to their cause than Devens and the rest. That is a thing that could earn jury votes now that we now that side is likely going to be sitting on the wrong side of the room by the time of the Final Tribal Council. However, it made Devens think they wouldn’t have Kelley on their side but, just in time Lauren brought her back into the fold.
Julia said that she wanted to go for Julia, prompting Ron to tell Julia that her name was being mentioned. When the medical student approached the group of seven, Julie freaked, saying that she was out. On the other side, David asked Kelley about the plan and she honestly said that it was him. When Julia told Julie that she was throwing away Kama’s control of the game, Julie raced over to Lesu saying that she was jumping ship and sat on David’s lap. That’s when we had a rare commercial break in the middle of Tribal Council.
It was time to vote
When asked if anyone wanted to play an idol, David gave his half back to Rick who walked over to Jeff, handing the rebuilt idol to our host and saying he was playing it for David.
Lauren and Kelley kept their idols.
Aurora voted for David Julia voted for Kelley Everybody else voted for Julia. When Julia stood, Rick, David and Kelley told each other that they would talk about this. War Dog promised he’d talk to Ron and Julie and then turned to Rick, giving him credit for the vote, Kelley looked around in disbelief and then we had a shot of Julia’s torch emitting its last puff of smoke and the images of Ron and Julie juxtaposed to it before fading to black. Was that image telling us that their torches are about to get snuffed also?
The Story
In the first three seasons of Survivor we had alliances dominating the game play and then, starting with Marquesas we started seeing shifts in alliances that eventually led to the formation of voting blocs. Now it seems that a new phenomenon is appearing; the Voting Coalitions. And these coalitions seem to be as stable as they are in the Italian Parliament! Now everyone is promising to talk to each other but the more talk the more deception can surface. The players that have been honest about their votes and have shown to be calm under pressure will have an advantage.
While this season started slowly, it certainly has picked up lately and all the players that we considered as practically invisible have started to shine. In fact, I'd say that the viewers have a good idea of everyone left, something that hasn't been the case in every season. Another thing that is emerging is that all but one episode title has come from a quote from a returning player. That tells me its their story and that we are likely seeing one of them as our new Sole Survivor.
The Characters
Aurora: It was her rookie mistake that ignited the Tribal Council fireworks and they left her completely alone and out of the loop. Unless her extra vote somehow multiplies by 6 then she doesn’t stand a chance. Of course, she’ll be safe for a while because eliminating her won’t be a problem.
Julia While she didn’t hesitate choosing to stay in the game, I would be very surprised to see her succeed. It was her desire to flip on the Lesu trio that ignited the push against her. She revealed that she was a strategic threat and she was gaining a lot of control in the game. That type of control demands a ton of implication because you have to constantly reassure your allies that “the plan” includes them even when it doesn’t. Her body language gave indications that she was lying and her inaction proved fatal.
Julie: She is one of the few players that has been honest about her vote but she is crumbling under pressure. I have a hard time understanding the investment in her character. Is it to show how hard her road to the end will be or is it to simply show the difficulties of the game. She cannot handle her paranoia, even wishes it wasn’t part of the game but we know that paranoia is useful in this game. It was paranoia that drove Sandra to go by the strategy of anyone but me. It was paranoia that drove Hantz to find all those idols. It was paranoia that got Tony to eliminate his allies before they even thought of turning on him. So I see Julie falling victim to the game’s difficulties instead of overcoming them.
Gavin: He is trying hard to be in control of the game but it has resulted in his two closest allies going to the Island of Extinction in succession. He was identifies as being part of Kama’s group of youngsters so his vote against Julia showed that he is nothing but a turncoat. He shouldn’t be trusted moving forward but many other players have the same problem so he could survive just because there can only be one player eliminated at a time!
Victoria: Like Gavin, she switched sides faster than you can say “traitor” and while she told us she’d betray anyone and everyone, it shouldn’t have been done out of necessity but by design. She was part of the players that couldn’t hide their intentions so she’ll have a problem getting information from the others.
Aubry: She certainly enjoyed Tribal Council but there was nothing in her story to suggest that she’ll be sitting anywhere else but on the jury bench when the time comes.
Chris: His ability to catch fish and to nourish the members of the jury should be nicely rewarded were he to sit in the Final Three but will he get there? It’s unlikely.
David: What should we make of David’s ability to read the situation correctly? It showed his skills in the game but, at the same time, he wasted his idol. It’s odd that his best moves come when he works with Kelley when he spends most of his time plotting to eliminate her. How will that saga end?
Lauren: She wasn’t a factor during Tribal Council, her only action was to bring Kelley back into the fold when the plan was gelling. That’s not a good thing so even if we think that the editors were building her case by showing her interacting with the young members of Kama, it seems that the more accurate interpretation of that scene was that she made Julia nervous causing the collapse of an alliance that could have dominated the game. I do not see sufficient hints to keep Lauren in the group of contenders.
Devens: It was his desire to act as a pilot that turned the vote around and War Dog gave him credit for it. Next week’s recap should certainly mention his contribution to this crazy Tribal Council. Is it enough to put him back in contention? His role is certainly more important than it’s ever been and he’s one of only two new players to match the returning players. We’ll keep an eye on his story.
The Contenders
Joe: Unless a shark attacks Joe, he will always have to be considered a contender but his confessionals on the Island of Extinction aren’t very substantial.
War Dog: This was another episode in which he played a key role in determining the vote without becoming a target himself. That shows his mastery in the game but, like he said, we have he’s either the passenger in their plan or in his. To win, War Dog will have to be seen as a pilot and I don’t think he’s there yet. It would be easy to present his winning story if Jeff were to say: “The winner of Survivor: The Edge of Extinction - War Dog” but will that be the name Jeff announces? I had that impression but a new winning story is emerging.
Kelley: Often, a player’s name emerges as a possible target just to create suspense during an episode but targeting Kelley is one of the recurring themes of the season. We’ve become accustomed to returning players dancing circles around their new rivals so showing the fragility of her position is vital in order to present a worthy winner. Not only has Kelley survived every attempt to vote her out but she hasn’t even needed to use her idol in the process. Seeing Rick waste his idol on David gave us the impression that Kelley is really a master when it comes to playing an idol. Of course, Lauren also kept hers but, as viewers, we know that her name was never really in consideration. If Kelley plays her idol in what Jeff likes to call an epic fashion then she will have all the credentials to be this season’s Sole Survivor.
I find it interesting that we only saw Lauren talking to Julia but the medical student doesn’t say “Lauren is telling me... She keeps....” but instead we heard: “Lesu is telling us... They keep...” Either Julia is simply projecting what all of Lesu is saying just by Lauren’s words or there have been other talks between the Lesu trio and members of the young Kama brigade. Knowing Kelley and War Dog, I believe they must have said something also but it’s only Lauren that was featured. We have to remember that it’s not only players that have to build their résumé to the future jury members but also the editors have to build the résumé of the eventual winner for the audience. Was that what they were doing by showing only Lauren’s pitch? Great observation, and yes, I think it is manipulation by the editors. Lauren is in a good spot, she has Kelley and WarDog as her shields, but she's loyal and active, and I think a good competitor in challenges, as we have heard other players talking smack about how well she does.
Victoria’s interview: “There’s the Lesu three package deal and then there’s Dave and Devens. We want to get rid of whichever package we consider most dangerous first. Three is bigger than two and it seems that we are all leaning towards Kelley. If we get rid of the Queen bee maybe the whole hive will fall apart.” this casts doubt on Kelley once again, but with this confessional, it appears to me that Victoria is more the snarky narrator than anything else. With the promo, we see her contemplating another plan that "could" work between her and Devins. But, in the end will it?
Kelley’s name has been brought up as the main target so many times this season that it’s become a theme all its own: “Kelley has to go” yet she’s still there. After seeing Parvati, Rob, Cochran and Tyson win in seasons with returning players while even bad ones such as Coach and Stephenie made it to the Finale, many viewers say that returning players have an unfair advantage over the new ones. How would the editors combat that negative reaction if Kelley is our winner? They’d insist on her precarious position in the game, show that she was clearly an underdog and that her win certainly wasn’t an easy ride and that’s exactly what we’ve seen in every episode up to now.
Agree with this statement whole-heartedly. Getting Kelley out each and every week is like a broken record theme. I do think that the editors are also manipulating the events to force the "surprise" ending for us. Last week I was shocked that Kelley chose not to play her idol, so clearly there were events that reassured her not to play it that we were not privy to. All to make Kelley appear as a crafty and worthy winner, perhaps?
Well done as always, Michel! Thanks for your hard work each and every week!
David, what a flip flopper he is. First he's against Kelley, then he's with her, then he's against her....David is all over the place. Should be interesting now that he's exposed with no idol.
26. "Episode 10 - There are Bigger Threats Out there:"
There are bigger threats out there
Previously on Survivor, did anything happen? Maybe not...
Vata Night 23
David had the opening interview, telling us that he was happy they played the idol even if he didn’t need it that time.
He’ll soon regret not having it anymore..
War Dog’s interview: “Aurora, she kept spewing on and on; diarrhea of the mouth. She essentially put everybody’s cards on the table and it literally was a perfect storm of something has got to give and, in this case, it was Julia’s torch: Gone!” After telling Ron that he wanted a six person alliance that would also include Kelley, Lauren, Julie and Gavin, War Dog’s interview went on: “In the old Manu-Lesu, I was the pilot on all the votes but since the merge I was a passenger on the plane. I was like, I hate this: The War Dog is being told what to do. But now, the original Kama has fractured and I’m going to take advantage of it. I told them my idea and they all loved it and now they want Aurora out next. It’s amazing how these people all imploded.”
After a few quiet episodes War Dog came back to full strength in this double TC episode. He is indeed back in charge and he’s very dangerous to everyone and anyone. If there is a warning sign about his chances then it’s his directness in making the decisions. If we recall what he said in one of his first interviews of the season he wanted to make the decisions but wanted to make others think it was also their decisions. Will it come back to bite him in the end?
I noted that both David and War Dog talked of Aurora’s inability to stay quiet, saying she was the primary reason for all the chaos at TC. We saw that Julia was equally responsible but all the blame is thrown on Aurora so that makes me wonder if it’s to explain why, as a Final three finalist, she won’t get any votes. She is the biggest goat out there right now.
Aurora gave us her recap of the previous vote: “Somehow, it all went to hell. I literally put my foot in my mouth and I ruined possibly my game. Now, everyone is going off on walks but me. Growing up in the Foster care system, I did not have friends so I ’m good being alone. I’m just trying to see what tomorrow brings. I’m going to play, I’m not giving up. Problem is I don’t know if I have a tomorrow.”
If Aurora is being edited as a losing finalist the editors are still giving her a chance to gain the viewers’ sympathy. On a side note, her talk about seeing what tomorrow brings and wondering is she even has a tomorrow is funny considering the editors were about to skip that tomorrow, jumping from Night 23 directly to Day 25 and the Immunity challenge. I wonder if there was a reward challenge on Day 24 that was edited out because it was insignificant.
The Immunity Challenge
Lauren, Kelley, Ron and Victoria chose pizza over a chance at immunity.
I certainly can understand Lauren’s choice, even Kelley and Ron’s but Victoria’s decision is questionable. If you’re curious Lauren and Kelley picked bottles with red caps which, I think were the root beers. I guess they’re not party girls...
War Dog was distracted by a butterfly, making him drop the urn. It came down to a showdown between David and Aurora and she proved to be stronger.
Julie gave us the post-game interview: “I am not thrilled that Aurora won immunity. I really, really wanted her to go home tonight and now the game has changed so much I don’t know what I’m going to do at this point.”
Back in camp, Kelley had the first confessional saying that Aurora winning immunity was frustrating but that they had other options.
During their powwow, Lauren suggested they make a group decision so, immediately War Dog raised David’s name, saying it was a good time for a sneak attack. The group agreed.
The quickness of the agreement should have warned Kelley that Returning Players were an endangered species.
Gavin’s interview: “I wanted David out at the last tribal Council because he’s a returning player and a huge strategic threat. If we don’t eliminate him now he’s going to waltz his way to the end.”
War Dog’s confessional: “The plan we laid out to take out my nemesis in this game, David Wright, happens tonight. After that, I can do whatever I want but I never really worked with Ron and Julie on any vote and in a season in which we had five major blindsides you can never say oh! yeah! I’m safe tonight.”
It’s interesting that we only hear now that War Dog considered David as his nemesis. Giving him that label implies that War Dog had been thinking of voting him out earlier so maybe the story line could have been about a fixation he had on the returning player much like David’s fixation on Kelley. Instead, we only hear War Dog seriously considering eliminating David just a few hours (minutes for us) before it was going to happen. It paints War Dog as a man of immediate action, a real Survivor strategist. Knowing that War Dog would decide to eliminate Kelley next puts a lot of significance in the sentence “after that, I can do whatever I want”. War Dog used the vote against David as a test of Ron and Julie’s loyalty. Having found another loyal ally in Ron, War Dog was ready to ditch his original alliance and, like the “Good General” in “The Art of War” act quickly and unpredictably. He is the pilot of this ship but can he avoid the pitfalls along the way?
Knowing he would be a target, David talked to Devens about rallying Victoria, Aurora, Ron and Julie. His plan was to get out War Dog.
Only at the eleventh hour did David stop fixating on Kelley and recognized the real threat to his existence.
Victoria’s interview on Devens proposal which she told him was her ideal scenario: “At this point, I feel like I’m on the bottom so definitely, if I can get out of that role, I’m going to and this sounds like a plan that could work.”
With Victoria ultimately voting against David, it appears that she was content that she was completely on the bottom and played the old “anyone but me” tactic. Not the dumbest move but it certainly keeps her in the passenger seat.
Aurora’s interview: “It’s absolutely true that the Lesu 3 are controlling the game and they are not talking to me so even though I never thought I would be working with Devens and David I don’t see any other options right now.”
Julie was the next to talk with Devens and David who assured her they had the numbers to eliminate War Dog if she and Ron came on board.
Julie’s reaction: “I’m very nervous; Ron and I formed a six person alliance with the Lesu 3 which I don’t know if I’m a hundred percent committed to right now. War Dog’s dictating who is going home tonight. That doesn’t sit well with me and now I’m wondering if Ron and I are doing the right thing.”
Well, she'll be doing the “Wright” thing!
Presented with their two options, Ron told Julie that he felt good with War Dog, Lauren and Kelley.
Ron’s interview: “Two days ago, I was in trouble but now I’m in the middle of two alliances and both are trying to gain my favor. On one hand, I think War Dog and this alliance of six could work but the problem is that I think War Dog could win it if he gets to the Final Three; he’s playing a really good game but at the same time, I don’t trust David. He’s sneaky so I don’t know if I want to get in bed with David or War Dog. Julie is my ride-or-die and we have the power tonight. I wish I could have a little time to let it marinate but we are going to have to make a decision quickly.”
It seems that Ron had enough time to make his decision and let it be known not only to his allies but also to Victoria and Aurora. Who else could get the two girls to vote against David? Ron and maybe Julie, talked to those two to let them know where the numbers stood.
Julie’s next confessional: “Devens and David’s pitch makes sense to me but Ron’s unsure. Together, we can flip this game on its head but we have to be on the same page. This could be our million dollar decision and no matter what happens I’m ready to expect fireworks tonight.”
It's possible that the million dollar decision went in War Dog’s favor.
Tribal Council
David talked about the insanity of the last TC. Devens who, like Ron, decided to wear a tie to the council, said it was all about loyalty and that he realized it after backstabbing Chris. Julie’s claim that she was now flying her own little plane drew a negative reaction from Julia on the jury bench. War Dog argued that he and his allies had proven their loyalty. Devens saw that as proof that they couldn’t be broken which Kelley countered by saying he didn’t know the dynamics within the alliance.
We can say that she didn’t either!
Kelley added that they voted together because they had to but it may not always be that way.
I’d say she was right!
Devens claimed that the Lesu 3 would go to the end together and the others weren’t doing a thing to stop them.
One of the Lesu 3 would soon decide otherwise so the others didn’t need to do a thing, did they?
Ron said he didn’t like the hard sales pitch so they would be going with the people who treated them the best. When David said he was loyal, Lauren shot him down by reminding him of his vote against her. War Dog added that he was a great talker who was squirming from one person to the other and that was why he had to go. David pleaded for the hard vote which was to give everyone a better shot at winning the game. Kelley said that he was saying what everyone says when they are on the bottom but that she felt confident the group would stay together.
It was time to vote.
No one played idols.
Devens and David voted for War Dog. Everyone else vote for David.
Edge of Extinction Day 26
Joe had messages in bottles for everyone. It led them on a wild chase to find the advantage to give to a player in the game.
Is it a coincidence that David found it? Devens, Jeff’s obvious favorite, was in big trouble after that last TC and maybe he would have received that advantage from most of the islanders but with David finding it, production had control of the decision.
Day 27 The Immunity Challenge
Devens' advantage meant he’d only have to land four balls instead of five.
It was a big advantage considering no one got more than 3 balls to land. War Dog, Lauren, Kelley, Victoria, Gavin and Julie didn’t appear to get one!
Once more, Julie gave us the post-challenge reaction and it was once more about Aurora but it was the reverse of her previous one: “I always thought that Aurora was dangerous because not only is she a challenge beast but she’s also somebody that people might want to bring to the end. Last time, she won immunity and we couldn’t vote her out but I am praying that tonight is our chance.”
Well, Julie is right. In fact, there’s only one parking place for the little plane carrying the goat and that place is in dispute between Aurora and Julie.
Vata Day 27
Devens in confessional: “In the last Tribal Council, I lose my closest ally in the game; people are getting blindsided left and right, tribal has been live so everyone really wants this baby including me and I’m glad I have it.”
In the group huddle, the alliance of six agreed that it had to be Aurora.
War Dog’s interview: “I think people in position of power they want an easy vote and this one seems like the easiest vote: The group of six targets on Aurora but she has no ties in this game. There are bigger threats out there so I think it’s time to make a move on the last returning player and it’s Kelley Wentworth. To make a move like this against someone who knows me well, someone who has strategized with me for 27 days in this game; you got to be stealth. So, this morning, I had 30 second conversations with Aurora, Devens and Victoria.”
To underline War Dog’s skills at pulling the blindside, this confessional was partly heard in voice-over while we saw him sitting right next to an oblivious Kelley. We then had some flashback scenes showing those morning conversations making us witness War Dog’s quick and efficient actions.
When Devens asked if War Dog had the numbers, he answered that they had Ron and it was all they needed.
In essence, War Dog kept his whole alliance except for Ron in the dark about his plan. It was wise considering the need for stealth but he’ll have to worry about their reactions both in the game and if they become his jurors.
War Dog’s interview continued: “Logically, I knew they would work with me because it was in their best interest. They are on the bottom right now but my plan still requires one major convincing.”
In his push to convince Ron, War Dog pointed out that every season with a returning player saw one of them sitting at the end so they couldn’t let that happen.
Ron’s interview: “I can’t believe what I’m hearing right now; War Dog is like: “You know, I think it’s Kelley! We got to do it today; we got to get her out.” He is so unpredictable and that scares me. Kelley is definitely the biggest threat of anyone left in this game but if anyone goes home tonight but Aurora, Julie is going to be furious. So I have to be careful about that decision.”
In interview, Kelley reminded us that she has always been the underdog so she was enjoying the calm that comes from being in a majority alliance even if she realized it would take one person.
Especially one person who has a little bit of Tony in him!
Aurora’s confessional: “Tonight, either I’m going to be blindsided because yet again I’ve been told a pointless lie or Kelley’s going home. But I was given an extra vote from someone on the Edge of Extinction and could I maybe use that to try and gather favor? Absolutely.”
She gave Ron her extra vote, wishing for him to give it back either after the vote or when she comes back into the game.
Ron’s interview: “Right before we leave for Tribal, Aurora gives me her extra vote and instantly my mind goes to a dark place: I can vote her out if I write down her name. If she’s gone, I can keep this vote for myself. So tonight, I have two options: I can work with my original alliance to vote out Aurora or I can go work with War Dog and the three who are on the outs to vote out Kelley Wentworth. I love being in the middle and being the decision-maker but I got quite a dilemma. I want to make sure that I make the right call because it could be the difference between losing and or winning a million dollars.”
Tribal Council
Devens said that blindsides come when you start feeling the game is too easy. Victoria said she hadn’t been involved in many conversations so it left her and Aurora as clear options. Aurora pointed out that there were other options. Ron explained that the taste of a blindside can get addictive and entice people into making moves that aren’t in their best interest. Jeff asked Kelley if the desire of making blindsides could cloud the game.
That sounds a little hypocritical coming from a host who has often pushed for blindsides since they are often better for ratings than they are for the perpetrator’s game. One could say that it’s not exactly the taste of blindside that clouds the game but production’s craving for it.
Kelley said that blindsides aren’t always the right decisions.
War Dog’s outcome in this game will determine the value of this one.
War Dog agreed that David’s elimination was not a blindside but was still the right decision and he was hoping for more like that. Victoria pointed out it was time to look at who was going to be there at the end with you. Kelley said thinking too far ahead was tricky because you had to make sure you can get there first. Making a case for his favorite, Jeff pointed out that there has only been one advantage played in the game and one idol played and they were both done by Devens. Devens thanked his guardian angel David and added that the people were starting to think that all idols were on the Island of Extinction. Ron went against Jeff’s idea of getting more people on his side because it makes you look suspicious. Julie agreed it was time to back off.
It was time to vote.
Once again, no idols were played.
Kelley, Lauren, Gavin and Julie voted for Aurora.
War Dog, Devens, Aurora, Victoria... and Ron voted for Kelley.
She left saying there was a lot of lying going on. Lauren whispered “wow. while, from the jury side, Aubry recognized the “executioner” saying “Holy ___, War Dog” When Lauren turned to War Dog he only turned his palms up suggesting he couldn’t offer her more. David was also impressed by the move.
The Story
The editors really tricked me last week when it seemed that the story was going in the direction of Kelley outlasting all the threats and winning the title of Sole Survivor. With this new evidence, we realize the beauty of the hidden story: For 9 weeks we constantly heard David Wright targeting Kelley so when he was eliminated it could have signaled clear sailing for the last remaining player but instead we are being shown that War Dog was able to do on his very first attempt something that all the others failed to do which was to blindside Kelley. In itself it was quite a feat considering that, in her two previous appearances, she had never been blindsided. Sure she had been voted out but she had seen it coming both times and she also had successfully played two idols to save herself. Now, she had another idol for protection.
So, is the story about this new player brilliantly outwitting the last two remaining veterans? Since I had previously eliminated everyone else, it should be but two other castaways have emerged as possible Sole Survivor so let,s look at these characters to see where we stand.
The Characters
The old tenants of the Island of Extinction
Reem, Julia, David, Aubry, Chris, Eric, Joe,: One of these previously eliminated players could make it back in the game but they’ve received such generic edits that it’s impossible to guess which it will be. Joe is an obvious favorite to win any type of challenge while Aubry has been practicing but both have been practically ignored in most episodes. The only two that stand out a bit over the others are Eric and Chris so I’d have to go with one of them. Can eother win? Both would receive a lot of sympathy from their fellow eliminated players so they’d have to be eliminated as soon as possible but they’ll have the Final 4 Fire Challenge as safety net. I’m sure production would be happy seeing their twist delivering a winner so we can’t disregard these Outcasts.
The New Residents:
David: The hunt for the advantage gave him the sense of still being in the game but his challenge skills have always been poor so I don’t see David returning to the real game.
Kelley: She has never won that crucial challenge, the one where it is for all the marbles and she will be facing fierce competition so it seems her torch snuffing was final.
The Goats – One of these two Players will probably get chosen to sit in the Final 3 but they’ll serve only as place holder:
Aurora: She didn’t know if she’d have a tomorrow but, right when she was at her lowest, the editors gave us a peek into her personal life. It was meant to draw viewer sympathy so it wasn’t accidental. Because of that I wouldn’t be surprised to see her coasting to the end. This vote was a test and she cooperated nicely, obeying to War Dog’s order. That should gain her third place money. She may have gained a little sympathy from the viewers but nothing to impress the jury.
Julie: We have often seen emotional wrecks making it to the Finals. Julie would definitely fit that archetype but the negativity we heard her expressing towards Aurora makes me think she won’t outlast her rival. Even her “ride-or-die” considered her too unstable to inform of the last vote so a total meltdown is to be expected.
The Endangered Species
Gavin: Gavin showed his disloyalty when he voted against his two closest allies in back-to-back Tribal Council so War Dog wasn’t going to trust this turn coat with his big move against Kelley. It’s funny to consider how quickly he went from two different majority alliances only to wind up at the very bottom of the group. Of course, he could still reverse the course of the game because alliances built on deceit aren’t the strongest but his own lack of loyalty should block his attempts.
Victoria: Like Aurora, Victoria quietly marched to War Dog’s orders so, on the surface, we should consider she has an equal shot at making it to the end but Victoria was just a necessary vote. For War Dog, it was a case of want and need. He wanted Aurora because she had no other ties while he needed Victoria for this vote and maybe this vote only. She has more connections than Aurora and a much more dangerous sense of the game making her too troublesome to keep.
Lauren: I’ll be more attentive to Lauren’s reaction from this vote than I have been to anything on this show for the last ten, fifteen seasons. Very few betrayals have been so vicious, cut so deeply. These three had gone to nine Tribal Councils and had voted together each time has they pointed out so how will Lauren react to this new situation? Maybe she’ll understand that War Dog wasn’t targeting her so it would help her chances considerably to forgive and forget but will she? If she doesn’t then she’ll have to play that idol sooner than she wants.
Unfortunately, this season suffers from an enormous lack of continuity mainly caused by the “Edge of Extinction” footage so we’ll probably not even hear from Lauren. I want to episode to start with the aftermath of this vote and her reaction in particular but we’ll either start with Kelley and the group that are out of the game or be sent immediately to the next challenge. Both are boring stuff.
The Contenders - It’s remarkable how quickly things can change in this game. As proof, these two were on the bottom on Day 25 but back in contention on Day 27
Devens: Devens felt he needed that immunity necklace but did he really? If he had been exposed then the vote would have been that much easier in appearance and, therefore it would have been easier to blindside Kelley. For someone who pledged he’d never work with War Dog again he certainly jumped at the opportunity. A bigger, maybe better, move was available: Turning the vote against the big schemer. It would have been difficult to convince Kelley of War Dog’s betrayal but if he had succeeded then he’d be the main pilot of the game instead of being in the passenger seat. But Devens doesn’t really need to have his hands on the wheel because he’s lived through the hell of Extinction Island and has been a vigorous participant in every Tribal Council he’s attended. Most jurors would give him their vote if he makes it to the Final 3.
Ron: At the start of the previous episode Ron was sure he’d be the next to go but then four different alliances came into play (First it was the reformed Kama, then the group of 7 that rallied against Julia, next we had War Dog’s alliance of six that included his Lesu allies and finally the rag tag group of outcasts that War Dog assembled to eliminate Kelley) and Ron was the only common denominator in all 4! Quite an achievement and while he was a passenger in all four groups he can certainly claim to have navigated his little plane through extremely difficult turbulence. That should merit tremendous support from the jury and Ron has been a very sympathetic figure from the start. I feel it would be a huge mistake to take him to the end.
The Top Dog:
War Dog: It is definitely his game. We’ve seen winners who were in the minority at the merger but few controlled the game as well as War Dog has done. Yul and Tony come to mind and we could even consider Hantz whose work helped Natalie’s game but all greatly benefitted from idols even super idols in the cases of Yul and Tony. War Dog has done it the old fashion way, by scheming and moving from one alliance to the next. Will War Dog be able to win the jury vote? We know that Aubry and David were very impressed with his latest move. However, will his gruff demeanor cost him the ultimate prize? Hantz was such a jerk to the people he eliminated that he didn’t stand a chance while War Dog has shown more respect to his victims but will it make a difference? That is the main question left unanswered.
27. "RE: Episode 10 - There are Bigger Threats Out there:"
Thanks Michel! Always love reading your editing analysis.
"It’s remarkable how quickly things can change in this game."
Yeah, seems like each week a different group of people are voting together!
NTOS and the Preview are saying that The 2 Contenders (Devens and Ron) and The Top Dog are a new Power Trio and they say to themselves that they are the only 3 playing the game!
Meanwhile the 2 Goats (Aurora and Victoria) and the 3 Endangered Species (Gavin, Victoria, Lauren) seem to be working together as a group of 5 to vote out one of the Power Trio. Gavin/Julie -> Wardog, Aurora/Victoria/Lauren -> Devens.
I wonder of the Power Trio can recruit 2 players or if the Goats & Endangered Species alliance of 5 will take out one of the Power Trio players?
28. "RE: Episode 10 - There are Bigger Threats Out there:"
You're welcome, Sheldor.
Yes, there are more shake-ups coming but I feel like the key to the next vote will be the state of two relationships: Ron-Julie an even more interestingly WarDog-Lauren. If the guys can get their former allies back then they've got it made.
Also, what will Ron do with Aurora's advantage? Technically, it's his right now and there's nothing that Aurora can do to get it back if he doesn't want to give it back. It would be a dirty move coming from a guy who has cultivated the "nice guy" role.
29. "RE: Episode 10 - There are Bigger Threats Out there:"
"the key to the next vote will be the state of two relationships: Ron-Julie an even more interestingly WarDog-Lauren."
Yup!
Julie has voted incorrectly 2 out of 5 times voting for Lauren and Aurora. So even though I think she is going to be very mad at Ron for the last vote I think it would be hard for her to work with Aurora and Lauren.
I would think Lauren would be furious with Wardog for flipping and voting out her #1 Kelley but in NTOS Lauren is pushing for Devens to be voted out, not Wardog.
And Victoria (the only person to have voted each player out at every TC has attended) split from Gavin.
So can these 5 come together over these differences? Should be interesting to watch.
Of course Lauren has an Idol and I think they will probably re-hide Kelley's Idol.
Chez 775 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Fitness Correspondent"
04-24-19, 06:40 PM (EST)
31. "RE: Episode 10 - There are Bigger Threats Out there:"
I seem to recall that after Aubry was voted out with an idol in her pocket, Probst said in an interview it would not be rehidden. So maybe Kelley's idol won't be either.
Dalton: Aubry gets blindsided with an idol and an advantage in her pocket. Are her idol and advantage still in play and available for her to use should she make it back into the game?
Jeff: Nope. Both of them are done. Bye-bye. El gonzo.
Jeff didn't say anything about Aubry's Idol be re-hidden. Idols are always powerless as soon as you get voted out (like you can't hand it to someone after the votes are read) but they often get re-hidden even though they are "done, gonzo".
33. "RE: Episode 10 - There are Bigger Threats Out there:"
I wrote: "Meanwhile the 2 Goats (Aurora and Victoria) and the 3 Endangered Species (Gavin, Victoria, Lauren) seem to be working together as a group of 5 to vote out one of the Power Trio."
Turns out the 2 Goats and 3 Endangered Species got Ron to vote with them too to vote out Wardog!
No harm letting Ron think he was part of the plan to vote out Wardog when they didn't really need Ron's vote.
Previously on Survivor, the majority had a plan of attack < Julie: “Aurora has got to go” > ...but War Dog wanted to shake up the game: <”why can’t we take Kelley out tonight?” > . At Tribal, Council, War Dog left Lauren in the dark and betrayed his closest ally when he voted out Wentworth.
One thing to note is that Ron also left Julie in the dark but that wasn’t mentioned. Considering what was going to happen at the end of this cycle it could be an indication that Lauren’s story is more important to tell than Julie’s.
Vata Night 27
Quite appropriately, a snake greeted the viewers to camp just as the players were returning.
Lauren had the first interview of the evening: “Tribal Council suck. It’s really sad to lose Kelley, not just on a Survivor level she was someone who I really trusted but on a personal level she felt like my older sister. I’m so angry and so mad at War Dog. I actually feel like I’m out for blood. At the same time, I also want to take Rick out just because rick poses a threat to everyone but I don’t know who wants to work with me anymore. I think I can get others to rally behind me but it is this weird feeling of not knowing where people stand anymore.”
If the recap gave us an indication to keep our eyes on Lauren this interview drives the point even more strongly. Not seen as a threat despite her athleticism and her knowledge of the game, Lauren could easily make her way to the Final 4. Would that be enough to carry her to the end?
War Dog told Gavin he hadn’t been informed because he always goes where the numbers go.
Gavin’s reaction: “I trusted War Dog one hundred percent yesterday and going into Tribal Council, I felt really confident in my game but I was left out of the vote. Now, I know that bridge is burned; War dog is just barking out orders, War dog is talking to me like a dog. You can’t be barking out orders 24/7 and expect people to work with you. He’s next on my list; I want War Dog out now.”
Now that he has been eliminated, we can see that War Dog lacked one big quality to be an efficient leader on Survivor; he wasn’t charismatic at all. A true leader needs to have people who want to follow and they have to constantly cultivate those relationships, not discard them like this. Gavin expressed how the group felt about the Dog but he’ll be portrayed as someone who is still simply going with the numbers. Like he said himself; he was an easy vote.
Ron’s interview after hearing from Gavin: “I was working with War Dog to get out Kelley but then I’m thinking he’s a loose cannon, he says too much; he talked to Gavin like Gavin was 10 years old and it really hurt Gavin’s feelings. It’s perfect because I think it cut those two in half. Like now, I feel my game is going pretty good because I’ve got lots of different options and I’m trying to play both sides. The only thing I was worried about was Julie. She’s the one I need to mend fences with.” Julie was still with Ron who informed her about Aurora’s extra vote. Ron’s interview continued: “I told Julie about the extra vote because I need Julie to trust me so that she is totally loyal to me.”
Julie’s confessional: “Even though I was clearly left out of tonight’s vote, I don’t blame Ron at all. It was a good move. I have no hard feelings against Ron. He’s the only person in this game that I feel I can truly trust. I do think he has my back.”
While not as advanced as the case Trish demonstrated in Cagayan, Julie is showing signs of being affected by the Stockholm syndrome; Ron is keeping her under his thumb only because he can use her. Here, he can even try to keep her captive all the way to the end because, contrary to Trish, Julie has no chances to win a vote... unless she wakes up and gets rid of Ron.
Vata Day 28
Devens’ confessional: “At Tribal Council last night, Ron, myself and War Dog voted together to get rid of Kelley and no one was happier than me that Kelley Wentworth was heading to the Edge of Extinction! So Ron, War Dog and I need each other.” Rick presented his realization to the two other guys: They were the only players in the game. Devens continued: “War Dog has been my nemesis in this game but now we need each other going forward as a shield because as soon as one of us goes out, it’s going to be a feeding frenzy. I see the people who haven’t built much a résumé < Aurora, Julie, Gavin, Victoria shown when he was saying this> starting to build their résumé by getting rid of one threat after another. Aurora is definitely on the bottom; she’s an easy vote because she’s been named at every Tribal; everyone was going for Aurora. She’s a big competitor, she’s a challenge beast and you never know what she’s going to say at Tribal.”
What importance should we put on the editors’ choice not to include Lauren in the group of players that haven’t built much of a résumé? Could it mean that she’ll have a case to present to the jury when the time comes? With Devens having made a detour by the Edge of Extinction, Lauren is the last of the Manu-Lesu that has been in the game from the start and now she’s left with 5 original Kama so that in itself would make for a good case if she navigates her way to the end.
As for Devens’ realization will it prove prophetic? One of the three big threats has fallen so how far behind are the other two?
While agreeing on the surface with the other two guys, Ron told us differently in his confessional: “The game I am playing right now is; Ron is everyone’s ally. If I don’t work with you right now maybe next time. The road ahead of me is going to be difficult. I can join either alliances today; either the threats or the goats. So I have a tough decision to make. I love having power and control and it puts me in the middle again where I kind of make a decision.”
This time Lauren was shown along with the other four as being part of the goats when Ron mentioned his options.
The Reward Challenge
Of course, we didn’t see the order of the picks but at least this time Jeff presented the two line-ups before we got started:
For Blue, we had War Dog and Lauren ready for the swim while Devens and Julie waited for them on the end platform.
Yellow’s team consisted of Ron and Aurora (or maybe it is Franziska van Almsick going under a pseudonym!) preparing for the race with Victoria and Gavin standing at the end.
Going first, the two older men remained in a virtual tie for the first leg but then Aurora whipped through the water to take the lead. She didn’t even have to stop for air in the underwater part of the challenge so she handed the last two rings to Gavin with a good lead on Lauren. That’s when Devens took over and tossed the rings to victory.
Gavin in confessional: “So, we lost the reward but now this is an opportunity for me to build a strong relationship with Victoria, Ron and Aurora. I feel like War Dog has it out for me but I want a little sweet revenge and I want his head on a silver platter.”
Edge of Extinction Day 28
Kelley was being comforted by Joe and Aubry but then the resident harpy had to spew her venom.
Reem’s anger is getting sickening. I can’t believe the time wasted on such a bad character.
Vata Day 28
Ron’s confessional: “We come back to camp after losing the reward and it’s disappointing. I haven’t eaten really in 11 days but losing today is a great opportunity. This afternoon, I’m going to have time with Victoria, Aurora and Gavin so hopefully, it buys me a little time to figure out what’s going to be best for me.”
The women agreed they had to vote against Devens. Gavin just wanted them to tell him what he should do.
Gavin’s confessional: “The group was leaning towards taking out Rick Devens who is obviously the favorite from the jury’s point of view. I’d rather take out War Dog because he betrayed me. Unfortunately, I have to be adaptable, I have to go with the numbers at this point because I have no traction but eventually, I think War Dog is going to crumble and I’ll still be here.”
Gavin will get his way but he won’t get the credit.
Ron’s next interview: “Before Tribal Council, Aurora gave me her extra vote and for a moment I’m actually thinking maybe I should keep the vote for myself but then I’m thinking I’d rather give it back to her because that’s a better move for me. I’m trying to get Aurora to trust me completely and I think if she feels that, she would do whatever I need her to do or, if I choose, I can vote her out and she won’t see it coming.” That’s when a dispute erupted between Ron and Aurora over the rice rations.
Aurora’s interview: “Ron is the quickest to get snappy when he doesn’t get his way. At this point, we are literally dating each other when all we want to do is break up. It is the Drama Queen in Ron that comes out but I’m used to be around Drama Queens because I am one so you’re not going to win with me.”
Here we have another possible prophecy: It’s remarkable that if Deven’s prophecy about the three guys falling comes true then this new one by Aurora would also come true: Ron would not win against her.
Ron’s reaction: “Aurora gets on my nerves so bad; she wants to have control over every situation, every moment. Look: I have made it a month with Aurora so if I have to go 39 days with her; I need to get two million dollars. Not one million, it needs to be doubled. She’s driving me crazy.”
Well, we know the prize won’t be doubled so maybe Aurora will break up with him before he sees it coming.
The Reward
War Dog was feeling relaxed.
Devens’ interview: “’War Dog and I who have had such an up and down game, strategically, are rubbing the mud on each other... the girls are doing the same... Going into this reward, the way the teams worked out, I’m not looking at it as a strategic opportunity because Lauren and Julie are not playing the game. They are just going where the wind blows; they are not in the driver’s seat and they seem OK with that. So, it’s just a cool human opportunity to bond with everybody, to step away from the game for a little while”
To me, that sounded like a fatal mistake and it was immediately underlined because we actually heard that Julie and Lauren were playing the game as soon as the two guys left them alone.
Julie told Lauren that she heard every woman’s name as someone who could be beaten in the end so she wanted to change that. Lauren had an idea: “We take out Rick”. The two agreed to work together.
Lauren’s interview: Julie is talking about how she wants War Dog gone but I don’t know that’s the smartest move. I think Devens is much more dangerous than anyone else in this beach so now I have to convince people to take Rick out.”
The Immunity Challenge
While Aurora came close despite hating puzzle, Devens came through, winning a second immunity challenge in a row.
Gavin’s interview: “Before the immunity challenge, we had this plan to get Devens out but as soon as Rick wins it just snaps in my head that it has to be War Dog. People know the game War Dog is playing and if he gets to the end, he will win this game. Hopefully people open their eyes and see that we need to get War Dog out right now. Sayonara, War Dog. I can’t wait to see him go.”
In a change of formula, the player giving the post-challenge interview, which I’ve often called the Kiss-of-Death interview, wasn’t wrong. What should we make of this change? Does it mean we should consider Gavin as a contender? We’ll need much more evidence before doing that because, up to now, Gavin’s image hasn’t been positive at all. No special attention had ever been paid him and no one has ever been heard complimenting him.
Vata Day 29
We saw sharks swimming around but also small fishes that weren’t bothered by those sharks. Instead, the images gave us the impression that the sharks were fighting each other. It all ended with air bubbles clouding the image.
What perfect symbolism to preface the beginning of the big threats going after each other. And it wasn’t only the sharks battling each other but also the minnows who looked serene, swimming in calm waters. Add the distorted image at the end created by those bubbles and it could mean it is time to reassess our views of this game’s outcome.
Victoria’s interview: “ I was so mad when Rick won immunity today. I wanted him out so bad. I wanted him out of here because he’s such a threat. The more he sticks around, I think the more dangerous he becomes. Our plan was going to be that Rick goes home but Rick is safe. War dog and Rick are the two big threats in this game but one of the threats won immunity, maybe you vote the other one out. It can be as simple as that.” Ron’s interview: “War Dog says that if all the threats are gone the next largest threat would go. If we take out War Dog, that leaves me in the hot seat because I’m the next biggest threat. I have a tough decision to make: Do I send home War Dog with my vote and align with Aurora, Victoria and Gavin or, if I choose, I flip my vote and work with Devens and War Dog to vote for Aurora and she would go home. It’s a tough one.”
Ron seems to think he’s a bigger threat than Devens, an opinion that isn’t shared by his fellow castaways. His miscalculation could be fatal.
War Dog knew that with Rick being immune he was the next biggest threat. His option was to target Aurora and her big mouth. Knowing the smart move was to vote him out, he was banking on stupidity.
Right then, we saw Aurora making fire, blowing smoke in Lauren’s face. She then said: “I think my dad is going to be so impressed with my fire skills.”
This is a big hint about the upcoming fire challenge. The only problem is that only close attention tells us that it was Aurora who spoke; the sentence about dad being impressed was heard in voice-over with Julie on our screen. Most viewers won’t really know which of the three women will impress her dad. I wonder which one will be seeing her dad in the next episode. Maybe we should be looking for the impressed Dad!
Julie’s confessional: “I don’t trust War Dog but maybe his plan will work. It makes sense for my game. I have been kind of pushing for Aurora to get voted out of this game forever. Maybe I should have a conversation with Lauren.”
I think it’s quite notable that Julie mentioned Lauren rather than Ron. David told Julie that there is always one conversation that you remember from your journey on Survivor and maybe the conversation Julie and Lauren had in the hot water spring is that one for this season. Julie has desperately looked for someone to trust and while her number one is still Ron, he kept her in the dark for a crucial vote. Julie said she didn’t hold it against him and I’m sure she meant it but there still must be a doubt in her mind such as; could he do it again? By all her votes and her actions, Lauren has proven to be the only trustworthy person in this game so it’s natural to see Julie orbiting towards her.
At first Lauren wanted to stick with War Dog but then she hesitated, not liking the idea of keeping him for another round.
Lauren’s : “The group wants to take out War Dog. I would love revenge for Kelley but I don’t know if it’s the best thing for me and my game. I’m trying not to be too emotional about it but I’m really nervous. It’s getting to the point now, if I don’t look to the future, if I don’t set up my alliances, if I don’t get my ducks in a row then I won’t have a future.”
After talking to Ron, Aurora gave us an interview: “There’s definitely concern that Ron could be working with War Dog and Rick. Ron is the one that is playing both sides and he’s done nothing but lie to me in this game. My advantage is an extra vote and that definitely could come in handy especially because War Dog and Rick aren’t talking to me. The only other time that this happens is when my name is being written down and that never feels good. I mean it would be crazy to say that you feel comfortable because if you do you are going home.”
Did you notice the switch in roles just before the tribe went on the walk to Tribal Council? For the first time in a long time, the last words weren’t given to the player soon to be eliminated or one of the big threats of the moment. Instead, we heard from Julie, Lauren and Aurora. If Julie stops seeing Aurora as a player to eliminate and, instead, sees her as someone who never hurt her, then this could be our surprise Final Three.
Tribal Council
It was eerily quiet as the tribe approached the island’s theater. The orchestra was silent and the stage itself was empty so, for a moment, I wondered if we’d witness the first ever Tribal Council without Jeff. We’ve had challenges where the host took a day off but never a Tribal Council. I think I’d like to see that! The players would enter, wonder what is going on then the jury would walk in and one of them would simply ask: “What went on since the last vote?” The players would have to improvise, each balancing the fine line between informing the jury of his or her actions and keeping their secrets. But then the host appeared and we were back to the same tired formula.
The reaction we saw from Kelley and David when they saw that Devens had the immunity necklace told us all we need to know about their vote should Devens make it to the end. War Dog told Jeff that the game becomes harder when there are fewer players. Gavin said he hadn’t spoken to War Dog since the last vote. War Dog said Gavin made a comment that he didn’t appreciate.
Kelley liked Gavin’s tirade against War Dog.
Devens said that every step was precarious. War Dog was concerned about being the next big target to join the Outcasts. He informed the jury that Ron helped him get Kelley out of the game. Jeff liked how War Dog put Ron in the cage with him. Much to Kelley’s displeasure, Ron didn’t deny his actions. Victoria said that telling the jury about your actions could be the badge of honor like Jeff said or it could be seen as bragging and it puts a target on your back. Gavin agreed with that. Aurora pointed out that the threats could change. Lauren added that perceptions can change from one person to another. Devens pictured it this way: They were all feeling like Caesar walking around camp with everyone else having a knife pointed at their back. Ron didn’t like to think like that so he wanted to surround himself with people he trusted. Lauren made the argument that when someone tells her they want to go to the end with her then that person must be thinking they can beat her. Aurora agreed that it was a thin line to walk.
It was time to vote.
Lauren didn’t play her idol.
Devens and War Dog voted for Aurora.
To the jury’s excitement, everyone else voted for War Dog. In her moment of joy, Kelley sent kisses over to Lauren, even mouthing the words: “I love you”.
While Ron and Gavin were grinning from ear to ear, Devens let War Dog know that he didn’t vote against him. Had he read the jury correctly, he wouldn’t have been so honest.
The Story
Last week, we felt that the main theme was: “There Are Bigger Threats Out There” and it is certainly still applicable. We have to wonder if the Final 3 will feature only passengers. With Julie and Aurora both capable of winning that Final challenge, it could very well happen but then they will have to find a way to eliminate whoever returns from the Edge of Extinction. It’s funny that the title of the episode was changed at the last minute. After first announcing that this episode would be known as “La Cheeserie”, which was Devens victory scream after finishing his puzzle, we wound up with the jury’s “Fasten your Seatbelt”. I don’t have to worry about suspense so I went with the much more obvious “Sweet Revenge”. That was the real theme of this episode and while Gavin must have felt good after the votes were read, Lauren was the one that got revenge. Is it the beginning of her winning story arc? I think it was.
The Characters
The old tenants of the Island of Extinction
Reem, Julia, David, Aubry, Chris, Eric, Joe, David, Kelley: If it weren’t for Reem’s constant negativity we could see this group as the minnows swimming quietly away from the battling sharks but there has been a lot of turmoil on the edge of extinction. In addition to Reem’s anger, we also have the Outcasts competing against each other for the hidden advantages. Yes, one of these players will be returning but we’ll have to wait and see which one before we can assess his or her chances of winning it all.
The New Resident:
War Dog: Considering his horrible showing in challenges we can safely say that War Dog will not be returning but a problem with the Edge of Extinction is that even now, you have to go there if you want to be on the jury. Production must be saving a lot of money in catering and personnel fees but it forces us to see awful people like Reem every week. At least with Ponderosa, we could choose not to look at those videos. I think the Edge of Extinction concept should be dropped but, if it isn’t, then they should give the opportunity to the players who have reached the merger to go directly to the jury house. It would mean less people to track each week and it would also make for a more objective jury.
The Threats
Devens: I think Devens made three big mistakes in this cycle: Tying his wagon to War Dog’s, letting everyone know about it even after the vote and then underestimating the women who are also playing the game. I think it will cost him dearly.
Ron: It would have been poetic justice to see Ron leave just before the Family Visit but maybe his story was about leaving right after it. We’ve often seen players talking about the Family Visit only to fall immediately after greeting their Loved One to the island. Could he be the next one to fill that role? There is only Aurora who is targeting Ron at the moment but that could quickly change. She knows that Ron is playing both sides and now Devens, who has been very vocal at TC could certainly confirm it for everyone else. He is the player in the best position right now but I see that falling apart very quickly.
The Floaters
Gavin: A player that always goes with the numbers cannot be trusted. Gavin has no loyalty so even if he gives his vote freely, the others should soon realize that they don’t need him.
Victoria: By no way we should consider Victoria as a leader because she has very little influence on the group but she is edited as one just by the number of times we’ve heard her thoughts on the upcoming vote. Knowing how the editors like to show their game following Nash Theory this editing choice reinforces our idea that a passenger will be winning this season and that it won’t be Victoria.
The Passengers
Aurora: She is really impressive in the water and in other types of strength challenges and what’s even more important, we hear Jeff and the other players giving her the credit she is due. In Survivor, a case doesn’t depend only on the moves one makes but also on challenge performance and there, Aurora is doing very well. However, I seriously doubt that the jury will give her the credit she is due. Who besides Joe and Aubry would vote for her?
Julie: She is an interesting case. Her plight should attract a lot of attention and sympathy from the jury but we’ve seen many jurors turning their thumbs down on plaintive older women. However, if she starts acting forcefully and starts by getting rid of Ron she could sway them to her side. Her lackluster role before the merger pleads against a victory in the end. Her coming out party during the merger episode compensates for that but her role has been up and down since then.
Lauren: When Devens said that Lauren and Julie weren’t playing the game, the editors immediately contradicted him by showing the two women plotting to work together against the big threats. To me, that was a sign that a pilot wasn’t going to be winning this season. After all, we’ve had so many leaders this season (I counted three in the original Manu: War Dog, Devens and Reem who had Keith and Wendy under her wing and tried to make a move) and while Kama started with only one leader in Ron, it quickly evolved into a M-Tribe itself with first Julia and now Gavin and even Victoria being edited as players who are trying to impose their direction to the game. So, if we go by the Nash Theory, a follower is more likely to win this season. The question is; which one? I usually like to make my decision known right after the episode of the merger so I’m very late this time. The early merger at 13 players and the knowledge that anyone from the Edge of Extinction could return are my excuse but now it’s time.
Lauren is going to be our Sole Survivor
There are numerous factors leading to this decision: First, her consistent edit from the very first episode up to now. Yes, she had a dip after finding the idol but she was always relatively visible in a season where visibility was constantly diffused by our trips to the Edge of Extinction. Then there was the attention given to her during her moment of weakness when we even heard Jeff calling her a warrior. We have also heard from other players that she is loyal. Finally, there is the the way the editors involved her in the decision to get rid of the biggest threat in the game even when her vote wasn’t needed. I could certainly be wrong and I could be influenced by the fact that she is one of only 2 players still in the game that I’ve enjoyed watching (the other being Devens) but that’s the way I’m seeing the game evolving.
Yeah that last episode was a real positive edit for Lauren! However this season's edit and confessionals are kind of strange.
The Top Confessional players keep getting voted out!
38 Rick 30 Kelley (EoE) 28 Wardog (EoE) 27 David (EoE) 23 Aubry (EoE) 23 Julie 23 Ron 18 Wendy (Pre-Merge) 17 Lauren 16 Victoria 16 Keith (Pre-Merge) 15 Gavin 14 Reem (EoE) 13 Eric (EoE) 10 Joe (EoE) 10 Aurora 09 Julia (EoE) 09 Chris (EoE)
Seems like Rick and Ron/Julie could be our next vote offs before the Finale.
I also wonder if the strange edit could be because the person who returns from EoE ends up winning but there is no way to give that person a good edit since they are sitting on EoE and not in the game. If that's true I think maybe Eric is returning since they had that feature of Eric that felt unnecessary with him struggling over whether or not to quit but he decides to stay on EoE. Spending all that time with the Jury on EoE has got to be a big threat to win.
michel wrote: Reem’s anger is getting sickening. I can’t believe the time wasted on such a bad character.
There are quite a few people that say Reem is the only thing making Edge of Extinction watchable including Rob Cesternino!
michel wrote: This is a big hint about the upcoming fire challenge. The only problem is that only close attention tells us that it was Aurora who spoke; the sentence about dad being impressed was heard in voice-over with Julie on our screen. Most viewers won’t really know which of the three women will impress her dad. I wonder which one will be seeing her dad in the next episode. Maybe we should be looking for the impressed Dad!
Looking at the Preview I think Loved Ones for the Four Women are:
Victoria = Dad (Roch) Julie = Husband (Mark) Lauren = Dad (Joey) Aurora = Brother (Shane)
michel wrote: ... but a problem with the Edge of Extinction is that even now, you have to go there if you want to be on the jury. Production must be saving a lot of money in catering and personnel fees but it forces us to see awful people like Reem every week. At least with Ponderosa, we could choose not to look at those videos. I think the Edge of Extinction concept should be dropped but, if it isn’t, then they should give the opportunity to the players who have reached the merger to go directly to the jury house. It would mean less people to track each week and it would also make for a more objective jury.
UPDATED: 07/20/18: Many people have asked how the jury will work in regards to this twist, well, we can finally shed some light on that matter. As I understand it, every eliminated player who chooses to stay on Extinction Island past the first merge Tribal Council will be part of the jury (if a player on EI quits post-merge, they will still be on the jury). Yes, that means, theoretically, all 15 castaways not in the Final 3 could be a jury member. It could also mean those eliminated early are voting for people they’ve never met at Final Tribal Council.
That seems right. At the Merge Tribal Council Jeff said "We'll now bring in the members of the Jury" when Reem, Chris, and Aubry walked in.
So I believe anyone voted out after that point is on the Jury whether or not they decide to go Left to the Edge Of Extinction for a chance to get back in the game or go Right to Ponderosa and become a normal Jury member with no chance to get back in the game.
And if anyone quits Edge of Extinction a boat will come and take them to Ponderosa to become a normal Jury member.
I believe the Jury will be the 13 Players not in the Final 3.
Yes, Ron and Rick could be next but I think Julie is there for the long haul. I didn't have an exact confessional count but your board corresponds to what I expected. It used to be that women winners were always low in # of confessionals so Lauren and Victoria are right there when it comes to container but I much prefer Lauren's content.
A lot of people enjoy shows like Jerry Springer, I don't. Rob is certainly entitled to his opinion but if he likes Reem, I totally disagree.
Martin Holmes isn't production, is he? Anyway, if the people on EoE go by what we've seen, they don't know they can head to Ponderosa. After the Nicaragua fiasco, I remember Jeff saying quite clearly that quiters would be excluded from jury duty.
Hi folks, been following along but quiet since a post I did before the season started got shot down with weird comments (not by anyone in this thresd). I'm putting this out here either as a way of validation or proof that, as usual, I'm completely off base.
Devens is our one and only pilot. The other may try to fly the plane for awhile, but it doesn't end well.
He's won the challenges to get back into and stay into the game. We've also seen his playing strategy. He gets back in and tells WarDog he's not interested in playing with the ones who voted him out. Then he adapts to work with WarDog later.
The main strategy points we've seen have been focused on getting him out of the game, but he keeps thwarting the tribe. Now that he's all by himself, the focus and attention is still on him.
I would not be surprised to see the following happen: - Devens voted out since he has no allies. - Devens again wins the challenge to get back into the game. It looked like sweet revenge when the tribe voted him out again, but he's the one who ultimately gets the revenge. - Devens makes fire to get into the final.
At that point, who could beat him? No one has anywhere near that kind of pilot's resume.
Yes, Devens is the only pilot left but it will tough navigating. If you read my next post, I write that he'd easily win the jury vote but I doubt very much that he'll get there.
How should we feel if we have a winner that was voted out, even twice if he follows the scenario you nicely outlined? Devens is the breakout character of the season and I really like him but having an Outcast winning it all, for me, would be unsatisfactory.
Previously on Survivor, a big player was eliminated but it seems like Jeff didn’t care.
Vata Night 29
Devens gave us the first interview of the evening: “Tribal Council did not go according to my plan; War Dog gets voted out. I thought I had a great relationship with Ron but this is the second time he’s lied to me and gotten rid of someone I was working with so I’m in a desperate situation right now.”
Ron’s interview: “After we vote out War Dog everybody is happy with me except for Devens because I’ve lied to him at every Tribal so I have to do something to bring him back closer. My goal is to make everyone think that I’m working with them because when everyone thinks you’re on their side they are not going to vote you out.”
That’s the nice beginning for Ron’s final episode because it shows all his satisfaction, his belief that he is running the game. We’ll see his arrogance grow during each segment of this episode.
Ron gave Devens the expired “Advantage Menu” that he had found on day one, reminding us that it was expired but since he had cut out the bottom section of the parchment, Devens didn’t know that. Ron was counting on Devens relaxing and being an easy vote
Devens’ reaction: “So Ron gives me this little menu which plays just like a regular Immunity idol. Not too shabby! I honestly don’t know why Ron would give this to me. I’m totally confused. I hope that I don’t have to rely on this advantage so I need to keep trying to play as hard as I can but I’m optimistic. I’m the Phoenix; I keep rising from the ashes.”
Day 30 – The Reward Challenge
I’ve always said that winning rewards, especially the ones that are really desired like this one, is a bad idea. The result of this episode proves it once again.
Ron won reward and picked Julie and Gavin to share it.
Victoria’s interview: “Seeing someone as important as my dad is to me and have it taken away it just sucks and it absolutely makes me think twice about what kind of relationship I have with Ron, what kind of strategy he’s really playing. If there’s ever a reward where picking someone is crucial it’s the Loved Ones visit. Who you pick can make or break your game.”
Well said but considering that no one could really argue against Ron’s choices, selecting two married couples, including one that didn’t even have time for a honeymoon, makes Victoria sound petty. Probably all four losers shared this negative sentiment but the editors’ chose to show it to us through Victoria, not a good sign for her.
Vata Day 30 – The Reward Picnic
Gavin’s interview: “Ron came through in the clutch and he picked me for this family visit so I am super grateful to him. Luckily, Carlye supports my dream but deep down inside I still feel like who doesn’t go on their honeymoon because of Survivor... I have so much to play for.”
What should we make of this interview? On one hand, letting us hear about Gavin’s reason for playing the game is essential for us to consider him as a possible winner and his personal story would certainly play well for a jury but on the other it paints Gavin as one of the biggest turncoats we’ve ever seen. Stephenie famously voted out Judd after telling Judd’s wife that they were going to the end together and the votes that Gavin would soon put on Ron feel just as evil and just as misguided.
Ron confessed all his bad actions to his husband, adding that he was in control of the game. Then he told us that his picks had nothing to do with sentimentality but were done so that he could control Julie and Gavin.
Back in camp, Devens was out searching for an idol. Wondering if someone could have sent him a clue, Aurora went through Ron’s bag.
Although most of the tribe, Lauren in particular, encouraged her, the blame went almost all on Aurora.
Aurora didn’t find anything and she was caught red handed by Devens.
Devens’ interview: “So I’ve been out searching for the idol again and I come back to camp and I see Aurora closing the flap of my bag and she’s busted but she didn’t even hide it. She doesn’t give a damn about nothing. Thank god Aurora didn’t find the advantage that Ron gave me but I also want to make it awkward for her in camp; I want to let everyone know that Aurora is going through bags. Could we trust Aurora? I’ve been searching all day and it’s a pain man! I’ve been looking all over this place and I can’t find anything but if there’s an idol out here for me to find I’m ready to put in the work because you only get one chance, in fact this is my second chance because I came back from the Edge so, if I go for it there’s nothing that I can’t do.” Finding a clue, Devens said he might have stumbled on a million dollars. The idol itself was about 15 feet off the ground and Devens told us he was afraid of heights. He added: “Survivor is a grind and I’m grinding.”
Devens would make for a very popular winner but can he make it to the end? It’s very doubtful but Survivor’s history is loaded with unlikely winners, players who faced seemingly insurmountable odds. Will this be a repeat of those stories? We’ll have to wait and see. Walking up a hill, Devens adopted a “I’m on top of the world” pose.
Vata Night 30
With an idol just sitting there in the middle of camp, Devens did what any Survivor would do; wait for everyone to fall asleep and simply go for it.
Devens’ interview: “It’s the middle of the night, it’s dark and everyone is sleeping; it’s now or never. I’m getting that idol but it’s easier said than done because it’s 15 feet up in the air in the middle of our camp. I’m going for it; I’m going to climb this tree like a ninja, get it and get the hell out of Dodge...I got away with the loot scot free. No one even knows they were robbed. When everyone else is sleeping, I’m working and it pays off. This is my salvation in the game... I’m on top of the moon.”
This scene is presented as a huge victory even if it means only three more days. So, how shall we interpret it? Is it a prelude to Rick’s victory march? It’s possible but it could also be a tip of the cap to production’s obvious favorite. They found a charismatic character so they are giving him every chance to interact with the audience even placing a commercial to serve as a cliff hanger between the scenes where he found the clue and then when he grabbed the idol.
Day 31 – The Immunity Challenge
It was a little weird seeing everyone starting on the third foot hold. I’d say that everyone survived the top two and we joined the challenge in progress.
Devens promised that he’d take all 5 of his rivals to the Final 3 if they gave it to him. Lauren rolled her eyes at that, saying that Devens had problems with math.
Lauren and Aurora were shown smiling when Devens fell. Devens only addressed Aurora, telling her that she’d become a target once he’s gone.
After his problems with math, Devens had a lesson in grammar, Aurora correcting him after he said: “You guys are doing good.” It came down to a showdown between Lauren and Gavin and, once more, Lauren came just short.
Gavin won his second immunity challenge.
After many deviations we were back to Survivor’s Standard Operating Procedure: Ron had the Kiss-of-Death confessional spot, gloating that they had Devens right where they wanted him.
Vata Day 31
Devens had the first confessional: “ The immunity challenge was a massive failure and an embarrassment. We get back to camp and no one is talking to me, like there’s nothing to talk about. Like; OK it’s Rick. Easy! I don’t think anyone wants to work with me except maybe Ron and he may be totally full of it.”
Ron and Julie joined Devens in the woods. Julie assured him that it was going to be Aurora, 100%.
Ron, in confessional, told us they were voting against Devens but, in case he had an idol, Ron wanted Devens to vote for Aurora. He and Julie told Gavin that they were on the same page and voting Rick.
Victoria’s interview: “Tonight’s vote should be simple; even Rick knows it’s Rick. The problem is we don’t know if he has some kind of idol or advantage. At this point, we have to assume he does. If we didn’t split the votes then whoever Rick votes for goes home. But I want to be the one to decide who goes home.”
Giving this confessional to Victoria gives her credit for getting the ball rolling against Ron which is one of the most crucial votes of the season. If she is in the Final 3 she’ll certainly point to this move as her big move and the audience will agree.
Lying down on the beach, Victoria told Lauren that she’d rather be on the same side than against one another. Victoria wanted to vote Ron. Lauren really wanted Ron out of the game.
Lauren’s interview: “Ron picking Gavin and Julie for the “Loved Ones” made it very clear that he is not working with me and so he’s going to wind up on the wrong side of the numbers which I have no problem with.”
Informed of this new development, Aurora told Victoria and Lauren that she had an extra vote and that it was expiring after this vote. She asked if they believed in Gavin because her plan was to give her extra vote to Gavin because he was immune and therefore guaranteed to vote in case of a tie.
Aurora’s confessional: “If there is a tie where I am one of the names being written down, I can’t revote. So the only way to insure that my additional vote will count is to give it to Gavin because, with Gavin having immunity, he is the one person who is guaranteed to be able to vote in a revote which allows us to stay in control but I’m putting a lot of faith in Gavin. I just hope I don’t go down in history as one of the Survivor Idiots.”
While it worked out for Aurora, we have to say that her reasoning is quite circuitous. It gets even worse when we know that she voted for Devens making a tie more likely. If she had simply used her two votes on Ron then she wouldn’t have had to worry about Gavin.
The next scene showed us that it was Lauren who talked to Gavin and talked to him about their plan to vote against Ron. That is quite surprising considering that Victoria was with Gavin in Kama. It shows that the other players view Lauren as an honest person which is a great sign for her.
After talking to Lauren, Gavin had and interview: “The plan for tonight is there is going to be a majority voting for Rick Devens and then we have to decide who is going to be the next biggest threat just in case Devens pulls out an idol. They are saying it’s got to be Ron but Ron just gave me one of the greatest days of my life yesterday and now I’m supposed to turn around and blind side him. Aurora has an extra vote and she is giving it to me since I have immunity; if there is a tie vote, I’m guaranteed to vote again. I’m not sure I want to vote Ron and burn bridges before I have to. I know Ron and Julie want Aurora to be the backup plan but that could possibly damage the relationships I have made with Lauren and Victoria. It’s a tricky situation, like a double-edged sword.”
Devens had the final words: ‘For me, tonight’s Tribal Council is about figuring out if Ron is really with me. So the plan is to use what Ron gave me which he says is an immunity idol and vote Aurora out. Tada-dum-dum: Redemption for Ron or a villain in our midst? Tribal will tell and an idol ready to be played. Who will benefit and who will go home? Stay tuned for the details. I’m Rick Devens and that’s out top story at Vata Beach.”
All the questions that would be settled with this vote have nicely been established. The first question concerns Devens: How would he play it? The biggest question concerned Gavin: Would he flip on another ally? We hadn’t really seen Victoria and Lauren establishing a relationship with Gavin but apparently it was more important to the young man than the bond he had with Ron and Julie.
Tribal Council
Right off the bat, Devens informed everyone that Aurora went through his bag. Her explanation showed she had no remorse.
That didn’t seem to sit well with the jury.
Victoria told Jeff that Devens was the most likely player to have an idol and so they needed a Plan B. Ron pointed out that the game wasn’t as random as Jeff suggested. He knew how he would vote and with whom he would work. He didn’t say he felt safe but he thought he had an handle on what was going on. Asked about his picks for reward, Ron said he was heartbroken for Victoria and Lauren because they had their dads there. Lauren told Jeff that Ron’s choices were very revealing. Gavin said he wished no one was holding a grudge against him for being selected. Julie liked Jeff analogy that this game’s rhythm was a lot like a pinball machine because she had been in multiple alliances. Devens felt he was being ignored by the others. Victoria explained that she wouldn’t want to sit next to Devens in the Final 3. Devens understood that but he described himself as an extra vote to get to the Final 3. Gavin said it was about trusting your gut that you were with the right persons.
It was time to vote.
The cameras showed us Ron voting against Devens.
There couldn’t be any doubts about his status as a “Villain”.
Peeking over his shoulder, we saw that Rick voted against Aurora. Lauren lifted a parchment that simply read: Ron. She said: “If you don’t go home tonight, at least there’s been a line drawn in the sand.”
Just like there couldn’t be any uncertainty concerning Ron’s vote, the viewers had to be shown who was slaying that Villain.
When Jeff had tallied the votes, Devens looked over at Ron who encouraged him to go ahead. So Ron stood and presented his Survivor menu, asking Jeff to serve him an immunity idol. Jeff took the menu but explained that it had expired on Day 9.
Quite theatrically, Devens turned to Ron and Julie, accusing them: “Ron and Julie; you are Villains! I was already going home; you just wanted me to look stupid. So that my kids think I’m an idiot. Except, you’ve proven time and time again that you are untrustworthy and disloyal and Julie has proven time and time again that she loves lying to people’s faces so I would like to play this Hidden immunity Idol for myself. You guys are gems.”
The jury (and the audience) just loved it.
In the end, we had votes from Ron, Julie, Victoria and Aurora that didn’t count.
Rick’s vote was against Aurora as we had seen.
Lauren and Gavin’s two votes were for Ron who was sent to the Edge of Extinction.
Lauren expressed everyone’s feelings by saying: “That Felt Good”.
Everyone’s feelings? Well everyone except Julie of course.
The Story
The story is going along the line that Devens had envisioned when he tried to rally War Dog and Ron together. Ron followed War Dog to Extinction Island and Rick is in grave danger of being next. The passengers are now running the plane so we could be in for a rough landing!
The Characters
The old tenants of the Island of Extinction Reem, Julia, David, Aubry, Chris, Eric, Joe, David, Kelley War Dog: We had been expecting fireworks to greet War Dog but there wasn’t even a visit to the island this week. It seems a clear indication that our eventual winner isn’t on the Edge of Extinction.
The New Resident:
Ron: Reem must have a thing for older gay professors because she was quite civil when he arrived. With Devens showing how untrustworthy Ron actually is then Ron would not only have to win the return challenge but also the following Immunity Challenges. He hasn’t shown that he can win an individual challenge.
The Threat
Devens: He said that it took him a long time to find that lifesaving idol so we can assume that others spent time looking for it also. He was quite lucky that there even was an idol to find at this late date but count on production to make sure safety is available when a favorite is in trouble. It’s evident that Devens is the jury’s favorite also and it’s not only his personal charm operating; he had the chance to mingle with the three older tenants, was best friend with another and while he played a big part in eliminating Julia she has other “enemies”. He has no allies so he’s the natural target and, unless he wins out, he won’t be our Sole Survivor.
The Goats:
Julie: She wanted to be liked by everyone but, with one move that wasn’t entirely her doing, she’s become everyone’s least favorite. On a small scale, it’s another example of how power can corrupt people. She was quite likable when she was in danger but when the game changed and she found herself on top, she started doing evil things. Players could decide to keep her to the end because she’d never get any votes except for Ron’s but will they be willing to sacrifice one of the three seats?
Aurora: Here is another person that is disliked by the jury. The reactions they gave when informed that she went through Rick’s bag were unequivocal and we’ve had camp scenes that showed she isn’t the friendliest out there.
Gavin: He had a good thing going with Eric that he sacrificed to go with Julia and Victoria. Next he sacrificed his alliance with Julia to go with the numbers that Rick, War Dog and Ron had just assembled at Tribal Council. Now, he turned on Ron immediately after receiving a nice gift from the school teacher to go with Victoria again and Lauren. This tells us three things: First, the jury must not like him very much. Secondly, Victoria and Lauren should not trust him and, finally, Carlye should consider just what he will do to be with Victoria and Lauren.
The Contenders:
Victoria: It is really hard to assess her chances of winning the game because she’s had a very up and down role this season. She did tell us that she wasn’t there to make friends and that she’d betray everyone but she has been loyal at times and disloyal at others. This vote against Ron is a big accomplishment but she didn’t even vote against Ron! How will the jury evaluate that move?
Lauren: What Lauren has working for her is that she is the only player out there that can say she is trustworthy. Granted, Reem and Chris could object but the players left in the game have seen a woman that hasn’t been devious at all. Of course, that makes her a passenger but being the only Manu player that has truly infiltrated the Kama alliances then she can present a very solid case. It didn’t work for Laurel in Ghost Island when even the members of her original tribe voted against her but it has worked for Vecepia, Chris, Danni and Denise in the past. What did Laurel do wrong that can help us predict Lauren’s fate?
Well, contrary to Vecepia, Chris, Danni and Denise, Laurel had many opportunities to decide which way to go. Taking Chris in Vanuatu as our guide, he had one opportunity to flip the game and he went with three members of the women’s tribe to do it. Then he stayed loyal to those three. Vecepia, Danni and Denise also seized a big opportunity when it presented itself and then stayed loyal to the people who had betrayed their alliance. On the other hand, Laurel never flipped the game and the others never really knew on which side she stood. Instead of being seen as someone who saw her opportunity and seized it (which she did) Laurel was seen as Dom and Wendell’s puppet.
Where does Lauren stand? This vote was certainly her opportunity to change the dynamics of the game and she didn’t miss it but it was only a Plan B. Devens’ theatrics overshadowed everything else that happened during this Tribal Council so maybe Lauren needs to do a little more in order to truly impress the jury. At least they know she has an idol so they can admire her composure. They can see that she is aware of what is brewing. Otherwise she’d have wasted her idol by now.
I like it, Michel. I agree that a beta will win this season. And, I agree that it will come down to one of Lauren, Victoria, or Gavin. Of the three, Lauren is far superior, I think. And, she has an underdog story, being the last one from her tribe for a very long time.
Last vote I didn't understand why Victoria and Aurora both voted for Devens....I know they wanted him to go in case he didn't have an idol, yet still?
Wish I could have done the confessional chart this season, but I just didn't have the time. Maybe next season I will just do the numbers and leave the interpretation to all! Thanks for all you do, michel!
Yes, the way they split the votes was strange. The strangest part was giving Gavin the extra vote. The only thing that could have accomplished was getting Aurora voted out. She should have kept that vote and put two on Ron herself instead of counting on Gavin. However, we weren't really aware of the connection between Victoria, Lauren and Gavin. If it is deeper than we realized then it makes a little more sense but still, from Aurora's POV it was dumb to rely on someone voting against Ron after he had been picked for the Loved Ones.
You know, I'm wondering if that move wasn't subtly suggested by production. Suppose, during her confessional, Aurora was asked: "Did you consider that you couldn't use that extra vote if you were involved in a tie?" They then would have suggested that she gives it to someone that would vote for her. For the suspense of the episode, it left us wondering what Gavin would do. We would have known that Ron was toast if the two votes were in Aurora's hands.
Getting back to the Victoria, Lauren, Gavin alliance, I wonder if it wasn't formed before Kelley was voted out. We know that Kelley had her doubts about War Dog. So, maybe when War Dog made that 6 person alliance with Ron, Julie, Gavin and his two girls, Kelley and Lauren made a side deal with Gavin and Victoria. We also know that when all hell broke loose during that TC that sent Julia to EoE (It makes me laugh every time they use the phrase "we are sending him HOME tonight"!) Kelley was sticking with Julia, Gavin and Victoria up to the moment where Lauren brought her back to War Dog's side. There was always more distrust than true bonding between Kelley, Ron and Julie. Maybe we are back to "Alliances revealed don't succeed"!! Since that alliance wasn't shown before it really had to then maybe it does succeed.
After Rick used his HII, it didn't really focus directly on Lauren, Victoria, & Gavin, but it showed Lauren patting Victoria on the leg and turning around to glance at Gavin.
Previously on Survivor, at Tribal Council, Devens saved himself... <”I would like to play this immunity idol for myself”> ...but Victoria, Gavin, Lauren and Aurora had a back-up plan.
It’s evident that, for production, the show is reduced to its simplest expression and that is Tribal Council. They should be happy with a finale that will feature 4 of them and a Fire Challenge. Except for the challenges, (which also feature Jeff) what happens on the island is becoming less and less important.
Vata Night 31
Gavin had the first interview of the evening: “Last Tribal Council, I blindsided Ron. That was probably the most guilty I’ve felt voting someone out. I felt like I had to separate my heart from the game. Now that he’s gone, I think all the focus went straight to Devens because you know Devens is the idol and advantage king right now. So, Devens needs to go home.”
Devens’ confessional: “I told everyone that I got the idol from the Edge of Extinction instead of Vata Beach because I don’t want them to look at Vata Beach. I want to be the only one out here grinding and working to find the idol. For the time being, if they still think that all the advantages come from the Edge of Extinction that plays right into my hands. I think I’m still on the bottom; no one is coming to work with me except maybe Julie right now because she was blindsided so I’m going to get really clever in any other way that I can manipulate the game.”
Devens would come up with many clever ideas. In fact his tricks will be featured all night long, making this episode quite enjoyable.
In confessional, Aurora told us that she was happy to have finally found an alliance in Victoria, Gavin and Lauren. Devens was her number one target. She really wanted him out.
Right there and then, we had the feeling that Aurora’s happiness wouldn’t last. It was the perfect set-up for another blindside.
Devens gave us an interview while we watched him getting up in the middle of the night: “At Tribal last night, Ron went home and that was great but if I didn’t have the idol, it was me going home. I’m still at the bottom and I know the only way I’m getting to final 3 is if I work and get myself there.”
Vata Day 32
Devens was still walking around the jungle: “Early bird gets the worm; I’ve got to find it before anyone else. To get to the end of the game, I’m going to have to do it alone.”
It was Lauren’s turn to be interviewed: “Devens is a huge liar; I mean he didn’t get gifted an idol from Extinction. He found the idol. I have the Hidden Immunity Idol from the original Manu Beach up my sleeve so I know that idols do come from this island but nobody else knows. So, I’m definitely looking for the idol but, most importantly, I want to make sure that Rick does not have one.”
Lauren followed Rick for a while but then walked back to camp.
Viewers will ask why she didn’t stay with Rick the whole time but she did say that she had been searching for the idol. So it’s possible that she had looked all over that path and found nothing. Should she have looked more attentively? Maybe. But it’s also possible that the idol wasn’t there when she was looking but had just been placed after she left. Production also has tricks up their sleeves.
Devens interview: “I feel it’s idol or bust. I have to find the idol. If I don’t find it, I’m back to the Edge of Extinction but I’ll keep hustling until the end of this game... Ta-da-da-da-dun-da! Breaking news: Another Idol found! And it was me! I’m so excited. I’ve been at the bottom for so long and that can be so defeating but I’m working as hard as I can to bring the money home to my family. I’m getting stronger. I absolutely feel strong and i know that my family is going to be proud of me...and I am too.”
If we recall, War Dog made a good proposal to Rick soon after the merger which the news anchorman flatly rejected. Had he accepted it maybe he wouldn’t have been on the bottom for so long.
The Reward Challenge
Gavin won the reward and he chose Victoria and Lauren to share it with him. That upset Aurora who, like Victoria hadn’t been on many rewards.
It’s strange how no one mentions that Gavin is good in these challenges. I’m guessing it’s because it won’t matter in the end; he won’t win the final immunity, the one that will really count. That was the reason why we never heard about Rafe’s challenge abilities in Guatemala.
Gavin’s confessional: “Winning this reward is a life-changing moment for me because I’ve only been on a plane twice and never been on a helicopter... It almost feels like a roller coaster but a heck of a lot different than Disney World that’s for sure. I chose to take Victoria and Lauren instead of Aurora. I’m sure Aurora is hurting because of this decision but I hope she’s a smart enough player to know that she is still better off going with me, Victoria and Lauren instead of working with someone like Devens who has a clear shot of winning this game.”
This interview is just filler because it tells us nothing about Gavin other than his feelings of the moment.
The helicopter flew right by their camp so the players saw Aurora sunbathing on the beach. It was going to be the first of two helicopter shots showing a player this evening and this one would be very ironic considering that Aurora was going to be our next player voted out of the game. I expect that the second one was used in the traditional way; the winner’s helicopter shot.
Lauren’s interview: “As of right now, the three of us all agree that Devens has to go and then Gavin and Victoria are thinking Julie but I’m really worried. Julie and I have been close since right about the spa reward and we have built a trust so I personally don’t want to take Julie out.”
Note that Lauren had the interview instead of Victoria which tells us their relative importance in this story. Lauren’s confessional also shines in comparison to Gavin’s because of its substance. It is also notable that this was the first step in turning the vote away from Julie and on to Aurora, a turn that could have been entirely credited to Devens’ creative manipulations during the upcoming Tribal Council. The viewers could have been shown a story from Aurora, Devens or Julie’s perspective, a story in which Devens’ tactics were the only reason why the vote suddenly flipped to Aurora but, instead, we are shown that Devens’ tactics played nicely into Lauren’s plans. It could be a significant hint in our search for the identity of the Sole Survivor. Of course, that is if we are being told the winner’s story, nothing here matters if our winner spent all his or her time on the Edge of Extinction.
Vata Day 32
Victoria’s confessional: “Coming back from the reward, I knew I had to talk to Aurora to assure that, on our end, nothing had changed. The most important thing is moving together as a foursome. Aurora, she’s just an emotional player so now I have to doubly reassure her that nothing has changed. To win this game it would be smartest for us to stick together.”
Aurora’s interview: “So automatically, Victoria wants to explain that there really was no ill-will from their side being on the reward. Even if I have doubts, it is the most logical choice to stay in this alliance. I just want to move forward; to get out Devens and Julie. So, at this point, I’ve got to stick with my plan.”
The “automatically” used by Aurora indicates that there is no real love between her and Victoria. Could it be a hint to the way she will vote if Victoria is one of the choices offered to her.
The Edge of Extinction – Day 32
Each player had written a letter to himself before the game started and the players on the edge were now receiving those letters. Each was directed to find an isolated spot to read it. It was production’s way of making us feel that Survivor is a life changing experience but some of these players had been through the rigors of the games 3 times already so how much change were they really experiencing. As for the new players, it was mostly vain bravado since only one will actually get a second chance. Which one will it be? There came the second helicopter shot of the evening and this one had the wide overview that we’ve come to connect with a winner’s shot. It was Chris who walked out to a rocky promontory to read his letter. Once more, we heard him say his plan had been to play a perfect game and that now he had to adjust.
Vata Day 33
Devens’ interview: “My plan right now is, I’ve got my idol, now I’m doing the best I can to totally mess with everyone I’m in camp with. I can rest on Day 40 but right now it’s everything into the game.”
I was afraid that Devens would make the usual mistake of relaxing in camp after finding his idol but his plan was not only perfect but very entertaining. The rest of the segment showed us just how much he was effective in messing with everyone’s mind. Gavin’s confessional showed just that Devens plan was working.
Lauren’s interview: “I think that Rick has gone crazy; he disappears out of nowhere. It’s like playing hide n’ seek and I always hated playing hide n’ seek as a kid. So we’re just walking around aimlessly; trying to find him is madness.”
Day 34 – The Immunity Challenge
It was a word puzzle which seemed to be Aurora’s least favorite kind of game but Devens’ specialty. As he said: “If they are all bad at word puzzles I just have to be mediocre.”
I guess this sums up this season nicely. Since most of the last 20 seasons have been bad then this one only has to be mediocre to be better. It is. Maybe not better than the last one but certainly better than the most of the others. Rick won Immunity.
Rick in solo: “Because I have the necklace, I am safe now but I was target number one. They are going to go for Julie, the only person not in that four, the only person who might be willing to work with me so I’m really hoping that I will find a way to keep her in the game.”
Vata Day 34
Aurora had a confessional that closed her story arc nicely: Rick was a thorn in her side and his win sucked but she trusted her Final 4.
Right after Victoria guessed that they’d vote for Aurora, we heard Rick telling Julie that they should vote for Aurora.
As brilliant as it is, there is a major flaw in Rick’s edit: He is always shown to be one step behind in the tactical game. It started in Lesu, continued after the merger when he flatly declined War Dog’s first offer to work together and even more when he tried to rally Ron in an alliance of the “Big Threats” and now by Lauren first and even Victoria. His edit is telling us this: He’s working hard to win this game but he isn’t working well. If Rick doesn’t win the game then he’ll become Survivor’s version of the Ingenious Gentleman Sir Quixote of La Mancha.
Julie’s interview: “I’m willing to work with Rick for the next vote because I don’t have many other choices but i need more than just the two of us. I do have a good relationship with Lauren but if Lauren votes for Aurora we’re still going to need someone else to vote Aurora with her.”
After talking to Julie, Lauren gave us her thoughts: “Moving forward with Julie means that I could possibly sit next to her in the end and I think I have a better chance of beating her than I do Aurora. I think that Julie has become a very emotional player so I don’t think that a lot of the jury likes Julie. So, I’m going to try to convince Gavin that his best play is to not take Aurora to the end.”
Lauren understood that he best option was to go for the “easy vote” Gavin. It wouldn’t be the first time that he’d flip on an ally.
Informed of Lauren’s plan, Gavin was non-committal, wanting to talk to Victoria before making up his decision. Lauren pressed him, asking if he’d do it even if Victoria shut down the idea. Gavin couldn’t give her an answer.
Gavin solo: “Lauren hit me with a conversation: “Do we really need to vote Julie who is the easy vote or should we get out someone like Aurora who is going to be a threat at the Fire-making challenge or just a threat to win that Final Immunity challenge.” Lauren was ready to roll with it as long as I was. She didn’t need Victoria’s vote but that concerns me just because I am close with Victoria. Moving forward, I want to make sure Victoria is in on this vote and that she is OK with it because I don’t want to rock the boat before it needs to be rocked.”
Informing Victoria of Lauren’s plan was one thing, telling Victoria that Lauren was willing to do it without Victoria EVEN if she said she’d vote for Julie if Victoria was opposed to the plan is ratting out a friend. Gavin isn’t a player who should be trusted. He even had to audacity to tell Victoria that Lauren knew he wouldn’t do it if it was only the two of them. That is a flat lie.
Victoria’s interview: “Lauren was ready to vote Aurora with or without me. It doesn’t matter to her whether I was on board so now I feel like I’m in a bad spot because, at this point, I trust Gavin but I believe Lauren is trying to work with Julie so I’d rather just have Julie out of the game.”
Rick’s confessional: “Julie...I should do everything I can to keep her in the game. She is also someone I wouldn’t mind sitting next to in the Final 3 so I’m going to have a trick or two up my sleeve to go along with my necklace. It gives me an opportunity to make a splash at Tribal Council and have this four person alliance turn on each other. Just to have them look at each other like that will put a smile on my face. The more confused they are the better it is for me because confused people do crazy things.”
Tribal Council Night 34
The Final episode usually starts on Day 36 but this time we’ll be in the morning of Day 35 so it’s easy to imagine that the editing of that final episode will be rushed.
Devens said he saw many unhappy faces in camp after his win. Julie confirmed that there was a four person alliance that didn’t include her or Devens. Aurora wanted to see Devens out of the game. Victoria and Gavin agreed with Aurora. Then the group talked about Devens running around and hiding in trees. Devens put an end to the speculation by taking out his idol adding he’d play it for Julie and they’d vote for one of the four.
That got the jury’s attention and really excited them. Either they admire Devens’ game play or they want to see that Julie is safe. Lauren and Gavin see her as a goat but is she really?
Lauren looked at Gavin as if to say: “Now you have to vote for Aurora.” Gavin was nervous and Lauren said she didn’t feel as comfortable as before. Aurora wasn’t even sure if it was a real idol. Devens pointed out that he could play the idol on Julie because he already played on for Dave and, with a returning player, the numbers could turn from a 4-1 disadvantage into a 3-3 tie. He added that is more aggressive game play came from his sojourn on the Edge of Extinction.
It was time to vote.
As expected, Devens didn’t play his idol.
He and Julie voted against Aurora. Aurora voted against Julie. Lauren, Gavin and Victoria also voted against Aurora.
The Story
The story has not been easy to follow. There isn’t a discernible villain and the main star of the story is continually shown to be one step behind his antagonists. That could be easily explained if the story of Vata doesn’t include the winner of this season. Looking at the Next Time on Survivor segment, we see that it is all about the return challenge which happens one cycle earlier than in previous iterations where Outcasts returned late in the game. Maybe, like Devens did with the other players, the editors have played Hide n’ Seek with the viewers, keeping their winner mostly out of sight on the Edge of Extinction. The returning player may have an advantage like Devens received at the merger, complicating life for our Final 5. So, let us see what case could be presented to the jury.
The Characters
Most of the old tenants of the Island of Extinction
Reem, Julia, David, Aubry, Eric, Joe, David, Kelley War Dog Ron: Anyone of them would have a strong case to present to the jury. It would be their personal story of perseverance and, for the returning players in this group, their perseverance extends well beyond the weeks spent on the Edge of extinction. Joe, Aubry, Kelley and Dave have been persevering for years to conquer this game and all have made strong bonds with other members of the jury.
The New Resident:
Aurora: She has won a few challenges but, unfortunately for her, there are a lot of challenge experts on the Edge of Extinction. It will be difficult for her to win that challenge and continue winning if she comes back. If she does make it to the F3 she will have a strong case to present to the jury because she has been left to fend on her own for most of the season. Her main liabilities are her lack of involvement in the tactical part of the game and her social skills which seem very limited. She didn’t appear to make friends out there and that often proves costly.
Gavin: The least trustworthy member of the Final 5, Gavin should have the toughest time convincing the jury of his merits. He’s turned his back on many members of the jury and he’s been indecisive in his actions. His main chance would be to win all the remaining challenges, earning the chance of eliminating the two Edge of Extinction returning players and selecting his final opponents. That could earn the jury’s respect but short of that I don’t see Gavin winning.
Victoria: Like she yelled to Jeff during the immunity challenge, Victoria needs to remind the jury that she is playing the game. She has played a strong game, benefitting greatly from Kama’s early dominance and then nicely navigating through its self-destruction. However, the editors haven’t given her the attention she deserved and it is probably because the jury won’t see it either. I feel that her participation in the Final 3 is the most certain of them all but her failure is also the easiest to predict.
Julie: Lauren, Gavin and Devens all said they’d like to sit next to her at the end, suggesting she’d be easily beaten. She even calls herself a goat but whenever someone says they are a goat, Sandra for example, then that’s often proven false by the vote. Julie will need to control her emotions at Final Tribal Council. Tears have often earned votes but not hysteria. If she can present her case calmly, shedding a tear or two at the right moments, I’m not so sure she couldn’t beat the players that haven’t had a chance to mingle with the other jurors.
Devens: He is undoubtedly the break out character of the season, the “Hero” of the story but, like Don Quixote, he could be a failing hero. All his tactics are valid but he is still shown to be one step behind his opponents. Devens had the rare opportunity to talk directly to many of the jury members in a non-competitive environment, he is a family man and he speaks extremely well in public so he would win in any combination of Final 3 players that excludes the other returnee but, if he is destined to be Survivor’s Don Quixote, then Aurora should get her wish and see him voted out. The returning player is both a curse and a help for him. It will help because that player will draw immediate attention as a player to eliminate but it is a curse because it will be a tough opponent to beat in the next 3 immunity challenges and maybe an impossible one to beat in front of the jury.
Lauren: Personally, I would vote for Lauren if she makes the Final 3. She has been able to infiltrate the Kama alliance and has been able to keep Julie’s trust. Her journey has been difficult, going through Manu and Lesu’s losing streak and suffering from the harsh conditions that prevailed before the merger. She’s made the most friends out there and she has seen clearly through most of the schemes that didn’t include her. Despite her position in the minority she has almost always been able to see the direction of the vote (Kelley’s elimination is the one big exception) which meant she has kept her idol. Now, having the returning player coming in at F6 instead of F5 means someone else in the game will know about her idol so that could hurt her but it could also attract a new ally.
The Helicopter Shot:
Chris: The camera work on Survivor is superb. We get incredible nature shots and we are able to mingle with the players in camp when they are having very intimate moments and during extremely heated arguments without even noticing the staff. Once in a while, the producers decide to augment our experience by giving us a view from a camera mounted in a helicopter. The helicopter shot is so impressive that, at times, the editors have chosen to show only those that include the eventual winner. Earl on top of a Mountain in Fiji, Parvati and Natalie White on beaches in Micronesia and Samoa respectively were central in these great panoramic images. I’m sure every one noticed the magnificent image of Chris sitting alone on a rock out in the ocean. He went there to read his own letter, telling us it was about his desire to play a perfect game and how he realized Survivor wasn’t about playing a perfect game. Wouldn’t that be a perfect moral to this season’s story if Chris is not only the returning player but the one who becomes the season’s Sole Survivor?
I don’t know how I’d feel about this season if a player won despite being voted out. Like any purist should, I simply hate the idea even if everyone knew the parameters of this season once they hit the merger. The returning player had much to endure, yes, but they didn’t have to face the votes. Taking Chris as an example, it is exactly as if he had been immune for the last 9 Tribal Councils. More than that, he has become friends with the members of that jury and he’s fed them daily. For me, Survivor is all about the vote and a winner should not only have contributed to those votes but most importantly, needed to avoid being voted out.
Yes I certainly did notice a HELICOPTER shot of Chris reading his letter to himself where several others didn't even get to say anything. I think there is a good chance that Chris is the winner.
"Looking at the Next Time on Survivor segment, we see that it is all about the return challenge which happens one cycle earlier than in previous iterations where Outcasts returned late in the game.
Yes it is one cycle earlier (1 Day Earlier and 1 More Player)
S22 Finale Day 36 Final 4 (Andrea) S23 Finale Day 36 Final 4 (Ozzy) S27 Finale Day 36 Final 4 (Tina) S38 Finale Day 35 Final 5 (EoE 2nd Return)
However what is common is that the player returns from RI or EoE the very first thing in the Finale episode.
That is why I was assuming the EoE returner would return into the Final 5 not the Final 4 as before which I think is better as the players have 3 Cycles to try to get rid of the Returning player though this time there are going to be 2 Returning EoE Players to get rid of!
Yeah very hard to remember all of the Helicopter shots but from now on we will all remember TWO King of Fiji Helicopters shots!
Do you think they asked all 10 players on EoE to pose on that rock in the ocean for a Helicopter shot so they could have a Helicopter shot of the player that returns from EoE in the Edited show?
Seems unbelievable that they just happened to do a Helicopter shot of only ONE of 10 players and that player won the EoE challenge and won the game!
For Survivor Fiji though I highly doubt anyone else climbed to the top of that mountain so they probably did get lucky that their Helicopter shot of Earl happened to be the winner.
We know that they asked all the players to find a secluded spot to read their letters. So, because of that, I believe that the helicopter was sent out and roamed the island, taking images of everyone they could spot. Maybe secluded was defined to the players as "in the clear" to make it easier for the "Helicam". With all the shots or record then the editors picked the one showing Chris.
Of course, the cynic in me will think of another possibility based on the fact that Chris had the absolute best spot. If they did rig it in favor of Chris then there wasn't a need to take all those unneccesary images!
I forgot to comment on your last paragraph "I don’t know how I’d feel about this season if a player won despite being voted out. Like any purist should, I simply hate the idea even if everyone knew the parameters of this season once they hit the merger. The returning player had much to endure, yes, but they didn’t have to face the votes. Taking Chris as an example, it is exactly as if he had been immune for the last 9 Tribal Councils. More than that, he has become friends with the members of that jury and he’s fed them daily. For me, Survivor is all about the vote and a winner should not only have contributed to those votes but most importantly, needed to avoid being voted out."
AMEN to that! The Helicopter shot made me believe Chris was going to win the EoE challenge and your thoughts above are what made me think Chris would win. The strange edit made me think Deven would not win.
What would have been better is if Edge of Extinction was more like Exile Island. Live by YOURSELF not with the JURY!
The idea was as dumb as if the Justice system allowed defense attorneys to wine and dine the members of the jury and talk to them privately about the case.
Short of having a dozen different locations for the EoE, I think there are two solutions if they want to keep this dreadful gimmick. Have only 1 returning player and do it at the merger and the jury would be made up only by the players that made it to the merger (Like the Outcast twist in Pearl Island) or, if they wish to bring a second player late then give the players a choice when they are voted out: Either go to EoE and have a shot to get back in the game or go to the jury house. Would we have enough jurors? If they bring the player back at F7 and go with a Final 2 they'd be guaranteed a jury of five which is small but, I think, sufficient.
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