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"S36 | Editing, the Characters and their stories..."
Posted by Flowerpower1 on 02-28-18 at 11:03 AM
While I am no michel or Veruca, I am compelled to keep this thread OPEN! Here is a transcript from the first 4 minutes. I would say that Jacob is most certainly going to ghost island, and could possibly be it's first victim. Will he be the first boot, however? I dunno...

Survivor ghost Island:

See Eric: want to give II to Natalie....Jiffy: that is not a hidden II, see James...
James: I had two idols, I guess I should have played them, see Jason.
Jiffy: For 35 seasons, Survivor has challenged players. Playing a game that is so complicated that winning requires nearly perfect execution.
SaraH: This is not about making friends, I need that advantage.....it worked.
Jiffy: One bad decision can haunt you forever, see the losers get their torches snuffed


These 20 americans will face the same challenge.
See 4 peeps on the orange boat, Stephanie with crazy legs, Donathan, a blond, Jenna, and dark haired guy, James on orange.Then see a close up of Stephanie, then a blond with orange buff on head, Libby(close up
Jiffy: they begin an adventure that will forever, see dark haired guy, Michael (closeup)
Then see Donathan, close up). ....change their lives.

Jiffy: they’ll be abandoned on the islands of Fiji, and then fend for themselves....see the purple tribe, then close ups of Dominic, Chris, Chelsea,

...But this season there is a twist, zoom in on an island, the graveyard for bad survivor decisions....see written: One bad decision can haunt you forever, and after 35 seasons there have been a lot of them....see a structure with wooden heads hanging down...For the first time ever we are bringing back the actual idols and advantages, they move an idol head and we see a secret advantage lying on the floor, that were fatally misplayed in previous seasons.

See Jason and Eliza....OMG, this is not an idol, Jason: why do you say that?, Eliza: it’s a f’g stick!

Jiffy; This group of new players must....see close up of Wendall, then Libby followed by Brendan, find a way to reverse the curse of these haunted survivor relics or they will face the same fate.

See Wendall, Libby, Sebastian, Kellyn, Wendall, Chris, Dominic, Chelsea, Donathan, Laurel, Michael, Desiree, James swimming in competition,

In the end only one will remain, see Morgan and Bradley, with netting in front, to see the million dollar prize, bird flies over head,
39 days, 20 people, 1 Survivor, music....

See the 2 boats arrive at site on beach, see Purple tribe first. then orange arrives...gather on mats see Chelsea then Libby, smiles,

Jiffy: alright, let’s get to this...Survivor is one of the greatest social experiments ever created....see Kellyn up close, then Bradley. Jiffy: It requires dozens of critical decisions every day, see Stephanie G.

See Jacob, Jiffy: it is a game so fraught with peril that one bad decision will haunt you forever. See Morgan smiling. Welcome to our 36th season, Survivor: Ghost Island.Clapping and applause. Jacob: Whoop!

Jiffy: This season, for the first time ever, you will have the chance (see Chelsea, Desiree, Sebastian, Chris) to reverse the curse. See Kellyn and Wendall.....of some of the worst decisions in Survivor history. Close up of Jacob swearing, mouth blurred.See Chelsea say “WHAT?”, then Kellyn’s mouth drops as she holds her chin.

First Confessional Kellyn: Probably my most biggest fear out here is making bad decisions because we’ve seen it so many times throughout Survivor. They can be such a split moment decision that can take you outta the game.

Jiffy continues: and, if you find yourself on Ghost Island, which many of you will, you will be surrounded by (see Jacob again) reminders that every thing rests on your ability to make the right decision at the right time, more ominous music plays.

As Jiffy says this we first see in close up Jacob, then Stephanie G, (Chris is seen during “on your ability to make the right decision - will Chris make the right decision ....looks like it!), at the right time, then see Wendall and Kellyn....Jiffy: and that starts right now. Cut to close up of Dominic smiling: Ohhhh!

Then see Jacob: Ohhhh.


Table of contents
Messages in this discussion
"RE: S36 | Editing, the Characters and their stories..."
Posted by michel2 on 02-28-18 at 07:54 PM
You do a great job, FP. I'll have comments here and there to keep the discussion going.
"<3"
Posted by Flowerpower1 on 02-28-18 at 08:36 PM
I <3 you, michel.

"Week 1 - Information Imbalance"
Posted by michel2 on 03-03-18 at 07:15 PM
Domenick

Episode 1:

After telling Jeff that Chris made a bad decision and that he was a truth teller, Domenick had an interview: « One bad decision can ruin your game and, right out of the gate, Chris made the wrong decision and we gave a huge advantage in this game to the other tribe. So, we need to put a stop to it quickly before it bites us in the butt.”

“As a construction supervisor, it’s my job to make sure that people can work cohesively on a daily basis so that the job gets done.”

After telling the group that he used to weigh 270 pounds, Domenick had another confessional: “In my life, I’ve definitely seen some adversity and I’ve had some struggles but when my first daughter was born that definitely was a cross roads for me where I could sit there and say it’s time for me to step up, to become a man and take control of my life. Leaving my wife and three kids has been difficult from the second I left the house but my wife and kids gave me their blessings but they also gave me their blessings with a notion that I have to bring home the bacon.” That’s a lot of personal story and a winning quote for Domenick.
Informed by Wendell that Sebastian mentioned his name as a possible vote, Dom told us: “I think I’m aggravating one specific person and I believe Chris is the one who is looking to target me. At this point he may have already put some type of coalition against me but I’m here to play the game as well and he’s got a big battle ahead of him if he thinks he’s just going to roll right in and just vote me out.”

“In the beginning, I felt worried about my game but I found an idol and I feel I am developing a good rapport with a substantial amount of people in this tribe but I heard through the grapevines that Chris was gunning for me so I want to have a conversation with him to let him know that I really want to keep things cool and hopefully we can work together.”

“The way Chris came at me out of the gate, immediately made me think he was on to me but I am not going to play defense, I’m going to make sure that I have Chris in my control because he doesn’t know who he’s messing with. The other day, I found the most beautiful shell. I looked at it and said: This will make great idol. I also found some rope so I decide to create this fake idol and wrap it up with the paperwork that came with my real idol. I believe I can earn Chris’ trust by showing him the fake idol. (maybe it would have worked better if the guy who says he cannot tell a lie hadn’t first lied about having an idol!) It’s a gamble but I’m going to have to just throw it out there and see if he bites. By showing him the paperwork that goes with an actual idol, it distracted him from even looking at the fake idol and seeing his reaction, I knew I had him hook, line and sinker. I even told him; anytime you think you are vulnerable you ask me and I will give it to you, no problem because it is a fugazzi; it’s not even a real idol. He can take it with him wherever he wants, he can take it home with him for all I care.”

Episode 2:

“Fortunately, we didn’t have to go to Tribal Council tonight. I told myself that when I come into this game I’m going to have a handle on my paranoia but I’m starting to get a bad feeling around here. I’m not really fitting in; I’m not really sure what is going on so I need to make the move now. Coming out to look for idols during the day has not been working out so I don’t care what time of day it is, I’ll look. So as long as I’m in this game, I’ll be looking. I came here to play; we’ll sleep when we’re dead... I can’t believe I found the immunity idol in the dark! I know personally that with an idol, I can take way bigger risks and I want to take risks in this game, I want to play this game really hard.”

“I’m starting to get a handle on the true essence of Ghost Island: It’s all about past players’ mistakes. Andrea kept this thing in her pocket and that was a huge blunder on her part but I have no intention on the curse getting me. I will reverse it for sure.”

Domenick was the star of the first two episodes: He gave us personal content, game strategy and he’s been painted as an underdog even if his tribe never went to Tribal Council. Even if Chris got the last word in their dueling confessionals, I believe Domenick will outlast his enemy. In fact Domenick has to be considered a top contender for the win.

Stephanie

Episode 1:

“Being a super fan of the show, I know that the first vote sets the tone for the entire game. It’s either going to be Donathan or Gonzalez. I think Donathan is probably our weakest link but I feel there’s a level of control that I have. He is going to vote with us, he is somebody that I can nurture. To me, getting rid of Gonzalez is getting rid of a strategic threat because she’s got her own agenda and she’s way too strong.”

Episode 2:

“There’s a lot of speculation about Jacob’s idol: Is it fake, is it real? We don’t know but when somebody knows that they are on the bottom that can create opportunities for somebody like me. I am as big of a super fan as he is and I am willing to use him to get myself further in this game.”

“I’m using my little flirtatious ways, trying to get to the truth about Jacob’s idol. The thing about Jacob is that he is a strategic super fan so the way to get in his head is to talk strategy with him.”

“Jacob divulged everything to me. His idol was fake: I knew it in my bones! And then he told me that Morgan on the other tribe now has this Legacy Advantage and that’s huge. That’s something that I can use to my advantage later on in this game. So right now I am actually struggling with this Jacob vote; he trusts me and those are the kind of people you want to keep around.”

I laughed when Stephanie wondered if Jacob’s idol was fake or real because she herself must have fielded that question a few times and the truth had to be the same.

Seriously, Stephanie starred in the second episode and with Information Imbalance being a theme of our story then Stephanie is in a great position: She knows that Morgan has a legacy advantage while Morgan has no idea that she does. Her next move would be to befriend the advantage holder and then find a way to inherit it after blindsiding her friend. With the manipulative powers she’s displayed up to now, Stephanie might just be able to pull it off even if her flirtatious ways may not work on Morgan.

Donathan

Episode 1:

“I am so excited of playing Survivor. It’s going to blow a lot of people’s mind in Eastern Kentucky when they see that Donathan is on Survivor. There’s not a gay man but me in Eastern Kentucky at least that’s out like I am. So my main goal out here, besides winning the game, is to know people that I would never know before like James and Laurel, she stood out to me because where I’m from, it’s mainly Caucasian and I don’t have a chance to have an African American friend. I need to have people I can trust because, looking at me, I’m not the most built or maybe the most brainy. And if you’re to leave early in this game, that’s something they’re just waiting to get right out of here.”

“When I was at the immunity challenge, I wanted the people to get the colors together but Gonzalez, when we got back to camp, that was all her big idea. You know, I’m probably the weakest person on my tribe but I don’t want the target on me so I’ll tell my tribe mates that Gonzalez should be the target.”

“People are underestimating me when it comes to what I’m thinking in my mind and I’m used to that but I have my own thoughts and my own plans and hopefully it works in my favor tonight.”

Episode 2:

Did anyone notice Donathan’s dive when he finally decided to go back in to help James? The story wants us to believe that he was so afraid of going under water that he let James hang for a long time. Even when his whole tribe and Probst BEGGED him to give it a try, he said he couldn't. But suddenly he gets up and goes in the water. When someone is afraid of going under water, they do one of 3 things: Either they inch their way to the ledge and SLOWLY descend into the water, or they jump in feet first, or they do a horrible belly flop.

What did Donathan do? A PERFECT dive! If you don’t believe me, just look at the video once more: Hands above his head, he sprung from his knees and ankles then bent at the waist all leading to a RIP ENTRY!!!!

The style of his dive is incompatible with someone who is afraid of water so that tells me Donathan is very good in the water and the whole incident was set up by production to create that story of personal achievement.

“When I was chosen to go to Ghost Island, I was definitely nervous... The biggest thing about Survivor is to adapt and go with the flow...Hopefully, it gives me a great reward in the end... I came out here to play and I’m here to win.”

A confessional like the one Donathan gave us in episode 1 often signals the start of a Journey for a Player. They last long but don’t usually win. This time however, we have a player for which production wrote a script to get the audience to sympathize with him. That means Donathan could be the “Designated Survivor” (!!) I prefer to use the reasoning we used for the Amazing Race whenever someone said they didn’t know how to drive an automatic: If you knew you were going on Survivor maybe you should have practice going under water. Donathan is pathetic at this game but he’s being turned into a hero... that’s sickening. It worked to various degrees with Cochran, David and many others but why tell the same story over and over again?

Michael

Episode 1:

He had the first winning quote of the season: “At the challenge today, we took home the reward but it was super humbling because I am an athletic guy and younger. I’m actually 18 years old and I’m not going to tell anybody my age because I think it kills credibility right off the bat. It has not only been my dream to come out here and play but I totally feel like I can win.”

“For me personally, tonight, I’m basing my vote on strength. I think that’s the most intelligent thing to do for a first vote because we all want to win. We want to get the next challenge under our belt; we want to make it that much further and not have to worry about all this so early. I think Gonzalez is someone that we can easily do further down the line but the first vote is huge because it could affect our entire game and I think that with this thing Ghost Island, it’s a double whammy: If you make a bad decision, it will haunt you for life.”

Episode 2:

“Even though James screwed up badly today, he’s plan B right now. The real target is Jacob. If the idol is real, it could definitely blow up in our face so we got to get rid of him but we got to be really careful about how we do it.”

“Jenna and Steph are kind of sketching me out because Jacob is a shifty guy and, for all I know, he is targeting me and all it takes is a couple of people to flip with him and I could be gone. I don’t want to go home in this game. I’m ready to play in it and if I get voted out by the freakin’ Jacob, I’m going to be pissed off.”

Jacob’s plan didn’t pose a huge threat but I liked how Michael handled the situation; he remained calm even if Brendan was certain they were pulling a fast one on them. I noticed that a couple of Michael’s interviews could have been given by Brendan because they occurred immediately after the two talked.. Therefore, I have to think Michael has a much better chance of being a long term player than Brendan.

Jenna

Episode 1:

“Jacob going to Ghost Island screwed us a little bit because that was probably who we were going to vote out. Now we have to vote out somebody we weren’t planning on. Strategy wise; who is it going to be now?”

Episode 2:

“Stephanie wants to work with Jacob and start voting out the big players and I was shocked at first. Jacob is not the smartest guy in the world. I mean he has a lot of knowledge of things but he absolutely no social skills. However, Stephanie and I have been close since Day 1 so I definitely want to loyal to her so whatever she wants to do, I’ll go along with it.”

Once the evening was over, I thought Jenna had not been shown at all. It was only when I watched for a second time did I realize she had two confessionals. If we add her interventions during TC then we have to say that Jenna has room to grow but, for now, she just gave us narration, explaining the way the 2 votes would go.

Brendan

Episode 1:

« Being a teacher and a coach, I’m relied on for a lot of things and I know something big is at stake so if I can help us win it, I want to win it.”

Episode 2:

“If you’re going to make up this story, you better think it through because Jacob’s fantastic story about winning this immunity idol just seems a little far-fetched to me. There’s no chance in the world that this Survivor nerd forgot the note that came with the immunity idol back at Ghost Island.”

For Naviti’s designated leader for the first challenge and one of its main strategists, Brendan’s role was extremely limited. To me, that suggests a player that could fall victim to the swap. Normally, Survivor editors like to give us the point of view of its leaders especially when they are athletic older men but here Brendan took a back seat to the 18 year old Michael. The writing is clearly on the wall.

James

Episode 1:

« Jacob is playing the game a little too hard out of the gate and it is a bad, risky decision to be the one that people perceive as the one going off to hunt for an idol. You don’t want to stand out for any reason in the early stages of the game.”

Episode 2:

“My immunity challenge performance was pathetic. My parents back in Korea taught me to give everything my best effort but instead, I cost us the win today and that’s a fact, there’s no way around it. People might be thinking let him go because he’s to blame.”

James was only a narrator forced in the spotlight because of his poor challenge performance. James will not be an impact player this season.

Chris

Episode 1:

It certainly looked like Chris made the first really bad decision of the season when he pulled the plug on the first Reward Challenge. Despite their wins, it can be said that Naviti made the mistake of letting him be in the leadership position.

“There are red flags with Dominick like at the challenge when Jeff asked people if I made the right decision there was only one person who came out and said “no he didn’t”. That got me playing the game because I got to get rid of this guy because he’s gunning for me.”

Episode 2:

“Domenick showed me his idol after lying to me he didn’t have an idol. He said he wanted to take me to the end. Something about it is just off. Look: I don’t trust him and if my instinct tells me that something’s off, I have to go with it. I will not get voted out of this game going against my instinct. Knowing he has an idol scares the hell out of me and it’s up to me as a leader to eliminate it.”

After leading Malolo to failure, Chris took on the bully role for his tribe, stirring the pot to put the target on Dominick. It would be extremely surprising to see Chris outlasting his target.

Kellyn

Episode 1:

She had the season’s first confessional, setting up the story’s theme « My biggest fear out here is making bad decisions because we have seen it so many times throughout Survivor. It can be such a split moment decision that can take you out of the game.”
When they got in camp, Kellyn had the first interview: “Before Survivor, I was living my life like I should, doing what I thought I should do and I made the decision to say that’s not the life I want. So, I got divorced, I finished Grad school and I’ve been able to start living my life for me and I’m a huge fan of Survivor and I made it and it’s going to be an insane journey.”

Of the lesser characters, I liked Kellyn portrayal a lot. There was absolutely no need to include her in the story but she had the honor of delivering the season’s opening interview and also gave us really good personal content. I expect that Kellyn will be a long term player so she will have a long time to see her story develop.

Laurel

Episode 2:

“So far, the strong and the beautiful have been running the show. They’ve formed a little bit of a clique without me and that worries me. But suddenly, the people who are on the bottom have an opportunity to flip the vote on them. I just got to make sure it’s the right time.”

Because of Naviti’s losses and subsequent trips to Tribal Council, Laurel had a certain visibility but not a specific role. She was there, no doubt but the only thing we can say about her first 6 days in Fiji is that she is still in the game.

Sebastian

Episode 1:

“When Chris started telling all this stuff about Florida, I was immediately attracted. We’ve both lobstered in the Florida Keys and we go to the Bahamas and back and we fish. That’s like best friends in a candy shop picking out which kind of gummies each other wants. It’s great to have a buddy that is so close to you.”

His only role was to back Chris, putting more doubts in Domenick’s chances. Sebastian should see his torch snuffed soon after Chris’.

Morgan

Episode 1:

Ducking behind other players when it was time to pick players for a challenge could paint a target on her back or can show her ability to stay off the radar. It may have played a role in getting the Legacy Advantage.

Episode 2:

“This Ghost Island throws a wrench in things because who you send is going to impact the game. We thought; send their weak player to Ghost Island where you know they are safe and leave the stronger people there to get voted off. But it seems that, for me, it was a really good move because this morning, I look in my bag and I found the most amazing, unexpected surprise. It’s the Legacy Advantage; it has Sierra’s name on it. It looks like Jacob from the other tribe, willed it to me. If Sierra hadn’t told people about it, she probably wouldn’t have been voted out but the problem is I have a really big mouth so I need some staple guns to keep this thing close but thank you Jacob!”

While she was glad to receive it, she will probably find a way to lose that advantage.

Wendell

Episode 1:

« I went to U Penn law; top ten law schools but I wasn’t where I wanted to be so I followed my passion. I took off the suit and now I’m a freelance furniture designer. So I am more than I appear. There’s this guy, Dom, he’s a construction worker and I took to that. I just started feeling good vibes from him. He just seems like a friendly guy that I would work with.”

“As soon as I heard Dominick’s name, I was like, let me give him some information because I can show him my loyalty and I think it’s going to reciprocate in the long run.”

Being seen as a friend to the night’s star augurs well for Wendell but what happens when he is separated from Dominick? There isn’t much substance to Wendell’s story yet but he has time to grow.

Desirée

Episode 1:

After being picked by Chris, she gave this interview: « Why did you choose me? Maybe I look a bit creative but puzzles are not my strong suit.”

Compared to Brendan whose choices weren’t questioned, Desirée’s comment doesn’t show Chris’ decision in a good light but they do not give us anything to say about her personally.

Libby, Chelsea, Angela and Bradley didn’t give us a single interview. The only thing to note about Angela is that she isn’t a good swimmer.


"RE: Week 1 - Information Imbalance"
Posted by Flowerpower1 on 03-07-18 at 09:45 AM
Well done, michel. I have a lot of the same impressions following the premier. I thought that Dominick, Stephanie were the two biggest players. A nice conflict arises between Dominick and Chris, I give the resolution to Dominick. Stephanie is a gamer/player and she knows what to do. She's going to be PHUN!

I, too, felt that Donathan's hero edit was forced on us. But, I hope he'll soon be out and the arc was completed to give him a pat on the back as he's ushered out the door.

Chris is definitely the adversary to Dominick. Sebastian will be his sidekick.

I agree Michael has more substance than Brendan.

I felt Kellyn and Wendall may be players that impact the story but they will bloom later. There was a reason they were introduced to us?

I also wanted to deposit the transcription here....I think perhaps we can come back to this premier transcription to look for clues later....

Episode 1a:

Starts with Eric, Jason, James,
Sarah: this isn’t about making frineds, I need that advantage, ....it worked.

Ghost Island Twist: graveyard for bad survivor decisions, bringing back the actural

This group must reverse the curse or find themselves with the same fate...
In the end only one will remain to claim the million dollar prize, 39 days, 20 people 1 Survivor.

See them land on the beach...

Jiffy: One of the greatest social experiences....a game frought with peril, one bad dec can haunt you forever, Ghost island.

You have the chance to reverse the cu

Kellyn: Probably my worst biggest fear out here is making bad decisions. We’ve seen it so many times throughout Survivor, it can be such a split moment decision that can take you outta your game.

Jiffy continues, you can find yourself on Ghost Island, see Jacob, roll his eyes and head, and a snake rattle sound....ding ding ding! Then, cut to see Stephanie G.

Jiffy: Everything in your game rests on your ability to make the right decisions, (See close up of Chris ~ inferring to me that he will make the wrong decision, prhaps? ....Jiffy: at the right time, see close up of Kellyn(perhaps she WILL make the right decision at the right time? Wendall is behind her....

Jiffy: ....and that starts right now. Dom: Ughhhh, Jacob: Ohhhh

Malolo...orange, select one person to represent your tribe....Brendan volunteers...

Brendan: As a teacher and a coach I am relied on for alot of things...and, I know something big is at stake and If I can help us win it, I will.

Jiffy: wearing purple, Naviti....they choose Chris...I’ll do it. Chris, that was instant... I guess they saw some good qualities in me and....see Dom smiling....and, I’m going to take the challenge.

Jiffy tells them that they must make a decision, decide who will run the first challenge, the physical part of the challenge. Brendan chooses Michael. (most capable of handling physical part of the challenge....)
Now choose someone to handle the puzzle, Laurel.

Naviti: Chris chooses back left, Sebastian, then chooses woman in back ducks, not me...Chris wants front left, Desiree, why did you cho

Desiree: Oh boy, why did you choose me, puzzles are not my strong suit...

race through obstacles to dig up keys, get 3, puzzle solver unlock then solve the puzzle.
Prize: waiting for you back at camp....not much, machete, pot, rice, much less than any other season, and extensive fishing kit. Winners get massive shelter building kit, Dom is salivating over it, loser loses the fishing gear.

Jiffy explains the sand timer, forfeit, if forfeit, keep your fishing gear, winners get 20 eggs and flint, boil water, fire, alot of stakes. See Dom off and on.

Challenge: go

both whipping through...dead even out of gate, first key there, already bruttally hot out here....adrenline wearing off....Sebastian in lead...Sebastian in lead....Michael knocks his head, and stumbling....Desiree going, Laurel now going....and timer starts....

sand almost out, Chris upsets the puzzle, so orange team wins

Malolo wins

huge decision by Chris, give up on Desiree and save fishing gear. Huge advantage for Malolo

Jiffy asks anyone feeling if we could do it again, would we make a diff’t choice? Dom raises his hand. I’m a truth teller, Jeff, I don’t lie.
Dominic: One bad decision can ruin your game and right out of the gate Chris made the wrong decision and we just gave a HUGE advantage to the other tribe. So, we need to put a stop to it quickly before it bites us in the butt.

Fun lively Island adventurous music as we see Malolo arrive at their beach. Group hug and they cheer, “Malolo”.

See them start to introduce themselves

Michael: At the challenge today we took home the reward but it was super humbling, (see Steph G as he is talking), because I am an athletic guy and I’m younger, I’m actually I a m 18 years old, I’m not going to tell anybody my age because I think it kills credibility right off the bat. (we see him tell everyone that he’s 23 and sells real estate in LA.It’s not only been my dream to come out here and play but I totally feel like I can win *WINNING QUOTE.

See them all working. Jacob comments, Wow, there are alot of abs here. Laurel laughs
Donathan and Stephanie G talking.

Gonzales: Something like this, the bugs, ants, etc, don’t really bother me because I grew up in Peurto Rico. see her wield a machete. Just by looking at me you would think super girly girl, but now I think they might say Hey, wait a minute, there ‘s a lot more to that girl, and they haven’t seen anything yet!

See Donathan and Laurel talking, about he’s excited to meet people he hasn’t gotten a chance to meet before

Donathan: I’m so excited to be playing S. It’s going to blow alot of people’s minds when they see me, Donathan Early’s on playing on S.

Don. and Laurel ask each other about being married, no but have a boyfriend, him, no he can’t find a man in Eastern Kentucky.

...there’s not no gay man like me in Eastern Kentucky, at least that’s out like I am.

So, my main goal besides winning the game is to meet people I might never know...James, he’s exotic and Laurel, she stood out to me cause where I am from it’s mainly caucasian and I don’t have an African American friend. I need to have peope I can trust because look at me, I am not the most built or the most brainy. If you’re too weak in this game early that is something they will just want to get right out of here. (While Don. is talking about making friends, clearly his strategy as he sees himself as weak and not brainy), we see him busy at making friends, underlining this strategy.

Naviti: Also introducing themselves.
Sebastian: I’m a fisherman
Wendall: I’m a furniture designer
Chris: lives in NY from the keys
Kellyn:

Kellyn: Before Survivor I was living my life as I should, doing what I thought I should be doing and I made the decision to say, that’s not the life I want. So, I got divorced, I finished grad school, and I really began to start living my life for me, and I’m a huge fan of survivor and it’s going to be an insane journey!

Dominic yells to sebastian....Sea Bass do me a favor....do your friends call you Sea Bass? No. For God’s sake, your a fisherman and your name is Sebastian, you’re Sea Bass. Sebastian: Yes, my name’s Sea Bass.

See Dom bossing the others in building the shelter

Dominic: As a construction supervisor it’s my job to make sure that people can work cohesively on a daily basis so the job gets done.

Dom comments on Sebastians six pack, he looks at pizza and puts weight on, used to weigh 270#....wow! Just thought I’d start making better decisions, not just with food but in life,. (Wow, this admission goes with the theme of the show....hmmmm?) He liked to party, drink alot with the boys, gambling, making bad decisions. But, those days are over!

In my life, I’ve definietly seen some adversity and I had some struggles, but when My
first daughter was born that definitely was a crossroads for me the time for me to step up, become a man and take control of my life.

they asked him why he did it, he replied I just wanted to be around for my wife and kids, that’s it!

continues: Leaving my wife and kids has been difficult from the moment I left the house, cause my wife and kids gave me their blessing, but they also gave me their blessing with the notion that I have to bring home the bacon!

See Chris and Sebastian go walking, they are so alike, both from Florida, talking about Sebastian point...a girl poiints out that Chris and Sebastian are missing....they all take
note.

Chris tells Sebastian that we need to team up, get each other to the merge. Shake on it.

Sebastian: When Chris started telling me all this stuff about Florida I was immediately attracted to him...we both grew up in the keys, we both go to the bahamas, we fish, it’s like best friends in a candy shop, you know? Picking out what kind of gummies each other wants. So, it’s great to have a buddy that is so close to you.

Chris asks who he wants to aim for first
Seb: Dom’s kinda crazy, even tho he could help in the challenges
Chris: we need to live to fight another day, and if he’s there he’s gonna try to cut me,
and cut you. (see Dom)

Chris: There are red flags with Dom, when Jeff asked people did I make the right decision, there’s only one person that came out and said, no he didn’t. But, it got me already playing the game cause I gotta get rid of this person cause he’s gunning for me. See Dominic, then see Chris. A rivalry is born.

Sun setting

See Jacob lose his shoe in water
Jacob: When you look at the group. me and Donathan are different cause we are not brendan, we are not Michael, I am a little afraid that all these pretty people are going to gang up on me at some point in the future if I don’t win immunity.

In the group Jacob asks if there is in idol somewhere and they reply, yes, it’s not S without one. then he says he’s going to go exploring right now.

I didn’t want to be the suspicious dude that disappears in the first 30 minutes, but looking though all the fawna for an idol, but....the last thing I am going to be in this game is comforable

See the rest of the tribe all commenting on him going to search for the idol.
Brendan tells them we are all getting along, he’s the one that’s gone, so we gotta be careful

James: Jacob, he’s playing the game a little bit too hard outta the gates and it’s a bad risky decison to be the one that people perceive as he’s going off to look for an idol. You don’t want to be the one that stands out for any reason in the early stages of the game.

Jacob: I’ve been dreaming about his my entire life, Survivor aired for the first time when I was 4. I’ve watched every season since I was four. See him pour the rice in his dirty sock looking for a clue. It’s loving the show so much that makes me want to do well. So, why not check the rice when no one else is looking I would be devastated to be the one that is out first so hopefully they think that I am not being too suspicious. I think I already screwed my self, that was stupid.

Naviti day 2, see a spider, then see a spider being devoured by a colony of small ants. then a big spider.

Sebastian comments on the shelter, guys, it’ looks like we are building a massive spider nest. See Desiree and WEndall talking about his furniture design. Wendall has made a crab trap, or fish trap....impressive. showing dominic.

Wendall: I went to UPenn Law, top ten Law school but I wasn’t where I wanted to be so I followed my passion, took off the suit, and now I ‘m a freelance furniture designer. So, I am more than I appear. There’s this guy, Dom, and he’s a construction worker and I took to that. I just started feeling good vibes from him, he just seems like a friendly guy that I can work with.

See bats in a tree.

See Seb. and Wendall talking about if we do lose what are we going to do? Seb: Unless somebody is just horrible in the challenge. Seb: I don’tknow, I guess Dom?
Wendall: Well, I like him. just keep thinking

16.Wendall: Different location with this confessional) As soon as I heard dom’s name, well, let me give him some information, because I think I can show him some of my loyalty and I thi kk it will reciprocate in the long run.

See Dominic come out to Wendall and Bradley in the ocean, and Wendall tells him that Sebastian mentioned his name as to who to boot....Bradley comments it could have been Chris telling him that.

Dominic: I think I am aggravating one specific person and I think Chris is the one that is specifically targeting me. And, at this point he may have put some sort of coalition against me. But, I am here to play this game as well and he’s got a big battle ahead of him if he thinks he’s jusr going to roll and vote me out.

Day 3, the challenge

Race across net bridge, retrieve 2 bags of ropes, pull sled with giant puzzle peices, use to solve a cube puzzle. win immunity. Ghost island is in play, someone from losing tribe will be the first to visit.

go...attach ropes and get first 3 peices in sled and drag....Niviti wins, hugs, Dom gets the II, bradley has the flint

see Jacob say sorry, we still know we are one of the best tribes of all times, we will come back from this...I think there has never beenas cohesive as us...
Naviti chooses one to go to GI...don’t go to TC, can’t be voted out...Jacob was talking trash, we will send him. Good when you talk big, they fall into your trap...He tells them he baited them on purpose. Enjoy ghost Island

Jenna; Jacob going to GI definitely screws us cause he probably would h ave been the one , now we have to go back and vote out someone we weren’t planning on, see Gonzales, so hey, who’s it going to be now. See Gonzales followed by Don.

Ghost island, day 3

Jacob: For past three days my entire tribe has been sitting around trying to figure out what the heck GI is. It’s a wierd feeling I am wlaking truly into the unknown, there has go got to be something here that can help me but I won’t know until I find what that thing is. I see all these original S relics, all the snuffers, I start thinking about all the players going to the jury early, all the moments you see great people fall, smash the urn, gets clue, game on, follow the fire, fire row of torches up hill to clearing, ghost island game of chance, he must wager his next vote if he loses. guessing there is a key in one of the other 2 bamboo shoots, find key, get advantage, Tribe is looking at me as an easy vote, if I lose this, nail in my coffin, go with one on left, and gets key. secret advantage, freaking out, authentic legacy advantage from game changers, Sierra found on day one and kept it a secret, told Sarah of it’s existence, costly mistake, sarah promptly blindsided S. you can restore it’s power by willing it to someone else on other tribe, choose wisely get an alliance, choose poorly like Sierra and get voted out. I have to believe that I can use this correctly and reverse the curse.

Malolo day 3.. Gonz. talks strategy about the puzzle.

Donathan: When we get back to camp, I wanted peple to get the colors together, that was my idea, and Gonzales talks like it was her Idea. You know, I am probably the weakest person on my tribe but I don’t want that target on me cause I’m going to tell my tribe mates that Gonz. should be the target.

See Don tell Steph and blond girl that it was his idea to expose the pzzle peices....and she told me to shut up there were so many people talking

people underestimate me when it comes to what I think in my mind, chuckly, I’m used to that but I have my own thoughts and my own plans and hopefully it works in my favor tonight.

Cut to Branden asking Gonz and another blond girl who the weakest is?

Gonz: we need to have a strong tribe, so who’s weak? who didn’t perform to their best, Don. It really crushes you cause he’s really a nice guy, but somebody has to go and he will be one of the options to go.

See Stephanie talking to 2 blondes and Laurel....between Donathan and Gonz...

Stephanie: being a super fan of the show I know the first vote sets the tone for the whole game.

One blonde girl says that Donathan will be someone they can use further inthe game but she will do anything to stay...she will flip. Other blonde says tahtt Donathan is weaker, so

...Donathan or Gonz? I think that Don. is our weakest link but I feel that theere is a level of control that I have, he’s going to vote with us, he is somebody that I can nurture to me, getting rid of gonz. is getting rid of a strategic threat. She’s got her own agenda and she is way too strong.

See her talking to Micheal. She’s way too strong, Steph: but, is she? Steph: Donathan works harder than her...Mike is thinking donathan just to keep things strong

Michael: For me personally tonight, I’m basing my vote on keeping things strong to me that’s the most intelligent thing to do because we all want to win. We want to get the next challenge under our belts, we don’t want to worry about this so early and I think that Gonz is somebody we can easily do further down the line but the first vote is huge and it could affect the entire game. And, this being ghost island, I think if I make a bad decision that will haunt me for life.

Cut to TC.

Episode 1b:

Navitii night 3, all sleeping but we see Dom awake

Dom: Fortunately we didn’t have to go to TC tonight, I told myself when I came into this gmae that I was going to have a handle on my paranoia, but from the start, I get a bad feeling around here. I’m not fitting in, I’m not really sure what’s going on around here but I need to make a move now. Coming out to look for idols during the day is just not working out so I don’t care what time of day it is, I’m looking. So, as long as I am in this game I’m looking. I’m here to play, we’ll sleep when we’re dead. Intense and building music plays. until he finds the idol in a tree....OMG. I can’t believe I found the immunity idol in the dark. OMG, I know for me personally with an II, I can take way bigger risks, and I want to take risks, I want to play this game really hard.

Naviti day 4, AM.

Dom: it’s like Christmas as he digs up the buried II. He reads: this is the authentic hidden II that Andrea was voted out with in Survivor’s 26th season. On day 33, Andrea had a hidden immunity idol and what she thought was a trustworthy alliance. But, she was wrong. Andrea became the first female voted out with an II in her pocket. This haunted II has been tainted for 5 years but still retains it’s original power. Can you reverse the curse? I’m still going to get a handle on the true essence of gi, it’s all about past players mistakes. Andrea kept this thing in her pocket andit was a huge blunder on her part. But, I have no intention on the curse getting me. I’m going to reverse it for sure.

See Bradley, Dom, Morgan and Sebastian, guessing that there are idols to be found at GI, so we need to be careful on who we send.

Morgan: This gi throws a wrench in things because who you send ~ send their weak player to GI where they are safe and leave the stronger people there to get voted off. It seems like a really good move to me because this morning in my bag I found this secret advantage, my hands are like shakey, I just can’t believe that it has Sierra’s name on it. It’s right here, I’m touching it. It looks like jacob, from the other tribe, willed it to me. With this note in your possession you are guarenteed immunity. You may only use it when there are 13 people left or 6 people left in the game. If Sierra hadn’t told people about it she probably wouldn’t have been voted out. But, the problem is I have a really big mouth so I need some staple guns to keep this thing closed but thank you Jacob.

Ghost I day 4.

Jacob: this morning i started formulating a plan about what I am going to tell my tribe about what GI is. And, I decide since I already sent the legacy advantage to Morgan and since no one knows anything about this place, what if I just take the truth and kind of stretch it out a little bit. So, I am not gonna tell them that I got the legacy advantage , I ‘m going to tell them I got an idol out of this. These were the beads that were on our tree mail yesterday, so I took them, put them in my bag, no one noticed, shell, twine, might give me the opportunity to bluff my way through, I’m not lying, it’s basically the whole truth, it’s just one little detail is a little diff’t and that little detail could just possibly save my life.

Malolo day 4, see bats

Look sea cucumbers James: Asian delicacy

Jacob’s back...who’s missing, Gonzales....tell you everything

Jacob: Coming back from GI I felt like I was in a lot of trouble, fortunately I have this fake immunity idol. The truth is I have some damn good deception skills. Any opportunity to better my game, I’m going to take it.

When Jacob sits and starts talking about GI, zoom in on Danathan...(he’s next).Then, there are 13 tiny little clay urns and it says smash the urn...(then zoom in on Michael He continues, it’s going against all my instincts because it could just put a target on my back, shows them the fake, Stephanie: Ohhhh

Jacob says to them, You gotta believe me, I’m going to play this at the next TC, no matter what, cause I want to stay in this game as long as I can...see Laurel. When Jacob continues: I never wanted to be the idol guy, see Brendan almost rolling his eyes...then he asks him about thenote that would accompany it...As others say they appreciate the honesty, we see Michael, Stephanie quiet

Jacob Conf continues: I wanted to make sure that my tribe isn’t super suspicious of me and I think it worked. I believe my tribe bought it. I think that my tribe belieives that I have an idol and that I am going to play an idol at the next TC, See close up of dubious Brendan. So, I should be okay.

Brendan, Michael, Jenna, Stephanie, and blond girl side kick....Brendan talking to them....There is no way that’s an idol, there is no way he forgets to bring the note. Hopefully it’s a fake idol. And, we can just hang our votes on Jacob. See Jacob on the beach.

Brendan: If you are going to make up a story, you better think it through, Because Jacobs story of this II just seems a little far fetched to me because there is no chance at all that this S nerd forgot the note that came with the HII at GI.

Continues talking If he has a real idol, he will get one of us gone. Michael says lets try to make him comfortable so he doesn’t play it, girl: yeah...

Stephanie: There is a lot of speculation about Jacob’s II, is it fake, is it real ...but when somebody knows they are on the bottom they can create opportunities. Somebody like me, I am as big of a superfan like he is but willing to use him to get myself further in this game.

Naviti Day 5, Dom showing squats...laughing.

Dom: In the beginning I felt worried about my game, but I found an idol and I feel like I am starting to dev’p a substantial rapport with alot of people in the tribe, but I heard through the grapevine that Chris was gunning for me. I want to have a conversation with him to let him know that I want to just keep things cool so we could work together. ...seee little crab come out and pounce on the other crab.

Hear dom: tells Chris he felt that they misread each other, let’s start fresh, he wants to play with you
Chris: from the beginning I thought you were gunning for me
Dom: 100% not, I love you....I think you are awesome and keep doing what we are doing
Chris: Okay
Dom: You’ll see that I mean it
Chris: Have you found the idol
Dom: makes face ~ no one’s even looking, not that I know of
Chris: Okay, this is good to know especially if you and I are trying to dev’p a trust, if I knew you had it then we could work together to figure out a plan.

Dom continues conf’l: Chris came at me, immediately out of the gate and made me feel that he was on to me. But, I’m not gonna play defense, I’m going to make sure that I have Chris in my control. He doesn’t know who he’s messing with.

The other day I found the most beautiful shell and twine and I decide to make a fake idol, and use the paper work fromt he real idol, wrap it up. I believe I can earn Chris’ trust by showing him the fake idol. It’s a gamble but I’m going to have to just throw it out there and see if he bites.

See Chris and Dom walking into woods,
Chris: what’s up?
Dom: I have an idol
Chris: Can you show me
Dom: yeah, I want to go to the end with you.


Dom conf’l: by showing him the paperwork that goes with the actual idol, it distracted him from even looking at the fake idol, seeing his reaction, I knew I had him. I even told him anytime you think you are vulnerable, you ask me and I will give it to you...no problem. It’s easy, its a fagazzi...it’s not even a real idol, he can take it anywhere he wants, he can take it home with him for all I care.

Dom tells Chris: I don’t have no problem playing this for somebody else

Chris: Dominic showed me an idol after lying to me that he didn’t have an idol. He said he wanted to take me to the end. Something about it is just off.

See them walking off together: Dom: We gotta start to talk strategy too...

Chris continues: Look, I don’t trust him and if my instinct tells me something is off I have to go with it and I am not going to get voted off out of this game going against my instinct. If he has an idol, it scares the hell out of me and it’s up to me, as a leader, to eliminate it.

Day 6, challenge

Gonzales voted out, see Jacob smile
Dom gives back the idol
race through obstacles, release 2 ssets of buoys, gather marked ones get ot finish, remaining tribe members shoot baskets, get 8, safe from vote, see Stephanie and Jacob when he says losers voted out.

Playing for comfort items, plus GI, winning tribe sends someone to GI. Angela comments she’s not good at swimming, so sits out

Bradley and Morgan down first, Micheal and Libby down for other tribe
Morgan is a strong swimmer, quickly release the buoys, michael releases for Malolo....Chelsea and Seb for Naviti, Donathan and James for Malolo...neither looking comfortable in the water, Seb has second set of buoys quickly...Chris goes....James will try to go down put the mask on....Donathan swimming back to platform, no help.... James cannot do it....Chris whipping through the course...Donathan no help....James can’t do it....Donathan says he can’t....James signals to him, I don’t think I can do it....tribe urges himto try...please....Donathan gets mask on....forced to go get the balls....
Jiffy: says this is about person achievement right now, would be remarkable if donathan can pull this off, Donathan does it, amazes himslef, out of nowhere a hero emerges...Libby rubs his back...Sephanie quickly swimming course for Malolo...Desiree for the win, wins their second II in a row....James, I am so sorry, to Donathan, I am so proud of you....Gives Desiree the II...they chose Donathan to go to GI...Dona says it was the encouragement of my friends, ...blah...

They say they sent Jacob last time, Jacob says, and they will do it again, see him clearly disappointed when they choose Donathan....second person voted out of this game


Jacob ~ Confessional of doom: I was hoping that they would send me back to GI, fortunately I have this fake II and I’m going to try and use it to keep me in the game.

GI:

Donathan: when I was chosen to go to GI, I was nervous, don’t want any ghosts around me, this is a game, have to adapt and go with the flow, my main goal out here, hopefully it gives me a great reward....see him smash the urn...parchment, not today, no game for you....unfortunately I didn’t get the chance to play, but for me this is a chance for me to prove myself, growing up they didn’t put any stock in me but today when James was out there struggling, I was definitely uncomfortable but comfortable enough with my swimming abilities, knew I would be okay. Out here I made fire, beingg out here like a little mountain man, being out here is like opening my eyes and giving me confidence that I can be the person that I always thought I could. I came out here to play and I am here to win....(WINNING QUOTE**)

See sharks swarming, Malolo day 6

James notes he cost us this challenge it’s on me....He will do everything he can to redeem himself

James: My immunity challenge performance was pathetic. My parents taught me back in Korea to give everything your best effort, but instead I cost us the win today, that’s a fact. There is no way around it. Now I feel like people are thinking Let him go because he’s to blame.

See Michael, Steph, Brendan talking that James coudn’t even go down 3 ft, but they have to get Jacob, don’t like the fact that he could have an idol. Best case scenario is that he has it and doesn’t play it. cause I don’t want him sending one of us home, but do we hedge our bet, and also throw votes at James. (See James going off into forest to look for idol, perhaps?) Brnedan: James is sort of muscled up but I don’t know what he brings?

Michael: Even though James screwed up badly today, he’s plan B right now. then see Jacob and James by the fire....the real target is Jacob. If the idol is real it could blow up in our face so we have to get rid of him. But, we got to be really careful about how we do it.

Brendan talking to Steph and Michael...If we can just make him feel rock solid. , he’s going to want to hold onto it and play it next time. He’s just got to feel really comfortable...Stephanie tells them: I’ll buddy up with Jacob. Brendan: Cool.

Time warp

See Steph and Jacob:
Steph: I really want to start playing and I feel like nobody wants to start playing yet,
Jacob: Me too
Steph: You too? Everybody is like cum-by-ya...
Jacob; that’s great but I want to play.

See a bat yawning

Steph: I feel like we are on the same page....
Jacob: No, we are...
Steph: I said from the beginning you would be one I wanted to work with, Imean we sleep next to each other.

Stephanie: I ‘m using my little flirtacious ways to get to the truth of his idol. This thing about Jacob is that he’s a strategic super fan so the way to get in his head is to talk strategy with him

Steph to Jacob: Look, we know this game. There’s probably going to be a tribe swap soon
Jacob: That’s what I was thinking...I was thinking to get one of the strong guys before the swap and as much as I like Michael, see Michael snorkeling, he’s wonderful but anyone that says tribe strength is the priority scares me
Steph shaking her head yes, : He’s a tribe strength guy to the core.

Jacob: It turns out that Stephanie is a hard core fan like me. She also thinks that Michael is a threat. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a great guy, a people’s guy, creme de la creme...that woman are all over him back home in LA, I’m sure he’s doing great for himself, but I feel like he’s going to make things difficult for those of us who aren’t super strong...

See Jacob and Steph walking, so if you can pull Jenna in, I can probably pull James in , no problem...Laurel even, I think she would go with us too, see Laurel walking with Brendan...Jacob: I mean that’s a majority right there.

Jacob conf’l continues: I mean we are sort of an unlikely pair, but she knows what she is doing. And, if I can get in the good graces of someone like Stephanie, she’s not only beautiful but she’s really good at this game, we could go very far together. ... see Brendan.

Jacob talking to steph: I want to tell you one thing, I lied about one thing and I am only going to tell you about it ...
Steph: Okay?
Jacob: the idol’s not real...
Steph: Shut up!
Jacob: I tell you this, everything else I said was real, I open the damn thing, it’s the legacy advantage, it says you have to gift the advantage to someone else on the other tribe
Steph: Shut up! Who did you give it to???
Jacob: I gave it to Morgan, she seems like she’s the kind of person who’s going to respond to logic and those are the kind of peopel I see myself working with
I’m telling you that because I am relying on you
Stephanie: No, I’m serious, we’re a very unlikely couple
Jacob: beauty and the beast

Stephanie: Jacob divoulged everything to me, his idol is fake and then he told me that Morgan from the other tribe has the legacy advantage and that’s huge, that’s something that I can use to gain an advantage later on in this game. So now,I’m struggling, he trusts me, and those are the kind of people you want to keep around.

Stephanie talking to Jenna: Long story short he said I think I can pull in James and Jenna...and you know we could like maybe cut one of the big guys. Jenna is looking not directly at Stephanie? Like she’s not on board with this, imo. So, he wants to target Michael. He’s totally into like you and I.
Jenna; like, he’s loyal long term?
Steph: Yeah

Jenna: Stephanie wants to start voting out the big players and, I was shocked at first. He’s not the smartest guy in the world, I mean he has a lot of knowledge of things but he has absolutely no social skills.

Jenna to steph: He’s just so annoying.
Steph: We need to figure out what to do
Jenna; Yeah


Jenna continues; However, Stephanie and I have been close since day one so I definitely waNt to stay loyal to her, so whatever she wants to do, I will go along with it.

See a sea snake...

Jacob to Laurel and James....What are you thinking
James: I am sure they are going to target me, so
Jacob: I don’t want to go along with “he wasn’t really good in that challenge so....So, Stephanie threw out a name, Michael, as a name.

18. Laurel: So far the strong and the beautiful have been running the show. They formed a sort of little click without me and that worries me. But, suddenly the people that are on the bottom have the opportunity to flip the vote on them....see Jacob James and Laurel...I just got to make sure that it’s the right time.

See the ocean....see Libby, Michael, Brandon walking and talking, guys, do you think everything is as it seems right now?
LibbY:I certainly hope so
Brendan: Here’s the thing either Jenna James and Steph are pulling the double cross of Jacob, or it’s the double double cross and they are getting one of us...
Libby: um hum...
Brendan: I think....they said they were going to play him....but....

Michael: Jenna and Steph are kinda sketching me out because Jacob, he’s a shift guy...cause for all I know he’s targeting me. And, all it takes is a couple people to flip with him and I could be gone. I don’t want to go home in this game, I’m ready to play and not get voted out by freaking Jacob, and I’m gonna be pissed off!

Cut to TC


"ep 3 per CBS..."
Posted by Flowerpower1 on 03-11-18 at 11:48 AM
LAST EDITED ON 03-11-18 AT 11:50 AM (EST)

JIffy's intro:

At GI, Jacob was the first to encounter the graveyard of bad S. decisions, and he willed the first legacy advantage to Morgan.
Morgan: It’s the legacy advantage, it’s right here, I’m touching it.
At the Naviti tribe Dominick used his fake idol to garner trust, but it back fired...
Chris: I don’t trust him, something about it is just off.
The Malolo tribe was facing TC, and James was on the hot seat.
James: I cost us that challenge, I choked.
But a blindside was brewing, see Brendan, Michael, Stephanie...
Brendan to them: We gotta get Jacob out.
At TC, James received votes. See Libby and Michael vote James., but Jacob was sent home. 18 left, see a close up of James, then they all file out. Who’s next?

During the intro alarm bells went of for Morgan first. Then, James.....at least for me.

At night, Malolo night 6

see snake

See James arrive....
James 1st conf: After that tribal I am feeling a little bit drained, it was pretty much a roller coaster ride in my heart beat

See him talking to the group...Libby tells him, for the record, please don’t hate yourself! James: I’ll try

James continues: I did end up getting 2 votes and I did deserve to be the second target. Being raised in a Korean-American household has toaught me to take ownership of my failure. But, I’m glad I am still here to fight another day.

*I think but how many days?

Hear Stephanie say, “I’m done losing, yeah”. Foreshadowing?

See the sun rise...Day 7, Challenge arena

They arrive

Jacob voted out at the last TC. Donathan arrives. Clapping.

LIbby: 2 challenges in, where are we...United, positive, still growing into the best tribe ever
Naviti: Bradley, getting along well, cohesive tribe
Jiffy: Perfect time for a switch, see Angela and Libby, dang it.
Jiffy: Angela, what are you feeling right now?
Angela: I feel a little bit of anxiety like a broken family, it’s sad.
Jiffy: Is that a little bit of emotion?
Angela: I don’t know, I love these guys.

Angela conf: I did 2 deployments in the military so you build very strong, lasting relationships in a very short time. And, to me this is exactly the same, so absolutely I am nervous about this switch. (Kellyn hugs her)


Stephanie conf: I’m in a bit of a power position right now, so I’m freaking out, but, you are not going to be in power the whole game. You got to ride the waves. There’s a wave there, you got to surf it.

*Love how Stephanie is cool and will ride this wave!

Michael gets the last shot, "it’s fate". Will Michael get the last shot at the game too?
Reveal...

Dominick conf: I’m concerned because I still have to deal with Chris. So, it’s critical to me that I build relationships with everyone out here in order to take him out.

JIffy separates them.
Brendan says “Malolo”, and Michael turns to him and says “Malolo”.

ON nuNaviti: Dom, Donathan, Libby, Morgan, Angela, Chris, Laurel, Wendell, James
4 old Malolo, 5 Naviti.

Jiffy: How you feeling Morgan?
Morgan: I’m feeling good, purples my favorite color...
Jiffy: And, you still have the numbers.
On nuMalolo tribe, there are 4 old Malolo and 5 Naviti:
Desiree, Jenna, Stephanie, Chesea, Brendan, Sebastian, Kellyn, Bradley, Michael.

Kellyn says she feels really good about purple but with time, things change, you never know what’s going to happen and I’m excited to meet more people with new treasure boxes and love.

Game has changed once again

Kellyn in conf: From the outside it looks like I want to work with Malolo, but my game plan is to keep us together because it would be so epic to go and knock out those Malolo tribe, one by one.

See Brendan and Desiree leading, then followed by Kellyn. Will Brendan and Desiree be her first two victims?

Loud island music....arriving at Malolo....Welcome
Brendan: does it look alot diff’t than your camp? Kellyn: Minus the pillows....blah, blah

Sebastian in conf: the majority is key and crucial in this game so I looked around and saw my 4 homies from the Naviti tribe and I’m stoked, it’s the perfect situation for me. So right now, I’m a happy, laughy, giggly piece of Laffy taffy right now. Banana flavored!

Brendan explains the shelter,

Kellyn conf: To go from Naviti to Malolo shelter, it’s just all tangled up in one big hot mess over here. This is like when meeting a friends new baby and they think it’s so cute and it’s the love of their life, but you say, that baby is ugly, like, what has happened over here?

I just feel that Kellyn is a forced conf/reaction....hmmm?

Brendan sitting talking to Bradley....Like look at how beautiful the view is over here....
Bradley: It’s easier to do it at Naviti’s camp. This is a __________ compared to their beach. Yeah, this is like a grass land. (See Brendan shaking his head.)

Brendan in conf: One thing that struck me about Naviti is they’ve done nothing but complain about the conditions over here since they got here. And, Bradley, specifically, he just cries about everything. It’s unbelievable, this is Survivor, it’s supposed to be hard. I don’t quite understand why it’s shocking to these people. On top of that we are down 4/5. All in all not a great spot for me.

See two birds in a nest with babies.

Naviti day 7.

Welcome home. This is our living room....wow, yeah. Here is the bedroom. Someone says we didn’t have tools like you guys. Morgan: And, we have our night time fireplace.

Donathan with conf ~ positive: I was floored when I arrived here at Naviti because they really got it going on, they got a good shelter, 2 fire pits, and sure enough they have the most beautiful view that I have ever seen in my life.

Wendall says doesn’t look like this new tribe will be going to TC anytime soon! Yeah! (**Misdirection~ did he curse his tribe with this statement, will they LOSE repeatedly?)

Chris in conf: We have the 5 to 4 advantage but it is way more complicated than that. Because 3 out of the 5, I didn’t feel I had huge connections with. See Morgan, Wendell, and Dominick. And, Dom has an idol. That scares the he!! out of me. I have to eliminate him.

Chris walking with Angela:

Chris: What do you think is going to happen?
Angela: We have the numbers there is no reason to think that...we have the numbers.
Chris: You need to start thinking with your mind and stop thinking with your heart. Alright? If you want to win....you need to start thinking like that, like i’m dead serious. Look, I’m going to tell you something...Dom told me he has the idol.
Angela: He looked for a long time, do you think he does?
Chris: The only way you and I are going to survive is if we have each others votes and if it were just me, then we are screwed.

Angela in conf: I believe the information that Chris gave me about Dominick is true.

Chris tells her: Now that the switch has happened we have to change our game plan. We need to blindside Dom.

Angela continues in conf: I’m going along with it but when Chris tells me stories I’m kind of cringing, because what Chris is doing to me. He’s trying to manipulate you. He’s talking to you instead of with you. He was just giving me orders like do this and stay on track. And, even though I am used to guys barking orders in the military and I don’t like that kind of confrontation at all. see the birds wrestle in the trees and one flies off.

Chris and Angela arrives with the Malolo 4....Chris: Let me ask you guys this....all four of you are aligned? Libby shakes her head yes. Chris: Dom probably has the idol.
Libby: really
Chris: Yes, I know so, and we need to get him out. We have to find a way.
And, I guarentee you, he’s going to try and swoop everybody. He will, he will. Points to James. You live in NY, you get it. He’s a NYorker, I’ve been on to him since day 1.

Libby in conf: Chis started talking about how Dominick has an ii and we have to get him out. And, I was like, WOW! Well, welcome to Naviti!

Chris to them, seriously, let’s do it, they shake on it.

Libby continues: Chris has a big personality so when he talks to me I have to nod and smile and act like I’m just this girl that he can take advantage of. And, just like drag me in his number. I’ll play dumb, but I’m not going to be dumb about it.

Sunrise day 8, Malolo

See Steph and Kellyn, then Bradley. Steph: It’s amazing how pretty that is....she is putting her head on Kellyn’s shoulder. There’s no way that could ever get old. (Steph is working it, socially bonding with them all)
Bradley: It’s freezing! I just want to be back at Naviti. (painting target on his complaining back?)
See Brendan looking at him.
Bradley: You guys have like dirt....we have sand everywhere. See Kellyn pat him on the shoulder. I feel dirty and just gross....
Kellyn: Oh, come on.

Stephanie in conf: Naviti pretty much hates our camp, they are a bunch of complainers. But I feel like I am in the minority in our new tribe and I’ve gotta find a crack. See Steph, Jenna, and Kellyn at the water pit.

Kellyn: sometimes this game is like the luck of the draw. But, none of us are going to flip on purple so kinda sucks for you guys to be on, like 5/4.

Kellyn does not possess the social skills that Stephanie does, this is harsh and polarizing, imo.

Jenna: We are on the bottom so you have to try and anticipate as much as you can and all of a sudden with this kind of luck, you go from the top of the food chain to the bottom.

Jenna's confessional is an extension of Stephanie's....clearly number 1 and 2. They are tight. Could be dangerous.


Jenna and Steph: No, we are not giving up!

Jenna continues in conf....so, me and steph, we are going to find an idol. It’s theonly way we can switch up the numbers.

Let’s go, let’s run.

Stephanie in conf: We go on a mad dash, we just run off into the woods. and start searching under every tree, every rock, every branch, at the well, at tree mail, we’re digging our hands in like logs that are covered with termites and ants, we are climbing up the mountain, like everywhere. Doing everything we can to find an idol. YOu want to take me out? You are going to have to take me out fighting and screaming, cause I am going to do everything I can to stay in this game.

Stephanie exhibits the spirit of a true Survivor....hmmmm?Then, in total contrast to the committed old Malolos, we get the nuMalolo's former Navitis....lounging in the shelter...

See Desiree, Kellyn, and Bradley resting in the shelter talking about how this could not have worked out more perfectly.
Bradley: They are fun to talk to while we vote them out. laugh.

Cut to committed, never say die, old Malolos...

See Stephanie talking to Brendan now....it’s here somewhere. There is a real idol here somewhere.

Brendan conf: Now more than ever, the old Malolo tribe say, we need to find an idol. So, nobody should be surprised that a few of us old Moalol tribe should be out looking for idols.

Brendan to Michael: There has to be a clue somewhere around here, or something here...

See Jenna and Steph all looking. Wild music plays coming to be more frantic...culminating in Michael finding the clue, idol....He looks around, tells Brendan, I’ve got it!

Michael: We found the HII, we’ve got it!

Michael: I’m just esctatic, I’ve just found the hidden II...This for me is a huge Survivor dream come true.
Brendan reads: Congratulations, you've found the HII, this is one of the authentic HII’s found by James . Michael: this is the ghost.

Confessional continues: He shows the plaque...This is Jame’s original idol that he found from Survivor China in 2007 when he went home with 2 of these guys. It was a decoration up on the entry way into tribe camp but no one ever suspected it as an idol. See James get the idol. He pried it off and sure enough a hidden immunity idol. He reads: On day 30, James found himself in a very strong position he had a tight alliance of 5 and two immunity idols. See them go into TC, TODD! This combination of power lulled him into a false sense of security, as his closest allies sent him home with 2 HII’s in his pocket. James is the only person in S history to be voted out with 2 idols. (see Todd!)
Brendan reads: The only question is, “can you reverse the curse?” smiling!

Michael continues: At 8 years old the first season I watched of Survivor was Survivor: China. James was one of my very favorite players, I watched him go home with 2 of these. To be sitting here 11 years later holding the actual idol and I’ve been given the chance to reverse this curse and to change his legacy....amazing! (I have no doubt that Michael WILL reverse this curse. We saw the lazy pompous, gloating old navitis sitting resting in the shelter while the old Malolos were out in force. ....I think to myself...idiots!

See Brendan and Michael walking back: this is huge man, exactly what we were looking for!

See a large surf, Naviti, Day 8

See Morgan and Dominick in the surf....Morgan: we’ve got a lot of work to do...Dom: I agree
Morgan: I’m worried Chris is going to turn on us...
Dom: I think he’s going to take Angela with him
Morgan: Him and Angela are tight. Libby, I like her. Chris is already trying to get them.
Dom: That is why we have to rope all of them in. Not just one or two of them, all of them.
Morgan: Yup.

Morgan in conf: the easiest thing would be for the 5 of us to just stick together, at least for one vote. (See Chris).I get the feeling that Chris does not want to stay five strong because he doesn’t have a very strong connection with Dom, so we might have to go for Chris.

See a bunch of bats in trees

Morgan walking with Libby.

Morgan: I think people are starting to get a little paranoid, but I don’t think that you guys have to worry. I love you, I’m on your side. Cross my heart
Libby: Oh good! Us Catholic girls got to stick together.

Libby in conf: Immediately I knew I could bond with Morgan. She was super open and super friendly, we’re both Catholic so I really feel closer to Morgan than anybody else on the other tribe.

See Morgan and Libby walking. Morgan: I am not sure we have a solid Naviti five.

Libby continues: the good part about people coming up to you and wanting to trust you can choose between which alliance you want to be with and I really do feel strongly about Morgan. We can be together, we understand each other...it’s finally feeling like a real alliance.

See her and Morgan at the shore....Morgan: I really don’t think you guys have to worry.

Day 9, Challenge

Angela hands back the idol (interesting that she has the idol to hand back, is anything random on this show?)
Jiffy: race thru series of ramp walls, to sand pit, dig up ladder, climb it to get rope/ball, throw it up then climb up. solve puzzle. In addition playing for reward, tarp. someone from losing tribe goes to GI.

Go...Chris and Sebastian both get though, Wendell thru, Brendan gets through...Angela has to go back, all women of Malolo get through. Desiree has to go back. Malolo starts digging...all digging up tall ladder....Malolo has theirs.....use it to get somebody up 15 ft in the air....Malolo has lost their lead, Donathan getting them in lead...has rope....Chelsea struggling with rope..has it....Chris falls short....Malolo catching up, Sebasatian with rope toss, Chris has it, Seb has it...start pulling self up, neck in neck...someone has to get up top, Dom gets a boost, and Sebastian up...team work, both tribes working very well together, this is how you do it on S! Naviti starts on puzzle, Malolo starting on puzzle. Laurel and Wendell doing puzzle, Bradley and kellyn do puzzle for Malolo...Michael tells them it has to start smaller on the bottom and get larger, Michael is the one directing them...Wendell and Laurel falling behind....Wendell: dont say that bro....Jiffy: just calling what I see...

Michael seemed like he was the one directing the puzzle solve, fwiw.
People that got bad shout outs during the IC from Jiffy: Angela has to go back!
Desiree has to go back!
Chelsea struggling with rope
Chris falls short
Wendell and Laurel falling behind, Wendell responds: Don't say that, bro, Jiffy: Just calling what I see.

Positive shout outs in challenge from Jiffy:
Chris and Sebastian both get through
Wendell through
Brendan gets through
Donathan getting them in the lead
Dominick gets a boost

FWIW.

Bradley and Kellyn are killing it, Naviti is struggling...Malolo wins IC and reward.

give idol to Bradley

Kellyn gets the tarp...see steph laugh

Naviti: some one will be voted out, see first Chris, then Dom.

They want to send Donathan, but someone dissents from the decison....I think it was Steph that dissended. 8 black rocks, 1 white rock, White goes to GI. they draw, and Chris goes to GI.

Chris. can’t be voted out, see Dom, see MOrgan, he will be out of the social politics...

Dominick conf: That son of a Bi!ch is lucky because I was really looking forward to getting him out at TC

Naviiti....see you tonight, See Angela.

Morgan with confessional of doom: I am freaking out! Because so much of this season is about players past mistakes and it’s going to be 4 vs 4 tonight and I am worried that we are going to mess this up. Camera ends on a shot of Libby walking in line.

Chris on GI: We lose our challenge and I get sent here to GI, frankly, I’m spooked about it. Tonight I am missing ahuge TC in which I was playing a big role in what could happen. I hope my plan stays with eliminating Dom in a blindside. But, I am scared, without me being there it might not happen.

see him break the urn: Nope, not today. NO game for you. Aint’ that a bummer. I was hoping I could win an idol or some sort of advantage. See him making the fire. But, instead I am by myself. Being out here, I am hungry, I miss my family. Crazy....just waht the game does to you mentally. You know I expected this to happen at some point...this has been the first difficult day for me. Around the tribe, when I am struggling, I have to bury it....he’s in tears....be strong for other people.

My mom was diagnosed with MS years before I was even born. My mom is my hero. When I hit a moment of weakness I think of her. She’s the ultimate survivor. She was diagnosed at 27, 10 years ago she was told she had 2 months to live and she’s still alive. Ever since then, I made it my duty to remain strong for her which helps me when I am in a tribe. You know, you have to do those things. But, I’m a human, and GI has given me a chance to let out all of my negative energy. so I can reboot and be that again for myself.

You know I didn’t even know I was this upset (crying). Thinking about my mom, it was awesome and that connection really helped me. It’s crucial that I re-center myself becasue it’s going to be best for my game going forward.

A very nice and redeeming insight in to Chris. Does this make his story complete?

school of fish and surf....Naviti day 9, mysterious music plays

That sucked....Dom: I bet Chris is happy, all the rice to himself, a big bed for his big head...

Angela in conf: What I see happening tonight is the 4 mall will vote for dominick, they are keeping to Chris’ plan. I decided I wasn’t going to go with Chris, I wasn’t going to go against my team. I would rather have loyalty vs doing something that I am controlled in doing...

Wendell talks to Angela....she tells him that Chris talked to her. Chris told me make sure you stick with the plan meaning vote with the other 4.
Wendell: then they will send dom home and it will be 4 v 4. See Dom in the ocean alone.
Angela: I don’t want to vote with them. I am telling you right now, I ‘m not voting one of us off.

Angela in conf: I am expecting a 4 to 4, I am expecting going to rocks. But I will tell you something right now, I will go to rocks for old Naviti. I will be strong with my team.

Angela asks Wendell...who would you think to vote off? Wendell: Libby
Angela: So worst case scenario, they vote dom, and we vote Libby, it’s going to be a rock draw.
Wendell: We will continue to talk, alright?

Wendell in conf: Angela wants to stay Naviti strong but it’s a little sketchy to me, she’s Chris’ right hand man. But, whatever our conversation was it didn’t hold a lot of weight to me. I don’t want to draw rocks for Angela so I’m gung ho about getting her out of here....see a bug fly into a web.

Wendell lying down and talking to Morgan
Wendell: I was so ready to pull the trigger, Chris is just a loose canon. Today was his day.
Morgan: He has no power, his right hand man
Wendell: Angela, boom. Well he has Libby in his pocket.
Morgan: No he doesn’t.
Wendell: Are you sure?
Morgan: She’s with us.


Morgan in conf: Angela thinks that Libby is going home, but I trust Libby way more than I would trust Angela.

Wendell tells Libby and James, with Morgan and Dom there: Want to take out Angela plus us, blindside? And, it’s unanimous.
See Libby andJames shake their heads, yes.
Morgan to them: If we go on your side, we are ON your side, I swear to you.

Morgan continues: the plan is to get Angela out now to show them that we are on their side.

James says to them that it’s important that we speak, Morgan and Wendell tell them yes, just go.

Dominick in conf: I had it in the back of my mind that the former Malolo four will go back to me thinking that I will be a threat to them. I may expose this fake idol to them so that they can gain some trust from me. See a spider and a little bug in the web.

Dom tells Laurel, Libby, James....of course they want to come after me. Chris came after me, on day 3 he says to me, do you have an idol, I say no, he says if you did then I see it then we could trust each other and I’ll be off your back. So, I found this purple cloth at one of the challenges so I bundled it with cheesy rope, but it’s just tree mail so I mean, it’s a really nice shell and tried it on for him and everything...showed it to him , but, it’s worthless...It’s the nonsense he’s been talking about...alright, are we good, focus on Laurel...

James in conf: Libby wants us to vote Angela out, but I see Dominick as a Russell Hantz 2.0 and to think that he is capable of lying straight to my face. It could easily be the case that he has a real idol and he wants to throw us off the path by showing us a fake idol.

See Dom tell them all that he is with you guys. 100%. He swears on his children...I turst you guys. See Laurel look at Libby.

James tells them, If anyone has to go I swear on my children? That’s a bad sign (Donathan is there now). If Dominick is actually voting for Angela, whoever us four votes for goes home, because Naviti only has 3 left now. So, we can either choose Wendell or Morgan.
Laurel: We need Wendell
James: Okay then what? Morgan:

Libby in conf: I wasn’t really keen on that Idea because Morgan is someone that I can trust so i’d rather not bring her up in this vote because I’d like to keep her around if I can.

James continues talking to the Malolo 4: Dominick is a Russell Hantz type guy, he could easily have the real idol. and show us the fake idol to throw us off. Libby tells him, I doubt he has an idol.
James: You doubt it, but what if he does?
Libby: I just feel like we are going to need Wendell and Morgan in challenges.
James: Well, whatever it is, all 4 of us need to have the same target.

Libby in conf: I don’t want to vote out Morgan, I feel it will be a lot easier to vote out Angela and be a unanimous vote. The big question is will we bank on the original alliances that we did make in old Malolo or will we blend together, and this decision really turns the game every day the stakes just keep getting bigger and bigger.

TC...

Votes: Domenick: Angela
Morgan: Angela
Wendell: Angela
Angela: Libby
James: Morgan
Libby: Morgan
Laurel: Morgan
Donathan: Morgan

Morgan out. Don't trust the cute blondes.

So far the players of substance for me:

Domenick
Stephanie
Donathan: Nice to see Donathan's edit settle down a bit. Liking his positivity this episode.
Michael

Side kicks: Jenna, Wendell

Pairs: Domenick/Wendell, Stephanie/Jenna, Michael/Brendan, Donathan/James/Laurel, Bradley/Kellyn, Chris/Sebastian ~ Angela

Villain: Chris, Bradley, Kellyn

insignificant players of the season: Chelsea, Desiree, Laurel, Bradley,

Food for thought.



"Episode 3- . I’ll play dumb but I’m not going to be dumb about it:"
Posted by michel2 on 03-11-18 at 04:42 PM
Thank you for getting this started, FP. I apologize if I repeat any of your points . That would just mean that we agree!

Stephanie:

The recap didn’t mention any of Stephanie’s game play.

She gave us an interview just as Jeff was distributing the new buffs: “I’m in a bit of a power position right now so I’m kind of freaking out but I knew I wasn’t going to be in power the whole game. You got to ride the waves: There’s a wave there, you got to surf it.”

“Naviti pretty much hates everything about our camp. They’re a bunch of complainers but I realize that I am in the minority on this new tribe and I’ve got to find a crack.”

"We go on a mad dash; we just run off into the woods and start searching under every tree, every rock, pebble, branch, in the well, tree mail. We are digging with our hands in logs that are covered with termites and ants, climbing up the mountain; everything that we can to find an idol. You want to take me out? you’re going to have to take me out fighting and screaming because I’m going to do everything that I can to stay in this game.” (While it’s an admirable quality in this game, maybe Stephanie is a single mom because no one dares to take her out!)

By dissenting to sending Donathan to Ghost Island, Stephanie may very well have changed the course of this game. While Bradley said he understood, what it really did was show the other half of Malolo that she had their back. I’m not sure if anyone noticed but we had many images of huge waves which could be a good sign for someone who compares this game to riding the waves.
We keep hearing that Malolo is the best tribe ever yet they are far from living up to that claim but what if they control the end game? With the exception of Domenick and Chris, all the players that have been given a significant role up to now have been on the original Malolo. So, I’m going to make a prediction: Like we heard that the winner was standing on the Blue Collar mat at the beginning of Worlds Apart, the winner will come from Malolo to give credence to their claim. It would be quite ironic that the two players to make those claims, Jacob for Malolo, and Lindsey for the Blue Collars’ Escamaca, would not be there to participate in the stretch run.

Stephanie has to be considered a top contender because we keep hearing the game from her point of view. Even when it came to Michael’s idol, we first heard about the need to find it from Stephanie and we saw her and Jenna looking hard for it. Of course, cameras are always going to follow girls in colorful panties running around in the bushes but it was more than that; it showed us that Stephanie and Jenna were working together for the good of everyone that was originally in Malolo. Facing a fractured D-tribe in Naviti, such cohesive game play should be rewarded.

Domenick:

The recap wasn’t kind to Domenick; the narrative was that his ploy to trick Chris backfired.

Right after he saw his new buff, Domenick gave us an interview: “I’m concerned because I still have to deal with Chris on this tribe so it is critical to me that I build relationships with everyone out here in order to take him out.”

“That son of a b*tch Chris is lucky because we were really looking forward to getting rid of him at Tribal tonight.”
“I had in the back of my mind, this fear that the former Malolo four would go back to thinking about me being a threat to them so I may expose this fake idol to the tribe so that they can gain some trust in me.”

With an idol, a legacy advantage and strong character development, Domenick is the original Naviti that is still a top contender. However, his stock fell dramatically in this episode, first when he kept his focus on Chris, calling him a son of a BITCH no less, even though we were being shown a softer side of Chris and his love for his sick mother. If that wasn't enough, he was compared to Russell Hantz by James. When we could hand the “Bully” role to Chris Domenick was seen as the underdog that could prosper but it now looks like the roles are being reversed. And while we hear Domenick’s reasoning for showing his fake idol, we cannot call it sound strategy. First Chris and now James clearly saw through his shenanigans. Domenick doesn’t seem to understand that by showing the fake idol he attracts attention to his real one.

Libby:

Her role started right at the beginning of the episode where, as one of the two who had voted against James, she quickly tried to reassure him. She then told Jeff that they were still working on becoming the best tribe ever.

“Chris started talking about how Domenick has a hidden Immunity Idol and we have to get him out and I was like wow! welcome to Naviti! Chris has a big personality so when he talks to me I have to nod and smile and act like this girl that he might think he can take advantage of and just drag me in his numbers. I’ll play dumb but I’m not going to be dumb about it.”

“Immediately, I knew that I could bond with Morgan. She was super open and super friendly. We’re both Catholics so I really feel closer to Morgan than I do with anybody else on the other tribe. The good part of people coming up to you, wanting to trust you is that you can choose between which alliance you want to be with and I do feel strongly about Morgan. We can work together, we understand each other. It’s starting to feel like a real alliance.”

After James directed Malolo’s vote towards Morgan, Libby gave us another interview: “I wasn’t really keen on that idea because Morgan is someone I can trust so I’d rather not bring her up in this vote because I’d like to keep her around as long as I can. I don’t want to vote out Morgan, I feel like it would be a lot easier to just vote out Angela and beat Naviti in this vote. The big question is will we bank on the alliances that we did make in the original Malolo or will we blend together? This decision really turns the game. Every day, the stakes keep getting bigger and bigger.”

This episode marked a huge leap in Libby’s role. From obscurity, she became the cute blonde with game, the one that appears to be dumb but is far from it. I’m not sure going along with James plan to target Morgan was the best choice for Libby because Morgan blew her cover in her last words but if she needs to present herself as a real Survivor player then she can point to the vote that started it all. The four Malolo still need to recruit one member of Naviti to secure the next vote and maybe Angela is the easiest one to pluck. If they go that way, we will be able to gauge Libby’s social game. Will she be as forgiving as she will need to be to accept the player who voted against her? If so, we could have a very cute winner this season.

Michael:

“I’m just ecstatic; I’ve just found this immunity idol. This for me is a huge Survivor dream come through. This is James’ original idol from Survivor China in 2007 (yes, it’s been that long since we’ve had a great season...) when he went home with two of these guys. The first season I watched was Survivor China and James was one of my very favorite players...I’ve been given the chance to reverse this curse...it’s amazing.”

So Michael was a huge fan of James and, just like that, he finds James’ idol. Those build in scenarios really make me wonder about Survivor’s authenticity. Did production plant James idol right in Michael’s path? Michael can already be considered a strong contender but if they went to that extreme to help him then maybe he’s the “Designated Survivor”. He didn’t have a big role in this episode but since his tribe didn’t go to Tribal Council, it could be enough.

Jenna:

“When you’re on the bottom, you really have to fight it off; you have to try and make as many connections as you can, especially when you have this kind of luck where, all of a sudden, you go from the top of the food chain to the bottom. So, me and Stephanie, we need to find an idol. It’s the only way we can really switch up the numbers.”

By all accounts, Jenna is a marginal player at this stage, yet we keep hearing her point of view and it isn’t strictly narrative. We have to ask why? Is it just because she’s a cute girl who gives good interviews? Jenna’s interviews aren’t that great and we don’t hear from Chelsea so even cuteness doesn’t explain her strong supporting role. Jenna could be a long term player. That would explain everything. Could she be a hidden winner? It’s certainly possible at this stage.

Brendan:

In Jeff’s summary, we heard that Brendan initiated the action that led to blindsiding Jacob.

After hearing Bradley’s complaints about the new camp, Brendan gave us an interview: “One thing that struck me about Naviti is that they’ve done nothing but complain about the condition over here since they’ve got here and Bradley specifically. He just cries about everything. It’s unbelievable. This is Survivor; it’s supposed to be hard. I don’t quite understand why it’s shocking to these people. On top of that, we are down four-five: All in All; not a great swap for me.”

‘Now more than ever, the old Malolo four decide that we need to find an idol. So, nobody should be surprised if a few of us old Malolo folks are out looking for idols.”

With Navity being shown as a D-Tribe Malolo is shown as an N-Tribe and Brendan is presented as their leader. While facing a 5 to 4 disadvantage, Brendan would appear to be at risk. Kellyn’s words that purple will stick together sounded ominous but Kellyn doesn’t look like a tribal leader. In fact both Naviti leaders stayed in their original camp and nothing suggests that Kellyn, Bradley, Sebastian and especially not Desiree or Chelsea will take over Naviti’s torch. In a tribe with only one leader, a leader is likely to win but Naviti has some clandestine players, namely Stephanie, Libby and Jenna, who could easily upset Brendan’s path to glory. For a leader, we haven’t heard enough of Brendan to consider him a top contender.

James:

The first confessional of the evening went to James: “After that Tribal, I’m feeling a bit betrayed obviously. It was like a roller coaster ride for me and my heartbeat.” With Brendan on screen, we then heard James in voice over: “That was a good plan and I’m glad it worked. I wound up getting two votes and I deserved to be a second target. Being raised in a Korean American household has taught me to take ownership of my failures but I’m glad I’m still here and I’m ready to play for another day.”

“Naviti wants us to vote Angela out but I see Domenick almost as a Russell Hantz 2.0. I truly think he is capable of lying straight to my face. It can easily be the case that he has a real idol and wanted to throw us off his path by showing us a fake idol.”

James may have problems in challenges but he’s been in control in each of the first three votes. Controlling the votes is much more important than winning immunity. While he appeared to be just a follower when he was in Malolo, he has taken on the leadership role for the 4 Malolo who were transferred to Naviti. From one N-Tribe, Malolo has morphed into two separate N-Tribes who are still working together from afar! Given his new role, James will benefit by being seen as someone who has weaknesses in certain challenges. Just like Tyson needed to fake an injury to finally reach the end in his third try, James’ poor challenge play could remove the target that would be on the back of a guy that looks as athletic as he does.

Did James make the right decision in voting out Angela? The good thing is that now the 4 Malolos face two fractured pairs so they could easily get one of those pairs to vote against the other. However, with Ghost Island, one of the four could draw the white rock and that could be enough to rally the original Naviti to vote out one of the other three. Had Malolo gotten rid of Angela, they could have easily picked Chris to work against the other three.

Donathan:

“I was like floored when I arrived here at the Naviti tribe because they really got it going on; they got two fire pits, they got a huge shelter and, sure enough, they have the most beautiful view that I have ever seen in my life.”

This was a very quiet episode for the guy that could very well be this season’s “Designated Survivor”. I was expecting an interview about being chosen at first to go to Ghost Island then being saved the trip by Stephanie but we got nothing. Is this a significant hole in his story? I’d say we’ve seen worse holes in winner’s stories lately but it is something to keep in mind. Was Donathan relieved that he didn’t make the trip? Was he worried that he wasn’t safe from the vote? Or, on the contrary, was he glad to participate in it with his three Malolo allies?

Chris:

Even before the night’s first scene, we heard that Chris didn’t trust Domenick and that something was off with his Hidden Immunity Idol.

“We have the five to four advantage but it’s way more complex than that because three out of the five, I didn’t feel like I had huge connections with and Dom has an idol. That’s scares the hell out of me and I have to eliminate it.”

Going with his plan to blindside Domenick, Chris told Libby and James that the construction worker had an idol.

“Day nine has turned into a nightmare: We lose a challenge and I get sent here to Ghost Island. Frankly I’m spooked about it; I’m missing a huge Tribal Council in which I was playing a big role in what could happen. I hope the plan stays and they eliminate Dom in a blindside, With me not being there, it might not happen...Being out here isn’t easy...I miss my family...My mom was diagnosed with MS years before I was even born. My mom is my hero; when I hit a moment of weakness, I think of her. She’s the ultimate Survivor...10 years ago she was told she had 2 months to live and she’s still alive. Ever since then, I made it my duty to remain strong for her. I’m human and Ghost Island has given me a chance to let out all my negative energy so I can reboot. It’s crucial that I re-center myself because it’s going to better my game going forward.”

In week one, Chris was clearly seen as a “Bully” but now he has split his personality, turning into a momma’s boy, someone who can show weakness when put in certain situations. If he is able to re-center his game, move past his rivalry with Domenick and focus on the best way to move forward, then Chris could go far. The problem is that Domenick doesn,t seem ready to forgive and forget so Chris’ chances will rest in the hands of the Four Malolo and Angela. It would really have been funny if Angela had been voted out unanimously. On his return from Ghost Island, Chris would have been totally in the dark so they could have told him anything. My favorite: Morgan and Wendell could have told him that they all voted against Domenick but the he used his idol and his single vote to boot Angela. Chris would then think he had everyone on his side against an idol-less Domenick but the opposite would be true.

Kellyn:

As the new tribes were heading back to camp, we heard Kellyn’s interview: “From the outside, it looks like I want to work with Malolo but Naviti has the numbers. My game plan is to keep us together because it would be so epic to just go and knock out those Malolo tribe one by one.”

“To go from Naviti to Malolo I think is bit of a shock for us because the shelter is just all tangled up and one big hot mess over here. This is like when you’re meeting a friend’s new baby; they like think it’s so cute and it’s like the love of their life but you’re like; that baby is ugly. What has happened over here?”

Like Jenna, Kellyn is receiving an unusual amount of airtime for such a marginal character. However, in this episode she was clearly identified as one of the complainers. She was also the one who was shown still playing for “Purple” when we have serious doubts about “Purple’s” very existence. Is there still a team worth defending? Even if Kellyn thinks so, then the vote revelation at the next challenge could shake that belief. I think the reaction to Morgan’s elimination will be interesting to watch. I’d imagine that if they think some of Naviti have already made deals with their Malolos then maybe they should do the same.

Angela:

She had a confessional right before the swap: “I did two deployments in the military where you build strong, lasting relationships in a very short time and, to me; this is exactly the same so I’m absolutely nervous about this switch.”
“I believe the information that Chris game me about Domenick is true. I’m going along with it although, when Chris is telling me stories, I’m kind of cringing because what Chris is doing; he’s trying to manipulate you. He’s talking to you instead of with you. He was just giving me orders like: Follow this and Stay on track. And even though I’m used to guys barking orders in the military I don’t like that kind of confrontation at all.”
“What I see happening tonight is the four Malolo will vote for Domenick because they are keeping to Chris’ plan. I decided I wasn’t going to go with Chris; I wasn’t going to go against my team. I’d rather have loyalty versus something that I’m controlled in and not having any choice in. I’m expecting a split vote 4-4 that will have to pull rocks but I’m willing to pull rocks for old Naviti. I’m staying strong with my team.”

What will happen now to Angela who showed loyalty to Naviti by voting against Libby only to be repaid by Naviti putting three votes on her? She certainly has problems with her tribe mates because, when she tried to explain that she wasn’t with Chris, Domenick took that to mean she wasn’t with any of them. Angela will have trouble finding a foothold on the new configuration of Naviti. She doesn’t want to follow Chris, she isn’t trusted by Domenick and Wendell and she voted for one of the four Malolos who could see it as a sign to avoid her.

Wendell:

“Angela wants to stay Naviti strong but it’s a little sketchy to me. She’s Chris’ right hand man so whatever our conversation was, it didn’t hold a lot of weight to me. I don’t want to draw rocks for Angela so I’m gung-ho about getting her out of here.”
I think it’s important to note the difference between Angela and
Wendell: She was ready to pull a rock for Naviti but Wendell didn’t want to draw rocks for Angela. I think more than anything this tells us that Naviti is dead, that the winner will come from an Original Malolo. While he appears to be a smart player, Wendell is reduced to a participation role behind the bigger stars.

Sebastian:

“Majority is key and crucial in this game so when I looked around and I saw my four homies from the old Naviti tribe, I was stoked. It is the perfect situation for me so right now, I’m a happy, smiley, giggly piece of happy-taffy, I guess. Banana flavoured.”

It’s easy to imagine that Sebastian won’t stay happy for very long.

Laurel, Bradley, Desirée and Chelsea didn’t give a single interview.

"RE: Episode 3- . I’ll play dumb but I’m not going to be dumb about it:"
Posted by Agent99 on 03-12-18 at 01:17 PM
Still lurking and very much appreciating the efforts by Flopo and michael! ! Stephanie, Michael and Domenick are standing out to me too. Both of you explain the 'why' they are standing out. Thanks you two!
"RE: Episode 3- . I’ll play dumb but I’m not going to be dumb about it:"
Posted by Flowerpower1 on 03-12-18 at 06:12 PM
LAST EDITED ON 03-12-18 AT 06:15 PM (EST)


Thanks so much, Agent 99! Please, please add your two cents in here as much as you can, we LOVE it!


Michel...Your astute observations know no bounds, michel. I noticed the heavy pounding surf ALOT! I love the fact that you noted that Stephanie compared the upsets, twists and turns of the game like riding the waves! Great observation, I love it!

I feel like the side kicks are Wendell to Domenick, and Jenna to Stephanie. Michael and Brendan are certainly a pair as well. I would also say that perhaps Bradley and Kellyn are a pair as well.

I do think that Libby will have some regrets perhaps, and she could play a pivotal role at nuNaviti should they go to TC.

I thought Donathan being up beat and positive was a good sign, especially since it contrasted with Bradley and Kellyn's. I also really found it good that he went somewhat under the radar, for me, that spells more longevity....at the rate he was going I did get that he could be an early boot. Perhaps there is hope for a longer journey now...

I just don't know about Domenick. He does seem like a big player, like Tony. He'll have a lot to contend with if he can survive to end game. I do think his best course is to try and re-group, chill out, roll with the flow, but I do not think he's capable of that? We'll see what Russell 2.0 has in store.

Thanks, I always love your take on things!

"RE: Episode 3- . I’ll play dumb but I’m not going to be dumb about it:"
Posted by michel2 on 03-12-18 at 07:57 PM
Thank you Agent99 and FP, it's always fun to realize someone is reading!

FP, I enjoyed your post but this line left me puzzled:

"Angela hands back the idol (interesting that she has the idol to hand back, is anything random on this show?)"

What did you find interesting in Angela having the idol?

"RE: Episode 3- . I’ll play dumb but I’m not going to be dumb about it:"
Posted by Sheldor on 03-12-18 at 10:45 PM
"fun to realize someone is reading!"

I'm reading every week!

Thanks Flowerpower and Michel!

"Episode 4 - Tonight is Going to be War"
Posted by michel2 on 03-17-18 at 04:30 PM
What a strange episode with no scenes from the Malolo tribe before they had to decide on their vote. What wa sworse is that the "Previously on Survivor" scene showing Stephanie crying on the beach told us that Malolo was going to TC since it hadn't aired before the IC. Survivor doesn't care enough to avoid spoiling itself...

Stephanie:

We saw Stephanie smile at the news that Morgan had been the one voted out at Naviti but we never heard an interview about her thoughts on the Legacy Advantage and where it might have wound up.

“Right now, I don’t think these five are going to crack. So, it’s one of us four going home tonight and that’s frustrating because I have so much more game left in me to play. Being a single mom, I think my biggest fear is failing my kids so I hope I’m here to see another day but right now it’s out of my hands and it makes me sick that someone like Bradley is going to stay in this game.”

The story really wanted us to be pulling for the single mom against the arrogant Bradley and Kellyn. It didn’t work this time but I believe the early investment in this character is an indication that she will be an end game player. What magic will she need to make it happen? It could be as simple as a couple of immunity challenge wins and a new swap. It does seem that she has a lot of game left to play in her.

Domenick: The recap reminded us that Domenick and Wendell were both blindsided by the last vote.

“Me and Wendell, we had such a great game plan set in place; we were all going to vote out Angela but the former Malolo took me by surprise. Yeah! We got our asses kicked out there”

“I woke up today and I looked in my bag and, in the bottom, Oh! boy! Something is in there. It could be a good thing, it could be a bad thing but since Tribal didn’t go the way I was hoping, I’m just praying it’s going to help me in this game. It’s the Legacy Advantage willed to me by my girl, Morgan. I already found the idol but I need every advantage I can have out here and there are definitely lessons to be learned out here by these relics. It’s really important that I reverse these curses: I cannot go down and be eaten alive the same way these past players have been.”

“Laurel surprised the hell out of me; she is here to play and play hard. The only person I thought I had out here was Wendell and now, to know that Laurel and Donathan are willing to work with us to get Chris out, it’s just a huge turn in this game and it’s great because I feel like I have life again.”

Domenick is navigating his way very nicely in the game and working with Wendell has helped him greatly. His social game isn’t up to par though so he’d need to get rid of his ally if he wants a chance to earn the jury vote. For now, with Chris being unable to re-center his game, it certainly looks like Domenick is in this game for the long haul.

Wendell:

“We might be on the bottom but, thankfully, my buddy Domenick found an idol. Wow! That’s great! Now we have a chance to shake things up a bit. We absolutely have to make the smartest play that we can make. We’re good out here, we can do this.”

It was Wendell’s social game that made the difference when Laurel and Donathan chose sides. Since they both liked him and he was on Domenick’s side against Chris then they went with those two. Wendell also has to be considered a strong contender because he also has great challenge skills and a good sense of the game.

Michael:

“What I do with this idol completely dictates my future in this game and my alliance’s. It’s going to be a risk but I’m not here to just play an idol to be safe for another couple of days.” To his alliance, he explained: “I’m going to pull it out in the middle of Tribal Council and I’m going to say I’m playing this for one of us. Hopefully, one of them flips and we vote for Bradley.” His interview continued: “I think tonight is going to be war between the two groups and we’re gunning for Bradley and we definitely have our work cut out for us when it comes to trying to flip a number or two. I think we are going to be able to convince people like Sebastian and Chelsea that they are on the bottom of their alliance. The biggest mistake in Survivor history is James walking out with two idols and I feel responsible to end that curse...so even though this is a traditional immunity idol, I have a plan up my sleeve to lie and stretch its power.”

You have to admire the young man’s aplomb: During Tribal Council, he deployed his plan flawlessly right up to the point where he said he’d play the idol for himself and Brendan only to change his mind and play it for Stephanie. It would have worked if he had been able to read the faces of his opponents. When he paused and said “Actually” after saying he’d play his idol for himself and Brendan, he should have been watching Bradley’s who turned around so quickly I’d have called medical to check him for whiplash. If only Michael had played his idol for Brendan we’d have had a much more favorable result.

With this being said, Michael made a mistake in naming his target. His double immunity lie was very clever but he should have kept the others in the dark about their final voting decision. Naming Bradley was counting on one or two players being upset with him but they did seem to get along. What I would have done is tell Naviti that the four Malolos discussed two different options: They were either going to put their four votes on Bradley or they were going to split their votes between Bradley and someone else. Imagine that! A minority splitting their votes! It would have put the four Naviti followers in the awkward position of playing Russian roulette. In this case, hedging their bets by voting Bradley would have been the safe way to go. Yes, they could have split their own votes 3-2 but they still needed to put them on the two right players. I understand that Michael was also thinking of the next vote so he was hoping for a flipper but the stress wasn’t there to force anyone’s hand.

Malolo came out of this with a loss but, as a tribe, their play was still as admirable as we’ve ever seen from a tribe.

Laurel:

During the Reward Challenge, we heard that Laurel was the difference in Naviti’s favor and the group agreed because, as soon as they got back to camp, they offered her a toast.

“It would be easy to side with Chris to get Domenick and Wendell out; I don’t love the idea of working with him. In real life, I went to Yale University and I was also a Division I athlete. I like to call the shots but here it’s a different story. I’ve been playing kind of under the radar but I want that to change, I want to have my name on the game.”

For someone that was left out of the spotlight during the first few episodes, we will have to keep our eyes on Laurel. Domenick’s words about her playing the game hard are a very good omen for her chances especially considering the others don’t see her as a threat. In this season of Ghosts and legacies, I’d certainly like someone to inherit Cirie’s role of the “Quiet Assassin”.

Donathan:

“It’s like Chris versus Domenick right now. Those two are definitely butting heads. Chris is wanting us on his side to get Domenick out because he has an idol. I don’t know if it’s true or not but that’s what he’s feeding us.

Like he did in the original Malolo, Donathan is showing an above average talent for weaving between groups. Much like they did with JT in Tocantins, everyone seems to like Donathan and he doesn’t have the physicality to threaten anyone. The combination could be powerful. Is Donathan the prototypical “survivor”? Of course not; he’d probably die out there on his own but he certainly is the perfect Survivor player. Everyone comes to him so he doesn’t have to lie; he just has to wait to show his truth through his vote.

Kellyn:

She picked the wrong rock right after saying that Ghost Island was her biggest fear. All these coincidences simply can’t be coincidences!

“Thanks Survivor Gods. I knew they heard me. I’m scared but I feel this is also where I’m meant to be.”

“...I’m an extrovert. My game out here is a social game but here, now that I am alone, I’m trying not to let the whole idea of Ghost Island get to me. I’m trying to control my thoughts and just see what’s waiting for me... Right now, Malolo sits at five votes Naviti and four Malolo. If I lose, we lose the numbers so it is a huge risk to give up that vote. In this game when one bad decision can change your life, you got to trust your gut... I can live with myself knowing that I did what I thought was right and it’s crazy how quickly this game weaves in with who you are, with what you want to be and where you want to go... In the last two years I really changed my life, trying to make the right decision, trusting my gut... I believe trusting your gut can get you further in the game.”

“Thank God! I trusted my gut; I didn’t play the game at Ghost Island, I still have my vote so the original Naviti is going in with the votes. All we have to do is decide who goes home next.”

It seems that the rules of Ghost Island are really fluid, probably to suit production’s needs. Unlike the first three visitors, Kellyn returned for the vote so, moving forward, what is it going to be? I guess the difference was the Reward challenge but there was a reward challenge at the start of the season and no one sent to Ghost Island then. With that being said, Kellyn certainly made the right decision at Ghost Island and she gave us a nice look into her personal story but her association with Bradley and her complete dismissal of the Malolos paints her as an arrogant player who should get her comeuppance at one point.

Chris:

It would have been interesting editing if we had heard Chris’ thoughts as soon as he realized that Domenick had survived Tribal Council but that Morgan had not.

“When I was sent to Ghost Island, I had a plan in the workings to blindside Dom but they chose Morgan so I have to find the truth of what happened. Wendell and Dom went for Angela because they wanted the power away from me and that was a big mistake. To me, it was an opportunity to jump in with the Malolos.”

On Ghost Island, Chris said he had to re-center his game but he was right back to targeting Domenick as if that was all that mattered. The showdown cannot be too far down the road.

Angela:

“Wendell and Dom stabbed me in the back. I thought I could trust both of them but a wolf is a wolf regardless if it’s disguised in sheep clothing because you take it off you’re still a wolf.”

Her best game play should have been to apologize to Libby for voting against her and then saying she wants to join them. Her vote against Libby showed she can be loyal to her alliance if they are loyal to her. Instead, she focused on the three votes she received from her side. You can’t win this game by looking backwards only by looking forward.

Sebastian:

“The group has decided to take out some big boys in this game, Brendan and Michael. They are kind of like helpless penguins on a tropical island and that kind of scares me because I’m a big boy too. But, for now, I’m just going to go with the flow because the Malolo can go no further low-low than the Malolo-low.”

He reminds me of Ozzy not only in appearance and in challenges but also in his dumb interviews. His answers to Jeff during Tribal Council must have irritated Bradley so if he is going to flirt with the cute girl on the other side then maybe we have an indication of where Naviti’s next crack will happen.

Bradley: In the recap, we heard Jeff saying that Bradley was being cocky.

“As soon as we got back from the immunity challenge, it was somber but I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face because this is fantastic. We have the power tonight. I’m trying to play like a Boston Rob or a Kim Spradlin; somebody who’s got the numbers and who is in control and just needs to keep the ducks in a row. I think stonewalling the original Malolo people is the best tactic at this point.”

“Tonight, Brendan is an option to take out because he does like to play that leader role. He’s like a dad who gives terrible pep talks which is fine because he can lead people because leaders never win. On the other hand, Michael’s a strong guy and they won’t see it coming. You know, I’m trying to think of all the details because that’s what I do, it’s what’s going to make me a fantastic lawyer.”

We are certainly seeing a sleazy character, one that couldn’t take his eyes off of Stephanie’s cleavage while he was stonewalling her. Like Stephanie, I think most of the audience is sick that he is going to see another day. Everything was set up for a big move but it petered out when we saw that all his ducks voted with him. It’s funny that he thinks leader never wins because he also said he wanted to base his game on BR and Kim, two of the biggest leaders we’ve ever seen. Bradley won this game but he was identified as the ring leader so how long can he last?

Chelsea:

“You never know if the original Malolo four have an immunity idol so we’re betting on the fact that they are going to think that we want to keep strength and vote out one of the girls but we are going to vote out one of the guys because they won’t expect it. So, even if they play the idol, they won’t play it correctly.”

Maybe we saw why she was kept quiet for the first 2 weeks: She’s not that eloquent. She’ll probably reassume her role as set decoration in the next few cycles.

James: While James had been the one directing the vote towards Morgan, we only heard that “the Malolo four” saw an opportunity to make a big move

Besides seeing him doing his morning exercises, James was completely absent of the story.

Libby, Desiree and Jenna didn’t give us an interview and Jenna didn’t even have a comment during Tribal Council. This episode had sort of balancing out feel to it with Chelsea, Bradley and Laurel having a bigger role so it could be only a step back for Libby but for Jenna and Desiree, who went to Tribal Council, it is more troubling.

"RE: Episode 4 - Tonight is Going to be War"
Posted by Flowerpower1 on 03-21-18 at 07:27 PM
Michel: just seeing this now, I deeply apologize. I love reading your thoughts on any aspect of the game and this entry does not disappoint. I whole-heartedly agree. I really thought that Brendan was a seriously hidden boot, but you called it, in the past few episodes. I definitely had him going before Michael, but wowsa.

Looking forward to another episode, and hoping that someone will pull something totally unexpected off! Thanks, Michel!


"Episode 5 - So Little Game Left to Play"
Posted by michel2 on 03-23-18 at 10:59 PM
I usually do like production and find a quote that fits with the week's episode but this time, I felt Stephanie's quote had to be modified.

As for editing, have we ever had an episode with so few confessionals? Before it came down to Malolo’s voting decision, only 7 of the 16 players had given us interviews and one of those isn’t there anymore.

Michael:

“Tribal didn’t go as I had hoped; I was doing the best that I could to save the four of us by lying about James’ idol. It was a gamble and, for me, it was my first hard fall. I don’t think that I reversed any curse because I didn’t play the idol right and I’m still beating myself up for that but Tribal really proved to me that we are the three on the bottom. So, after tonight’s vote, I really have my work cut out for me.”

“Losing this immunity challenge today was devastating. I’m definitely backed into a corner right now. I’m one of three options really of who goes home tonight. I think it’s going to be an understanding that it will be all man for themselves. I wouldn’t want to see Steph or Jenna going home but I’m prepared of writing either of their names down tonight.”

“I’m doing the best I can to smooth things over especially with Bradley but you never really truly know what anybody is thinking and I may not even stand a chance. I’ve been giving my best, playing the game I’ve been waiting to play for ten years and I’d never forgive myself if I didn’t try my hardest. I am only 18 and this is the best experience in my life so far and the fact that my options seem very limited; it’s hard, it’s very frustrating. I’ve always been an independent person and somebody who wanted more for myself, moving away from my family at a young age and come out here and play this crazy game for me; I want to accomplish things as young as I can and I really want it.”

Yes, he wanted to show loyalty to Naviti but he had to understand that his only hope was another swap. If he had realized this, then maybe he would have voted with Stephanie instead of against her, letting her have a bit of hope. Fortunately, he wasn’t the only one who didn’t think of the upcoming swap because it was his challenge strength that saved him. Now this tribe won’t need his skills. Besides Donathan, he is the only well developed positive character so we have to expect the see him go soon in this season of levelling from the bottom.

Donathan:

“At first, I was excited that we won but both items made me think of home, it really reminded me of my mom and my grandmother. Donathan then shared his personal story with Laurel. His interview then resumed: “My life right now is my grandmother. My mother as well is disabled, so coming out here, you feel guilty in a way.”

After sharing stories with Chris, Donathan told us: “To hear his story about having to step up to the plate for his mom kind of like I did you can’t help but relate to that and have a heart for it. I’ve live it myself. Laurel wants to work with Wendell and Domenick to get out Chris and I want to be there for Laurel but I’ve definitely bonded closer with Chris. I’m kind of in the middle here, pulled back and forth and I’ve got to make a decision for what’s best for me. This is the time I’ve got to begin to thinking about Donathan.”

This gentle young man is too likable for this game. He’ll be used for his vote but then he’ll be dispatched, probably when it’s time to get rid of the last Malolo standing.

Chris:

After being the MVP of the reward challenge and claiming the chocolate pastries for himself, Chris had his typical interview: “This is just me being me and I guess it’s safe to say that I was pretty hot today. I’m like a diamond in the rough; do you see me glow? This ain’t pay-per-view, it’s a free show. I’m still shooting the all day; free throw, mike drop.”

“I could see Donathan was a little upset so I saw that as an opportunity to reach out to him because we probably talked the least out of the four Malolos. I was telling him about my mom because I felt it was a good way to relate and to connect and to build true relationships and bonds”

Domenick may have the idols but Chris is plugging into the viewers’ sympathy, first by telling us about his mother’s illness then by connecting with this season’s likable nerd. If Caleb became likable by associating with Tai, then it won’t be long before Chris’ connection to Donathan pays off nicely.

Jenna:

“There’s no question that the five Naviti have control of the game. They are not willing to budge; they are playing it safe so it’s 100% an individual game right now. I’m trying of the best strategy for myself. In this game, you have to be likable have people want to be around you. I’ve been trying my best but unfortunately, I always have this blank, almost angry look on my face so it’s hard for me to switch off this hard, bitchy look. I want to work my way in with Sebastian, trying to put my wall aside and hoping he will protect me.”

She is clearly out of her element and only her partnership with Stephanie gave us the impression that she could navigate through this game.

Kellyn:

“Losing today’s Immunity challenge, I just felt really disappointed in myself that I couldn’t pull it out for the team but unless the original Malolos pull some sort of trick out of their bag like they did at the last Tribal Council, either Stephanie, Michael or Jenna is going home.”

I’ve rarely seen anyone being as wishy-washy as Kellyn: Chelsea says Jenna is weak so they should vote her out, Kellyn agrees. Chelsea tells Kellyn that the others want to vote Stephanie instead, so Kellyn is ready to switch. Bradley points out that Michael is even more dangerous than Stephanie, Kellyn will vote out Michael. Maybe some will call that adapting but I call it being as changeable and as dependable as the weather.

Bradley:

“Tonight was a massive wake-up call. I thought I was going home. I was sure of it. I couldn’t be happier with the original Naviti because without them sticking to the plan, I’d be gone. I think Michael outed himself as a strong player. Up until now, I thought he was this “fratty Bro” who liked to hang out with Jenna and Stephanie. I was dead wrong on that read and I think that everyone that was in my original alliance sees that Michael is a huge threat.”

“As we go into Tribal Council tonight, there are a hundred different variables that got through your head. You have to weigh which person you can trust the most, which person you think is the most dangerous and who is the least threat to my own game. Fortunately for us, we have the numbers, we are in control, and we are going to call the shots.”

Unfortunately for us, the swap gave this complainer the upper hand and now he’ll have an easy way guiding his sheep all the way to the end. If he’s smart, he’ll let the two big boys in Naviti fight it out to the death and when both are weakened, he’ll use his puppets to take over the end game.

James:

“Chris scored a big win and I think we were all impressed by it. We have now won back-to-back-to-back challenges. He’s a bog physical asset plus Chris has shown a much bigger willingness to actually work with us Malolo four. So, having Chris on our side, basically, we are the ones calling the shots.”

James’s confessional is really telling in what it doesn’t say. The Malolo four, who are in a good situation on the new Naviti, were shown at the reward challenge that the other half of Malolo was in deep trouble. Instead of looking to work with Chris, James should be thinking of throwing the next Immunity Challenge to save what he can of his overall numbers. Like the other Malolos, he’s just a small fish that has to be tossed out of the way before we get to the main battle, namely the war between the two original leaders of Naviti.

Sebastian:

“Jenna is in a tough spot and I need braiders in this tribe... As long as she keeps flirting with me, that’s cool and I’m not opposed to her staying.”

Jenna completely misread the Naviti dynamics if she thought Sebastian had any say in the vote. This guy isn’t smart enough to decide anything besides how to braid his hair.

Desiree

“I don’t know what happened on Ghost Island. Stephanie was there so I don’t know what she could have.” Shamelessly, Desiree went through Stephanie’s bag before we heard the end of her interview:
“But I’m starting to think nothing happened because I looked through her bag and there was nothing in her bag so I don’t know where she could have put it but she may have gotten the advantage; I’m not sure.”

I remember the women’s reaction when Alex riffled through Yau Man’s bag in the original Fiji season. It seems that violating personal property isn’t a crime anymore in Fiji. From a viewer’s point of view though, it was despicable. What else is new with Naviti; some showed us their arrogance, others were terrible complainers and now we have this genuine weasel.

Laurel:

It’s not a good sign that she couldn’t keep track of Donathan’s wavering loyalties. The only hope left for Malolo is with these four but now even they don’t seem to be on the same page.

Domenick:

Shouldn’t he have been keeping an eye on Chris? If it’s bad to let someone wander around for an idol, it’s even worse when you let your ally fraternize with the enemy.

Wendell:

Like Domenick, he let Chris score all the points. No, not the ones he scored during the reward challenge but in camp where it really mattered.

Libby:

She’s lucky to have swapped to this side of the island but what power will she have once we reach the merger? Most likely none.

Chelsea:

It’s funny that she wanted to eliminate Jenna because of her weakness. It’s Chelsea’s weakness that will enable her to float all the way to the end.

Angela:

She is the A or the H pawn in chess, not really in play until Chris needs her vote.

Michael and Donathan have nice edits but it feels like both are simply shown positively because, like Stephanie, they will eventually fail. Right now, I'd say the top contender has to be Bradley unless he falls right with the other leader sin malolo. We could then be in for a Chelsea, Kellyn, Desiree Final three. How fun would that be?


"RE: Episode 5 - So Little Game Left to Play"
Posted by Flowerpower1 on 03-24-18 at 10:29 AM
Oh michel, say it ain't so! The thought of Bradley as winner.....NEVER! How could the editors paint such an arrogant complainer as winner? Weiner, maybe, but not winner! Ugh. Perhaps the theme could be from hated to beloved through the course of the season? I dunno.

A lot of interesting things going on this season. As you noted, seems as though there is far more character development. Are we going to hear a swan song for all of them? It seems that Stephanie's story was featured early, as that was her only story arc. Something to consider.

Jenna and Stephanie were a pair, now it seems like Jenna is still trying to pair up, but now with Sebastian, the dumb jock.

Bradley seems like a villain to me. And, so does Kellyn, and perhaps Desiree by association. Kellyn sulks that she didn't win, but promptly states, oh well, it's still one of "them". Just as one of her first conversations with the old Malolos at the water hole when she noted, Svcks to be you with 5/4 numbers. Oh well. Her main story is the fear of making poor decisions, and so far we saw her navigate GI and make the right decision. Will Kellyn make "right" decisions the whole way through and reverse the curse? As you noted, she sure is "wishy washy" prior to making her decision. She does seem to be in a pair with Bradley.

What is interesting is that I really thought Kellyn and Bradley were more with Domenick and Wendell rather than Chris et al. so I have to wonder what will happen when they are reunited? Desiree seems like a good little soldier. Chelsea....horrible in the challenge, and yet they had her go twice...

For me, Michael is the hero of this show. His actions speak louder than his words, but his words were amazing on the spot in TC. He will have a very long road ahead to make it to the end, and I too am dubious. But, I like him! But, he's on Bradley's radar, he's very physically gifted, and he's smart and has the heart. So, he'll be a huge target.

Donathan is gentle and kind, and on an amazing journey, but he does seem to be a beta, and in a season of alphas, will a beta win? What will Donathan do that is right for Donathan?

The rest for me are just there. James, not impressive. Laurel wanted to make a mark on the story of the season but now she's disappeared. I am sure that the editors have manipulated the events to create doubt and suspense.

Will the big conflict between Chris and Domenick be settled next week? Ugh.

Great insight, Michel. I so hope Bradley does not go to the end.



"RE: Episode 5 - So Little Game Left to Play"
Posted by michel2 on 03-24-18 at 04:35 PM
I'm not rooting for Bradley either but he is presented as the leader with many followers. I guess we'll have to wait until the dust settles after the battle of the 2 titans. I don't expect that to unfold before the merger.

Right now, if I had to guess, I'd say that Domenick is forced to play his advantage at 13 but the votes wind up split so he doesn't get Chris out of there. Then maybe he wins an immunity or two until Chris finally gets his way. It'll be a Pyrrhic victory though as Chris leaves right after.

Why do I think Domenick fails? He continued to target Chris even though we were hearing Chris' story about him mom. Now, James, Donathan and Libby seem to gravitate towards him more than Domenick.

"RE: Episode 5 - So Little Game Left to Play"
Posted by Flowerpower1 on 03-25-18 at 09:28 AM
This season is a bit different and we are getting seemingly more personal stories. I love some of the visuals that are added as well. So much animal imagery. A lot of rough surf, as you have noted, and I noticed this week there was another shot of pounding surf. Turmoil.

From the beginning there was a rivalry between Domenick and Chris at Naviti. There was a polarization between Brendan/Michael/Libby and Jacob at Malolo. Jacob was the first man voted out. Stephanie emerged as the strategic player, but others noticed.

At Naviti, I thought that Domenick and Wendell were with Morgan, Bradley, Kellyn. Chris was with Angela and Sebastian. Chelsea and Desiree were non committal, as far as I could see. But, now that Bradley, Kellyn, Chelsea, and Desiree have been at nuMalolo for a while, they appear very bonded. Sebastian will go right back to his bro, Chris....perhaps taking Jenna with him?

At Malolo it was the pretty people vs. Jacob. Brendan and Michael appeared to be with Libby, Steph, Jenna, Steph G. Donathan, James, and Laurel seemed to be a threesome?

So, how does it look that it will unfold should they all get back together.

Chris seems in with Angela, Sebastian
Dominick will be with Wendell, Bradley, Kellyn, Chelsea, Desiree,

So, it's going to come down to how the old Malolos go...

Threesome: Donathan, Laurel, James???
Michael, Libby, Jenna will be together perhaps?

For me Bradley has made some bad decisions, he severely underestimated Michael, and then he chose to have him stay, and boot Stephanie. Keeping Michael could be another bad decision for him. I don't look at him as a possible winner when he's appeared so poorly in the beginning. He didn't have a confessional in the first 3 episodes either. He was seen in the premiere but only as a person associated with Domenick and Wendell.

Kellyn, otoh, went to GI and made a good decision. But, she's also appeared smug and cruel, not offering hope when she had the chance. But, she does seem sensitive, then gives a ruthless confessional. I feel like the editors are trying hard to paint her as good...? In this last episode, when she was crying after she failed in the IC, Jiffy called her out, and while she was speaking, Jenna put her hand on Kellyn's shoulder. Kellyn blatantly shrugged it off.....I couldn't believe it, like she didn't want Jenna to touch her. Here is the moment....

You really can't see it in the still shot, but if you play the video, it's clear.


Domenick has been so prominent in the beginning that I don't know if he could be the winner. Usually a prominent winner with the most confessionals through the whole series are reserved for players like Boston Rob or Tony. Domenick has been featured as he's found the HII, and gotten the Legacy idol, and he's in a big rivalry which is one of the biggest story lines. I wanted to point out some manipulation of the edit as well...after the RC win, it looked like Dom was going to be the first to congratulate Chris, but it was cut, then later we saw this....


As you note, Chris is getting the empathy edit....but, otoh, he's very big, powerful, and bossy. We've heard people have an aversion to him...Dom/Wendell/Morgan/Laurel/Libby.

With the theme of past mistakes and bad decisions from the past being re-introduced into the story, I feel like it's going to come down to who makes the good and bad decisions. Just like in this past week we saw the Malolo 3 come up with different strategies to survive the vote. Michael appealed to Bradley with loyalty and strength for Challenges. Jenna used the flirting tactic with Sebastian. Stephanie appealed to Bradley as an extra vote. Stephanie made the bad decision and was booted.

But, as I have pointed out, did Bradley make a bad decision by keeping Michael? I love in the preview promo when Jiffy says drop your buffs, we first see Michael, who's got to be so relieved, and then we see a close up of Bradley swearing. I have vibes that Bradley's made a bad decision with keeping Michael. At least I hope so. I would SO love to see Bradley and Michael end up on the same tribe with more old Malolos. LOL.

Regarding decisions in the future. Clearly, Donathan is going to be in a position soon to choose what is right for him....going with Laurel, or staying true to Chris. Will he make the right one? Will the feud between Dom and Chris be determined by Donathan? We saw Laurel talking to Donathan, Chris talking to him, Wendell talking to him, but we have never seen Dom talking to him....bad decision?

Food for thought.


"RE: Episode 5 - So Little Game Left to Play"
Posted by michel2 on 03-25-18 at 02:52 PM
I can certainly see Kellyn winning a final vote over Bradley but I don't like her more than the pretentious lawyer. You say Bradley may have made a mistake by keeping Michael but I think Kellyn made a bigger mistake by eliminating Stephanie. According to the triathlete's exit interviews, the two single mothers had nicely bonded so Kellyn would have had a good option once it came down to the 5 Naviti.

It's amazing that it has stayed Purple versus Orange. It used to be the predominant strategy in the old days but with Probst forcing them to make "big moves" it hadn't been like this since One World. It's the way I would play but I wouldn't eliminate those from the other side that could help me. It's as if Kim had targeted Tarzan before Mike, Jay and Troyzan!

"Episode 6 - There are 3 Naviti and 2 Malolo:"
Posted by michel2 on 03-31-18 at 05:07 PM
LAST EDITED ON 04-02-18 AT 04:58 PM (EST)

The episode started with the Tribal shuffle which completely neglected the aftermath of Malolo’s previous TC. Maybe it’s a good thing because all we would have wanted to hear was Michael’s reasoning for turning his back on Stephanie.

As for the shuffle itself, Malolo could wind up being the worst tribe ever but the “Survivor Gods” aren’t doing them any favor. Of course, for Jeff, Malolo as a tribe, doesn’t depend on its individual members. With one Immunity win, Malolo is already better than Ulong. Even if we discount tribal swaps, this Orange tribe is still not as bad as Ravu, the first orange tribe in Fiji. What we can say is that, despite all the swaps, the game is being played with the original Naviti battling Malolo’s first members.

Malolo could have found safety in the swap because they could have been in the majority in 2 tribes and have no members to eliminate in the third but, being “cursed”, they wound up with the worst possibility, the one that put them in a disadvantage in all three tribes. So, do you believe in curses? I do not; I see production interference as a much more plausible explanation. To what end? Production could want to see Naviti’s battle to the end. Jeff’s recap showed their paradox: On one side, Naviti was turning on each other while, on the other, they were staying united. That duality could very well be the story of the season. However, production could also want a lone Malolo giving us an incredible come back story. If that is the script, then Donathan could very well be the one that profits from the war because he is the one player shown to be playing with both Chris and Dominick.

Then we had Jeff’s nauseating pontification: “Turning points are where strong players shine and weak players fail.” Of course, the cameras showed us Donathan when Jeff talked about the “strong players” and then James when the “weak players” were mentioned as if to underline the stated “fact”. More accurately, I’d say that turning points have often put strong players in untenable situations while weak players wound up in powerful positions.

There really isn’t a steadfast rule as Jeff wants the viewers to believe.

One more thing for those who don’t think the players are following a script; women very often wear their buffs as tops but when it comes to a swap, none do. Either they always guess correctly or they are told what’s going to happen!

Domenick:

Dominick gave us an interview right after the swap: “That son of a b*tch Chris was after me so getting away from him is such a relief. It’s like for the first time the ball is in my court; I can decide which way this game goes now.”

“For the first time in this game, I have this weight off my shoulders of having Chris breathing down my neck and telling everyone to “get rid of Dom, get rid of Dom. I feel like I’m not on defense anymore and I’m actually in a spot where I have control at the moment because there are three original Naviti and I feel safe with Donathan; we’re together. But at the same time they could just play me just like I was played the first time by Libby. So, no more training wheels out here it’s time to get dirty. Libby is the devil in an angel’s body, ok? Libby is out for blood. Who does she think she’s dealing with? I know exactly the game she’s playing. Every time I try to get a conversation with her, she doesn’t give me anything solid. Libby? No good. She has to go almost as bad as Chris has to go.”

There was a noticeable splicing of words the first time Dominick said Libby’s name. It really sounded as if it was added on. It was also quite noticeable that, as soon as Dominick said it was time to get dirty, we had a scene of Donathan washing himself. That is the editor’s way of contradicting Dominick. Another way that the editors contradicted Dom was inserting the smile and the little laugh from Libby just after Dom said she had to go almost as badly as Chris. Were that smile and that laugh telling us that Dom will make a mistake by going for Chris before Libby? It certainly would make Libby laugh.

It seems that Dominick is still too focused on his enemies. He didn’t have a choice when Chris put the target on his back but Libby wasn’t a threat to him. What's more troubling is that we have been introduced to the sad story of Chris' mom yet we continue to hear Dom refering to Chris as a SOB. Also, we haven't really seen anything evil from Libby so Dom is shown to be wrong in both cases. Either they lose a challenge and she is voted out or they both make the merger and then he could have used her for a few votes. Dominick has proven that he is a strong player but he is creating too many obstacles for himself. When you vote out “enemies” they rarely turn around and reward you with their vote in the end. The jury will be starting soon and Dominick needs to cater to their feelings, not turn them against him.

While I like Dominick’s story and game play the most, I don’t consider him a top contender anymore. The real contenders would be the next four and I place them only in order of personal preference.

Wendell:

He gave us an interview during the scene when he patched things up with Chris: “I was so ready to drop my buff because I felt myself trying somehow to manage two giant egos: Dominick and Chris who both want to kill each other. Although I’m a little sad that I’m not going to be with my boy Dom, I was excited to see that Chris and I were going to be on another team together. He’s a beast of an athlete with an extremely winning track record out here. Now, when it comes to me having to hear Chris gloat about himself, brag and boast and all these things, I don’t love that at all.”

What we heard from Chris and Sebastian told us just how great Wendell’s social game has been. Sebastian even saw him as a buddy even if they rarely talked. Getting some distance from Dominick will do wonders for his chances of advancing in the game. Before he would have been the natural choice for the second choice in a split vote tactic to deflect Dominick’s idol but now someone else could fill that spot.

Donathan:

There was a funny moment at the end of the Immunity challenge when Jeff was ready to hand of the bottom half of the immunity idol to Naviti, Domenick, who had been the caller, stepped up to receive it but Donathan beat him to it. Will the game turn out the same way? Could we have Dominick doing everything to win it but Donathan just taking it away? He is one of the few Malolos that could slip through the cracks. There’s certainly has been a lot invested in the kid’s story including a ready-made heroic scene.

Laurel:

“I find it tough biting my tongue around Chris. He’s a guy that likes to hear himself talk but I’ve been put in a bunch of different situations and I found a way to fit in and get along in every one. I think it’s a skill that I have; fitting in with the people that I am around and being kind of what they need me to be.”

Reacting to Chris’ words we heard this from Laurel: “I think he thought he was going to blow my mind in revealing that he was a model and that it was a huge reveal but it doesn’t mean that much to me. Jock, model, personal trainer, whatever he is, it’s nice to have him because he is such a competitor and he wants to win competitions so badly that he’s good to have around but I think the tribe is starting to get rubbed the wrong way by Chris. I think, for us, it’s fine to let him do his thing, let him dig his own grave. As long as we keep winning I think we’re happy to smile and nod and go along with it but, in the event that we do lose, I think Chris is in for a world of trouble”

Laurel is another that could slip through the cracks if Naviti turns on itself before getting rid of all the Malolos. We know that production is unlikely to let that happen so there is still hope for the volleyball player who also has a strong social game. Her words also tell us why there is no such thing as the Anti-Darwin Syndrome. In fact, Chris, like many other strong guys before him, are tolerated as long as they help win challenges but their poor social interactions gets them voted out as soon as they become dispensable.

Kellyn:
After hearing from James how Naviti’s Tribal Council had turned against Morgan, Kellyn gave us an interview: “It turns out that Dom and Chris couldn’t take a deep breath, get along for a few votes and keep Naviti strong. Instead they tried to vote out Angela and I started getting this feeling in my stomach like this could be trouble.”

“I thought Angela would be willing to work with me and Des but instead she is acting super paranoid and that makes me really nervous because I can see Angela wanting to save James and coming after me or Des. I feel more uncomfortable going into this Tribal Council than I felt the whole game. From the beginning I’ve never been able to trust 100% Angela, she’s just all over the place and I’m not sure she fully understands what’s going on in her head. Someone like that is dangerous. I’m just praying to God that this works out but tonight is going to tell us if Naviti has finally broken down, whether if it’s still orange against purple or if everything has turned around.”

Last week I called her wishy-washy so I laughed a lot when Kellyn couldn't answer Jiffy's simple question about playing with your head or your heart.
Jiffy saying he liked that answer told me he had completely forgotten about Lex's gut! Constantly showing their interactions paints her as our Host’s favorite and that means she must go a long way. Kellyn has a better social game than all her allies and she can claim some moves, especially in keeping Naviti together.

Libby:
So, Libby is Parvati 2.0 according to Dom. The problem is that Parvati only thrived when she had the numbers. Libby will have a hard time slipping through the cracks because everyone sees her as untrustworthy.

Jenna

She gave us an interview when Yanuya arrived at their new beach: “You know, it’s a little bit of a shock knowing you’ll have to be starting from scratch but I’ve been on a losing tribe, we’ve been on a losing tribe so, obviously, I want to know how it feels to win a reward or to have some food, to not have to go to Tribal every night. I think the fresh start is perfect timing and I’m excited about it.”

There isn’t much to say about Jenna except that she is mingling nicely with the new tribe. It could take her far but there isn’t the same investment in her story as in Donathan’s or even Laurel’s.

Michael:

His first interview: “The swap isn’t the best that I hoped for but even though I am still down in numbers this might be the start of something new for me so I need to make the most of this opportunity and that’s exactly what I intend to do.”

“When I saw that it was just me and James with three Naviti, I was worried that I was going to be the next one to go but now I hear that Angela got stabbed in the back by her own tribe and she’s pissed off. This is huge; there are definitely cracks in the Naviti group, Angela has already been screwed once by them so maybe she is someone that James and I can work with.”

“The Immunity challenge was a complete and utter failure today. I am yet again going to another Tribal Council. It will be my fifth Tribal Council out of six and that really sucks for me. You know, this is Survivor Ghost Island: It’s all about reversing curses, not creating new ones.”

Instead of asking James if he had talked to Angela, maybe Michael should have talked to Angela himself and done it well before losing the challenge. She was always the key to the vote and she would have needed to hear from Michael to vote with him and James.

When we got to Tribal Council, there were three things that made me laugh and the first was Michael saying he votes with his heart! If anything, we’ve seen that Michael is a heartless player. Michael didn't have to vote for James. If Michael wanted to stay in the game then he would have needed a promise from Kellyn and Desiree that they'd vote against Angela the next time around. After all, like he said, he isn't playing to simply make the merger but to win. That would have meant making a Final deal with those two right there and then. If they had agreed then he could have said he'd vote for Angela without hurting them. Michael impressed me up to the time when he completely misread Naviti while playing his idol. Bradley's reaction should have told him not to change to Stephanie. Still, I couldn't really blame him. But since then, he's been pedaling hard on a little bike trying to catch up and messing up. For one thing, why hasn't he been looking for the replacement idol? Voting first for Stephanie and now for James shows he has absolutely no loyalties so why would a new alliance trust him? All he's doing is making it easier for Naviti by being their puppet.

Angela:

The first we saw of Angela, she was hugging Kellyn after the tribal swap.

“I do trust James and this game is about relationships. In the military, it was like a family, I was always surrounded by great friends and in retiring I lost a big chunk of family. Then my daughter went away to college and then I started going through my divorce and now I’m alone. I don’t know; it’s just hard. It was hard but it’s good because I was raised to focus on everybody else’s happiness. Now, I’m focused on me and trying to figure out where I want to go and what I want to do. With James, I had a lot of conversations with him and while I would like to stay loyal to Naviti, I got to watch out for me first. Now the question is what is going to get me further in the game.”

The hug she shared with Kellyn when the two met on the Malolo mat seemed genuine so maybe those two were closer than we saw when they were first in Naviti. The way the camera focused on her far away eyes when Kellyn said she couldn’t trust her didn’t paint a good picture of Angela. I think we’ve been cheated out of getting to know an interesting character. For the suspense of the episode we couldn’t be told what Angela was actually thinking but that left a big hole in the ex-Military woman. Instead of seeing a determined person, we are told that she may not be all there and that’s a pity.

Chris:

“You know when you’re a big athletic guy and charismatic like I am, I won’t lie to you; it’s exhausting. Some people can just sit around and chill and let the game evolve when I’m sitting here having to think ahead and develop this bond and that bond because I have an X on my back since day one.”

Accompanied by the kooky musical theme that accompanied his talk with Laurel, Chris gave us a second confessional: “I’m hesitant to tell people that I model because, for some crazy reason, people may think that models are self-absorbed, they might be dumb, a lot of things that might not be beneficirary (sic!) to me in a tribe setting.”

Contrary to his opinion, it certainly isn’t his charisma or even his athleticism that put a target on Chris’ back it was his atrocious social game and his total lack of self-awareness.

Bradley:

Accompanied by the appropriate festive musical theme we got to the Naviti beach where Bradley gave us his thoughts: “Coming back to the Naviti beach is like going to a resort after you’ve been in a slum. There are pillows there are blankets, there’s coffee! I mean it honestly felt like we won a reward. From a strategic game stand point, Dom’s a good ally of mine. I have Chelsea, she has been voting with me so old Naviti, in theory, has the advantage: It’s three of us, two of them but there are a lot of unknowns coming to this beach.”

“Dom warned me: Don’t trust Libby, she’s really, really dangerous so if we do end up going to Tribal Council, I think Libby is strategically the better option to get rid of. It’s fantastic reconnecting with Dom; he’s a really great ally for me and we’re back on the same page and it really feels great. In term of this game, maybe I am a little better than I thought I was...I thought I was fantastic but, like maybe I am as fantastic as I think because I feel like I am playing an A+ game.”

If we reconstruct the original Naviti alliances we now know that Bradley, Dominick, Wendell and Morgan were together while Chris was solidly backed by Sebastian and Angela. We’ve never heard anything definite on Kellyn, Chelsea and Desiree but I would guess by the way they worked together after the first swap; Kellyn was with Bradley all along and therefore in Dominick’s corner while Chelsea and Desiree, who were much more reserved towards the lawyer, were closer to Chris. It is said that pride comes before the fall so the “Fantastic” Bradley is nicely set up for a huge fall.

Sebastian:

After receiving his shell from Wendell, he sat down for an interview: “I’m big into collecting little reminders; that’s why I wear my necklace every day. I’ve been saving this gorgeous conch shell that I found at old Naviti. Wendell had the heart to drag it all the way out here in his bag reeking of dead conch. I haven’t spent much time with Wendell yet because he was always buddy-buddy with Dominick while I was working with Chris. He has been that buddy that was never my buddy but he knows who I am and I barely met him and that’s pretty cool.”

His scene with Wendell told us that it isn’t difficult to get on Sebastian’s good side. That isn’t a good trait to have in an evil game like Survivor.

Chelsea:

Coming back to Naviti and having a cup of coffee brought tears to her eyes: “The last few days at the Malolo camp, we hadn’t been eating hardly at all; we had lost four challenges in a row. I was just completely drained. Coming back here, having this amazing camp and this cup of coffee gave me a sense of home and made me feel that I had the energy to keep fighting out here.”

Even this marginal character had her personal crying scene which truly makes this season a soap opera.

Desiree:

She had the first confessional of the evening: “Why Jeff? Why do you do this? Depending on the buff that I pick up I could be in trouble so I’m hoping that fate does its part and has my back. You know: Fate is the homie. That’s what I’m praying.”
“To have to switch up the tribes again; it’s crazy but it’s all good. I had my Naviti five and we were all good, sticking to it and voting Malolo one by one and now, me, Ang and Kellyn still have the numbers, three-two. The only question mark is Angela. She’s been on the same tribe with James for a while now so I don’t know what’s she’s thinking.”

“The immunity challenge today was probably the worst moment of my life. I wanted this to be my moment for proving myself... I’m so used to exceeding expectations and I failed. I just feel like the biggest loser. Because of me, someone is going home ad it sucks but I’m still a player in this game so the plan tonight is to vote out James. Nobody really has a connection to James. I feel like I don’t even know James so even though it should be me, James is going home.”

Once more, the voting decision came down to a Malolo leaving over a Naviti and once more the least developed character from Naviti stayed. Hopefully something happens to turn the tide because this season is already losing all interest.

"RE: Episode 6 - There are 3 Naviti and 2 Malolo:"
Posted by pele on 03-31-18 at 05:53 PM
If the season really did lose interest in us, who could blame it? We could never be interesting as Chris the Noble. 😁

Also, it appears that there is much about Michael's game and choices that we are not shown despite the overall investment in him. Interesting.

"RE: Episode 6 - There are 3 Naviti and 2 Malolo:"
Posted by michel2 on 04-01-18 at 07:22 PM
Welcome aboard Pele,

I apologize for the poor sentence; I meant that I am quickly losing interest in this season.

"RE: Episode 6 - There are 3 Naviti and 2 Malolo:"
Posted by Sheldor on 04-02-18 at 04:20 PM
Great job as always Michel! Love reading your character analysis.

"Re: Chelsea:
Coming back to Naviti and having a cup of coffee brought tears to her eyes"

That scene jumped out to me as it was Domenick who put Chelsea on the spot in front for entire new Naviti 3.0 tribe that she had tear in her eye *and* it was Libby that came over to comfort Chelsea.

I think that may have been yet another reason for Chelsea to like Chris more than Domenick. And if Domenick goes after Libby (who comforted Chelsea) she may join forces with Libby and Donathan (who bonded with Chris). Also Domenick shared the fake idol story with both Libby & Donathan.

"Episode 7 - This is a Critical Tribal"
Posted by michel2 on 04-07-18 at 00:10 AM
While this episode finished in a very satisfying manner, the road to get there was truly laborious. Besides the interminable challenges (I mean, do they really think it’s fun watching 12 adults playing with wooden blocks?) and Jeff’s unnecessary interrogations at TC, we had to go on two idol searches and one new voting advantage. All were accompanied by the obligatory flashback videos of prior seasons and how former players failed miserably. It left us very little time to appreciate the current players. It was fun to hear that Ozzy’s fake idol was cursed for the three people who touched it but then I realized that 4 people actually touched it, the 4th being Jeff himself. I think the curse turned on us having to endure him taking more and more of the spotlight.

The Contenders - Wendell:

He started by dedicating their “win” in the RC to Nicole, his girlfriend. He then gave us an interview: “The only thing I think about every single day is my girlfriend Nicole. She is just the greatest person in the world. Today is Nicole’s birthday so it’s hard not to be with her on her birthday and be out here. It’s very difficult but it gave a kind of grit to use my time and find something that will further my game and I know food is going to make a lot of people tired so when they’re going to sleep, that’s my opportunity right there to sneak off to look for firewood but really to look for the idol. From the first time I stepped on this gigantic island, I tried to be very attentive to every detail, landmarks that could be hiding spots for an idol. I find a little scroll in green wrapping; it’s a clue to an idol...I got to find the idol...This could get me to the end...This is the idol! I’m so proud; the curse will be reversed and I can’t wait to use it.”

Wendell is showing just enough challenge skills to become a force once the big guys get voted out but not enough to be considered a big guy himself. That’s just the right balance for a player especially one with a good social game like the furniture builder. For a season with so few ordinary camp scenes, we have to consider that Wendell has been center stage of two such scenes: The one when he gave Sebastian his shell and this one about his girlfriend. It shows us the nice guy that the others see and that could translate nicely into votes in the end. For him, the most important thing is that the swaps have distanced him from Dominick. He can now move whichever way he feels is best for him.

Kellyn:

Her disappointment was evident when Chelsea sent her to Ghost Island: “I’m walking on Ghost Island for my second visit...I just need to stay calm, trust my gut and hopefully it will be what’s best for my game...I feel like throwing up; it’s crazy how it feel like out here is where my fate of my game is living...to be proactive is key...Thank god I trusted my gut and I got this advantage...This could be the pivotal point where Kellyn goes from being just the sweet girl who everyone likes to being the girl who is smart enough and tough enough to actually make it to the end and win this game. Boom!”

Her hesitations at Ghost Island showed just how indecisive she can be because, just like the first time, this wasn’t a tough decision to make. Her vote would have been meaningless in a 3-1 tribe so she had to play the game especially since the odds were greatly in her favor. Now, in addition to the three idols, we have a vote doubler making the next Tribal Council more a lottery than a rational decision. However, she is right to say that the others see her as a sweet girl and she’s shown tactical abilities so she is also a strong contender.

Donathan:

He gave us an interview after the reward challenge: “For the first time out here I was confident going into a challenge but I had Bradley barking orders at me and even though we won, oh! my god! the fire that was in my body was raging. So, let him do his own thing and dig his own grave out here.”

“Holy Hell! We smoked the other two teams. I feel very proud of myself. This is the highest point in the game for me so far. I’m ready to be excited...because it was a great moment for me.”
“There’s three original Navitis; Chelsea, Bradley and Dominick and then you got me and Libby, the original Malolos... but I feel like we are on the same page about Bradley so if we lose the next immunity challenge I’m hoping Bradley is the target.”

Bradley was wrong when he said that Donathan was there only for a beach vacation. We know he’s there to play but if Bradley’s opinion is shared by enough of the others then Donathan couldn’t win a jury vote. His position in the game and his non-threatening personality make him a strong contender for the final win but the impression he makes on the others will be key.


The Chase Group - Libby:

“Losing was really tough but Bradley has been disrespecting everybody on our tribe and somebody like that doesn’t deserve an alliance so I want him voted out.”

“Chelsea and Dom are telling me to vote Bradley but my fear is that I get voted out. Donathan and I are on the bottom so you can’t but feel nervous about it. I want to stay in this game so badly. This is a critical Tribal.”

Judging by facial expressions, it looked like Libby convinced Dom and Chelsea to keep her when she said that she had been loyal to her first alliance and that she could be just as loyal to a new one. Normally votes are decided well in advance but Dom and Chelsea agreed to be ready for a last minute decision and the looks they exchanged after Libby’s answer to Jeff seemed to be what they were waiting to hear. With so many eyes on her, Libby will have a hard time navigating her way to the end. Her tribe enters the merger with an 8 to 5 disadvantage in players and they are short 4 to 1 in secret advantages. Despite a numbers disadvantage, Danni managed to skate by all the way to the end in Guatemala but all we heard the other saying about her was that she was amazing and cool. Libby is much more on her opponents’ radar.

Chelsea:

“Libby thinks we’re going for Bradley tonight but we’ve got a decision to make because we are getting close to a merge so we have to start thinking about how we are going to survive and make it to the end. Voting out Bradley is voting out an original Naviti and that is huge.”

She makes a huge jump up the rankings by making this big move against a Naviti. From what we gathered about the original Naviti dynamics, she was closer to Chris than to Dominick so by stroking Domincik’s ego she got him to vote out one of his supporters. She greatly helped her army if that’s the way she chooses to go. She has other nice options which include this new 4 person alliance and a personal connection to Libby which could translate to an all-women’s alliance. If anyone noticed, for one of the few times lately we are merging with 7 women and only 6 men.

Domenick:

“Bradley is getting snappy and everybody around me sees that as well so maybe I can work with them and get rid of Bradley. I just don’t know if it’s worth it to do it right now because I want to stick with Naviti.”

“Oh! my God! I can’t believe this is happening. Do I keep this guy around? Bradley constantly talks down to me as if he’s above me and above everyone in this game. Bradley’s a pain in the ##### to be around but from what it appears he wants to work with me at least to at least get to the end. So, I have to figure out what makes sense for my game.”

“Here’s my dilemma: I have the choice of voting Libby or Bradley. The reason why Libby could be a better choice now is that she’s very charming and I fell for that once before with Libby where I give her a little bit of rope and she hung me with it when my girl Morgan was voted out. So I certainly don’t trust Libby but moving forward into the merge, Bradley’s attitude and his short temper could be disastrous for me. So I don’t know what to do at this point. I have to determine if taking this risk before the merge is going to pay off in the end.”

I’m not sure Dominick made the right choice in voting out Bradley right before the merger. For one thing, showing Libby digging in to that big piece of meat while Dominick was saying he could maybe work with her seemed a way to show that there is quite a bite to the cute girl. Also, Chelsea, Libby and Donathan all appear to be closer to Chris than they are to him so it looks like he lost an soldier in his war with Chris that is about to resume after a shaky cease-fire.

Michael:

His first interview was given as we watched the tribe getting up: “Tribal Council was really utterly depressing to be honest. I got rid of James to save myself but I got to do what I got to do to get by...I’m definitely worried that I could be next...Finding an idol for me is the most important thing in my game...I’m going to go out there and tear this island apart if I have to...When I looked over that tree stump, I found this guy...I’m ready to do damage with this...”

“Obviously we’ve been on a big losing streak.., but if I have faith through the hard times then hopefully there is light at the end of the tunnel.”

Like Jeff said in his recap, Michael turned on another ally even if that still left him on the outside looking in. If Michael voted against his allies to fit in with Naviti, his actions showed that he wasn’t really considering fitting in. That was clearly evident when he feverishly searched for the idol in plain sight of everyone. That told them that he didn’t trust them so they won’t trust him either. The idol had been replaced on Day 15 and now we were on Day 18 so, if he had started earlier he would have been able to space his excursions much better and wouldn’t have aroused as much suspicion. An idol is much more powerful when it’s kept secret. It’s easily flushed when its location is suspected.

The Trailers – Laurel:

This was another quiet episode but making it to the merger was crucial for all the Malolo members. Now it’s time to take cover while the Naviti war erupts. If they can survive it, the Malolo refugees could certainly thrive.

Jenna:

She shared a smile with Donathan when the two tribes aligned next to each other waiting for Malolo to arrive. Besides that, she seems to continue her flirt with Sebastian, the two spending some time alone on the beach. It’s strange that no one has talked about this potential power couple. I suspect it’s because they’ll never make an impact on the game.

Angela:

During the reward challenge we heard her using James’ name when addressing Michael so I have to wonder if she booted the person she really wanted to vote.

Chris:

“Yes we are bummed that we didn’t come in first; we have the mindset of a team that wants to win and win it all but at the end of the day, getting anything to fill your stomach is a win expecially when you’r eone of the bigger guys like me and you have to eat.”

It’s interesting how Chris’ comment could connect to the decision he made at the very start of the season to save what he could and not risk losing it all. It was that decision that sparked the fight between Chris and Dominick and we now see that Chris’ way of thinking isn’t bad.

Sebastian:

Jenna is cute so Sebastian continues to be happy as taffy but not much else.

Desiree:

“Malolo is cursed; we are the hungriest out here. We haven’t won a reward. We’re losing each and every challenge...This might be the most losing tribe in Survivor history. I don’t want any remnant of Malolo around me; it’s bad juju.”

She cost her tribe the reward and nearly cost them immunity but thankfully, this wannabee hero ceded her place to Michael. I mean, just like James in China couldn’t let Denise win when she couldn’t stomach the baluts, there was a limit to the time Donathan could pretend to be aiming at the target. See, I can also bring up some old moments.

"RE: Episode 7 - This is a Critical Tribal"
Posted by Flowerpower1 on 04-09-18 at 08:49 AM
Great assessments and observations as always, michel. Thanks so much for posting in here, I really do appreciate it!

Thought I would add my two cents...fwiw!

This week, the intro and perhaps the entire show was more about Malolo ending it's curse and Michael's dilemma of being on the bottom than it is of getting rid of Bradley. *snicker* Even the producers couldn't "stomach" Bradley.

The intro gave us: Malolo lost their 5th immunity challenge, see Desiree, then focus on Michael. Facing TC, Michael and James (seen in the ocean together), were outnumbered, (See girls Kellyn, Des, and Angela in the shelter).
Michael: I hope I can make it through this vote.
Jiffy: at TC, Michael turned on an ally to stay alive, James, it’s time to go, snuff. But, it still left him on the outside looking in. See him sitting there with 3 girls. Who’s next?

Immediately, the episode started with Michael awakening early the next morning, to hunt for the idol. Survivor gods like it when you get up early and make your own fate in the game. They don't like it when you are negative and complain.

Michael is rewarded by finding the F'g stick. We all get a chuckle, seeing Ozzy make it, then Jason find it and show it to Eliza who tells him, it's a f'g stick, and she's voted out. Everyone that has touched it has been voted out....so the question we have is, can it save Michael, or is it his ticket out?

Right before Michael finds the idol, we cut to Desiree waking up and noting to the other girls: "He’s paranoid, and I can see he’s paranoid because he’s running through the jungle trying to find an idol. It’s three against one, easy pickings." Then, immediately he finds it. Will Desiree be idoled out by Michael. Sure would be phun!

The reward challenge was fun too, I thought. It was especially phun to see the d!ck yelling at Donathan, and then to see him yell back. The reward challenge served him up. Getting back to camp with the reward also underlined what a d!ck Bradley was, he even had a confessional about it....

In my normal life, I just have no patience, so today it was like, OMG, like let’s eat! ...for me, the hardest test out here is to not be a total d!ck, because historically in my personal life that is what derails it all and I won’t be able to get back on the track..

But, I think is Bradley being a d!ck enough of a reason to vote him out, if I was Dom? I dunno.....he's a shield, a target bigger than Dom, and he's with him?

When Kellyn goes to GI, I still feel like she's being forced on us. I don't really see any game play from her, she's passive, got no tact, she likes Bradley....ugh.
Then she utters this statement: Right now seems just like the moment where my survivor life is going to change. This could be the pivotal point from where Kellyn goes from being the sweet girl who everyone likes to being the girl who is smart enough and who is tough enough to actually make it to the end and win this game.

Really, the sweet girl that everyone likes? I don't think Jenna or Stephanie liked you when you reminded them it sucks to be them because it's 5/4 Naviti to Malolo.

I am not a Kellyn fan, can you tell? However, I do feel like she most likely makes it far and she's being forced down our throats. GAWD, I sure hope her gut doesn't give her the win. That would be disastrous....? I am trying to think of a female winner this season that I could be satisfied with, and I am having a hard time. Morgan and Stephanie seemed to be the ones with grit and game, perhaps. Libby is not really being developed. Desiree Downer. Chelsea, meh. Jenna, no. Laurel....there is just not much from her. Angela, no. I have to admit, if there is going to be a female winner, Kellyn is the only contender. I think a man will win.

I think Dom is settling down since Chris has been swapped. He's getting along very well with his new tribe.....his words to the group....It’s getting bad, it’s amazing that he’s pretty smart person and a smart player but he’s just unaware that he’s a nasty son of a #####....he lashes out, like he’s still like yelling at me that I didn’t get the fire started, and I am like you told me to wait for you to finish!...I think this is a no brainer when it comes to it, ....It’s nice to have an agreement, and, they all shake their heads...
end on Donathan shaking his head yes.

I really think this cohesive group bonds together to face a common target, and when the execute it, I think it really does bond them all.

Over at Yanuya, Chris comments how they really wanted a win, but something is better than nothing, especially when something is edible, and he needs to eat, and he loves to eat. Then we had Wendell pledge his love for his GF, Nicole. Which, I might add, didn't impress me much, but then he segues into an idol search and find. Wow! Happy Birthday Nicole, indeed! Wendell seems to be the guy that everyone loves and wants to have around. He and Dom are tight. Laurel had an affinity to him, enough to want to take down Chris, and try and sway Donathan. SeaBass loves him because he carried his dead conch in his bag to save and give to him. Jenna was happy to see him because she has a new apt and needs some new furniture. Wendell's social game is on point. He's laid back, he's nicely positioned to win it all, if you ask moi. Let's hope there is not a bitter jury...

Next, we switch to camp Malolo that is preceded with a dead crap covered with ants, and mysterious and looming music. We have Desiree downers confessional: Malolo is cursed, we are starving, we haven’t won a reward yet and we are losing each and every challenge. It doesn’t matter who is on this tribe, even if there is a switch or a swap, we lose. This might be the most losing tribe in Survivor history. She then suggests burning the banner that spells out Malolo to the tribe to reverse the curse. I don’t want any remnants of Malolo near me at all, it’s bad juju, I don’t want it...
They burn it and we hear Michael say, The curse is broken y’all.

I wonder if the curse is broken for at least Michael as he found the idol. And, let's face it, the curse is broken because Michael is a challenge beast.

We cut to the IC and Kellyn returns and it's Michael that welcomes her back. I have to wonder will Kellyn, Desiree, and even Angela have any affinity toward Michael once they are merged? They sure seemed to LOVE him after the IC.

The IC happens and it has to be Dom that I notice the most....his jump off the platform was hilarious. Yes, I think Domenick is not too good in water events. Jiffy's comments were great, not quite a dive, not quite a jump, and the next time he went, AWKWARD!

Libby got the confessional of death, but is not booted. Makes me think she's in trouble next time? Does she have a cold sore on her lip or is that where she was bashed in the face in the blindfold challenge?

Sharks seen swarming and in the surf preceding Naviti back at camp post IC. Dom apologizes, and it's Libby that has his back....we win as a tribe and lose as a tribe. It seems that the "decision" is all up to Dom....who is in conflict and can see both sides of the coin. Bradley is 100% sure they are all together and will vote out Libby.

Chelsea has a confessional: Libby thinks that we are going with Bradley tonight. But, we got a little bit of a decision here because we are getting close to a merge. You have to consider how you are going to survive to get to the end of this game and voting out bradley, that’s betraying the original Naviti...and that is huge.

The verdict is still out on Chelsea. She really seems to be quite passive in this game and is easily manipulated. It seemed to me she was solidly with Kellyn/Bradley when she was first on Malolo, now she's with Dom and will do whatever he wants to do...she's a number, but that is all.

In the end Dom made the decision. I think at the time he did what's best as he left it up to the group to decide. Both boot choices were expendable for him, and he's played very hard so far, I think it's good that he's more chill on this choice. Let's see how this "decision" pans out.

For me, it's clear that the Domenick vs. Chris issue will come to the forefront with the impending merge. And, while Dom has a legacy advantage and an idol, I cannot see how Chris is going to win this battle. He also has enough friends that will tell him it's coming. But, if Dom plays the legacy advantage it's likely to put a big target on his back. If he is to make it to the end, he's got a lot to navigate.

Chris is a big character, physically and literally. He's been developed so we are going to see a lot of repercussion if he is to be booted, perhaps. His greatest ally is Angela. He is likely to be the biggest target post merge as he is the challenge hog, whether he's in a feud with Dom or not. I have to wonder if they are blowing up the animosity between Chris and Dom, when all along we know he'll be the biggest target because he's so good at challenges. If they don't get him out now, he may go on a serious winning streak. Clearly, I don't think he's winning the IC.

Michael is a strong character in this Survivor story as well. But, I get the feeling that he's isolated, and to get to the end, he will need more than his new found friend, the HII.

Wendell: Wow, what a great position he's in. He's with Dom, who is a bigger target and is a shield for him. He has LOTS of friends, and he has an HII, that no one knows about. His stock is seriously rising.

Kellyn: Unfortunately, I think she will make her gut decisions and get to the end. But that will be all. It will be interesting to see who she latches onto without Bradley there. Seems she has one that is with her, Desiree. Will she control Chelsea too?

Donathan: the journey player. Great social game....in a game with a lot of alphas a beta will win, perhaps?

The supporting players that can go anytime: Libby, Desiree, Chelsea. Laurel is above the rest but she's still just a supporting player.


"Episode 8 - The Nuclear Option:"
Posted by michel2 on 04-14-18 at 06:08 PM
When Jeff gave us the “Previously, on Survivor” recap, he pretty much spoiled the evening: it was going to be all about the war between Dominick and Chris. Even more so, referring to Chris as “the enemy” told us who would lose that war. Having Dom read the legacy advantage rules also told us which weapon he’d be using. Then we had to go through all the montage leading to Chris having an idol to oppose Dominick’s, the idol that JT forgot in camp no less. Curses aren’t being reversed this season but prolonged. The episode ended in an interminable Tribal Council where, despite all of Jeff’s posturing, all we wanted to know was if Chris was going to act as stupidly as JT. It would have been fun to hear where the Lavita name came from, what the lesser characters did during the first few hours of the merger but it was all centered on Dom and Chris and who would be the victim of that war. They even sat Libby between the two because she could have been the collateral damage; the civilian that if often killed instead of the combatants.

The Contenders - Wendell:

“At least for this vote, I would love it to be “easy-peasy-Naviti and we just get out Michael or Libby. The problem is Chris and Dominick; it’s like the cold war, it’s like an arms race and these two guys could blow up the world if they want. I like Dom; he’s my guy in this and maybe I can be this little bridge somehow, some way or I’ll just learn that it’s impossible and we have to go with the nuclear option.” Wendell’s mediation proved fruitless when Chris wouldn’t commit to voting out anyone from Malolo like Dom suggested. Wendell’s interview resumed: “The Peace Talks came to an abrupt halt. I was willing to collaborate with Chris but the gloves are off now; time to go to war with him.”

“When we came back from Immunity, Chris brings everyone to the water well except for Dom and myself so I’m tired of him. Basically, enough is enough, dude. Chris’ ego is ridiculous and out of hand; he has to go. Because of the way Chris talks to people it’s hard for me to believe that he can get enough people on board to vote me or Dominick out so maybe I don’t have to play this idol that’s been in my pocket but if I feel threatened, I’ll pull oput this idol and use it to buy myself a couple more days.”

The swap had distanced Wendell for Dominick but it didn’t take long for Chris to fuse them back together. Acting as the diplomat can serve Wendell well even if it went nowhere this time. It’s easy to guess that Chris’ plan failed because no one wanted to vote against Wendell. If Wendell can get Naviti back on track and resume eliminating the Malolos, then he’d be very close to the end. Dom can act as a great shield for him. However, if the group wanted to eliminate both Chris and Dom then Wendell could be forced to let his closest ally go.

Kellyn:

“This morning we get mail and it informs us that we’ve made it to the next stage of the game and it’s the merge. To get to the point where we’re all on one beach and it’s an individual game feels like such an accomplishment. Now, the work that I put in to build relationships during the swaps is going to pay off so I can’t wait to see what damage I can do.”

“I know all hell is about to break loose but, in my mind right now, it’s an even playing field. Everyone gets a random seat at the table and at each spot there is a black buff. We are one family but after this feast is over, our next step is to start eating each other.”

I wonder why Kellyn felt the need to say that the places were distributed randomly. It’s not something that would come to mind when there’s all that food in front of starving people. Could it be that production wanted us to hear that the seating arrangements were randomly distributed? They need arguments to counter the viewers that are accusing them of making sure Chris would get an idol. Kellyn’s comment seemed too convenient for my taste.

“Miss Kellyn came home with the trophy and I cannot even believe it so it’s not me going home tonight but I’m still very nervous about this vote because Dom and Chris Noble have been at each other’s throat and this is the tribal where lines are truly drawn in the sand.”

Referring to Dominick as simply Dom while she called Chris by his full name is a rather clear indication of which side of the line Kellyn has chosen. There is a big hole in Kellyn’s story: We didn’t hear what she thought when she realized that Dom and Chelsea had eliminated her co-conspirator and closest ally, Bradley. That hole is even more glaring when we consider she sided with Dom against Chris Noble. It’s possible that she went with Dom only to flush his idol and to quiet his fears. One thing that is constant in her portrayal is her indecisiveness: After coming up with a plan that would have put the original Naviti women in control, she didn’t even vote with Desiree and Angela. Another constant though is that we keep hearing her side of the story and that editing choice is a strong indication that she will be there at then end.

The Others:

Dominick:

“As soon as I saw everyone pull in, I was happy to see my boy Wendell. It’s nice to have someone to talk to that is reasonable and intelligent. And then there’s Chris, my number one nemesis out here. This guy just won’t go away but I’m hoping he’s not looking to cut my throat at this point of the game.”

“I have high hopes for my second half of the game and it seems I have option out here that I can work with. I have a four way alliance with Donathan, Wendell, Laurel and myself. In addition to that, I can stick with the Naviti originals and have the majority but Chris is such a wild card. He’s still a pain in my #####, I’m sorry. So, if I can get Chris off my back, that’s something I’ve been trying to do since I’ve been out here that would be a huge weight off my shoulders.”

“Chris is cranky and tired; I don’t know what the hell is going on with him but he has no problem dishing orders out at people while he rests and takes his beauty sleep. It’s those little things that I don’t get about him and they irk me and oh! let’s remember; he’s still after me. That’s all I need to hear; I wouldn’t care if he was the greatest guy in the world, the son of a ##### wants me dead; he’s got to go.”

“I do have an actual idol and my Legacy Advantage plus I have a fake idol although my shell on a string is more of a joke, Chris believes it’s real. He’s such a joke, he’s a joke because some of the things that come out of his mouth are just ridiculous. Chris has to show the world how great he is; I’m getting tired of it, it’s getting old.”

When Donathan informed him that Chris wanted to split the votes between him and Wendell, Dominick wanted to make sure that Donathan, Laurel, Libby and Jenna were on board to eliminate Chris. Donathan said Libby and Jenna were bluffing him. In interview, he told us: “Tonight is the night that I have been waiting for; this thing with Chris, it’s going to come to an end. Time and time again, he refuses to let the gauntlet down so this is our opportunity to get Chris out which is something I’ve wanted to do since day one. I’m not sure how many relics are sitting out here ready to be played but I have my Legacy Advantage in my pocket. I can play it either at 13 or 6 and there are 13 of us left in the game right now. Whether it’s Chris or me that goes home tonight, this is going to be my moment to put my chips in and say: I’m taking this guy out.”

There were only two interesting moments during Tribal Council and the first came when Dominick spoke loudly enough in the voting booth that everyone heard him. Even Chris chuckled. The second one came when Wendell told Chris that he had no talent at rapping.

Dominick won the war so what happens next? With so many players cooling their heels while the war was raging on it’s doubtful that the new king will be allowed to rule much longer. Fear keeps you sharp, Dom said but now that his fearsome enemy is gone, will he get too comfortable? He’ll have to work hard to turn the target back to the Malolos because there’s only Wendell that trusts him. Still, with 7 Naviti and 5 Malolo left, it would be risky to eliminate a 3rd Naviti big player in a row. A big alliance is often well served by keeping the minority in check by taking one of them out before turning on their own. Tina did it to perfection is season 2 so if Naviti follows suit, that would give Dom a respite. Would he keep his alliance with Laurel and Donathan intact if he goes after Michael and Libby?

Libby:

“There’s a war going on tonight and people have to decide which side they want to be on; Chris’s side or Dom’s side. Picking a side is really tough but it feels pretty good to be safe tonight, honestly.”

Libby’s strong showing in the Immunity Challenge will only increase the target that’s been put on her back ever since Morgan warned everyone not to trust the cute blonde. If we are to believe the narration that was presented then Chris didn’t play his idol only because he had to be convinced everyone was voting for Libby in order to flush Dom’s idol. If that is the case then the story had to be based on a partial truth and we saw the Naviti women conspiring against Libby. She survived one more dangerous Tribal Council but, rather unfairly, TC will continue to be a hazardous place for Libby.

Chelsea:

She also performed well in the Immunity Challenge but her position in the alliance will keep her safe. The lack of substance to her character is rather typical for players who make it to the Final Tribal Council only to fail getting votes. She has very little case to present to the jury.

Donathan:

The story had made a big deal of his conversation with Chris about their moms yet, when it came time to choose sides, we didn’t hear at all from Donathan. In fact, he was the informant, the one who told Dom and Wendell that the water well conspiracy was about splitting the votes between the two. What could have been presented as a tough decision for Donathan was simply dismissed. That suggests the investment in his character is simply because he’s one of the last Malolos standing.

Michael:

“This stage of the game represents hope that I can win this thing. To be 18, wanting to be the youngest Survivor ever has been hard for me so far so, to not only make it to the merge but to have an idol is like Christmas morning for me.”

“Chris’ plan makes perfect sense. Dominick and Wendell are a dangerous pair; they are both smart guys and they’re definitely threats to me but is this legit? I don’t really know what to believe, whether Dom has one or whether Chris is just making it up to put a target on Dominick’s back. Truth will be told at Tribal Council where people stand and in the event things go crazy tonight, I’m willing to play my idol.”

This episode showed Michael’s youth; while the two adult Lion males engaged in mortal combat, this lion cub stayed out of the way. Michael will need an alliance to make it to the end so this could have been his best opportunity: With Desiree and Angela voting against Libby, the 5 remaining Malolos could have made a big strike by sticking together and picking up one Naviti (Sebastian?) that would have been willing to vote against Wendell. Chris would have jumped on the Malolo rescue raft and the remaining Navitis would have been in complete disarray without Wendell. Going along with the majority won’t help Michael when that majority decides it’s his time to leave.

Laurel:

“Dom and Chris have been at each other since Day 1. The merge beach is not big enough for both of them. As soon as one of them leaves the room they talk about each other to whoever is around them.”

Laurel’s role has been reduced to narration: She’s telling us what is happening around her but we don’t hear how she wants to shape those events.

Jenna:

“Dom and Chris have been at war with each other, taking the attention of me or even Michael and Libby. It’s amazing because I’ve been at the bottom so much but now I’m in more of a powerful position it finally feels good that we have a lot of control and power right now.”

Libby’s close call showed that Jenna wasn’t quite right in thinking she had more power in this game. She’s not the kind of threat that makes her removal an urgency but they will get to it at some point.

Angela:

Once more, her tribe didn’t vote with her but at least this time they didn’t vote against her!

Sebastian:

Chris was his boy but we didn’t hear his reasoning for turning in his ally. Sebastian has an insignificant face and an insignificant role. Why was he chosen for this adventure?

Desiree:

“There’s definitely a war going on here and it’s beautiful for me because then they lose sight of what’s actually happening. With everybody splitting votes between Dom, Wendell and Chris, the original Naviti girls can flip this to get who I actually want out which is Libby.”

Desiree didn’t get what she desired but did she get what she needed? She now kows that even her closest allies won't follow her lead so how can she build a case for herself?


Since this was the merger episode, the time to pick a winner has come and, for me, it comes down to either Wendell or Kellyn. Since she has received a more consistent role and isn’t seen as a threat despite winning the first Individual Immunity Challenge then I have to figure that Kellyn will be our Sole Survivor.

"RE: Episode 8 - The Nuclear Option:"
Posted by Flowerpower1 on 04-15-18 at 07:17 PM
Stellar, michel. I will just make a few supplemental comments as well. Agreed on the intro this week, told us everything we needed to know.

Curses aren’t being reversed this season but prolonged. The episode ended in an interminable Tribal Council where, despite all of Jeff’s posturing, all we wanted to know was if Chris was going to act as stupidly as JT. I knew that Chris would be greedy to press for longevity....I have to wonder if it all fell apart because he wanted to split votes between Dom and Wendell. Everybody loves Wendell....couldn't he see that? And, if Dom had had an idol, it would have been everyone's fav going packing, while Chris, the dominant challenge whore stayed in the game. What kind of options were they?

It would have been fun to hear where the Lavita name came from, and I would have liked to have heard the response that Kellyn and Desiree had when they saw that Bradley was voted out!

Dom and Chris both had tit for tat confessionals. Chris found the clue to the HI on GI in his buff. Of course he did. While Dom was armed with a real idol, a fake idol, and a legacy advantage, they had to give Chris something...But, greed prevailed. His confidence exudes, and he overplays. But, he could have used the idol at this TC, and he doesn't. He and JT both died of over-confidence and the curse is not reversed.

Kellyn got three confessionals, mostly narrational. She introduced the merge and the individual game, she introduced the merge feast, and she narrated first hand the thrill of winning the first IC. I agree that Kellyn's comment about the random nature of the merge, made me feel as though they had assigned seating, lol!

I also agree on her regarding the plan to take out Libby. She orchestrated the targeting of Libby, the one they really wanted out while everyone else was focused on the war. What was that all about? Why were Desiree and Angela totally left out of the loop? Just didn't get this at all....Kellyn has been with Des every step of the way? Perplexing.

Regarding your prediction, however. In favor of it is in a season of alphas, a beta will win. Kellyn appears to be a beta. I also feel she's being forced on us with the confessionals. So, when you wonder why, it could be that she is winner. However, I still see Dom as the prominent contender for winner. Especially if he continues to let Wendell take the lead.

Wendell, as you noted was the diplomat. He comments on the current state of affairs, he comes up with a plan to keep it "easy peasy Naviti", but Chris isn't buying what he's selling. So, with Chris leaving just Wendell and Dom behind, the writing is on the wall.

Humorous how quickly we are shown Donathan and Laurel making a bee line to Dom post Chris pow-wow, and telling him that they are splitting the vote between he and Wendell. Dom replies, we have us four, and Libby and Jenna want Chris out too, loved how Donathan nipped that right in the bud!

Donathan and Laurel go right to dom: They are splitting the votes between you and Wendell. If you can get us all together and pull a blindside on Chris?
Dom: Absolutely, 100% vote Chris
See Laurel: Alright
Dom: right now it’’s just the 4 of us, but Libby and Jenna want to join us for this vote. They want Chris out.
Donathan: NO! Don’t ask them...shaking his head, don’t ask Libby and Jenna anything...
Dom: they don’t want Chris here
Donathan: they are trying to bluff you up!
Dom: I just don’t know who to ________ trust out here.

Nice thoughts on Dom, michel. I agree about the fun points at TC, the speaking really loudly in the voting booth, and then Wendell with his diss on Chris' rapping. Funny! But, I noticed that Dom seemed to let Wendell take charge of the situation this week. Wendell had the plan to get them together and try to take out a Malolo. Then, it was Wendell that declared that he was done with Chris. After the IC, when Chris gathered them all, it was Wendell that was more peeved....Wendell: We get back from the IC and Chris gathers everybody to the water well except Dom and myself. So, I’m tired. Enough is enough dude. This ego of Chris’ is just outta hand and ridiculous and he’s gotta go.... Then, we hear the exchange between Wendell and Dom...Wendell to Dom: Why don’t we line up against him and see who’s not voting with us?
Dom: If we can put together numbers.
Wendell puts his hand on Dom’s shoulder....Listen to me....I have an idol
Dom: smiling, a real one?
Wendell: Yes, and if you want to see it
Dom: I dont need to see it
Wendell: I’m willing to let that thing go today...

Then, after the lines were drawn, it was Wendell speaking with Sebastian, Libby, and Jenna...It seems like you all may be splitting votes on me and Dom?
Sebastian: It’s an option
Wendell: but I dont think this should be a dictatorship. it’s a democracy. On everything holy I will vote Chris tonight and we can get this guy outta here. And then we just live like civilized human beings.

If Dom lets Wendell take the lead at end game, it will be Wendell that gets the blood on his hands, which could serve Dom well with the jury. The more you like and trust someone, the more you feel betrayed by them....will there be a bitter jury?

While Michael is one to root for, he has not made enough connections in the game. He has made headway with Kellyn and Desiree, and even Angela, and we saw nothing of him trying to stick with them, to at least offer himself up as a number. He has hope for the post merge game with an idol in his pocket, but how long will that serve him? Without numbers he is a dead man walking.

Libby and Jenna both got confessionals about how they are so happy that the war is here and they are confident that they are safe. We all know that this sounds like arrogance before the fall.

It's clear that Donathan is with Dom and Wendell for now, but it will be interesting to see what happens when Malolo's start to be targeted, as you note. Laurel had a minimal role as well as narrator. I sure would like to see more out of her, with the preview for next week, perhaps we will?

Nothing from Sebastian, Chelsea, Angela, Donathan.

I do think the writing is on the wall. End game players are very likely to be Dom, Wendell, Kellyn...Regarding the last Malolo's standing, most likely Laurel and Donathan.

I am a Michael fan, however, but he really needs to be a lot more social....perhaps next time around

"Episode 9 - I Must be Doing Something Wrong."
Posted by michel2 on 04-20-18 at 08:51 PM
While Jeff continues to marvel at the way the players are playing this season, I feel that this is one of the worse we’ve ever seen. The strategy is as simple as in One World or Redemption Island, seasons that are not liked at all by most fans but at least One World had substance. Survivor is good when it’s about the people and their interactions. One World, especially after Colton did us a favor by quitting, had some very interesting interactions in camp. This season pales in comparison and its tactical play isn’t compelling either. Except for a brief interlude where Naviti took care of its irritants, it’s been Naviti versus Malolo from the start.

While the past has been boring, we are at least seeing the outline of an interesting battle brewing just below the horizon. There are clearly two factions at play; on one side we have Dom, Wendell, Laurel and Donathan and, on the other, the four original Naviti women, namely Kellyn, Chelsea, Desiree and Angela. Somewhere in the middle, mostly oblivious to the game being played around them, we have Michael, Sebastian and Jenna. The only thing that we cannot tell at present is which foursome will prevail; the one that is mentioned or the one that is mostly kept secret. Since there has been much more investment in the Dom-Wendell-Donathan-Laurel foursome this season would fit better if it was their story and not ultimately about the four Naviti women.

The Contenders - Wendell:

“I feel like Tribal went how we intended it to go; pretty much a clean sweep for Chris to get him out of here but going forward from a Chris vote is much less predictable. There are so many side conversations; you see everyone talking to everyone. So, my plan is to stick with the four that people don’t know about which is myself, Dominick, Laurel and Donathan and we bring in our reserves from there. I do base a lot of my game on non-verbal things and I can tell that Laurel has been a little hesitant and she gets paranoid. So, the more secure she is the better it is for our alliance.”
While the reward team line-up of Wendell, Laurel, Donathan, Libby, Chelsea and Angela looked like underdogs, Wendell, with a nice help from Laurel, carried this group of six to a win in the reward challenge.

Wendell gave us an interview: “On a personal level, I am extra thankful to be here with Laurel who has been an ally of mine for the last couple of weeks, a super strong competitor but she has seemed a little shaky this morning. It’s good to have her out here to tighten our bond. I also have Donathan out here; that’s Laurel right hand man and who I want to be very close with because me, Dominick, Laurel and Donathan are my top four.”

“Our team didn’t look like we were going to win anything; you had all the biggest guys in the world on the other team and we come out and find a way to win this beautiful reward. I probably risked immunity for guacamole out here.”

Returning to camp, Wendell gave us more of his thoughts: “It sounds like Michael has been throwing out my name out there as a target. Michael has been stirring the pot; he’s been running around, throwing everyone under the bus. Then maybe we have again a common easy vote: Let’s get him out of here.”

Jeff said that the food eating contest was a question of mind over matter. Wendell was the player shown on screen while Jeff said those words. His reaction when the others revealed the fish eyes told us he didn’t stand a chance. He hardly even tried.
“Going into Tribal, I have Erik’s idol and he made the most boneheaded move in Survivor Micronesia. I don’t want that curse to continue but the thing is, in the game of Survivor, I have to be willing to take risks so I am trying not to have to play it tonight. You can’t necessarily trust everything you hear on the island; you really have to be listening to things and cues in Tribal. There’s definitely a danger but hopefully I make it through tonight.”

I know I picked Kellin to win the season after the merge episode but I have to put Wendell back as the top contender. For one thing, I think it will make for a more interesting story if he is to go to the end with Dominick.

While Wendell was right to feel that Laurel was being hesitant, he was wrong when he told her that there wasn’t another foursome out there. However, we can hardly blame him since the Four Naviti women cannot even agree on a single vote! We’ve seen that Wendell is an acute observer of non-verbal communication and of cues during TC so I’d be surprised if he doesn’t sense the danger of keeping the Four Naviti women around. I think he’ll be able to grab Sebastian and Jenna in time to get rid of the last true threat.

If it said that hidden idols can be wasted, this would have been a wasted immunity win for Wendell. In fact, had he won immunity, it would have forced Michael to change his target and maybe he’d have come up with a name on which Malolo could agree. Everything is lining up nicely for the extremely well-liked Wendell. Also, he’s seen as a workhorse around camp so I have no doubt he’s adept at lighting a fire, something a player needs now in order to get to the F3.

Kellyn:

“Even though we are at the merge, it’s still the original Naviti and the original Malolo but if we can pull in Laurel and Donathan we can split the vote in case there is an idol between Michael and Libby.”

Her game play is smart, no doubt about that, but it is so linear that it is displeasing to watch. Counting on Naviti retaining power is all good and well but what happens next? If Kellyn is counting on Dominick and Wendell sitting back and waiting until the last Four Naviti women can get rid of the three Naviti men then she’ll be terribly disappointed. First of all, she has the hot headed Desiree in her alliance and just there it could be enough to blow the whole game up in her face. Then there is the problem of not being able to read Laurel and Donathan; she won’t have a defense when Dom and Wendell use them to outflank her army. If that isn’t enough, then there’s the little matter of the two Hidden Idols.

The Others:

Dominick:

“It’s a huge relief that I got Chris off my back. It’s been in the work for so long I can die in peace. The one thing I’m concerned with my performance at Tribal is that they may think that maybe I am the threat that Chris thought I was. I really didn’t want to come off as if I was cocky or arrogant because the second I do that, they are going to target me next. I think that, if I can take a step back and not call the shots for the next few days I will have some more flexibility with these people. Plus, I still have my actual idol in my pocket which is good because the war is far from over.”

It must have sounded like music to Dominick’s ears when Kellyn told him that the only people she couldn’t read were Laurel and Donathan. Kellyn, who is the biggest pro-Naviti player out there, revealed that she was completely unaware about their cross-tribal alliance. I think it’s that blind spot that will prove fatal to the four Naviti women. For his part, Dominick sat back and was able to take the heat off his back. His biggest problem is that he’s going to the end with Wendell and we know he won’t have a chance of voting against his ally at F4.

Chelsea:

She told Libby that her name was written down at Tribal Council because she is close to Michael.

It feels like she is simply fulfilling her goal of participating

Angela:

After the reward, Angela really started to stir the pot in a very quiet manner: “Throughout my relationship with Chris, he wasn’t open to any idea but his own. So, now I feel I’m free to play my own game and I’m definitely going to use what I learned in the military, being with my psychological operations and civilian affairs unit and I’m going to stir the pot, getting some emotions going. When people start hearing that their name is being put out, they get in defensive mode and it starts a war. That’s what I want to see; I want to see the battle of all battles and I want to be that tyrant that holds the sword at the end of the war and all these casualties are lying around and I’m standing tall and proud because I made those casualties.”

Angela showed deep throat abilities during the Immunity challenge, shoving a see slug down as if it didn’t matter. I’m not sure how her dance steps helped but she won immunity.

“It’s a great feeling winning immunity but beating Michael was definitely a priority on my list. Now, I feel it’s an easy vote because I had a plan to stir the pot and it worked so I actually feel like I have a little bit of power right now. It’s definitely something new and energizing and fun.”

The way she talked about being a tyrant standing over all the casualties after the war, I’d be worried inviting her to the live reunion if she doesn’t make it to the end! Being somewhat a free agent, could serve Angela nicely if she continues to successfully stir the pot. It’s a dangerous way of playing the game but a very interesting one.

Laurel:

“Dominick and Wendell have a lot of power and a lot of pull in this game and now he tells me that he’s found an immunity idol. That’s one more time that I’ve felt in the dark and I don’t like that. And of course, Dom had the Legacy Advantage which he didn’t tell me about it so it’s frustrating seeing another thing going their way and then to get another piece of power. Every day Wendell and I tell each other that we have each other’s back 100 percent but I think he’s shown that I can only trust him to a certain point. I’m a little suspicious of what Wendell is telling me because he and Dom have too much power right now. At some point, I need to shake things up, I need something to change because we are at the merge and this is where you have to start making the moves.”

After Michael revealed his plan of targeting Wendell, Laurel had an interview: “My core alliance is Donathan, Dominick and Wendell but I think it would be a really big move to take out Wendell and probably something for a résumé. The issue is whether or not I want to continue working with him. If he senses what’s going on he could play his idol. This is going to determine the course of the game and my future in the game. So, it’s a huge decision tonight.”

If Laurel was right in saying that this vote was setting the course for the season then we can say that she will get to the end with Wendell, Dominick and Donathan but she’ll have nothing in her résumé to impress the jury. Of course, she’d have 3 or 4 former Malolos on that jury but would they reward her for betraying them and going along with Dom and Wendell?

Donathan:

Donathan told Laurel he wanted to stick with Malolo for one more vote: “The more I weigh it, the more I get nervous of one more Malolo going tonight. I had a gut feeling today that I’m not going to win this game if there is too much Naviti on one side but if I go against them and it doesn’t work right for us, the next Tribal would probably be me. The person I do trust has definitely been Laurel but if I pull this off it would be one of the best thing for my game.”

It’s surprising that neither Donathan nor Laurel didn’t try to steer Michael away from Wendell and on to a target that would have been palatable for them. Donathan seemed determined to make a move but it never materialized.

Michael:

“Chris was an easy vote; there were no giant split and no lines were drawn which is usually the case with the first vote after the merge. Now that Chris is gone it’s more every man for himself and right now I am trying to solidify my alliances, setting myself up for the best end game possible. Wendell and Dominick, them two as a pair are really dangerous because they are working together so that’s why I think it’s important to get the biggest threat out of the two of them out. I think Angela got worried after the vote out of Chris so I was happy to hear that she could be an extra member for us as far as the next vote goes.”

“It’s always a disappointment to lose immunity but I feel good about the plan that I’ve been working on the past couple of days to blindside Wendell. Wendell and Dominick: They are a two headed snake so we got to get Wendell out.”

“I think Naviti is staying strong but if they decide to split the vote, the five of us could vote out anybody at this point. We’ve been broken apart and beaten up but now is our time to be strong and if I decide to play my idol tonight I know I’m safer for one more vote but I wouldn’t like to do that if I don’t have to.”

Getting all those votes should tell Michael that his pathetic attempt of collaborating with the enemy, turning his back on his allies in Malolo was a huge mistake. Another huge mistake was targeting the extremely popular Wendell. His plan could have gained more traction if he had set his sights on Dominick or even Kellyn. I also think he should have told Malolo about his idol to show that he was truly with them. They could have betrayed him in turn but like he said, this move only gave him a 3 day respite.

Jenna:

She was the designated visitor to visit Ghost Island but since there weren’t any games to play, her sojourn was a big waste of our time. We didn’t even learn anything of Jenna’s personal story.

Riding Sebastian’s coat tails will not work for her.

Sebastian:

He asked how his team could lose the reward challenge when the answer was quite clear; he simply was no match for Wendell.

Sebastian is hard to beat when it comes to insignificance. He'd make the perfect goat to take at the end but I don't think the players are thinking of keeping him that long.

Desiree:

She got her way in getting rid of Libby and it looks like she’ll want more next time. Maybe that will be the mistake that finally puts an end to her game. One can hope.

"RE: Episode 9 - I Must be Doing Something Wrong."
Posted by Flowerpower1 on 04-21-18 at 08:28 AM
LAST EDITED ON 04-21-18 AT 08:31 AM (EST)

Glad that you are moving away from Kellyn. I have no doubt that Kellyn will be an end game player. However, I still haven't recovered from her unempathetic ways, which points to poor social skills to me. And, at the heart of it all it IS a social game.

Regarding your statement, I know I picked Kellin to win the season after the merge episode but I have to put Wendell back as the top contender. For one thing, I think it will make for a more interesting story if he is to go to the end with Dominick.

I could see both Dom and Wendell being deserving players. However, this episode we got a confessional from Dom stating who relayed his thoughts and strategy....The one thing I’m concerned with my performance at Tribal is that they may think that maybe I am the threat that Chris thought I was. I really didn’t want to come off as if I was cocky or arrogant because the second I do that, they are going to target me next. I think that, if I can take a step back and not call the shots for the next few days I will have some more flexibility with these people. This is spot on, Dom realizes he needs to settle down and melt into the group, not stand out as a pushy, bossy, leader. Let them dictate the action. I have to wonder if he can do this successfully, will it be Wendell that steps up into the leader role.

Regardless, Dom is playing a pretty good game, up to this point. He's settled down quite a bit from day one.

I also think if Dom and Wendell do make it together to the end, and Wendell is the beloved one, than he will take the blame for the betrayal, perhaps, which could bear out in a spiteful jury.....?

I would also like to comment on Michael. I have loved him. He's got a lot of substance and insight for an 18 year old. But, at this point, it's his only theme. I was happy he played the stick to perfection. But, Michael does not have the social connections one needs to win at this game and it's his downfall. (Much like Ozzy) Easy to see how he will be quick to go if he is unable to win II.


"RE: Episode 9 - I Must be Doing Something Wrong."
Posted by michel2 on 04-21-18 at 02:57 PM
I appreciate the feedback, FP. Always on point.

I really like the way Dom played the game, trying to repair his relationship with Chris until he realized it was a losing cause but still showing sympathy to a fallen comrade. But I don't think he'd win a jury vote against Wendell or even Kellyn. Don't underestimate her social game at least from the perspective of the Naviti players. She's had her back all along so she'd get their votes.

I liked Michael a lot until he turned his back on Stephanie and then James. I know he was trying to get in the good graces of Naviti but look what that earned him! You don't prove you can be loyal by being disloyal. He needed to get a deal from Kellyn when he voted against Stephanie and James but he got nothing.

"RE: Episode 9 - I Must be Doing Something Wrong."
Posted by Flowerpower1 on 04-21-18 at 05:04 PM
Michel, you are seriously on point! ^^


"Episode 10 - Believe it or Not"
Posted by michel2 on 04-27-18 at 08:48 PM
I know this isn’t new but why don’t we ever see the school yard pick? Why doesn’t Jeff at least tell us who were captains? It would be useful information about what players think of each other but, from production’s perspective, it’s better to keep us in the dark.

Wendell:

For someone who, along with Dom, is supposed to be navigating this game, he sure had trouble keeping his boat on course! Was that symbolic? Personally, I think it’s a good thing for these two landlubbers that this is Survivor and not Pirate Mater!
The Immunity Challenge wasn’t any better; Wendell was the first out. If he is throwing challenges in order not to appear too dangerous, he’s certainly taking no chance! It wouldn’t hurt to last a little longer!

It didn’t look good either that Wendell, as he himself said, jumped right in the middle of the night’s big debate but didn’t contribute anything either in confessional or at Tribal Council.

Kellyn:

At the reward, Kellyn gave us an interview: “Michael says; “I’m willing to work with you” and Sebastian and Chelsea were kind of like: “Hum...well you never know. That’s a great sign that we’re still Naviti strong and neither of them is ready to switch on the plan that I want to keep going down which is getting Michael next. Things keep going my way and I can feel my game ramping up. So, all things are looking swell on this bluff in the middle of Fiji.”

After telling Dom that there was no way Des could be thinking of betraying her, Kellyn gave us a confessional: “I get back from the most beautiful day I had in my life Dom whispers in my ear: “You’re in trouble.” The people I’ve been working with the closest are the ones that are coming after me. None of this is adding up; me, Des and Chelsea are unbreakable. They would never turn on me like that. Clearly, someone is trying to take the target off Michael and I’m telling you it’s never going to happen.”

“I’ve gotten this far in the game by trusting my gut instead of listening to everyone else around me. Dom has been paranoid every vote and now he’s trying to bring me into that. It’s not going to work.”

“Laurel is telling me one thing, Des is telling me another and I cannot figure out what the truth is but, either way, my gut is telling me now is not the time to blow up Naviti.”

It was interesting to note that Naviti’s plan to split the vote between Michael and Libby was presented to us in the recap from Kellyn’s perspective. She hadn’t really been the driving force of that vote but she is being given the credit for it. However, it was also a way to set the table for the arrogance that she would show us in the episode. “Things keep going my way” she says but we see that they aren’t. On the other hand, the other players see her as someone playing a great social game; she is well-liked so she could claim many votes in the end. Hearing Desiree say that Kellyn would win hands down if they are sitting next to each other at the end reminded me of Russell Swan’s comment about Denise. She’s had a more consistent story than Wendell who had no confessionals in this episode and barely an intervention at TC but there seems to be something wrong with her story: She keeps trusting her gut but keeps doing what Dom and Wendell want.

Dominick:

Informed by laurel of Des’ plan, Dom gave us his thoughts: “Oh! my god! apparently some of the Naviti girls decided that they want to take control of their own fate and flip on some of the big threats in this game. I’m not surprised; it makes complete sense that these weaker Naviti players are ready to make a move and if they are willing to go against the family, I got to do something about it.”

He grabbed Kellyn as soon as she came back from the reward and told her: “I’m hearing from Laurel, believe it or not, that Des and Chelsea are going to work with the Malolo four to take out me, you and Wendell.”

“The game plan, out of the gate, was Michael was going home tonight but I believe strongly that the goats are coming together to form an alliance and we need to be prepared to get ahead of it before it bites us in the butt.”

“Clearly, something is going on with Des. At this point, I believe she is looking to flip on me so the big players need to come together and take defense on that before something happens.”

“Kellyn is hammering me good; she saying “Dom you’re paranoid; we’re calling the shot this time.” It scares the hell out of me. Things are about to go bust out here and I have to trust my instincts and it sounds to me like Laurel is actually speaking the truth. There are people out there who are looking to take control of this game so Kellyn and I have to come together or we’re all dead.”

Including Dominick’s dream about eating breakfast with Laurel who, in his subconscious was really Martin Sheen’s daughter was a weird editing choice. Why show something so meaningless? Was it just to let us hear idle chit chat or was it a subtle way of reminding us that they are really close? Since he is Italian, the word family sounded an awful lot like “famiglia” in Dominick’s mouth! The Godfather of the Naviti Famiglia put a hit on the traitor. When he told Kellyn about what he heard from Laurel, I thought it was brilliant that he added the expression: “believe it or not” because it hides his closeness to Laurel and while Kellyn questioned the reliability of the source, Dom managed to convince her of its accuracy without having to reveal that he has very good reason to believe Laurel.

There seemed to be too much of a target on Dominick’s back to consider her a serious contender but with the flaws in Kellyn’s portrayal and the inc9onsistencies on Wendell’s, Dom has to be considered as a top contender. He has an idol, his closest ally has an idol, Donathan, who is still in his alliance despite talking of using it to help a Malolo, has an idol and Kellyn, whom he just broke away from the Navivi women, has a voting advantage. Together, those three can inform Dom of all possible tactical talks that can develop on the island. The little talk he had with Michael could also be the basis for getting his vote in the end.

Laurel:

“Martin Sheen’s daughter” gave us an interview after Desirée told her that she was ready to take out Naviti starting with Kellyn and then Wendell and Dom who have all the power. She told us: “I feel at a critical decision point right now. I felt really good about rolling with the Naviti crew ad staying tight with Dom and Wendell and kept this hidden from everyone this entire time but now there’s talk of overthrowing that side. So, once again, I’m kind of caught in the middle and which way I go will have a huge impact on the direction of the game going forward.”

“I’ve been trying to decide whether to go along with Des’ plan of going after the big threats of Naviti but the truth is I trust Dom and Wendell a lot more than I trust Des. So, I decided to show them that your bottom people don’t want to be on the bottom any longer; they are trying to make a move.”

“Somehow, Des’ scheming is coming back on me. Des asked why I would blow up this plan and then as soon as Wendell came up she switched her story and all of a sudden it was “we never had that conversation. All of a sudden, my game is blown up in my face and now it’s just a he said/she said.”

Kellyn was told that Laurel informed Dominick about Desirée plan to overthrow Naviti yet, even if she thought Laurel could have been lying, she never made the connection that laurel and Dominick were working together. Keeping an alliance quiet for so long is an indication of really strong game play on their part. It would be dangerous to keep Laurel until the end but most players aren’t aware of the great game she’s played. It would be very difficult to prove that they got the whole season wrong.

Donathan:

He found Jason’s immunity idol from season 32. He needed to match it with Tai’s idol to have a regular idol. That one was hidden underneath the shelter. “I’m just like freaking out because now I have to dig under the shelter for this other idol that is supposed to be paired with this one. How the hell am I going to do that? It was like the whole world was watching me...” With help from Laurel, Jenna and Michael, he pulled out Tai’s idol. “I found something that is going to help me in this game; if it’s to save a Malolo, if it’s to save me, these two babies are locked and loaded and ready to go.”

Not being chosen to participate in the reward challenge is a clear indication that these people view Donathan as the weakest person out there. In itself, that could be a problem because the winner is still called the Sole Survivor and if he is perceived as incapable that should cost him some votes. But more perniciously, this could be telling us that they don’t consider him a strategic player. Everyone knows that rewards are good occasions to talk about tactics, about the next move, but no one seemed to want Donathan there to participate. It was as if everyone thought he’ll go along with anything. If that is the case then Donathan won’t get a single vote at FTC if he makes it.

Chelsea:

From what we saw, Chelsea, along with Ang, was unknowingly dragged into Desiree’s big plan. Will she be able to prove to her allies that she was not part of that scheme?
She became the third woman in a row to win immunity forcing Jeff to talk about women power. Will they find a way to reclaim that power in the game now that they’ve lost the numbers advantage they had carried into the merger?

Angela:

“Going to Ghost Island...raises my anxiety level...but...it wouldn’t be Survivor without experiencing all the elements. If I can get an advantage...I’d rather be at Ghost than back at camp... I was so disappointed when it said “No Vote.”

She was designated to go to Ghost Island and while she got to play a game, she picked the bamboo on the right. The winning one has always been on the left so she wound up losing her vote.

Michael:

On the way to the chopper, Michael gave us an interview: “After the last Tribal, I think I’m the biggest target in this game and a whole lot isn’t going to change unless I’m able to stir the pot a bit. This reward is the perfect opportunity to find some cracks in the Naviti group and get myself back into the game.”

“The fact that I saw seven votes at the last Tribal Council really made this reward that much sweeter for me because rewards open up people more to talking strategy and discussing different options.”

“Clearly, I’m on the bottom. I am not afraid if everybody knows I’m looking for an idol and I’m sure everyone is expecting me to and Donathan wanted to look as well. Part of me really didn’t want to go searching with him, I think it’s one of the biggest mistakes you can make in this game; to share with really anybody that you have a hidden immunity Idol but I’m at a point in my game where it’s either me going home next vote or me finding one.”

“I’m definitely worried tonight; since I played my idol, I’ve got no safety net so it’s my worse nightmare. Fortunately, things have changed up because the Naviti seven is definitely broken up and it’s about to totally shatter.”

Well, there was a crack in the Naviti group that allowed Michael to stay into the game but it had nothing to do with his attempts at stirring the pot. We saw that his strategy talks at the reward went nowhere with the one person that mattered, Kellyn. He got a “commitment” from Dom but how long can that last? Michael seems to be running on fumes and with little hope to regain true momentum.

Jenna:

It looked like it was Jenna that convinced Kellyn that Laurel was the one speaking the truth but that was about the extent of her story.

Sebastian:

On the chopper, we heard from Sebastian: “Riding the helicopter was incredible... We were talking to each other, cracking jokes the whole time. I was smiling ear to ear...You don’t even need food when you get highs like that, man! It was so sick.”

Of course this fishing guide was the MVP of the reward challenge or at least its first leg but that just shows how over evaluated challenges are in this game. His confessional during the reward was typical Sebastian; all fun, no substance.


So, Dominick as Sole Survivor? The Godfather of the Naviti Famiglia would have followed quite a bumpy road but it's starting to come into focus.


"Episode 11 - The Tribe of Interest"
Posted by michel2 on 05-05-18 at 05:24 PM

When analysing editing as a way of finding clues that will reveal the winner, finding the Tribe of Interest has often proven to be a useful tool. Of course, it wasn’t always easy to determine the true tribe of interest but it wasn’t the case in this episode. It clearly was the Orange team! We spend much more time hearing about their dynamics while the only question about the purple group was whether or not Donathan would be stupid enough to give his idol to Jenna. I don’t think it will surprise anyone if I say that the winner will be one of those 4 from the Orange Team!

Domenick:

Domenick had the opening confessional: “Tribal Council was quite the dramatic scene. It was a huge challenge to figure out who was telling the truth and who was lying. Laurel had told me that the Naviti girls were looking at taking myself, Kellyn and Wendell out of this game. So, thank god for Laurel.”

The next morning’s scene was mostly devoted to showing Domenick and Wendell pledging to stick together to the end but then

Domenick gave us this interview: “Wendell and I’s relationship is crazy; we are really good friends but I came here to win this money for my family so if it means I have to cut this bond that I have with Wendell, that’s a risk I’m willing to take when the time is right. I already have an idol in my position but Michael played an idol a couple of days ago so if there’s a new idol planted on this island, I plan on getting my hands on it. I can’t give up at this point; I need to do this for my wife and my kids. I’ve been living at this camp since day 1 so I know the landmarks around the beach... I think that’s my one leg up on some of other players out here for now... I see this coconut with markings on it and I knew I struck gold.... I want to figure a way to specifically target someone. There’s nobody that’s going to pull this off better than I am.”

“Going into Tribal tonight, we have two groups of five...So going in tonight, the plan is to put votes on Michael. It should be easy now, we should be getting rid of him, and it shouldn’t be an issue.”

“Kellyn may be losing it a little bit because I don’t think Michael has an idol. So, it’s risky but I’m voting for Michael. This guy won’t go away. We need to get rid of Michael.”

Paranoia usually rules Survivor so Domenick’s direct answer of “he doesn’t” to Kellyn’s suggestion that Michael had an idol was enchanting. This season’s story has always been about Domenick struggling to get ahead. First Chris was his antagonist and he had to fight up to the merger to get rid of his nemesis. In the meantime, the little Libby became a huge threat even if she had very little artillery for this fight. Before she left though, Michael had already replaced her as Domenick’s main opposition. Now that he’s been dispatched, who will be next? We’ve already heard that the goats are thinking about a mutiny but it seems that his allies, Laurel, Kellyn and especially Wendell will be his main obstacles to the title of Sole Survivor. Kellyn will probably try to rally an army to go against him but she will be voted out and then I expect to see Domenick beating Wendell in the Final Tribal Council.

I’m really curious to hear what Domenic and Wendell talked about when they huddled at TC and whether or not they included Kellyn at some point.

I have to note however that Probst and Domenick had to stress that the draw was completely random. There is such a thing as overstating a case! They know viewers will question the randomness of the draw so they make sure their case is presented on air. To me, it sounds like the warnings we get from pharmaceutical companies about the possible secondary effects of their drugs. The FDA demands such openness but who forces Survivor to prove their case if not their own guilty conscience? Imagine if we had 1 Malolo on one tribe and three on the other and the lone Malolo won Immunity; we would have seen two Navitis going home instead but that isn’t going to happen this season.

Wendell:

“It’s obvious to everyone that Domenick and I are allies. It’s obvious; everyone knows it and they’ve targeted us before. It’s nothing new but I don’t think people out here realize that Laurel and Donathan are also with us. We are keeping it on the low and I think that’s our best strategy to get to the end.”

“Kellyn, who gets super emotional, wants to place a vote on Laurel but she doesn’t know that Laurel happens to be my ally. I need to talk to Laurel and see what’s going on with her because we need some kind of a plan.”

“Tonight, it should be such a straight shot. I would love to see Michael gone but if I have to vote for Kellyn to save Laurel, I’m willing to do that.”

“Today has been super busy; lots of conversations, lots of people walking away because we are going to have two Tribal Councils tonight. We have a few people on our hit list so my hope is that we can take both of them out in one night but I’m willing to make a big move out here, I’m willing to take risks out here to protect my alliance.”

Wendell’s is mostly presented as Domenick’s sidekick and he is so well liked that he presents a big jury threat. Will Domenick make a mistake by keeping him to the end? Will he vote him out when the time is right? Will he even have a chance to vote him out with the lame Final 4 twist that they aren’t expecting?

Kellyn:

“Even though Laurel saved my life in the game, I’m still not 100% sure I want to work with her moving forward. The good news is Naviti is still ahead in the numbers and that’s how I’ll get to the end of the game; by staying Naviti strong.”

“Holy cow! He has an idol. I feel like gosh darn it, it feels like things are more dangerous now than they’ve ever been. Michael’s found two idols already in this game so it’s possible he has another one and I’m really worried that if he puts his vote on me; I’m going home.”

“Michael’s found two idols already in this game so it’s possible he has another one and I’m really worried that if Michael puts his vote on me, I’m going home.”

“Domenick is reassuring me that I’m still safe but I’m so worried that wonder kid Michael might yet have another idol... A vote for Laurel seems like a safer bet because I don’t think she has an idol. So, as long as Wendell feels good with me, we can keep Naviti together.”

“The clock’s ticking down and I’ve gone back and forth on this whole day. I have my secret advantage that I want to go silent... one extra vote is a huge power. So, I’m going to...put two votes on Laurel just in case Michael does have an idol.”

The recap of the previous episode was rather succinct: Desiree was ready to jump ship on her alliance. Laurel warned Dom about the mutiny. He said that things were about to go bust. At TC, Domenick, Wendell and Kellyn struck first. It makes all three look like clinical players but we know that Kellyn didn’t really behave clinically. And we can be thankful that she is such an emotional player because without her paranoia (and Donathan’s silence) this episode would have been terrible. Her nervousness kept us awake despite Probst constant presence and needless chatter. Since Michael came to her for help, it’s hard to understand why she was so frightened he’d put her name down. She was his only hope so she should have felt confident that an idol wasn’t going to hurt her. But, as Domenick said, Kellyn is losing it a little bit. The image of Kellyn, head down, hands crossed in prayer between her knees right when Wendell was talking about taking risks to protect Laurel didn’t make her look like a power player.

It would have been funny if she had simply crossed out the A in Michaela’s name and maybe that’s what production was trying to tell her but, alas, she put her two votes on Laurel, wasting another advantage and forcing us to witness a totally needless voting process. I mean, the revote was even less in doubt than Putin’s re-election! And, quite symbolically for this season, the three Naviti had the right to vote while the 2 Malolo had to sit by quietly. At least the Malolos will have the right to vote at Final Tribal Council (unless we have another lame twist waiting ahead) but will there be anyone they like on the final ballot? They’ll probably have to choose between 3 Navitis.

Laurel:

After receiving a hug from Dom, Laurel gave us a confessional: “For the first time I feel really great about my spot in the game. I feel like I’m locked in protection from Kellyn, Domenick and Wendell because I saved them tonight.”

After Wendell suggested she needed to vote for Kellyn, Laurel had an interview: “Michael has shown himself to be a fierce competitor so it makes sense to vote for Michael pulls out an idol, I might very well be going home. It’s frustrating that my game comes down to whether or not Michael has an idol... Wendell and Domenick are two of my closest allies out here and I feel like right now, they need to protect me through this next vote and vote for Kellyn because Kellyn could decide to flip on me and get me out.”

Why didn’t Laurel talk to Donathan about Michael possibly having an idol? In fact, considering she was there when Michael and Donathan decided to go look for an idol together, it’s a little bit curious she didn’t ask him about it. Donathan would have reassured her that Michael didn’t have one and then the little Tribal Council drama that was mustered up would have completely fizzled. Laurel is in a good position to make it the final episode but there would be 4 Malolos on the jury so it would be very risky to keep her to the end. Domenick and Wendell would be safer with someone like Chelsea or Sebastian so she might be forced into the fire challenge.

Donathan:

“Even though I like Michael, I can’t just give Michael my idol; I came out here for me and to win a million dollars so I definitely have to put my best interest first and I never want to let it slip that I have an idol before we go to Tribal.”

“Sebastian told Jenna that he was voting her out but I have my idol so I can feel like I’m safe but I’d hate to see Jenna go. Maybe I can save her. Laurel, she’s my greatest ally out here but she is on the other side and it sounds like Laurel could actually go tonight and that terrifies me. Malolo has struggled through this whole thing and I’d hate to see Jenna go as well. I told Jenna that I was willing to play the idol on her tonight but there are so many variables in this game. It depends on what my gut tells me. It’s a huge risk to my game but I think to how it was between Tai and Scott...I intend to reverse the curse for Malolo.”

Since he was set on playing his idol, I have to question why he didn’t tell his allies, Domenick and Wendell, that he, not Michael, had the missing one. He wanted to keep his idol secret which can be a good thing but hiding it from his allies will make him look untrustworthy. He did hit the nail on the head when he said the three Naviti on his team were afraid of rubbing the other three the wrong way.

Chelsea:

She won another immunity challenge where all she really had to do was just stand still.

Angela:

This would have been a great occasion for Angela to get revenge on Naviti because she only needed to rally Donathan and Jenna to eliminate Sebastian. This missed opportunity tells us that Angela will go quietly.

Sebastian:

“The people on our tribe...are two Malolos, three Navitis. We’ve literally had the number since day one. So, I couldn’t be happier. We are going to vote for Jenna and all tell her that we are voting for Donathan straight up.”

Jenna was Sebastian’s option, his only contact outside of Naviti. While he isn’t the only one that ignores Donathan’s alliance with Domenick and Wendell, he knows that he has no connection to the Kentuckian. So why not even try to put the target on Donathan? Why did he have Jenna as is only target? I believe that Domenick has his hooks in Sebastian and he was able to convince him to target the girl hanging on to him. All he had to say was that Sebastian wouldn’t want to be seen as part of a power couple.


"Episode 12 - There is a Crack."
Posted by michel2 on 05-12-18 at 05:43 PM
I’m starting to think that the season’s theme is: “Even if you know the History of Survivor, you are still bound to repeat the errors of the past”. On the surface, that would tell us that it’s not as easy to play when you are on the island as when you are in your living room but, surreptitiously, the real message is to convince us that the original mistakes were all done in good faith, not somehow arranged by production. To our usual remark that no one could be that dumb, this season is saying; see, even these super fans are that dumb. Probably the editors thought it would give us a good laugh but the real effect is disappointment; how can this be so bad?

While I’m not a fan of the sob stories associated with the Loved Ones’ visit, I’ve enjoyed some of them over the years but this one was absolute crap. First of all, who wants to see a sister, a brother or even worse, an aunt especially when they have nothing to say? In previous seasons some of the loved ones had a role to play in the episode, telling us something new about the castaways but, outside of the brief introduction, only Donathan’s aunt had a line in the script...and that had more to do with Domenick’s story than her nephew’s! The Loved Ones visit has become as boring as the reunion show.

Domenick:

Even his wife hates Domenick. That remark must have pleased his detractors.

“I am so blessed having my wife out here but, as much time as I want to spend with her, this is an opportunity where we need to be talking to people and say; “guys, this is our opportunity. We should all come together.”

“We’re acting as if we’re Naviti strong but we are really going to do tonight is vote Chelsea out. It’s important that we get these challenge beasts out of the way so we don’t have to worry about them later on down the line.”

It’s weird hearing Chelsea being described as a challenge beast and it’s weirder that Domenick who just won two Immunity challenges in a row would set the target on challenge threats. It would have been much smarter to go after the tactical Kellyn, the one who can still assemble an army to fight the two Naviti men. However it’s clearer with each episode that, much like when it was all about Tony or all about Mike, we are being told Domenick’s story. The drama was set right from the start, when we heard talk of taking him out even if he was about to win immunity. Then we are told how much he depends on Laurel but we hear her saying she needs to take him out. All his done to put doubts on his chances to win the game but he always pulls through. There is no reason to change the narrative.

Wendell:

“...As good as it is to have my father next to me...we were on the same page: “You better go get that...” At the next Immunity challenge, I get a second attempt if the ball falls off just like Malcolm. An advantage like this...at this point in the game...is as good as it gets. The end is in sight...so that means grab, scratch and claw at every advantage you can find. I’ve got to sit in the Final Three and this puts me one step further.”

“I didn’t win immunity and seeing how I didn’t capitalize on that advantage I blew an opportunity to kick it with my dad for nothing but I feel really secure with my alliance so hopefully we can get out who we want to get out tonight.”

“I have a lot of trust in Laurel and I need her tonight but she is not giving me good eyes and good vibes that I usually get from her so the idol is in my pocket, unwrapped and ready to go and if anyone blinks at me the wrong way, I’m going to pull that thing out and pull the trigger.”

Wendell did just as badly with his advantage as Malcolm did but that could be for the best. An advantage is worthless even disadvantageous when everyone knows which player has it. Having to reveal it and use it immediately while looking weak in another challenge can only help Wendell in the long run. Another factor to consider is that Wendell is more liked than Domenick so maybe Laurel and Donathan would have made the move if it had been to eliminate Domenick. Wendell said that he needed Domenick if he wants to make it to the end so had his ally taken the walk of shame, he would have soon followed. The problem though is that Wendell showed that he would do anything to win this game even sacrificing time with a father he truly loves. Others, Domenick in particular, have to take note. If Wendell can turn his back on his dad, he’ll turn his back on his allies. So it would be wise for Domenick to send his ally to the jury somewhere around Final 5 or 6.

Kellyn:

After being snubbed by Sebastian, Kellyn told us: “Those boys are so full of themselves that they didn’t even worry about leaving the four of us back at camp. We’ve got work to do, girls.”

“The three boys stepped right up and go off on reward and go off to Ghost Island to get advantages and leave us back here, I don’t know...to clean dishes. You know, we can be ticked off at them or we can take this opportunity to take control of this game. Dom and Wendell have been running this show so the four of us girls can come together, pull in Donathan and break up that little power couple. You better watch out boys because we’re coming for you.”

“The old happy Naviti family has really come to an end but the Naviti girls are going after the Naviti boys and Laurel and Donathan are the hottest commodity at Lavita. Now, everyone wants their vote. It’s game on and Laurel and Donathan are up to bat.”

“Seeing Dom win immunity today, made me feel another level of there’s too much power going to the boys. If I can pull this off with the girls and get Wendell out, it would be my sweetest Survivor victory up so far.”

Since Kellyn was determined to go after the Naviti men, she really should have been thinking ahead to this situation when she voted against Laurel twice at the previous TC. All she really had to do that time was put her two votes on Wendell, piggy-backing on Michael’s errant vote. Always being a dollar short and a day late is a symptom of indecisiveness. The result was that Laurel and Donathan shot the puck in girls’ net, not the men’s. Kellyn makes for a formidable antagonist to this season’s protagonist; she is feisty and smart. That means she was quite lucky that the target was placed on the docile Chelsea instead.

Laurel:

After Kellyn came clean about her two votes, Laurel had an interview: “I was so close to going home tonight and the fact that Kellyn threw not one but two votes at me... I understand; everyone is looking out for themselves right now and I’ll have to do the same. Luckily, Wendell and Dom stuck by me tonight.”

“Kellyn is asking me to trust her after she burned me at the last Tribal but I think the silver lining is we can be mutually beneficial to each other. The problem is that I know Domenick has an idol and I know that Wendell has an idol so it’s scary but it’s tempting to find another option. I can jump over and roll with the ladies and take a shot at one of these guys and hope it doesn’t bounce back on me.”

“Right now, I don’t know what to do. On one hand I have the guys who I feel I can trust bit I feel I know I can’t beat and on the other I have the Naviti girls who I think I could beat if I got to the end but I don’t know that I can trust them to get me there. Plus I know that Wendell and Domenick have idols and this could be the last chance to take a shot at one of them when they’re not expecting it. Donathan and I control not only tonight but the direction for the rest of the game. This decision is everything.”

A long time ago, we were told the story of Gregg who wanted to make a move against Tom and Ian but kept waiting for the right moment. He waited so long in the jungles of Palau that he gave Tom and Ian the opportunity to make the move first. It seems that we are being told the same story here with Laurel always saying she wants to make a big move on Wendell and Dom but never quite getting the nerves to do it. People will argue that she wasted her best opportunity especially since Wendell didn’t play his idol; others will say that she would have been in a worse situation, going from a foursome she trusted to a group of five she doubted. I say that sometimes shorter stories are better than the prolonged ones and that this story is being dragged a few extra chapters unnecessarily.

Donathan:

When a family member comes to deliver news about the health of grandma, it should always be bad...even if she is in top shape!

“Domenick and Sebastian were making their plan, saying we are all together but they are the biggest threats out here. I don’t know if little Donathan can go against these big guys and win. At the last Tribal Council, I feel like I wasted my idol so, from here on, I need to be more aggressive. I need to pick out one of these big targets.”

“So I definitely feel that me and Laurel are sitting pretty in the middle: You got Wendell and Dom and Sebastian too and you also got the three Naviti girls pulling me and Laurel this way and that way. I don’t know how exactly this will play our but I’m scared that if I go one way it could bite me in the butt.”

I didn’t like the way he flaunted his powerful position right at the beginning of Tribal Council. That hubris usually doesn’t go unchecked. I would like to see Naviti joining forces once more just to get rid of the bomb dropper.

Angela:

Tribal Council rarely go the way Angela wants them to go. I highly doubt it will get any better.

Sebastian:

We’ve had creepy remarks during family visit before but Sebastian was creepier than most; his attachment to his sister bordered on incest...
Outside of that troubling moment, we saw just how superfluous Sebastian is to the story. During Tribal Council, he just kept sitting there, his eyes unfocused as if he was more interested in counting insects flying around than listening to the conversation. He has become the best goat out there.

"Episode 13 - We're Done Talking, Remember?"
Posted by michel2 on 05-19-18 at 01:59 PM
This season has been arduous to follow for many reasons, the most obvious being a lack of character development and the very linear strategy adopted by the Naviti players. The early episodes focused a lot on short term players leaving us with half a dozen stand-ins (Libby, Des, Jenna, Sebastian, Chelsea and Angela) when it came time to merge. The strategy, from the start, has been “Keeping Naviti Strong” which led to a decimation of Malolo.

However, I think this simple analysis of the strategic display is a distortion caused by our expectation of “Big Moves”. There was an underlying brilliance to Domenick’s overall game plan that cast a shadow on everyone else’s play. The most important part of his strategy was keeping his alliance with Laurel and Donathan secret even while promoting the idea of “Keeping Naviti Strong”. It was his connection with Laurel that has given him most of the information he needed to avoid being blindsided and it was her votes that kept him on track. Kim, in One World, also had a brilliant game plan that made everyone around her look dumb but look back at the way she turned Troyzan against Michael or, even better, how she got Alicia to turn on Kat and Tarzan and you realize her genius. We are lucky to witness someone of similar caliber.

Domenick:

Winning reward with Wendell, they picked Laurel to take along and sent Sebastian to Ghost Island.

“We were in a boat loaded with school supplies, sporting goods and toys for kids...To see that the reaction my children at home would have if I bring them a gift is the exact same reaction I get from these kids half way around the world. It’s just a universal happiness. We all just grabbed some kids; I think Laurel played volleyball with some kids. Wendell was doing basketball and we all brought our own flavor. So it couldn’t be three better people to share the reward with.”

After calmly listening to Donathan say he had no incentives to play with them, Dom gave us an interview: “Donathan just out right told us: “I can’t win against either of you two” so it sounds like he’s just going Kamikaze on us and, you know what? I know he’s ready to make his big move. I know it’s coming, I can smell it in the air. I don’t know what the hell he’s going to do; he’s going to ruin his game, he’s going to ruin my game, he’s going to ruin everyone’s game. He’s scaring me. He’s actually blowing this entire game up.”

“Kellyn is a huge threat out here, both in immunity challenges but also going to the end; no one wants to take Kellyn to the end. She’s super likable; she has a lot of friends on the jury. So the general consensus is that we are going to work to get Kellyn out. Just out of nowhere Donathan decides to go bonkers. It seems that, as we approach the end of this game, he’s imploding on himself and it just baffles me. Kellyn is the bigger threat because she is likable and she is all these things but at least she’s reasonable.”

The line of the evening, for me, came after Donathan first said he didn’t want to hear what Domenick had to say and then said out loud that he didn’t know anything about the “hammock Plan”. Domenick’s directly answered “That’s because we’re done talking, remember?” That reply was almost as powerful as some of those unforgettable movie lines; “You talking to me?” for example. Like he did for the Vanua kids during the reward, I think Domenick is about to bring his children a gift, a million dollar gift! Even the Vanua woman kept looking at Domenick when Laurel asked which of the three would win in the end!

Wendell:

“Dom and I have been working together since the beginning but sometimes Laurel seems like she questions a lot so we picked Laurel to come with us to shore our alliance, to reward her with her loyalty to us, to show her how much we do care for her and to give her this special moment."

Wendell was so much in the zone during the slide puzzle that he forgot to tell Jeff he had finished it.

“We are all in fear that Donathan may try something and, because of that, I want to be able to flex some kind of muscle tonight at Tribal. I do have one idol but also, I’ve been working on a good fake idol and now I just need to paperwork. So now, if anyone questions me, I’m good to go.”

“We don’t know what Donathan is capable of doing. You never know with someone so volatile; they’ll run up to the person you’re trying to vote out. You never know what he can do but then there is also Kellyn. She’s a super strong competitor, a super threat and if you can knock out another threat at seven it increases our odds. Every move, every decision you make has to be super strategic at this point and that’s what I’m trying to do. The end is in sight; it’s time to sprint to the end.”

Wendell’s fans must be clamoring for Survivor to adopt a video replay challenge system because it would have shown that he had it won. While Wendell’s grace is commendable, it could be detrimental in the end. It wouldn’t surprise me to see the jury penalizing Wendell for being too laid back. The latest Immunity challenge was just another example indicating that Wendell doesn’t care enough about winning it all. Even if it’s only an impression, a naturally nonchalant attitude that doesn’t prevent someone from being a true competitor, why would the jury give him the title? It’s even easier to dismiss his competitiveness when you compare him to someone who fought tooth and nail from day one to win it? If the jury rewards the biggest competitor, Wendell doesn’t stand a chance.

Laurel:

“Dom and Wendell think that Donathan and I are completely with them because we had a shot at Wendell last night and we could have taken but I didn’t. The thing is that I know I can’t beat those guys at the end and seven is kind of the last chance to get one of these guys out, get the idols out and get myself to where I need to be at the end. The problem is that they are two of my best friends out here. Dom and Wendell have protected me; they could have picked me off a long time ago and they haven’t so it’s risky.”

“We have come a long way together; we linked up on day nine or ten and we’ve been loyal to each other ever since. I looked them in the face and said of course I’m with you; it makes sense to go to the end with you guys. You’ll could split up the votes and then I can pick up the rest. I think that’s what they are basing on but I’m here to cut their throats. I love them but the game comes first.”

“I think it’s a smart move to stick with my allies and vote out Kellyn. I’m going with the smart move rather than the big move tonight.”

As she said during the reward, Laurel’s best hope is to go to the end with the two guys and have the jury split the votes between the two, leaving her just enough to squeeze by. Even if Kellyn, Donathan, Angela and Laurel had voted together and avoided Dom and Wendell’s idol, that wouldn’t have given Laurel a pathway to glory. Kellyn would have had so many goats around her that Laurel would have become their first target. Making a “big Move” would simply have given the game to Kellyn so Laurel was absolutely right to go with the smart move.

Donathan:

"Me and Laurel have been together since day 1 and it’s been that way ever since. We had opportunities to vote out Wendell and Dom but Laurel is always changing her mind. It’s frustrating. These guys have practically run this whole game. It’s tough to watch. I would love to take this game into my own hands. I made it to where I’m in the middle but the middle won’t get me to the end. If Laurel continues bouncing back and forth I may have to play this game by myself. I’m ready for that challenge.”

“I feel like I have been underestimated since the beginning because Dom and Wendell have been the top dogs who had the plan laid out for me but I’m not that type of person to let that happen no more.”

“After Wendell and Dom chose Laurel, I was pissed off. They were my end game but I don’t see myself in the four anymore. Now is the time to rattle some and go get some of the big guys. I want Wendell and Domenick know that I’m not one to mess with.”
“After Domenick, Wendell and Laurel went on reward, I see where lines are probably going to be drawn for me later in this game so my only option is to get in their heads a little bit.” He told Wendell he’d be voting for Dom if both sat together at the end. His interview resumed: “I definitely think that my truth bombs are working for me out here and I hope that scares Wendell to death and that’s what I want; I want them to be scared of each other out here. It’s good for my game. It’s time to pit them against each other.”

“Wendell and Domenick were just creeping around... If we are supposed to be so tight, share your information with me. It’s freaking me out. I’m going to have to go overboard from here on out.”

Did you notice the satisfied look Donathan gave to the jury when he realized Kellyn was leaving instead of him? It was as if he thought he had accomplished something worth noting when, in actuality, that revote clearly meant that he was insignificant. Being inside a solid Final 4, Donathan should have quietly worked on an outsider or two like Sebastian or Angela to have enough votes against Wendell and Domenick at Final 5 or Final 6. Showing his volatility only turned him into a pariah, someone that even his allies don’t want hanging around.

Angela:

This was the Previously on Survivor, recap: “Facing Tribal Council, Kellyn saw her opportunity to strike but Wendell and Domenick had their own agenda leaving Donathan and Laurel in the middle. At Tribal Council, Donathan and Laurel stuck with Wendell and Domenick leaving Kellyn without an ally in the game.”

Wasn’t Angela aligned with Kellyn? Like Kellyn and Chelsea, she voted against Wendell and she was also blindsided by the vote against Chelsea but Jeff words tell us that Angela doesn’t matter. She is like a ghost in this story. Wendell didn’t even bother telling her which name she should write during the revote, shrugging his shoulders when she turned to him for guidance. No one picked Angela for the reward and no one would pick her to win this game.

Sebastian:

He was happy to be sent to Ghost Island mostly because the guys called him the “Pirate”.

“They sent me here because they think of me as their remora. A remora is a sucker fish...they attach themselves to the bottom of the behemoths like great whites. This game is almost over and Ghost Island, at this stage of the game, is critical. I feel the advantages get more and more powerful so I feel this is when the remora turns into the shark.” He smashed the “Yurn” (!) and received Kellyn’s extra vote...”The fact that I have two votes is tremendous. This is my chance to show everyone out here that I can play Survivor and win this game.”

Sebastian words say it all. He’s on Day 33 and he knows that he hasn’t shown anyone that he can play Survivor yet. He’ll try to make a move with his extra vote but an idol beats all the extra votes you can get in Ghost Island. Like a remora, is he will have to be satisfied with the scraps that the game’s shark will leave for him.


"RE: Episode 13 - We're Done Talking, Remember?"
Posted by Flowerpower1 on 05-20-18 at 10:22 AM
The line of the evening, for me, came after Donathan first said he didn’t want to hear what Domenick had to say and then said out loud that he didn’t know anything about the “hammock Plan”. Domenick’s directly answered “That’s because we’re done talking, remember?” That reply was almost as powerful as some of those unforgettable movie lines; “You talking to me?” for example. Like he did for the Vanua kids during the reward, I think Domenick is about to bring his children a gift, a million dollar gift! Even the Vanua woman kept looking at Domenick when Laurel asked which of the three would win in the end!

Astute, as always, Michel!

As she said during the reward, Laurel’s best hope is to go to the end with the two guys and have the jury split the votes between the two, leaving her just enough to squeeze by. Even if Kellyn, Donathan, Angela and Laurel had voted together and avoided Dom and Wendell’s idol, that wouldn’t have given Laurel a pathway to glory. Kellyn would have had so many goats around her that Laurel would have become their first target. Making a “big Move” would simply have given the game to Kellyn so Laurel was absolutely right to go with the smart move.

100% agreed.

For me, this has been Dom's story all along. He started out with a bang when he spoke up about Chris making the wrong choice in the opening challenge. He had damage control to do and he did it. He got a lot of attention in the beginning. But, thanks to the twists and turns of the game he managed to sink back under the radar a bit, and finally was able to get his nemesis out, Chris. He seemingly let others take the wheel, Wendell. Wendell's friendliness and likability may hurt him when they get to the jury. Because they all liked wendell so much, they may hold him accountable for their demise and hold it against him.

Wendell for me, has been a supporting player to Dominick the entire time. And, we saw that develop in the beginning. And, Wendell was very loyal. Laurel has seen the writing on the wall, she's a smart girl. She knows she will make it to the end with Dom and Wendell, and if she chose to take one of them out, Kellyn and company would turn on her at the first chance.

At this point in the story, Donathan is the most threatening out there, so I expect him to go next. Angela and Sebastian are non entities, and no takes them seriously, they are not threats to win. Sebastian's great advantage will mean nothing vs. 2 real idols. I fully expect the F3 to be Laurel, Dom, and Wendell. Most likely it will be a fire building challenge between Laurel and Angela. Laurel will win.

Dominick will win, imho. I think he will be deserving. Interesting that the male winner gets the starring role through the entire season, as it has been historically. Maybe next season they can switch it up?

Thanks for all you do, michel! <3