Without the medivac, Christina is gone. We go to merge with the guys having a 7-5 advantage, and Salani having a 7-5 advantage. That makes it a totally different ball game. You say "the majority" would never have allowed Colton to skate with his HII, but it takes a split vote to smoke out the HII and who had enough votes to pull that off? In the above scenario- no one.
Would Troy, Jay and Michael be so quick to stick to Salani if the men had a 7-5 advantage? I doubt it. I think at the very least they would have insisted on Alicia being the first boot.
On the other hand, down 7-5, the women would have been desperate for Colton to join them in the same way Alicia, Monica and Christina were desperate on NuManono. There is NO WAY they target Colton first. Why target the very guy who might flip to you?
Plus, add in the fact that Colton was a dream goat and zero challenge threat. No, I don't see Colton going anywhere any time soon.
Mike said in his interview that Troy had issues with him from the beginning. Troy has said nothing to suggest Mike was telling a one-sided story. Even if the Frat Pack had rejected Troy for Colton at the outset, Troy still could have went to them after Colton revealed the HII and assembled the Misfits. They were dead in the water at that point and would have voted for whoever Troy wanted out.
Tarzan has said all along that he wanted the men to stick together. He was the first to suggest it after the merge. I think his blow-up at Jonas meant nothing. He still would have voted with the men if they would have stuck together.
After the merge, Troy still had the hammer in his hands, even with a 6-6 gender tie. Why? Because of Christina. If he wanted to stick with Salani, then he should have put Kim's feet to the fire and insist Alicia went home. If Kim/Chelsea acquiesce, then he and Jay know they have a bonafide Salani alliance. If they refuse, then you gather the men and Christina and boot Alicia anyway.
I imagine Christina would have jumped at the chance to boot Alicia at that point. The ONLY thing that could have stopped that plan would have been Mike, but Mike would have been an idiot to side with the women, knowing that they would target him the first chance they got.
As far as giving up immunity goes, I have never bought it that whoever protested would have been immediately sent home. First of all, your argument regarding the "crystal ball" contradicts itself.
If they were not looking in the crystal ball and predicting a tribal switch, then why go to TC and boot Bill??
They went to TC directly because they WERE anticipating a tribal switch. So, whoever protested giving up immunity was safe anyway.
Secondly, if so many of the guys really thought TC was a bad idea, then why would they have booted whoever stopped them from going? Because he would then be an easy target? Maybe. Or maybe they actually would have been grateful and regrouped around that person.
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