LAST EDITED ON 10-21-18 AT 02:04 AM (EST)With Bi quitting the game, we have to wonder why Survivor didn’t go to two tribes of 8 instead of this farce of three tribes where you don’t lose even if you lose.
Even Christian called it: The Tribe System has been Gerrymandered he said. So we aren't alone to say that production interferes with the game.
This rigged swap was obviously done to further push the David vs Goliath theme even if it was disguised as a random switch. At least, we’ve got two compelling stories to observe: On one side we have Christian and Gabby, the endearing nerds, trying to make their way through the game. On the other, we have Mike, the David of the Goliaths, teaming up with another underdog in Nick to become the “Rock Stars”.
These two pairs are already connected to each other through the Mason-Dixon alliance so if they can team up with John then we could have a very similar ending to the one we saw in Survivor Millenials versus Gen X with one socially awkward big guy (John/Ken), one quirky girl (Gabby/Hannah), an older author who was ostracized early on by his tribe (Mike/David) and two young guys (Christian + Nick/Adam + Jay). I don’t have a Brett Labelle in this season’s cast but that is just as well because, for me, the sequel’s characters are much more interesting.
I liked the way my list flowed last week so I'll do the same from now on, going from worst to best.
15- Lyrsa: While it was fun to see how the game flipped on the very first Tribal Council to save Lyrsa, we have to say that, from a character stand point, it would have been better to lose Lyrsa. Just like Gabby, Christian, Nick and Elizabeth, Lyrsa was put in danger by the swap but the editors didn’t even bother giving us her impressions. I hope it’s a sign that she isn’t long for the game.
14- Natalie: She was given a golden opportunity to redefine her character. All she had to do is say that building a second shelter is too much for a 57 year old and let the others take charge, taking care of the little chores for a couple of days. It would have been difficult for Mike and Angelina to go after a more relaxed Natalie especially considering they have another nice target in Lyrsa.
13- Allison: I still think the big wave took her away and the undertow is keeping her out of our sight. There was that quick exchanged look between her and Angelina to make us think Alison could emerge at some point to reconnect with her Goliath allies but I see her as the type of character you want to have as the first boot on a night where we have two episodes!
12- Carl: Many players have benefitted from early swaps but none more so than Carl. By not getting a buff, he won the lottery. The advantage was just sitting there, waiting for him and then, in an episode where a Black man was eliminated, he was reunited with his fellow African American and he’s on a tribe where he has a numerical advantage. We saw that Carl and Davie were shocked to see that Jeremy had been eliminated so they certainly won’t turn on each other now. One word about his advantage: Stupid. It’s already rare to play an idol correctly; it will be next to impossible to play the nullifier profitably.
11- Dan: In Fiji, Earl’s “Shelter Builders” alliance won in part because it counted on Boo to win challenges after the swap. He proved that, in this game, the best ally is the dumb, strong one. Enter Dan! and give him that role. For a tribe of Five, Tiva is perfectly built: They have the two strongest guys, probably the strongest woman and the two best puzzle solvers. How can they lose? And how can we completely believe in the randomness of this swap?!
10- Elizabeth: While she really pushed the idea of the “big Move” during Tribal Council, I believe that Alec had already decided to make the move. He was only waiting for the excuse and Probst provided it by agreeing with Elizabeth that a big move was important for a player’s resume. Now people will say that Elizabeth is safe but I think she made a big mistake by being the first to throw her original tribe mate under the bus. I can see Davie and Carl teaming up with either Alec or Kara and voting her out.
9- Kara: She was very close to Natalia and close enough to Alec that she should have seen her errors and realized his discomfort. She should have been doing everything in her powers to bring these two back together but she felt so sure that it would be either Davie or Elizabeth that she relaxed. Final 5 is NEVER the time to relax and this was, in effect, a Final 5 for Vuku. The one thing working for her is that she’s the only member of Vuku who has proved to be loyal.
8- Alec: His “Made for TV” move was criticized on every Survivor panel and for good reasons. While I can see some advantages to it, he mostly assured himself that he won’t win the game. Many say he’ll have trouble explaining his move to the likes of Kara, Angelina and Dan but I think he has a bigger worry: Jeff stupidly said that there’s always a big move available but what he never says is that it’s easy to make the game go boom! but it’s impossible to be trusted once you’ve done it. Most big moves are actually “suicide attacks”, the player making the game go Boom! exploding soon after his target. Davie and Carl would be smart to vote him out instead of Kara.
7- Angelina: She never lost her poise or her great smile when Jabeni was falling far behind in the challenge. Her perseverance was nicely rewarded when she brought her team all the way back to finish second, good enough to avoid a trip to Tribal Council. Jabeni would have been better off physically had they exchanged Lyrsa for Carl but Angelina seems savvy enough to hook up with Mike and Nick. Booting Natalie and Lyrsa would bring them directly to the merger if it’s at 13 again. I certainly would like to see Angelina asking Alec to explain his move. Even if her tribe eliminates Natalie, it won’t excuse Alec’s betrayal because the 57 year old CEO was clearly on the outside of the original tribe while Natalia was in the majority alliance.
6- Davie: He was smart not to push Alec too much simply telling him that he’d be there if anything strange happened at Tribal Council. All he needed was eye contact and that was enough for Alec who didn’t need to tell Davie what to do. Now that he has Carl on his tribe and an idol in his pocket, Davie is the game’s new Goliath! This is probably why he won’t win...
5- John: He’s proven to be much more than the usual muscle man. His personality makes him not only great to have during the challenges but also enjoyable around camp. If he can transform Christian’s friendliness into a true alliance then John could be there at the end. Of course, for this Goliath amongst Goliath to win, he’ll have to beat the “Survivor Gods” who obviously want a David to prevail but maybe it’s time to rewrite that book.
4- Mike: I really didn’t like the Gen X author, David, because I felt he was acting the role of the neurotic player but I really like Mike. He is either a better actor than David ever was or he is more authentic because I feel he connects well with the viewers, explains the situations well and doesn’t dwell on his worries and insecurities, he just lets us feel them. The swap put him in a good situation but since it had been decided that all three tribes would contain a majority of original Goliaths I think he would have excelled in any permutation.
3- Gabby: From a social point of view, Gabby was right to be worried. Being outnumbered 3 to 2 is already problematic but to have such a Survivor savvy player as Christian being the “other choice” is truly a nightmare. Had it been anyone else then Gabby could have fit in much more easily but how much room did Christian leave her? It makes for a terrific underdog story and would certainly gain many votes at Final TC. The best thing for Gabby is that her underdog status is only theoretical because no one on Tiva is likely to encounter Probst’s snuffer.
2- Nick: He did a great job connecting with Mike but the tribe’s demographic certainly provided him with all the safety he will need until the next turn of events. Being the only tribe with two men, and two of the weakest at that, Jabeni should visit Probst a few times but they have two easy options to offer as sacrifice to the “Survivor Gods”. Can you imagine how boring an episode it will be when the choice is between Natalie and Lyrsa? Why couldn’t they get rid of both at once and get on with the show? Nick is playing a strong game, gaining everyone’s trust. Of course now we’ll have to see if he possesses the other half of the equation: Can he turn against everyone? Of course the Final Three abomination and the Final 4 Fire challenge remove a lot of Outwitting from this game just to please its fanatics. Nowadays, you can play with THREE people and not have to betray any of them. Who expected that Big Brother would respect the game’s integrity more than Survivor?
1- Christian: Even in an episode where he wasn’t really involved with the main events, he still was a big character. Gabby’s insecurities and vulnerabilities were used to showcase his tremendous social game and his great grasp of the overall game. In the short term, as unlikely as seeing Tiva finishing third in any type of Mickey Mouse challenge, we have to believe that Christian will not only be safe but he’ll probably get John to vote the way he wants which would probably be against Alison. It could even be against Dan if he learns about the SWAT Officer’s idol. In the long term, Christian seems likely to be part of an alliance that would include Gabby, Nick, John and Mike. That’s the type of alliance that carries the game.
As much as I enjoyed hearing Christian say that the system had been gerrymandered, I liked that he said the Goliaths have their vulnerabilities also. I think it’s interesting that the two nerds are on a tribe with the three Goliaths who have shown vulnerabilities, directly during confessionals in John and Dan’s case and symbolically for Allison when she was frightened by the big wave. Will this be the story of the season? Christian and Gabby expose the Goliaths’ vulnerabilities one after the other and then use them to go all the way to the end together? The two peas in the pod are fun to watch so I hope they make it to the end together.
Bye-Bye Bi: Back in Palau, Probst didn’t call Jeff Wilson a quitter but I certainly did. So I guess I should agree with him calling Bi a quitter. However, the whole charade left a bad taste in my mouth. Bi was obviously in pain and worried about her MMA career so she needed IMMEDIATE medical attention. For the sakes of the promotions, Probst had her wait overnight, made her walk to the Challenge arena and then walk to the boat so that he could have her present for the photo op before the swap. OK, it made it harder for us to guess the outcome of the swap but was it worth exploiting an injured person? Once more, I am ashamed of what this once great show has become.
Booted - Natalia: It was the first boot of a new tribe so it was a lot like the first boot of the game. The worst thing to do at the start is to play too hard, too fast. The Three Goliaths were naturally going to vote for one of the outsiders so Natalia should have relaxed a little. She could even have let Alec decide which one to boot. I liked her exit though, telling that Turncoat Alec to shut up. Saying sorry when you’re certainly not is acting like a jackass and there’s no reason to be polite to a jackass.
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