Week 4
Last week we saw the foundation of the secret exile alliance hardening…and one of its members (Brendon) found their ammunition at his camp…and the rivalry between coach and Brendon emerged.
I’m going to try something different with my blog this week and just mention key character points in this episode and not give a chronological scene by scene comment.
The Reward Challenge
I was impressed with the strength displayed by the survivors during this heavy challenge, particularly the women- Taj and Debbi. They were the last two standing on their respective tribes and their will power and endurance is impressive. Keep in mind that, traditionally, endurance challenges that test the will to be in this game are popular post-merge challenges. Also Jt met Rupert (Pearl Islands/All Stars Pirate) record...it would be interesting to see them match up in the future…
Why think Taj is one of the best players here…
Taj has displayed her powers as a strategist by forming the secret exile alliance. Today, we also saw the challenge beast within her as she was the last castaway standing during the reward challenge. We also saw her slip a vote towards Joe, hence staying with the numbers, but not voting with the majority. If she makes it to the finals and continues this voting strategy, no one on the jury will bear a grudge against her and the million dollar cheque will already have her name on. She is also realistic and not afraid to speak her mind and display her confidence of her skill at this game when she says that she is okay with Sydney’s using flirting to get further in the game, because she “will make her way through the game regardless” . But what I liked most above Taj is her team spirit and good sportsmanship as was displayed when she cheered on her tribe mates during the immunity challenge and hugged her opponent, Debbi, after the reward challenge. However what is worrying me about Taj is that she figured out where the Hidden Immunity Idol is last week, but has not taken it yet. What if someone else finds it by chance? Are the producers trying to paint a picture as to hoe Taj wins….or how she ends up getting voted out?
Tyson continues to be witty yet strategic…
“I wasn’t paying attention, I don’t really care” was Tysons confession about the leadership feud between Coach and Brendon. It may seem like Tysons dreamy attitude is amusing, but I believe he is stepping away from being a leader and keeping the target of his back. Also, he thoroughly entertains his tribe, which could be helping them bond, and as a result, Timbira worked well together and claimed Immunity. Could Timbira realize what Tyson is up to?
Jt makes smart decisions…
By choosing not to raid all of Timbira’s food, Jt accomplished two things. Firstly, he kept his rivals happy. Post-merge, they may be more inclined to trust him and form an alliance with him. Secondly, he knew that If he took all of Timbira’s food and ended up on that tribe, Karma could come back to bite him. Also, he seems to be aware of Sydney’s flirting, but lets it be as he is not only enjoying it but also he could be letting her flirt with him to forge some sort of alliance. Is Jt too nice for his own good?
Is Stephan making the right choice…
Taj asks Stephan if he would like to be part of “the biggest upset in Survivor history”, to which he immediately agrees. He already appears to have a solid friendship with JT and he is putting himself in an alliance that does not include Jt. Would he tell Jt about this or would Jt later find out about this and see it as a betrayal? Remember that there can only be one winner and one would have to consider what is more important…winning or friendship. What would Stephan do if his secret alliance wants to blindside his buddy Jt? Would he betray his alliance to save his friend, or would he risk a shot at the million dollars to save his friendship. Anyone with a true friendship would tell you that it is not an easy decision.
A trip down memory lane… “But if I would ever pass you along in life again and you were laying there, dying of thirst, I would not give you a drink of water….this island is pretty much only filled with two things- snakes and rats….let it be in the end the way mother nature intended it to be- to let the snake eat the rat”…this was Sue’s legendary and most poisonous jury comment to Kelly for breaking their friendship in Survivor Borneo.
Could something of this nature happen between Stephen and JT if one breaks the friendship to get further in the game? Stephan’s best move would be to somehow integrate JT into the alliance.
The building rivalry between Coach and Brendon…
I’m glad that Timbira won immunity so that we can see this rivalry become even more heated and make way for an epic battle where only one can win. But Coach supposedly doesn’t want to vote out coach because he wants to keep the strongest to the end. What does Brendon want? Coach is a little delusional if he thinks that he looks stronger than Brendon and he says that he has “been here in the wild before and they haven’t”- really Coach, when? Brendon could have shot himself in the foot by not telling Sierra that she is part of the exile alliance.
Sandy vs. Sydney
Sandy made me laugh throughout this episode, from when she said that the beans are farting beans... I thought I saw some bubbles while she was doing her confession in the small pond. It was also funny watching hearing her suggest what Sydney would need to do to be more flirtatious. But her look of shock when Sydney says “I have a flirtatious personality, I flirt with woman” was priceless. Sydney does work hard around camp, she flirts and is athletic so she was spared the vote. Goodbye Sandy and your humor will be missed. An interesting season of Survivor would be one that is structured around Old vs. Young based on Sandy and Sydney’s lighthearted rivalry.
Is Spencer experienced enough, in terms of age, to play survivor…
Hats off to Spencer for being the youngest contestant to play survivor. (a record that will be broken by Natalie Tenerelli a few seasons later). I remember that a few months ago, when I was also 19, I also wanted to (and still want to) be on Survivor. Spence is very lucky to have this opportunity, but is he sharp enough to know when he is being manipulated? Remember what happened to young Eric from Survivor Micronesia when he became a victim of the Black Widow Brigade? Spencer also spoke about trying to have more numbers from Jalapoa when going into a merge with Timbira. But what will happen if Jalapoa (or Timbira for that matter) has numbers, but the tribes splinters apart when tribe mates jump ship and form cross tribal alliances(which is already happening)? Will loyalty to your original tribe be enough if other people in your tribe flip?
The other unmentioned castaways….
Erin doesn’t click well with her tribe. Post-merge, she would be more willing to jump ship if she gets on with Timbira. What could save her is somehow fueling the tension between Coach and Brendon and then picking the right side to back between Coach and Brendon. If she does this, she can make it to the merge and go far in the game.
Debbi’s strength and free spirited behavior impresses me. She is definitely not the cold, stuck up, stereotypical Principal. Her realization that they need to find things to bond over and keep them busy so that they don’t think about what they missing back home could put her in the right mindset to remain focused on this game.
I enjoyed Sierra’s confession about how she “started at the bottom and now she is at the top”. If her secret alliance survives until the merge, she will most certainly be at the top. Revenge would be sweet for Sierra is she is able to take out the tribe members that ostracized her one day one.
Joe is not seen making any visible strategic moves at this point, except his decision to not take all of Timbiras food during the raid. Is this good or bad? His strategy may be to be likable and play and under the radar game. He also does well at challenges and he gets on well with his tribe. His strategy could get him very far in this game.
To sum up, it looks like every single character is a legitimate threat to win at this stage. The game can only get more thrilling from here.
Until next week….
