Finale: Part 3 and The Reunion

So let’s get down to the votes:

The Warrior (JT) (Coach’s vote), JT, JT,  and the winner of Survivor Tocantins- JT…

JT, is the second winner to sweep every single jury vote. The last was Earl Cole in  Fiji, and lets face it- nobody would have voted to Dreamz or Cassandra. Well, JT’s win is deserving,  but as I mentioned- my vote would have been for Stephen.

I think JT got votes because he did a better job at swaying the jury than Stephen did. Stephen, as some may put it, suffered for Amanda-syndrome as he made the same mistakes that she did- dodging the jury’s questions and not owning up to their strategic plays.

In all fairness to Stephen, he was definitely stunned that JT would throw him under the bus so easily and quickly and he certainly did not expect it. And as it turns out, I was right that JT was faking being upset to gain some extra votes

Unity in a tribe pre-merge is important. As Brendon says that it was because Timbira was so dysfunctional and that’s why the tribe lost numbers post-merge and splintered apart.

Erinn points how her big move was realizing that she was at the bottom of the totem pole in her tribe and by jumping ship, she had a better chance of winning.

A special moment was given to Taj and the memorable scene at the auction was shown again. Jeff says that her husband, Eddie George, should be on Survivor.

Tyson was also given a special tribute and his funnier scenes were shown. If u read the older blog posts, you will know that Tyson will return for Survivor soon.

The audience loves Sierra- no surprise. She mentions how much she grew after initially being on the outside of her tribe.

Coach gets a lot of screen time. We get reminded about his stories about the amazon and the shark attack and whatever else. As a surprise, Coach also had a polygraph test and it turns out he was being honest- so he was really captured by a cannibal tribe in the Amazon. Jeff says he the one of the most colorful and controversial characters ever- and I agree. Coach is a really good player to watch return.

Debbi’s schools is happy for her, Sydney is back modeling (no surprise) and Spencer had a blast, Jerri reminds everyone how dangerous it was, Candice is on commercials, Joes infection has cleared, and Carolina is happy that a Jalapoa person wins (***Spoiler- Carolina will be  sitting on the second row in season 22, but she will not be playing- confusing?) And who can forget Sandy?

JT redeems himself by saying that he could not have done it without Stephen and Jeff reminds them that they are not at tribal council anymore.

A really nice way to end this season J

Next Season we take a tribe to Samoa. Having watched the season already, I can  confirm that it is one of the best and a final jury vote that is the most controversial ever. We get to meet Russel Hantz- you better learn that name because he will be the most polarizing players between season 19 and season 23, where his legacy remains. Until then…

Just as this season has ended, so too must this blog. I had a lot of fun writing this blog and I cant wait to do it again for the next season. Thank you to my readers and to the people who spread the word about my blog- without your support, I wouldn’t have given up, but I would have lost some of my enthusiasm. Another special thanks to TrueDorkTimes and some of the Survivors- Stephen, Erinn, Taj, Sugar and Parvati to name a few, for the tweets and questions I had about the show that they answered on twitter .Starting this blog, my target was 500 readers, and that seemed impossible. But shockingly, it grew to 1020 in a short time and I was amazed. At times I was a bit obsessive, but what can in I say- I’m a die hard fan.  I am going to miss blogging this season L

Well until next season….

The Finale: Part 2

Time for my favorite part of the game- facing the jury…

I must say, that anticipating the outcome of the game, I feel that Stephen played a much more strategic game and that, despite my opinion that the vote will be close, he will win because he had the Exile Alliance (Taj, Sierra and Brendon), whom he bonded with very early in the game and Erinn, whom he had a close friendship with after the merge. I thought that Jt would get recognition for being very likable and tough in challenges, but I had doubts as to whether that would be enough. Let’s see if I was correct…

Stephen made a grave mistake in his early comment by saying yet again that he and JT shared the same brain. As I pointed, he is already not showing the jury why he played a separate and identifiable game from JT and he is not distancing himself from JT enough. The jury wants to know how you played a better game than the other person- not what you and your competitor did together to make it to the end. However he deserved credit for pointing out that he wasn’t an outdoor person and the fact that he adapted to the harsh conditions of survivor and grew as an individual, shows just how well he played the game. In comparison, JT who grew up on a farm was already accustomed to this environment.

JT took a different route by pointing out that he made good friendships and that it was hard to vote out any of them.  He targets Brendon specifically by saying that he had to vote Brendon out because Brendon would have made it to the end. Is he suspecting the Brendon would vote for Stephen and he is trying to sway Brendon now? He also points out the fact that despite Stephen being a harder competitor to beat, he still chose Stephen to sit with him at the end. His argument seemed a little more convincing because he seemed to be flattering the jury when owning up to the moves he made.

Stephen answers Brendon’s question about his athletic ability by saying that he knew that he wasn’t much of a sports person, but focused on the “outwit” element of the game. JT deflects his answer by saying that growth in this game should mean nothing and that he outplayed Stephen. He further retaliates by saying that he putting himself on the line during the challenges is better than Stephen floating under the radar.

Erinn opens a can of worms by reminding everyone that Stephen made a lot of alliances that were betrayed. Stephen responds by saying that it was part of the game. Erinn questions Jt as the reasons why he chose Stephen to the end, and Jt responds by talking about Stephens loyalty.

Debbi questions whether she was wrong about JT’s first impression that he was an honest guy. JT responds by telling her advice that his mother gave him about how he should do anything to win this game. This answer may be more favorable to Debbi, who is a mother herself.  Debbi asks Stephen a tougher question as to whether he would have chosen Erinn or JT to sit next to him. After Stephen dodges her a bit, he admits that he would have chosen JT. At this point, JT drops his head with disappointment. Is he for real or is he just acting to sweep a few loose sympathy votes?

Coach gave some philosophical quote that i could not follow.  It was a bit funny when bit funny when he referred to them as the wizard and the warrior- typical Coach. Jt butters up Coach by saying that he risked a million dollars to by choosing Stephen and mentioned that he gave it his all. Stephen said that he is honorable because he is not made JT look bad in front of the jury and because he stuck with the vote every tribal council, unlike Jt, who would say he was voting for someone and then make a wasted vote so that he would not directly be voting off that person.

Sierra tells Stephen that she still thinks he is a sweetheart. ‘She points out that JT lied when he said he is taking the strongest person to the end, because Taj was stronger than Erinn and Stephen. JT says that he believes that Stephen is the strongest player, and Sierra turns the tables and says that if he chose Tyson, Brendon or Debbi to sit next to him, who were much stronger players, he would have earned his vote. She tells him that she has lost some respect for him.

Tyson asks them about the extent to which they the duo worked together helped them get to the end. Jt further drops Stephen by saying that he could have made it to the end without his help. I doubt that in my personal opinion. I believe that Stephen was safe regardless because he had the Exile Alliance and the Hidden Immunity Idols in place, and that JT sort of piggy backed onto that alliance. Stephen should have mentioned that, but I think he was just shocked that JT devalued their friendship so easily. I don’t blame Stephen- that was a cruel blindside, so to speak.

And finally Taj… the only Jalapoa member on the jury. The music is makes things a bit emotional, which is fitting for what she has to say. JT softens her up by saying that voting her off was the hardest vote he ever cast…hasn’t he been saying more or less the same thing to Coach and Debbi? Finally Stephen works JT by blaming her getting voted off on JT. He also brings up that JT wanted to blindside her with the idol before the merge. JT is not happy with this, and Stephen rightfully defends himself by saying that this is the first time he is taking a shot at JT, despite JT shooting him down all night in front of the jury. JT then tries to get the jury’s sympathy yet again by reminding him that e would have taken Erinn if he won the challenge. I don’t see how this decision is relevant because Stephen only considered it. He was not put in the position where he was forced to make that choice. Cut!

Its time to vote…

Taj says: “I’m a woman of my word, but you try being a man in the same way”. Who is she voting for? Despite the fact like she seems to be saying that the person is not a man of their word, she still votes for them. I’m more inclined to think that this vote is for Stephen, however, it could go either way…

Coach writes: “THE W…..” what is it? The Warrior or The Wizard? The anticipation is high!

Wow. Imagine what Jt and Stephen must be going through. If you don’t know, they wait for a good few months for The Reunion, where the votes will be revealed.

Stay tuned for the votes…..

The Finale Part 1

The finale is here! After about 14 weeks this blog is comming to an end, and i am going to miss it :(

Firstly, let me do a brief opener to the final four...

After a long, unpredictable and challenging game, JT, Stephen and Taj has defied all odds and numbers and joined forces with Erinn, and has now found themselves in the finals…

Taj, after being exiled during the earlier weeks of the game, quickly created an Exile Alliance with Stephen on her tribe, and Brendon and Sierra from Timbira, found the Hidden Immunity Idol and later, with Stephen, abandoned the Exile Alliance after the merge. Prior to the merge, she has proved to be one of the most strategic people in the game prior to the merge, but after placing herself in a comfortable position post merge, she has slackened off with strategizing. Will this come back to bite her?

Stephen, initially part of the Exile Alliance, abandoned the alliance and joined forces with his close friend JT, and made separate alliances with every member of Timbira after the merge, and ended up having a hand in voting each of them out. Will this cost him a million dollars, or will his strategic gameplay be rewarded?

JT developed a close friendship with Stephen from day one and had found himself in a position of power after the merge when the Timbira tribe put their faith in his hands. He is well liked by his competitors and is a physical threat in challenges. Will he put his friendship with Stephen first or will he do whatever it takes to win the game?

Erinn had a target on her back from day 4 after being on the outside of Timbira. Her plan was to survive until the merge and jump ship with the Jalapoa members, play under the radar and make it to the end. Will this strategy pay off for her, despite betraying her initial tribe?

On face value, it is anyone’s game…lets see how this plays out…

The first immunity challenge took the form of tarantula maze, finishing with a puzzle. Jt took the lead, and won immunity…

Stephen and Jt went back and forth with deciding whether to keep Erinn or Taj. They eventually decide to vote out Taj…

Taj had come a long way to make it to the end. She made powerful alliances and built strong friendships to ensure that she would not only be safe, but also to ensure that she would make enough friends to hopefully get their vote. Furthermore, she remained motherly to her fellow competitors and gained a lot of respect for making it so far without having her family. Taj, I believe, was the biggest threat to win this game. Unfortunately, the power was out of her hands this time. She was able to make big strategic moves, yet remain respected and likable, and that is why she was given the boot tonight.

Farewell Taj- you will be missed

Down to three…

Stephen and Erinn both realize that their best shot to win this game is to stick together and vote off JT. They realize that JT will be too hard to beat and the plan to work hard enough to beat him at the final immunity challenge.

The fallen comrades…

Carolina…Candice…Jerri…Sandy…Spencer…Sydney…Joe…Brendon…Tyson…Sierra…Debbi…Coach...and Taj….an amazing cast with so many competitors….great personalities…and some truly spectacular blindsides…

The immunity challenge required a lot of focus and concentration on the mechanics of motion and speed. I thought Stephen had this challenge in the bag…but JT just barely managed to last longer than him and won immunity. At this point, JT has won more immunity challenges than anyone in this season; however some past competitors like Kelly Wigglesworth, Colby Donaldson, Tom Westman, Jenna M, and Terri Deitz have won more challenges- there will certainly be more challenge dominators in the future.

JT now has to battle with the classic decision of who to keep. Should he remain loyal to his best friend Stephen or vote him off. Does he have a better chance at beating Erinn? How will his decision be viewed upon by the Jury? Is he digging his own grave? This is why I love final two juries as opposed to final three…

Erinn makes the case that he can beat her much more easily than Stephen. Stephen reminds JT that they were loyal to each other from the beginning and they made promises to each other.

Stephen may be putting his foot in his mouth by telling Jt about the strategic moves that he has made because it could set off alarm bells in his head and making him alert to the possibility that he could be a bigger threat. At the same time, Stephen could have messed his chances up with the Jury by saying “they shared the same brain” because to win, you have to stand out from the person sitting next to you.  This is why this game is so tough- you cant let your competitor see yourself as a threat- so you have to make them think that you are weak and undeserving, while simultaneously, you have to look deserving in the eyes of the jury to give them to vote for you.

Jt decides to take Stephen to the end to remain loyal. He also says that he wants to go up against the best. This could be a clever tactic that JT is implementing to show the jury that he is not afraid and this could earn him respect votes.

The vote is read and JT has spoken…Erinn’s came has came to an end….

Up next…the battle of David and Goliath- brains versus brawn, the Wizard and the Warrior, The Country mouse versus the City mouse. In history, brains have triumphed. Will this be the case again?

Survivor Tocantins Episode 13

I have decided to upload this episodes blog on the day of the finale because I still feel as though the finals should be about the remaining five people in the game.

For many Coach fans, like myself, this episode was bitter sweet. We could to see some classic Coach scenes when he feigned weakness, his monastic approach to Exile Island, the grueling endurance challenge and his farewell (for now). The saving grace, as many true survivor fans would know, is that Coach will return for an All Star season and he is currently on screen on Survivor: South Pacific.

Coach is unwell, or so he claims to be. His back is supposedly hurt and his asthma is affecting him. Is he putting on a weak façade to deflect attention of him and make him be perceived as a less physical threat, or is he truly weakened after being out here for more than a month?

Jt wins the reward (yet again) and selects his number one ally, Stephen to accompany him at the hotel. He then chooses Coach to go to Exile, and sparks fly between Coach and Erinn when Coach’s monastic approach ticks Erinn off as she believes he is making excuses or trying to create the impression that his stay at Exile will be worse than hers or anyone else’s. Clearly, everyone in the game thinks that Coach is faking it- as Taj puts it: “had he won, the warrior would have been back”.

Love him or hate him, you can’t deny that Coach’s unbreakable, ‘god can’t touch me’ and invincible approach to Exile, combined with the renaissance/monarchal background music was spectacular. Not forgetting his tales of the amazon and his honorable gameplay, this is why Jeff wanted Coach back so many times.

At the reward, JT and Stephen reaffirm that they will be in the final two together. Is this a good move? Both these guys have played a really strong game and both are deserving of being the sole survivor. Is one of them making a fatal move? Will something happen to sever this bond? Or will one of them make a deadly error and cost them a shot at the million dollars?

Coach returns from Exile for the immunity challenge and plays up the how hard it was on him. True or not, it’s a good strategy, because if people think you weak and that they can beat you, they wouldn’t be too concerned with voting you out for the time being. Coach could also be building up deranged personality to be a ‘goat’ in front of the jury for the final vote. I disagree with many people who believe that nobody in their right minds would vote for him to win, because if he can show the jury how he made it to the end with minimal lies and backstabbing, he will gain enough respect to win.

Taj delivers another quirky line- “Any 37 year old man that thinks he is a dragon slayer belongs in a mental institution.” This kind off echoes onto the perceptions of new players, such as Rick from Coach’s latest season, who says: “I have never seen a dragon slayer before, there aren’t any dragons”. Clearly, not everyone enjoys the persona that Coach has sculpted.

Back to the current game- this is one of my favorite immunity challenges. It tests pure willpower to stay in this game. Surprisingly (or not surprisingly), Coach and JT are the last two standing. Coach questions JT’s loyalty and asks him why he wants to beat him so badly for immunity. With a final battle cry, Coach slips and falls to the ground and is attended to by the remaining tribe mates, and JT wins immunity yet again. Coach did a great job. Despite having a back injury, he puts up a good match against Jt- clearly mind can overpower matter. (***Spoiler Alert- JT will go up against Parvati Shallow in the exact same challenge in a future season- who will be the last person standing?***)

Does Coach know that he is in trouble? This blog won’t be complete without Coach’s pre-exit poem, which bored the jury…

“With friend and foe we march to the battle plain;

Some to seek success, others to seek fame;

We play with honor for the love of this game;

And with armor or without, we will toil in vain;

So that someday, someone, somewhere, will remember our name…”

At tribal, JT does not vote for Coach. This puts JT up a few notches in winning the Jury vote, and supposedly makes him look more loyal than Stephen, despite him formulating the plan to send Coach packing. Will this come back to haunt either Stephen or JT? In all honesty, if JT wanted to save Coach, he would have convinced Stephen to vote off Erinn. I believe that JT knew that Coach was going home, and decided to try and look good in Coach’s eyes by not voting for him…Stephen is not the Evil Wizard (as Coach puts its), in my opinion, maybe JT was the Un-noble Warrior? I can’t help wondering if this is foreshadowing what the jury will decide…  

Sadly, the hidden immunity idol was not played…but be warned, in the next to seasons, the idol will definitely shake tribal council…

Well, it was certainly hard to write this blog without making it all about Coach- because this episode was all about him! Goodbye Coach, for now. He certainly will have a lot to say during his comments as a juror.

The blog which I will post for the finale in a few hours will be spilt into three parts…