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…

                                                                                                                                                    



Survivor Tocantins Episode 12

So we are nearing the end of Survivor: Tocantins and this game keeps getting interesting with some real jaw dropping moments (the mind boggling immunity challenge) and the much loved auction.

This week, I’m only going to highlight three moments from this episode- Debbi starting to play this game too late, the emotional and endearing auction and not forgetting Stephens flawless and genius way of winning immunity.

How do you put a price on love?

Some memorable past items won at auctions…Amber bidding over 300 dollars on a mystery item that turned out to be water, Christie saving her money till the end and bidding on letters from home, Danni buying a clue for help in the next immunity challenge which helped her slide to the finals and win, Parvati soaking in a bubble bath and eating chocolate cake, the infamous cookie war between Randy and Sugar, and not forgetting Erik licking chocolate cake off Cirrie’s fingers for $40…memorable as those are, this Survivor Auction  is my favorite...

Taj’s bidding moment was special. For a loved one message, everyone pools their money to Taj. This says a lot about this group of players. Ignoring strategy, they are united and have a deep connection with each other. Also, there aren’t many truly devious villains left in this game. Taj’s reaction when Jeff reminded her that her husband said- “see you back at camp” was truly memorable and beautiful.

Jeff gives Taj a choice and there was a slight sense that he was asking her if she was willing to forgo a visit from her husband in exchange for the rest of the castaways. A choice that I am certain Taj would have chosen without hesitation- sacrificing love to spread more love. Thankfully, Taj got to meet her husband on Exile Island (who can make fire quicker than anyone I have seen on Survivor). On the side note, Coach tells his brother that he is running the game…all I can say is that this is a bit delusional.

The wizard’s magic

I was in awe at the way Stephen tackled that immunity challenge- pure logic and brain power certainly goes a long way. Add to that the ability to remain cool under pressure and there’s no mathematical problem that you can’t conquer. Coach was right in continuously referring to Stephen as The Wizard (remember- “be the wizard Stephen, be the wizard”) because he is beyond exceptionally intelligent. This was shown during this challenge, and if you take a closer look at what is happening around camp- Stephen is the mastermind that is in control of this game. If he makes it to the finals and demands respect for being the brains behind the alliance of The Jalapoa Three with Erinn, he will win this game. If he and JT are in the finals together, it will be a classic case of “The Country Mouse and the City Mouse”, or “David and Goliath”.

Fighting a losing battle

Debbi is growing slightly annoyed with Coach not letting things go and she is gunning for him. She realizes that being with Coach may be holding her back. “I need to step up”…about time Debbi, but it’s too late. She wants to align with JT and Stephen, who are weary at how strategic Debbi has become, to take out Coach. The problem is that Debbi is likable enough by the jury to win the game and she has nothing to offer JT and Stephen that they don’t have. If Debbi played just as aggressively from the start, she would probably still be in this game.  Her best move would have been to possibly try and create a rift amongst the Jalapoa’s by opening their eyes that their allies are threats to win this game. Also her plan of voting for Coach is narrow ended. Even if she did succeed in convincing them to vote out Coach, she would definitely be voted out next, unless she wins immunity.

One week left until the grand finale that guarantees an action packed show down. Next week gives us some really great Coach moments that are not to be missed.

PS: After a long wait, American viewers finally get to see the much anticipated premier of Survivor Season 23: South Pacific this Wednesday.  And our favorite Coach returns for a third time with Ozzy…interesting matchup… I can’t wait to see how this turns out…

Until next week….

Survivor Tocantins Episode 11

So we back for another awesome week of survivor. I’m still getting over the excitement of last weeks episode where Tyson was blindsided by Sierra the underdog. This season is so unpredictable and with the memorable Oscar level cast, this is one great season.

Last week we saw Sierra reach out to Coach and Debbi and she was brushed off and disregarded. Sierra warned them that they will regret their move- and look at them now. The lost their power and are at Sierras mercy. Sierra certainly has come along way from that bad first impression and being without an alliance when Brendon was voted off. Like her or not, surviving for so long where you are on the outside of your tribe from the get go is a big accomplishment- so hats off to Sierra J

Also it should be worth noting that the Jalapoa three, JT, Stephen and Taj, have also achieved something that we rarely see. The fact that they had no numbers merge time did not hold them down, and as Jeff Probst always advises- they looked for a crack in Timbira and chipped away. And look at them now- they have risen to full power. I believe that they realized that Erinn was on the bottom of the totem pole of the remaining six Timbiras. For Erinn, this gave her the opportunity to jump ship and move from being the sixth person in an alliance to a possible forth place or better. Like Jeff also says: “It takes a big move to win this game”, and Erinn certainly has made a big move. This is why survivor is so difficult.  Ignore the harsh elements; it’s the social game that proves most challenging. How do you keep an alliance with numbers, whilst ensure that no body in that alliance feels at the bottom? Would it be better to make empty promises for final two or three places to everyone and not keep them? Is it just better to have faith in the alliance and hope that everyone remains loyal? The tough thing is that you would have to control the way others perceive you. You can’t let them see you as a threat, as someone who may double cross, or someone who can masterfully work a jury and win. At the same time, you have to play the game for yourself to get to the end and prove why your gameplay is worthy of a million dollars.

The episode starts with JT and Stephen apologizing to Debbi and Coach for blindsiding Tyson. Coach sees that as honorable on their part and does not seem to hurt by this. Does Coach not see the writing on the wall and realize that the warrior alliance is over? Is his mission to acknowledge and appreciate the honor of the game blinding him from realizing that The Jalapoa Three is in power?

Debbi now plans on making some strategic moves. She realizes the power that JT, Stephen and Taj possess. But is it too late for her to do anything? She wants to regroup the remaining four Timbira…but it won’t be easy since the reason why the flipped was because they did not feel like part of Timbira.

The Reward Challenge and the Out of Camp Reward…

This is quite a popular challenge that tests ones perception of their competition. It’s quite dangerous too as the way people “chop the ropes” of their competitors is an indication of any possible alliances and the boot order. Who can forget Survivor: Marquesas, where Kathy realized that they where in danger after this challenge, and convinced Vecepia, Sean, Paschal and Neleh to vote of The Rotu Four Alliance, turned the game around and ended up as the final six? Then again, in Micronesia, Parvati was identified as the person who “mistakenly thought she was in control of the game” and unconsciously, the remaining Dabu members did not realize that she needed to be voted off, and she spun her web to the finals and ultimately (and deservingly) won the million dollars. This challenge is supposed to turn on the light bells of the remaining players. According to Jeff Probst, this challenge will not be played again, as many players conspired about their possible answers after reading tree mail.

Here’s a few of my opinions on the questions and answers:

1.   Coach identified himself as not living up to his potential. If his stories true, I agree. At the same time, maybe he is as perceptive enough to realize that others think he is phony and his self created personality is some masterminded plot to win this game. (“Take me to the end. Everyone thinks I’m a fake. I can’t win”…is this the strategy he is playing?

2.      Everyone says that they will trust JT with their life. A bit strange, considering that he voted off Brendon and Tyson. Seriously…I think that the most trustworthy is Sierra. Think about it- she betrayed no one. A bit inappropriate that everyone thinks that Sierra is most likely to stab you in the back. Seriously, Sierra may be the underdog, but she has played an extremely honest game and it has gotten her far.

3.      The chopping order is Sierra, Coach, Debbi, Erinn, Jt, Taj and Stephen wins…don’t the old Timbiras realize that they are possibly the next four to go home and that if they unite, their four can overpower the Jalapoa.

Erinn is sent to Exile Island alone by Stephen. The strategy behind this is to keep their alliance of four in the grapevine about possible clues to a new idol. The Weather is not good and Erinn has a tough time at Exile Island and since she did not receive a new clue, her exile was pointless. Could this tick Erinn off and infuriate her so much to turn against the Jalapoa Three? Erinn wears glasses…could she have used the lenses to magnify light and start a fire?

Jt is on a reward challenge yet again. This certainly must be fueling him up and helps him endure the highlands better. A moment that I enjoyed was Taj’s interaction with the little girl that put her into “mummy mode”. As I mentioned in a previous post, Taj’s strategy and social game reminds me of Cirrie Fields (Exile Island, Fans vs. Favorites, and Heroes vs. Villains). Cirrie also had a similar interaction with a child on her reward during Survivor: Panama Exile Island. Also, if I may compare them further, Cirrie was voted off by Amanda in Micronesia because, as a mother and a lovable social player, Cirrie would win.  Taj’s’ loving and fun- to- be- around personality may sadly be her Achilles Heel if someone realizes how big of a threat she would be for Jury votes.

When the cats away, the mice do play…

Debbi and Coach’s eyes have opened. After the Jalapoa Three went on the reward together, they realized that they are no longer in control. They now want to pull in Sierra and Erinn into voting with them. Too bad for them- Sierra has been hurt by them already and will not trust them again. However, something that struck me as a “what if” scenario, is that Sierra should probably have joined forces with them. They are at her mercy and would possibly do anything to stay in this game- Sierra would be bestowed upon her the sacred powers of The Dragon Slayer (lol). Also, Sierra was the first to be chopped off at the reward challenge. This should have also been a red light for her. But in Sierra defense, she trusted Coach and Debbi once and they betrayed her and she would be a fool to trust them again and be betrayed once more.

 Is Coach playing with the integrity that he professes to have?

Absolutely not. I have a lot of respect for Coach and his supposedly honorable game play and voting strategy. However, he lying about Sierra to throw her under the bus made me a little disappointed. If anything, Coach should have been honest with JT and Stephen, because in order for there to the trust, there must be truth. Also, this could have tarnished Coach’s entire reputation and may bring everything he said (yes, I’m referring to his exploits with the Amazon Tribe) in question. As Stephen puts it: “He may just be one pathological liar”. I do feel a twinge of pity for Sierra. She knows that she has been honest throughout this game, and to be accused of lying by the liar who claims to always be honest must really hurt. Sierra was also willing to confront Coach, which is quite a noble thing to do, which I’m a little surprised that Coach was not impressed by this as a “sign of warriors courage”.

The Dragon Slayer earns immunity…

Well done to Coach for winning immunity. He is finally lived up his reputation and earned immunity. Debbi and Jt come close to winning…and given their track record at challenges- I would seriously consider voting them off or they could go on an immunity run and skate to the finals. Would Coach say that the reason why he won this challenge was because he once had to make a lasso out of tree vines to reach a dagger to fight the Amazons? Also, I think that Coach has the discipline to remain cautious and calm, which helped him in this challenge.  If Coach didn’t win immunity, he could have been the next to go home as he jokingly says.

The mother and Daughter fight…

The argument between Debbi and Sierra looked liked a mother disciplining her rebellious child. “When did you become this angry person. You are not the person I know”, Debbi tells her. Sierra retaliates by throwing her words back at her and saying: “You are not the person I know anymore”.  It looks like Debbi tries to get out of the argument by saying that she is too old for this. With all due respects, Debbi is quite young at heart and her exceptional performance at challenges reflects this. I think that the problem is desperation. Both Sierra and Debbi know that either one of them are going home and are therefore on edge with each other.

At Tribal council…

Taj admits that she loves the drama. And yes, drama amongst others is one good way of keeping the attention of you. Taj and the other two Jalapoa’s, are actually quite skilled at watching the Timbira disintegrate by their own dysfunctions, which is why they are still in this game.

A random vote goes to Stephen. It looks. Like he had a slight heart attack and this vote puzzled me. So I did some digging and asked the voter Erinn Lobdell on twitter (follow her- @emarielo) about why she cast this vote, and she revealed to me that it was a throw away vote. She knew that Stephen was safe and discussed this with him before it happened (off camera).  Possibly, Erinn, being born into Timbira, did not want to choose between her original two fellow tribe mates. This could also be a good move on her part, as she is not responsible for sending someone home and that person may feel more inclined to give Erinn a million dollar vote at the end. This is quite a great strategy, by keeping with the majority, but not being responsible for ending someone’s dream.

Debbi receives two votes. One from Sierra and the other from Taj. I think the consensus was that Sierra was going home, and Taj’s vote did not matter. Also, I’m sure that Taj and Sierra had a friendship, not counting the Exile Alliance, which developed when they were exile together. I don’t think Taj wanted to betray this friendship. Another theory is possibly in the case of Sierra pulling out a Hidden Immunity Idol; Debbi would then have the next highest votes and be sent home.

Sadly, Sierra is sent home. But as I mentioned, she came a long way in this game and at least she goes home knowing that she did not succumb to scrambling and lies.

Next week…we see a deeper and emotional side of Taj that will bring a warm smile to many viewers. It’s not a moment that can be missed. Also, Debbi tries to shake things up by turning on Coach…how will this this turn out?

Until next week….                                                  

Survivor Tocantins episode 10

Last week…the war between Coach and Brendon escalated to its highest peak, and the Jalapoa three were recruited by both conflicting alliances. They decided to side with Coach, and Brendon, under a false sense of security, did not play his idol and was blindsided. Sierra, the only person who remained loyal to Brendon, is no in hot water.

This week…prepare for another blindside…

On day one, Sierra had aligned with Brendon and remained loyal to him thus far. Amidst the scrambling and treachery, she remained true to her ally, and now she is trapped in a tunnel with not much hope of escaping.  In normal senses, unwavering loyalty is desired…but this is not the case in Survivor. In the beginning, Sierra was on the outs of her Tribe and she has now found herself in the same situation. Will she be able to save herself?

Coach is meditating in the water and celebrates his victory with a battle cry. A bit too over-confidant?

Tyson has a talk with Sierra and tells her that she is next to go. He also, in simple terms, tells her that he thinks he is a better competitor than her. He comes across, like coach, as a tad bit over confidant. Wouldn’t it make great TV if Sierra somehow manages to beat Tyson, the challenge dominator, and orchestrate his blindside?

At the reward challenge, a team of Erinn, JT, Debbi and Tyson win the opportunity to mix with a local tribe e and enjoy a feast, and Stephen the Wizard walks a lonely road to Exile Island yet again. There is hope that a new clue and idol is hidden and Stephen can find it, but this is not the case. Debbi enjoys being around the children on the reward as it reminds her of the children she guides under her role as a Headmistress. But Debbi, as we see, is not the old fashioned, stuck up Principal. She is lively and participates in the martial arts dance and even does backflips. Can your Principal do that?

Sierra warns Debbi that later down the road she will regret the alliances she has put herself into. To make things plain, she tells Debbi that she will be betrayed by her alliance in the same way that Brendon was blindsided. Erinn proves to be much more strategic than we have seen thus far. She creates a façade of being on the opposition of Sierra, and confesses that Sierra is right. She wants to vote Sierra out next, as she views Sierra as a hurdle in her path to make a move and change the game around. As I pointed out last week, Erinn is positioning herself to be the swing vote and subsequently control the way the vote goes.

Sierra now talks with Coach. She seems to be feeding him with what she knows he wants to hear by saying that she has not lived to her potential. He tells her that he wants to give her a second chance, but he won’t. He gives his normal talk clichéd talk about the Samurai and how she must lay in her own bed. I kind of view his interaction with her a tough love. But he is also revealed to have a caring side when he talks about how he wants to give her chance to the camera.

We get to see a bit of a shock at the immunity challenge where the Survivors get to chose between a shot at immunity via Shuffle Board, or they could enjoy pizza. This is survivor and normal human needs aren’t exactly the same- what is more important – food or safety? Stephen just got back from Exile Island so it’s no surprise that he chooses pizza over the challenge. But Coach’s choice to eat pizza and not partake in a battle astounds me. Coach, the legendary samurai, the dragon slayer gave up immunity so easily. Wouldn’t it be entertaining if he gets blindsided as a result of forgoing this immunity challenge?

It’s a close game of Shuffle Board and it looks like Tyson is closest to the X and will win his third consecutive immunity. But here comes Sierra and with a swift slide of her puck, knocks Tyson out and is now in the lead. Revenge is certainly sweet for her, as she was able to knock off the arrogant person who thought he was better than her- talk about will power. Coach is in a slight panic now.  But Sierras victory dance is short lived as Headmistress Debbie knocks off Sierra and wins immunity. In my opinion, Debbi is a tough challenge contender as she does exceptionally well at immunity challenges and has so far been on both rewards.

Tyson hopes that Sierra will cry a lot. Yes there is a good chance of her crying- and it may just be tears of joy after a beautiful blindside.

Erinn knows that she cannot win the game by letting others make big moves. She recognizes Tyson as a threat in challenges. Now she contemplates voting off Tyson over Sierra. The Jalapoa Three also conspire to eliminate Tyson. It’s fascinating that the Jalapoa three, who could easily have been broken up by know, are still together and are in power, despite being on the bottom of the totem pole at the start of the merge. If you take a look at the long History of Survivor, particularly the first season- Borneo, we are accustomed to seeing two tribes at each others heads after the merge, and the tribe with numbers pick the other tribe members out one-by-one. This season is one of the best for the simple reason of the unpredictability and mixing of the two tribes.

Does Coach sense danger? He gives JT a talk about them being part of the “Warrior Alliance” and how stupid it would be if the Warriors turn on each other. JT reassures Coach they are strong, but plans on going against the alliance.

At Tribal, Tyson once again comes across as over confidant and makes it clear that his vote is going towards Sierra. He isn’t even concerned that he butting heads with Sierra could cost him in this game. Alarm bells should be ringing in Tysons head- but his problem- his ego.

Coach has professed on countless times that he wants to take the best to the end. He wants to battle people at the end in an honorable manner. But isn’t that conflicting with why he voted off Brendon?  He will “cut them off at the knees with no remorse and no regret”.  Coach wants to play this game with honor and truthfully, which is a bit risky, as less moralistic players can easily take him for a fool and walk over him.

So prepare of the best blindside- Sierra, Tyson, Sierra, Sierra, Tyson, Tyson (look of shock), Tyson and the ninth person voted out is TYSON…BLINDSIDED!!!!!

So who was more surprised- Tyson, Coach or Sierra? It must be great to blindside someone whose ego blinds them so much that they think they are invincible.( ***Spoiler Alert***Tyson will be blindsided again in the future…and the way he is blindsided is so much more awesome) .

Next weeks episode should be called “Irony”. After out casting Sierra, Coach and Debbi now find themselves at her mercy as they struggle to survive in this game. One thing is for sure…it’s very unlikely that Sierra will help them. Remember that she wanted Debbi she will regret her move one day? Well it looks like this day of reckoning came sooner than expected. It proves that age old saying that one should also be kind to others because “what goes around, comes around”. A little bit more support for Sierra…Tyson once said that she is in this game to give stupid people hope – well she certainly gives people hope that they can over come a bad first impression and that they can accomplish anything if they try- people will be stupid if they don’t learn from this.  As you could see, this episode focused a lot on Sierra. Are the editors painting an impression about her path to win this game?

Until next week…

Survivor Tocantins Episode 9

Well, as you can see, the original vintage world map theme is back on my blog, due to suggestons. Yup it's true, it does suit Survivor more.
The claws come out this week as the long war between The Dragon Slayer and self made multi millionaire Brendon comes to an end. But who was victorious…

Last week, we have seen the Exile Alliance start to crumble amidst the scrambling going on at Forza. Stephan and Taj have found themselves in conflicting alliances between the two war generals- Coach and Brendon. Will they remain loyal to their charismatic ally Brendon, or will they succumb to the polarizing influence of his nemesis, Coach?

Coach once again entertains his tribe mates about his rendezvous with an Amazon tribe- how he was captured and restrained by arrow and club wielding natives and how he escaped. Is he for real? Brendon does not seem to agree and refers to Coach as “the biggest fraud in the game”.

We see a different side of Erinn as she confides in JT that she is upset that her closest ally, Joe, has been removed from the game. If Erinn plays her cards right, she could stay out of the crossfire and position herself as the swing vote, become the invisible woman, and slide into the finals undetected.

Stephan becomes the first person to make a solo trip to Exile Island. In the recap episode, we have seen him struggle through making fire, where even the model, Sydney, could accomplish this. However, Stephan has become more adapted to the outdoors, and has succeeded in making fire.

JT, Brendon and Debbi find themselves on a river rafting trip reward. This not only offers a comfortable place to relax, but as any survivor player knows – it’s a chance to get some time away from camp and strategize with the others on the reward. Brendon is becoming smitten with JT’s country charm and wants to go to the finals with him, knowing that JT would easily win. He is so in awe of JT that he he stays up all night by evaluating various ways to of getting himself and JT to the finals, so JT would win- but he does make a good point that any plan of his that works out is a victory to him. Sierra is also allured by JT who she thinks is awesome .Right now, it looks like JT may have enough charm as the front runner of the social game, Parvati Shallow (Cook Islands, Micronesia, and Heroes vs. Villains) and if he is sitting in front of the jury at the end, he could convince them to vote for him, and the million dollars will be as good as his. .Sierra is also allured by JT who she thinks is awesome. If I was playing survivor, JT will be next on my boot list because socialists can be more fatal that cold blooded strategists, and they can easily accomplish the same as the latter, but with a smile.

Taj has put in a lot of effort to put herself in a safe position after the merge. And her efforts seem to have paid off because whilst the old Timbiras are butting heads with each other and plotting to take each other out, she is comfortable by staying out of hot water.

At the immunity challenge, we see Tyson dominate yet again and win his second consecutive immunity. How long can his reign last? ***Spoiler Alert!!!*** In a future survivor season, Tyson will once again compete in the same challenge. He will come up just short, and his vulnerability at that night’s tribal council will cause him to do something that will raise a few eyebrows and will consequently change the course of the entire game. Just wait and see :)

Brendon decides to try and throw hisold tribe mates of his trail by suggesting that they vote off JT. But does he know that Jt and the old Timbiras(Less Erinn and Sierra) are plotting against him?

At tribal, Coach’s stories about his Tales in the Amazon are brought up and ridiculed a bit, even by Jeff Probst. Be warned readers and survivor fans, we have not heard the last of Coach’s Tales.What impresses me most about Coach is that e does not let the quirps of others affect him and always tries to maintain a high degree of honesty and integrity, even in this brutal game.

Stephan does a good job at deflecting the plan to take out Brendon by shift some light onto JT by saying that he is the biggest threat. The art of blindsiding is something that every survivor needs to study…Something that i thought made me laugh a lot thos episode was Coach constantly refering to Stephan as a wizard. Is it because he wear glasses like Harry Potter? What made me burst out laughing even more was Stephans witty one liner when he cast his vote- something abbout using a magic spell or lighting right back at you. Well, Iguess when you spend so much time with Coach, you start to use his phrases as retaliation. But i think it's cool being known as the wizard.

Brendon declares that he possesses the Hidden Immunity Idol. In my opinion, I think he did to try and scare anyone who may be targeting him into changing their votes. This reminds me a little of Bob Crowley’s (Gabon) strategy, which I want to tweak a bit that one does not know that the other will be pulling the trigger, all they have to do is see the gun holder. Brendon is basically trying to threaten his foes that he has the idol, he will play it and he will be safe, but as it turns out, this is just an empty threat.

Three votes are dumped onto a shocked Sierra from JT, Tyson and Erinn. Coach receives two votes from Brendon and Sierra, and ultimately Taj and Stephan betray Brendon by throwing their votes onto him, and add to that Coach and Debbi’s vote onto Brendon…and just like that Brendon’s torch is snuffed.

Well its no brainer that the votes were split between Sierra and Brendon, as a safeguard in the instance of Brendon playing the idol. Be wary that splitting the vote is the best way to neutralise the power of the idol (that's if everyone goes along with the plan- lol a hint for about Tysons blunder in a future season)
Well Brendon is not the first person to be blindsided with the Idol. James Clement was blindsided with two idols. He certainly won't be the last person that we will see being blindsided in this way..

I am a bit disappointed at how the vote went. I was hoping that the Exile Alliance of Brendon, Taj, Stephan and Sierra and JT and Erin would make it all the way to the end. Brendon is now the first member of the jury and it’s safe to say that he won’t be voting for either Taj or Stephan due to their betrayal.

Sierra is now on the outside once again. Will she be the next person to whose flame will be put out or will she be able to turn her game around and save herself?

Something on the side- Coach calls himself The Dragon Slayer, but what do you call someone who slays The Dragon Slayer? Ha ha, if you saw my facebook wallpost the other day, you would probably have guessed- even though it obviously did not relate to this season.

Until next week...

Survivor Tocantins episode 8

Its merge time on survivor and this new development will really shake up the game. Over the last 19 days, we have seen six people being voted out the game for either being a liability of the tribe or because they brought about an air of negativity. Now that the game is reaching the finish line, how will the voting strategies shift? Will the blooming Exile Alliance finally emerge and take control of the game, or will the desire for self preservation crack this alliance? How will the battle between Coach and Brendon end or will there be just no end to their rivalry? And how will new strategies, alliances and betrays turn the game around?  10 are left- who will outwit, outplay and outlast all others and become the sole survivor?

Jalapoa is down to four members against the 6 people at Timbira. In this game, numbers is everything. Will Jalapoa disintegrate, get someone to jump over from Timbira, or will they be picked off one by one? As Stephan and Jt both feel, their best hope is to find some sort of power struggle in Timbira and exploit it…a power struggle that they will soon call Coach vs. Brendon.

The best move for the Jalapoa 4 is to take a lesson of Sandra Diaz Twine's(Winner Survivor: Pearl Islands) mantra of "for as long as it's not me" strategy and vote with the majority.

In anticipation of the merge, Coach has evolved to become friendlier and likable tribes mate, with the motive of keeping Timbira happy so that they don’t break apart after the merge. Yet, he still continues to enlighten others with fictional tales about his adventures- this time about how he started the Art of Samurai!

Coach reinforces that his desire is to take the strongest to the end. He sees Jt as a kindred spirit and Stephan as intelligent, and wants to include them in his Warrior Alliance with Debbie and Tyson. Is this a good move on Coach’s part? Is his ulterior motive to be rewarded for taking deserving people to the end and playing and honorable game? What would happen if the people on Coach’s alliance as just stronger than him and he can’t beat them?

Coach also feels that Brendon is too deceptive and believes that Brendon is lying to him says: “If you flat out lie to me, you better go to war”. Does Coach have enough minions to finally take out his long time rival?

Tyson, who also wants to take out Brendon, is proud of believing that he is outwitting Brendon. “He is like putty in my hands right now- I can mold this game however I want right now”, Tyson muses as he shares his undercover puppet master strategy with the camera. He also feels that Stephan and JT have replaced Brendon and Sierra in the alliance. And with a remorseless and arrogant tongue he says:  “I have no clue why she is out here, to give stupid people hope around the world”, when sharing his opinion of Sierra.

Erinn and Joe strategize together. They decide to work together to find out the whereabouts of the Hidden Immunity Idols. To no surprise, they establish the both Idols are missing. Will Joe share the idol be found with Erinn, and does he know it is a fake?

This immunity challenge is one of my favorites. We have seen it before in Survivor: Vanuatu Survivor:  Cook Islands, and a variation in Survivor: Palau

During the challenge, Jt tells Joe to hang on because either he or Joe will be going home tonight. Does JT really believe this? If he does, this is a potentially fatal move if it alerts the other tribe mates that JT and Joe are perceived as the bigger threats ho need to be eliminated next.

Coach is happy that Brendon dropped out of the challenge, and Tyson and Debbie are the last two standing.  Is this a good idea for Debbie to be challenging Tyson? By giving too much effort in immunity challenge could indicate that you need Immunity because you feel vulnerable or that you are a serious threat to win future challenges. Debbie could have just drawn too much attention to herself, especially since she had a stable alliance. She gets distracted and Tyson wins immunity.

Stephan has put himself in a really tight spot between the Exile Alliance and Warrior Alliance. He appears to be unsure as to which route to take. He tells JT that he would go along with the Warrior Alliance if a JT turn on them at a later stage .He considers making a move to vote out Brendon and shares this idea with Taj, who agrees to go along with the plan if they have numbers. Stephan bounces of the idea of splitting the votes between Sierra and Brendon, in the case of Brendon playing the Idol, so that Sierra would be voted off.  We have seen the Exile Alliance strengthening for the last twenty days. Is it going to crumble so quickly?

We get another under the radar appearance from Tyson who interrupts JT and Stephan’s chat and says: “We doing the beans right now. We stir it a bit, add a little rice to it and in split it up, and in a couple of hours we put Brendon’s name down”.  This shows how casual, yet effective Tysons gameplay is, and couple this with his might in challenges, and Tyson is looking like the biggest threat to win the game right now.

During some camera time, Brendon discusses why he is not making any indications concerning the Exile Alliance with Taj and Stephan. He wants the alliance to lie low for a while, after Coach and Tyson are voted out, so they can feel the full power of the alliance. Is Brendon taking too long to strike? There is scrambling going all around him and although he senses that he is in danger, he feels at ease because he has possession of the idol. Does Brendon lack the killer instinct of knowing when to take out his prey, and will this be his Achilles Heel?

Medic takes a look at Joe. Coach’s excitement of taking out his long time rival is heightening and his ego is inflating to the extent that he decides to call himself “The Dragon Slayer”….a name that we better get used to for the rest of this season, another season and possibly one more.

Jeff makes a visit to camp with bad news (or good news for Brendon) that Joe has been medivaced from the game. His infection n is too close to the bone, and could enter the bone or go to the blood and risk death. This just shows that this game is aptly named, as one does not only have to win the battle against other competitors for the ultimate prize, but also that they have to endure harsh environments, bugs and parasites and keeping their sanity.

So once again, the battle between The Dragon Slayer and Brendon has been postponed. Will Brendon catch wind of what is going on and will he able to regroup the Exile Alliance and take out his enemy? Be sure to tune into Survivor next week…because only one person will be victorious…..

Survivor Tocantins episode 7

Sydney and Joe talk strategy. She admits that she feels as though her head is on the chopping block. Joe, smitten by her looks, reassures her that she is safe. But remember that Joe is only one vote….

Coach continues to tick Sierra off while they are cooking. Careful Coach…the merge is coming and you need to be kind from people if you want loyalty…

Brendon says that Coach is too predictable. Is this really the case, or is Brendon under a false pretense?

Stephan wants to be the bridge between Taj and JT. He is putting himself in a secure place by doing this, because if he gains separate and strong loyalty from each of them, this strengthens the likelihood of him being in the finals- both if he wins the final immunity, or JT or Taj win and decide to take him to the final two.

Once again, the outcome of the reward challenge was close...but Timbira emerged victorious

Joe is selected to go to Exile Island and he chooses Erinn fro m Timbira to accompany him. Remember Jalapoa is losing numbers and Erinn confessed last week that she would be wiling to flip. If Joe is successful in charming Erinn…this could be a win-win situation for both Erinn and Jalapoa…

On the reward, Coach admits that Erinn is lucky to still be in this game, and he goes on to say that he is happy with everyone there on the reward because he wants to win with them. Am I missing something? Wasn’t Coach locking horns with Brendon and creating friction with Sierra? Well if this is the case, Brendon, Sierra and Erinn have a common enemy, and the enemy of my enemy is my friend…

Stephan and Taj make a fake idol…will they be able to pull the wool over Joes eyes?

JT sees the idol in a bag and tells Stephan, who admits that he knew about the idol. Stephan also convinces Taj to show Jt the idol, and thus strengthens their alliance.

Jt versus Tyson again...and Tyson takes the lead and wins immunity for Timbira. Tyson then rubs in his victory when he asks Jt if he needs help.

Joe lies that he didn’t see the clue at Exile Island, which Taj and Stephan don’t believe, as they laugh while Joe secretly takes the idol…does he know it is fake?

Sydney and Joe are targeting Taj, and Stephan and Jt consider blindsiding Taj and keeping her idol.

Sydney acknowledges that Taj is not the person to scramble, which she seems to display as an honorable gameplay on Taj’s behalf. But will a gameplay of no scrambling and backstabbing be a fatal flaw in Taj’s game if it shows that doesn’t have the killer instinct to make big moves?

At tribal, players are making this decision in consideration with who will help them more useful in the looming merge, as they explore the pros and cons of keeping Taj or Sydney.  Sydney proposes that she will be more loyal and since she has no relationships with Timbira, she can’t flip. At this point in the game, how important will this declaration of Sydney be, since Jalapoa is already down in numbers, and even if they keep a loyal Sydney, they could easily be picked out one by one? Taj on the other hand admits she has relationships with Sierra and Brendon, which could potentially save Jalapoa after the merge.

How bad did Joe want Sydney to stay?

·         He could have given Sydney the Idol

·         Maybe he knew the Idol was fake

·         Did he believe that Sydney was safe?

·         Or, would he be planning to keep the Idol for himself or share it with someone else after the merge for his own benefit?

The vote reveals that Stephan and Jt decided to stay loyal to Taj, and Sydney was voted out

Was this vote before the merge a good decision?

·         It could have been the perfect time for Taj to be blindsided

·         Sydney could have used her flirting after the merge to forge connections with Brendon and Tyson

·         Jt, the  powerhouse, could have been blindsided because he would be too much of a threat after the merge

·         Joe has a knee infection. This could cripple his performance in future challenges and if he gets medivaced in the future, its another player down for Jalapoa

The best move that Jalapoa should have made was to vote out Joe because his injured knee could be liability, and Sydney would do much better in post –merge endurance challenges and by reaching out too the outsiders of Timbira.

In her on camera goodbye, Sydney says that Taj might try to do something. This just shows how much power that Taj is perceived to have…power that could shake things up after the merge and give Jalapoa glory…

Next week…merge time!!!

***Spoiler Alert***

Coach will form the “Warrior” or “Power” Alliance, and a few people from Jalapoa join this alliance. Who will constitute this alliance, and how will it impact the rest of the game? What does mean for the Exile Alliance?

Until next week…