Season 1, Episode 12 - "Death of An Alliance"
“Only 5 from the original Tagi tribe remain. It’s anyone’s guess who will be voted off tonight.” - Probst
Day 34
Sunrise at Borneo. All screenshots via Amazon Prime Video.
Sunrise the day after tribal council has opened up the last few episodes. This brief couple seconds of the show could easily be missed like a real sunrise. Catching the sunrise on the show is very much like catching a real sunrise, feels good and gives a greater appreciation of the beauty and what is to come. Sneaky underrated part of being on Survivor I would bet is being able to catch 39 sunrises and sunsets, if you’re lucky.
LET THE BREAKDOWN BEGIN
“Kelly made all the rest of us look like a bunch of idiots. Then she made all the rest of us look like the bad guys and her the one good guy out of the whole five of us.” - Sue
As Sue shaves her leg in a beach puddle she sounds off about Kelly trying to make herself look good to the Pagong tribe aka the jury. I don’t know what is more interesting the fact that Sue, who once considered Kelly a sister and the one to fill the void of her friend who passed, is now untrusting of Kelly all together or the fact that she is shaving her leg in a puddle. How did she get shaving cream and a razor? Luxury items?
Anyway, as the wheels come off the Kelly and Sue friendship, guess who is there to be the sounding board and voice of comfort, you guessed it, Rich. And he loves being in that position. Advantage Rich.
THE HARD TIMES OF THE GAME
Missing home, maintaining relationships with strangers 24/7, zero contact with the people you love, being away from home, not going to restaurants, not speaking to/calling/talking to loved ones, no idea of exactly what time it is, being stung by rays. These are some of the conflicts happening on Day 34.
Given that I am writing this while under quarantine from covid-19 some of these hardships are relatable.
Top 3 Toughest Parts at Day 34
3 - Not speaking/calling/talking to loved ones. For obvious reasons that can weigh on you especially in this game with the amount of stress involved.
2 - Eating the rice and the rays again and again and again. It has to get old. Maybe I will try a 39 day eating challenge of rice and some sort of fish. Could be fun or absolutely terrible.
1 - Stress of the game. You’re in the final 5 and every little move matters. Every conversation, every challenge, every rain storm, every meal, everything matters and effects the game. Staying mentally strong would be toughest part at Day 34 but also most important.
Day 35
REWARD CHALLENGE - Mud Volcano
Get as much mud from the mud volcano as you can using your body as a transport vehicle. The reward is a cold beer, one Bud Light, and blindfolded to a bar for some more beers and a viewing of the first episode of Survivor.
This is probably the most fun challenge of the season. Diving into a natural volcanic mud pit, covering yourself, running back and forth dumping it in a bucket. Who wouldn’t want to do this. This would be the best and worst kids birthday party ever.
Kelly uses the advantage of her long hair to get the win and a victory hug from Jeff. Kelly is stringing together some victories and doing it at the right time, but what Kelly also won at the mud pit challenge, and perhaps more importantly, was the smoothing of tensions between her and Sue. Even Rich can’t believe that they are buddy buddy again, washing the mud off each other after a near nuclear meltdown from Sue and her distrust of Kelly. Advantage Kelly.
JEFF AND KELLY GO TO SURVIVOR BAR - “This Bud is for you!”
Kelly shares her beer reward with Jeff. All screenshots via Amazon Prime Video.
I can’t help but wonder if Jeff was paid or the show was forced to say the slogan as Jeff and Kelly cheers their Bud Lights. Either way, it’s definitely a top 5 beer ever for both of them. Wedding, honeymoon, child birth, those probably top the list, but a Bud Light at the Survivor Bar in the middle of Borneo, Malaysia on this first step into a monumental 20 year journey is making its case to be on the Mount Rushmore of beers they have drank for both of them.
The other underrated bonus of this reward is Kelly gets to share it with Jeff. Kelly is afforded the opportunity to vent, blow off steam, talk strategy, and let loose with only risking Jeff airing the dirty laundry at tribal. Too risky? Maybe. Or, just what she needs to press on in the game.
As Jeff puts on the broadcast of episode 1 the game is in the rearview mirror. The surreal experience of witnessing themselves on the show while filming what will be a later episode. The smiles on their faces says it all.
Jeff and Kelly watch a tape of episode 1. All screenshots via Amazon Prime Video.
Day 36
“This is the 4th day to the end.” - Rich
Rich seems comfortable with his position and is counting the days until he can see his family.
“I’m going to have to win immunity and I’ll have to finagle. There might be something I can exploit to my advantage.” - Sean
After 35 days Sean is now ready to dig in and play the game of Survivor he has been avoiding. About 34 1/2 days late on that one Sean.
“I ain’t gonna let you into the three” - Sue to Kelly
Sue tells Kelly she won’t let her in the final 3. All screenshots via Amazon Prime Video.
I don’t know that Tagi is completely unraveling but the tension is stemming from the 2 remaining women. They were once sisters, then backstabbing, and now cordial and civil. Sue tells Kelly that she is allying with Rich and intends to get her off and Kelly is looking to return the favor to Sue.
It seems that the next immunity challenge will dictate how the game progresses more than anything else. If ________ wins immunity then ________ will be voted out. I feel that the castaways and the viewers at this point are itching to get to the challenges and see how the story unfolds.
IMMUNITY CHALLENGE - Survivor Witch Project
Each Survivor given video camera to record themselves answering 5 questions taped to 5 masks wins. To answer the questions Jeff tells the survivors a story about tree spirits, never calling out names, reclaiming your names, snakes are a good thing at camp and the torches of those voted out at tribal council have mysteriously gone out and needed to be relit for the ceremonial snuff out.
The best part of the challenge is Rudy running through the forest, getting to a mask and question, and saying “I don’t know” each time. Hahaha.
WINNER - KELLY
Kelly winning immunity complicates the plan for Rich and Sue. They can’t vote her out and that leaves one person to be voted out next, Sean. Dr. Alphabet has made mistakes for 11 episodes and hasn’t paid the ultimate price for it. I don’t see Rich, Sue, or Rudy voting for each other.
TRIBAL COUNCIL
Tribal Council #12. All screenshots via Amazon Prime Video.
“How much did you need to win this immunity?” - Jeff
Immunity challenge wins are always important whether it be during the team competition or the individual portion. However, the immunity wins in the final 5, 4, and 3 are the wins that really swing the outcome of the entire season. If Kelly doesn’t win immunity tonight, she is gone, and if she is gone, Sean sticks around and maybe wins the next immunity, and on and on. Every step of the way matters and certainly every immunity challenge matters even more.
“Rudy, you’re flying under the radar, what do you think people are saying?” - Jeff
For whatever reason Rudy has been silent/not featured at tribal council. I think this is the first time Jeff asks him a direct question. This is interesting for two reasons. One, Rudy has been, in my opinion, the funniest character on the show. He doesn’t say a whole lot but as I’ve written previously, when he does it never disappoints. After Jeff talks to Rudy about how his buddies back home would feel about Rudy’s relationship with Rich Rudy says
“When we’re done with this, I’m going to shake his hand and hope I never see him again.” Even Rich can’t help but break character and crack up. Rudy’s bluntness has been nothing but a joy to hear!
“So what has won out — simple Midwestern values or the harsh reality of corporate life?”
All screenshots via Amazon Prime Video.
This is the best question Jeff has asked at tribal all season. He is referencing back to Sue’s dissertation on how Survivor reflects America. The timing is perfect for the question but so is Sue’s response that it hasn’t been decided yet.
I think each castaway has grappled with who they are and what their values are versus the money. 16 Americans, old and young, different backgrounds and cultures, different core values all began marooned together, but one constant has been with them the entire time, the money. One million dollars can change anyone’s life and if nothing else challenge castaways to think about where their line is, in the sand of the game. This question has been a major engine behind the drama of season 1 and has gotten us to this point and I’m 100% positive that it will continue to drive the show in future seasons.
VOTING
It is worth pointing out that when Jeff goes to tally the votes and the camera pans back to the 5 tribe members awaiting the results, one torch has “mysteriously” gone out again. Can you see it? I guess we already knew who’s time it was to leave the game thanks to the spirits on the island.
Look at Sean’s torch! All screenshots via Amazon Prime Video.
Sean - SUE “I’m voting for Sue tonight. Not for any particular reason. She’s a good friend of mine and will always be a good friend of mine, but t’s a self preservation maneuver and needed to be done.”
Sean may not be midwestern but right to the end we see Sean’s values lead him.
Sue - SEAN “It was fun. Good luck buddy.”
She’s had enough of Sean and is bitter that she can’t write Kelly’s name down.
Votes - Sean (4), Sue (1)
Sean is a great guy, no doubt, but not a very good player in the game. He is the beneficiary of being on the better tribe to start. If Sean starts on Pagong, he doesn’t make it this far in the game, or at least he shouldn’t. Who knows, maybe he would have been the last of Pagong because of how little a threat he posed. As a Long Island guy myself, I was always rooting for Sean to get it together, figure it out, and make a move, but he just didn’t have it in him to commit Survivor “malpractice”.
PROBST’S CLOSING THOUGHT
“Sean’s torch went out during the Tribal Council. Since the merger, every person voted off has had their torch go out. You guys have made it to the final four. We’ll have a final Tribal Council, where the jury will decide who leaves this island with a lot of bragging rights and a lot of cash.”
12 people have been eliminated, 5 of which have become members of the jury, and only 2 will have a chance to win the money and title of Sole Survivor. The game is reaching its pinnacle with only 4 left. There is no room for error in challenges nor a vote to be wasted at Tribal Council.
SEAN EXIT INTERVIEW
“I like to think I was the last good person. I conducted myself very well here. There are people I genuinely like on there, but there are some very um… callous, cold and duplicitous people remaining in the contest.” - Sean
When asked to grapple with the question of do you remain true to yourself and your values or the money, we all know what Sean decided. He made it as far as he could and was at times a real benefit to the cast of the season. His unorthodox approach to the game in his voting strategies or flip-flopping/indecisiveness in choosing people to enjoy a reward breakfast will be remembered in the game and something future castaways learn from.
CATEGORIES AND AWARDS
1 - Biggest Move
Sue coming out and telling Kelly that she is partnering with Rich to get to the end and going to do everything she can so that Kelly doesn’t get there is pretty bold. The conversation they had was as cordial as that conversation could be. It could have been a volcanic eruption of emotion but wasn’t. Still the biggest move because just a few episodes ago, Sue though of Kelly as her “sister”. Sue is gravitating toward the corporate side of things.
2 - Biggest Mistake
Sue and Kelly venting their problems to Rich. I understand you need to talk to somebody about the issues, but Rich is the toughest competition and he will use it to help his strategy in the game.
3 - Challenge Corner
Mud Volcano vs. Survivor Witch Project. I like the pop culture throwback to the Blair Witch Project’s viral moment but I like how the mud volcano reward challenge reinvigorated the castaways and helped bring them together. It was startling to see how all the tension at Rattana got whisked away thanks to a mud bath.
The mud people. All screenshots via Amazon Prime Video.
4 - Trending Up
Kelly. She has won the last two immunity challenges and needed to. She has continued to impress and force the alliance to make decisions that they didn’t want to.
5 - Trending Down
Sue’s midwestern values. I think she’s struggling the most with the game at this point. She knows that Rudy is in Rich’s pocket and Kelly isn’t as trustworthy as she once thought. I think it is weighing on Sue and effecting her game.
6 - Strategy Award
I think Kelly gets the nod here for her strategy in the mud volcano challenge. She was smart enough to use her hair to her advantage and helped her get the win and the night of relief and beer at the Survivor Bar with Jeff.
7 - Best Screenshot
When Rudy makes you think about your own grandpa at 72 diving into mud. Never would have happened. lol
All screenshots via Amazon Prime Video.
8 - Best Quote
“When we’re done with this, I’m going to shake his hand and hope I never see him again.” - Rudy
As a viewer I am fully engaged in the action, emotion, and strategy head space of the game. It can wear on you a little bit but every time Rudy drops a line like that it breaks the tension and makes you laugh. I’d like to think that the other castaways felt the same way.
9 - Who won the episode?
Kelly wins again. She won the reward challenge and the immunity challenge. She helped guarantee her spot in the final four by winning. Winning is always the best strategy.
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