Survivor 42, Episode 3 - Go For the Gusto
At VATI, Hai broke his veganism to maintain energy for the game. At TAKU, Maryanne channeled her inner Jack Torrance and her personality is beginning to take a toll on others on the tribe. Both Mike and Drea can’t keep their mouth shut about advantages, UNBELIEVABLE! At Tribal Council TAKU gets their tribe down to 4 sending Marya home.
TAKU (Day 6)
Right off the bat, MARYANNE TELLS TAKU ABOUT HER EXTRA VOTE ADVANTAGE! Holy shnikies! I guess they must sign something that requires them to share their advantages with everyone. LIke I said in a post last week quoting Boston Rob, “Why why why can noone keep their mouths shut in modern Survivor!?!?!”. I know that Xander made it to the final 3 despite doing this, but I have to believe people’s fate in the game will be more like Genie or Brad’s, getting played and looking the a fool, than Xander’s triumph to near winning glory.
Back to the insanity. Beware Advantage 2 comes out in the Maryanne induced idol hunt. That’s right. No typos there. Maryanne and the rest of TAKU went on an idol hunt and none other than Maryanne was the lucky finder of the second Beware Advantage. She finds the Beware Advantage and her nervous energy reproduces like rabbits.
FUDGE! is right Maryanne. Not only did you lose your vote but you also lost your EXTRA VOTE until the idol is played. Horrible! especially considering her being on the bottom of TAKU. Could she get lucky and part 3 will come out soon? Sure. But, is there an equal chance that Lindsay, Omar, and Jonathan play Maryanne like Mean Girls to gain her now 2 advantages and cut her lose knowing there is nothing she can do about it? I think so. I’m leaning to the latter scenario.
VATI (DAY 6)
Speaking of idols. Over at VATI, Mike’s idol has consumed Daniel. Daniel is already neurotic. Throw in an idol at camp that Mike told him about, you have a total trainwreck. Daniel nudges Mike so he can “read it fully” and fully put his lawyer skills to work while simultaneously alerting Mike how squirmish a paranoid person on Survivor can be. Daniel is smart and wants to use the advantage info to backstab Mike but the dude is a mess. His plan to “kill the idol” isn’t possible and then to put a cherry on top, the spaz forgets the idol, congratulations paper, and his water bottle in the jungle.
Like, who would ever hire this guy to be their lawyer? I sure as hell wouldn’t. This guy would leave his briefcase on the subway the day of the trial or pull a Vincent Gambini and get himself thrown in jail.
IMMUNITY CHALLENGE
Maryanne gets the party started by trying to sneak her idol phrase in disguise via her eccentric personality. I applaud her for the creativity of the delivery. It was smart and with everything she has shown the other two tribes thus far, this story of the bunny rabbit and the mailbox isn’t that “off brand”.
However, Maryanne is not the cleverest of them all. That would be Hoboken’s bravest. Mike hears Maryanne drop the secret phrase, but unlike his TAKU firecracker compadre, Mike holds his cards close and waits for another phrase to be said before he shows his hand.
Nothing.
Mike makes another huge strategic move and folds his phrase for this challenge to live another day. I’m impressed with Mike here. You’re on Survivor. You find a Beware Advantage that turns into an idol, but there is a catch. I think most people would be raring to let their mouth vomit the phrase like it’s Freshman year, but Mike doesn’t. He remains poised, in control, and makes a great move. Gee, I hope Daniel’s goofy ass doesn’t last longer than Mike.
Challenge
TASK - swim out to a ring in the water, retrieve a ladder from ocean floor, use ladder to reach a key, unlock sandbags, and land them on a platform.
REWARD
1st - Large Tool kit and Fruit Basket
2nd - Small tool kit and fruit basket
The swells are insane. People are unable to swim. jonathan is throwing his teammates toward the ring and single handedly retrieves the ladder and CT-Bananapacks it to shore. The guy is an absolute beast. It’s as if the ocean current has no effect. Then to put an exclamation point on it, he holds the ladder up by himself while Lindsay climbs up and retrieves the key. VATI and IKA haven’t even gotten out of the ocean. Not even close. Jonathan, I mean TAKU wins 1st place.
The race for 2nd is on, but so is the race to not drown. So Jeff pauses the challenge. The two struggling tribes are given the keys and the challenge continues.
The JV teams led by Mike (VATI) and Rocksroy (IKA) nail 4/5 and then Drea closes the deal for IKA sending VATI to Tribal Council and leaving them without a flint.
PAUSING THE CHALLENGE
Pausing the Challenge was an absolute must. VATI and IKA were going to drown from exhaustion before they would ever prop the ladder up in the ocean to retrieve the key. From a logistical and human standpoint they had to do it. From a storytelling perspective, you had to include Probst pausing the challenge, bringing VATI and IKA onto shore, and include Probst’s improv telling them to get a strategy together for the restart. Lastly, from a television perspective, it was necessary to show what really happened and the decisions that production made in real time. There’s an authenticity to it that I appreciate. Plus, they got great shots of the struggle above the water, below the water, and Jonathan’s Hercules impression brought an additional element too. Imagine if they just cut that pause and explanation out of the episode? Would have made no sense and through up red flags.
The challenge ends and it’s time for journey #2. TAKU then sends Chanelle and Omar on the next journey together.
VATI (DAY 7)
VATI has lost the challenge, headed to Tribal, and Chanelle is off on a journey. Not a great time for Chanelle to be away from camp. This is the first Tribal for VATI and that is always an important one. The vote is going to be between Lydia (via Daniel, Jenny and Mike - NO VOTE) and Jenny (Hai, Lydia). Then, there is Chanelle and her journey. Because Mike lost his vote, the vote is at 2-2. Chanelle’s vote is the swing vote.
PRISONER’S DILEMMA
After the Immunity Challenge, TAKU sent Chanelle and Omar on the journey together and to face the RISK or PROTECT your vote decision. They both acknowledge the benefit of going on this journey, making a connection with person from another tribe, and most of all the importance of having their vote.
Does that stop them from both choosing RISK?
NOPE!
Chanelle and Omar both choose to eat the forbidden fruit and lose their vote at Tribal Council. Omar’s in the future and Chanelle’s later that night. Yikes! Huge loss for Chanelle.
The Pre-Tribal scramble is in full effect and the votes are looking like a tie. Chanelle knows her vote is a deciding one, but she doesn’t have one. I’m not sure what Chanelle’s strategy is exactly or what she’s thinking on her boat ride back to camp. She knows she’s in
TRIBAL COUNCIL (VATI)
Daniel’s sloppiness is on full display. He admits that he won’t win Survivor 42 because of his paranoia. Then, he draws the tribal lines for everyone to see. Daniel shares that Mike and Chanelle “calm him down”.
VOTES
Lydia 2
Jenny 2
Mike - NO VOTE (Beware Advantage)
Chanelle - NO VOTE (Prisoner’s Dilemma)
RE-VOTE
Lydia 1
Jenny 1
WHAT DO YOU DO?
The decision of who goes home comes down to Daniel and Hai making the decision and Mike and Chanelle having the ability to sway their decision. Jenny and Lydia are not part of the decision.
Hai - Hai is in no man’s land. He looks more confused than a goat on astroturf. Now, he has to make a decision. He could change his vote from Jenny to Lydia and find himself likely on the bottom, but his game continues. Moving forward he has A LOT of new information to help maneuver himself into a “I’m on the bottom so use me” strategy for someone looking to make a big move. OR, he could say f@#$ it and force the rock pull because he is on the bottom anyway but he risks his game.
Daniel - Daniel finds himself in the majority alliance if Hai goes along with voting out Lydia. Daniel going along with Hai would likely be a kamikaze move because it would send Jenny home, piss off Chanelle and Mike, and keep Hai and Lydia together in the game. That would leave Daniel searching for more than just his water bottle.
Best Choice - Guarantee you make it through, don’t go to rocks. It’s cool and very “Survivor”, but it’s dumb.
Big Move - Hai doesn’t agree with Daniel and sends it to rocks. Go big or go home!
HAI MAKES HIS MOVE
Hai walked into this situation looking like he was dead in the water. No power. His only ally on her way out. Slim options like a vegan is used to seeing. However, there was one card for Hai to play and he played it. Daniel, aka Mr. Paranoid aka Mr. I Don’t Want to Go to Rocks on Day 7 (totally understandable) handed Hai the one move he could make by saying that he wouldn’t draw rocks. The foreshadowing of Daniel’s messiness pays off when Hai decides he won’t change his vote and says he will go to rocks. He forces Daniel to make the decision between voting Jenny or risking himself and going to rocks. Hai must feel high at this point off the Formula 1 heart rate in his chest and the magnitude of this poker move.
Daniel gives. Jenny is out. VATI is flipped upside down.
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