Survivor 44, Ep. 11 - I'm Not Worthy
🔥 BURNING QUESTION HEADED INTO EPISODE 11 🔥
What will be the fallout of Carson and Yam Yam leaving Carolyn out of the Frannie vote?
Carolyn was piiiiiiiiiissed! We learned this in the “Next Time” segment at the end of ep. 10. We are going to learn a lot about Carolyn’s game and this feels like a major turning point for this season. I think we will look back at this moment and be able to connect dots back to here for whoever wins this season. It’s an opportunity to strike against Carson and Yam Yam who made a mistake in leaving Carolyn out. Wrong person to do dirty like that.
VA VA Night 19
Let the damage control begin!!! Yam Yam and Carson couldn’t resist the “juicy” target of voting out Frannie and now they have to deal with the backlash. Carolyn actually trusted Carson and Yam Yam and now she has to deal with the “mental torture” of knowing that the people she trusted, lied to her.
Danny is trying to figure out who voted for him. We know it was Heidi, but she didn’t know that Danny would be around for her to have to do damage control about. An idol helps too with Heidi’s paranoia, and likely Carolyn’s too after her roughest night to date.
Day 20
Jaime is leading the gratitude meditation of the final 7 and serving as the cheerleader. From it we learn about Heidi’s dream and growth coming from her beginnings in Puerto Rico to being an engineer and mother. I wonder how most Survivor viewers felt about the meditation circle. Are they for it?, against it?, just strategy, gameplay, and betrayal hungry? or are people really taking a nugget or more of value from watching the final 7 come together and share a that kind of moment together?
Back to Carolyn’s drama…
There’s a difference between playing the game and taking things personally. I know that. It just takes me a little bit to figure it out. So, even though they betrayed me on the last vote, I’m over it. I can go back and I do trust Carson and Yam Yam. I need TIKA to stay together. - Carolyn
Hall of Fame NFL coach Bill Parcells said that when someone shows you who they are you, believe them and Carolyn has revealed more than anyone about who she is, so now it’s time to believe her. Carolyn trusts Yam Yam and Carson. They betrayed her, but she trusts them. She was pissed off, but she trusts them. She didn’t want to hear it from them after the vote, but now she will because she trusts them. I think Carolyn needs trust in her life outside the game and in it. She found it in TIKA. She found it with Yam Yam and Carson. Now, she will ride it to the end, even if it means being taken advantage of and jeopardizing her chance at the million dollars and title of Sole Survivor.
This hurts because I want her to win, but I don’t think she will. Even though she lies to Yam Yam about having the idol (I like that, a lot) but I think she’s revealed her achilles heel.
Now that TIKA has patched up their Carolyn wounds, their next strategic move is to open the crack that Heidi has created. Yam Yam and TIKA are trying to split Danny and Heidi apart by telling Danny that Heidi voted for him. It's the right move on their part. Stick together as the three TIKA and use the “sloppiness” in the gameplay of others to their advantage. It’s Survivor 101 or maybe 201. Based on Heidi’s sloppy damage control with Danny, who already knows she voted for him, Heidi is nowhere near the threat to Danny that Yam Yam or Carson is. It’s clear who the threats are and who they are not.
PAUSE FOR FIJI’S BEAUTY
Carolyn finds her Terminator 2 liquid metal finger and we get the BEAUTIFUL underwater camera views. I appreciate these moments on Survivor because the “19th castaway” on every season is Fiji. Visually, Survivor is a spectacular show to watch. It makes you yearn for the crystal clear water, the white sand beach between your toes, the aroma of a campfire, the sweetness of coconut water hitting your sunkist lips and more. Pressing pause on the game with Carolyn to enjoy the sights and sounds is always a refreshing dip to take.
INITIAL FINAL 3 TALKS
FINALLY!!! Danny, Lauren, Heidi, and Jaime have the conversation about the power of TIKA and the writing on the wall that if they don’t do something, they will lose. The game is down to 7 - 3 TIKA and four others. The other four has to make up their mind that either they are going to play hard and take down a TIKA or face being a victim to their 3-way domination taking them down.
I always wonder at this point what the conversations are for players like Danny, Lauren, Jaime, and Heidi. The players who aren’t “running the game” or don’t have moves on a resume when there’s a clear group or individual who does have that. Do they recognize what’s happening, the power of TIKA, the need to act, the need to strike, or is the conversation useless, feeling too little too late, or feeling like they have already lost the game and thus it doesn’t matter.
In other words, do players have the serious conversation with themselves about where their game is and where the game is likely to play out and based off this assessment make something happen. In 43 it was blatantly obvious after Jesse’s move on Cody that Jesse was going to win unless someone did something about it. At final 7 of 44, TIKA has the frontrunners to win and I don’t think any of the other four have a chance to win, unless they take down TIKA.
IMMUNITY CHALLENGE
Hold your breath. Last season Owen and Karla defeated this challenge and survived the tide.
Prediction: Beating the challenge isn’t repeated. Danny puts his breath work to max potential and wins.
Carson tested this in his bathtub. Yam Yam is becoming one with the bars. Lauren is shivering and unable to comprehend Jeff’s questions to fill the space and she’s out first after an hour. Carolyn is curled up in a ball and plugging her nose,
Danny is creating a snorkel, and Jaime’s out second after the first panic of water. A swell comes unlike the ones in Carson’s bathtub and knocks him out. Carolyn soon behind him.
The challenge gets to a point where Heidi, Yam Yam and Danny are literally under water. They can snorkel with their hands all they want but that can’t be very helpful. I don’t understand how it really helps. Water is finding its way in no matter what…
Before I can even finish that thought, Danny is basically drowning and he bows out leaving Heidi and Yam Yam. Shortly after Heidi can’t hold it either and Yam Yam wins immunity. 1/3 of TIKA will be safe.
This challenge is iconic and I get that. This challenge is gut wrenching and uncomfortable for viewers to watch. It must be 100x that when competing. I understand Jeff saying it’s a test of mental strength and “digging deep”. In the end, I like the challenge though I do wonder what winning really comes down to. I think it’s all about the swells and luck. If the swells come at different heights depending on your spot in the water you can win or lose.
PRE-TRIBAL SCRAMBLE
Tonight is the last time to play the Shot in the Dark - keep that in mind. Danny leads the charge on targeting Carson. Danny, Heidi, Lauren, and Jaime want to vote out Carson but Carolyn is sniffing it out. Her suspicion is probably based back in the sanctuary visit “Bro-fest” with Brandon.
This Tribal comes down to one of two options.
TIKA GETS THEIR WAY - Carolyn’s target of Danny works
VOTE CARSON - Danny, Heidi, Lauren, and Jaime do what needs to be done.
What do we have behind mystery door #3…
CAROLYN SAVES CARSON - Carolyn plays her idol to save Carson nd sends Danny or Heidi home.
Instantaneously as these thoughts come out of me, Carolyn reveals her secret to Carson that she found the TIKA idol, confirming her 100% trust in Carson and riding it to the end.
TRIBAL COUNCIL
Carolyn’s facial expressions, paranoia, emotions, and being annoyed by Danny dominate Tribal. Everyone’s on edge. Everyone is seeing the game from their own perspective but what stands out is Carolyn has her secret to reveal. Carson can give this mini Final Tribal pitch to the jury about he was the nerd in high school and how Survivor taught him to be proud of his quirks etc. That’s awesome and we know he can say this and Carolyn can feel how she feels because of the idol she is likely to play to save Carson and upend the plans that Danny and the other non TIKA players had.
Carolyn is doing everything she can to keep her idol and intentions a secret. At the beginning of the episode the fallout from the Frannie vote was Carolyn being betrayed and losing her trust in those she trusted. Now, she has the opportunity to be both the player she wants to be while being the person she is both in the game and outside of it in her real life. Because she was betrayed she will be able to show trust and stay true to who she is, even in the game of Survivor. This could be her winning move.
IDOLS/ADVANTAGES
Carolyn plays her idol for Carson
VOTES
Carson 2
Danny 3
Heidi 2
Carolyn makes her choice, plays her idol for Carson, and casts the knockout vote on Danny, not Heidi.
BUT….
Carolyn missed the opportunity. Playing her idol for Carson was foolish, short sighted, and playing with her heart. Maybe that’s just who Carolyn is. Her authenticity has come back to bite her in the game of Survivor. Ultimately, playing her idol for Carson only cancelled out two votes, not four. The weakest remaining players - Lauren and Jaime - voted with TIKA again anyway. That shows the stranglehold on the game that TIKA has, how much in No Man’s Land Lauren and Jaime’s games are, and how gameplay foolish Carolyn is.
I love Carolyn. I have rooted for her from the jump and like her, I will root for her until the torch fuel burns out. Having said that, she blew it. SHE BLEW IT! Let’s skew reality into a tangent or alternate final 7 vote in which Carolyn takes all that time in the voting booth and makes a true BIG MOVE by casting the knockout vote for Carson and keeping her idol. In this scenario, she keeps her idol, makes a HUGE move, and GAINS ANOTHER JURY VOTE in Carson in the process. Next, at final 6 she at least can play her Immunity Idol and guarantee final 5 in which case she needs to win an immunity to have a chance at fire at final 4.
Instead, she uses her biggest advantage to only cancel out two votes and leave herself vulnerable to be terminated next by the very people she was already betrayed by and she chose to stick with. Carolyn may be only capable of playing with her heart but it breaks mine to see her squander the opportunity to make a winning move.
I still love you Carolyn. 💜
WINNER POWER RANKINGS
We are down to the final 6 so we wave 👋 Bye-Bye to the winner watchlist and sub in the rankings. Let’s count it down from 6-1 going group by group.
Group A: The ZERO VOTES Crew
T-LAST - Heidi, Lauren, Jaime
Heidi gets the slight nod to be mentioned first of this group because she was my preseason pick to win and she at least found a real idol. Lauren is next because she at least had an extra vote and a challenge win. Jaime is dead in the water. She’s all that’s right in the world but not in Survivor. No chance.
Group B: The Fat Lady is Warming Up
3 - Carolyn
To review, she had a chance to take down Carson - the biggest strategic threat - find a way through the final 6 vote and then use her secret Immunity Idol she swiped from the birdcage back at TIKA later on. Instead, she led with her heart and emotions to save Carson from 2 non-lethal votes and vote out the second half of the Bro-mance in Danny. Carolyn could still win despite the teaser for next episode showing us Yam Yam and Carson talking about voting out Carolyn. I think this was her chance to make her seismic move like Jesse voting out Cody in 43. Carson and Yam Yam won’t think with their hearts when they vote Carolyn out, it’ll be with their head and their wallet.
Group C: The Favorites
2 - Yam Yam
A close second behind his TIKA counterpart. Yam Yam is super likeable and an infectious personality. He won an iconic Immunity Challenge. He survived having his name written down several times and did his best 007 to take all of his foes down. Most of all, he has been part of the major alliance that has run the game, controlled the vote, and put everyone on the jury. Question remains, can he beat Carson at FTC?
1 - Carson
He’s won everyone over with his innocence and charm. He’s grown through this experience by embracing who he is and learning to be confident like never before. And oh by the way, he has been the strategist behind the TIKA dominance of the game.
Thanks for reading this week. Appreciate the support. Be sure to outlike, outcomment, and outshare the rest all season long. I will be writing about each episode all the way through to the announcement of the winner of Survivor 44. See you next week.
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