Survivor 47 | Ep. 7
BEKA - Night 12
Congrats to everyone for making the merge, or should I say, EARNING the merge. The amulet advantage was taken out of the game, and Sol has to do damage control for the first time in the game. Sol was the lone vote for Andy as a way to protect himself. Then, to dig himself out of a hole, he extends the olive branch to Andy in the form of telling him that Sam was the one to put his name out there as the backup plan.
The result?
Andy is out for blood…GATA blood.
The question is, will the GATA blood, be his own???
BEKA - Night 12
We are taken into the mind of Andy to replay the voices playing in Andy’s head. Sam and Sierra from GATA. Now, Sol. Andy is ready to swing away from GATA and find new allies and move forward.
Enter Genevieve.
This sunrise conversation comes at the perfect time. Genevieve lost her number one ally and Andy is open to new beginnings. It doesn’t come as a surprise that these two wind up finding one another in the early morning hours after Rome was voted out. I wish we could hear more of their sales pitches to one another because I need to know how compatible these two are.
I guess we will find out soon.
BEKA - Day 13
The next question on everyone’s mind is how can I position myself best in this game. Rachel is all about the women and Teeny’s desire to vote out all the men even draws a flashback to Survivor 16’s black widow alliance.
Classic post merge conversation.
Even though we see Tiyana throw Gabe’s name out there to Teeny, Rachel, and Sierra, I never buy into the talk about the all women alliance, nor do I believe that Tiyana is savvy enough to outwit Gabe. At this point I sense that players like Tiyana, Teeny, and Rachel (aka not the All-Star strategists) are dependent on the game being simplified by an all women alliance. I get why someone like Teeny would say they want the jury to be all women because Teeny believes that would up her chances of winning the game.
However, Survivor isn’t that simple.
The strategy of the game isn’t that straightforward. Gameplay moves far too quickly and as Jeff has said many times, players who are best able to adapt and adapt quickly, succeed. The ideas the Rachels, the Tiyanas, and the Teenys of the new era are interested in, like the simplicity of an all women alliance and more women on the jury equals more likely to win, really reveals their lack of adaptability and strategy in the game. It’s not a winning strategy.
IMMUNITY CHALLENGE TWIST
TWIST
Split into two groups.
One winner who lasts longest for winning group wins immunity for entire group.
Winning Group Members
Have immunity
Watch Tribal
No Voting
One winner who lasts longest for losing group wins individual immunity.
Losing Group
Can be voted out
Player voted out won’t make jury
REWARD - Baby Back Ribs, Potato Salad, Corn on the Cob, Beer, and Soft Drinks.
The best part of the twist is the person voted out of the losing tribe of 6 will not make the jury. I think the “why” behind this twist was to make the significance of “making the merge” a stand alone achievement separate from the jury. Now, somebody is a victim at the mergatory stage and the pre-jury merge stage of the game. Once again, players have to EARN everything and the jury is no different. Someone has to pay the penalty and not make it. The stakes of this are the best part of the twist, from the viewer perspective of course.
Absolutely stinks for the players.
IMMUNITY CHALLENGE - Day 13
YELLOW - Genevieve, Sierra, Teeny, Sol, Andy, Sam
BLUE - Rachel, Caroline, Sue, Tiyana, Gabe, Kyle
The rock draw puts old LAVO and GATA up against the entire old TUKU tribe and Rachel. If BLUE loses, Rachel could be the next victim of being rock draw screwed over. Put a pin in this for now.
This challenge is really difficult. Standing on a balance beam, giant pole above your head, balancing a ball using the giant pole, live transition down the narrowing balance beam, close proximity to those around you who may drop at any moment and mess you up, ocean breezes, sweat and the stakes of the result couldn’t be higher.
The challenge comes down to Sam, Teeny, and Genevieve (YELLOW) versus Gabe, Kyle, and Caroline (BLUE). On the next transition down the balance beam Sam, Gabe and Caroline drop out leaving Kyle alone to win it for BLUE against Teeny and Genevieve.
Kyle literally drops the ball and clinches immunity for YELLOW (Teeny, Genevieve, Sam, Sierra, Andy, and Sol) and individual immunity for himself at Tribal Council. Kyle has now won the first two individual immunities and BLUE (Gabe, Sue, Caroline, Tiyana, and Rachel) is vulnerable. BLUE also wins an awesome food reward leaving me wanting some BBQ ribs.
Now, BLUE aka the old TUKU tribe + Rachel has to vote someone out. The easy vote says to stay TUKU Strong and vote out Rachel. But, as we all know, it’s never the easy vote (except Rome lol).
BEKA - Day 13 Reward
Food and Safety! But, the real reward may be making the jury. Sam, Sierra, Andy, Teeny, Sol, and Genevieve all will be part of the decision of who wins the $1,000,000.
Next, the show read my mind. As the winners were chowing down on their reward, all I could think was how uninteresting the small talk was and wondering if there was a clue hidden anywhere.
BOOM!!!!
The question is whether or not anyone found it. My guess is Sol saw it behind him and we will see him strike.
OLD LAVO BEACH LOSING TRIBE - Day 13
Rachel is the odd one out with 5 TUKU members heading into Tribal. Rachel is the easy vote, however Gabe reminds us that Rachel still has her Shot in the Dark to play. On the other hand, the non-obvious vote is led by Tiyana’s desire to take a shot at Gabe and use Rachel to do it. It feels like Tiyana is desperate to make a move but she doesn’t have the relationships to do it with the people at TUKU. Feels like the vote could turn back against Tiyana if Rachel offers the info up to Gabe.
Knowledge is power!
BEKA - Day 13
BINGO!!!
MY PREDICTION WAS CORRECT!!! Sol finds the clue at the reward.
OLD LAVO BEACH - Day 13
The conversation between Tiyana and Caroline about voting Rachel is very revealing. First, it confirms my suspicion that Tiyana isn’t a strong strategist. Second, Caroline is a much stronger player than Tiyana because she spells out the danger that Rachel presents far better than Tiyana presented voting Gabe out. The Rachel vote is obvious to everyone, but the reasons Caroline gives - she’s dangerous, she’s likeable, she has allies, etc. - are the better reasons for why she should be the vote.
Gabe is thinking about the Shot in the Dark possibility and trying to have a contingency plan. He pitches Caroline as that contingency plan to Rachel. Rachel describes her position as “precarious” and that is an understatement. Her position straight up sucks, but as much as Gabe is feeding her or Tiyana is feeding her what she wants to hear, I feel like in that moment you still have to check yourself and either decide on playing your Shot in the Dark or going idol hunting to have your game in your hands/control as much as possible.
TAKE YOUR PICK ADVANTAGE
Sol found this new advantage and has to send the advantage to send to someone on the losing team to use at tonight’s Tribal Council! It’s only good for tonight’s Tribal.
WOW!
The recipient has two choices.
BLOCK A VOTE
SAFETY WITHOUT POWER
The choice all depends on who Sol chooses. If he chooses Rachel, she will no doubt choose SAFETY WITHOUT POWER and all hell will break loose as TUKU has to then vote out one of their own. (Hoping for this). I think Gabe might choose SAFETY WITHOUT POWER also but I could see other TUKU members choosing to BLOCK A VOTE for Rachel and prevent her from using the Shot in the Dark.
Fun advantage because they gave someone from the winning tribe who wasn’t involved in Tribal a chance to now have a HUGE impact on this Tribal Council. When I’m on the show I have to remember to think like the game designer/producer of the show. I have to ask myself questions like “Why would they split the tribe this way and have only half be vulnerable and half removed from it?
PREDICTION: Sol sends the advantage to Rachel as a way to build back trust with Andy. Rachel uses the SAFETY WITHOUT POWER. All hell breaks loose at Tribal for TUKU. Tiyana goes home.
TRIBAL COUNCIL - Night 13
I guess Sol has to announce his pick in front of everyone.
Tonight’s Tribal conversation is all about acknowledgment. Acknowledging the easy vote of Rachel and acknowledging that no vote on Survivor is easy. Rachel acknowledging that people could be blowing smoke in order to get her not to use her Shot in the Dark and Tiyana acknowledging the dream to be on the jury. Lastly, acknowledging to emotion and stress that even the most obvious parts of the game can present, the magnitude of making moves and not making moves because what’s most important is what’s best for each person’s individual game.
Let’s find out, but first Rachel has something to say!!!
BOOM!!!
Sol gave Rachel the Take Your Pick Advantage and she chose SAFETY WITHOUT POWER (as predicted).
Now, let the fireworks begin.
There is rightfully a shock and silence on the face of TUKU (and the rest of the players in the game) after Sol’s advantage gives Rachel permission to exit stage left. We know that Kyle is safe and that the savvyness and adaptability of the players will emerge.
The whispering begins and the pressure goes from 0 to 1,000,000.
Gabe and Sue are tight and see the move to be Tiyanna. Tiyanna approaches Kyle about targeting Gabe. Caroline is the swing vote and literally has no answer for Jeff’s question about the current reality she finds herself in.
VOTES
Tiyanna - 4
Gabe - 1
I nailed my prediction but one thing I didn’t predict was the air being completely sucked out of Tribal Council by the most gut wrenching, rip your heart out of your chest and stomp on it vote of the new era. That was BRUTAL. Now, the game design and production had a lot to do with this outcome and probably more than the players did, despite Sol finding the advantage at the reward and playing it for Rachel.
As for Tiyanna, I think my read on her game from earlier in the blog played out exactly as I said. She was playing a limited game, a simple game, and her past mistakes at building relationships and trust at her original tribe leaves her as the actual person who got “rock draw screwed” after all. She had no chance of surviving another TUKU Tribal and it proved out tonight.
From a big picture perspective, Tiyanna being voted out isn’t much of a loss at all. She wasn’t a major strategic threat nor physical threat. The conversation with Caroline summed up my assessment of her gameplay and for those reasons we won’t miss her. I don’t mean to sound cruel but the game she plays feels like one of a pre merge boot, but instead, she’s a post merge-pre jury boot. Feels about right.
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