Episode 10 - “Crack in the Alliance”

“7 people left, who will be voted off tonight?” - Probst

Day 28 - SEAN’S ALPHABETIC STRATEGY MALFUNCTIONS

As the sun rises on Rattana the tribe reflects on the void caused by Jenna’s departure from the game and Sean realizes that his “fool proof” alphabetic voting strategy was to blame.  “Whatever vote I was going to go they were going to copy.”  - Sean.  It only took “THE DOCTOR” 3 or 4 tribal council votes to figure out that his strategy was flawed and despite his best attempt to not hurt others, he finally realizes that he has, and it’s ok, because it’s a game.  This isn’t his medical practice.  He doesn’t have to worry about committing malpractice out on the island.  I guess when he took that hippocratic oath, he really took it to heart.

STRATEGY PICKS UP

After 9 episodes and 9 tribal council votes, the strategy of the game is finally hitting everyone in the group.  The problem however, for those outside the alliance, is that they are late to the party.  Control of the game has already been seized a long time ago by Rich, Sue, Rudy, and sometimes Kelly.  Other players may have been aware of the strategy aspect to the game and did nothing about it, while some lagged behind even further fearing they would hurt someone’s feelings or they weren’t smart enough to put something together at all.  

For Rich, he has been strategizing since Day 1.  “I’ve been stalking them since before we got on the island”. (Rich)  Rich had been thinking about how to play before ever arriving on the beach, so he can’t help but laugh at the notion that people on Day 28 are now trying to strategize.  He compares his hunting the fish in the reef to picking the other tribe members off one by one.  

For Sue, she too had a strategy coming into the game.  “My strategy all along has been to play the role of the dumb redneck (belches).  People like, think rednecks are so vulnerable and dumb they’ll talk to them openly.  Like Rich did.” (Sue)  Sue isn’t as dumb as she has been leading on.  And Sue declares her plans for how she wants this game to play out with her and Kelly, not Rich, left at the final tribal council vying for the million dollars.  

TRUST

“I trust Kelly 100%, 100%, and she trusts me the same.  We’re like sisters.” - Sue

How?  How can that be Sue?  In the same breath that Sue lays out her evil plans for ejecting Rich in her pursuit of the million dollar prize, Sue clues the viewer in on perhaps what she came to the island in search of.  

“And it’ll be 20 years come this Easter that I lost my best friend.  So, coming across Kelly, somebody I can hang with…(Sue gets emotional) that’s a long…I ain’t going to **** her.  I’m not burning her.” (Sue).  

With a quivering bottom lip Sue stares into the camera having just spewed why she is on the island and how her relationship with Kelly, in just 30 days, is filling a void left 20 years prior.  But, can she trust her?  Are they truly “like sisters”? or is Sue too, naive to the power of the game?  Time will tell.  She waited 20 years, I guess she can wait 9 more days.

As the two lay out in the sun together, Sue moves her hand closer to Kelly and makes you feel like she is Morgan Freeman at the end of Shawshank, “I guess I just miss my friend.”  The viewer will be rooting for it to happen for Sue.

“The only person I trust is Sue, and sometimes I doubt that.  It’s getting to that point where you don’t know who you can trust.” - Kelly

For Kelly, she has been grappling with the game and her own inner conflict for a couple of episodes.  Kelly is 22, and came to the island with a perception of who she is and a blueprint of how she wants to live her life.  Kelly wants to push herself and experience life on her terms, but the game seems to be teaching her a life lesson.  Kelly wants to trust people and wants to trust Sue but ultimately has disagreed with the game they have chosen to play.  Kelly’s view of the world is pure.  She isn’t hardened by the world the same way the other alliance members have been.  It’s clear that inner struggle of “who can I trust in the game?” and “can I trust myself to stay true to who I want to be?” is beginning to harden Kelly.  

At some point in the game you have to trust people to advance, but the game also has its judgement day.  And the numbers only add up to 2.  2 spots at the final tribal council for one million dollars.  Leading up to that judgement day a decision needs to be made in order to have alliances go from 4 to 3 and down to 2, and because of the numbers, inevitably, trust can be the hardest thing to come by.

Rich is a smart enough player to know that something is up with Sue and Kelly.  He talks to his most trusted accomplice Rudy about it and shares with the viewer… 

“If the alliance were to break down, and something else happened that I wasn’t aware of I would shake those people’s hands and say congratulations, you, you know, brilliant, good job, you got it, because you fooled me.” - Rich

This sequence on trust in the game stands as the most gripping piece of the show so far.  It’s beautifully crafted and edited to bring the conflicts through the screen and into the viewers’ psyche.  Who would I trust?  How would I play it?  Who is going to win?  This is dramatic television theatre at its finest because trust is a major theme of everyone’s life on the island or at home.  Who can we really trust?  Why do we trust some people and not others?  How do people earn our trust and us theirs?  The game of Survivor reflects those same questions and inner conflicts of everyday life.  That’s what makes this show great and on season 40 and counting. 

CIGARS ALL AROUND - GERVASE HAS A SON

Congrats to Gervase for having his son Gunner and finding out via tree mail.  Makes for quite a story.  Whoever planned season 1 and thought that Survivor would only involve challenges, rewards, an on call medical staff, and a million bucks was way off!  They couldn’t have seen a birth announcement coming down the pipe line, could they?  Again, another real life moment to connect the viewer to the audience. 

HAS ANYONE SMOKED A CIGAR?

REWARD CHALLENGE - BALANCE BEAM

The reward for the winner is a phone call home and pizza delivery via helicopter.  

Round 1 - Gervase, Rich, Sean, Sue 

Round 2 - Gervase, Rich

WINNER - Gervase.  The guy who gets news of a new born son is the guy who gets the phone call home and a slice of South China Pizza all for himself.  Or, for everyone.  What good is a slice of pizza alone?  

Day 29 - REFLECTION

“Ten more days—it’ll all be over.  I’ll probably never see these people again. (heavy pause) That’s the way I want it.” - Rudy

Game or no game the relationships on the island are real.  After 29 days spending every waking moment with people, relationships are formed whether Rudy likes it or not.  Gervase finds out his son is born and these people, these competitors of his, these strangers, are the ones he’s sharing a celebratory cigar with.  After cashing in on his phone call home reward to his girlfriend and newborn son, who is there to ask him how they are doing?, those same “strangers”.  

If you seek adventure in life, and Rudy certainly is one of them despite “never wanting to see them again”, this show is second to none is creating a memorable experience to last a life time.  Twenty years later I’m sure if you asked Gervase about that day he will recall fondly being able to share that experience at Rattana.  The experience and creating lifelong memories is not only for the members of Rattana but for the viewers at home.  Enter any Survivor fan page on social media, pose a memory from this season, and let the flashbulb memories flow.  I’m sure that people can instantaneously tell you where they watched the finale, who they were with, and who they were rooting for.  I’m sure they can recall who their favorite was and what their thoughts were at the time about the Tagi alliance.  That’s the beauty and power of television.  It can bring people together and capture a moment both on the island and the couch that will last forever.

“This is not what I thought it was going to be like.  It’s not about surviving the elements, it’s about surviving yourself.” - Kelly

The memories and the experience of Survivor doesn’t always end with a phone call home to loved ones.  Kelly came into this game at 22 and in search of her own experience just like everyone else.  She loves the outdoors and figured she would be perfect.  Tough out the elements and see what happens.  But, her moment of reflection goes much deeper.  Kelly’s journey has taken her inside herself.  This game, this experience for Kelly, from the viewer standpoint has been all about her inner struggles with the game.  Can you stay true to yourself and still advance in the game?, after 29 days, she still isn’t sure.

“It’s not worth it to feel like **** for the rest of your life, um, for a little bit of money, and your 15 minutes.  You know, I kind of feel like Luke Skywalker, or something.  I crossed over to the dark side for a moment.” - Kelly

Kelly realizes she is beginning to crossover to a version of herself she doesn’t want to be or wasn’t anticipating.  In ten days the experience will be over for everyone, but they will carry this experience and the people they shared it with forever.

IMMUNITY CHALLENGE - Building Fire

Gather driftwood, build your fire, burn the rope, raise your flag, and win immunity at tribal council.  Over 30 days what have you learned?  How to build a fire?  

WINNER - Rich

Rich guarantees himself 3 more days on the island with this win.  The power and influence grows when the necklace is around his neck.  What a win for Rich also means is that Gervase or Colleen is next, and they know it.

PRE-TRIBAL COUNCIL

Kelly is the swing vote.

“I wish something exciting would happen, something shocking, something nobody expects.” - Kelly  

Kelly acknowledges a desire to see the game NOT go according to plan and the alliance.  Sean wants to plan something with Gervase and Colleen which makes it a 3-3 vote with Kelly holding all the cards.  

Ultimately, Kelly is faced with a decision.

1. Does she truly want to mix up the game by voting what she feels is “true to herself"? 

If she chooses this, she betrays the trust Sue has in her, breaks the alliance, jeopardizes her future in the game all so the game isn’t a “pecking order” with Gervase and Colleen next in line, and see what happens.

OR

2. Does she keep it “boring” and follow the alliance?  

If she chooses to vote with the alliance of Rich, Sue, and Rudy, she keeps that trust with them, guarantees a spot in the final four, but risks losing her “true self” in the game.

Easy for the viewer to make their choice, but I’d imagine it isn’t as easy to do when you walk across that bridge, pick up the marker, and have to put a name down. 

TRIBAL COUNCIL

“What were your thoughts when you left here? - Jeff to Sean

Jeff nudges Sean about his voting strategy after Jenna was voted out.  It devastated him.  One good thing that came out of it was Sue told him to “get some balls”.  Glad this happened to Sean.  He deserved it.  

Jeff asks Kelly, Colleen, and Sue about strategy in the game at this point.  Kelly references it being based on who is “pissing her off”, Colleen calls herself “sitting duck”, and Sue ramps it up and takes it to another level. 

“This is a game, but the game also reflects a lot on real life and you always bring up this alliance thing.  Well, America is run on alliance.” - Sue

Sue goes on to justify the reality of alliances forming.  She cites lobbyists in Washington, the insurance agent who joins the church, the real estate agent looking to expand business, and then refers to how Tagi bonded in the 20 days they spent together.  This episode explored trust, self reflection, alliances, and human behavior.  How would people react when put in this position?  Sue answers that question for the tribe, the jury, Jeff, and the viewer.  The alliance is real because alliances ARE real.  That’s the way life goes.  It is what it is.  Either you’re in one and succeeding or you’re selling yourself short.  In the game people will do what they can with any advantage they may acquire or manipulate in order to better their position, and the same is true for real life.  Well said Sue.  It took 10 episodes but maybe it needed to.

To close out the questioning Jeff asks Rich about breaking an alliance and if it’s possible.  Rich selectively answers Jeff’s inquiry.  

“I have no idea who is completely trustworthy, who isn’t.  I think there is always a way that things could break down.  Who knows what’s going to happen?  It’s all a game.” - Rich

Rich chooses his words carefully here.  Shocker.  He doesn’t want to fully acknowledge the alliance existing (like Sue) and the possibility that it could be taken down (by Kelly). Instead, he touches on a major theme of the episode, trust, and hits it on the head.  Ultimately in the game of Survivor, or in life, people trust people.  Some people trust everyone and end up like Sean, some trust not as many and end up like Rudy, and some only trust themselves like Kelly or Rich.  But can anyone COMPLETELY trust someone else?  Maybe.  

VOTING

Gervase - SEAN “Sean has made a huge mistake in not seeing that Tagi had an alliance since day three”.  

This vote makes sense morally in the Sean made the biggest mistake, was the most naive, and the “most deserving” of the vote, but this vote makes no sense in the bigger game.  Sean was a vote to be swung toward Gervase’s bigger game plan, but he  clearly doesn’t have one.

Sue - GERVASE “You’re a nice guy, I wish you the best of luck, but I’m tired of getting beat at the competitions.” 

This makes sense.  Sue wants to increase her chances of winning immunity and by doing that increase her odds of making it further in the game.

Colleen - SEAN “I think if anybody should get voted out this time it should be him without question.”

Colleen struck me as a smart player in the game who never quite got going or got into the game too late.  I think the “sitting duck” gave up on trying to swing Sean and Kelly to vote with her and Gervase.  It wasn’t in her, wasn’t possible, or she didn’t want to go down “that road”. 

Votes - Gervase - 5, Sean - 2

PROBST’S CLOSING THOUGHT

“Well, you have survived another one.  We’re down to six getting close to our final two.”

There is an end in sight for the game.  The end is becoming clearer.  At least the final four is.  

GERVASE EXIT INTERVIEW

“I don’t hold any ill feelings towards Rich and Sue and anybody in Tagi for making an alliance and picking us off one by one.  It’s just that my tribe didn’t want to do that.  They wanted to keep it as an open game, fair is fair, let the best person win the million dollars.”

Is that type of game even possible?  What does that mean exactly?  Does it mean that whoever wins the challenges should get the million?  Does it mean that the person who contributes the most at camp should win the million?  If I ever got the chance to talk to Gervase, I’d have to ask him about this.  What did the end of the game look like in his vision of the game?  Maybe he’ll read this and want to have a conversation to take us into what exactly he meant.

CATEGORIES AND AWARDS

1 - Biggest Move

In this episode Sue reveals her trust and connection in Kelly and wanting the two of them to be in the final pair.  No room for Rich.

2 - Biggest Mistake

Sean’s alphabetic strategy.  He didn’t want to hurt people but did.  Now, he votes with the alliance to get rid of Gervase.  He’s got no chance in this game.

3 - Challenge Corner

Balance beam vs. Fire Starting.  Both were good challenges.  I like how the balance beam was built in the water, but the fire making challenge gets the win here.  After all, the game is Survivor and 30 days in everyone should at least be able to make one.

4 - Trending Up

For sure it’s Kelly.  She may be shedding her 22 year old utopian view of life skin before our eyes, but she is in the alliance to the final four, has Sue in her pocket, and built some relationships with the Pagong jury members a bit more than the other alliance members.

5 - Trending Down

Colleen and Sean.  Sitting duck is next, followed by alphabet boy. 

6 - Strategy Award

Kelly answered our question posed earlier.  She chose the safe plan, the plan with her guaranteed to be in the final four over shaking the game up.  The hardening continues.

7 - Best Screenshot

When you “BURN” the competition and win immunity. 

8 - Best Quote

“I trust Kelly 100%, 100%, and she trusts me the same.  We’re like sisters.” - Sue

The episode dove deep into how trust weighs on people’s minds on the island and in the game.  Made this episode the best yet by far.

9 - Who won the episode?

Tough one.  BUT, Kelly showed a lot this episode.  She brought to life how much the game is challenging her internally and watching it play out really made the episode soar.  With each tribal council the camera has fewer people to spend time on and thus the viewer gets to know Kelly in this episode quite a bit.  Her choice to stick with the alliance will guarantee her spot in the game going forward and the opportunity for us to see how her internal conflicts will continue to play out.  Stay tuned!

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