Survivor: South Pacific has undoubtedly been the most unpredictable season I have seen in recent years. Normally, it is easy for me to gauge what moves certain individuals are going to make, or at what point each castaway is going to turn on one another and cause the downfall of the tribe. I have gotten so much wrong this season, it is ridiculous! I have gotten a few things right, though! :)
For instance, I thought that the Savaii tribe would continue it's winning streak due to the fact that loyalty had been tested on the Upolu tribe. After Mikayla's departure, the Upolu tribe was able to gather its remaining members and band together. In order to do so, Coach decided that it would be best to "find" the hidden immunity idol. He didn't want to let people know that he already had it, so he thought it would be best to magically "find" it - - all they needed was to pray, of course. I honestly think that Coach's idea is the best possible scenario for the tribe. He didn't want to ruffle feathers by letting people know he already found it - - instead, it was a bonding experience by everyone on the tribe looking for the hidden idol together. This definitely made the tribe much stronger, and Savaii better be praying that they do not go to another pre-merge challenge. I definitely understand the importance of having a loyal tribe going into the merge. The six of these people have such a strong bond that they are going to be extremely hard to break.
I definitely thought that if anyone was going to be able to take out Christine, it would be Mikayla. I was wrong! It was definitely the closest Redemption Island duels this season, but Christine is hungry! She wants to get back in the game. I have so much faith in her now, that it wouldn't surprise me if she wins again next week, even though I don't want her to!
Prior to the immunity/reward challenge, Ozzy came up with a "worst-case" scenario. He recalled from last season that Matt returned to his tribe at the merge. He also knows that after next week's duel, there will be a total of twelve players left, which is how many people typically make it to the merge.....so Ozzy thinks that if Savaii just so happened to lose, that he should give up his hidden immunity idol to the tribe and be voted in to Redemption Island. This would give the Savaii tribe the best possible chance at beating Christine and keeping the Savaii 6 in tact.
During the challenge, Savaii was killing it! They had a strong lead until Cochran failed to clip the ropes at the right locations. This caused the tribe to fall behind and ultimately lose. Ozzy was physically distraught and blamed Cochran for the loss. Honestly, I believe that Cochran is interesting to watch, but he is absolutely useless in the challenges. He truly should have been the first one to go at the beginning of the season! There were talks around the tribe about whether or not Ozzy was going to stick with his original plan..or go ahead and vote off Cochran. There were a couple people who did not want to vote off Ozzy (Keith and Jim), but ultimately this is what happened. Ozzy gave up his hidden immunity idol in order to be sent to Redemption Island.
I absolutely disagree with this decisions and let me give you a few reasons why! Jeff called this one of the biggest moves to ever be made in the game of Survivor, and I definitely agree. First of all, what if by some odd chance that Ozzy doesn't beat Christine? I don't see it happening, but it is possible. Ozzy isn't a God. He may be the "winningest Survivor of all time," but that doesn't mean that he can't be beat. Secondly, Christine absolutely hates the Upolu tribe. I truly believe that she would have flipped on her former tribe if given the opportunity to play again. Another note, I truly believe that any member of the Savaii tribe - - other than Cochran - - would have had the ability to beat Christine. Why choose the strongest person from the tribe? In addition, what if the merge doesn't happen?! We all know that the merge typically comes when only 12 tribemates remain. However, it doesn't necessarily have to be the case - - the 12 member merged tribe has only taken place in recent years, not during every season. If the merge doesn't happen, there is no chance in hell that the Savaii tribe will beat Upolu. One final thought, even if the tribes do merge at this point, who's to say that Ozzy will be able to come back into the game? We all know that Matt did last season, but it may not happen again.
I do think it is important to make big moves in the game of Survivor. However, as I pointed out, this situation could go in so many different directions. It's a huge risk. Fortunately for the Savaii tribe, I do think that it will work out in their favor - - at least I hope it does. The reason why I think it will is because Ozzy is a beast in the challenges. I don't think losing to a 40+ woman is even an option for him. Furthermore, we don't see any previews for next week's episode. The tribe colors would give it away whether or not there is a merge. Maybe this is their way of keeping us on our toes, but I definitely predict the merge to take place next week, Ozzy will come back, and the tribes will be tied 6-6.
The Savaii tribe has been the most entertaining tribe to watch this season. Everyone is playing his/her own game. There is so much strategy involved, it is so entertaining to watch. The other group of people should just be called The Coach Tribe - - it's boring, and we saw it last season with Boston Rob. Strategically, I can see the six members of the Savaii tribe outsmarting the Upolu tribe. I can't wait to next week's episode!
One final note. . . I was "Tweeting" throughout the episode and one of the former Survivor castaways actually replied to one of my tweets! :) Shannon from Nicaragua
My tweet to him, then his response to me. :)
Twitter: the_timgilmore
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