Tribal Reference Guide at Episode 13 Start
Orkun
Final Ta Keo Final Bayon Color for Ankgor
Abi Maria Jeremy
Spencer Kimmi
Keith
Tasha
Kelley
Name colors indicate original tribe and 2nd tribe. Column indicates 3rd tribe. For example, Spencer starts with Ta Keo color, then finishes with Bayon color, and is in the Ta Keo column, indicating he was on those tribes in that order. If name is all one color, that was their original and 2nd tribe.
Complain in the comments if you have color blindness and my color scheme isn't working for you. Don’t complain to me if you’re confused by this unless you know of a better way to show it concisely - there were lots of tribe switches through this part of the season.
Jeremy is back down to just one hidden immunity idol.
Kelley has a hidden immunity idol from under the new shelter.
(Last Name that is often used: Kelley Wentworth)
Episode 13 recap (12/9/2015)
The episode starts with us finding out that Keith really didn’t know what was going on with the vote. His vote for Tasha was totally legit. Tasha doesn’t like this and is now targeting him.
For reward, they weave through a small structure to unwind the rope they are hitched to. They decide when they think they have enough rope to complete the challenge. Move forward, build a horizontal ladder bridge by placing the rungs through the loops that hold them, then use sandbags to knock 15 wooden blocks from a triangle stack off of the table. First person to do this wins a trip to the Cambodian temples where they started the season, food, Cambodian ceremonies, and a good night rest at the temple. Keith won this challenge in San Juan del Sur. Several people get to the point of throwing sandbags, but Keith got there first and is the only one with enough rope to retrieve the sandbags for additional throws. Keith easily wins reward.
Keith is allowed to choose one person to go with him. He chooses Kelley as thanks for her choosing him in the last reward. Jeff lets him choose one more person. He awkwardly chooses Spencer, then can’t really explain why. Something about Spencer having young love and missing out on the last reward. Keith forgets Tasha’s name (I bet she wishes he’d forget her name when he’s writing it at tribal council).
Those left back at camp discuss voting out Keith. Jeremy and Spencer are still worried about an all women alliance. Jeremy and Tasha want to talk, but Abi doesn’t want to give them free time alone.
For immunity, they must race across obstacles in the water, swim out ~30 feet to a buoy, retrieve a key, race back, unlock puzzle pieces and solve it. The puzzle is the 5-piece choice from World’s Apart that was not chosen. The race comes down to Jeremy, who gets to the puzzle first, and Spencer who is close behind him. Jeremy has started the puzzle, but Spencer puts it together as if he’d seen it before. (Arguably, as a fan, he could have paused on the screen when it was shown on TV and could have remembered the hardest part like I did.) Spencer wins immunity and is safe from the vote.
Tasha tells Jeremy and Spencer that it would be terrible if Abi, Keith, and Kelley make it to the end this season. She suggests voting out Abi. Spencer finds himself in the middle. He could vote with Kimmi, Jeremy, and Tasha to vote out the weak players, or he could vote with Kelley, Abi and Keith to take out the big guns and go to the end with players easier to beat. At tribal, everyone talks about which “we” they are part of. We learn there are lots of “we”s in the game right now. In the end, Keith and Kelley vote for Tasha, Abi votes for Keith, and the rest vote for Abi. As it turns out, Abi truly didn’t have a “we”. Abi is voted out 4-2-1.
Was the right person voted out?
For an exciting season, yes. Abi couldn’t possibly win at final tribal, so let’s get rid of her now. This increases the chances of deserving players arguing for the million dollar prize.
For pure strategy, yes again. Abi is a firecracker, ready to explode and ruin anyone’s plans. She easily gets upset and any minor alliance can take her in and use her for numbers, just like Savage and Tasha did on Angkor.
Sunday, December 13, 2015
Keys to Survivor Cambodia Ep12
Tribal Reference Guide at Episode 12 Start
Orkun
Final Ta Keo Final Bayon Color for Ankgor
Abi Maria Jeremy
Spencer Kimmi
Joe
Keith
Tasha
Kelley
Name colors indicate original tribe and 2nd tribe. Column indicates 3rd tribe. For example, Spencer starts with Ta Keo color, then finishes with Bayon color, and is in the Ta Keo column, indicating he was on those tribes in that order. If name is all one color, that was their original and 2nd tribe.
Complain in the comments if you have color blindness and my color scheme isn't working for you. Don’t complain to me if you’re confused by this unless you know of a better way to show it concisely - there were lots of tribe switches through this part of the season.
Jeremy is back down to just one hidden immunity idol.
Kelley has a hidden immunity idol from under the new shelter.
(Last Name that is often used: Kelley Wentworth)
Episode 12 recap (12/2/2015)
Kimmi starts plotting how to win this game. She is thinking about an all female alliance, voting Joe out first if possible. I love irony. Kimmi sold out Monica in episode 5 for suggesting the same thing. Good to see that it’s OK to do now but wasn’t then.
The reward challenge is for time with your loved ones. Here’s the list of which loved ones showed up.
Abi-Maria's mom, same one who came out to see her in Philippines
Spencer's girlfriend
Jeremy's wife Val who had played in San Juan del Sur
Kimmi's dad
Joe's dad
Keith's wife
Tasha's cousin
Kelley's dad Dale who had played in San Juan del Sur
For the challenge, dig up a rope, find three bags of puzzle pieces attached to it, spin around a post to get a fourth bag, walk dizzily across a balance beam and collect a fifth bag in the middle, the solve a word puzzle. I didn’t watch as they revealed the solution so I could try to solve with the contestants. I wasn’t able to figure it out given the look I had at the letters. It was only one word (not multiple as I and others thought). I believe the answer was REFRESHMENT, and the challenge was won by Kelley. Abi was close behind, but thought the word was redemption.
Kelley is allowed to choose 3 others to keep their loved one and get a food reward. She chooses Abi, Kimmi, and Keith. Jeff then lets her choose just one more and she gives reward to Joe. Jeremy, Tasha, and Spencer are the only three left out and they make a potential deal to go to the final three.
In the immunity challenge, you must hold onto the bottom of a 1-foot pole with a disk on top and balance a wood statue. If you’re statue falls, you’re out of the challenge. Every 2 minutes you must add another 1-foot section of pole up to a maximum of 16 feet. Two people will win immunity - one man and one woman. Kelley wins immunity among the women roughly half-way through the challenge. The men’s immunity comes down to Keith and Joe at the final 16-foot height. Time lapse… After about 90 minutes they’re both still in it and amazingly saving their statue from wind gusts and a bending pole. Finally, Joe’s body gives out as he falls down, fainting from low blood sugar. Keith joins Kelley in winning immunity.
Tasha decides to tell Jeremy and Spencer about the proposed all-girl alliance so they don’t hear about it from someone else. She says she isn’t on board with that, but Joe should still be the target. Jeremy and Spencer are nervous now. Should they vote out Joe and risk the women taking over, or keeping Joe and targeting Abi instead. Both choices make Spencer “terrified”. Ultimately, Spencer and Jeremy decide to help vote out Joe. Joe votes for Abi, Keith votes for Tasha (is he way off base or did promise to not vote for Joe?). Joe is voted out 6-1-1.
Was the right person voted out?
Heck yes! They already didn’t vote Joe out the first time he was vulnerable. Although four consecutive immunity wins are rare, you don’t want to give Joe the chance. Joe is like the new Ozzy, but better. There was no better move here. Of course, as a fan, it’s rough to see Joe voted out, but as a hopeful future player I’d have done the same thing.
Orkun
Final Ta Keo Final Bayon Color for Ankgor
Abi Maria Jeremy
Spencer Kimmi
Joe
Keith
Tasha
Kelley
Name colors indicate original tribe and 2nd tribe. Column indicates 3rd tribe. For example, Spencer starts with Ta Keo color, then finishes with Bayon color, and is in the Ta Keo column, indicating he was on those tribes in that order. If name is all one color, that was their original and 2nd tribe.
Complain in the comments if you have color blindness and my color scheme isn't working for you. Don’t complain to me if you’re confused by this unless you know of a better way to show it concisely - there were lots of tribe switches through this part of the season.
Jeremy is back down to just one hidden immunity idol.
Kelley has a hidden immunity idol from under the new shelter.
(Last Name that is often used: Kelley Wentworth)
Episode 12 recap (12/2/2015)
Kimmi starts plotting how to win this game. She is thinking about an all female alliance, voting Joe out first if possible. I love irony. Kimmi sold out Monica in episode 5 for suggesting the same thing. Good to see that it’s OK to do now but wasn’t then.
The reward challenge is for time with your loved ones. Here’s the list of which loved ones showed up.
Abi-Maria's mom, same one who came out to see her in Philippines
Spencer's girlfriend
Jeremy's wife Val who had played in San Juan del Sur
Kimmi's dad
Joe's dad
Keith's wife
Tasha's cousin
Kelley's dad Dale who had played in San Juan del Sur
For the challenge, dig up a rope, find three bags of puzzle pieces attached to it, spin around a post to get a fourth bag, walk dizzily across a balance beam and collect a fifth bag in the middle, the solve a word puzzle. I didn’t watch as they revealed the solution so I could try to solve with the contestants. I wasn’t able to figure it out given the look I had at the letters. It was only one word (not multiple as I and others thought). I believe the answer was REFRESHMENT, and the challenge was won by Kelley. Abi was close behind, but thought the word was redemption.
Kelley is allowed to choose 3 others to keep their loved one and get a food reward. She chooses Abi, Kimmi, and Keith. Jeff then lets her choose just one more and she gives reward to Joe. Jeremy, Tasha, and Spencer are the only three left out and they make a potential deal to go to the final three.
In the immunity challenge, you must hold onto the bottom of a 1-foot pole with a disk on top and balance a wood statue. If you’re statue falls, you’re out of the challenge. Every 2 minutes you must add another 1-foot section of pole up to a maximum of 16 feet. Two people will win immunity - one man and one woman. Kelley wins immunity among the women roughly half-way through the challenge. The men’s immunity comes down to Keith and Joe at the final 16-foot height. Time lapse… After about 90 minutes they’re both still in it and amazingly saving their statue from wind gusts and a bending pole. Finally, Joe’s body gives out as he falls down, fainting from low blood sugar. Keith joins Kelley in winning immunity.
Tasha decides to tell Jeremy and Spencer about the proposed all-girl alliance so they don’t hear about it from someone else. She says she isn’t on board with that, but Joe should still be the target. Jeremy and Spencer are nervous now. Should they vote out Joe and risk the women taking over, or keeping Joe and targeting Abi instead. Both choices make Spencer “terrified”. Ultimately, Spencer and Jeremy decide to help vote out Joe. Joe votes for Abi, Keith votes for Tasha (is he way off base or did promise to not vote for Joe?). Joe is voted out 6-1-1.
Was the right person voted out?
Heck yes! They already didn’t vote Joe out the first time he was vulnerable. Although four consecutive immunity wins are rare, you don’t want to give Joe the chance. Joe is like the new Ozzy, but better. There was no better move here. Of course, as a fan, it’s rough to see Joe voted out, but as a hopeful future player I’d have done the same thing.
Saturday, December 12, 2015
Keys to Survivor Cambodia Ep10-11
Tribal Reference Guide at Episode 10 Start
Orkun
Final Ta Keo Final Bayon Color for Ankgor
Abi Maria Jeremy
Spencer Stephen
Ciera Kimmi
Joe
Keith
Tasha
Kelley
Name colors indicate original tribe and 2nd tribe. Column indicates 3rd tribe. For example, Spencer starts with Ta Keo color, then finishes with Bayon color, and is in the Ta Keo column, indicating he was on those tribes in that order. If name is all one color, that was their original and 2nd tribe.
Complain in the comments if you have color blindness and my color scheme isn't working for you. Don’t complain to me if you’re confused by this unless you know of a better way to show it concisely - there were lots of tribe switches through this part of the season.
Jeremy has a hidden immunity idol from a clue at the new Bayon camp.
Jeremy has a 2nd hidden immunity idol from the night clue.
Stephen has an advantage that lets him steal a vote from another player.
(Last Names that are often used: Kelley Wentworth, Stephen Fishbach)
Note: Episodes 10 & 11 aired back-to-back on the same night.
Both are included in this post.
Episode 10 recap (11/25/2015)
For reward, the tribe is split into two teams of five. There are 3 vs 3 battles in the water to retrieve a ball and be the first to put it through a hoop. The first team to score in three of these battles wins food and a trip to see local performers. Joe, Spencer, Abi-Maria, Tasha, and Ciera win reward.
Ciera wants Stephen gone: to save herself and because he has a hidden advantage. Others back at camp want Joe gone. Meanwhile a relentless rain makes life miserable around the clock. Stephen is the most miserable due to some internal issues he’s having that make him need to leave the shelter repeatedly.
At the immunity challenge, Jeff is made aware of how miserable things are for the tribe. He gives them each a white rock and a black rock, then explains the challenge. They must hold a round ball up above their head against a piece of wood using something that looks like a rolling pin. This is done while balancing on one foot. Last person with their ball still up there wins. Here’s the catch: you can sit out of the challenge and vote for having the crew build/improve their shelter so the elements aren’t so harsh going forward (white rock) or play on (black rock). If at least 5 people sit out, the improvements will be made. When they reveal, only Joe and Keith decide to fight for immunity. Joe knows he’s a target. Keith just wants to play. So the two of them battle it out and Joe emerges victorious again.
Ciera is targeted as the most dangerous, but Ciera, Kelley, and Abi try to convince the others that Stephen should be the target because of his advantage. Some people are swayed by this plan and Stephen gets several votes. But Jeremy had been told about the plan and decides to play one of his hidden immunity idols to save Stephen. All 5 votes for Stephen are negated and Ciera is effectively voted out 3-2.
Was the right person voted out (Ep10)?
I don’t think so, but it was close. Assuming a position from within the majority alliance, Ciera and Kelley are the biggest problems going forward. But Kelley has made a bigger move and so I see her as a bigger threat. That being said, Ciera has been much more vocal trying to get people to turn on their alliance, so it wasn’t a bad move at all.
Episode 11 recap (also 11/25/2015)
Jeremy is congratulated on a good move. He tells Spencer that he would have saved Spencer if it was necessary.
For the reward challenge, they listen to stories and history about Cambodia before running out to 5 different stations in the dark (carrying torches to light their way) and answering multiple choice questions. They grab a wrapped-up medallion and bring it back to their base station. If the answer is correct, their medallion is metal and they can hang it up, otherwise they have to go back out and answer that question again. During the challenge, Kelley unwraps one of her medallions and finds a paper wrapped up with it. She pockets this paper to save for later. The challenge comes down to Stephen and Spencer. Stephen edges out a victory. He wins a helicopter ride to a resort with food. He gets to choose two people, then a third, to go with him. He chooses Tasha to try to rekindle an alliance and Jeremy to thank him for saving him in the last vote.
Stephen decides to tell Tasha and Jeremy exactly what his advantage is, in hopes of relieving some of the target it has placed on him. Most of the others at camp decide to vote against the Kimmi and the three on reward since it seems like they’re the top people based on Stephen’s choices. Kelley reads the paper from the challenge and it says there is an idol under the newly rebuilt shelter. She waits impatiently as people leave camp for various purposes. Abi stays longer than normal, but eventually leaves too. Kelley then scurries under and gets the idol, although it is harder to untie than she predicted and she is almost caught when people start returning.
For immunity, they have to build a 3-tier tower in a circular shape using only their feet, then place a flag in the middle of it, also with their feet. This challenge is hard to predict a winner because things can crash down at any time. Ultimately, Spencer is able to finish before Joe and it’s now possible for people to vote for Joe.
Stephen wants to vote Joe out, like always, but wants to guard against a potential hidden immunity idol. He tells Spencer about the advantage and that they can split the votes 3-3 between Abi and Joe. He’ll do this by stealing Joe’s vote and using it against him. Spencer says he’s on board, but ends up voting with Abi, Keith, and Kelley against Stephen instead. Stephen is voted out 4-3-2.
Was the right person voted out (Ep11)?
He sure was. He was so fixated on voting out Joe that he was willing to trust others more than he should. He needed that big move so badly, but Spencer saw that it would be a big move and rightly voted him out instead. Sure, voting out Joe was the better choice on paper, but it isn’t a big move. He can’t likely keep winning immunity every time so they can get him next time. Certainly for Spencer, it keeps Joe around as a bigger target and makes Spencer important as someone who is needed to beat Joe at immunity.
Orkun
Final Ta Keo Final Bayon Color for Ankgor
Abi Maria Jeremy
Spencer Stephen
Ciera Kimmi
Joe
Keith
Tasha
Kelley
Name colors indicate original tribe and 2nd tribe. Column indicates 3rd tribe. For example, Spencer starts with Ta Keo color, then finishes with Bayon color, and is in the Ta Keo column, indicating he was on those tribes in that order. If name is all one color, that was their original and 2nd tribe.
Complain in the comments if you have color blindness and my color scheme isn't working for you. Don’t complain to me if you’re confused by this unless you know of a better way to show it concisely - there were lots of tribe switches through this part of the season.
Jeremy has a hidden immunity idol from a clue at the new Bayon camp.
Jeremy has a 2nd hidden immunity idol from the night clue.
Stephen has an advantage that lets him steal a vote from another player.
(Last Names that are often used: Kelley Wentworth, Stephen Fishbach)
Note: Episodes 10 & 11 aired back-to-back on the same night.
Both are included in this post.
Episode 10 recap (11/25/2015)
For reward, the tribe is split into two teams of five. There are 3 vs 3 battles in the water to retrieve a ball and be the first to put it through a hoop. The first team to score in three of these battles wins food and a trip to see local performers. Joe, Spencer, Abi-Maria, Tasha, and Ciera win reward.
Ciera wants Stephen gone: to save herself and because he has a hidden advantage. Others back at camp want Joe gone. Meanwhile a relentless rain makes life miserable around the clock. Stephen is the most miserable due to some internal issues he’s having that make him need to leave the shelter repeatedly.
At the immunity challenge, Jeff is made aware of how miserable things are for the tribe. He gives them each a white rock and a black rock, then explains the challenge. They must hold a round ball up above their head against a piece of wood using something that looks like a rolling pin. This is done while balancing on one foot. Last person with their ball still up there wins. Here’s the catch: you can sit out of the challenge and vote for having the crew build/improve their shelter so the elements aren’t so harsh going forward (white rock) or play on (black rock). If at least 5 people sit out, the improvements will be made. When they reveal, only Joe and Keith decide to fight for immunity. Joe knows he’s a target. Keith just wants to play. So the two of them battle it out and Joe emerges victorious again.
Ciera is targeted as the most dangerous, but Ciera, Kelley, and Abi try to convince the others that Stephen should be the target because of his advantage. Some people are swayed by this plan and Stephen gets several votes. But Jeremy had been told about the plan and decides to play one of his hidden immunity idols to save Stephen. All 5 votes for Stephen are negated and Ciera is effectively voted out 3-2.
Was the right person voted out (Ep10)?
I don’t think so, but it was close. Assuming a position from within the majority alliance, Ciera and Kelley are the biggest problems going forward. But Kelley has made a bigger move and so I see her as a bigger threat. That being said, Ciera has been much more vocal trying to get people to turn on their alliance, so it wasn’t a bad move at all.
Episode 11 recap (also 11/25/2015)
Jeremy is congratulated on a good move. He tells Spencer that he would have saved Spencer if it was necessary.
For the reward challenge, they listen to stories and history about Cambodia before running out to 5 different stations in the dark (carrying torches to light their way) and answering multiple choice questions. They grab a wrapped-up medallion and bring it back to their base station. If the answer is correct, their medallion is metal and they can hang it up, otherwise they have to go back out and answer that question again. During the challenge, Kelley unwraps one of her medallions and finds a paper wrapped up with it. She pockets this paper to save for later. The challenge comes down to Stephen and Spencer. Stephen edges out a victory. He wins a helicopter ride to a resort with food. He gets to choose two people, then a third, to go with him. He chooses Tasha to try to rekindle an alliance and Jeremy to thank him for saving him in the last vote.
Stephen decides to tell Tasha and Jeremy exactly what his advantage is, in hopes of relieving some of the target it has placed on him. Most of the others at camp decide to vote against the Kimmi and the three on reward since it seems like they’re the top people based on Stephen’s choices. Kelley reads the paper from the challenge and it says there is an idol under the newly rebuilt shelter. She waits impatiently as people leave camp for various purposes. Abi stays longer than normal, but eventually leaves too. Kelley then scurries under and gets the idol, although it is harder to untie than she predicted and she is almost caught when people start returning.
For immunity, they have to build a 3-tier tower in a circular shape using only their feet, then place a flag in the middle of it, also with their feet. This challenge is hard to predict a winner because things can crash down at any time. Ultimately, Spencer is able to finish before Joe and it’s now possible for people to vote for Joe.
Stephen wants to vote Joe out, like always, but wants to guard against a potential hidden immunity idol. He tells Spencer about the advantage and that they can split the votes 3-3 between Abi and Joe. He’ll do this by stealing Joe’s vote and using it against him. Spencer says he’s on board, but ends up voting with Abi, Keith, and Kelley against Stephen instead. Stephen is voted out 4-3-2.
Was the right person voted out (Ep11)?
He sure was. He was so fixated on voting out Joe that he was willing to trust others more than he should. He needed that big move so badly, but Spencer saw that it would be a big move and rightly voted him out instead. Sure, voting out Joe was the better choice on paper, but it isn’t a big move. He can’t likely keep winning immunity every time so they can get him next time. Certainly for Spencer, it keeps Joe around as a bigger target and makes Spencer important as someone who is needed to beat Joe at immunity.
Keys to Survivor Cambodia Ep09
Tribal Reference Guide at Episode 09 Start
Orkun
Final Ta Keo Final Bayon Color for Ankgor
Abi Maria Jeremy
Spencer Stephen
Kelly Kimmi
Ciera Joe
Keith
Tasha
Kelley
Name colors indicate original tribe and 2nd tribe. Column indicates 3rd tribe. For example, Spencer starts with Ta Keo color, then finishes with Bayon color, and is in the Ta Keo column, indicating he was on those tribes in that order. If name is all one color, that was their original and 2nd tribe.
Complain in the comments if you have color blindness and my color scheme isn't working for you. Don’t complain to me if you’re confused by this unless you know of a better way to show it concisely - there were lots of tribe switches through this part of the season.
Jeremy has a hidden immunity idol from a clue at the new Bayon camp.
(Last Names that are often used: Kelly Wiglesworth, Kelley Wentworth, Stephen Fishbach)
Episode 09 recap (11/18/2015)
People start searching for a new hidden immunity idol, figuring that a new one is in the game after the successful use last night.
The reward challenge splits the group into two teams of five. Abi-Maria is not chosen so cannot win reward. They must assemble a staircase made from poles of different heights that go into holes of different depths. Once the staircase is finished, the team climbs up, goes through a small 3D maze, then down a bumpy slide. One person then moves a key along a rope, releases it, uses it to get puzzle pieces, then two people solve a puzzle that provides a combination to unlock a flag. Spencer, Ciera, Stephen, Tasha, and Joe are able to complete most of the challenge before the other 5 can finish the ladder and they win the challenge with that huge lead. The winners get a day at the spa.
Back at camp, Jeremy continues looking for a hidden idol and finds a clue to one. It tells him he has to leave camp this evening after dark while everyone is there and follow a map to a lantern in the woods. The others return and instead of going to sleep like they usually do, they stay awake near the fire. Jeremy claims he has stomach issues and heads into the woods, finds the lantern and the idol.
For immunity, they must stand on an inverted wooden V in the water. Every 10 minutes they move up the V onto narrower wooden pieces until they get to the top. Ultimately they might have to go to 1 leg to decide a winner. This was done once before, but the 1-leg part was made up by the final 2 after 3 hours and wasn’t an official rule. A temptation is given to the contestants to eliminate themselves for a chance at an advantage. First person to jump off and touch a newly released buoy would get the advantage. Spencer and Stephen both jump. Stephen barely edges out Spencer and wins the advantage. Abi and Joe are the last 2, standing on one foot. Joe outlasts Abi and wins immunity.
Stephen’s advantage, read in private, is that he can steal a vote from one other person before votes are cast at any tribal council with 5 or more people. This is similar to the advantage Dan had in Worlds Apart, but his was only an extra vote, not stealing a vote, so this one is more powerful.
The plan is to split votes between Kelley and Ciera. Stephen tries to convince Jeremy and Spencer to join the minor alliance in voting Kelly, but this would involve lying to the rest of the main alliance. They end up deciding to do this and Kelly is voted out 6-3-2.
Was the right person voted out?
Tough call. Kelly, if allowed to make it to the end, would have a great story to tell since she was 2nd place in the 1st season. She is likeable, and isn’t too bad at challenges. So it wasn’t a bad vote, but there are so many good players around that I can’t say it was THE right move. As a fan, it’s sad to see another player from the first 15 seasons get kicked out.
Orkun
Final Ta Keo Final Bayon Color for Ankgor
Abi Maria Jeremy
Spencer Stephen
Kelly Kimmi
Ciera Joe
Keith
Tasha
Kelley
Name colors indicate original tribe and 2nd tribe. Column indicates 3rd tribe. For example, Spencer starts with Ta Keo color, then finishes with Bayon color, and is in the Ta Keo column, indicating he was on those tribes in that order. If name is all one color, that was their original and 2nd tribe.
Complain in the comments if you have color blindness and my color scheme isn't working for you. Don’t complain to me if you’re confused by this unless you know of a better way to show it concisely - there were lots of tribe switches through this part of the season.
Jeremy has a hidden immunity idol from a clue at the new Bayon camp.
(Last Names that are often used: Kelly Wiglesworth, Kelley Wentworth, Stephen Fishbach)
Episode 09 recap (11/18/2015)
People start searching for a new hidden immunity idol, figuring that a new one is in the game after the successful use last night.
The reward challenge splits the group into two teams of five. Abi-Maria is not chosen so cannot win reward. They must assemble a staircase made from poles of different heights that go into holes of different depths. Once the staircase is finished, the team climbs up, goes through a small 3D maze, then down a bumpy slide. One person then moves a key along a rope, releases it, uses it to get puzzle pieces, then two people solve a puzzle that provides a combination to unlock a flag. Spencer, Ciera, Stephen, Tasha, and Joe are able to complete most of the challenge before the other 5 can finish the ladder and they win the challenge with that huge lead. The winners get a day at the spa.
Back at camp, Jeremy continues looking for a hidden idol and finds a clue to one. It tells him he has to leave camp this evening after dark while everyone is there and follow a map to a lantern in the woods. The others return and instead of going to sleep like they usually do, they stay awake near the fire. Jeremy claims he has stomach issues and heads into the woods, finds the lantern and the idol.
For immunity, they must stand on an inverted wooden V in the water. Every 10 minutes they move up the V onto narrower wooden pieces until they get to the top. Ultimately they might have to go to 1 leg to decide a winner. This was done once before, but the 1-leg part was made up by the final 2 after 3 hours and wasn’t an official rule. A temptation is given to the contestants to eliminate themselves for a chance at an advantage. First person to jump off and touch a newly released buoy would get the advantage. Spencer and Stephen both jump. Stephen barely edges out Spencer and wins the advantage. Abi and Joe are the last 2, standing on one foot. Joe outlasts Abi and wins immunity.
Stephen’s advantage, read in private, is that he can steal a vote from one other person before votes are cast at any tribal council with 5 or more people. This is similar to the advantage Dan had in Worlds Apart, but his was only an extra vote, not stealing a vote, so this one is more powerful.
The plan is to split votes between Kelley and Ciera. Stephen tries to convince Jeremy and Spencer to join the minor alliance in voting Kelly, but this would involve lying to the rest of the main alliance. They end up deciding to do this and Kelly is voted out 6-3-2.
Was the right person voted out?
Tough call. Kelly, if allowed to make it to the end, would have a great story to tell since she was 2nd place in the 1st season. She is likeable, and isn’t too bad at challenges. So it wasn’t a bad vote, but there are so many good players around that I can’t say it was THE right move. As a fan, it’s sad to see another player from the first 15 seasons get kicked out.
Keys to Survivor Cambodia Ep08
Tribal Reference Guide at Episode 08 Start
Orkun
Final Ta Keo Final Bayon Color for Ankgor
Abi Maria Jeremy
Spencer Stephen
Kelly Kimmi
Ciera Joe
Andrew Keith
Tasha
Kelley
Name colors indicate original tribe and 2nd tribe. Column indicates 3rd tribe. For example, Spencer starts with Ta Keo color, then finishes with Bayon color, and is in the Ta Keo column, indicating he was on those tribes in that order. If name is all one color, that was their original and 2nd tribe.
Complain in the comments if you have color blindness and my color scheme isn't working for you. Don’t complain to me if you’re confused by this unless you know of a better way to show it concisely - there were lots of tribe switches through this part of the season.
Kelley has a hidden immunity idol from a clue at the original Ta Keo camp.
Jeremy has a hidden immunity idol from a clue at the new Bayon camp.
(Last Names that are often used: Kelly Wiglesworth, Kelley Wentworth, Andrew Savage, Stephen Fishbach)
Episode 08 recap (11/11/2015)
The reward challenge has random teams picked. Paddle out, retrieve 4 puzzle cubes, bring them to the beach and arrange them vertically so that no color repeats itself on any one side.
Joe, Keith, Ciera, Kelley, Kimmi, and Kelly go on reward, which is primarily food.
Spencer, Jeremy, Stephen, Andrew, Abi, and Tasha are left behind.
Stephen wants to get rid of Joe and tries to get everyone on board. Jeremy might have to go along with it this time. But Andrew hears the plans. When Joe gets back and talks to Andrew, he gets clued in to what is going on. Andrew wants to get rid of Stephen. Most of the main alliance considers this idea, but Spencer notes that they know what Stephen wants to do and he can’t do it without them, so he’s not actually dangerous and they should vote out Kelley or Ciera instead. The minor alliance of girls was excited that Stephen was on the chopping block, but Joe tells the girls that the plan may have changed.
For the immunity challenge, balance a ball on a large round disk suspended over mud and attached to 2 ropes. Periodically move further back on the ropes. Eventually add a 2nd ball. Joe wins individual immunity. It is noteworthy that Keith came in 2nd.
Kelley Wentworth decides that she doesn’t want to go home tonight and suspects she is the target, so plays her very well hidden immunity idol to everyone’s surprise. 9 votes for Kelley don’t count. Kelley, Ciera, and Abi all vote for Savage and he is effectively voted out 3-0.
Was the right person voted out?
Yes and No. Savage is a predictable player who is too loyal to flip on people. So if you’re the bottom 3 girls (or a fan of huge, well-timed moves), he’s a decent choice to send home. They would have targeted one of the presumed top 4 people running the show, so the other options were Jeremy, Tasha, and either Stephen or Joe. Joe was immune and Stephen has already been a target so might be again. Tasha was the other potential choice, but she’s willing to work with people if the need arises. Now, if you’re part of the main alliance, there were two much better possible outcomes. You could have blindsided Stephen, like you all agree is a fine idea, and you would still have the numbers and would be able to vote out the girls later. An even better idea would have been to split the votes between Kelley and Ciera. Split votes had almost become a certainty in this game until this week. I was shocked they didn’t do it. The only chance for failure would have been for Kelley to play an idol and at least 1 of the main alliance to flip and work with the 3 women at the bottom. The flip seems unlikely since they certainly showed a united front.
Orkun
Final Ta Keo Final Bayon Color for Ankgor
Abi Maria Jeremy
Spencer Stephen
Kelly Kimmi
Ciera Joe
Andrew Keith
Tasha
Kelley
Name colors indicate original tribe and 2nd tribe. Column indicates 3rd tribe. For example, Spencer starts with Ta Keo color, then finishes with Bayon color, and is in the Ta Keo column, indicating he was on those tribes in that order. If name is all one color, that was their original and 2nd tribe.
Complain in the comments if you have color blindness and my color scheme isn't working for you. Don’t complain to me if you’re confused by this unless you know of a better way to show it concisely - there were lots of tribe switches through this part of the season.
Kelley has a hidden immunity idol from a clue at the original Ta Keo camp.
Jeremy has a hidden immunity idol from a clue at the new Bayon camp.
(Last Names that are often used: Kelly Wiglesworth, Kelley Wentworth, Andrew Savage, Stephen Fishbach)
Episode 08 recap (11/11/2015)
The reward challenge has random teams picked. Paddle out, retrieve 4 puzzle cubes, bring them to the beach and arrange them vertically so that no color repeats itself on any one side.
Joe, Keith, Ciera, Kelley, Kimmi, and Kelly go on reward, which is primarily food.
Spencer, Jeremy, Stephen, Andrew, Abi, and Tasha are left behind.
Stephen wants to get rid of Joe and tries to get everyone on board. Jeremy might have to go along with it this time. But Andrew hears the plans. When Joe gets back and talks to Andrew, he gets clued in to what is going on. Andrew wants to get rid of Stephen. Most of the main alliance considers this idea, but Spencer notes that they know what Stephen wants to do and he can’t do it without them, so he’s not actually dangerous and they should vote out Kelley or Ciera instead. The minor alliance of girls was excited that Stephen was on the chopping block, but Joe tells the girls that the plan may have changed.
For the immunity challenge, balance a ball on a large round disk suspended over mud and attached to 2 ropes. Periodically move further back on the ropes. Eventually add a 2nd ball. Joe wins individual immunity. It is noteworthy that Keith came in 2nd.
Kelley Wentworth decides that she doesn’t want to go home tonight and suspects she is the target, so plays her very well hidden immunity idol to everyone’s surprise. 9 votes for Kelley don’t count. Kelley, Ciera, and Abi all vote for Savage and he is effectively voted out 3-0.
Was the right person voted out?
Yes and No. Savage is a predictable player who is too loyal to flip on people. So if you’re the bottom 3 girls (or a fan of huge, well-timed moves), he’s a decent choice to send home. They would have targeted one of the presumed top 4 people running the show, so the other options were Jeremy, Tasha, and either Stephen or Joe. Joe was immune and Stephen has already been a target so might be again. Tasha was the other potential choice, but she’s willing to work with people if the need arises. Now, if you’re part of the main alliance, there were two much better possible outcomes. You could have blindsided Stephen, like you all agree is a fine idea, and you would still have the numbers and would be able to vote out the girls later. An even better idea would have been to split the votes between Kelley and Ciera. Split votes had almost become a certainty in this game until this week. I was shocked they didn’t do it. The only chance for failure would have been for Kelley to play an idol and at least 1 of the main alliance to flip and work with the 3 women at the bottom. The flip seems unlikely since they certainly showed a united front.
Keys to Survivor Cambodia Ep07
Tribal Reference Guide at Episode 07 Start
Ta Keo Bayon
Abi Maria Jeremy
Spencer Stephen
Kelly Kimmi
Kass Joe
Ciera Keith
Andrew Tasha
Kelley
Name colors indicate original tribe and 2nd tribe. For example, Spencer starts with Ta Keo color, then finishes with Bayon color, indicating he was on those tribes in that order. If name is all one color, that was their original and 2nd tribe.
Complain in the comments if you have color blindness and my color scheme isn't working for you. Don’t complain to me if you’re confused by this unless you know of a better way to show it concisely - there were lots of tribe switches through this part of the season.
Kelley has a hidden immunity idol from a clue at the original Ta Keo camp.
Jeremy has a hidden immunity idol from a clue at the new Bayon camp.
(Last Names that are often used: Kelly Wiglesworth, Kelley Wentworth, Andrew Savage, Stephen Fishbach)
Episode 07 recap (11/4/2015)
As foretold in last week’s preview, the tribal merge happens. The new tribe color is orange and the new tribe name is Orkun.
Joe wins immunity (balancing a ball on a round disk atop a short pole while standing on a narrow downward sloping beam). Kass and Ciera both try to cause trouble. Kass doesn’t like Tasha because Tasha won’t trust her. Ciera just feels like throwing Savage under the bus and claiming he isn’t loyal to Bayon. Both Kass and Ciera end up in the hot seat.
Kass, Ciera, Abi, and Kelley try to pull in Spencer to vote out someone else. In the end, the majority split the vote between Kass and Ciera. Spencer and Kelley vote with the majority. Ciera votes for Savage. Abi and Kass vote for Tasha. Kass is voted out 6-4-2-1.
Was the right person voted out?
Absolutely. As I said for last episode, Kass is way too unpredictable so she is a constant liability to keep around in this game.
Ta Keo Bayon
Abi Maria Jeremy
Spencer Stephen
Kelly Kimmi
Kass Joe
Ciera Keith
Andrew Tasha
Kelley
Name colors indicate original tribe and 2nd tribe. For example, Spencer starts with Ta Keo color, then finishes with Bayon color, indicating he was on those tribes in that order. If name is all one color, that was their original and 2nd tribe.
Complain in the comments if you have color blindness and my color scheme isn't working for you. Don’t complain to me if you’re confused by this unless you know of a better way to show it concisely - there were lots of tribe switches through this part of the season.
Kelley has a hidden immunity idol from a clue at the original Ta Keo camp.
Jeremy has a hidden immunity idol from a clue at the new Bayon camp.
(Last Names that are often used: Kelly Wiglesworth, Kelley Wentworth, Andrew Savage, Stephen Fishbach)
Episode 07 recap (11/4/2015)
As foretold in last week’s preview, the tribal merge happens. The new tribe color is orange and the new tribe name is Orkun.
Joe wins immunity (balancing a ball on a round disk atop a short pole while standing on a narrow downward sloping beam). Kass and Ciera both try to cause trouble. Kass doesn’t like Tasha because Tasha won’t trust her. Ciera just feels like throwing Savage under the bus and claiming he isn’t loyal to Bayon. Both Kass and Ciera end up in the hot seat.
Kass, Ciera, Abi, and Kelley try to pull in Spencer to vote out someone else. In the end, the majority split the vote between Kass and Ciera. Spencer and Kelley vote with the majority. Ciera votes for Savage. Abi and Kass vote for Tasha. Kass is voted out 6-4-2-1.
Was the right person voted out?
Absolutely. As I said for last episode, Kass is way too unpredictable so she is a constant liability to keep around in this game.
Keys to Survivor Cambodia Ep06
Episode 06 Prologue:
This episode starts with Terry Deitz getting news in the middle of the night, in person from Jeff Probst, that his son is in the hospital. Terry’s wife and the doctor both think he should go back home immediately. Terry is effectively pulled from the game.
The episode continues with all 3 tribes arriving together for another tribe switch. This time the Angkor tribe is removed from the game and we’re back to just Ta Keo and Bayon.
Tribal Reference Guide just after Episode 06 Start
(after the tribe switch that has just happened)
Ta Keo Bayon
Abi Maria Jeremy
Woo Stephen
Spencer Kimmi
Kelly Joe
Kass Keith
Ciera Tasha
Andrew Kelley
Name colors indicate original tribe and 2nd tribe. For example, Woo starts with Ta Keo color, then finishes with Ankgor color, indicating he was on those tribes in that order. If name is all one color, that was their original and 2nd tribe.
Complain in the comments if you have color blindness and my color scheme isn't working for you. Don’t complain to me if you’re confused by this unless you know of a better way to show it concisely - there were lots of tribe switches through this part of the season.
Kelley has a hidden immunity idol from a clue at the original Ta Keo camp.
Jeremy has a hidden immunity idol from a clue at the new Bayon camp.
(Last Names that are often used: Kelly Wiglesworth, Kelley Wentworth, Andrew Savage, Stephen Fishbach)
Episode 06 recap (10/28/2015)
Stephen wants to get rid of Joe, but Jeremy wants to keep Joe as a shield. Stephen is very emotional about doing better than last time so wants to make a big move to vote out JT-like people. But his team wins immunity in a unusual-food eating challenge (no thanks to Kimmi).
Spencer is in trouble as Andrew wants to vote him out, but Andrew puts Ciera on the spot as the “fake” vote being told to Spencer. Ciera doesn’t like this. Kass wants Spencer gone, but is gravitating towards an opportunity to cause chaos and considering voting out Woo with the rest of the girls and Spencer. Ultimately, old-school gets blind-sided again and Woo goes home in a 4-3 vote. Kelly/Andrew are now in a tough spot. The preview for next week has us expecting a merge.
Was the right person voted out?
Probably not. Woo can still help win challenges which lowers your immediate risk of getting voted out next time. Once a merge happens, Woo is a bigger immunity threat and therefore a bigger target that keeps the target off of you. Sadly in this case the likely alternative was also the wrong person. In my opinion the best person to have voted out this time was Kass because she is chaotic. If you can’t predict what someone is going to do, you need to remove them.
This episode starts with Terry Deitz getting news in the middle of the night, in person from Jeff Probst, that his son is in the hospital. Terry’s wife and the doctor both think he should go back home immediately. Terry is effectively pulled from the game.
The episode continues with all 3 tribes arriving together for another tribe switch. This time the Angkor tribe is removed from the game and we’re back to just Ta Keo and Bayon.
Tribal Reference Guide just after Episode 06 Start
(after the tribe switch that has just happened)
Ta Keo Bayon
Abi Maria Jeremy
Woo Stephen
Spencer Kimmi
Kelly Joe
Kass Keith
Ciera Tasha
Andrew Kelley
Name colors indicate original tribe and 2nd tribe. For example, Woo starts with Ta Keo color, then finishes with Ankgor color, indicating he was on those tribes in that order. If name is all one color, that was their original and 2nd tribe.
Complain in the comments if you have color blindness and my color scheme isn't working for you. Don’t complain to me if you’re confused by this unless you know of a better way to show it concisely - there were lots of tribe switches through this part of the season.
Kelley has a hidden immunity idol from a clue at the original Ta Keo camp.
Jeremy has a hidden immunity idol from a clue at the new Bayon camp.
(Last Names that are often used: Kelly Wiglesworth, Kelley Wentworth, Andrew Savage, Stephen Fishbach)
Episode 06 recap (10/28/2015)
Stephen wants to get rid of Joe, but Jeremy wants to keep Joe as a shield. Stephen is very emotional about doing better than last time so wants to make a big move to vote out JT-like people. But his team wins immunity in a unusual-food eating challenge (no thanks to Kimmi).
Spencer is in trouble as Andrew wants to vote him out, but Andrew puts Ciera on the spot as the “fake” vote being told to Spencer. Ciera doesn’t like this. Kass wants Spencer gone, but is gravitating towards an opportunity to cause chaos and considering voting out Woo with the rest of the girls and Spencer. Ultimately, old-school gets blind-sided again and Woo goes home in a 4-3 vote. Kelly/Andrew are now in a tough spot. The preview for next week has us expecting a merge.
Was the right person voted out?
Probably not. Woo can still help win challenges which lowers your immediate risk of getting voted out next time. Once a merge happens, Woo is a bigger immunity threat and therefore a bigger target that keeps the target off of you. Sadly in this case the likely alternative was also the wrong person. In my opinion the best person to have voted out this time was Kass because she is chaotic. If you can’t predict what someone is going to do, you need to remove them.
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
Keys to Survivor Cambodia Ep05
Tribal Reference Guide at Episode 05 Start
Ta Keo Bayon Angkor
Terry Kimmi Abi-Maria
Kelley Stephen Woo
Joe Monica Tasha
Ciera Jeremy Andrew
Kass Kelly
Keith Spencer
Name colors indicate original tribe. Complain in the comments if you have color blindness and my color scheme isn't working for you.
Kelley has a hidden immunity idol from a clue at the original Ta Keo camp.
Jeremy has a hidden immunity idol from a clue at the new Bayon camp.
(Last Names that are often used: Kelly Wiglesworth, Terry Deitz, Kelley Wentworth, Andrew Savage, Stephen Fishbach)
Episode 05 recap (10/21/2015)
In the reward challenge, the tribes roll a barrel with a tribe-mate inside. The one inside the barrel gets out at 3 stations and collects bags of balls. At the finish, one person rolls the balls into a skee-ball like setup, trying to get 6 balls into different goal divots. Angkor doesn’t come in last so manages to win some comfort including a tarp.
At the immunity challenge the tribes must race up a structure one at a time and launch sandbags at 5 targets using a large slingshot. Each person has to go up at least once and fire once, but can swap out after that. A team must swap players after a successful hit on a target. Angkor doesn’t lose again, thanks to Stephen (Bayon) accidentally hitting one of Ankgor’s targets. New Bayon goes to tribal.
Spencer or Kelly is in trouble. Monica and Kimmi have been butting heads though and Monica suggested a potential future all-women alliance to Kimmi, who then tattles on her to the others. Kimmi/Jeremy/Stephen ponder voting Monica out instead. Monica is BLINDSIDED 3-2-1.
Was the right person voted out?
I hate to say it, but yes. Monica made a big mistake with how she pitched her ideas to Kimmi. First, she and Kimmi aren’t agreeing in general, so that conversation was risky. Second, she made a case for being a potential enemy - willing to turn against former allies. The better way would have been to pitch the men in the game as potential villains who might form an all-male alliance that you might need to defend against. Create common enemies. Don’t turn yourself into one.
Ta Keo Bayon Angkor
Terry Kimmi Abi-Maria
Kelley Stephen Woo
Joe Monica Tasha
Ciera Jeremy Andrew
Kass Kelly
Keith Spencer
Name colors indicate original tribe. Complain in the comments if you have color blindness and my color scheme isn't working for you.
Kelley has a hidden immunity idol from a clue at the original Ta Keo camp.
Jeremy has a hidden immunity idol from a clue at the new Bayon camp.
(Last Names that are often used: Kelly Wiglesworth, Terry Deitz, Kelley Wentworth, Andrew Savage, Stephen Fishbach)
Episode 05 recap (10/21/2015)
In the reward challenge, the tribes roll a barrel with a tribe-mate inside. The one inside the barrel gets out at 3 stations and collects bags of balls. At the finish, one person rolls the balls into a skee-ball like setup, trying to get 6 balls into different goal divots. Angkor doesn’t come in last so manages to win some comfort including a tarp.
At the immunity challenge the tribes must race up a structure one at a time and launch sandbags at 5 targets using a large slingshot. Each person has to go up at least once and fire once, but can swap out after that. A team must swap players after a successful hit on a target. Angkor doesn’t lose again, thanks to Stephen (Bayon) accidentally hitting one of Ankgor’s targets. New Bayon goes to tribal.
Spencer or Kelly is in trouble. Monica and Kimmi have been butting heads though and Monica suggested a potential future all-women alliance to Kimmi, who then tattles on her to the others. Kimmi/Jeremy/Stephen ponder voting Monica out instead. Monica is BLINDSIDED 3-2-1.
Was the right person voted out?
I hate to say it, but yes. Monica made a big mistake with how she pitched her ideas to Kimmi. First, she and Kimmi aren’t agreeing in general, so that conversation was risky. Second, she made a case for being a potential enemy - willing to turn against former allies. The better way would have been to pitch the men in the game as potential villains who might form an all-male alliance that you might need to defend against. Create common enemies. Don’t turn yourself into one.
Monday, November 23, 2015
Keys to Survivor Cambodia Ep04
Tribal Reference Guide at Episode 04 Start
Ta Keo Bayon Angkor
Terry Kimmi Jeff
Kelley Stephen Abi-Maria
Joe Monica Woo
Ciera Jeremy Tasha
Kass Kelly Andrew
Keith Spencer
Name colors indicate original tribe. Complain in the comments if you have color blindness and my color scheme isn't working for you.
Kelley has a hidden immunity idol from a clue at the original Ta Keo camp.
Jeremy has a hidden immunity idol from a clue at the new Bayon camp.
(Last Names that are often used: Kelly Wiglesworth, Jeff Varner, Terry
Deitz, Kelley Wentworth, Andrew Savage, Stephen Fishbach)
Episode 04 Recap (10/14/15)
For reward, each team chose 1 person to compete. Jeremy, Andrew, and Terry were chosen to run out into the water, retrieve 3 large bean bags in sequence, and use a see-saw to launch them into a net 15 feet above their heads. Andrew was victorious for Angkor and they finally get some food to eat.
The immunity challenge was close. A caller directs his blindfolded tribe-mates to retrieve large tetris-like blocks before the whole team then solves a 3D cube puzzle with all of the blocks. Ultimately, Angkor was spent and couldn’t finish so had to go to tribal council again.
It sounds like it will be Jeff or Woo in a trust vs strength vote. Somehow Abi is convinced to kick out Jeff and keep Woo despite all the times Woo has voted for Abi. Woo is very thankful. Jeff is voted out 4-1.
Was the right person voted out?
Again, if you are Tasha and Andrew then yes. You keep Woo around so that Abi has someone she will dislike way more than you, instead of a situation where she and Jeff could stand together. Additionally, Jeff was doing lots of scheming, so it was probably great in the long run to remove him from play.
Ta Keo Bayon Angkor
Terry Kimmi Jeff
Kelley Stephen Abi-Maria
Joe Monica Woo
Ciera Jeremy Tasha
Kass Kelly Andrew
Keith Spencer
Name colors indicate original tribe. Complain in the comments if you have color blindness and my color scheme isn't working for you.
Kelley has a hidden immunity idol from a clue at the original Ta Keo camp.
Jeremy has a hidden immunity idol from a clue at the new Bayon camp.
(Last Names that are often used: Kelly Wiglesworth, Jeff Varner, Terry
Deitz, Kelley Wentworth, Andrew Savage, Stephen Fishbach)
Episode 04 Recap (10/14/15)
For reward, each team chose 1 person to compete. Jeremy, Andrew, and Terry were chosen to run out into the water, retrieve 3 large bean bags in sequence, and use a see-saw to launch them into a net 15 feet above their heads. Andrew was victorious for Angkor and they finally get some food to eat.
The immunity challenge was close. A caller directs his blindfolded tribe-mates to retrieve large tetris-like blocks before the whole team then solves a 3D cube puzzle with all of the blocks. Ultimately, Angkor was spent and couldn’t finish so had to go to tribal council again.
It sounds like it will be Jeff or Woo in a trust vs strength vote. Somehow Abi is convinced to kick out Jeff and keep Woo despite all the times Woo has voted for Abi. Woo is very thankful. Jeff is voted out 4-1.
Was the right person voted out?
Again, if you are Tasha and Andrew then yes. You keep Woo around so that Abi has someone she will dislike way more than you, instead of a situation where she and Jeff could stand together. Additionally, Jeff was doing lots of scheming, so it was probably great in the long run to remove him from play.
Sunday, November 15, 2015
Keys to Survivor Cambodia Ep03
Tribal Reference Guide just after Episode 03 Start
(after the tribe switch that kicked off this episode)
Ta Keo Bayon Angkor
Terry Kimmi Jeff
Kelley Stephen Abi-Maria
Joe Monica Woo
Ciera Jeremy Peih-Gee
Kass Kelly Tasha
Keith Spencer Andrew
Name colors indicate original tribe. Complain in the comments if you have color blindness and my color scheme isn't working for you.
Kelley has a hidden immunity idol.
(Last Names that are often used: Kelly Wiglesworth, Jeff Varner, Terry
Deitz, Kelley Wentworth, Andrew Savage, Stephen Fishbach)
Episode 03 Recap (10/7/15)
We start things off with a tribe mix-up. It's the first time in history that the number of tribes has increased during a season. Ta Keo and Bayon each have 2 old Ta Keo and 4 old Bayon. Angkor has 4 old Ta Keo and 2 old Bayon. Jeremy finds a clue to the hidden immunity idol that tells him where it will be located at the next immunity challenge. He then finds the idol during that immunity challenge and without anyone noticing.
Ta Keo and Bayon win immunity and Angkor loses. Jeff tries to signal something to one of the other teams, but Tasha catches him and starts referring to him as a rat. Peih-Gee and Abi still don’t get along. Tasha and Andrew, despite being outnumbered, capitalize on the cracks in the former Ta Keo and side with Abi and Jeff to vote out Peih-Gee 4-2. Woo and Peih-Gee were the 2 votes for Abi.
Was the right person voted out?
This is a tough one, but yes - if you’re Tasha & Andrew. Peih-Gee and Abi-Maria can’t stand each other. If you vote out Peih-Gee you risk the other 3 former tribe mates banding together. By keeping Abi you gain an ally, albeit an unstable one, and you maintain a wedge between the others.
(after the tribe switch that kicked off this episode)
Ta Keo Bayon Angkor
Terry Kimmi Jeff
Kelley Stephen Abi-Maria
Joe Monica Woo
Ciera Jeremy Peih-Gee
Kass Kelly Tasha
Keith Spencer Andrew
Name colors indicate original tribe. Complain in the comments if you have color blindness and my color scheme isn't working for you.
Kelley has a hidden immunity idol.
(Last Names that are often used: Kelly Wiglesworth, Jeff Varner, Terry
Deitz, Kelley Wentworth, Andrew Savage, Stephen Fishbach)
Episode 03 Recap (10/7/15)
We start things off with a tribe mix-up. It's the first time in history that the number of tribes has increased during a season. Ta Keo and Bayon each have 2 old Ta Keo and 4 old Bayon. Angkor has 4 old Ta Keo and 2 old Bayon. Jeremy finds a clue to the hidden immunity idol that tells him where it will be located at the next immunity challenge. He then finds the idol during that immunity challenge and without anyone noticing.
Ta Keo and Bayon win immunity and Angkor loses. Jeff tries to signal something to one of the other teams, but Tasha catches him and starts referring to him as a rat. Peih-Gee and Abi still don’t get along. Tasha and Andrew, despite being outnumbered, capitalize on the cracks in the former Ta Keo and side with Abi and Jeff to vote out Peih-Gee 4-2. Woo and Peih-Gee were the 2 votes for Abi.
Was the right person voted out?
This is a tough one, but yes - if you’re Tasha & Andrew. Peih-Gee and Abi-Maria can’t stand each other. If you vote out Peih-Gee you risk the other 3 former tribe mates banding together. By keeping Abi you gain an ally, albeit an unstable one, and you maintain a wedge between the others.
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
Keys to Survivor Cambodia Ep02
Tribal Reference Guide at Episode 02 Start
Ta Keo Bayon
Kelly Kimmi
Jeff Andrew
Terry Stephen
Peih-Gee Monica
Abi-Maria Ciera
Spencer Kass
Woo Tasha
Kelley Jeremy
Shirin Keith
Joe
Kelley has a hidden immunity idol.
(Last Names that are often used: Kelly Wiglesworth, Jeff Varner, Terry Deitz, Kelley Wentworth, Andrew Savage, Stephen Fishbach)
Episode 02 Recap (9/30/2015)
For Reward/Immunity, the teams raced up and down tall A-frames, carrying ropes, then used the ropes to pull a heavy box of puzzle pieces. Then 2 players on each tribe solve a puzzle. Bayon wins the immunity challenge too.
Abi and Peih-Gee have a big argument, mostly because the just don't get along. Abi feels attacked, and is hurt that Shirin doesn't come to her rescue, especially given Shirin's experience on her season of Survivor when Mike came to her rescue when others were attacking her. This time, Terry comes to Abi's rescue, elevating him from the bottom of the tribe.
Spencer and Shirin end up on bottom due to all of this. The majority split their vote to avoid any surprise idols and Shirin is voted out 5-4.
Was the right person voted out?
If you’re everyone else on that tribe, yes. Shirin isn’t a physical threat, but she has incredible knowledge about Survivor and could easily use that store of knowledge against everyone else along the way. It was the right move assuming they realize that Abi will continue to drive wedges between people and could derail their game at a moment's notice.
Ta Keo Bayon
Kelly Kimmi
Jeff Andrew
Terry Stephen
Peih-Gee Monica
Abi-Maria Ciera
Spencer Kass
Woo Tasha
Kelley Jeremy
Shirin Keith
Joe
Kelley has a hidden immunity idol.
(Last Names that are often used: Kelly Wiglesworth, Jeff Varner, Terry Deitz, Kelley Wentworth, Andrew Savage, Stephen Fishbach)
Episode 02 Recap (9/30/2015)
For Reward/Immunity, the teams raced up and down tall A-frames, carrying ropes, then used the ropes to pull a heavy box of puzzle pieces. Then 2 players on each tribe solve a puzzle. Bayon wins the immunity challenge too.
Abi and Peih-Gee have a big argument, mostly because the just don't get along. Abi feels attacked, and is hurt that Shirin doesn't come to her rescue, especially given Shirin's experience on her season of Survivor when Mike came to her rescue when others were attacking her. This time, Terry comes to Abi's rescue, elevating him from the bottom of the tribe.
Spencer and Shirin end up on bottom due to all of this. The majority split their vote to avoid any surprise idols and Shirin is voted out 5-4.
Was the right person voted out?
If you’re everyone else on that tribe, yes. Shirin isn’t a physical threat, but she has incredible knowledge about Survivor and could easily use that store of knowledge against everyone else along the way. It was the right move assuming they realize that Abi will continue to drive wedges between people and could derail their game at a moment's notice.
Monday, November 2, 2015
Keys to Survivor Cambodia Ep01
Welcome to my blog for Survivor: Cambodia - Second Chances
This season I am tribe reference guides, my opinion about the decision of which person to be voted out, and sometimes brief recaps.
Tribal Reference Guide at Episode Start
Ta Keo
Kelly - Borneo (1)
Jeff - The Australian Outback (2)
Terry - Panama (12)
Peih-Gee - China (15)
Abi-Maria - Philippines (25)
Vytas - Blood vs. Water (27)
Spencer - Cagayan (28)
Woo - Cagayan (28)
Kelley - San Juan del Sur (29)
Shirin - Worlds Apart (30)
Bayon
Kimmi - The Australian Outback (2)
Andrew - Pearl Islands (7)
Stephen - Tocantins (18)
Monica - Samoa (19)
Ciera - Blood vs. Water (27)
Kass - Cagayan (28)
Tasha - Cagayan (28)
Jeremy - San Juan del Sur (29)
Keith - San Juan del Sur (29)
Joe - Worlds Apart (30)
Seasons with added descriptions
Panama = Exile Island
Cagayan = Brains vs. Brawn vs. Beauty
San Juan del Sur = Blood vs. Water (all new players)
Worlds Apart = White Collar vs. Blue Collar vs. No Collar
Episode 01 recap (9/23/2015)
The first challenge ends when a member of one team gets to the bag of rice. Kelly swims ahead to launch her team to victory. Kelley (the other one, note the different spelling) finds a clue to the hidden immunity idol, then finds the idol at the immunity challenge. Joe effectively wins immunity for Bayon with his excellent stick and twine skills to retrieve a key. Jeff Varner flips on the old-school alliance to vote with the new-school. Vytas is voted out 6-4.
Was the right person voted out?
Returning players don't tend to remove weak players first. Vytas is a social threat so I can't say it was a bad move. However, voting out Abi would have resulted in a stronger tribe with more unity. First vote out often seems arbitrary though.
This season I am tribe reference guides, my opinion about the decision of which person to be voted out, and sometimes brief recaps.
Tribal Reference Guide at Episode Start
Ta Keo
Kelly - Borneo (1)
Jeff - The Australian Outback (2)
Terry - Panama (12)
Peih-Gee - China (15)
Abi-Maria - Philippines (25)
Vytas - Blood vs. Water (27)
Spencer - Cagayan (28)
Woo - Cagayan (28)
Kelley - San Juan del Sur (29)
Shirin - Worlds Apart (30)
Bayon
Kimmi - The Australian Outback (2)
Andrew - Pearl Islands (7)
Stephen - Tocantins (18)
Monica - Samoa (19)
Ciera - Blood vs. Water (27)
Kass - Cagayan (28)
Tasha - Cagayan (28)
Jeremy - San Juan del Sur (29)
Keith - San Juan del Sur (29)
Joe - Worlds Apart (30)
Seasons with added descriptions
Panama = Exile Island
Cagayan = Brains vs. Brawn vs. Beauty
San Juan del Sur = Blood vs. Water (all new players)
Worlds Apart = White Collar vs. Blue Collar vs. No Collar
Episode 01 recap (9/23/2015)
The first challenge ends when a member of one team gets to the bag of rice. Kelly swims ahead to launch her team to victory. Kelley (the other one, note the different spelling) finds a clue to the hidden immunity idol, then finds the idol at the immunity challenge. Joe effectively wins immunity for Bayon with his excellent stick and twine skills to retrieve a key. Jeff Varner flips on the old-school alliance to vote with the new-school. Vytas is voted out 6-4.
Was the right person voted out?
Returning players don't tend to remove weak players first. Vytas is a social threat so I can't say it was a bad move. However, voting out Abi would have resulted in a stronger tribe with more unity. First vote out often seems arbitrary though.
Saturday, May 30, 2015
Keys to Survivor Worlds Apart Finale
From Final 5 to Final 3 - Here's How It Happened:
Below is my quick recap of the major points in the Survivor Finale. It's safe to say that pretty much everything I would have predicted would happen did NOT. I guess that's part of why I enjoy watching so much. When you think you know everything, the castaways keep surprising you.
Reward Challenge:
Loved ones are present. Winner gets their loved one for a day and an advantage at the immunity challenge. Untie knots to release bags of tiles. Untie the bags of tiles and slide them across a table through a goal (sort of like air hockey). Once all the tiles are through, take them to the final table by balancing them in groups of your choosing and crossing a few see-saws. Once they are all there, match up symbols printed on the back of the tiles in pairs. 3 tiles don't have a match. Flip those over and use them as the 3 numbers for a combination lock (could be in any order). Will starts this challenge strong, but ends up falling behind as usual. In the end it was a race between Sierra and Mike. Both are trying combinations. On the 3rd number combo, Mike wins. Everyone who loves cheering for the underdog rejoices since Mike is now the huge underdog with everyone wanting to vote him out.
Reward:
Mike's mom gets to join them at camp for a day and night. Everyone seems to like her. She and Mike go off to talk alone. They find out later that the advantage is that they will go to the immunity challenge early and practice. The challenge is to navigate a maze blindfolded to find medallions in each corner (West, South, East, North). Once you have them all, you can find the immunity necklace in another part of the maze. Mike gets to try it out, still blindfolded, but with the guidance of his mom who can see it all. They get to do this for 30 minutes, and they make some progress, but it isn't as easy as they were hoping - they don't complete it even with mom's help. They worry this won't have helped.
Immunity Challenge #1:
See the previous section for a description of the challenge. Will Mike's practice help him out? He finds a medallion first, but others are finding one soon after. When he finds the 2nd one, Rodney was nearby and on Rodney's way back, he tells everyone else how to get to that one. Mike is being ganged up on - and for good reason. He slowly pulls into a lead and is looking for the necklace while the others are still collecting their medallions. Moments later, Mike wins immunity.
Tribal #1:
Mike has to try playing both sides. Rodney and Will seem to be a team. Carolyn and Sierra seem to be a team. Mike tries convincing the girls that the guys are going to vote one of them out. Rondey swears on his dead sister that he'll vote with Mike to get Sierra out. Let's see how things went down. Sierra is voted out 4-1 and becomes the 7th member of the jury.
Immunity Challenge #2:
This is a big one. Untie 20 knots, race up about 4 flights of stairs, grab a key, go down a water slide, work through a multi-level obstacle course, use the key to unlock a back of puzzle pieces. Repeat the stages of climbing, key, slide, unlock, for 2 more keys. Once you have all the puzzle pieces, untie the bags and start constructing a vertical lighthouse puzzle where each piece is a cylinder with a pattern of pegs and hols in each side. Mike and Carolyn are first up the tower. Rodney is last, but makes up some time climbing the stairs. Eventually Carolyn and Will slow down the most and it turns into a race between Mike and Rodney. Rodney has trouble untying his bags of puzzle pieces, then has trouble making any sense of the puzzle. Meanwhile Carolyn has made it to the puzzle stage and is trying to solve it faster than Mike. Sadly for her alliance, she is unsuccessful. Mike wins immunity again. Again, fans of the underdog rejoice.
Tribal #2:
Leading up to this tribal council, Rodney and Will want to vote out Carolyn. Carolyn wants to vote out Rodney. Mike only has to decide if he wants to remove Carolyn or force a tie vote. He claims he wants the tie because all of the Blue Collars turned their back on him. He tells Carolyn this plan and advises her to go into the woods to practice making fire. She does this, for 2 hours, but can't get one started. Welcome to tribal council. Mike follows through. Rodney isn't happy. We go to the fire making challenge. Remember Cook Islands where Becky & Sundra had to make fire to be in the final 3 with Yul & Ozzy? This was kinda like that. We get some elapsed time a few times. 15 minutes. 30 minutes. Each of them breaks their flint at least once and is given a replacement. Finally about 55 minutes in, Carolyn gets a small flame. Moments later Rodney does too. Now it's a race to see who can burn through their string. Rodney uses all of his coconut husk and tries tossing sticks in with no plan. Carolyn immediately builds a pyramid structure to help the flames catch on and climb higher. Carolyn's strategy works out - she wins and is going into the finals.
Final Tribal Council:
We don't see the finalists give opening statements. Not sure if it happened and that part was cut for time, or if they're doing it differently now. Not too many bitter jury members this year. Most of them seem to be counting Will out, except Rodney. Shirin is glad that Mike came to her rescue a few weeks ago, but still needs him to fight for the win. Jenn tells everyone to not be stupid and just vote for the person who obviously deserves it the most - Mike in her opinion. Dan is still mad at Mike for what he did at the auction. Ultimately Mike apologizes, and Dan sees it as sincere. We're left with just enough doubt about who will get the most votes. We are shown a single vote for each of the finalists (Rodney for Will, Jenn for Mike, and Sierra for Carolyn), then we skip ahead to the live reunion portion of the show to read the votes.
Here's the order they were read: Mike. Will. Carolyn. Mike. Mike. Mike. No need to read any more. Your winner of Survivor Worlds Apart is Mike (6-1-1).
Best Moves:
1) Mike wins all 3 challenges this episode. He needed each of these wins more than anyone else did, and that motivation worked for him.
2) Carolyn practices making fire. Sure she was told to do it, but she actually did go practice and that may have been the difference.
3) The jury members give a good performance and let themselves be open to a change of heart based on how things go down at the final tribal council.
Worst Moves:
1) Sierra is targeted first, instead of Rodney or Will. She may have been a bigger threat to win immunity, but Rodney and Will sure seemed to be a voting block. Plus, she was probably the best bet to beat Mike in the next immunity challenge.
2) Sierra makes the case that she should be kept because she is a good competitor. Always should ask yourself if everyone else really thinks that the best should be at the end, or if they'll go for the more obvious choice of someone who can be easily beaten. Her argument only works if she specifically points out that she is their hope to beat Mike at immunity.
3) Mike forces a tie to potentially bring Carolyn to the finals instead of Rodney. This was dumb. It worked out in the end, but you just brought a better competitor and gave her a chance to shine in the fire making challenge.
4) Speaking of making fire. Carolyn and Rodney both stink for apparently having never worked at making fire. You'd think being out there for 39 days would be enough time to learn. Heck, I haven't ever been called back about my auditions, but I have flint and I've learned how to make a fire - in less than 55 minutes at that.
5) Carolyn makes for yet another poor performance in the final tribal council. We have these more than I would like. Maybe she did better but the editing made her look worse than she was. She had a really good story for why she should win. I can't help but think if I were to be lucky enough to be selected and made it to the finals, I would have a killer argument for why I should win. Survivor is a game that should only be won by players who play through to the bitter end. The game isn't over until Jeff says "I'll go get the votes."
6) Will flat out says he is glad to have made the final 3 because now the game is over and he can relax. Man, that was your problem throughout this season. You were always too busy relaxing and not busy enough trying to win this game. The game is not over until the final vote has been cast.
Top player:
Last week, the top 2 were Will and Sierra, figuring that they would both make the finals. This week the top place is obvious. It has to go to the winner.
1) Mike. He won. Enough said.
Bottom player:
Last week, my bottom 2 were Mike and Rodney, figuring that Mike would get voted out and Rodney would get blindsided in a twist. Well I was half right. Rodney did get the axe in a surprising way.
5) Will. That's right. He made the finals, but not because he was better than Sierra or Rodney. Specifically because he was worse than them actually. I hate to have to hand out a bottom spot, but there usually is one person deserving of it and this time it's Will.
Any final comments for this season?
What do you think. Did you enjoy Survivor Worlds Apart, or are you glad it's over? Enjoy my blog posts? Think I should write more, or less, or take a completely different approach next time? (In the past I have done recap poems, and detailed recaps with answers to potential questions people might have had while watching.) Maybe next season you'll be stuck with whatever I decide on anyway, but this is your chance to provide input. Speaking of next season, we'll have a cast of returning players that fans were allowed to vote on (picking 20 out of 32 nominees). I'll have a post about this sometime before the season premier in September, so don't forget at me. Until then, this is Denny Keyes signing off. Oh, and plotting my next audition video. Season 33 or 34, here I come!
Below is my quick recap of the major points in the Survivor Finale. It's safe to say that pretty much everything I would have predicted would happen did NOT. I guess that's part of why I enjoy watching so much. When you think you know everything, the castaways keep surprising you.
Reward Challenge:
Loved ones are present. Winner gets their loved one for a day and an advantage at the immunity challenge. Untie knots to release bags of tiles. Untie the bags of tiles and slide them across a table through a goal (sort of like air hockey). Once all the tiles are through, take them to the final table by balancing them in groups of your choosing and crossing a few see-saws. Once they are all there, match up symbols printed on the back of the tiles in pairs. 3 tiles don't have a match. Flip those over and use them as the 3 numbers for a combination lock (could be in any order). Will starts this challenge strong, but ends up falling behind as usual. In the end it was a race between Sierra and Mike. Both are trying combinations. On the 3rd number combo, Mike wins. Everyone who loves cheering for the underdog rejoices since Mike is now the huge underdog with everyone wanting to vote him out.
Reward:
Mike's mom gets to join them at camp for a day and night. Everyone seems to like her. She and Mike go off to talk alone. They find out later that the advantage is that they will go to the immunity challenge early and practice. The challenge is to navigate a maze blindfolded to find medallions in each corner (West, South, East, North). Once you have them all, you can find the immunity necklace in another part of the maze. Mike gets to try it out, still blindfolded, but with the guidance of his mom who can see it all. They get to do this for 30 minutes, and they make some progress, but it isn't as easy as they were hoping - they don't complete it even with mom's help. They worry this won't have helped.
Immunity Challenge #1:
See the previous section for a description of the challenge. Will Mike's practice help him out? He finds a medallion first, but others are finding one soon after. When he finds the 2nd one, Rodney was nearby and on Rodney's way back, he tells everyone else how to get to that one. Mike is being ganged up on - and for good reason. He slowly pulls into a lead and is looking for the necklace while the others are still collecting their medallions. Moments later, Mike wins immunity.
Tribal #1:
Mike has to try playing both sides. Rodney and Will seem to be a team. Carolyn and Sierra seem to be a team. Mike tries convincing the girls that the guys are going to vote one of them out. Rondey swears on his dead sister that he'll vote with Mike to get Sierra out. Let's see how things went down. Sierra is voted out 4-1 and becomes the 7th member of the jury.
Immunity Challenge #2:
This is a big one. Untie 20 knots, race up about 4 flights of stairs, grab a key, go down a water slide, work through a multi-level obstacle course, use the key to unlock a back of puzzle pieces. Repeat the stages of climbing, key, slide, unlock, for 2 more keys. Once you have all the puzzle pieces, untie the bags and start constructing a vertical lighthouse puzzle where each piece is a cylinder with a pattern of pegs and hols in each side. Mike and Carolyn are first up the tower. Rodney is last, but makes up some time climbing the stairs. Eventually Carolyn and Will slow down the most and it turns into a race between Mike and Rodney. Rodney has trouble untying his bags of puzzle pieces, then has trouble making any sense of the puzzle. Meanwhile Carolyn has made it to the puzzle stage and is trying to solve it faster than Mike. Sadly for her alliance, she is unsuccessful. Mike wins immunity again. Again, fans of the underdog rejoice.
Tribal #2:
Leading up to this tribal council, Rodney and Will want to vote out Carolyn. Carolyn wants to vote out Rodney. Mike only has to decide if he wants to remove Carolyn or force a tie vote. He claims he wants the tie because all of the Blue Collars turned their back on him. He tells Carolyn this plan and advises her to go into the woods to practice making fire. She does this, for 2 hours, but can't get one started. Welcome to tribal council. Mike follows through. Rodney isn't happy. We go to the fire making challenge. Remember Cook Islands where Becky & Sundra had to make fire to be in the final 3 with Yul & Ozzy? This was kinda like that. We get some elapsed time a few times. 15 minutes. 30 minutes. Each of them breaks their flint at least once and is given a replacement. Finally about 55 minutes in, Carolyn gets a small flame. Moments later Rodney does too. Now it's a race to see who can burn through their string. Rodney uses all of his coconut husk and tries tossing sticks in with no plan. Carolyn immediately builds a pyramid structure to help the flames catch on and climb higher. Carolyn's strategy works out - she wins and is going into the finals.
Final Tribal Council:
We don't see the finalists give opening statements. Not sure if it happened and that part was cut for time, or if they're doing it differently now. Not too many bitter jury members this year. Most of them seem to be counting Will out, except Rodney. Shirin is glad that Mike came to her rescue a few weeks ago, but still needs him to fight for the win. Jenn tells everyone to not be stupid and just vote for the person who obviously deserves it the most - Mike in her opinion. Dan is still mad at Mike for what he did at the auction. Ultimately Mike apologizes, and Dan sees it as sincere. We're left with just enough doubt about who will get the most votes. We are shown a single vote for each of the finalists (Rodney for Will, Jenn for Mike, and Sierra for Carolyn), then we skip ahead to the live reunion portion of the show to read the votes.
Here's the order they were read: Mike. Will. Carolyn. Mike. Mike. Mike. No need to read any more. Your winner of Survivor Worlds Apart is Mike (6-1-1).
Best Moves:
1) Mike wins all 3 challenges this episode. He needed each of these wins more than anyone else did, and that motivation worked for him.
2) Carolyn practices making fire. Sure she was told to do it, but she actually did go practice and that may have been the difference.
3) The jury members give a good performance and let themselves be open to a change of heart based on how things go down at the final tribal council.
Worst Moves:
1) Sierra is targeted first, instead of Rodney or Will. She may have been a bigger threat to win immunity, but Rodney and Will sure seemed to be a voting block. Plus, she was probably the best bet to beat Mike in the next immunity challenge.
2) Sierra makes the case that she should be kept because she is a good competitor. Always should ask yourself if everyone else really thinks that the best should be at the end, or if they'll go for the more obvious choice of someone who can be easily beaten. Her argument only works if she specifically points out that she is their hope to beat Mike at immunity.
3) Mike forces a tie to potentially bring Carolyn to the finals instead of Rodney. This was dumb. It worked out in the end, but you just brought a better competitor and gave her a chance to shine in the fire making challenge.
4) Speaking of making fire. Carolyn and Rodney both stink for apparently having never worked at making fire. You'd think being out there for 39 days would be enough time to learn. Heck, I haven't ever been called back about my auditions, but I have flint and I've learned how to make a fire - in less than 55 minutes at that.
5) Carolyn makes for yet another poor performance in the final tribal council. We have these more than I would like. Maybe she did better but the editing made her look worse than she was. She had a really good story for why she should win. I can't help but think if I were to be lucky enough to be selected and made it to the finals, I would have a killer argument for why I should win. Survivor is a game that should only be won by players who play through to the bitter end. The game isn't over until Jeff says "I'll go get the votes."
6) Will flat out says he is glad to have made the final 3 because now the game is over and he can relax. Man, that was your problem throughout this season. You were always too busy relaxing and not busy enough trying to win this game. The game is not over until the final vote has been cast.
Top player:
Last week, the top 2 were Will and Sierra, figuring that they would both make the finals. This week the top place is obvious. It has to go to the winner.
1) Mike. He won. Enough said.
Bottom player:
Last week, my bottom 2 were Mike and Rodney, figuring that Mike would get voted out and Rodney would get blindsided in a twist. Well I was half right. Rodney did get the axe in a surprising way.
5) Will. That's right. He made the finals, but not because he was better than Sierra or Rodney. Specifically because he was worse than them actually. I hate to have to hand out a bottom spot, but there usually is one person deserving of it and this time it's Will.
Any final comments for this season?
What do you think. Did you enjoy Survivor Worlds Apart, or are you glad it's over? Enjoy my blog posts? Think I should write more, or less, or take a completely different approach next time? (In the past I have done recap poems, and detailed recaps with answers to potential questions people might have had while watching.) Maybe next season you'll be stuck with whatever I decide on anyway, but this is your chance to provide input. Speaking of next season, we'll have a cast of returning players that fans were allowed to vote on (picking 20 out of 32 nominees). I'll have a post about this sometime before the season premier in September, so don't forget at me. Until then, this is Denny Keyes signing off. Oh, and plotting my next audition video. Season 33 or 34, here I come!
Sunday, May 17, 2015
Keys to Survivor Worlds Apart Ep13
Penultimate Episode of the Season:
This is almost the end. As the episode starts there are 6 castaways left. By the end, we'll vote one out and be left with a final five. These five will duke it out on Wednesday May 20th until a final three face off in the final tribal council. But before all that, here are the highlights of last episode.
Reward Challenge:
Randomly chosen teams of 3 compete in a multi-part challenge. There are two or three initial parts that each team gets through without trouble. The final step is to take many wooden blocks, decide which ones have a letter on them and bring them along to use in a puzzle where the team must spell out a 6-word phrase. Team A is Dan, Rodney, and Sierra. Team B is Carolyn, Mike, and Will. Both teams are working on the puzzle, trying to make words out of what they have for letters. "Reward" "WITH" "WILL" "FIX". Both teams realize that they should stand up their puzzle pieces and face them away from the other team to prevent cheating. Time elapses. 30 minutes in and neither team has solved it yet. Jeff starts subtly giving clues. More time elapses. 60 minutes in, Jeff is hinting more. Sierra isn't listening to Jeff, but Mike was paying attention. Suddenly, Team B thinks they have it. "A REWARD WITH ALL THE FIXIN'S". They win!
Rodney puts another guilt trip on Carolyn. Jeff plays out the pros and cons. Carolyn decides to keep reward for herself instead of switching places with Rodney.
Reward:
Mike, Carolyn, and Will enjoy a helicopter ride that ends with a delicious feast. Mike proposes that this be the final 3 in the game. In Will's confessional, he indicates that Mike is still public enemy number one, so that probably won't be happening. Carolyn seems to think that working with Mike might be something to consider.
Meanwhile, back at camp, Rodney is so upset at still not going on reward that he proposes the final 3 be himself, Dan, and Sierra. Dan also finds some unknown fruit that looks like a melon. The three of them enjoy their own little reward.
Immunity Challenge:
Use a grappling hook to retrieve 3 bags at different distances in the sand ahead of you. Once you have all 3 bags, open up one and use the ball inside to navigate a hanging labrynth style game using two ropes with handles (this one has been used before). Sierra, Dan, and Mike are the only players to get to the puzzle with time to work on it. Dan tries to catch up to Mike, but makes too many fast dangerous moves. Sierra does catch up to Mike and they're both at the final part of the puzzle, just trying to land their ball in the center recession. In a close finish, Mike gets immunity.
Tribal:
The story going in to tribal is that Dan and Carolyn are both being brought up as possibilities. Dan thinks that Carolyn is going home. Carolyn thinks that Dan is going home. Mike is trying to insert his own commentary since he is safe. He's trying to get Dan thinking that his team is voting him out. He's trying to convince Sierra and Carolyn that the other 3 guys are planning to vote one of them out - using the fact that Dan & Rodney are sleeping in the shelter as "proof" that they feel too safe. Plus several people are thinking about Dan's advantage and if that will affect their decisions.
On to the voting. We aren't shown anyone's votes since this one is so up in the air. The votes are in. Jeff says "I'll go tally the votes." Dan decides to play his extra vote, saying he'd rather go down swinging. Dan goes in and makes an additional vote. Jeff then actually goes to tally the votes. When he comes back, Carolyn decides that maybe she shouldn't hold onto her advantage, so she plays her hidden immunity idol, saying "I don't want to go home tonight." The votes come in - 5 for Carolyn, none of which count, and 2 for Dan. Dan is the 13th person voted out and the 6th member of the jury.
Best Moves:
1) Carolyn plays her hidden immunity idol and stays in the game. Excellent timing.
2) Mike plants seeds of doubt in Carolyn and Dan, telling them their alliance is against them. He might be right in both cases.
3) Sierra sides with Rodney and Will, possibly setting herself up for an upset win next week.
Worst Moves:
1) Dan plays his advantage. My opinion is that this play actually caused him to be voted out by inciting Carolyn to play her idol. From all the discussions I've had about this episode, there's only one scenario where this would have made sense, and that's if Carolyn & Sierra had voted with Mike and were expecting to intentionally cause a tie vote. But seeing as how ties are extraordinarily rare these days, that wasn't likely. If 3 or 4 people were voting with Mike, then an extra vote wouldn't help. If he wanted to go down swinging, he needed to save it for one of the next 2 votes where it could either force a tie or maybe save him if he'd been willing to vote with Mike.
2) Some might say that Carolyn not giving up reward to Rodney was a bad move, but I can't get behind that. Sure, it resulted in him getting mad enough to be willing to vote her out, but switching with him could have just put that much more of a target on her back from the other contestants as she'd look like a nicer player trying to sway jury votes. The reward was the right move. Get some food, make possible connections, maybe even get a clue to another advantage or idol.
Top 2 players:
Last week, the top 2 were Carolyn and Will. This week I'm trying to choose 2 of the people in the final 3.
1) Will. Nobody is voting out Will. In challenges he performs worse than the stand-in challenge runners who test it out ahead of time. Socially he started out likable, but with 3 former No Collar tribe mates and the personally attacked Shirin on the jury, he is no threat to beat anyone. Obviously I'm not endorsing him for the win, but I'm sure we'll get the chance to see how Shirin will handle him in the final tribal council and it may be the most interesting jury interation.
2) Sierra. My guess is that once it is down to 4 players, we could see a tie vote where Rodney & Will vote together against Sierra and either Mike or Carolyn. If it comes down to a fire-making challenge, we've seen Rodney fail over and over again in challenges, so I give the tie-breaker to Sierra.
Bottom 2 players:
Last week, my bottom 2 were Dan and Mike. Dan was voted out. This week, I'm trying to choose the 2 people who won't be in the finals.
5) Mike. I'd actually really like to see Mike make it to the end because at this point he seems like he's the biggest fan favorite left, so him winning would be good for the franchise. But Will said it best last week - Mike is public enemy number one. The only person left who might consider voting with Mike is Carolyn, but that's not enough to save him. His only chance at the finals is to win both immunity challenges. It's possible, just improbable.
4) Rodney. He's my best guess at who gets taken out in a surprise twist or if "the alliance" has to turn on themselves again. If Mike goes first, but then Carolyn wins immunity, someone has to go and my money would be on Rodney.
Predicted Winner:
Here it is. Based on everything up through now, who do I think walks away with $1 Million this Wednesday at about 10:05 EDT?
CAROLYN
I've had her in my top list of players every week other than this last week. The only reason she's not part of my top 2 is because I'm going for the most likely finalists. Carolyn is a slight underdog due to numbers right now. I'm sticking with her because in the game of Survivor, even though you shouldn't trust anyone, you have to trust someone. I'm trusting Carolyn to win the big one on Wednesday.
Let Me Have It - Comment:
What do you think of my final 2 and my predicted winner? Can Carolyn make it through to argue her case? Am I way off and will Sierra pull off an unlikely victory? Am I really way off and somehow Rodney or Will argue their way to a million dollars?
Who do you think will win? Who do you WANT to win?
This is almost the end. As the episode starts there are 6 castaways left. By the end, we'll vote one out and be left with a final five. These five will duke it out on Wednesday May 20th until a final three face off in the final tribal council. But before all that, here are the highlights of last episode.
Reward Challenge:
Randomly chosen teams of 3 compete in a multi-part challenge. There are two or three initial parts that each team gets through without trouble. The final step is to take many wooden blocks, decide which ones have a letter on them and bring them along to use in a puzzle where the team must spell out a 6-word phrase. Team A is Dan, Rodney, and Sierra. Team B is Carolyn, Mike, and Will. Both teams are working on the puzzle, trying to make words out of what they have for letters. "Reward" "WITH" "WILL" "FIX". Both teams realize that they should stand up their puzzle pieces and face them away from the other team to prevent cheating. Time elapses. 30 minutes in and neither team has solved it yet. Jeff starts subtly giving clues. More time elapses. 60 minutes in, Jeff is hinting more. Sierra isn't listening to Jeff, but Mike was paying attention. Suddenly, Team B thinks they have it. "A REWARD WITH ALL THE FIXIN'S". They win!
Rodney puts another guilt trip on Carolyn. Jeff plays out the pros and cons. Carolyn decides to keep reward for herself instead of switching places with Rodney.
Reward:
Mike, Carolyn, and Will enjoy a helicopter ride that ends with a delicious feast. Mike proposes that this be the final 3 in the game. In Will's confessional, he indicates that Mike is still public enemy number one, so that probably won't be happening. Carolyn seems to think that working with Mike might be something to consider.
Meanwhile, back at camp, Rodney is so upset at still not going on reward that he proposes the final 3 be himself, Dan, and Sierra. Dan also finds some unknown fruit that looks like a melon. The three of them enjoy their own little reward.
Immunity Challenge:
Use a grappling hook to retrieve 3 bags at different distances in the sand ahead of you. Once you have all 3 bags, open up one and use the ball inside to navigate a hanging labrynth style game using two ropes with handles (this one has been used before). Sierra, Dan, and Mike are the only players to get to the puzzle with time to work on it. Dan tries to catch up to Mike, but makes too many fast dangerous moves. Sierra does catch up to Mike and they're both at the final part of the puzzle, just trying to land their ball in the center recession. In a close finish, Mike gets immunity.
Tribal:
The story going in to tribal is that Dan and Carolyn are both being brought up as possibilities. Dan thinks that Carolyn is going home. Carolyn thinks that Dan is going home. Mike is trying to insert his own commentary since he is safe. He's trying to get Dan thinking that his team is voting him out. He's trying to convince Sierra and Carolyn that the other 3 guys are planning to vote one of them out - using the fact that Dan & Rodney are sleeping in the shelter as "proof" that they feel too safe. Plus several people are thinking about Dan's advantage and if that will affect their decisions.
On to the voting. We aren't shown anyone's votes since this one is so up in the air. The votes are in. Jeff says "I'll go tally the votes." Dan decides to play his extra vote, saying he'd rather go down swinging. Dan goes in and makes an additional vote. Jeff then actually goes to tally the votes. When he comes back, Carolyn decides that maybe she shouldn't hold onto her advantage, so she plays her hidden immunity idol, saying "I don't want to go home tonight." The votes come in - 5 for Carolyn, none of which count, and 2 for Dan. Dan is the 13th person voted out and the 6th member of the jury.
Best Moves:
1) Carolyn plays her hidden immunity idol and stays in the game. Excellent timing.
2) Mike plants seeds of doubt in Carolyn and Dan, telling them their alliance is against them. He might be right in both cases.
3) Sierra sides with Rodney and Will, possibly setting herself up for an upset win next week.
Worst Moves:
1) Dan plays his advantage. My opinion is that this play actually caused him to be voted out by inciting Carolyn to play her idol. From all the discussions I've had about this episode, there's only one scenario where this would have made sense, and that's if Carolyn & Sierra had voted with Mike and were expecting to intentionally cause a tie vote. But seeing as how ties are extraordinarily rare these days, that wasn't likely. If 3 or 4 people were voting with Mike, then an extra vote wouldn't help. If he wanted to go down swinging, he needed to save it for one of the next 2 votes where it could either force a tie or maybe save him if he'd been willing to vote with Mike.
2) Some might say that Carolyn not giving up reward to Rodney was a bad move, but I can't get behind that. Sure, it resulted in him getting mad enough to be willing to vote her out, but switching with him could have just put that much more of a target on her back from the other contestants as she'd look like a nicer player trying to sway jury votes. The reward was the right move. Get some food, make possible connections, maybe even get a clue to another advantage or idol.
Top 2 players:
Last week, the top 2 were Carolyn and Will. This week I'm trying to choose 2 of the people in the final 3.
1) Will. Nobody is voting out Will. In challenges he performs worse than the stand-in challenge runners who test it out ahead of time. Socially he started out likable, but with 3 former No Collar tribe mates and the personally attacked Shirin on the jury, he is no threat to beat anyone. Obviously I'm not endorsing him for the win, but I'm sure we'll get the chance to see how Shirin will handle him in the final tribal council and it may be the most interesting jury interation.
2) Sierra. My guess is that once it is down to 4 players, we could see a tie vote where Rodney & Will vote together against Sierra and either Mike or Carolyn. If it comes down to a fire-making challenge, we've seen Rodney fail over and over again in challenges, so I give the tie-breaker to Sierra.
Bottom 2 players:
Last week, my bottom 2 were Dan and Mike. Dan was voted out. This week, I'm trying to choose the 2 people who won't be in the finals.
5) Mike. I'd actually really like to see Mike make it to the end because at this point he seems like he's the biggest fan favorite left, so him winning would be good for the franchise. But Will said it best last week - Mike is public enemy number one. The only person left who might consider voting with Mike is Carolyn, but that's not enough to save him. His only chance at the finals is to win both immunity challenges. It's possible, just improbable.
4) Rodney. He's my best guess at who gets taken out in a surprise twist or if "the alliance" has to turn on themselves again. If Mike goes first, but then Carolyn wins immunity, someone has to go and my money would be on Rodney.
Predicted Winner:
Here it is. Based on everything up through now, who do I think walks away with $1 Million this Wednesday at about 10:05 EDT?
CAROLYN
I've had her in my top list of players every week other than this last week. The only reason she's not part of my top 2 is because I'm going for the most likely finalists. Carolyn is a slight underdog due to numbers right now. I'm sticking with her because in the game of Survivor, even though you shouldn't trust anyone, you have to trust someone. I'm trusting Carolyn to win the big one on Wednesday.
Let Me Have It - Comment:
What do you think of my final 2 and my predicted winner? Can Carolyn make it through to argue her case? Am I way off and will Sierra pull off an unlikely victory? Am I really way off and somehow Rodney or Will argue their way to a million dollars?
Who do you think will win? Who do you WANT to win?
Sunday, May 10, 2015
Keys to Survivor Worlds Apart Ep12
As the show opens up:
The majority alliance goes into damage control mode to get Dan back into the mix after 2 of them voted for him during tribal council. Dan seems to make amends with Will. He's more skeptical of Tyler, even though Tyler had the better reason for voting for someone else.
Reward Challenge:
Split into teams of 3 by schoolyard pick, each team must unwind long ribbons from around a post that they are connected to. This releases a key that is used to open a box containing boards to build a crooked ladder. At the top of the ladder is a bag of balls. Everyone on the team has to go over the ladder. The team then must make their way through a narrow all-net bridge. The 5 balls then need to make it into 5 goals by being aimed and catapulted into them.
It's Rodney's birthday and he wants nothing more than to win reward for the first time. Others had agreed to bring him along with them, but this is a team reward, not individual. Will told him he would even switch with him, but with 7 people left, Will was not chosen on either team. Team 1 was Mike, Sierra, and Carolyn. Team 2 was Rodney, Tyler, and Dan. Team 1 gets their key first. Team 2 just about catches up through the net bridge, but Rodney forgot the bag of balls so has to go back to get them and go through the net bridge again. Mike starts launching balls towards the targets. Dan finally starts in on it. Dan gets his first 2 and the challenge is tied quickly. Dan then pulls ahead 4-2. A few unlucky rolls later and Mike ties it at 4, then manages to win reward.
Rodney makes a plea to be brought on reward. One of the winners would need to switch places. Mike is obviously unwilling since Mike knows he needs food. Carolyn and Sierra are also unwilling to switch. Rodney is upset, saying "They just turned me into the psychotic person I am."
Reward:
Mike, Carolyn, and Sierra bring toys and school supplies to a local orphanage as ambassadors of goodwill from Survivor. They feast on local cuisine and discuss how camp life will be with Rodney when they get back.
Immunity Challenge:
Lean back while holding onto a rope with knots at regular intervals. At certain points in time anyone who has not fallen into the water will drop down to the next knot. The last time this challenge was used was in Survivor Caramoan (Fans vs Favorites 2) and John Cochran won by using an advantage of moving up a knot whenever he wanted. This time nobody had an advantage. It came down to Mike, Carolyn, and Tyler when they had to move down a knot for the first time. Mike couldn't make the transition and soon after that Tyler dropped out. Carolyn wins immunity.
Pre-tribal, then Tribal:
Rodney had been plotting to trick Mike into not playing the idol by claiming he was so mad about not going on reward that he wanted everyone to vote for him. Mike never bought it though. The majority alliance needed to come up with a game plan for who was voting for whom. Tyler's name and Dan's name came up as options. Some figured this was the time to cut Dan loose. Others thought that this would be the best time to get rid of Tyler. Carolyn could play her hidden idol on Tyler and save him, and he asked if she would. Carolyn, however, is one of the people tossing Tyler's name around. Dan is being talked about due to the advantage that he has and only Carolyn & Tyler know about.
Let's get to the voting. Before the votes are read, Mike plays his idol. The first 4 votes are for Mike, but do not count. The next vote is Tyler (presumably from Mike), but the next one is also for Tyler. The votes that count are 3-0 making Tyler the 12th person voted out and the 5th member of the jury.
Best Moves:
1) Mike plays his hidden immunity idol for real. He was quite wise not to believe that everyone would vote for Rodney. He lives to play another 2-3 days.
2) Carolyn starts making big moves, plotting against Tyler. This does several things. She removes a threat. She removes the chance that others see her and Tyler as a duo, which creates the risk that she is voted out especially if Tyler wins immunity. She removes the only person who knows she has a hidden immunity idol. She removes the only other person who knows what Dan's advantage (2-votes at a tribal council of his choice) is.
3) Everyone who won reward refuses to give it up for Rodney. How would that help any of you? It wouldn't. It would keep Rodney from complaining a little bit more than he usually does.
Worst Moves:
For the first time this season, I don't have any worst moves to report. Did people say and do stupid things? Sure, but none of them were game altering. But for those of you who want to read something here, I'll stretch and give you this.
1) Tyler trusts Carolyn too much. Sure, he has every reason to trust her since they've been together since the start of the game, but you should always pay attention to who knows what information. If you are the only person who knows that someone else has an idol, and the only person that knows that another person has 2 votes at tribal, the person with the idol might see that has you having too much power - even though you don't hold any of those cards. Knowing what cards people are holding is a card in and of itself.
Top 3 players:
Last week, the top 3 were Carolyn, Mike, and Sierra. This week I will only choose 2.
1) Carolyn. Way up at the top this time. She now not only has an immunity idol, but now nobody left in the game knows about it. She is likely the only person in the game that knows the power of the advantage that Dan bought at the auction. And she just orchestrated the removal of one of the biggest remaining threats - notably the one with the story closest to her own.
2) Will. Here's my controversial call this week. Will isn't that good at Survivor, but he's still here. I believe that nobody thinks of him as a threat, and that Rodney and Carolyn are both trying to get to the end with him so they can beat him. It's a junky reason to be in the top 2, but that's how it's going down in my view.
Bottom 3 players:
Last week, my bottom 3 were Dan, Rodney, and Tyler. Tyler was voted out. I only have 2 this week.
6) Dan. This one is tough for me. I don't think Dan deserves the bottom spot, but given the way things have unfolded to the audience at home, I think he's being played. It really wouldn't surprise me if Dan is blindsided by Carolyn to take out his power before he can use it against her.
5) Mike. Top 3 last week because he had immunity, but his immunity is gone this week and he's the biggest perceived immunity threat left. He's going to try to sway someone, but it might be too late. I think his (and Dan's) only chance is if he can get a plan working with Dan and Sierra. If that doesn't happen, look for a final 3 of Carolyn, Rodney, and Will - with Carolyn flying home with a nearly guaranteed $1 million.
Let Me Have It - Comment:
Ok folks. I've made a few bold and controversial statements about this last episode. What do you agree with? What do you disagree with? What are you glad I mentioned because you were thinking it too, or because you hadn't thought of it and are glad I enlightened you? What did you think I missed?
The majority alliance goes into damage control mode to get Dan back into the mix after 2 of them voted for him during tribal council. Dan seems to make amends with Will. He's more skeptical of Tyler, even though Tyler had the better reason for voting for someone else.
Reward Challenge:
Split into teams of 3 by schoolyard pick, each team must unwind long ribbons from around a post that they are connected to. This releases a key that is used to open a box containing boards to build a crooked ladder. At the top of the ladder is a bag of balls. Everyone on the team has to go over the ladder. The team then must make their way through a narrow all-net bridge. The 5 balls then need to make it into 5 goals by being aimed and catapulted into them.
It's Rodney's birthday and he wants nothing more than to win reward for the first time. Others had agreed to bring him along with them, but this is a team reward, not individual. Will told him he would even switch with him, but with 7 people left, Will was not chosen on either team. Team 1 was Mike, Sierra, and Carolyn. Team 2 was Rodney, Tyler, and Dan. Team 1 gets their key first. Team 2 just about catches up through the net bridge, but Rodney forgot the bag of balls so has to go back to get them and go through the net bridge again. Mike starts launching balls towards the targets. Dan finally starts in on it. Dan gets his first 2 and the challenge is tied quickly. Dan then pulls ahead 4-2. A few unlucky rolls later and Mike ties it at 4, then manages to win reward.
Rodney makes a plea to be brought on reward. One of the winners would need to switch places. Mike is obviously unwilling since Mike knows he needs food. Carolyn and Sierra are also unwilling to switch. Rodney is upset, saying "They just turned me into the psychotic person I am."
Reward:
Mike, Carolyn, and Sierra bring toys and school supplies to a local orphanage as ambassadors of goodwill from Survivor. They feast on local cuisine and discuss how camp life will be with Rodney when they get back.
Immunity Challenge:
Lean back while holding onto a rope with knots at regular intervals. At certain points in time anyone who has not fallen into the water will drop down to the next knot. The last time this challenge was used was in Survivor Caramoan (Fans vs Favorites 2) and John Cochran won by using an advantage of moving up a knot whenever he wanted. This time nobody had an advantage. It came down to Mike, Carolyn, and Tyler when they had to move down a knot for the first time. Mike couldn't make the transition and soon after that Tyler dropped out. Carolyn wins immunity.
Pre-tribal, then Tribal:
Rodney had been plotting to trick Mike into not playing the idol by claiming he was so mad about not going on reward that he wanted everyone to vote for him. Mike never bought it though. The majority alliance needed to come up with a game plan for who was voting for whom. Tyler's name and Dan's name came up as options. Some figured this was the time to cut Dan loose. Others thought that this would be the best time to get rid of Tyler. Carolyn could play her hidden idol on Tyler and save him, and he asked if she would. Carolyn, however, is one of the people tossing Tyler's name around. Dan is being talked about due to the advantage that he has and only Carolyn & Tyler know about.
Let's get to the voting. Before the votes are read, Mike plays his idol. The first 4 votes are for Mike, but do not count. The next vote is Tyler (presumably from Mike), but the next one is also for Tyler. The votes that count are 3-0 making Tyler the 12th person voted out and the 5th member of the jury.
Best Moves:
1) Mike plays his hidden immunity idol for real. He was quite wise not to believe that everyone would vote for Rodney. He lives to play another 2-3 days.
2) Carolyn starts making big moves, plotting against Tyler. This does several things. She removes a threat. She removes the chance that others see her and Tyler as a duo, which creates the risk that she is voted out especially if Tyler wins immunity. She removes the only person who knows she has a hidden immunity idol. She removes the only other person who knows what Dan's advantage (2-votes at a tribal council of his choice) is.
3) Everyone who won reward refuses to give it up for Rodney. How would that help any of you? It wouldn't. It would keep Rodney from complaining a little bit more than he usually does.
Worst Moves:
For the first time this season, I don't have any worst moves to report. Did people say and do stupid things? Sure, but none of them were game altering. But for those of you who want to read something here, I'll stretch and give you this.
1) Tyler trusts Carolyn too much. Sure, he has every reason to trust her since they've been together since the start of the game, but you should always pay attention to who knows what information. If you are the only person who knows that someone else has an idol, and the only person that knows that another person has 2 votes at tribal, the person with the idol might see that has you having too much power - even though you don't hold any of those cards. Knowing what cards people are holding is a card in and of itself.
Top 3 players:
Last week, the top 3 were Carolyn, Mike, and Sierra. This week I will only choose 2.
1) Carolyn. Way up at the top this time. She now not only has an immunity idol, but now nobody left in the game knows about it. She is likely the only person in the game that knows the power of the advantage that Dan bought at the auction. And she just orchestrated the removal of one of the biggest remaining threats - notably the one with the story closest to her own.
2) Will. Here's my controversial call this week. Will isn't that good at Survivor, but he's still here. I believe that nobody thinks of him as a threat, and that Rodney and Carolyn are both trying to get to the end with him so they can beat him. It's a junky reason to be in the top 2, but that's how it's going down in my view.
Bottom 3 players:
Last week, my bottom 3 were Dan, Rodney, and Tyler. Tyler was voted out. I only have 2 this week.
6) Dan. This one is tough for me. I don't think Dan deserves the bottom spot, but given the way things have unfolded to the audience at home, I think he's being played. It really wouldn't surprise me if Dan is blindsided by Carolyn to take out his power before he can use it against her.
5) Mike. Top 3 last week because he had immunity, but his immunity is gone this week and he's the biggest perceived immunity threat left. He's going to try to sway someone, but it might be too late. I think his (and Dan's) only chance is if he can get a plan working with Dan and Sierra. If that doesn't happen, look for a final 3 of Carolyn, Rodney, and Will - with Carolyn flying home with a nearly guaranteed $1 million.
Let Me Have It - Comment:
Ok folks. I've made a few bold and controversial statements about this last episode. What do you agree with? What do you disagree with? What are you glad I mentioned because you were thinking it too, or because you hadn't thought of it and are glad I enlightened you? What did you think I missed?
Monday, May 4, 2015
Keys to Survivor Worlds Apart Ep11
Recap:
The most recent Survivor was a fantastic episode. Drama, suspense, creativity, and great moves. Here's the important details.
Reward Challenge:
Split into teams of 4 by schoolyard pick, each team must cross a court using barrels and boards in a classic team-building-style exercise. If a person or a board touches the ground, the whole team has to return to the previously completed segment (the court is divided into 3 sections).
Mike, Shirin, Sierra, and Rodney (I'll call this Team Mike) take on Carolyn, Dan, Will, and Tyler (I'll call this Team Carolyn). Team Mike rolls their barrels out on their sides. Three of them stand on one upright barrel while Mike moves the other 3 barrels into position while trying not to roll off. This technique amazingly seems to be working, but Mike is doing most of the work and is tiring. Team Carolyn take the typical approach of using all barrels upright. Dan is the last across, getting pulled the final bit while having his trailing foot drag behind to tip the last barrel toward them so they can roll it ahead. Eventually Team Carolyn take the lead as Mike tires too much. Mike finally loses his mental control and sets a board down, causing his team to start over at the 2/3 mark. In a last ditch effort, Team Mike each stand on a tipped barrel (a few of them carrying boards) and tries to roll them individually while standing on them in order to get to the finishing line. This is amazing, but very risky. A few of them fall and they start over again as Team Carolyn win reward.
Reward:
Rodney, again, misses out on a reward and he's not happy about it. The winning team gets a lunch cruise. They enjoy it and use the time to plot against Mike and Shirin.
Immunity Challenge:
Mike knows he's in trouble this week. The twist at this challenge is that there will be one male winner and one female winner, for a total of 2 people winning immunity. Each contestant must grip a rod with a rope looped around it connected to a bag with 25% of their initial starting weight. This is another classic Survivor challenge which guarantees to rip some skin off of some hands. The first outcome is that Carolyn wins immunity, outlasting Sierra, then Shirin. Then we watch a showdown between Rodney and Mike. Rodney wants this one bad because he wants to get rid of Mike. Rodney's physique makes it look like he should handle this well, especially since he's smaller than Mike so is holding less weight. Mike, on the other hand, has two things on his side - his immense need for the protection (which tends to win out over standard desire), and his faith is God to get him through tough circumstances. Mike wins and is immune at the vote tonight.
Tribal:
Since voting for Mike is not an option, Shirin is the only odd person out. But both Shirin and Mike have had chances to plead to others that keeping Shirin is a no brainer because nobody left likes her, she's unlikely to win even if she somehow made it to the end, and she's no good at challenges, so you can vote her out later. The thought is that they could take out a bigger threat now while they have 2 extra votes to work with them. All they need is someone to feel as though they're in the bottom 2 of the 6-person alliance. The problem is, nobody seems to think they're at the bottom.
But Mike has a grand plan. He reveals his hidden immunity idol. He tells everyone that he plans to play the idol for Shirin, making her immune and causing one of the 6 others to be voted out. He tells Shirin to vote for Tyler - the biggest threat of the 6. Mike says he will choose one random person from the others. If the others want to guarantee that they'll stay in the game, they would need to switch their vote from Shirin to Tyler or risk being voted out themselves due to Mike's random vote.
Genius!
The voting commences. Jeff tallies the votes. Mike stands up, but only tells Shirin that he likes her and keeps the idol for himself for a future tribal council. The votes are read. Shirin, Tyler, Dan, Shirin, Tyler, Dan, Shirin, Shirin. With that, Shirin is voted out 4-2-2. But the take home message, of course, is that Dan received 2 votes. Dan looks shocked and relieved. Mike looks like the cat who caught the canary. Shirin, despite being voted out, looks happy too. I believe she loved the play that just happened even if it did mean her demise.
Best Moves:
1) Mike "plays" his hidden immunity idol. I usually advocate for keeping those things a secret, but in this instance, Mike made better use of the hidden idol than I think anyone ever has before - be it by playing it, sharing it, keeping it, or leveraging it. Mike exposed exactly where a crack exists in the larger alliance, and is now guaranteed to stick around through their initial turning on each other since he still has his idol.
2) Shirin attempts to convince everyone that she's not a threat so they should vote out someone else and save her for later. It didn't work, but it was honestly the best move. Whether you thought you're on the bottom of that group or not, turning on your people now made sense since it would be a big move and would leave Shirin as an easy target for later, as she argued.
3) Carolyn doesn't get fooled by Mike, keeps her vote on Shirin, and doesn't play her idol to save Tyler, thus having it as a weapon to combat a potential move by Mike next week.
Worst Moves:
1) Will votes for Dan. What the hell? Tyler was the one in trouble. Your only reason for voting for Dan would be if you truly believed that Shirin was going to be immune and that your alliance was going to turn on you instead of Tyler. But if that were the case, you would get at least 3 votes and would be toast, so a vote for Dan would not have helped. Maybe you didn't have much time to think about this vote, but I have to say that Phillip Sheppard (Redemption Island, Caramoan) was wise enough to stay the course and vote for the original intended target. Dan, the person you voted for, said it earlier - flippers never win. Although I don't agree 100% with Dan, he may be right about it with respect to Will's move here.
2) Tyler votes for Dan. Again, if your tribe was going to turn on you, your one vote for Dan wouldn't save you anyway. It would have been smarter to send the vote towards someone who wholly trusts you (although Carolyn was immune), or to someone who would flip out and make themselves the next easy target. A vote towards Rodney was the safe bet for Tyler if he felt he needed to have a vote to displace the one already coming to him.
3) Mike does all the work in the barrel reward challenge. It was a risk that would have paid off nicely if it worked, but the strategy should have changed for the 3rd segment when he was already tired.
Top 3 players:
Last week, Carolyn was my top pick. I only chose one since I was short on time.
1) Carolyn. Still at the top. Still has an immunity idol. Kept her cool at the last tribal. Unlikely to be the biggest target going forward even if things get messy on Wednesday.
2) Mike. What can I say. The man was pure genius last week. Plus he's got an idol that everyone knows he has and will expect him to play so we're stuck with him at least another week.
3) Sierra. Almost put her in the middle, but I suspect she'll be a key vote in this next tribal council. It is all too likely that her final 3 would have involved Dan, so if Dan was targeted then that means she would be next, so she'll probably side with Dan & Mike, and either way, she won't be the target.
Bottom 3 players:
Last week, Dan was my bottom pick. Not bad, considering 2 of his alliance members turned on him when the going got tough. I only chose one since I was short on time. Shirin was voted out (believe me, she would have been in my bottom 3-4 if I had done a full post).
7) Dan. His alliance targeted him, and despite what went down, they still have the numbers unless Sierra was alienated. As long as Sierra thinks she's got a final 3 with the others, Dan is doomed. Of course, there is the problem of that extra vote he has. It seems highly likely that it gets played this week, but will it be enough?
6) Rodney. I almost put Will here, but Will is probably the best bet left for a goat to bring to the finals. Rodney is way more volatile and it may bite him. Look out for votes heading his way to guard against an idol ruining someone else's plans.
5) Tyler. Used to be near my top. After his vote for Dan and because of his potential to win a late immunity, he's going to be a target again. Maybe his gig will be up sooner than I originally thought. His best hope may be to get saved by Carolyn's idol, but she might be wise to keep it for herself, unless using it could result in Mike being voted out.
The most recent Survivor was a fantastic episode. Drama, suspense, creativity, and great moves. Here's the important details.
Reward Challenge:
Split into teams of 4 by schoolyard pick, each team must cross a court using barrels and boards in a classic team-building-style exercise. If a person or a board touches the ground, the whole team has to return to the previously completed segment (the court is divided into 3 sections).
Mike, Shirin, Sierra, and Rodney (I'll call this Team Mike) take on Carolyn, Dan, Will, and Tyler (I'll call this Team Carolyn). Team Mike rolls their barrels out on their sides. Three of them stand on one upright barrel while Mike moves the other 3 barrels into position while trying not to roll off. This technique amazingly seems to be working, but Mike is doing most of the work and is tiring. Team Carolyn take the typical approach of using all barrels upright. Dan is the last across, getting pulled the final bit while having his trailing foot drag behind to tip the last barrel toward them so they can roll it ahead. Eventually Team Carolyn take the lead as Mike tires too much. Mike finally loses his mental control and sets a board down, causing his team to start over at the 2/3 mark. In a last ditch effort, Team Mike each stand on a tipped barrel (a few of them carrying boards) and tries to roll them individually while standing on them in order to get to the finishing line. This is amazing, but very risky. A few of them fall and they start over again as Team Carolyn win reward.
Reward:
Rodney, again, misses out on a reward and he's not happy about it. The winning team gets a lunch cruise. They enjoy it and use the time to plot against Mike and Shirin.
Immunity Challenge:
Mike knows he's in trouble this week. The twist at this challenge is that there will be one male winner and one female winner, for a total of 2 people winning immunity. Each contestant must grip a rod with a rope looped around it connected to a bag with 25% of their initial starting weight. This is another classic Survivor challenge which guarantees to rip some skin off of some hands. The first outcome is that Carolyn wins immunity, outlasting Sierra, then Shirin. Then we watch a showdown between Rodney and Mike. Rodney wants this one bad because he wants to get rid of Mike. Rodney's physique makes it look like he should handle this well, especially since he's smaller than Mike so is holding less weight. Mike, on the other hand, has two things on his side - his immense need for the protection (which tends to win out over standard desire), and his faith is God to get him through tough circumstances. Mike wins and is immune at the vote tonight.
Tribal:
Since voting for Mike is not an option, Shirin is the only odd person out. But both Shirin and Mike have had chances to plead to others that keeping Shirin is a no brainer because nobody left likes her, she's unlikely to win even if she somehow made it to the end, and she's no good at challenges, so you can vote her out later. The thought is that they could take out a bigger threat now while they have 2 extra votes to work with them. All they need is someone to feel as though they're in the bottom 2 of the 6-person alliance. The problem is, nobody seems to think they're at the bottom.
But Mike has a grand plan. He reveals his hidden immunity idol. He tells everyone that he plans to play the idol for Shirin, making her immune and causing one of the 6 others to be voted out. He tells Shirin to vote for Tyler - the biggest threat of the 6. Mike says he will choose one random person from the others. If the others want to guarantee that they'll stay in the game, they would need to switch their vote from Shirin to Tyler or risk being voted out themselves due to Mike's random vote.
Genius!
The voting commences. Jeff tallies the votes. Mike stands up, but only tells Shirin that he likes her and keeps the idol for himself for a future tribal council. The votes are read. Shirin, Tyler, Dan, Shirin, Tyler, Dan, Shirin, Shirin. With that, Shirin is voted out 4-2-2. But the take home message, of course, is that Dan received 2 votes. Dan looks shocked and relieved. Mike looks like the cat who caught the canary. Shirin, despite being voted out, looks happy too. I believe she loved the play that just happened even if it did mean her demise.
Best Moves:
1) Mike "plays" his hidden immunity idol. I usually advocate for keeping those things a secret, but in this instance, Mike made better use of the hidden idol than I think anyone ever has before - be it by playing it, sharing it, keeping it, or leveraging it. Mike exposed exactly where a crack exists in the larger alliance, and is now guaranteed to stick around through their initial turning on each other since he still has his idol.
2) Shirin attempts to convince everyone that she's not a threat so they should vote out someone else and save her for later. It didn't work, but it was honestly the best move. Whether you thought you're on the bottom of that group or not, turning on your people now made sense since it would be a big move and would leave Shirin as an easy target for later, as she argued.
3) Carolyn doesn't get fooled by Mike, keeps her vote on Shirin, and doesn't play her idol to save Tyler, thus having it as a weapon to combat a potential move by Mike next week.
Worst Moves:
1) Will votes for Dan. What the hell? Tyler was the one in trouble. Your only reason for voting for Dan would be if you truly believed that Shirin was going to be immune and that your alliance was going to turn on you instead of Tyler. But if that were the case, you would get at least 3 votes and would be toast, so a vote for Dan would not have helped. Maybe you didn't have much time to think about this vote, but I have to say that Phillip Sheppard (Redemption Island, Caramoan) was wise enough to stay the course and vote for the original intended target. Dan, the person you voted for, said it earlier - flippers never win. Although I don't agree 100% with Dan, he may be right about it with respect to Will's move here.
2) Tyler votes for Dan. Again, if your tribe was going to turn on you, your one vote for Dan wouldn't save you anyway. It would have been smarter to send the vote towards someone who wholly trusts you (although Carolyn was immune), or to someone who would flip out and make themselves the next easy target. A vote towards Rodney was the safe bet for Tyler if he felt he needed to have a vote to displace the one already coming to him.
3) Mike does all the work in the barrel reward challenge. It was a risk that would have paid off nicely if it worked, but the strategy should have changed for the 3rd segment when he was already tired.
Top 3 players:
Last week, Carolyn was my top pick. I only chose one since I was short on time.
1) Carolyn. Still at the top. Still has an immunity idol. Kept her cool at the last tribal. Unlikely to be the biggest target going forward even if things get messy on Wednesday.
2) Mike. What can I say. The man was pure genius last week. Plus he's got an idol that everyone knows he has and will expect him to play so we're stuck with him at least another week.
3) Sierra. Almost put her in the middle, but I suspect she'll be a key vote in this next tribal council. It is all too likely that her final 3 would have involved Dan, so if Dan was targeted then that means she would be next, so she'll probably side with Dan & Mike, and either way, she won't be the target.
Bottom 3 players:
Last week, Dan was my bottom pick. Not bad, considering 2 of his alliance members turned on him when the going got tough. I only chose one since I was short on time. Shirin was voted out (believe me, she would have been in my bottom 3-4 if I had done a full post).
7) Dan. His alliance targeted him, and despite what went down, they still have the numbers unless Sierra was alienated. As long as Sierra thinks she's got a final 3 with the others, Dan is doomed. Of course, there is the problem of that extra vote he has. It seems highly likely that it gets played this week, but will it be enough?
6) Rodney. I almost put Will here, but Will is probably the best bet left for a goat to bring to the finals. Rodney is way more volatile and it may bite him. Look out for votes heading his way to guard against an idol ruining someone else's plans.
5) Tyler. Used to be near my top. After his vote for Dan and because of his potential to win a late immunity, he's going to be a target again. Maybe his gig will be up sooner than I originally thought. His best hope may be to get saved by Carolyn's idol, but she might be wise to keep it for herself, unless using it could result in Mike being voted out.
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Keys to Survivor Worlds Apart Ep10
Hey there Survivor fans. Life was super busy for me this past week. My day job kind of took priority and I didn't have time to put up a full post. Here's a quick abbreviated post to get you primed for tonight's episode.
Survivor Auction (in lieu of reward):
Will bought the first covered item and it was a ticket back to camp and out of the rest of the auction.
Mike almost swerved his teammates by not buying a letter from home just so he could outbid everyone for an advantage, but they caught him and he backed off and bought his letter too.
Mike, Dan, and Carolyn bid 480 for the advantage. Dan won it. He later read it and it is an extra vote that he can use whenever he wants, but he must declare it after Jeff says "I'll go tally the votes" and before he actually does that.
Immunity:
Mike feels like he's in trouble. He is. Everyone thinks he's less trustworthy. See the auction section, and my future slightly longer post. Mike wins immunity when he probably has needed it most. Balance beams, transporting balls using metal tongs. Yadda, yadda, yadda.
Tribal:
There had been talk of Mike, Jenn, and Shirin trying to work together. Mike had tried talking to Dan to pull him over with him since Mike is convinced that Rodney, Tyler, Carolyn, and Will are together.
For such a dramatic episode, the vote ends up 5-3-1 with Jenn going home.
Thanks for reading. I may expand on this later. Either way, the write-up for next week (tonight's episode) will be better.
Oh, and for a quick top/bottom...
Carolyn is still my top pick.
My new bottom pick is (this is a tough one) Dan. I bet at least one idol will be in play tonight. So it could be anyone, who knows.
Survivor Auction (in lieu of reward):
Will bought the first covered item and it was a ticket back to camp and out of the rest of the auction.
Mike almost swerved his teammates by not buying a letter from home just so he could outbid everyone for an advantage, but they caught him and he backed off and bought his letter too.
Mike, Dan, and Carolyn bid 480 for the advantage. Dan won it. He later read it and it is an extra vote that he can use whenever he wants, but he must declare it after Jeff says "I'll go tally the votes" and before he actually does that.
Immunity:
Mike feels like he's in trouble. He is. Everyone thinks he's less trustworthy. See the auction section, and my future slightly longer post. Mike wins immunity when he probably has needed it most. Balance beams, transporting balls using metal tongs. Yadda, yadda, yadda.
Tribal:
There had been talk of Mike, Jenn, and Shirin trying to work together. Mike had tried talking to Dan to pull him over with him since Mike is convinced that Rodney, Tyler, Carolyn, and Will are together.
For such a dramatic episode, the vote ends up 5-3-1 with Jenn going home.
Thanks for reading. I may expand on this later. Either way, the write-up for next week (tonight's episode) will be better.
Oh, and for a quick top/bottom...
Carolyn is still my top pick.
My new bottom pick is (this is a tough one) Dan. I bet at least one idol will be in play tonight. So it could be anyone, who knows.
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