Survivor: Redemption Island

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EricBess

Guest
And...it's also always possible that Phil has just assumed that he won't be getting the vote of certain individuals anyway, so go ahead and give them the brunt of his idiocy.
 

Spiderman

Administrator
Staff member
Well, saw the 5/11 show last night while the finale was taping :)

Ashley sure won immunity at a key time. The thing I can't get is how everyone kept saying they need to break up Natalie and Ashley because they're a "two-some", but no one (except Rob, obviously) seems to grasp the same thing about Natalie and Rob. Since Ashley won immunity, it would have made sense to vote of Natalie as she has the two-some with both Ashley and Rob and thus she's the common factor. Obviously Rob isn't going to vote her off, but I'm not sure why Grant didn't see that (they really didn't show Philip as a decision maker). Unless he tried or thought it out and realized he couldn't get the votes since Ashley wasn't going to vote for her and Rob wasn't either (I do remember he broached the subject to Rob but that was before Ashley won immunity and then it didn't show anything after that).

So I hope I can watch the finale and reunion soon while it's still fresh in y'all's heads :)
 
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EricBess

Guest
Yeah, what I noticed is that everyone seems to feel like they are in a big aliance, but ultimately, they turn to Rob to make the decision. Who was it that pointed out the "two-some", though? Because it seems to me as if Rob puts out ideas about certain things and lets everyone else draw their own conclusions.

I think having to vote out Grant was tough for Rob, but ultimately, it has seemed to me for a while that his plan is to take Natalie and Phil to the finals. I think he is concerned that people will see Ashlie as actually having played the game and thought for herself at times. Not saying if that actually plays out or not, BTW, but let us know when you have finished watching the finale, or at least if you have seen who wins.

They did bring up Grant getting voted out and it seems like Grant had genuinely planned on taking Rob to the final to have a "final confrontation of powerhouses". For some reason, he didn't even consider that strategically it makes more sense to go to the final with people you feel "can't win". Grant apparently became upset with Rob after watching the season play out. Rob commented that he and Grant had kept in touch, but after about the second or third episode, Grant just stopped returning correspondence. It's a shame, but I think that's one of the reasons I like Rob is that he can understand it as a game and not take it personally voting off friends or getting voted off by friends. Obviously, had he been the one getting voted off, it would have upset him, but he's been through it before and wouldn't take it personally. I know you don't think they should bring back old contestants.

They did announce the next season (South Pacific) and I don't think your are going to be very happy with that, either, because they are planning on the exact same format as this season - 2 teams composed of 8 new players and 1 returning player. After having seen this season, I think that a returning player has a huge unfair disadvantage right off the bat, but if they can control things for a while, they can end up with an unfair advantage by the time the game is over, but only if they play it right.

For example, if Grant gets back into the game and ends up in the finals, do you think that Rob will end up winning (and to avoid giving anything away, I ask...am I foreshadowing or asking a hypothetical???)
 

Spiderman

Administrator
Staff member
Well, the show didn't make the On Demand on Monday night and we watched Glee last night, so still haven't seen it :) I don't know anything yet, although my wife knows the top 3 (but hasn't told me).

I agree with your statements about the format of 8 new and 1 old, but by the same token, those new should have some knowledge of the returning player - that's why Russell was voted out so early, because his tribe was onto him and the majority wanted him out. There was that lady initially against Rob in the beginning but overplayed her hand without being sure of having the numbers to vote Rob out and so was booted instead (well, that and she relied on Philip :) ) But yeah, overall, the 1 returning has the experience and probably knows how to manipulate the others - I'm still boggled that no one bothered to look after the individual immunity idol - Rob even threw that last clue into the volcano!

I think it's hypothetical, but I have no idea... I don't think the Zapatera tribe feels *that* strongly against Rob since they were all booted out one by one systematically, but they could have the same prejudice against a returning player winning... or Matt and others could acknowledge Rob's brillance and vote for him because he outplayed everyone <shrug> I have no idea. :)
 

Spiderman

Administrator
Staff member
Okay, saw the finale and reunion last night (and stayed up until 12:30... geez....)

So Rob won. While I'm not particularly happy about it, I will say he was the most deserving out of the finale 3. Natalie really didn't do anything, nor did she make a strong case for herself (as there have been others who have "ridden on the coattails", like the girl in Russell's first season? but made a strong case for herself (plus Russell just alienated a lot of the jury anyway) and Philip antagonized too many people, despite that being his strategy - his interrupting and outbursts during the jury questioning didn't help him either.

So Rob really did play a pretty much perfect game as Jeff mentioned.

It did come out that Natalie and Ashlie knew that Rob had the immunity idol, so that was the factor in not getting together with Andrea and trying to vote him out. Although they could have voted Philip out, but I figure they thought they could beat him and would want him with them if they made the top three anyway.

Too bad Ashlie lost the last immunity challenge, I think she would have won the game then.
 
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EricBess

Guest
Sometimes, Jeff will ask "what if". It would have been interesting to see if Ashley had won the final immunity challenge. Would she have tried to vote off Rob? She was pretty adement about getting rid of Phillip because she just couldn't stand him, but that could have been talk since she wasn't the one in a position of power. Once you win the final immunity, you start thinking about the money.

If think if it had been Rob, Ashley, and Natalie in the final 3, Rob would have still won. Yes, Ashley did some strategizing, but nowhere near the level that Rob did. She rode the coattail's just as much as Natalie did right down to the end when she tried to shake things up a bit. Perhaps they would have recognized that and given her credit for it, but Dave's plea wouldn't have changed I don't believe. I just think it wouldn't have been so unanamous (discounting the one vote for Phil as a bit crazy).

But a final between Ashley, Natalie, and Phil is tough. Not sure who wins then. Probably Ashley for her final power plays and winning challenges, but I wouldn't call it.

Personally, I think Rob deserved to win. He definitely outwitted and outlasted. Would have been a shame to lose because he didn't quite manage to outplay in the last 3 immunity challenges. Normally, I like to see a shake-up of the alliance, but for some reason, I've always respected the way Rob plays. He gets arrogant, but he doesn't alienate anyone.

Honestly, though, I think the best part of Rob's strategy was hand-picking who he would be in the finals with almost right from the start. Natalie was completely loyal and couldn't possibly win. Phil was loyal out of necessity since Rob was the only one that didn't want him gone, and he couldn't possibly win, either. How many other competetors would have just eliminated Phil because it was an easy vote? But not only did he keep Phil, he kept the rest of the team on board with keeping Phil. They all wanted him gone, but they never felt like getting rid of Phil was more important than whatever reason Rob gave for the person they did end up eliminating.

Not only that, but he managed to do it all without anyone really feeling like their getting voted out was personal. Possible exceptions being Grant and Matt, but they both respected the way it went down. Ashley felt more betrayed by Natalie than by Rob, as did Andrea (since the girls didn't vote with her, nor explain about the idol). By letting the girls have their "alliance", he actually solidified himself even more. And truth be told, he did reward loyalty. Natalie could have turned on him right at the end, but any time before that and she likely wouldn't have been in the finals either.

The only thing I regret is that Natalie didn't confide in Ashley that she was being voted out. If she had, I think Ashley would have given her vote to Natalie. I'm not sure how they handle "second place", but I would have much rather seen Natalie get that than Phil. I know second place gets $100,000 and it goes down from there. What I don't know is if both of the others in the finals are considered "second place", or if it goes by votes. Really annoying that Phil gets that honor just because of one random vote.

The only other thing is the I wish Matt had gotten the popularity money. He definitely earned that, so seeing it go to Rob also was disappointing to me. I like Rob, so I don't begrudge it, but I just wish there was a rule that if the winner was voted most popular that they would get kudos, but that the money would go to the next most popular. Honestly, you are handing the guy a million dollars. At that moment, only a complete jerk is going to complain that someone else got the $100,000. And anyone that is that big of a jerk probably wouldn't be voted most popular anyway. When they announced that Rob had won that, he thanked the audience, but I'm guessing he would have been high-fiving Matt had it gone the other way. That's just my take, though.

As for the next season, the only person I think it would be interesting to bring back would be what's his face who won the first season. I wouldn't want him to win again, just to see how quick he would be voted out. But he's going to be tied up with too many legal issues on his tax evasion for that to happen anytime soon, I think.
 

Melkor

Well-known member
I actually had guessed that the girls knew that Rob had the hidden immunity idol because otherwise they'd have played it for more drama. Clearly Rob dominated the game and deserved to win, right down to picking the perfect people to come with him (i.e. they both praised Rob in their own opening arguments) and also not playing a scorched earth game with the people he voted out. A masterful performance but that doesn't always lead to a good season. It definitely seems like if Ashley won the final immunity challenge and voted out Rob, she would have won, but that would have been a little underwhelming as well.

I agree with Ericbess, I really don't have anybody recently that I'd be that interested in having come back. I guess they want to do it again now though so that there is still a chance that they won't just immediately vote off the returning player. Obviously anybody who saw this season would have to be a complete fool not to get rid of the returner as soon as possible.
 

Spiderman

Administrator
Staff member
I pretty much agree with all of your comments.

EricBess said:
but for some reason, I've always respected the way Rob plays.
He's gotten better the past two seasons he's been on; I think he's learned and adjusted and family life has "mellowed" him. The first two seasons, he was one to hate (and when they were on Amazing Race).

The show is going to bring back people with "charisma", so you could take your pick... Coach, Rupert... could be two women this time, so while none immediately spring to mind, I'm sure if their names are spoken/written, they'd be recognizable.
 
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