Last night I watched what might possibly become one of the most pivotal moments of this season of “Survivor.” With the twists and turns that are continually being introduced this season, it has become a game of unpredictability, where strategy and strength have been trumped by “wild” cards.Â
Last night began in the usual way, with lots of screen time for the two tribes in daily living on their respective islands. Aitu was once again shown as being focused, driven by revenge and the adrenaline rush of being the “underdogs”. Raro was exposed as being divided, under the guise of being united against Jonathan and Candice. Nate, feeling untouchable, predicted a short stay for Jonathan once Rebecca was dispatched.
But alas, ’twas not to be. Aitu swept both challenges, winning handily in the reward challenge and staying focused enough to maintain the edge in the immunity challenge. Thus Raro was faced with yet another tribal council. But, ho! What is this? A mystery genie in a bottle delivered with a cryptic explanation by Jeff Probst?? The angst begins anew….
Raro passes it off as some twist on a merge, trying to act confident and nonchalant. Yet all the while, you know they are thinking and stewing and chewing on what it will all mean for them. So off to tribal council where Rebecca gets the “bye bye”, and she’s none too happy about that. And then…the revelation! Oh, no! Parvati nearly chokes on herself as she reads that they have to vote off another member IMMEDIATELY!! “Jeff, this is no fun.” she whines. No kidding, Parvati. It’s not supposed to be fun.
With no time to strategize or check alliances or strike deals, Raro is sent once again to the chopping block. This time, it’s Jenny that is sacrificed, apparently unanimously (except for her). Jeff reminds the players that this game is NOT your father’s Survivor. Will there be a merge? Maybe, maybe not. The only thing that is for certain is that now Raro is down to five, which puts them only one member ahead of Aitu.
So how will it all play out? Who knows. My prediction is that the merge will occur after next week’s vote, when the teams are dead even. Nate is nervous about his position, which means Raro HAS to win immunity for him to have a chance in this game. Raro loses, Nate’s gone. Aitu wins, the merge happens, then Nate can position himself with the remaining Aitu members to hopefully save himself.
Whew! It’s gonna be interesting!!
The second vote exposed the second alliance, the Cracker alliance, that totally leaves the confident Nate all alone. If there is a merge, two people can be turned from the tribe of insanity (Raro) to the tribe of truth (Aitu). Jonathan, though part of the Cracker alliance might realize that after Nate, its him. Nate may realize that it is lonely for a person of color in an otherwise lilywhite tribe.
One thing I did notice from last week, was that they telegraphed in advance that two would be gone this week in the voting chart on the CBS stie. So if Aitu HAD lost, they’d be down to two, unmerciful. As it is, this is a VERY interesting season.