Survivor Season 41 Finale December 15, 2021

 

What a finale it was.  Two tribals, and the final four were really excellent.  Xander, Heather, Deshawn and Erika.

They voted out Ricard who was the fifth, as they should. You can't out talk that man.  He's so convincing, totally charming.  He can project warmth and intelligence.  In his interviews, he described himself as one of the legends of Survivor. I wouldn't go that far, but he was someone to beat.

Xander as the winner of the last challenge got to choose who sat with him and who did fire. This isn't a method of playing out the last of the game that I think works well.  I also would rather have two people at the end instead of three. That scenario doesn't seem to be making a comeback.

He chose Erika to sit with him because he assumed she could make fire from her Exile Island time.  Her practice attempts on that last day were half hearted and he could see she should have gone to the fire challenge.  

Instead Heather and Deshawn had the most epic fire challenge with each one ahead at one point then each almost lost their flame altogether.

Sitting at the final three were Xander, Deshawn and Erika.  I was fine with any of them winning, that's not always the case for me.  I did think Xander played the best game I'd seen in a long time.

Unbelieveably, Xander got no votes, Deshawn got one, Erika got the rest.

In yet another bizarre twist, they read the votes out loud right there at camp. No Los Angeles, no big crowd.  Pizza and champagne in a deluge for the players and Jeff.  They did the post game analysis right on the spot.  

The next episodes air in March.

Survivor December 8, 2021

I'm impressed by some of the challenges in this season.  This late in the game, players wound in a circle to get a rope off a hoop. Dizzy, they made their way over a net, then walked an irregular balance beam to grab a puzzle piece, then put a several level puzzle together.  I think some never quite recovered from their dizziness.

Many of the votes at tribal were heading Ricard's way, but he won the challenge.  There just aren't any solid alliances, I don't feel, so anyone could go at any given tribal.

Tonight it was Danny, one of my hopes for winner.  Xander and Deshawn, two of the most likeable players in a great while in the game, are hanging in there.  I hope they face off at the end.

In another surprise, after tribal, the final five are headed to a new beach, with nothing at all, just what they're carrying.  They have to start from scratch with the few days remaining in the game.  Most excellent.

Survivor Catchup!

 Yikes I've fallen behind on my Survivor posts, and things have been so crazy in the game.  These folks are really feeling the pressure, and I think it's still the compressed season that is driving that.

On the November 17th episode, 

there were teams split at the immunity challenge. Two people would be voted out at tribal, two people would win immunity.  There was an extra prize to be won, beef stew and chicken stew for one tribe.

Erika wins immunity on one side and Xander wins immunity and stew for his group on the other.  These two were highly desired for a vote out, so there's scrambling of course on the beach.

Liana, who has straight out said how much she hates Xander, had the nerve to asks him if she could hold his idol, as he'd show his trust of her that way.  Boink!  

Despite much talk of loyalty and how Heather should go (no threat to anyone, she just bugs Shan), poor earnest, honest Naseer is voted out, idol in his pocket.

The second group seemed to have no clear favorite to vote out, but they got Evvie this time around.  She was looking good to hang on through pure charm and strength of will, but nope.

November 24th

The  episode nattily was titled Baby with a Machine Gun.  That's Heather describing Shan, I believe.  Rather sooner than I would have guessed, Shan acknowledged that she's going come gunning for Ricard, to his face.  How did that go?  Ricard scrambled and dug and this time Shan went home.  I was just relieved.  All the modern era players pride themselves on taking out the big threats asap, but they let themselves swim in Shan infested waters way too long.  

She's a super player, but utterly conniving and ruthless.  They should have taken her out sooner.  It turned out that Erika's suggestion of a split vote between Liana and Shan is what let them pull it off.

On her way out of tribal she told Ricard he has her vote and told Deshawn he's a snake.  Interesting.

My top four choices for winner of it all, in order, are:

Xander

Deshawn

Danny

Ricard

Survivor November 10, 2021

 Lots of moving targets tonight. Evvie, Xander, Naseer, Tiffany, Heather.  

The pressures of the game and lack of food continue to rattle some more than others. 

Shan, for instance, is trying to be the one who makes all decisions. She’s quoted in an interview talking about listening to her parishioners ideas, but in the end what she wants to do has to be what is done. Is autocrat the right word? She’s getting more upset each time an alternate opinion is offered.

Xander is playing a great game, and keeps stepping forward to help others out. He’s still a target with his immunity idol and advantage. Bizarrely at tribal Ricard kept begging Xander to use his idol. Xander didn’t fall for it. 

Heather, totally under the radar before tonight cracked at tribal and tried to turn the perceived vote away from herself to Naseer. It seemed momentarily as if she might be the one to go.

Evvie was the popular choice to vote out but she got immunity. Well done, Evvie.

I was surprised after all the names tossed around to see Tiffany voted out, and become the first member of the jury.

More chaos next week!

Survivor November 3, 2021

 

Erika dramatically revealed, with Jeff's help her choice to "reset time".  She broke the hourglass Jeff brought to Exile Island, tossing her teammates into chaos.

The players who had to do the personal immunity challenge now did remarkably well.  

 

They needed to create a three tier set of blocks using only their feet.  Mr. DOA, who is footsey-dexterous beyond belief, could have done the challenge in a trice.  I, who lumber through this life tripping over my own feet would have been struggling to pick up the first piece by challenge's end. 

Following that, it was all chaos on the beach. Ricard got Immunity while everyone else scrambled as I've never seen players scramble to decide who was leaving and how exactly the vote would go.

There was even more chaos at Tribal.  The penchant in recent seasons for grouping and whispering has gotten a bit annoying. Tonight, though, there was anger and desperation.  I think the changes to the game and it's rules has finally rattled everyone enough so they're losing their judgement.

Erika, who was a sure thing and an easy vote going in never was mentioned at all as a candidate to leave.

Votes went to Sydney, Deshawn and Evvie.

With much to-do about advantages and immunity idols and steals, Sydney panicked and used the "Shot In The Dark" option in the voting booth.  She lost her vote but had a one in six shot at being Safe.  It didn't go her way.

I love the previews for the next episode, and next week's looks like even more confusion and chaos. Very entertaining!

Survivor October 27, 2021

 

Yow. Merge-O-Rama!

Buffs are dropped.

Immunity is individual.  But.

The group is divided using a drawing for colored vs gray stones to have "tribes" for the challenge. 

The two people with Gray stones don't compete.

The winning Tribe has immunity and a feast.  They also pick one of the two gray stone people to join them, and the other is sent to Exile Island to be alone for two days.

The team that lost the challenge goes back to camp with a bit of rice. They will be taking part in an individual immunity challenge.  The winner is of that challenge has individual immunity, the others go to tribal where everyone votes on who goes home.

Erika of the Luvu tribe is the one sent to Exile.  The two days alone seem to affect her right away. 

After her first night alone, Jeff comes in a boat and gives her an opportunity to change what has happened.  

If she chooses to smash an hour glass he gives her, the "winning" tribe becomes the loser, and they'll face an individual immunity challenge.  The "losing" tribe missed their feast, but now they don't have to do the individual immunity challenge.

Only if Ericka smashes the hour glass.

While making new friends and alliances at camp, things move fast.  First, the Luvu men discuss having an all men's alliance.

Then, later, someone suggests an all people of color alliance.  

It will be really interesting to see how that plays out.

Since they've all decided to vote off Erika at tribal as an easy vote, does Erika have anything to lose, really, by making the temporary tribes swap fates?  She has to know she's targeted.  How can she not smash the hourglass?

Pretty great!

Survivor October 20,2021

 It was interesting to see that the castaways continue to play according to the rules they think exist.  Their game play is highly dependent on the tribes getting the remix they expect as numbers get low, or the thought that the Merge is right around the corner.  

So far, neither of those has happened.  Wild idols and advantages are the order of the day every episode.  Actually there are advantages rather than hidden idols for the most part. 

This week Shan, now on a tribe of three, ran into a glitch in her wheeling and dealing with idols.  She, the real life Pastor, actually outright stole player Genie's idol.  Then voted her out with her pal Ricard's help when they went to tribal.  

 

Additionally, she had given an advantage to Ricard for temporary keeping, and was really upset (!) when he declined to give it back to her.

Luvu was mildly entertaining as Deshawn once more tried to get his teammates to throw the Immunity Challenge...zzzzzz.

Sydney the Magnificent did have a moment where she speared  nine tiny fish and returned triumphantly with them to camp.  She let us know she is a Mermaid!

Next week it looks for a moment like a Merge when Jeff says "drop your buffs!", then there's some hinky surprised faces that means maybe they're just mixing tribes?

A good season so far.

Survivor October 13, 2021

What an entertaining episode.  Lots of time was spent with the Luvu tribe, the only one which hasn't lost any members so far.

Erika, a self proclaimed quiet person so far, is ready this week to start whittling the tribe's numbers.  She inspires tribe mate Deshawn to go after her.  He's willing to throw the immunity challenge, suddenly, just to get her out. He can't convince anyone else to do that, though, and they emerge as number one again.

 

Deshawn revealed to formerly under the radar Sydney that Erika is gunning for her.  So, Sydney goes on a side interview tear about how good looking she is, how strong, how smart!  They hate me cause they ain't me, she says!  What rock has she been under?  I guess she and Erika are slithering on out.

Ua and my buddy J. D. are back at tribal. Despite Genie practically begging to be voted out, Shan has once again wrested J.D.'s extra vote advantage from him, and he's outta there. Sigh.  As he said, at least his hair looked good.

Survivor October 6, 2021

 

Well, well, Yase, the Yellow tribe survived intact for another episode.  There was an immunity challenge involving swimming, strength and balance that I was sure Tiffany would have trouble completing.

She put everything into it, though, and moved along a suspended rope, keeping her tribe in the running.  Smooth moves, woman.  She also participated in one of those group "go off to an island and make a decision" challenges with considerable panache.

Off to tribal this week was the Green tribe, UA.  Once again my favorite, J. D. was on the blocks but he charmed his way out of getting the boot.  He was also not as much of a threat as Brad, who BOINK! showed his advantage and partial idol to Shantel Smith, because he trusted her as his number one ally!!! Aghh!!! 

J. D. had an advantage, and had wisely not shown anyone that he had it, but yoikes, Shantel spotted paper sticking out of the top of his shorts, and called him on it.  He GAVE IT TO HER to re-gain her trust!

She is playing an ace game.

Brad said he was going back to the ranch where there were people he could trust in his exit speech.  

When will they ever learn?

Survivor September 29, 2021

 

So, here's why we watch the show, right?  Endlessly losing tribe Yellow Yase needed to vote out Tiffany.  They're down to four from six already and they keep a player who can't handle the challenge of the night, the lack of food, or the creeping paranoia that sets in pretty quickly in the game.

Instead they vote out the strong, level headed neurosurgeon Voce.  Boink!

I will say the editors were hard at work crafting the narrative, showing us that Tiffany insisted Voce was the one who should go home, but they did not show why she thought so. (Note: after reading several recaps of the episode, we're to believe Tiffany convinced the other women that Xander could possibly have an immunity idol.) Her sisters in arms apparently agreed, because poof, the good doctor was gone just like that.

Yase is down to three and they're counting on a group remix.  Hilarious if they don't get one.  Good luck with the next challenge.

Survivor Season 41 Premier 9/22/21

 I was right there tonight with host Jeff Probst all misty at the return of Survivor.  It's turning another corner in the direction of the world as we knew it.

I have had a hard time liking castaways from the last several seasons of Survivor.  I would like to the show to not bring back returning players from past seasons again for a very long time.

Tonight, all new, fresh, faces.  Also, one of the most likeable casts I have seen in a long time.  My favorite from tonight's episode is J. D., a young, sweet, enthusiastic young man who loves the game and was thrilled with every moment. He just glows.

 Of course he was too likeable for some of his teammates, so he was potentially targeted to be voted out.  

I'm sure they needed a bit of drama among all of these sweetheart Survivors.  So Ricard, who is probably as nice as everyone, was the edited mustache twirling villain of the piece.  Luckily J D escaped being sent home.  I shouldn't get attached.

The episode was fast paced, action packed, with lots of new twists and turns.  One of them is that there are only 26 days instead of the usual 39 so everything will be whirlwind.

This will be a very good season, I predict.  When you actually don't want to see anyone voted out at tribal council in the first episode, you know you're onto something.