Previously on Survivor two cops, Tony and Sarah, made a pact to stay together, but a surprise switch pulled them apart.
While Sarah’s new tribe had a clear division, Tony’s new tribe was filled with everything Survivor has to offer: Two idols, a blindside and they even saw one of their tribe members quit. Despite everything, they won the last immunity challenge.
Tony is heard once more saying: “Top Five, Baby!”
At Tribal Council, the new Aparri tribe was focused on a possible merge
Morgan told Jeff: “The possibility, if we merge, is that Alexis and Jeremiah both could flip to the other side.”
In the end, everybody thought Alexis was most likely to flip.
Looking at the way this episode turned out, it could be that we have to take Tony’s call of “Top Five” at face value. The new Solana could be the last five standing … unless we get a wild finish. This recap makes it clear that the Cops R Us alliance was the main story of the pre-merge so what will replace it during the second act?
Aparri – Night 16:
Spencer had the 1st confessional: “I feel great after Tribal. Tribal bettered my game. Now, everyone is buying into the 6. If we merge tomorrow, that is the best news possible for this tribe because right now, we control the game. We have six and they have five.”
Right then, we saw clouds were moving in, hiding the moon and signaling that trouble was ahead for this group. That trouble could have come from the arrogance Spencer showed in this confessional but it took on a sneakier form.
Kass gave us a confessional: “This group is allegedly a solid six. If we can all stay strong as a core, we can run the show and take out a less obvious target like Trish or Jefra. It sounds so simple, but the best laid plans often end up sprawled on a murder scene floor.”
Eventually, the tribe did vote for the less obvious target but Kass wound up killing her own plan.
Aparri – Day 17
Kass and Sarah took a walk along the beach to collect firewood and Kass was very direct: “The only persons I am concerned with are you and Jeremiah.”
Once more, Kass opened her mouth and put her foot in it. That need for honesty is incompatible with the game of Survivor. Kass was asking for trouble when it would have been so simple to say that she and Sarah needed to watch each other’s back. Sarah’s reaction would have told Kass what she wanted to know.
Sarah told us what she thought of that remark in her first confessional: “It might get ugly around here. For her to accuse me of not staying true to my word hit a chord with me. People don’t like to be called a liar and, pretty much, I got called a liar without being called a liar. What more do I have to do to prove to you that I am loyal? That’s where we are going to have a crack. It’s when you guys stop having faith in me and I feel it. When I know that you guys think that I am tethering, that’s going to push me away.”
Sarah and Kass shook hands but Kass gave us her real thoughts: “In my business, we go with the hard evidence and just because you voted with us for one vote doesn’t mean that I believe you are true. You did what you had to do in my opinion. That doesn’t speak of loyalty. That speaks of desperation and a wise move. You haven’t proven anything to me except you are saving yourself. Show me blood on your hands from a former tribe mate and then we’ll talk.”
This is still somewhat reasonable, but that’s because Kass still felt in control. A strategic player would have realized that Sarah had no reasons to trust Kass either. Only Morgan and Jeremiah had the blood of a former tribe mate on their hand. A smart player knows that the only way to get someone’s loyalty is to have common needs, a common goal. That should have been eliminating a member of New Solana, any member of New Solana. So finding a common goal should have been easy, but Kass was more interested in making sure that Sarah wouldn’t get her way.
Solana – Day 17
The mood was cheery, a welcomed contrast after the impending doom of Aparri.
Tony in confessional: “When I first started out in this game, I wasn’t having any fun with my tribe members. Now I am out here with the new Solana tribe and I am having fun with everybody. Day 17 and I am having the time of my life, but it’s kind of boring to be honest with you because there is no scrambling going on, there is no trickery going on, there’s no spying. That’s fun for me, you know.”
We now have a new Tony, a much more likeable Tony so that could bode well for him and his new group. On the other hand, it could be the start of a redemption arc before his elimination.
When Tony read tree mail which told them they were about to merge, Trish was heard saying: “It was too good to be true.”
The ending to this season depends on whether or not this episode was too good to be true for the New Solana tribe. When Airai left their beach to join Malakal, Natalie was heard saying: “Off to the races, miladies” and that certainly signaled the start of the women’s dominance in that season. Is Trish’s lament also a sign of things to come despite a momentary victory?
LJ gave us a confessional: “Now that we have a merge, it’s an exciting thing and it’s a nerve wracking thing at the same time because it’s six against five and we could be in trouble. Thank God! I still have that hidden immunity idol in my pocket.”
We saw both LJ and Tony retrieving their idols.
Tony had an interview: “The way I feel about this idol it’s like I have an extra person in my alliance. We have five plus the idol. If any of my Solana five needs it, I’ll help them out. So, I think we are in pretty good shape.”
Aparri – Day 17
Morgan read the message that told them to expect visitors who could stay for the next 22 days.
Spencer gave us his thoughts: “We are joining tribes. I think it’s a merge, I hope it’s a merge but bottom line, the other tribe is coming over and we are all going to be living on the same beach.” Confidently, he told the tribe that the newcomers wouldn’t be staying 22 days; one would be staying three days, 6 days for the next… His confessional continued: “When the five get here, it’s us against them and I am not going to let anyone forget that.”
Now that we know Spencer was wrong, that it was someone from his side that left after the first three days, can we also say that his group will get eliminated one by one like he mentioned during the previous Council? That wouldn’t exactly be a wild finish though. One thing that the confessional shows is that Spencer was ready for a fake merge. He knows this game so he should know how to use an idol with special powers if he finds it.
Sarah had the first confessional after Solana’s arrival. She told us that she felt the same kind of nervousness one feels at a school reunion, seeing people after many years.
Jefra noticed that Alexis was missing. She had an interview: “I didn’t expect to see my girl Alexis gone. That was a shoe-in for me. We were like this (fingers crossed) and I could easily persuade her to be on our side. Now, I’m thinking: “Oh snap! What do we do now?”
This confessional tells us that Aparri made the right decision last week when they eliminated Alexis, but why was it shown? Was it to tell us that the new Aparri was doomed either way? No, I think it tells us that they are smart players; that we shouldn’t give up on them just yet.
Morgan read the message confirming the merge and telling them about an idol with different powers.
As expected, Tony was the one to have the confessional about the idol: “There’s a hidden immunity idol with special powers? I mean, it’s powerful enough on its own but now it has special powers … The person that finds that idol will be the only person that’s going to know what the special powers are. Of course, I am going to look for it. I’ll spend three, four days looking for it.”
Spencer wondered out loud about the special powers. Someone suggested it could send you home. Hearing that, Tony said he didn’t want that idol.
I don’t want that Idol[/caption]
This scene suggests that either Tony or Spencer will find the idol. Although, the inclusion of Tony’s remark could mean that he won’t be getting it. In fact, seeing Tony’s face when someone said the special powers could send you home, I think Tony will get the bounce from the idol that Spencer will play.
As an aside, it would be funny if Spencer finds the idol on the 5th day after the merge since Tony said he’d spend four searching for it.
Spencer in confessional: “It’s like Christmas freakin’ morning. Part of the excitement of being at the merge is just the shock that I made it. You know, I was at the bottom of a tribe that was one of the worse tribes in Survivor history and somehow I am here at the merge and I have new life. I’m in the driver’s seat. I am tight with Sarah, I am tight with Jeremiah. I am tight with this group of six that could potentially run the game of Survivor after the merge.”
Once more, we are reminded of Spencer’s story, of his time when he had no allies and his return to power. It could be simply to tell us that he blew his chance or that he is about to pull it once more.
Asked about the vote against Alexis, Jeremiah told the group that she turned on him so he voted her out. That impressed Tony.
Tony (solo): “We could be in some trouble. Six against five is pretty tough. The only hope that I have, personally was Sarah. Sarah was an old Aparri and she swore on her badge that she wants to be with me, but my biggest fear is that, if Sarah doesn’t flip, we’re done, I’m done. I don’t want to be done.”
Sarah didn’t flip so maybe Tony is done despite the outcome of this vote.
Solarrion – Day 18
It’s been a while since we’ve had one of those awful mashed up names for the merged tribe. Maybe that’s why I didn’t find this one completely idiotic.
Trish was giving yoga instructions to Tasha, Kass and Morgan.
After asking LJ who he thought was the head of the snake, Tony gave us a confessional: “As it stands right now … We need one person to come on our side and we will flip the script. We will make it six my side and five their side. So, I am hoping that Sarah is the missing link to this.”
In the middle of this confessional, the editors inserted the scene where we heard Tony asking Sarah where she stood. She said she was a floater. Tony promised her top 4 with Woo and Trish while LJ and Jefra gave them the numbers.
Tony’s confessional continued: “My goal is to make Sarah believe that I want to sit at the top two with her just like we mentioned: Two cops sitting in front of the jury. So, I am going to promise her, I am going to guarantee her, I am going to do whatever it takes to reassure her that I am not lying to her, that I really want her on our side to move forward in the game as opposed to the other tribe.”
Sarah told Tony that she couldn’t swear on her badge about voting for either Spencer or Kass.
Sarah in confessional: “I am in the best spot that you could be at in this game because 5 and 5 and guess what? I am in the middle. It’s a Sarah-sandwich, it’s perfect. I never expected to be the decision-maker. It truly is a predicament but whichever side I go, I will be sitting pretty because I will decide the fate of this game.”
Unfortunately for her, it turned out to be a toasted Sarah-sandwich. I guess Sarah never saw Dolly in Vanuatu! She should have realized that a decision-maker has to make a decision. It shouldn’t be hard to understand. Telling Tony that she was a floater was probably the worst thing she could say. Kass was dumb to flip the game but we can’t say that her victim was much brighter. Sarah should have told Tony right there and then what he wanted to hear instead of waffling.
However, her words could still be prophetic: As a juror, she may cast the vote that will decide the fate of this game.
Sarah talked with Jeremiah and Kass, suggesting they target LJ because he wouldn’t have an idol. Kass and Jeremiah both thought LJ had an idol.
Jeremiah gave an interview: “I don’t have no hidden immunity idol, I think LJ’s got it. That’s what worries me and that’s what has me nervous about this game.”
Jeremiah told the two women that Jefra needed to go first because no one would play an idol for her. Trish insisted that it had to be LJ or Woo; that they had to get a strong guy out. When they pointed out once more that LJ had an idol, Sarah said it had to be Woo and she wouldn’t hear about voting against Trish because she wasn’t a threat.
Sarah (solo): “I think it’s completely idiotic to pick a fight with me. I’m not saying let me be the princess and walk around on egg shells, but the last thing you want to do is piss me off.” She told them they could vote for Tony if Woo won immunity then her confessional continued: “You can do whatever you want but if you pick a fight with me, I’ll flip over with those other guys so don’t test me because I will put you in your place and send you packing.”
Kass had a confessional: “Dude, I’ve said it a million times: I don’t trust the cop. When someone in an alleged alliance of six says “I am only voting for these people and I will absolutely not vote for this person, it lets me know that she is not in the six. She’s in the one. If you come to me and say that you are going with your former tribe mates and they are going to let you choose who goes out and she comes to us and telling us who she wants out. It might be Woo but no one in this game should have that much power. Who made her queen? I can’t even look at her. I just want to punch her sometimes.”
Now that Sarah is taking over power, Kass cannot stand it and wants to keep it in her hands. Her immaturity is slowly starting to show with that threat of violence.
Through it all, Jeremiah tried to keep the peace, saying they would talk some more the next day.
Day – 19
We briefly saw Tony and LJ during their failed fishing expedition and then we got back in camp where Kass was taking stabs at Sarah.
Trish heard the two women bickering and gave us a confessional: “I wake up this morning and Reeeeaaar! Is what I heard. I heard a couple of girls going at it. It was between Kass and Sarah I believe. The fight made me happy because it made me realize that they weren’t as strong a six as I thought they were and they are cracking before we even get to the challenge. Obviously, they are all feeling a bit paranoid.”
Tasha also witnessed the fight so she took Sarah and Kass to the side to clear the air. Wisely, Tasha said she didn’t want to see them fracture over some BS. She also told Sarah that she was in a tough position and added that they didn’t need to like each other to vote together.
Tasha in confessional: “When I heard Kass and Sarah’s exchange, I didn’t care who was right, who was wrong. My main concern was getting those two back on the same page.”
Kass had an interview: “I totally think that Tasha took Sarah’s side in the argument. What the heck? Someone in the alliance treats someone poorly so everyone panders to the bully? I felt like saying it to Tasha: What about me? Why aren’t you being nice to me? What am I? Chopped liver? Oh wait! You’re done with me. I got it.” The confessional cut to show the impatience on Kass’ face and her eye rolls which led to Sarah saying she didn’t like being attacked. Kass went on: “I know Sarah is against me, I know Tasha is against me. I know where I stand, but at this point the six are falling apart.”
Now Kass is reacting like a child who saw her “mom” Tasha pick the side of the new kid instead of hers. A mature woman and an attorney wouldn’t react like this normally so we can see that the game is getting to Kass.
The scene ended with Tasha telling Sarah that her decision will decide her fate, not only the fate of other five people’s fate.
The Challenge:
Was it fair to let Woo compete in toe shoes when everyone else had bare feet? Since part of the challenge was to resist the pain, it certainly gave him an advantage.
Anyway, Spencer, Kass, LJ, Sarah, Jefra, Tasha, Trish and Jeremiah all fell in quick succession at the start of the 3rd round, leaving only Morgan to fight it out against Woo and Tony. Then the wind picked up and it was down to the 2 Solana men. Just before going in, Tony yelled out: “Good luck Woo.”
Maybe Tony will say the same thing when he gets eliminated!
The final scene started with Bats flying crazily around, preparing us for some craziness during the vote.
Sarah had the first confessional reminding us that she was in the middle but couldn’t make the choice. She said that there were stronger players on Tony’s side, that she preferred to go with the weaker side which was portrayed by Spencer saying he was first off the pedestal. She ended her confessional by saying she was the President right now.
Spencer pointed out to the group that Jefra would never receive an idol so that she was the smart choice. Sarah was still convinced that Solana didn’t have idols and that they could get rid of Jefra at any time. She was voting either for LJ or Tony.
Trish and Tony noticed the 6 talking in the ocean and agreed that Sarah was not only with the other side; she was the person in charge. Tony still thought he could flip Sarah but Woo told him she wasn’t going anywhere. Trish said she would approach Kass, that she had a good relationship with her. Tony said he’d talk to Sarah first because Kass would play Trish.
After the group agreed to vote against Tony, Kass gave us a confessional: “The original agreement was to play it cool, we’d probably take out Jefra or Trish to get the numbers and then let’s meddle with the big boys who might have idols and strategy, but Sarah said it’s got to be Tony. She thinks she is running the show. Does nobody see this? Am I the only one? I know she is about to destroy the game. If she is about to destroy the game, I want to have the pre-emptive strike. I want to destroy it.”
This idea was as brilliant as the cold-war’s mutual assured destruction. Everybody saw that Sarah was running the show … temporarily. That’s why nobody cared. Get Tony out and then the New Aparri would have been in complete control. Also, Sarah was ready to vote out a former tribe mate so why wasn’t it good enough for Kass?
Tony worked on Sarah, telling her that she’d be on top of Jefra, LJ and Woo which left her in the top three with Trish and him. He also added smartly that if she eliminated him or LJ, it left her group at 6 against 4 so they wouldn’t need her anymore.
Why didn’t someone on the Brains side think of saying that to Kass; that they could always get Sarah after the first vote? Simple: Everyone thought it would be evident to Kass, but she was too intent on making the big move first.
Sarah had a confessional where she said she knew what Tony was saying, that she wasn’t an idiot. She wanted to get rid of Tony because he was a big threat just like her. She added: “I would get rid of me if I could.”
Well my dear, by telling Tony that you needed time to decide, that is exactly what you did: You got rid of yourself.
Tony in confessional: “With Sarah telling me: “Let me think about it, let me make my decision at Tribal Council”, are you kidding me? I couldn’t believe she said that. I looked at her and I thought they were right. I talked to Sarah and I got a good, strong feeling that she is not coming to our side so one thing’s for sure. If I feel a little iffy-iffy, that idol is being played. I am not going home with the idol.”
Just then we saw Spencer whacking a coconut with a machete, suggesting that Tony could be going home after being blindsided.
It was Trish’s turn to work magic on Kass who said she’d like to get rid of Sarah, but she didn’t think there would be time to pull things together. Trish agreed on the vote and said they had time to make it happen.
Kass (solo): “Trish told me that they were voting Sarah. Surprising to me but maybe they are smarter than I think. They are probably smarter than my other 5 if they are thinking that Sarah is the bad seed. So maybe I will change allegiance.”
A determined Trish walked over to LJ and Tony telling them that Sarah was on her way out. They all agreed that Sarah was their vote. Having made the arrangements, Trish went back to Kass to let her know that they would take care of her.
Kass (solo): “I love that Sarah thinks she is running the show. New Aparri is voting for Tony, at the request of Queen Sarah. Solana is voting for Sarah. I truly believe that I am the one in the middle. I think I have usurped Sarah’s throne tonight and once again, Kaos Kass will show up at Tribal.”
Kass certainly got her way, but now what? To borrow from Spencer: This Council didn’t better Kass’ position at all.
Tribal Council
Asked about the mood of the tribe, LJ said he felt on the hot seat. He considered it flattering to be a target but that it was the best worse compliment he could get.
Jeff took that as a farewell speech and Tasha concurred, saying that it was the time to get rid of big threats so LJ should be worried.
Tony said that there were smart people who figured you don’t move forward with an alliance of numbers (that surprised Spencer) but with an alliance of comfort, “people who you are happy to be around.” Tony added: “I can be a threat. I’m forty, I’m bald, I’m old but I still got a little fire in me.”
Kass said she would be worried if she was a strong male doing well in challenges on the minority group.
Asked about idols, LJ said it could all be a joke, that there could be no idols.
Tony jumped in: “There are idols because I got one and I am going to use it for my group.”
Spencer wanted to see it to believe it.
Tony obliged and wore it proudly around his neck saying: “This doesn’t mean I am going to use it for me, Jeff.”
Sarah’s heart sank while Jefra thanked God once again.
Tony was amused by the face of the six people but Spencer was quick to turn to Tasha and say: “The other one.” They all agreed while Tony’s group decided to keep it the same.
Jeff was enjoying himself. He can recognize a highlight when he sees one so he sent them to vote.
When Jeff asked if anyone wanted to play an idol, Tony stood and asked the host to validate his idol. Jeff confirmed that it was a real idol so Tony gave it to LJ, saying he wanted to know if he was reading these people correctly.
LJ interrupted Jeff and pulled his own idol. He had time to realize that the six weren’t showing signs of distress so he wanted to “cover Tony’s ass.”
(To future players: Always look for your opponents’ reactions before you play an idol)
As soon as Jeff showed the 1st vote against Jefra, Tony’s group realized that they had been outsmarted and we saw Spencer turning towards them, showing that he was one step ahead.
The vote went all the way to a 5-5 tie, Jefra growing more and more worried with each vote against her. When Jeff showed that the 11th vote was against Sarah, Jefra and her group exploded with joy. Jefra said that she was shaking.
Sarah, Spencer and Tasha were shown in disbelief. Sarah asked who flipped to which Spencer quickly answered: “Kass”.
Jefra and Tony thanked Kass, Tony adding that they lost two immunity idols but that they would get them back.
Spencer said: “Kass: Zero chance of winning the game.”
Kass simply answered: “It’s a long way to go.”
Jeff predicted that this will be a wild finish.
The Story
When we get such an unexpected event, we have to take time to reassess the whole story, see if the hints we have gathered point us in a new directions or if there are hints that we missed. One thing we had read correctly was that Tony and Sarah’s alliance wouldn’t last all the way to the end, but we didn’t think it would be ending so abruptly and in Tony’s favor. With the vote flipping the game around, we could still be on the right track, looking for players that suddenly became targets and kept their focus on the game. It’s just that we forgot one.
Will the ending be as wild as Jeff predicted? It’s his job to sell the show but it sounded like a promise. It was as if the editors let that quote make it on the air because we wouldn’t be disappointed. Comments like Trish’s “too good to be true”, Tony’s “we’re done if Sarah doesn’t flip” or “I don’t want that idol” could be hints that we will get more surprises, that New Solana doesn’t have it in the bag. How could they lose though? Aparri burned any chances they had to get Jefra by voting against her. LJ must feel a great brotherhood with Tony after their idol exchange so that doesn’t leave them many options. It seems only the idol can cause more surprises.
The Characters:
The Killer
Kass: Another thing we read correctly was Kass being a pendulum, a weather vane. Even if some objected, she was the unpredictable one, the one that Luzon should have eliminated early on. However, who could have prepared for such an absurd move? Compare her to Cochran: He was on the outside of his alliance and the tribes were tied at the merge. Even in that position, everyone agreed that he killed his game by flipping to Coach. Not only was Kass in the majority alliance, she was in the core three of that alliance.
As the episode went along, we heard confessionals that revealed her lack of maturity and her total ignorance of strategy. She simply was upset that Sarah was momentarily in power and that “Mom” Tasha was taking the side of the new girl instead of hers. She wanted to “destroy the game” before Sarah had a chance to destroy it. After Tony made his big move at TC, Sarah agreed to vote for someone less obvious just like Kass wanted but even that wasn’t enough.
Can Kass win? While her answer to Spencer may encourage her fans, I don’t see how she can get jury votes. She will need all her skills as an attorney to plead her own case and what do they say about attorneys representing themselves? This fool has become the perfect goat to take to the F3. The only other possibility is that, like Jonathan in Cook Islands; she’ll be sacrificed by someone in her new alliance to garner favors from the ones that hate her.
The Innocent Bystanders – They had very limited role in this key episode:
Morgan: It seems her story will end as a victim of Kass. She had a nice role as long as she was alone and in danger but her story stalled as soon as she got inside the alliance.
Jeremiah: He did play a role as peacekeeper before the merge and we saw that he made sense but it wasn’t enough. He’s still only a marginal character.
Jefra: She almost became collateral damage after Tony’s big play. The vote made her go through all the range of emotions from pure joy from seeing the idols, agony from seeing her name on the parchments and then complete relief once the final vote was turned. So, like Colleen after Greg was voted out, maybe she lost a bit of her innocence and can start playing the game but what can she do except follow Trish and Tony’s lead? She isn’t in the core of that alliance so a flip could help her game but the only people she could join just voted against her.
Woo: He was mostly ignored in this episode but winning the immunity challenge gave him some visibility. The previews gave us a hint that his ninja mode will help him in his search for the idol but wouldn’t it be totally wasted on Woo? If he finds the idol, turn out the lights, Tony’s top five are making it all the way to the end.
Friends of the Victim – They have been put back in the underdog position.
Tasha: Looking back at Kass’ quote about Tasha being like a pendulum, we now realize all its irony because Tasha showed her solid resolve and her wisdom in this episode. She knew that Sarah and Kass needed a time out in order to come to an understanding. She thought that she had fixed the conflict so she must be feeling totally betrayed by Kass. Some will say that Tasha should have had a better read Kass and should have talked to her more, but she had to think Kass would let her know if she felt so strongly about Sarah. Can Tasha recover and win the game? None of the hints we’ve seen that the game could still change point to her though. It was as if that scene where Tasha sat next to Sarah told us that both were on death row, that Kass was condemning both at the same time.
Spencer: Compared to Tasha, he had a stellar merge episode. His opening confessional can certainly be seen as an example of arrogance but it also showed the importance of his fall. The talk about the idol centered on him, we saw him whacking a coconut right after Tony’s confessional and the fact that we heard him say that he was the first off the pedestal could be telling us that he won’t be seen as an immediate threat. He may have time to find that idol and figure out how to use it to his advantage. If there is a wild finish, if it isn’t Tony’s five and Kass to the end, then he will be the Sole Survivor.
The Accomplices – These players profited from the big move. They are now in a great position.
LJ: It was a very ordinary episode for LJ. Even his big move with the idol paled in comparison to Tony’s. It was barely more exciting than buying life insurance which this is what it actually turned out to be. LJ continues to be a marginal character even if he has all the substance to be the leading man. There has to be a reason for it and the only one that makes sense is that LJ won’t be there at the end.
Tony: The new, joyful Tony could be our winner despite his villainous streak. The complex story he had with Sarah was resolved entirely in his favor: She was portrayed as being a dumb player when she called herself a floater and she was first to say she wanted to vote him out. Tony was still offering her a spot in the final 3 but she had already told Aparri that he had to go.
However, instead of stealing some of Trish’s thunder during the recap of Cliff’s elimination maybe he was being served most of the blame. There would still be an uneasy feeling about a winner who claimed that swearing on his police badge meant nothing. That quote has to lead to a realization, a lesson in life that only elimination can bring, can portray.
Trish: When I watched the first episode, I developed the impression that Trish would regret choosing the rice, that it would come back to kick her in the butt like she feared. Tony had told us that it wasn’t the right thing to do, that he would have gone after the idol. However, now it is time to look back at Trish’s story: Like Spencer and others, she was at the bottom of the pecking order and while we saw her as an emotional player, we also saw that she was able to turn the situation around and to get people to warm up to her. If anyone thinks that Trish isn’t well liked, I will point you back to her yoga session. Ace, Coach and Laura also got to show some moves to their fellow tribe mates but they were all mocked for it. For Trish, it was simply a quick scene which, besides showing Morgan’s boobies, served to show that she got along with some members of her tribe, some potential jurors. We also heard her say that she had a good relation with Kass so, unlike viewers’ impression, Trish has an adequate social game. And she is smarter than the viewers think as the editor rminded us. Will it be enough to get the jury vote? Maybe…
While Trish had a very weak premiere, she was the star of the merge episode, the one that correctly analysed the situation, saw the crack between Kass and Sarah and knew she had the rapport with Kass that would enable her to get her on board. That’s the second big move that she can put on her score card after Cliff’s elimination. If nothing wild happens, if Spencer doesn’t find an idol or a way to flip the game back in his favor then Trish could be our winner.
