‘Survivor: South Pacific – Double Agent’ Recap
Posted on 03. Nov, 2011 by Michelle Ealey.
Last week Ozzy made three assumptions: he would win the duel, the merge would happen, and Cochran would give back the idol and be a loyal double agent. Ozzy started implementing his plan the moment he arrived on Redemption Island by telling Christine how Cochran played the idol the moment the tribe wanted to vote him out. Based on what she has heard during her duels, Christine believes Ozzy’s story. She really has no reason to doubt him; besides, her focus is on the duel.
Ozzy's plan seems to be on track.
Day 19. Redemption Arena. Both tribes are at the arena to witness the battle between Ozzy and Christine. The presence of both tribes means the merge is finally here. Jeff announces that after the duel, the winner will rejoin the game and the tribes will merge. One of Ozzy’s assumptions is correct, which is interesting. Most mergers have happened when ten castaways were left; only recently has the merge happened at twelve. Before the duel begins, Jeff asks Ozzy if he’s surprised he got voted out. Ozzy gets angry at Cochran. At first, his performance is believable. However, he keeps talking and makes a speech about how it’s an individual game now and how everyone is playing for their own goals. Upolu watches Ozzy and Savaii very closely. Albert whispers to Coach, “I don’t buy it.” Ozzy plays it up too much, putting his plan in danger.
The duel has the challengers build a pole by tying sticks together with string; competitors use the pole to retrieve three keys. Whoever unlocks the three locks wins. Was it hearing that the winner would rejoin the game? Was she tired? I’m not sure why, but after five straight wins, Christine falls apart. Her strategy is off; her pole is unstable and breaks repeatedly. Before she can even get one key, Ozzy has all three keys and has opened his door. Ozzy’s plan seems to be coming together. [...]
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The Coattail Strategy: Does It Work?
Posted on 01. Nov, 2011 by Michelle Ealey.
To “ride someone’s coattails” is an idiom that has been around for some time and has been used in business and politics. In general, “riding coattails” means to use the status and influence of someone else for your own gain. In ‘Survivor,’ The Coattail Strategy is when a player aligns with a more dominate player and relies on the stronger player to win challenges and make strategic moves that will advance the duo far in the game.
The Coattail Strategy is risky because the coattail rider has to select the right player, connect with the target, and keep the relationship vital the entire game. The coattail rider’s fate is in the stronger player’s hands; a coattail rider “puts all their eggs in one basket” as my Grandma would say. Successful coattail riders have many traits in common: they are social and personable, loyal, form an alliance early with their partner, and have good communication skills. Just how successful can a coattail rider be? Some have made it to the finals and won.
Tina Wesson
Many ‘Survivor’ fans consider the first successful coattail rider to be Tina Wesson, winner of ‘Australian Outback.’ At the beginning of the game, Tina aligned with Colby and, although she was in an alliance of four, made sure she was close to him the entire game. Tina never won an immunity challenge, and the reward challenge she did win she didn’t win herself—her family member did. Colby won immunity five times in a row, and Tina rode his coattails all the way to the finale. During the final tribal council, Colby didn’t talk much, giving Tina the opportunity to convince enough jury members that she was the mastermind behind some of the moves. With her words and her social skills, Tina was able to use her alliance with a stronger player to win the game. [...]
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‘Survivor: South Pacific – Trojan Horse’ Recap
Posted on 27. Oct, 2011 by Michelle Ealey.
Christine (L) and Mikayla (R) build their bridges as Jeff Probst watches.
At this week’s Redemption duel, we get right to the competition. Christine and Mikayla battle for the opportunity to get back into the game. The duel has the competitors take apart a crate; they use the planks from the crate to build a bridge. They must build the bridge in order from start to finish one plank at a time. After the bridge is complete, they use the planks with a design to complete a puzzle. During the duel, Albert cheers on Mikayla, but Christine does not give up. Christine pulls ahead while building the bridge, but Albert helps Mikayla, and Mikayla catches up to Christine during the puzzle. Mikayla thinks she’s right, but Jeff tells her that she doesn’t have it yet. The puzzle forms the Redemption Island symbol, and Jeff says Mikayla is just off. Christine remains calm and focused. Her determination leads her to her fifth victory. Christine sends Mikayla home. Jeff tells Christine that she’s a legitimate force. Christine retorts by saying that she’s “always been a legitimate force.”
I have to admit that now I’m impressed with Christine. Mikayla is physically stronger than Christine, and Albert helped Mikayla during the duel. However, Christine did not allow anything to distract her from her goal. Christine wants back in this game, and she just might do it.
The night before the duel, Rick and Coach expressed concern about Brandon’s outburst, and Coach remarked that if he had to, Brandon will have to go because now it’s time “to kill or be killed.” On the morning of day 17 Coach prays and realizes that the tribe needs to come together, needs to be lifted from the dumps—the tribe needs to know about the idol. After the Redemption duel, we are taken to church. Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to The Church of Upolu. Today your pastor is Coach. Coach announces to everyone that they need to find the idol (that Coach has), Brandon is thrilled, and Coach leads the tribe in prayer. During the “search” for the idol, Coach and Sophie find tree mail, and they plot to tell everyone the idol has been found when they deliver tree mail to the tribe. And that’s what they do. Coach holds up the idol. Brandon rejoices; as far as he knows, they prayed, and about five minutes later the idol is discovered. [...]
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‘Survivor: South Pacific – Free Agent’ Recap
Posted on 20. Oct, 2011 by Michelle Ealey.
Ozzy goes into loner mode after Elyse was voted out.
This week’s episode picks up right after last week’s Savaii tribal council session. Ozzy’s hurt. He feels betrayed, and he lets his tribe members know exactly how he feels. The tribe tries to tell him not to take it personally, but he is. They didn’t tell him their plan, so he takes it as a personal attack. He tells Savaii that he’s playing for himself now and declares himself a free agent. Dawn tells him that everyone’s hiding something, even him. This prompts Ozzy to reveal that he has the idol. Ozzy ends his hissy fit by saying he has Redemption Island, and Keith tells him if he wants to go to Redemption Island, Savaii will send him there.
The next morning finds Ozzy still in loner mode. He’s not talking to anyone; he’s focused on being the provider. He expects his tribe to realize his value. To him, they need him to provide for them and to win challenges. Back at camp, the rest of Savaii can’t believe Ozzy hasn’t apologized yet. Cochran brims with glee; the more Ozzy isolates himself and insults everyone, the more of a target Ozzy becomes. Jim’s right; Ozzy made all the wrong moves the night before. The question is: Can Ozzy recover from his blunders?
Day 15 at Upolu has Coach yet again mulling about Brandon. He wants to accept Brandon at face value, but Coach sometimes sees flashes of Russell, and Coach doesn’t like the flashbacks to ‘Heroes vs. Villains’ he’s getting. Brandon is an unpredictable cog in the machine of Coach’s strategy. Coach wants to play honestly, he wants to put all his cards out on the table, but he has an uneasy feeling in his gut about telling Brandon about the idol. [...]
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Ozzy And Coach: Who’s Playing The Game Better His Third Time Around?
Posted on 18. Oct, 2011 by Michelle Ealey.
(L to R) Ozzy Lusth and Benjamin "Coach' Wade
For the past couple of seasons, ‘Survivor’ has been about second chances. I like second chances. How many of us have made mistakes and said to ourselves, “If only I had one more shot.” Redemption Island was introduced last season; now voted-off contestants have a second shot at returning to the game if they win enough duels. Another recent trend on the long-running reality competition show has been to give veteran players another chance to win the game. Rob Mariano and Russell Hantz played last season, and Rob won after playing ‘Survivor’ four times. This season two fan favorites have returned, Benjamin “Coach” Wade and Ozzy Lusth, both for the third time. Both veterans claim to have learned from their past mistakes and know how to win the game. However, have they learned? Are they playing better? We are a few weeks into the ‘South Pacific’ season and Ozzy’s recent actions show that Coach might be playing the better game.
Ozzy first appeared on ‘Cook Islands’ and immediately dominated the game physically. He climbed trees like a monkey, swam like a fish, and had the stamina of a stallion. His strength and agility helped the small Aitutaki alliance of four overcome being out-numbered; his alliance of four was the last standing. Ozzy made it to the finals with Becky and Yul. Although he won five out of six individual immunity challenges, Ozzy did not win. Why? Because many of the jury saw Ozzy as a loner with no social game, he had a one-note game—physicality. Yul was The Puppetmaster; he crafted the strategy that formed the alliance and got many people voted out. Yul was social and motivated his tribe to many victories. If Ozzy had been more social and less arrogant (sometimes he bragged too much about being the provider), he could have swayed one vote and won (Yul won 5-4-0).
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‘Survivor: South Pacific – Taste The Victory’ Recap
Posted on 13. Oct, 2011 by Michelle Ealey.
Day 12 begins at Redemption Arena. Former Upolu tribe members Christine and Stacey have to fight to stay in the game. Before the challenge begins, Stacey, true to her word, tells Albert and Mikayla of Upolu and Dawn and Whitney of Savaii that Benjamin (Coach’s real name) is the one in charge at Upolu and runs things with Albert and Sophie. Stacey rants about how Upolu is full of liars and how there is no tribal unity. After stating her peace, the challenge begins. Challengers must drop a ball down a spiral chute, catch it, and drop the ball in the chute again, adding a ball when Jeff instructs. The race is tight. At three balls, both women are focused and have a good rhythm. Christine fumbles slightly a couple of times, but Stacey drops a ball, losing the challenge. Christine wins for a third time.
Christine winning for a third time would be impressive except last season Matt Elrod went on an epic run and won almost every Redemption Arena challenge. Currently the Redemption challenges require mental sharpness and are not physically taxing (balancing a totem on a pole, tossing bags, and catching balls). Christine’s a mental player; her planning and scheming are what got her voted out. Once the duels become more physical is when we will see if Christine can step up and prove she can win herself a second chance in the game.
After the duel, Albert tells the rest of the tribe about Stacey’s rant. While the tribe doesn’t hold much truth in Stacey’s words, Coach is upset because Stacey is right. Coach does not want to enter the merge with a bigger target on his back than he has. Albert as well feels the pressure so goes looking for the idol. He finds a clue, but he cannot locate the idol, so he tells Coach and Sophie about the clue. Coach searches for the idol, but has no luck. He prays. Then Coach finds the idol. He tells Albert and [...]
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‘Survivor: South Pacific – Survivalism’ Recap
Posted on 06. Oct, 2011 by Michelle Ealey.
This week’s episode opens on Ozzy and Elyse together in a hammock. They’re talking. Elyse wants to know more about Ozzy; he’s always been interested in survival, and one of his favorite stories is Robinson Crusoe. Jim is not happy because he thinks Ozzy has a secret two alliance with Elyse. After all, he says, pairs are powerful in Survivor, and he doesn’t want this to become another Rob situation (Boston Rob and Amber dominated Survivor: All-Stars). Jim approaches Cochran; they know they can’t get rid of Ozzy right now—his physical strength is needed for challenges. However, getting rid of Elyse is a viable option. Jim thinks that without Elyse, Ozzy will have to go back to him because Ozzy will no longer have a backup plan. Cochran agrees. Cochran’s always wanted to be a part of a big strategic move, and his secret deal with Jim could be that move.
Over at Upolu, it’s the Brandon Hantz Apology Tour. He apologizes to Mikayla, who wants to believe him but can’t because of who his uncle is. He apologizes to Edna and tells her that there is a core five alliance and she’s not a part of it. Edna feels betrayed; she thought she was a valued member of an alliance. Brandon’s being totally honest because he wants to be a better man and a better player. He admits that this might not be the best strategy, but he came to the game with good intentions but let his pride get in the way, so he is setting his course back to being a good man.
Dawn knows she has to prove her worth to the Savaii tribe.
Before the Redemption Duel, the members of Savaii get new clothes. Dawn comments about how she feels old (she’s 40) and disconnected from her tribe. She knows that she needs to show Savaii what she can do; she has to perform in order to stay in the game. No one wants to go to the duel; finally Jim and Cochran agree to go. Because of their secret, Jim doesn’t want to be alone with Cochran too much. Before he leaves, Jim tries to convince Ozzy to make the other tribe think they’re weak, but Ozzy tells him that it’s too soon. After Jim leaves, Ozzy remarks that Jim is strategizing too much and that he needs to calm down. Dawn hears this and concludes that Ozzy must have done his strategizing sometime and somewhere else; he doesn’t want his tribe to be thinking of strategy because if they do, they might start thinking for themselves and come up with a way of voting him out. Dawn seems to be realizing that Ozzy has thought several steps ahead of everyone else.
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Is Brandon Hantz His Own Man or Just Another Russell?
Posted on 04. Oct, 2011 by Michelle Ealey.
We are only three weeks into Survivor: South Pacific and one player has stood out from the beginning—Brandon Hantz. Nineteen, married, and a father, Brandon entered the game with a secret. He is the nephew of three-time Survivor player Russell Hantz. Not wanting to be judged on his family ties, Brandon kept his shirt on to hide the tattoos that would reveal the truth. In the third episode, Brandon finally told his fellow Upolu tribe members the truth. On the surface, they seem fine with this new information, but Coach and Sophie both agree that Brandon does have a little Russell in him. Are Coach and Sophie correct? Does Brandon have anything in common with Russell?
Brandon Hantz (L) and Russell Hantz (R)
Before we compare Brandon to his uncle, we need to establish if Russell is part of Brandon’s life. According to Russell, the Hantz family is in the oil business together. Russell and his brother work with their father. Brandon has the family name, so he is probably Russell’s brother’s son. On the show, Brandon said that he acted like Russell during high school, being mean and a bully, so Brandon is familiar with his uncle’s behavior, and he has mentioned that he doesn’t want to go against what his family has taught him or disappoint them.
Evidence suggests that Russell has been a part of Brandon’s life since childhood. Russell and Brandon’s father have passed to him the values they most likely learned from their own father. The Hantz family seems to be close, but like many young people entering adulthood, Brandon is trying to figure out if he wants to be like his uncle or break free from that influence and be a different kind of man. In his bio, Brandon states that he is playing Survivor to show the world a different side of the Hantz family. Has Brandon been able to show that a Hantz can be honest, respectful, and kind? Not quite.
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‘Survivor: South Pacific – Reap What You Sow’ Episode 3 – Recap
Posted on 29. Sep, 2011 by Michelle Ealey.
Christine keeps her balance long enough to win the first duel.
The first duel in Redemption Arena begins this episode of Survivor. Introduced last season, Redemption Island is a second chance for voted out tribe members. Although Jeff’s introduction of the segment and explanation of the challenge is smoother than last season, Redemption Island is not my favorite change in the Survivor format. Call me old school, but I prefer my Survivor harsh. Second chances belong in real life, not on a competitive reality show.
[Warning: Spoilers Ahead]
Christine, voted out of Upolu, and Semhar, from Savaii, compete for the chance to return to the game sometime in the future. The challenge is balancing a totem on a pole, but the competitors have to add sections to the pole. Watching the duel are two members from each tribe: Coach and Stacey from Upolu and from Savaii, Ozzy and Elyse. When the poles are three sections long they start to sway. Semhar’s totem falls; Christine wins to fight another day. Instead of “the tribe has spoken” being Jeff’s final words to Semhar, he sends her away with “your adventure has come to an end.”
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‘Survivor: South Pacific – He Has Demons’ Episode 2 – Recap
Posted on 22. Sep, 2011 by Michelle Ealey.
[Spoiler Alert]
This week’s episode of Survivor picks up immediately after last week’s tribal council. Semhar laments about being voted out and alone on Redemption Island. She channels her pain into poetry. Back at Savaii, Cochran thanks everyone for keeping him over Semhar and renews his vow to be a better member of the tribe.
Day four begins with the return of the Dragonslayer, Coach’s Survivor persona. He feels renewed and confident in his alliance, and he even has a sixth member, Edna. One of the physically weaker players, Edna needs an alliance with a strong player to carry her in this game, and she has picked Coach. Because she helped him on day one, Coach knows he can trust her and can use her as a vote. By having someone in his back pocket, Coach shows that his strategy has improved since his last two Survivor appearances. Will he take Edna to the final two? Only if his alliance breaks their word, she remains loyal to him, and she contributes in a meaningful way to their alliance. Considering that Brandon and Albert are also in Coach’s alliance, her chances are slim.
Brandon needs to deal with his issues toward Mikayla. If he doesn't, his game could be in danger.
Brandon likes Coach. Although his Uncle Russell is Coach’s nemesis from Heroes vs. Villains, Brandon trusts Coach and sees them in the final two. However, Brandon feels guilty for not telling Coach the truth, so he confesses. Coach is shocked. After some soul-searching and a long talk with Brandon, Coach believes that Brandon is telling him the truth that Brandon wants to play an honest, honorable game. They pray. Again, Coach shows that he believes the best in people. Later, Brandon confides in Coach again. This time Brandon tells Coach about his thoughts on Mikayla. Brandon still wants Mikayla gone. In an individual interview session, Coach says that Brandon has demons none of them know about and that Brandon struggles with these demons probably on a daily basis. Brandon sees Mikayla as a seductive Delilah/Parvati figure, but in reality, Mikayla’s playing a straightforward game—she works hard and contributes to challenges. Coach tells Brandon that the tribe needs Mikayla to protect their numbers and advises Brandon to remain calm and to stay away from her.
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