“In this game you have to be confident about your choices.” — The Amanda Kimmel,Survivor: China
It’s rare for aSurvivoradvantage to play out perfectly.
Most advantages inSurvivorare incredibly situational. An extra vote, which seems so powerful, really only matters if the numbers line up. Even an immunity idol is useless if you don’t know just when to play it – as Vince can attest.
So the fact that the Block-a-Vote went to a person on a 4-4 tribe split is just shy of miraculous. Not only that, it went to the supposed target! If there areSurvivorgods, they were surely watching over this moment.
(It made me think of when Sarah Lacina tricked Sierra Dawn Thomas into gifting her the Legacy advantage, which then saved her at the final six – another extremely rare case where an advantage plays out just perfectly as designed.)
Elaine wins the Fishy for completely reversing the dynamics on her tribe. The former Lairos were tripping over themselves to turn on each other. Elaine goes to the Island of the Idols, comes back with an advantage, and it’s Jason who gets snuffed.
Elaine Stott.Robert Voets/CBS
Of course, it has to be said that Elaine had literally no idea what was happening with her alliance. “If we lose and go to tribal council, I don’t think anybody’s going to flip,” she says confidently. Then cut to Missy trying to flip. It sure seems likely that if Elaine hadn’t found the block-a-vote advantage, she would have been eliminated.
Indeed, Elaine unveiled her advantage perfectly. She didn’t overplay it, she didn’t keep it a secret. She revealed it to her allies as the special power that was going to save them all. “I’m going to play the hero and ride in on my stallion and jump off and save the day for my peeps,” she said.
Sometimes the force of someone’s enthusiasm carries its own strategic weight. While Missy and Aaron and even Elizabeth were scrambling across the island looking to betray each other, Elaine is charging straight ahead at the enemy – and it’s the into the jaws of death, into the mouth of Vokai.
Robert Voets/CBS Entertainment
And what of Aaron? All episode long, he made it clear he was going to flip. “I just think it makes more sense for my game to roll with you guys,” he tells Vokai. “I don’t think tribal council to tribal council. I think three votes from now,” he says later.
Erik Reichenbach / www.dabudoodles.com
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But maybe there was some rationale for Aaron to flip in his specific situation. Elaine was the first person he wanted gone from the game anyway. Elizabeth and Missy were both flip-friendly. And if tribal loyalty is going to be a factor at the merge, why not stick with the Vokais? Even with the Jason boot, they still have an 8-6 advantage. Getting protected for a few key merge votes, then playing the swing vote between the Vokais could be an interesting strategic path.
From a Vokai blowout, it really could be anybody’s game.
Survivorairs Wednesdays (8 p.m. ET) on CBS.
source: people.com
