I first began watching “Survivor” with my parents midway through Season One. I’m pretty sure they didn’t think it was entirely appropriate for a 7-year-old to be watching a show in which tempers flare and people say “bad words,” but they didn’t stop me watching it with them, and my family’s been watching “Survivor” together ever since. Even though being in college means I can no longer watch it with my parents, I still religiously watch the episodes myself and call my mom once I’ve seen them to discuss and muse at the game. Buying a TV for my room this year was largely based on the need to watch “Survivor” in real time so I can write this blog. So here we are: The Current’s “Survivor” blog.
For Season 27, the producers of “Survivor” introduce perhaps the most damning twist of any twist ever in the game — family members play the game together, but on opposite tribes, thus potentially opening up the largest emotional can of worms the show has ever seen. Luckily the shock of having loved ones voted out is dampened slightly because players voted out of the game also have a chance to return by winning duels at Redemption Island, as introduced in Season 22. So far the emotions haven’t gotten too out of control (except for Colton quitting the game), but I’m betting on some major emotional breakdowns once the tribes merge later on and any remaining pairings of loved ones will be forced to choose between each other and their alliance.
This means the stakes are now higher than ever.
The “loved one” card is already in play in the Tadhana tribe, perhaps because they are distinctly aware of the power loved ones hold over players. Yet they are forgetting they’re playing against the “returning player” tribe Galang, which has the benefit of having played the game before, so its players know when to put their emotions aside.
At the moment, Tadhana members are making all their voting decisions based solely on the loved ones of the players on the returning tribe. They vote out Marissa to get at Gervase, who isn’t fazed at all; Rachel, to get at Tyson, whose face softens to see his girlfriend competing in the Redemption Island duel, but doesn’t trade places with her; and most recently John, because they want to see him and his wife Candice duel it out on Redemption Island. While this is all well and good, Tadhana players seem to be forgetting that before they can make strategic “late game” moves, they need to keep their own team stronger first. Voting out John, part of the “five guys” alliance, may prove to be a death-blow for the Tadhana tribe in the early game while it still needs strength to win challenges.
So far we haven’t seen much of Galang members strategy-wise, and we probably won’t until they either lose a challenge or some other player starts to get on everyone’s nerves now that Colton has quit.
Next week I’ll be looking forward to seeing if John and Candice can both beat Marissa to make it through the next Redemption Island duel and have a relaxing island getaway until the following duel. And now that the Tadhana “five guys” are down to four guys, will they continue to take each other out or go back to picking off the girls if they lose the next immunity challenge?
Until next time on “Survivor.”
— Claire Cinquegrani
