Hannah sees strength in taking out weakness
What a weird season ofSurvivorthis has been.
Think about it:Millennials vs. Gen Xhas had a ridiculous amount of lying, backstabbing, and blindsiding.
So, what naturally comes with lying, backstabbing, and blindsiding?
Credit: CBS Entertainment
A lot of pissed-off people who were just lied to, backstabbed, and blindsided.
The two are inexorably linked.
But not this season.
Sure, Zeke gave Hannah the business a bit after her early flip on Mari.
Yes, Michaela went into Tribal Council stare-down mode once Jay blindsided her.
And indeed, there was the time Bret and Zeke unnecessarily went after Davids anxiety a few Tribals back.
But all these incidents were isolated as opposed to festering.
Look at the two interactions between Adam and Jay in this weeks episode.
After Adam betrayed Jay by voting out Will instead of David, the two rivals had a nighttime chat.
Am I that big of a threat to you that you have to strip me of everything?
asked Jay in a disappointed, rather than angry, tone.
Yeah, thats the only way that I beat you.
replied Adam, matter-of-factly.
On most otherSurvivorseasons, this would have led to yelling, finger-wagging, and confessional name-calling.
This is next-level stuff, ladies and gentlemen.
Instead of the ugliness ofWorlds ApartorKaoh Rong, we are getting fierce gameplay that rarely crosses any personal lines.
For the most part, folks are doing battle and then genuinely respecting those who best them.
Its pretty refreshing to see.
Now, dont get me wrong: I love a goodSurvivorfreak-out as much as the next guy.
Its good to see some emotion.
Lock that prediction in now!)
But it is a welcome change of pace.
Thats right, its the penultimate episode, which means its time to see whereMillennials vs. Gen Xfalls.
Stay tuned for that.
But first, lets recap the other big things that went down this episode.
), which must then be transported over a balance beam and through a wire maze.
Then everyone must put their discs into a target, which sounds more scandalous than it really is.
(Okay, I suppose Icouldhave helped that one.)
That means Jay wins his third of the last four challenges and the immunity that goes with it.
He says they should get rid of David.
And you know what, hes right!
(This, by the way, will be a running theme throughout the night.)
Hes like a teenager showing off his brand-new drivers license!
Hey, check me out, everyone!
We go to a rain-soaked Tribal Council, where a very interesting discussion in taking place.
Its the ultimate catch-22.
Oh, so anyway, Will gets voted out.
Because he tried to make a move.
And so, this is what he gets.
But good for Will.
The dude was only 18 and in high school when this was filmed last spring.
So, well played, Will.
Even if you ultimately got played.
Pinball Wizards
Will was right to want to get rid of David.
Speaking of immunity, a really interesting second challenge we have here.
At first, it looks simple: Solve a block puzzle.
But au contraire, mon frere!
I dig the wrinkle.
But while watching, I couldnt help but wonder if there was a clever way to beat this challenge.
I asked Probst about this in our Q&A and you cansee his answer there.
(Yes, I am always trying to game the system.)
But there was something else interesting about this challenge, and that was a decision by Adam.
And mine too, kind of.
Thats because Adam was openly rooting against someone by doing this.
Either way, it was a bold move.
So, what could possibly stop that from happening now?
NEXT: Hannah sees strength in taking out weakness
How Is David Still in This Game?
Boy, things sure do get confusing once everyone gets back to camp.
First, Dave concocts a plan with Ken and Hannah to flush Jays idol and vote out Bret.
So, this should be an easy chance to kill two birds with one stone.
Perhaps they could use the black stone that also took out Jessica.)
But Hannah has other ideas.
Hannah wants Sunday out.
The problem is, do you really want the credit for forcing everyone to make A BAD MOVE?!
Thats not a move, thats just playing out the string.
And I totally get Hannah thought they were safer numbers-wise with David in the game.
But this is not the key in of thing you get credit for.
Making a safe move is not a resume builder.
Who had the guts to take out Sunday?
I had the guts.
My guts and my guts alone.
If that hasnt earned your vote, I dont know what will.
And then there were six.
NEXT: Let theSurvivorseason rankings begin!
SURVIVORSEASON-BY-SEASONRANKINGS
(From best to worst)
1.
(Tie)Survivor: Borneo
(Winner: Richard Hatch)
andSurvivor: Micronesia Fans vs.
Favorites
(Winner: Parvati Shallow)
Ive gone back and forth with these two over the years.
AfterMicronesiaaired, I named it the bestSurvivorseason ever.
So then I returned that to the no.
If I wanted to watch one season again, it would beMicronesia.
If you ask me which is the most important season, well, obviously itsBorneo.
And the greatness just kept on coming.
Filled with huge memorable moments like Tyson voting himself off, J.T.
giving Russell his immunity idol, and Parvati handing outtwoimmunity idols at one Tribal Council.
I know many people would consider this no.
1, but its all returnees.
For me, the fresh blood ofMicronesiakeeps that season higher.
(Maybe not well at all times, but at least they were playing.)
moment to a truly intoxicating season.
Letting fans vote in the cast?
Hiding idols at challenges?
I think you all know how I feel about that.
Tempting people to quit an immunity challenge for a mystery vote-steal advantage?
All the tribe switcheroos?
They played out to perfection.
TheSurvivorproducers always throw a bunch of twists out there.
Usually, some work and some dont.
This season, they all paid dividends.
I also appreciated how hard the bulk of the cast was playing.
Usually, you get a small handful of big-time gamers.
Another plus: The votes were completely unpredictable from week to week, leading to some truly crazy Tribals.
Sure, the challenges were a bit blah, but still, a rousing and triumphant success.
Some people hate on Jenna as a winner, but she won challenges and played an effective social game.
7.Survivor: Pearl Islands
Rupert stealing shoes.
Fairplay getting drunk at Tribal Council.
Osten sucking at everything.
It was all delicious.
Loses points, though, for the awful Outcasts twist, which also led to a disappointing final two.
And the challenges may have beenSurvivors best ever.
9.Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X
(Winner: ?
WhenMillennials vs. Gen Xstarted, most of us were like, Yeah, its fine.
Not amazing, but not terrible either.
But then things kept happening.
And everyone kept flipping on one another.
And everyone kept getting blindsided.
And everyone kept futilely using their idols for other people.
It was madness and chaos in the best way possible.
And what was so fascinating was that (with the exception of Michaela) nobody took their ouster personally.
This was a season remarkably free of any sort of fighting whatsoever.
None of the ugliness ofWorlds ApartorKaoh Rongpermeated the proceedings, even amongst all the lying and backstabbing.
Even Hannah was entertaining with her neuroses.
Even Ken was entertaining with his recent cluelessness.
Bret gave us a touching moment where he came out as gay to Zeke.
Sunday outsmarted Adam and Hannah with a ruse at Tribal Council.
As always, this could rise or fall a bit depending on what happens in the finale.
But in a season thats kept surprising us, is there any reason to think it wont finish strong?
(However, I still cant figure out why they went with three person duels a.k.a.
truels and they definitely should have stopped RI at the merge.)
So why is it so high?
And the factPhilippineshad such a strong final four also doesnt hurt.
12.Survivor: Caramoan Fans vs.
But hear me out first before you Russell any feathers.
It was flat-out grating.
But everything post-merge was spectacular.
I cant remember a time when there were so many moves and counter-moves so late in the season.
Also, dont overlook how great the bevy of water challenges was.
Should I push it down in the rankings due to the lackluster Reunion show that followed?
He was robbed in the end, though, in the most controversial jury decision ever.
Plus: Purple rock!!!
15.Survivor: China
(Winner: Todd Herzog)
Ive always loved this season.
It featured a really good cast stuck in a really bad location.
Todd completely owned that final Tribal Council.
Thats how you win a million dollars.
16.Survivor: Cook Islands
(Winner: Yul Kwon)
What a difference a mutiny makes.
It was listless until that fateful moment when Candice and Penner stepped off the mat.
Then we finally had underdogs to root for.
Plus, just look at all the great first-time contestants (Parvati, Penner, Ozzy, Yul).
17.Survivor: Australian Outback
(Winner: Tina Wesson)
An overrated season in my book.
Pretty predictable boot order as well.
Dude did burn his hands off, though.
But there is one thing I reallydiddig about this season, and that is the cast.
Working against this season is the fact there simply were not enough transcendent players in the cast.
NEXT: The rest of the rankings and an exclusive deleted scene
20.Survivor: Tocantins
(Winner: J.T.
Thomas)
Okay, you may roll your eyes at Coach 1.0.
But imagine for a second this season without him.
His unintentional comedy single-handedly lifted this into the middle of the pack.
(Remember Jerri getting literally booed off the stage?)
Terry was robbed on a final challenge that may or may not have been completely fair.
Another unmemorable final two.
Shane Powers should have been brought back forHeroes vs. Villains.
And theSecond Chanceseason, for that matter.
The fact so many unworthy players went so far is simply too damning.
26.Survivor: Africa
(Winner: Ethan Zohn)
Some great challenges.
Not that much else was great.
27.Survivor: Guatemala
(Winner: Danni Boatwright)
One of the more unlikable casts so far.
Stephenies evil twin?)
Rafe was good for a few laughs, though.
Especially on rope obstacles.
That counts for something.
30.Survivor: One World
(Winner: Kim Spradlin)
Look, I have total respect for Kims game.
Like Tom inPalauand Rob inRedemption Island, she excelled strategically, socially, and physically.
Unfortunately, that is really the only good thing I can say about this season.
And thats too bad, because I do think the One World concept was a solid one.
But, man, what a thoroughly uninspiring cast.
- Splitting the tribes up by age and the Medallion of Power were both enormous flops.
LikeOne World,Thailand,andFiji,Nicaraguahad just too many unlikable players.
Two people quitting with only 11 days left.
No big memorable moments.
EvenThailandhad the fake merge andFijihad the big Yau-Man/Dreamz free-car deal gone bad, but what wasNicaraguas signature moment?
Unfortunately, it was people quitting, and that was memorable for all the wrong reasons.
Okay, thats gonna do it.
And for moreSurvivorscoop, follow me on Twitter@DaltonRoss.
Now its your turn.
Whom are you rooting for tin winSurvivor: Millennials vs. Gen X?
And where would you rank the season?
