middleman , you hit it right on the head with In-Shane–first he wants out of the game, then out of his alliance, and now suddenly he’s the freakin’ cheerleader ??? And what about his tribemates? Weren’t they ready to kick his whacked-out ass to the curb?
Of course, now we have the merge and the requisite “let’s vote the minority tribe off one-by-one” scheme, led by Aras-hole (the snot!)
I think the predictability problem with this season is that the show has been on for so long that the contestants are getting their game strategy from all the previous seasons instead of coming up with an original plan. Except for Austin, of course–obviously he’s never seen the show before, because he was actually happy to “meet new people”–even though the tribe with lesser numbers is almost always targeted by the majority tribe. Hate to say it, but if things keep going like this, this may be my last season watching Survivor .
Back when it happened I speculated that Shane might have been pursuing a devious pre-merge strategy that wasn’t needed once it was clear the Casayas would have a majority.
The strength of Survivor is that the game stays simple so the players make the show. We have a weak group now (and have had them before - remember Vanuatu?) But next year will be a whole new show.
This is an awful lot of needless complexity. Jeff has made it clear multiple times, including this episode, that the holder of the hidden immunity can use it to save anyobdy, not just himself.
After the vote was read, I mind-shouted “Use the damn immunity! You can boot Shane NOW!” When he didn’t, I thought about if I were in his position, and realized he probably did the right thing.
At the moment the vote was read, Terry had two immunities. If he had done the power play and booted Shane, he would have immediately been reduced to having none, and still been part of a 5 against 4 minority. He gave conversion the college try, and didn’t swing anybody, so why should he believe the 5 on 4 would go any different?
All in all, he’s fucked, but at least now he can try something different: offer the immunity to somebody. He should have done that in the first place by offering it to the “first one out” of the alliance of 6. (Especially after he won the immunity challenge.) So say to Bruce: “You’re getting kicked out first, second at the latest, after us LaMina schmoes get Pagonged. Switch to us now and I’ll give you the hidden immunity. That guarantees you make it to the final 5, and if you win one of two immunities that will guarantee you make it to final four. Don’t take th deal and you’re likely out with 6 remaining.”
Because it’s a completely different situation. When the numbers were 6-4, Terry could offer nothing better than to say to the Casayas, “You’re in a winning alliance now. But join us and you’ll be part of an alliance that might win in a tie-breaker.” But if the numbers were 5-4, Terry could have said to any of the Casayas, “You’re in a 5-4 alliance now. And if you join us, you’ll still be in a 5-4 alliance, just a different one. So if you join us you’ll be just as well off as you are now except you won’t have to hang around with those people you hate.”
Are you sure about this? Because I have the distinct opposite impression, and in discussions here and elsewhere no one else has ever suggested the Hidden immunity idol can be used that way.
Here’s my understanding:
Individual Immunity, the one won at the contest: the winner can give that away to any other player at any time BEFORE the voting starts.
Hidden Immunity Idol: the finder is free to reveal that he has it or hide it. He can also give it away at any time BEFORE the voting starts.
Jeff has repeatedly said, prior to the voting, that if you have the Hidden Idol and need to use it, you can reveal you have it after the vote. I think it was pretty clear that it goes: Jeff reveals you have been voted out. You whip out the Hidden Immunity Idol. The person with the second highest number of votes goes instead.
I cannot recall ANY hint that the owner of the Hidden idol can use it to save any other person once the voting starts.
After Nick got voted out this week, Jeff asked him if anyone had given him immunity, and if not, he was gone. Pretty sure, then, Terry could have pulled it out and handed it over at that point, if he wanted.
“Nick, you have not been to Exile Island, so unless somebody has given you the immunity idol, you need to bring me your torch.” (Emphasis mine.)
For what it’s worth, my impression matches StarvingButStrong; the idol would have had to have changed hands before the vote (possibly even before tribal council entirely). I think Jeff is using past tense there very deliberately; I don’t think Terry could have volunteered to save Nick at that point.
I think that Terry should have given Nick the immunity necklace at tribal council. Worst case, they vote for Terry, and he pulls out the idol and Shane goes home. Best case, half of them think “No way he gives away the immunity necklace unless he found the hidden idol” and vote for Austin, but half of them vote for Terry anyways, Shane goes home and the idol doesn’t even have to be used. Without any way to confer, they might not have coordinated their strategy. Unless Probst would have asked the wrong questions and given away the strategy, I guess.
So what was the “Emerging Plan”? Terry’s ham-handed attempt to make the two least of a 6-4 alliance switch sides to become the two least of a 6-4 alliance?
