Down to the Fiji Final Five
Survivor: Fiji – Down to the Fiji Final Five’s Flakiness, Foolishness, and Friggin’ Brilliance by Ken Kellam III -- 05/11/2007 Now that the game is down to five, it’s time to ask a few questions about what we might see on Sunday, and the myriad of events that transpired on the last Thursday episode of the season. Every season, it seems, we see something we haven’t seen before, and this season was no exception. I’m not just talking about how the producers change the game up a little each time. Those changes are obviously planned. I’m talking about the things the players do that the producers could not possibly foresee. This brings us to our first question: Has using the car as a bargaining chip always been an option, or was that a new rule added in this season? And if so, why is Yau-Man the first person to try it? You’d think that some time previously, someone who won the car would be desperate enough to make a deal, as Yau-Man did. Having said that, did Yau-Man make the right decision, or did Dreamz just play him for a complete fool? That question will be answered Sunday night, but it brings up another question: Did Yau-Man make the gutsiest move in Survivor history? If it wasn’t, I’d say it was certainly up there, maybe along with Cirie’s Reality TV Hall of Fame triple-play move a season or so back. It was definitely risky, because despite what Dreamz says about sticking to his word, he’s way too flaky for me to take anything he says at face value. However, not making a move might have been just as risky, because Yau-Man obviously knows he’s in trouble, so at least he’s willing to be proactive. What can we make of his decision to send himself to Exile Island? At first, I thought he did it just to get clues to the other immunity idol’s whereabouts. However, he already had an idol, and it would’ve made more sense to send Earl, since Earl didn’t have one. That’s why I believe him when he says he sent himself there because Earl had been one too many times and Cassandra probably couldn’t survive there. Of course, when he announced the decision, I thought back to my colleague Heathyr nominating herself for an M.I.A. (Missing Intelligence Award), and then turning around and refusing it, or Sherman Klump and Buddy Love fighting each other in The Nutty Professor, when both men were inside the body of Eddie Murphy. Too bad we couldn’t see Yau-Man give himself a dirty look for sending himself back to Exile Island. Let’s ask this question regarding the game’s oldest, and possibly most charismatic, player: What are his chances of winning? Due to the charisma factor, he’s obviously a target, but he has already shown that age is no barrier when it comes to challenges. One way or another, I think he’ll be in the final three, and then he may prove himself as unbeatable in final Tribal Council as he has been in challenges. Now let’s take a look at Boo, who avoided the Tribal Council firing squad for a second straight week. Given his size, I thought he might have trouble with the balance beam, but he showed himself to be as well balanced as anybody left in the game. He also showed a sneaky and strategic side, with the path he built near the well. But here’s my question: Has it occurred to him that if he’s spying on someone, they still might be able to hear him coming, no matter how quiet he tries to be? And even if he does manage to remain hidden, will he able to get close enough to hear what the others are saying? Remember that Alex and Mookie realized the two ladies were nearby, listening in, but didn’t know that they couldn’t make out anything they heard. What are his chances of winning the million? Well, he’s obviously been a target the last couple of weeks, but even if he keeps winning immunities, I’m not sure the jury likes him enough to award him the million, and I really can’t see him being suave when it comes time to answer a few questions. What about Earl? I think his presence in the final three is all but a given, especially since he now has an immunity idol, but how will he do in front of the jury? I think he’ll win against anybody except Yau-Man, because even though Earl has been perhaps the best strategist of the bunch (hence the name Earlliance), I’m not sure the others realize how much control he has had over the game, so he’ll have to plead his case a la Perry Mason. What about Dreamz? Was he smart to try and get rid of Yau-Man now? I’d say so, because there’s no way he could beat him; unfortunately, like most of his other plans, this one didn’t work out too well, but not due to any fault of his own. Now, what are his chances of winning the million? Frankly, I don’t see him beating Yau-Man or Earl, or maybe even Cassandra. He’s burned too many bridges with his constant flip-flopping. Speaking of Cassandra, how will she fare in the end? I can see her possibly making it to final Tribal Council along with Yau-Man and Earl, but at that point, she’ll probably be the player who gets zero votes in final, not because she’s unlikable, but because she simply isn’t as deserving as the other two. Finally, let’s look at Stacy. Did she just shoot herself in the foot something terrible, or was it all editing? Yau-Man was all but gone, as Earl had convinced him he was safe, and therefore he was not likely to use the idol. Yet Stacy made possibly one of the worst blunders in Tribal Council history by telling Jeff Probst the vote would be split, with lines being drawn. Unless the editors were playing a trick on us, that comment signaled to Yau-Man he was in deep trouble, judging by the look on his face. Then, at the last minute, he utilized the immunity idol and once again saved himself. I don’t think Stacy would’ve won the game, and probably wouldn’t have even made the final three, except maybe as fodder for someone else to go against. But she might’ve placed just a little bit higher if she’d kept her mouth shut. In her closing comments, she stated that she’d gambled that Yau-Man wouldn’t use the idol, and she’d lost. No, a gamble is when you have something to lose. Stacy really didn’t gamble until she made her comment to Jeff Probst. She was gambling, unnecessarily, that Yau-Man wouldn’t be able to put two and two together; that’s a gamble she was sure to lose, given how smartly Yau-Man has played most of the game. Finally, was Yau-Man’s decision to award the car to Dreamz a subtle attempt to avoid the “car curse”? Honestly, I doubt that even crossed his mind, but it’s certainly fun to speculate. And if you were Stacy and Boo, how comfortable would you be getting in a vehicle with Dreamz as the driver, especially with that huge load, knowing he didn’t have a license? Granted he wasn’t going to run into any sort of Fijiian gridlock, but still. And yes, I realize that just because he doesn’t have a license doesn’t mean he doesn’t know how to drive, but you can’t help but wonder.
Survivor: Fiji – Down to the Fiji Final Five’s Flakiness, Foolishness, and Friggin’ Brilliance by Ken Kellam III -- 05/11/2007 Now that the game is down to five, it’s time to ask a few questions about what we might see on Sunday, and the myriad of events that transpired on the last Thursday episode of the season. Every season, it seems, we see something we haven’t seen before, and this season was no exception. I’m not just talking about how the producers change the game up a little each time. Those changes are obviously planned. I’m talking about the things the players do that the producers could not possibly foresee. This brings us to our first question: Has using the car as a bargaining chip always been an option, or was that a new rule added in this season? And if so, why is Yau-Man the first person to try it? You’d think that some time previously, someone who won the car would be desperate enough to make a deal, as Yau-Man did. Having said that, did Yau-Man make the right decision, or did Dreamz just play him for a complete fool? That question will be answered Sunday night, but it brings up another question: Did Yau-Man make the gutsiest move in Survivor history? If it wasn’t, I’d say it was certainly up there, maybe along with Cirie’s Reality TV Hall of Fame triple-play move a season or so back. It was definitely risky, because despite what Dreamz says about sticking to his word, he’s way too flaky for me to take anything he says at face value. However, not making a move might have been just as risky, because Yau-Man obviously knows he’s in trouble, so at least he’s willing to be proactive. What can we make of his decision to send himself to Exile Island? At first, I thought he did it just to get clues to the other immunity idol’s whereabouts. However, he already had an idol, and it would’ve made more sense to send Earl, since Earl didn’t have one. That’s why I believe him when he says he sent himself there because Earl had been one too many times and Cassandra probably couldn’t survive there. Of course, when he announced the decision, I thought back to my colleague Heathyr nominating herself for an M.I.A. (Missing Intelligence Award), and then turning around and refusing it, or Sherman Klump and Buddy Love fighting each other in The Nutty Professor, when both men were inside the body of Eddie Murphy. Too bad we couldn’t see Yau-Man give himself a dirty look for sending himself back to Exile Island. Let’s ask this question regarding the game’s oldest, and possibly most charismatic, player: What are his chances of winning? Due to the charisma factor, he’s obviously a target, but he has already shown that age is no barrier when it comes to challenges. One way or another, I think he’ll be in the final three, and then he may prove himself as unbeatable in final Tribal Council as he has been in challenges. Now let’s take a look at Boo, who avoided the Tribal Council firing squad for a second straight week. Given his size, I thought he might have trouble with the balance beam, but he showed himself to be as well balanced as anybody left in the game. He also showed a sneaky and strategic side, with the path he built near the well. But here’s my question: Has it occurred to him that if he’s spying on someone, they still might be able to hear him coming, no matter how quiet he tries to be? And even if he does manage to remain hidden, will he able to get close enough to hear what the others are saying? Remember that Alex and Mookie realized the two ladies were nearby, listening in, but didn’t know that they couldn’t make out anything they heard. What are his chances of winning the million? Well, he’s obviously been a target the last couple of weeks, but even if he keeps winning immunities, I’m not sure the jury likes him enough to award him the million, and I really can’t see him being suave when it comes time to answer a few questions. What about Earl? I think his presence in the final three is all but a given, especially since he now has an immunity idol, but how will he do in front of the jury? I think he’ll win against anybody except Yau-Man, because even though Earl has been perhaps the best strategist of the bunch (hence the name Earlliance), I’m not sure the others realize how much control he has had over the game, so he’ll have to plead his case a la Perry Mason. What about Dreamz? Was he smart to try and get rid of Yau-Man now? I’d say so, because there’s no way he could beat him; unfortunately, like most of his other plans, this one didn’t work out too well, but not due to any fault of his own. Now, what are his chances of winning the million? Frankly, I don’t see him beating Yau-Man or Earl, or maybe even Cassandra. He’s burned too many bridges with his constant flip-flopping. Speaking of Cassandra, how will she fare in the end? I can see her possibly making it to final Tribal Council along with Yau-Man and Earl, but at that point, she’ll probably be the player who gets zero votes in final, not because she’s unlikable, but because she simply isn’t as deserving as the other two. Finally, let’s look at Stacy. Did she just shoot herself in the foot something terrible, or was it all editing? Yau-Man was all but gone, as Earl had convinced him he was safe, and therefore he was not likely to use the idol. Yet Stacy made possibly one of the worst blunders in Tribal Council history by telling Jeff Probst the vote would be split, with lines being drawn. Unless the editors were playing a trick on us, that comment signaled to Yau-Man he was in deep trouble, judging by the look on his face. Then, at the last minute, he utilized the immunity idol and once again saved himself. I don’t think Stacy would’ve won the game, and probably wouldn’t have even made the final three, except maybe as fodder for someone else to go against. But she might’ve placed just a little bit higher if she’d kept her mouth shut. In her closing comments, she stated that she’d gambled that Yau-Man wouldn’t use the idol, and she’d lost. No, a gamble is when you have something to lose. Stacy really didn’t gamble until she made her comment to Jeff Probst. She was gambling, unnecessarily, that Yau-Man wouldn’t be able to put two and two together; that’s a gamble she was sure to lose, given how smartly Yau-Man has played most of the game. Finally, was Yau-Man’s decision to award the car to Dreamz a subtle attempt to avoid the “car curse”? Honestly, I doubt that even crossed his mind, but it’s certainly fun to speculate. And if you were Stacy and Boo, how comfortable would you be getting in a vehicle with Dreamz as the driver, especially with that huge load, knowing he didn’t have a license? Granted he wasn’t going to run into any sort of Fijiian gridlock, but still. And yes, I realize that just because he doesn’t have a license doesn’t mean he doesn’t know how to drive, but you can’t help but wonder.