It’s been a long, long road but we are here. Welcome to the final update of the season! Let’s
start off by looking at everyone’s final rosters:
|
Scott |
Rizo |
|
Jay |
Rizo |
|
Carol |
Savannah |
|
Roberta |
Sophi |
|
Iyasah |
Rizo |
|
Dalphyne |
Rizo |
|
Ricky |
Sophi |
|
Marissa |
Savannah |
|
Brian |
Savannah |
|
Kristyn |
Rizo |
|
Gloria |
Savannah |
Rizo was chosen 5 times, edging out Savannah’s
four. Only Roberta and Ricky had faith
in Sophi. No one believed in Sage or
Kristina.
Second, 5 points each to Carol and Iyasah for knowing that “When it comes crashing down and it hurts inside” hits, the person coming out from behind the curtain is Hulk Hogan!
On
to the final update of the season!
At Camp
The
Final Five of Kristina, Sage, Savannah, Rizo and Sophi return to camp after
sending Steven to jury, which makes Sage feel bad for feeling good. Rizo thinks he set a Survivor record for
having an Idol that everyone knew about for *9* tribal councils and never
having to play it. That story would kill in front of the jury. Soph feels like an idiot for misplaying her
Knowledge Is Power and not stealing the idol, and I get that. It’s the kind of
move great players make, and she’s not one.
A
boat arrives bearing tables and a note.
There are puzzle pieces in the jungle. They must collect them and solve
them on the puzzle board to reveal an Immunity advantage location, then race to
find it. Go!
Savannah is still in the best cardio shape and quickly outpaces the other four. She’s got the puzzle solved well before anyone else, but she takes off leaving the solution in place and everyone cheats off her. Big mistake!
Savannah
finds the location and digs fruitlessly, watching her lead evaporate. Rizo
shows up. Then Sophi. Then Sage. Finally Sophi thinks to look up instead of
down, sees the advantage in a tree and knocks it down with a stick! (7
points for “Obtain A Secret Advantage” [Sophi] to Roberta and Ricky!). This
being the finale, scheming doesn’t get much screen time and we head straight
to…
Immunity & Reward Challenge
The
reward today? Steak and potatoes at the Sanctuary! Oh, and immunity and a guaranteed spot in the
Final Four. Worth playing for? You
betcha, Uncle J.
Author’s
Note: I hate them calling Jeff “Uncle
J”.
In
this lengthy challenge, they have to crawl through a muddy pit, then find a
grappling hook they’ll use to drop a ladder. Then climb the ladder into a
crow’s nest, drop a rope from there and use it to pull themselves along a path
while atop a barrel. At the end of that
path is a ladder with a puzzle piece bag on it. They have to maneuver
themselves and the pieces up the ladder and solve the puzzle. First person wins
immunity. I’m tired just typing this.
Sophi’s
advantage is that her puzzle pieces start halfway up the ladder. Not much of a reward, IMO.
Savannah, naturally, is first out of the mud and unnaturally, Kristina is second.
Author’s 2nd note: I had so
much trouble believing Kristina was 2nd here that I went back and
rewatched it. She really was!
Anyway,
Kristina somehow gets to the bag first
and I’m wondering if we’re going to see an upset for the ages here. Sophi
really struggled in the mud, and she finally exits as Rizo drops his ladder
first, taking the lead away from Kristina.
Savannah also passes Kristina and all is right with the universe again.
Savannah
and Rizo are even on the barrel, but Rizo is the first to the puzzle. “This is
where the challenge will be won or lost”, says Jeff. We know. It’s the last
stage. That’s how it works.
Sage
and Sophi both pass Kristina, but by the time they get there Savannah’s taken a
commanding lead in the puzzle. I thought
it’d take a while, but she makes short work of it, winning both Immunity and
Reward! (16 points for “Win Individual Immunity” and “Win Individual
Reward” [Savannah] to Carol, Marissa, Brian and Gloria!).
She’s
now tied for the most individual immunity wins by a woman ever. That doesn’t
make her less villainous. They’ve been
adversaries the entire game, but Savannah chooses Sage to enjoy steak at the
Sanctuary. (3 points for “Chosen To Go On Reward By Someone Else” [Sage] to
no one!).
At The Sanctuary
Sage
enjoys some humble pie with her steak, admitting they’ve become friends (1
point for “Mention ‘in this game’” [Sage] to no one!). Making her case to
be kept over Kristina, Sage hammers how much better at Fire Kristina is than
everyone remaining. “Enjoy your last
meal on the island”, the Quotable Carol says but Savannah says she wants to
sit next to the best players, and that doesn’t include Kristina. Villain, she
is but on that we agree.
Back At Camp
Savannah
and Rizo have their first lovers spat, as Rizo wants Sage out, but Savannah’s
dead set on Kristina. Rizo worries about beating Sage in the jury but come
on…neither of them is out-talking him.
Sophi is in the middle, waiting to see where things land.
Sage
tries to convince Sophi to keep her, but the conversation has the opposite
effect - Sophi now feels more inclined to vote out Sage, who she sees as too
strategic to keep around. When pressed, she tells Rizo her vote is a game-time
decision. (1 point for “Mention ‘in this game’” [Rizo] to Scott, Jay,
Iyasah, Dalphyne, and Kristyn!)
Tribal Council #1
Kristina
and Sage trade barbs about why the other should be voted out. When Kristina
calls out Sage’s great social game, her eyes roll so hard I can hear it from
here. Sage considers herself an expendable outcast, and she’s dejected that she
voted out Steven, the one person who understood her. Kristina downplays it,
saying she’s not expendable at all. Sophi and Rizo think both of them did a
good job making their case but since none of the other three consulted each
other before the vote, I doubt it made much difference.
At
the vote, Sage is chosen to vote first (3 points for “First Person Chosen To
Vote” [Sage] to no one!), and Rizo *FINALLY* plays his idol for
himself (2 points for “Play A Hidden Immunity Idol On Yourself” [Rizo] to
Scott, Jay, Iyasah, Dalphyne, and Kristyn!). Kristina votes for Sage, but
everyone else votes for Kristina and she becomes Juror #7
(1
point for “Received Vote Against” [Sage] to no one!)
(4
points for “Received Vote Against” [Kristina] to no one!)
(-2
points for “The Tribe Has Spoken” [Kristina] to no one!)
(2
points for “Juror #7” [Kristina] to no one!)
Immunity Challenge #2
We
waste no time with camp talk and head straight back to the next immunity
challenge.
In
this challenge, they have to leap off a platform into the ocean and race to
shore. Then, they dig out the sand under a beam and collect two handles and a
ball. They use the two handles to maneuver a 2nd ball through a cage.
When done, they have to assemble a table track and race the balls through it.
First person to land both balls wins their way to the Final Four and has some
decisions to make!
Rizo
makes it to shore first with Savannah right behind, and she passes him under
the log. While they’re all on the ball in the cage, Rizo, Sage and Savannah
make short work of it, but Sophi struggles mightily and sounds like she’s ready
to quit.
It
takes Sophi several frustrating tries to get her 2nd ball, and by
the time she does the others have had amply opportunity to assemble the track,
but none have made progress. Sophi blows
past them on the puzzle, assembling it in a Flash. She quickly lands both balls
and wins her way to the Final Tribal Council!
(8 points for “Win Individual Immunity” [Sophi] to Roberta and Ricky!)
Back At Camp
Now, Sophi has a decision to make. Who will she force to make fire? Who will she keep safe? She tells Sage, Rizo and Savannah she doesn’t want to be bothered with arguments for or against things, and nothing they can say will convince her. While they all acquiesce, Savannah whines about not being allowed to make her case
Slipping
on her Villain garb, Savannah can’t believe Sophi would have the temerity to
consider what’s best for her own game over what’s best for Savannah’s. And
after Savannah took her into their alliance out of the goodness of her heart! She
squirts some crocodile tears (Google it, youngsters) and now, on Day 25, goes
to make fire for the first time.
Sage
is happy they can’t plead their cases, and Rizo tells Sophi that he wants to go
against Savannah because “it guarantees him a spot in the Final 3” and,
unsaid, eliminates his biggest competition to the pot of gold.
Fire Making Challenge
Jeff
wants to know what Sophi felt like having won her way to the Final Tribal
Council. In response, she starts
prepping the jury for her “bottom-to-the-top” story. While Rizo doesn’t want to
be taken to the end, because he hasn’t won anything all season, Savannah would
happily sit out fire-making. In the end,
Sophi chooses to take Sage and forces Savannah and Rizo into fire-making. How
does that feel, Sage? “Crapping my
pants Jeff, honestly”. Never, ever change. Sage.
(5
points for “Chosen To Be In The Final 3” [Sage] to no one!)
(5
points for “Chosen To Make Fire” [Savannah] to Carol, Marissa, Brian and Gloria!)
(5
points for “Chosen to Make Fire” [Rizo] to Scott, Jay, Iyasah, Dalphyne, and
Kristyn!)
Back At Camp
Neither Rizo nor Savannah have experience
making fire, so this is a legitimate coin-toss.
Rizo builds a big base while Savannah quickly goes for a spark. They both get flame, but Rizo’s dies out
while Savannah’s builds. Her flame licks
the rope and when Rizo’s 2nd and 3rd flames die out,
Savannah’s burns through the rope, ending his game and sending her to the Final
3.
(2
points for “Juror #8” [Rizo] to Scott, Jay, Iyasah, Dalphyne, and Kristyn!)
(10
points for “Win The Fire Making Challenge At Final 4” [Savannah] to Carol,
Marissa, Brian and Gloria!)
The jury reviews each of the Final 3 with us as Sage, Savannah and Sophi take some time back at camp to enjoy their final meal. There are no points here so let’s fast forward to…
Final Tribal Council
As
they were all parts of duos or trios, Sophie wants to know how their roles
differed from each other. Sophi saw that while Savannah was the muscle and Rizo
the strategic mind, she acted as the social battery, gathering information to
create the blindsides, which Savannah agrees with. Sage reveals her story about
being in military intelligence, that her emotional play was purposeful and how
she used those skills to identify targets.
Jawan
wants to know their ‘why’ for being on Survivor and whether it should play a
role in his decision. As if he’s not
going to vote for Sage no matter what’s said. Right.
Kristina
goes straight for Savannah, asking her to name a family member or partner of
everyone on the jury and Savannah’s in shock. She can’t do so for
at least half the jury, and the bad look is made worse by Sophi mouthing the
answers to herself while Savannah struggles.
MC
wants to know a time where a strong argument on who to vote out went their way.
Sage’s was Steven, which Kristina confirms. Sophi tells the story of listening
to Alex and Jeremiah’s conversation from the tree and Savannah’s is sending
Kristina to jury because she didn’t want to go against her in fire.
Steven
wants to know if betraying him was worth it? Sage’s answer comes from a
military textbook about adversary identification, but it was strategy and not
personal.
Nate
wants to know about a strategic move they made. Sophi talks about making her
social connections, Savannah recalls her conversation with Yellow Sophie about
working together which got Sophie to share the Sage/Jawan flip information.
In
their final statements, Soph tells her bottom-to-the-top story. Savannah’s prepared
speech strikes me as clear, powerful and unlikable. She comes across as a defensive
try-hard. Finally, the most quotable
player of the season Sage has….almost nothing to say. Well, that was
disappointing.
In
the end, Sage receives one vote, Sophi two and Savannah the other 5 meaning….
(15
points for “3rd place” [Sage] to no one!)
(20
points for “2nd place” [Sophi] to Roberta and Ricky!)
(35
points for “Winner” [Savannah] to Carol, Marissa, Brian and Gloria!)
And in our game…
Savannah’s
win earned her players 67 huge points and resulted in massive movement up and
down the standings. Sophi earned an
excellent 36 points for coming in 2nd, and Sage 28 for coming in 3rd. Rizo’s measly 9 points pale in comparison. With that said, here are the...
Final Standings
Kristyn finishes in 11th place with 110 points!
Dalphyne
finishes in 10th place
with 122 points!
Jay
finishes in 9th place
with 137 points!
Ricky
finishes in 8th place with
148 points!
Roberta
finishes in 7th place with
152 points!
Iyasah
finishes in 6th place with
159 points!
Marissa
finishes in 5th place with
178 points!
Brian
finishes in 4th place with
191 points!
Scott
finishes in 3rd place with
196 points!
Gloria
finishes in 2nd place with
198 points!
Which means our winner, with 239 points is…...
CAROL!
Congratulations to Carol who is now a back-to-back Big Brother and Survivor champion!
I hope you all enjoyed this wacky game. Big things are in store for Survivor 50, coming at the end of February! See you all then!
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