Survivor 33.7 “I Will Destroy You”

Nooooooooooooo!  Not Michaela!

Seriously, Michaela’s been one of my favorite players since this season started.  She was a strong competitor.  She spoke her mind.  She was often very funny and, more often that not, I found myself agreeing with her thoughts on the other castaways.

But, I have to be honest — there’s a part of me that knew she’d eventually be blindsided,  You can’t be too strong in Survivor.  This is a game that rewards those who fly under the radar.  Michaela was emerging as a threat to win the game so I knew that she would probably eventually be blind-sided.

At the same time, Jay may have made a huge mistake by blind-siding her pre-merge.  With Figgy having been voted out last week and the merge coming up next week, the Millennials now only have a one-vote advantage.  There will be 7 Millennials and 6 Gen Xers on the tribe.  Jay and Will not only blindsided Michaela but they also blind-sided Hannah by not letting her know what was going to happen.  Considering how flaky Hannah appears to be, it’s not difficult to imagine her flipping sides.  For that matter, Adam has shown a willingness to flip.  Zeke is close to David.  Taylor is so angry with Adam that he was willing to work with Ken and Jessica to get him out.

The Millennials will be going into the merge with more players but their tribe appears to be a lot more fractured than Generation X’s.

With the merge approaching and the game nearly halfway over, here’s my thoughts on the remaining castaways:

Generation X:

Sunday — Sunday still seems kind of lost but, at the same time, I don’t think anyone views her as a threat.  Sunday could get a lot further in this game than anyone’s expecting,

Chris — Chris is a really strong competitor, which is going to put a huge target on him after the merge.  If the Millennials don’t fall apart and concentrate on picking off the remaining Gen X players, Chris will probably be one of the first voted out.

Bret — I will never understand why, exactly, Bret is pretending to be a funeral director.  He’s the most obvious cop that I’ve ever seen.  Bret is hard to read as a player.  He seems like he should be strong in challenges but he’s really not.  He seems like he would be a hard worker around camp but he really isn’t.  He’s certainly not a strategic genius but he’s made it to the merge without making any serious enemies.

Jessica — When this season started, I thought jessica would be a power player but she’s kinda faded into the background.  That may be strategy on her part.  Jessica’s not dumb and she might understand the importance of not standing out.  Let’s not forget that Jessica still has that advantage that will be revealed later in the game.  I still think Jessica is a dark horse to win.

Ken — I like Ken but he’s too strong a competitor.  Everyone’s going to be coming after him after the merge.

David — DAVID!  Somehow, the bizarre and unpredictable saga of David continues.  By all logic, Dave should have been voted out a long time ago but he’s survived.  And he’s got an immunity idol!  I won’t even try to guess what’s going to happen with Dave.

Millennials

Adam — Adam has an immunity idol and he might need it because he’s basically managed to tick off Taylor, Jay, and Michelle by voting off Figgy.  Adam has to decide whether to try to repair things with the Millennials or to go over to the Gen X side.  Adam’s problem right now is that he’s shown himself willing to betray his alliance so nobody has any reason to trust him.

Michelle — Poor Michelle!  I felt for her yesterday, when she was having to deal with the grossness of being the only girl on the Vanua Tribe.  I imagine Michelle will stay loyal to Taylor and Jay after the merge, despite the fact that every other member of the Millennial Tribe seems to be on the verge of turning against them.   If the Millennials stay united, Michelle will be okay.  If the Millennials fall apart, she could find herself isolated.

Hannah — Hannah sure was shocked when Michaela was voted out!  Will Hannah seek revenge on Jay or will she just accept it as gameplay?  To be honest, Hannah will probably do whatever the last person she talks to suggests.

Zeke — Zeke remains a big question mark.  He’s said that he’s not comfortable with the other Millennials.  He’s also bonded with both Chris and Dave.  If a Millennial is going to flip, I think it’ll be Zeke.

Jay — Jay made a big move by getting out Michaela and his smirk at Tribal Council will go down in history as a great Survivor moment.  However, if you follow the clues of how each show is edited, it appears that Jay is being set up for a big fall.  Jay’s arrogant and he’s managed to alienate both Millennials and Gen X’ers.  Jay has an immunity idol but I can easily imagine him being sent to the Ponderosa with that idol still in his pocket.

Taylor — Amazingly, once Figgy was gone, Taylor suddenly became a lot more tolerable.  Last night, I actually found myself liking Taylor.  That said, I still have my doubts about whether or not he’s smart enough to make it to the end.  If he wins, it’ll be like that season when Fabio somehow won.

Will — They desperately need to do a reward challenge where the winner gets to take a shower because Will’s hair is looking seriously filthy.  As much attention as Will got for being the first high school student to appear on Survivor, he really hasn’t made much of an impression.  He pretty much does whatever he’s told to do and I imagine that’s what he will continue to do.

The merge is next week!  We’ll see what happens!

Lisa Marie