The Super Idol might not be the best twist in Survivor history. It certainly has created quite a shadow over Survivor: Kaoh Rong and added a few new layers to how the game and alliances work. The Super Idol has only just come to light for all the castaways but it is already making big waves, especially when it comes to Tribal Council. The three man alliance of Jason, Tai and Scot threatened to use their two immunity idols at Tribal in week 9. This one threat sent the majority alliance into a tailspin, an incredibly stupid tailspin. The Super Idol wasn’t even played and it might have destroyed the majority (almost) all-female alliance.
Why Would You Ever Vote Out a Number?
There’s no doubt about it — Debbie Wanner was annoying on Survivor: Kaoh Rong. She was confident to a fault, pushy and just plain stubborn. I think any one watching Survivor: Kaoh Rong would understand why Debbie would get annoying and why you’d want to be off an island with her as soon as possible. There is just no logic to the girls alliance deciding to target Debbie at any moment, particularly not when they did and have her voted out.
Survivor: Kaoh Rong Recap: “Operation Sabotage” is in Effect >>>
It’s true that the girls alliance (plus Joe) had their hands tied when it came to voting. A lot of the people in the alliance did not trust Julia and for good reason. Julia had Immunity and wasn’t going anywhere, so they had to focus on someone else. It makes absolutely no sense to pick Debbie as the next target.
Even if Debbie wrongfully trusted Julia and was therefore a liability there were other ways to deal with that problem. The alliance could’ve fed Debbie the wrong information about who they were going to vote for until the last possible moment. This way they ensure that Julia doesn’t know what is going on. They could have proved to Debbie that Julia was up to something. It doesn’t matter if Debbie trusted Julia and didn’t want to vote her out, they didn’t need her vote to get rid of Julia. They only needed four votes when they eventually did have a chance to target Julia. It is moronic to get rid of a number when the alliance is so shaky and newly formed.
Debbie might have been an idiot but she was a useful idiot. Debbie was her own worst enemy and slight wild card but she was loyal. There was never going to be a situation where Debbie willingly betrayed the majority alliance. She was a fool but she was never that big of a fool.
Split the Votes
Granted the Tribal Council of week 8 was a confusing mess. Tai and Jason threw things completely out of wack revealing their hidden immunity idols and saying that they were going to play them. However it shouldn’t have been that big of a deal. The majority alliance had 6 members. Even if one of them was the unreliable Julia, they still have even votes to split things between two members of the three man alliance of Scot, Jason and Tai.
It would have been a gamble and a huge one. There was a very real chance that the majority alliance could have split the votes between the two people and Jason and Tai would use their two Immunity Idols, thereby cancelling the votes out. Even if it is risky move, it is a far smarter move than getting rid of Debbie on their own. The worst case scenario of splitting the votes is that the majority alliance would have lost one member. The best case scenario is that the idols are completely flushed, the super idol is out of play and either the awful Jason or Scot goes home. In reality, the majority alliance lost a member and did it themselves.
Hindsight is 20/20 too but it should have been clear the girls alliance (and Joe) that Jason and Tai were bluffing. It would have been very dumb for the guys to gamble their immunity idols and not take advantage of the Super Idol twist. That move would have been just as moronic as getting rid of Debbie for no other reason than she is annoying.
The girls alliance shouldn’t have gotten so flustered in the face of Jason and Tai’s idols that they threw all logic out the window. Jason and Scot had been bullying the girls alliance all the time in week 9 and they didn’t flinch. Jason and Scot’s gamble at Tribal Council was just another bullying tactic. It’s insane that when it mattered most the girls took the bait.
What Happens Now?
Now that it has been firmly established that the girls screwed up, the fallout is here. It’s true that the majority alliance is still in the majority. Even if Julia switches sides, which is likely, things are at an even 4 to 4 split. (Sidenote: this is another reason why it was stupid to get rid of Debbie.) In this way not all hope is lost, the play field is just evened out. The Super Idol is still on the minority alliance’s side and just waiting to get used.
Aubry’s new plan to sway Tai to her side is a smart one. If it works it could make up for her headlining the idiotic, “Get rid of Debbie” plan. The girls alliance should target Tai because he doesn’t belong with Jason or Scot. The only reason he really had to align himself with those two was because of the Super Idol. Now Tai is full possession of both parts of the Idol. It is in his best interest to switch because he has the most control. Tai is the most powerful person in Survivor: Kaoh Rong now he just has to recognize it.
Tai has exhibited in his interactions with Scot and Jason is highly malleable. He is not an idiot but he caves pretty easily to social pressures. No matter how moronic the path was to get there, Tai having the Super Idol could change everything. If Aubry can convince Tai that Jason and Scot are despicable, the girls might have shot at maintaining their control. It shouldn’t be that hard to make that argument either because Scot and Jason are terribly petty human beings and Tai has seen it himself.
Quiz: Which Reality Show Should You Compete On?>>>
If Aubry doesn’t convince Tai though, things do not look good for the majority alliance. They will be down a number after losing Debbie. The Super Idol is in the enemy, Tai’s, hands. Scot and Jason will take their small victory at Tribal Council as a huge triumph and become even more insufferable. Debbie’s elimination could be the first domino in the stack that sends the majority alliance towards destruction.
But what do you think? Did the majority alliance just doom themselves? Do you see the point of voting out Debbie? Do you think Aubry can sway Tai? Do you want Aubry to convince Tai to leave Scot and Jason?
Survivor: Kaoh Rong airs Wednesdays at 8pm on CBS.
(Images courtesy of CBS)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
Derek is a Philadelphia based writer and unabashed TV and comic book junkie. The time he doesn’t spend over analyzing all things nerdy he is working on his resume to be the liaison to the Justice League.
