In a little over 24 hours Survivor: South Pacific will be over. The drama will commence and it will all be said and done. Predictions will hold true or be proved false. One person will be crowned the sole survivor. With that said; who do i believe deserves the title of Sole Survivor and Player of the Season?

                                  Coach Wade

What makes a good player? A lot of things. I think alot of what we have to look at is how that player played for themselves. Coach is the prime example of what the Player of the Season should be.

Many people in the fan community frown upon returnees because of their assumed advantage. But for Coach his journey was different. he had to fight for his right from the get go. He didn’t have a bunch of mindless idiots on his tribe who were just ready to let him take it to the end. Coach’s welcome wasnt a positive one at first. He was called out on the spot. He lost the first challenge for them. And even Rick professed his distaste for the Dragon Slayer even before he entered the game. The perception of Coach was something he had to work against to be successful. And he did. He changed the perception of him. In a matter of days he switched his seemingly dire situation into a power position with nearly everyone on his side. His strategy mirror that of BRob last season but frankly i think it is better. I say it is better because it is not as obvious and abrasive. Coach finessed his way into alliances with every person on the 6 person group without alienating them in the process. Therefore he was important to every person in the game. Genius strategy and undeniably amazing social game.

To me the most important thing when we look at returning players is their growth. Have they learned from their past seasons and can they improve? Coach has. He has grown and learned more than any other returning player. Coach his first two seasons was a character. This season he is the definition of a player. A good one at that. He knew what went wrong the last two times and what needed to be fixed. He put together a perfect mix of all his attributes. Combining and adding to his last two performances. For someone who was portrayed as a Dragon Slayer that people never took seriously to turning into a legitamate force in the strategic and social aspects of the game is spectacular. He should be rewarded for it. He has shown what i want to see in returnees. The same can’t be said for Ozzy who just stuck to the same old tune. Coach played the game. And he played it better than anyone out there this season. A deserving Player of the Season and hopefully a very deserving Sole Survivor. Jeff Probst agrees.

“My vote would go to Coach”

-Jeff Probst- Insider TV

Everyone should go vote for Coach until it blocks you from doing so. Give him the recognition and acceptance he deserves after three seasons. You should vote both of these ways:

• Text the number 4 to 99888 as many times as you can
• And go to this link and vote for Coach http://www.cbs.com/shows/survivor/player_of_the_week/post

Also spread the word to vote for Coach by using #CoachFF on twitter and directing people to vote for him!

Its here ladies and gentlemen. Its time for finale week. To be perfectly honest it has flown by. It surely doesn’t seem like the season should be this close to ending. Personally i would love for it to stretch out a bit. I suppose we can now all get closure as to who will win this season of Survivor. And for me the question of the season will be the following…. Will honor + integrity = victory?

Over the three season arch of Coach Wade we have had this mantra shoved down our throats. Constantly. Anyone and everyone who has watched Survivor somewhat religiously MUST know this phrase. Never before have we been placed in a position to really ask the question whether it will really work. Can Coach’s theory of iron sharpens iron bring him to the elusive title of Sole Survivor? I’m still not quite sure. I now have faith that Coach has the guns to take the victory. But the last couple weeks can do nothing but put doubt in my mind. Do i believe he deserves the title? YES. No doubt in my mind. He has grown beyond belief and has had to overcome so much to place himself in such a spectacular position. Nearly perfecting the social game that his foes like Russell Hantz can’t dream of doing. His performance overall should be rewarded. The word Survivor is perfect for what he has had to do this season from the get go. But will he end up being rewarded for his game?

Will keeping this prayer circle together pay off?

I have had full confidence in every move made by Coach. Until the last two votes as i stated last week. In two tribal councils Coach has taken out the two biggest goats that he should have taken to the end. My assumption was that Coach, showing such growth in the game player area, would smarten up and go with the goat. But sadly my assumption was wrong. Why did he go with iron sharpens iron instead of the easy route? The simple answer is that that is just Coach. His Survivor style and his life motto is the same really. We can’t really expect him to change it. Its more than a strategy. It’s his philosophy. I can’t help but think he feels so comfortable either way he goes that he would rather keep his philosophy intact. I hope his comfort is proven true.

His sacrifice is commendable. He clearly went with the tougher option as of now and has stuck to what he said he would do since Tocantins. Bring the strong to the end. Right now it is lining up to be a final 3 comprised of Coach, Albert, Sophie. With the outside chance of Brandon ending up there. Now my personal hope is that we will have a miracle and Edna will win the RI duels. Albert will get ousted by a competitive Sophie and an easily swayed Rick along with Coach just looking nice beside them. Then we have a Sophie mess up in an immunity after she blindsided he final 2 partner which sends her home. Which would most likely leave us with a Brandon, Edna, Coach final 3. Unanimous vote maybe? Maybe a few thrown in there for Edna because she beat Ozzy and what not. I realize this is not all that likely but a guy can dream can’t he? 

If Coach ends up in the final 3 with Albert and Sophie then we have a few options. I am worried for Coach. He will however finally get to make the argument he has yearned for at final tribal since he first played. We have had the narrative of good will prevail. That honor and integrity will lead to victory. I however am worried the second best will win. That person being Sophie. She has played a decent game but is so clearly 2nd to Coach’s game play. As a returnee Coach may not be able to survive that stigma when he goes against decent opponents. He needs goats to assure his victory. I don’t believe Coach doesn’t have a chance though. We may find ourselves with one of the first real 3 way splits in final tribal. It is much like elections to political offices. You have the Republican and Democrat nominees. Then you have the disgruntled loser of the primary *cough* Ron Paul *cough* that decides they don’t like the nominee so they run as a third party or a write in. Which inevitably gives us a third option. And a viable third option. So then you have one parties supporters splitting their votes onto their nominee and some onto the third party yahoo (i mean most of the time that term is appropriate). Which in turn makes the end result be that the party that was not split will win. This is my hope for Coach in Survivor. He is the solid party. You either vote for him as the returnee or you vote for the other side. They buy what he is selling or they dont. The split would be with Sophie and Albert. With Sophie of course being the presumed nominee. Albert may steal a vote or two for support from her thus giving the victory to Coach. I guess the less politically knowledgeable people may not understand but it does fit quite well. So Coach could very win without having a real majority of the 9 jurors. We could have a winner with less than half of the votes. This is how i see it going down if Sophie doesn’t end up winning. Please and thank you.

If you don’t know who these people are then you probably didn’t understand that whole last paragraph much… or at least don’t care.

We wont have to wait long to see if this happens. In mere days we will see who is crowned sole survivor. Who will return from RI? Who cares. I believe it will be non-consequential. If it is Ozzy and he happens to get to the end then can he win? Sadly yes… but i prefer not to dwell on that sickening option. I will be back with a fan favorite blog on Thursday or Friday before the Sunday night finale. Until then i’ll be crossing my fingers!

p.s…. i hope this splitting of the votes doesn’t occur in our presidential elections next year. So Trump and Paul please just stay out of it! 

p.p.s… Get on the Coach bandwagon and realize true transformation by joining this official coach fan page on FaceBook. http://www.facebook.com/groups/officialbenjamincoachwadegroup/

Some would say all good things must come to an end. This may even be the case when it comes to Survivor. The characters we grow to love, the alliances we root for, the seasons we watch, and one day the show itself. This season soon will come to an end and it sure has been a good one. But on this past episode we had a couple things come to an end. As a super fan i can’t help but enjoy Cochran’s enthusiasm for the game and everything it is. He is what we Survivor nerds wish we could be- well hopefully for us future Cochran’s it will go a lot better than it did for him. The happy little family that was called Upolu will now have to end itself. What have these new set of circumstances brought us viewers? What do we have to look forward to? And most importantly what does this mean for the players themselves?

The Survivor fan community has been bursting at its seams over the past couple weeks with talk of Cochran’s move. Was it good or was it bad? It all culminated in this last episode. Cochran gets snuffed just like many thought would happen. But was this really a bad move? I don’t see it that way. You may through out jargon like “the ends didn’t justify the means” ans what not. But in Cochran’s mind the move he made did nothing but help him. It really makes since. He actually enjoyed his last days. REALLY ENJOYED. He got what he wanted out of the move. From what he was informed of he was 6th with an alliance that he didn’t feel in tune with. Sure that wasn’t quite reality since they all wanted him as a goat but they didn’t let on to that fact to him. So Cochran lands in 7th place how he wanted to. As we saw from episode 1- his agenda was to make an impression on the show that raised him. That he devoted his life into. It can’t be denied that Cochran did make an impression and a BIG one. He will always be remembered for his move. Good or bad. I think Charlie Sheen would call that winning in this case.

“There is a tide that comes in the lives of men, that when taken, leads to great fortune, but when omitted, all the rest of their lives are bound to shadows and misery.”

This was a quote from Coach this episode. Many probably wrote it off as goofy Dragon Slayer quotes but i think it was genius placing by the editors. It really was the story of the move. . To be with Cochran or not to be with Cochran. That is the question Coach had to ask himself. This quote is of course from the play Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare. Act 4, scene 3, lines 218–224 to be exact. This really shows Coach’s deep analytically centered mind when it comes to the strategy he takes. Also proves his philosophical air we see time and time again. To refresh your memory; Coach was referring to the move of who to take out at tribal council. Does he take the tide to go with Cochran as a major goat to the finals or does he let it pass by, or be omitted to adhere the quote he retorted. Did he wrongly let the tide pass and will the rest of his life (game) be bound to shadows and misery (losing)?

Did you let the right tide pass?

At this point it is a tough one to call. Up to this point i have been in 100% agreement with the moves Coach has made. But this time i have a hard time doing the same. I believe Coach did what the quote insists. I think this was the tide he should have taken. And on that tide was his lock on the million dollars. Now i am not saying he will not win. But he surely made it a lot harder on himself by making the move he made. He should have taken out Rick. In all actuality i believe he should have taken out Albert but sadly he won immunity. Rick was the logical second best option for Coach. Rick may be “loyal” but he is loyal to the 5. If he believes he has a better chance or got a better argument from the Sophie and Albert duo then he would surely go. The decision to take out Cochran instead of an Upolu has set in place the final 3. Yes it still contains Coach who is the constant in all final 3’s with the information we have been given. But he has made the road to the million dollars and title a lot harder once he gets there. How does he get to the end with any form of goat duo? He doesn’t unless Cochran returns. He no longer has enough numbers to take out the side of Albert and Sophie. Not guaranteed numbers at least. I don’t think this was a fatal mistake made by Coach. He won’t leave anytime soon. You have Edna who is on the outs, Rick who is alienated from Albert, and Branden who is widely known as a parasite. With that line up it seems logical we finally have the iron sharpens iron final 3 Coach has wished for for three seasons. And that is in Albert and Sophie. Can he win? Yes. Will he win against them? Yet another impossible prediction. 

We will see over the coming weeks whether this all hold true. A surprising exit or untimely blowup may cause the tides to shift and we may find ourselves with a different mixture at the final 3 then we had imagined. It’s Survivor so anything is possible. OH and how can we not discuss this before the airing of the next episode.It is going to be Ozzy vs. Cochran. This is surely the duel of the season. Some believe it will be a complete blowout and the humiliation of Cochran will be finished. But wouldn’t it be the best story arc of Survivor history if Cochran did indeed win and eliminate Ozzy? The self proclaimed nerd that was chastised and joked about for his horrible lack of challenge prowess vs. the ego maniac hippie who is known for nothing more than being the best challenge competitor in the history of reality television? That is a cataclysmic pairing. IF Cochran pulls off a win it will be the most humiliating blow to Ozzy and his reputation and it will surely make Cochran the happiest little nerd man on the face of the planet… EVER. That’s what we have to look forward to more than anything this next episode. I can’t wait to see what is on the other side of THIS new tide.

Don’t drop that ball Cochran.

Yet another double tribal on our hands this episode. But the difference between this week and last week is that this one was a TRUE double tribal. This was what I love about double tribals. We see the same amount of strategy. And we also get the added benefit of shock in the eyes of the castaways when they have to vote out another person on the spot. Not to mention having to compete in an impromptu immunity challenge. How could you not prefer this pure format when compared to the ridiculous smashing of 6 days into one episode? I surely know I do.

I have a lot to say about this episode. Most of it centers around the move that in the end was not made. On the Survivor fan groups on FaceBook the move of Albert, Sophie, and Cochran to stay with Coach is being heavily criticized. Many of us fans love to just see big moves. It makes for exciting television, that can not be denied. The phrases “wimping out” or “drinking the Coach kool-aid” are being used over and over again to describe what they did, or rather didn’t do. What was wrong with the move? Nothing I say. Nothing. And that’s just what I want to defend in today’s blog. 

This is the group that they should stay with. Plus Sophie of course.

Albert and Sophie are the keys to this move that is being debated. Of course with Cochran being the added number to pull it off. But my argument is that, for Albert and Sophie, staying with Coach was undeniably their only real option this round. “But they were targeting Edna, not Coach” you say. If you believe that phrase then I’m sorry to say you are quite naive and you don’t understand the game or social dynamics in the least bit. A vote against Edna is a vote against Coach. It’s like a man and his dog (sorry Edna but it just works). You may not harm the man directly but killing his dog is almost as bad if not worse, since they will be alive to stew in their juices of anger towards you. Edna is Coach’s dog. His loyal companion that will be by his side no matter what. If Albert and Sophie had gone against Coach at this moment then they would make an automatic enemy out of him. And with an idol in his pocket no less. This couples with the fact that Jeff told them their would be a twist at tribal, makes going against him a bad move. You don’t try a blindside like this when you don’t even know how it will all go down. Most expected, naturally because of Cochran’s fandom, a double tribal; so to vote a mans best friend out to only leave him with an idol to play at the next vote after he was basically blindsided is just idiotic. 

The next argument for them staying is easy to see. Options. If they vote out Edna they no longer have the option of going to the end with Coach, who once again holds the idol. Why would you risk that option just t get out a lap dog? Even Albert knows that Edna is no threat to win the game. Options are always important in the game of Survivor. Coach realizes that. He has his options. And obviously Sophie and Albert realize they need him as one of theirs. Sure we can say Coach will not go with them to the finals. But that’s what we see. So far Coach has not broken a deal with them. Why would they flip just to go to a final 5 with the most likable person in the game, Dawn, who has won immunity, Whitney, and Cochran who obviously has shown that he doesn’t mind flipping in a heartbeat? That doesn’t sound like a good option. What they did was stay with three Upolu jury goats, Rick, Brandon, and Edna. Not to mention Cochran would be in no position to pull a move since he wouldn’t have enough numbers that way. Looks like a good scenario as opposed to the toss up of the other side. Arguably they should have taken out Coach and his peeps a long time ago. That way they could cement their dominance and lead an alliance. But they didn’t. So tough luck on their part. We also have to remember how utterly transparent Albert has been in his scheming. 

This leads me into a more broad discussion. Not just about this move but about Survivor in general. There are two big phrases that were resonating in my my head after this episode was over. The first primarily pertains to Albert and Cochran. That phrase is that just because you know strategy doesn’t mean you have what it takes to pull it off. Both of those people are prime examples of it. Cochran is a self proclaimed student of the game. He knows all the ins and outs of Survivor. He knows exactly what moves could be made at certain times and how to play it. Albert is a brilliant man. I think he has shown that. He knows what he has to do to win. But the problem is that not everyone can pull it off. Both of them fall in that category. In Cochran’s case it’s his social ineptitude. It doesn’t matter how many master plans you can come up with if people won’t be willing to go with you in carrying out the plan. For Albert its his horribly painful translucent gameplay. It’s worse than Cochran’s skin. While what Albert may want to do is not all that bad, he can’t keep it quite enough to pull it off. We have seen multiple times this season where he wanted to do something but others caught wind and he had to abort his mission. I think all us wannabe castaways can learn from this. Just cause we know the game inside and out doesn’t mean we will succeed if we ever get the chance to try and put it in action.

Sorry Albert… you just can’t pull it off.

The second phrase may tick the viewers and fans off quite a bit. Survivor does NOT reward big moves. We see Cochran, Ozzy, and many others throughout Survivor history saying the opposite of this time and time again. But isn’t that just not true? What are big moves good for? Pretty much nothing. All these “big moves” do is put you on the radar of everyone remaining in the game. It makes yourself an enemy of whoever you did wrong. What Survivor rewards is a series of small moves. Little maneuvers that get you in the best position possible. Look at it this way. You shouldn’t have to make a big move. If you have to make a big move it is because you made a series of little bad ones. I don’t believe I have heard such an incorrect phrase uttered so many times on Survivor. Whenever we catch ourselves saying “Survivor rewards big moves” we need to ask ourselves a couple questions. Why do we need to make a big move? What position are we, or the people we are suggesting make a big move, in? Survivor only needs big moves if we make it necessary to do so. 

Next week we will sadly get a break from Survivor. We will have an episode but nothing new. Well no knew boots at least. What we will have is some bonus content about the events so far and a much needed recap. In honor of the recap episode I will be recapping the season so far through my eyes for the next blog. Should be interesting. And we can only imagine how the weeks following will all play out and who will become the Sole Survivor.

The double boot episode is now in the books. Yes i said BOOT. Now this is a little thing i know but something is getting on my nerves as of late. People in the Survivor fan community are referring to the snuffing of a torch as an eviction. Eviction? Are we in Big Brother? It is a petty and non-consequential difference but yet is still irritating. Survivor and BB may be lumped together but could not be more different. That’s a whole different blog so i won’t delve into it. Either way we had to people get their torches stunned in this episode. I must first say before i get down to anything serious. I HATE DOUBLE BOOT EPISODES. Hate may be a strong word but i can’t stand them. They are placed there to speed up the show and in this case speed up the pagonging of the Savaii members. We don’t get any in depth back stories as to why what happened happened. No real explanation or scrambling can be shown. It appears people lay down and die or nobody really bit at their pleas whatsoever. We get challenge, quick talk, tribal and then challenge, quick talk, tribal. Not my kind of ideal Survivor episode.

With that said we saw some interesting things this episode even with the rushed format. We were not shown much to point to much going forward in the game but we learned a lot about the two tribes once again. Principally the Savaii members. We saw the psychological state of Savaii first and foremost. Prior to this episode we saw a stark difference in all of them compared to now. What is the difference?

Sure it doesn’t make sense but its freaking hilarious

After Cochran’s betrayal they became new people. Well to be perfectly honest i don’t think they changed per-say. They just showed more layers of themselves. The layer they showed was a layer of hypocrisy. And lunacy for one. Both of those wrapped in one. We have ourselves the infamous bitter jury. When they returned to camp we saw the ridiculous insults being thrown at Cochran by Whitney and Jim. The Savaii are classic examples of what i hate with people in Survivor. Once they are not in control they just throw hissy fits and are angry. You know what i say to Jim/Whitney/Ozzy and even Dawn for not going against them? YOU MADE YOUR BEDS SO LAY IN THEM! This is a conclusion that the Savaii members are not willing to accept. They got what they got because of how they behaved to him prior to him going against them. And to call Cochran’s move a betrayal is a misrepresentation. He simply walked out of a group he happened to be standing next to. Dawn should have done the same thing. 

The behavior of the Savaii is very interesting this episode. We saw their attitudes turn upside down. They go from being cocky in their position of what they saw as powerful. Then they all of a sudden have to fight for their lives and act like they are the victims. What Brandon said at tribal council was dead on. They would have done the same thing! They would have voted Upolu out if they could have! But they didn’t succeed so now they cry. Whitney’s claim that they have been vilified is ludicrous. If she or Jim have been vilified it is their own doing. Is Dawn being seen as a villain or a bad guy? No she hasn’t. And she hasn’t because of the actions she made. Whitney and Jim were viewed that way because of actions they made. We must hearken back to the days of Panama: Exile Island and call the WHAMBULLANCE!!!! 

Very close body position. If only it were your beds you were laying in.

The game will very soon begin winding down. With the groundwork laid for the path to victory for someone i want to make some assumptions for how i think it will all play out. First let me say i believe Redemption Island will be non-consequential. The returnee will once again be voted out and/or not win the game. I find one common denominator in the final 3 scenarios. That common denominator is Coach. Whatever the final three is it will more likely than not contain him. I don’t see any Savaii members making it to the finals. An outside chance of Cochran making it is possible but will be brought as the goat to the slaughter. I have to think of how Coach would play it. Who will he essentially pick to go to the end with? He has the power to choose so we have to see what would be his best shot in his eyes. If we look towards that then the only logical final 3 scenario would be Coach, Edna, and Brandon. Coach knows his biggest threat to the title would be the Albert and Sophie duo. If Coach is smart he will realize they are his only formidable challengers and take them out. Which i think he will do sooner rather than later. I have 3 possible 4/5 place scenarios. We may have a Rick and Cochran fill those spaces. With either being able to slide in and out of the final 3 to replace Edna or Brandon. Either one of them would still be good options for Coach who pulls the strings as of now. If we have any of those people in the final 3 then who wins? I think its safe to assume that we have a landslide Coach victory. With Edna universally lacking respect for her tribe mates, Brandon being the go to crazy outburst kid, Rick being the non-existent man that we don’t have to worry about (editors would have played him a bit more if he had indeed won), and Cochran who wont get a vote from either side except maybe Dawn or Brandon if Brandon isn’t there with him. If this all plays out correctly then we have one deserving winner on our hands. Goodbye until next episode where we may see some of this come to fruition.

Go ahead and climb the tree to find the title of Sole Survivor

We just witnessed a landmark Survivor episode conclude. Yup. At least for me it will be one of the best merge episodes of all time. For a number of reasons i must write it down in the history books of Survivor. Never before in a season have i had such a happy feeling through a two episode block. The only two episode block that comes close is when Russell was voted out then in the very next episode cried as he lost his one and only duel. There is a lot to be learned from this episode on how Survivor should and shouldn’t be played. 

In an attempt to not bury the lead i will get to what i’m sure all of you are buzzing about. Was Cochran’s move a good one and do we like it? Yes and no. From a game perspective it was really useless in my eyes. When you look at the two tribes he had no real hope. His place on Savaii was VERY clearly on the bottom rung. Sure he flips to a solid six but how is that really worse than his position on the other side? It isn’t. I must say i am proud of the move Cochran made in the game. I don’t admire it as a game move. But i admire it from the point of view as a human being. What would it say about him if he stayed with Savaii and handed them the game after they threw proverbial crap at him the entire game? This move didn’t put him in any grand position but he got to stand up for himself. Keith got what was coming to him. Savaii’s entitlement (using Whitney’s words against her) makes me sick. They expect him to stay 100% to them when they clearly established his 6th man place on their tribe? That’s naivete in it’s worst form.

Karma is a biznatch.

As i said in the first paragraph of this blog, the two tribes are demonstrating how and how not to play Survivor. Or any social game for that matter. On Upolu Coach has led his tribe to play Survivor the way you should. Through his leadership he has crafted an alliance that seems, so far, impenetrable to the opposition. Why is this? To me i see it a certain way. When you look into why they are so tight you have to look at Coach. And look at the hierarchy. Is there a real hierarchy thats visible to the naked eye? The answer is no. Within this big group of six you have your little subsections. You have the pair of Sophie and Albert. You have the Coach and Edna duo. We have the odd sensei and student relationship between Coach and Brandon. Next we get the trio of Coach, Albert, and Sophie. Some may say this is fractured. But taking a closer look what do these “fractures” have in common? Each one of them has a member intertwined in another pair or trio. It may seem confusing but to keep such a large group intact that needs to happen. BRob did it last season. He had little subgroups within the big group of six. Coach is doing it equally brilliantly this time around. Everyone feels comfortable within the group because each of them think they have a majority share of it. So in a sense this “fractured” group becomes more cohesive. Theoretically Sophie shouldn’t betray Branden or Edna because it sabotages her relationship with Coach and that majority. We can’t give anyone credit for this but Coach. He has his hands in ALL the cookie jars. Everyone’s game is dependent upon him being with them. It is a genius perfection of the social game. Much like Boston Rob did; Coach has control. Whichever subsection he decides to go with WILL succeed. 

Strength in a mix matched alliance?

On the other side of the coin we have the Savaii tribe. Led by Ozzy they are showing exactly how NOT to play Survivor. Ozzy and his tribe simply don’t understand the game. They make an un-calculated move that doesn’t benefit them. Why did they feel they had to make a move like this? They over thought it. Plain and simple. To me Savaii is teaching us how not to play the game. Over the course of the pre-merge game they so painfully made the pecking order obvious. There was an established hierarchy among them. With Cochran being ostracized as the 6th. This was the fatal mistake made mostly by Ozzy and Keith. Dawn, Whitney, and Jim are equally responsible to going along with it. Sure they can say they have their 5 or their four. But where is the 6th? Where is Cochran? They left him hanging in the wind and expected him to want to just settle for 6th with the people who put him down. Ozzy and Jim called him a coward for essentially breaking free of his oppressors. In Survivor you need numbers that feel secure within the group. Nobody wants to settle for 6th. Savaii made the mistake of not saving face and acting as if Cochran had some type of stake in the tribe. If they had, then maybe Keith wouldn’t be on Redemption Island and we wouldn’t have been taught such a great Survivor lesson.

DISASTER.

For all of us super fans. For all of us hopefull future castaways. And for all of the past players in the game. Learn from Coach’s and Upolu’s game this time around.  They are showing us how to play the game. Heck, even learn from Cochran. Don’t just let yourself be treated like crap when you can do something about it. I suppose thats a lesson for life, not just Survivor. But most of all try and learn what not to do from the Ozzy and the Savaii tribe. After an episode that entertained and taught us more than we could ask for i can only look forward to the future of this game. 

Oh yes everybody. The merge is a’comin!!! I figured its only fitting to analyze the game thus far. Most of the time in Survivor there are key players when it comes to this point. Survivor: South Pacific is no different. Coming into this season many opinions were already formed of the possible players. Mostly, these opinions stuck with many. But to me i see a grave difference in the pre-game perception and the actual reality we have before us. There are three key players in this game. For whatever reason they either polarize or play pivotal roles on our t.v. screens. I call them the Three C’s.

The Three C’s are arguably the most important people in the game right now. The fate of everyone else hinges on their actions. They are none other than Coach, Cochran, and Cocky… er Ozzy. Okay; Ozzy doesn’t start with a C but every word to describe him comes with a C. Whether it be cocky or challenge-whore. As much as he wants it to start with an s, like strategist or smart, that is not the case. The other two, Coach and Cochran, are there for obvious reasons.

Each of these people have played very different games. One person has proved me right. One has disappointing me to no end. And the last one has so pleasantly surprised me that i think he may win the WHOLE thing.

Lets start with the negative shall we. The first negative is Cocky…ugh Ozzy. This time around he wants so badly to change his image to a different type of player. But he is the one that is week by week proving my original opinion of him right.. He is just out to play with the hot ones. Cough *semhar,elyse,whitney* cough. He is playing a horrible game. Not to mention he threw his game away on an assumption. A correct assumption but a stupid and useless action. He effectivly put himself in danger of leaving the game to take out who? Christine? OH YA! And if he and his minions payed any attention they would know that she would most likely flip to their side! Way to go Challenge-whore. Oh and being a challenge-whore doesn’t really matter since the duels are trivial games of throw a ball and balance a stick. His “challenge prowess” wont help him much if at all out there. Not to mention he gave away his idol to his one real possible enemy, Cochran. Why not give it to Keith or Whitney? His REAL allies. Or better yet why not hold onto it since even Jeff says there is no rule against going to RI with an idol and it still being valid when you return. This was a horribly miscalculated, no, NON-CALCULATED move that just summarizes Ozzy as a player.

Whine more Ozzy…you just voted yourself off the island.

Speaking of idols being handed to people lets move on to the person who disappointing me this season so far, Cochran. Being such the huge nerdy fan that i am i couldn’t help but root for him in the beginning. But week by week he is making it harder for me to do so! Why has he failed to position himself in a favorable position? Shouldn’t such a student of the game be able to overcome his physical “handicaps” and weasel his way into an alliance and not have his head on the chopping block every tribal council? I’m sorry but Cochran is one lucky dude. The position he finds himself in, with an idol and in the merge, is not any of his doing. Believe me, CBS wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to show him making big moves if he had any. Cochran has slid into this position by everyone else either messing up, Ozzy, or hatching a plan to save him, Jim. For such a self proclaimed Survivor genius why hasn’t he been successful in saving his own butt? Or why hasn’t he even tried?

I hope your thanking them… AND the baby in the last picture.

That leaves one more. We can call him the Big C. It’s Coach. My perception, like many, was different coming into South Pacific. I like to see myself as one to not be ignorant to peoples change and the facts. That’s why i can’t help but LOVE Coach this time around. His game this time is genius. He has showed to all of us that he has grown by leaps and bound since the last two times he has played.We see the Dragon Slayer in a different form. A REAL dragon slayer. Coach’s control is undeniable. His game is what many people need to learn how to immulate in a certain sense. SOCIAL GAME. That seems to be what Coach has perfected. If it wasn’t for him effectively changing people’s perception of him then he wouldn’t be able to rule the roost like he is right now. The people he is playing with are not idiots. Its just that Coach’s game is that much better.

I have heard alot about this recent episode when it comes to Coach. Well to be specific, the prayers. I have seen people say he is a hypocrite because he prayed for the idol and the whole “get down on your knees” segement. I too am a believer like Coach. It wasn’t that he was praying for the idol. He was praying for his team. Praying for the tribe to come together. Prayer wasn’t being used as a way to coerce people into anything. It was simply prayer. Out their in such people are so emotionally worn down. Faith, whatever kind you have, is essential to getting through the game. And guess what? The faith Coach, and I, have is bringing his tribe together after all they have been through. And having great succes in the game thus far. If that’s not proof that God exists then i don’t know what is. 

The new and improved Coach.

With merge being this next episode i have bets on people who could win. I am only comfortable putting money on one person. And that’s Coach. Nobody else has their fate in their own hands. And nobody else seems to be in the position he is. Can Coach become the Sole Survivor this time? I’m convinced he can and will be. Regardless of the end result; he has shown a great transformation and impressed me forever. With that said he will be getting my vote for Fan Favorite when the chance to vote arises. Can’t wait till we see the Three C’s pan out in the coming weeks. I have a sneaking suspicion i may be right about it all.

Finally the new season has begun! This year is a new era of Survivor for me. In every way it really feels like that. We are now in the Redemption Island era of Survivor. It’s inception created a new type of show. At least they have tried to do that. Having just moved away from home and life being a completely different thing now makes everything change. Including the way i watch and when i watch. But enough of that randomness. I have mixed feelings about the premiere. I loved it but i was surprised at how much my opinion turned on it’s head. With that said let’s get started.

As it started i was all ready to root for Savaii. But then we had that darn hero challenge. First of all why is it called a hero challenge? I thought it was a lame attempt to hoist the returnees higher and higher. Anyways… about the challenge. I was all conflicted to begin with. I can’t stand Ozzy but he was with Savaii. I will always root for Coach over Ozzy but he was with Upolu which i originally wasn’t fond of with the bios and pre-season stuff. I ended up rooting for Coach because of Ozzy. Needless to say i was disappointed by the result. What was most interesting were the reactions of the tribes. This was the first time we saw interaction between the tribes and most importantly the interaction between them and the returnees. This was the first cementing of my opinions of these new tribes and which returnee i would back. I found myself very disappointed in the way Coach was accepted. I did like, however, the little kindness that Edna showed him. It gave us the first glimpse at the new Coach. Of course Ozzy was accepted excitedly and my food started to come up faster than it went down. I can’t handle that.

The two tribes did some redeeming of themselves in my eyes and one lost some ground also. If you read my last blog you will know that i was on team Savaii. And that i was very against the Upolu. Now these tables have started to turn a bit. I wasn’t liking the Ozzy love on Savaii and they strike me too much to be like the dumb Ometepe. At least to many of them do for my liking. Upolu i found myself liking alot more than i thought i would.  Even people like Albert and Mikayla didn’t rub me the wrong way like i thought they would. I was pleasently suprised with all of them. I know find myself split. I am not rooting for one tribe whatsoever. Just for individuals on each tribe. As long as the outcomes are in those certain peoples favor im all for both tribes getting equal tribal council time. 

Lets just jump ahead to the meat of the episode. The Semhar vs. Cohran show is what it became. I must say this made me very very nervous. Nervous for Cochran that is. I’m a super fan and i too wrote an English paper on Survivor so i love super fans like him. My first impression is that he is so severely nervous. I think alot of this came from the fact that the game means so much more to him. It is his dream that he doesn’t want to get ended to quickly. Understandable. This has clearly affected him. He needs to work on the line of social politicking with his tribe. I think he was doing more damage than good when he really didn’t need to.  Now Semhar was my least favorite from this tribe so i was happy to see her go. Ozzy’s protection of her was ridiculous. To answer Jim’s question of why he had a reason to protect her - HE THINKS SHE IS HOT! Look at the people he surrounded himself with. Elyse, Whitney, and Semhar? He also said having three girls is good for them. Ya it is for Ozzy cause he is one of the few Survivors that doesn’t mind getting action all dirty on an island (see Micronesia). I thought her attempt at “politicking” was so very pathetic. Her conversation was so utterly awkward that it didn’t work. Everything she said in her defense even at tribal just didn’t make sense or had little to no worth. I was so pleased with the result at the end of the episode. Semhar leaving and Cochran being set up for an amazing story line if he should win.

I realized a lot on the tribe dynamics this episode. The lines seems drawn in the sand. Well at least drawn with a semi-permanent pen. Ok a pen that had water spilled on it making it run. The lines are still fuzzy for Savaii but a few key things were shown. The “weak” seem like they will prevail for them. By the weak i just use this to what Ozzy would describe as weak since he is the one dividing it. Its because of Ozzy and his polarizing challenge prowess focused persona that this issue is as prevalent as it is. Dawn and Papa Bear are smartly sticking together because they know they are the weaker older people and if they get rid of each other then they are the next target. They of course will wrangle in, and already have, Cochran for obvious reasons. And Jim also seems to be going that way because he proclaims himself that he believes he is obviously weaker. He showed this even more by being on the Cochran bandwagon and even driving it. Whitney and Keith seem to be on the edge and even Elyse. This is bad for Ozzy. He needed to keep Semhar. I think this was the end of his game. If Semhar stayed then Cochran would have left and therefore cementing his place and as Jim said “clout” in the tribe. Now he gave in and gave up his chance to win the game in my opinion.

Each episode i will have someone that i feel deserve the player of the week award. I never thought i would say this but this week it goes to Coach. Yes Coach. He played a brilliant game this week. Everything he did surprised me and he already got redemption in my eyes.  Coming into the game i thought he had no chance. But he played an absolutely great social game this week. His tribe was pretty much anti returnee and now he curried some favor. He put himself in an alliance with a strong group which is something i couldn’t expect him to do. The one thing Coach lacked in past seasons was his social game. Burt this time he truly has learned. It’s evident that he got the right mix of everything he said he needed. I am so happy that he was able to harness his experience and take advantage of it. He positioned himself to be safe for quite some time i believe. He has a good alliance and some are clearly on the outs. And even within his alliance he has some people that could leave before him. He could capitalize off of the Branden and Russell connection which will surely come out. And he even has Edna who isn’t in his five but he has already established some connection with. I think we may be seeing Coach for some time. I am excited that this is the case. Go to this link to find fellow Coach fans in a group that is supported by Coach and he talks to the fans on there also. I am an admin with a couple others on the site. http://www.facebook.com/groups/officialbenjamincoachwadegroup/

      Coach using his charm to make up for the first two go around

So going into next episode a lot of things will be weighing on my mind. Will Upolu succeed in winning another immunity. Will the Savaii “weak” prevail if they go to tribal council? Will Coach maintain the great game he is playing at this moment? Will Cochran regain his confidence and hit the ground running? And will the Hantz secret come out like we wall know it has to some time? These are the questions to think about for the next episode. What do you think will happen?

Going into the premiere episode i have four things in mind. Who are my favorites from each tribe. Who are my least favorites from each tribe. Which tribe am i rooting for and which tribe do i think will lose the first challenge and possibly set the tone for the rest of the season.

Favorite Four Castaways: 

First of all lets start out with my four favorites. As always i like to keep it even so i’ll go ahead and pick my favorite man and favorite women from each tribe. I like these people for a number of differnt reasons. Some i like because they remind me of my dorky fandom and some i like because i just have a soft spot for older women on Survivor. One is because i think strong female Survivors can be lacking sometimes much to my chagrin and the other is just because there is no possible option in my opinion on his tribe when it comes to males.

      John Cochran- Savaii

Benjamin “Coach” Wade- Upolu

        Dawn Meehan- Savaii

       Sophie Clarke- Upolu

Least Favorite Four Castaways:

I dislike these castaways for a number of reasons also. One i know a lot about and wish i didn’t have to know it ever again. One poor girl i don’t really dislike but on her tribe her fate was sealed. Another girl i can’t even comprehend enough to understand what she is saying and the last guy makes me want to barf when he talks about his “skills” in life. Also as a disclaimer i really want to say that you may notice a coincidence in a certain characteristic among my picks. I blame CBS for not casting good people in those certain areas when there are plenty that would surely fit the bill.

          Stacey Powell- Upolu                  

       Semhar Tadesse- Savaii

       Albert Destrade- Upolu                      

        Oscar “Ozzy” Lusth- Savaii

Favorite Tribe / My bet to win: 

Well i don’t know if this could have been an easier decision than it was. I went for the tribe i went for because frankly i don’t dislike anyone besides their returnee. And, God-willing, he will be gone whenever they go to tribal council. I think the Savaii tribe as a whole will succeed over the other tribe. All the arrows are pointing up. Challenge wise i believe they are stronger. And when it comes down to it if they even went down in numbers into the merge, which i doubt, then when put up against the other tribe it would be fine. I’ll explain the rest of why i think Savaii should and hopefully will prevail when i discuss my obviously least favorite tribe.

                          Part of my favorite tribe, Savaii.

Least Favorite Tribe / My bet to lose: 

Oh poor Upolu. Looking at their makeup as a tribe it was not a hard decision on my part. Most of them seem hard or boring. The reason why i think they will lose is because Savaii seems more capable and not to mention more positive which is key to challenge success. The biggest reason is that i get a certain vibe from them. Even if they go into merge with numbers, which i doubt, i still think there will not be an Upolu member in the end. The reason being is that their personalities don’t seem like loyal ones. They seem to be the kind of people who will be more likely flip for whatever reason, not get along with each other, or just plain mess up. The other tribe seems to have a more positive vibe overall and in Survivor that goes a long way.

The Upolu tribe minus Stacey. Me thinks this may be some foreshadowing…

So there you have it. I told you the Great, Good, Bad, and the Horrible. Of course this could always change in a split second on premier night when i see them all in action. I almost hope it does because i always love someone to prove me wrong with my first impressions and kick some butt. Either way, tune in at 8P.M. this Wednesday night for the 90 minute premiere of Survivor: South Pacific!