Author: Parvati Shallow

December 16, 2015 7:15pm PT by Parvati Shallow

 Courtesy of CBS

“After 31 seasons, the game still continues to shock and amaze us.”

Parvati Shallow is a Survivor champ and three-time competitor on the show. Find her on Twitter @parvatishallow.

[Warning: This story contains spoilers from the season finale of Survivor.]

I think we can all agree that Survivor Cambodia: Second Chance has lived up to the hype. CBS took a gamble this season, letting the fans select twenty of our favorite players. I admit, I wasn’t sure it would work at first, but the gameplay we’ve seen from this group of competitors makes me sad to see it end. And, I bet I’m not the only one who’s going to shed a tear tonight after the finale wraps up. 

But, before we get all mushy and start singing sappy Boyz to Men songs, let’s recap what just went down starting with Kimmi. 

Kimmi Kappenberg from the Australian Outback made waves early on the season when she blindsided Monica for merely suggesting an all girls’ alliance. After this move, Kimmi stepped back and shut up. Until now, she happily played a supporting role to Jeremy and Tasha. But tonight is Kimmi’s night to make a move. After Abi’s vote out, Kimmi starts to get clear that she is on the bottom of Jeremy, Tasha and Spencer’s alliance. Even if she does make it to the end, what’s she going to say to the jury about her gameplay? Umm… “I hung in there, please vote for me.” Kimmi’s lackluster gameplay certainly will not gain her any jury votes. 

It’s time to go to work, Kimmi. And, work she does. This girl is anything but subtle. She approaches Wentworth and solidifies a pact to blindside Jeremy. Of course, Kelley Wentworth is on board. She’s got nowhere else to turn. 

When Spencer wins the challenge, Wentworth knows she’s the biggest threat and probably the next to go. She needs Kimmi to follow through, and Kimmi intends to do just that. When the tribe gets back to the beach, Kimmi runs to the well with Keith and tells him the plan; they’re blindsiding Jeremy. Keith is in. Kelley shows up next. She’s in. 

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What Kimmi doesn’t realize is that Spencer and Tasha are on to her. She’s acting strangely, and they know something’s amiss. I mean, you don’t have to be dating a rocket scientist to know that Kimmi has flipped. 

Jeremy refuses to accept the thought of Kimmi’s betrayal. He prides himself on developing strong, loyal ties to his allies, and Kimmi has been with him since the beginning. This would be too much to bear. When Tasha and Spencer insist that Kimmi has flipped, Jeremy pulls Kimmi aside to question her. Here come the waterworks. Ok, ladies— just so we’re all clear— getting incredibly defensive and starting to cry when someone asks you a question is a dead giveaway that you are lying. Do not use this move. It’s amateur hour. 

Though we all see right through Kimmi’s manipulative emotional deflection, Jeremy is still blinding by his trust in his loyal ally. You’ve got to give it to this guy. He’s a good one.

One of the hardest things about playing this game is being deceived by people that you trust. Yes, betrayal and deception are woven into the very fabric of this game, but that still doesn’t make it easy to accept this dishonesty. 

I don’t think Kimmi needed to make this move against Jeremy right now. She could have just laid low and taken out Spencer or Jeremy at the next vote and ensured herself a place in the final three. It would be easy to convince one of the boys to go after the other, simply to eliminate a greater threat to win. 

But, Kimmi gets greedy to make a name for herself and at tribal council she gets called out at tribal by Spencer, who finds himself emboldened by the immunity necklace around his neck. 

If Kimmi sticks to her plan to vote out Jeremy it will be three votes on Jeremy and three votes on Kelley Wentworth. Spencer is laying it on thick, however, and it seems that maybe Kimmi will be convinced to ditch her plan and vote with the majority. 

They vote. 

Wentworth plays her idol. 

Jeremy plays his idol. 

Jeff reads the votes. 

Three votes for Kelley — do not count. 

Three votes Jeremy — do not count. 

Say whaaaaat?!?! Stephen Fishbach’s head explodes. No votes?? 

This has never happened in the history of Survivor. 

What a tribal! After 31 seasons, the game still continues to shock and amaze us. That’s why we all love it so much, right?

So, what happens now?

They re-vote. But, before they get to that, Jeremy must know who voted for him. He’s shocked. It cannot be Kimmi!!? Could she have it in her to turn on him like that?? How could he have been so foolish not to see it?? 

He skips his way over to the voting box, and with a flourish, deposits Kimmi’s name in it. 

The girl’s toast. 

Jeff reads the votes— again. 

It’s a tie — again. Three for Tasha, three for Kimmi. 

We’re deadlocked once more. 

Now, Jeff has to just start making up rules. Since this has never happened, here’s how it’s going to go: Jeremy is safe, Kelley is safe, Spencer is safe. The six contestants still in this now have a chance to have a conversation and come to an agreement. If they cannot decide between Tasha or Kimmi, then both the girls are safe and Keith goes home by default. 

Keith’s face says it all — how could this whole thing now be on me?!

Spencer doesn’t even give them a moment to deliberate. “Tasha is not going anywhere. So it’s either Kimmi or Keith,” he proclaims with the utmost authority. 

This guy must be used to barreling people over to get his way. It’s an effective strategy. 

For a moment, Keith tries to sacrifice himself, but Wentworth is not having it. As a group, they decide to send Kimmi packing. 

Wow. 

That is most definitely the most dramatic tribal council I have ever witnessed, and I’ve seen my fair share of drama at tribal. 

Even Jeff is lost for words. 

All he can say is, “wow” as he sends the final five back to the beach. 

And the show must go on. 

It’s going to be impossible to top that tribal council, but I suppose I’ll keep watching.

The failure of Kimmi’s plan leaves Kelley Wentworth in a very precarious spot. She no longer has the protection of a hidden immunity idol, and if she loses the next immunity challenge, she will surely be making the long, lonely walk to loser’s lodge. 

I don’t want this to happen. I want Kelley to crush this challenge and score the necklace. I like her. She’s playing a mean game and she deserves a shot at the win. But, the odds are not in her favor. 

I’m biting my nails watching this challenge. It’s a puzzle. For sure, Spencer will take this one, easily. 

He doesn’t. Kelley wins!!

And, all is right with the world. 

Seriously, this is perfect. Now that Kelley’s safe, she can get to work trying to save her last remaining ally, Keith. 

Tasha, Spencer and Jeremy are not turning on one another. Kelley’s only option is to try to trick the group into believing Keith has an immunity idol. She fashions a fake one out of some beads and a medallion she’s collected. Keith takes his treasure and tries to look suspect. 

After that wild tribal council, Jeremy is off his center. He’s checking out Keith and feeling ‘weird.’ 

What if Keith has an idol? It will probably be Jeremy that they vote out. Jeremy can’t shake the paranoia. He gets Keith’s attention, and while Tasha is sleeping in the shelter next to him, Jeremy whispers to Keith to vote Spencer. 

No way Jeremy is really going to vote Spence. He values loyalty too much to turn on his boy now. It also makes zero sense to vote out Spencer and keep Keith. That would be giving way too much power to Wentworth moving into the final four. 

Not happening. 

But maybe, if Keith can play this fake idol right… 

He doesn’t even mention it at tribal. Why not even try, Keith? Whyyyyyyy???

So, Keith goes home, and it’s Wentworth fighting against the power threesome Tasha, Spencer and Jeremy. 

This doesn’t bode well for our scrappy little underdog. 

Again, Wentworth finds herself in the position of needing to win immunity to stay in the game. This challenge requires mental focus and agility. It looks like something she can win, but she looks tired. 

Kelley’s frailty is in stark contrast to how confidant Jeremy looks going into this challenge. When Kelley is the first to drop, sadly, we know it’s curtains for Kell.

Jeremy wins the challenge, and he immediately drops to the earth in tears. These are tears of relief. He’s given everything he has to get to this point, and he’s made it to the final three. It’s almost over. 

Almost. He’s still got to make it through the jury battering. 

Unsurprisingly, Jeremy stays loyal to Spencer and Tasha and they vote out Kelley, unanimously. 

I can’t wait to see what Kass has to say about all this, as the power now shifts to the jury. 

One by one, the jurors ask their questions. Tasha is basically ignored, and we know that it’s between Spencer and Jeremy for the win. 

They both are working the jury seamlessly. Jeremy compliments Ciera on impacting the game, and Spencer tells Kass exactly what she wants to hear. Smooth boys. Real smooth. 

But, the real win comes when Wentworth asks her question, “What is your second chance story?”

Tasha says she wanted to be loyal. Spencer talks about his transformation. 

Then, Jeremy drops a bomb. He’s here for his wife Val and their two kids, but what the jury doesn’t know is that Val is pregnant. Jeremy says that the hardest thing he’s had to do was not talk to Val, to miss his baby growing inside her and to not tell everyone that he’s going to have a son. 

The emotion is so thick, I can see everyone scribbling Jeremy’s name on the parchment in their minds. 

He wins. 

What a dynamic, incredible, surprising, perfect end to a perfectly played out season. 

Congratulations, Jeremy, and congratulations Survivor for killing it once again!

Well played everyone. 

Survivor

December 16, 2015 7:15pm PT by Parvati Shallow

 Courtesy of CBS

“After 31 seasons, the game still continues to shock and amaze us.”

Parvati Shallow is a Survivor champ and three-time competitor on the show. Find her on Twitter @parvatishallow.

[Warning: This story contains spoilers from the season finale of Survivor.]

I think we can all agree that Survivor: Second Chance has lived up to the hype. CBS took a gamble this season, letting the fans select twenty of our favorite players. I admit, I wasn’t sure it would work at first, but the gameplay we’ve seen from this group of competitors makes me sad to see it end. And, I bet I’m not the only one who’s going to shed a tear tonight after the finale wraps up. 

But, before we get all mushy and start singing sappy Boyz to Men songs, let’s recap what just went down starting with Kimmi. 

Kimmi Kappenberg from the Australian Outback made waves early on the season when she blindsided Monica for merely suggesting an all girls’ alliance. After this move, Kimmi stepped back and shut up. Until now, she happily played a supporting role to Jeremy and Tasha. But tonight is Kimmi’s night to make a move. After Abi’s vote out, Kimmi starts to get clear that she is on the bottom of Jeremy, Tasha and Spencer’s alliance. Even if she does make it to the end, what’s she going to say to the jury about her gameplay? Umm… “I hung in there, please vote for me.” Kimmi’s lackluster gameplay certainly will not gain her any jury votes. 

It’s time to go to work, Kimmi. And, work she does. This girl is anything but subtle. She approaches Wentworth and solidifies a pact to blindside Jeremy. Of course, Kelley Wentworth is on board. She’s got nowhere else to turn. 

When Spencer wins the challenge, Wentworth knows she’s the biggest threat and probably the next to go. She needs Kimmi to follow through, and Kimmi intends to do just that. When the tribe gets back to the beach, Kimmi runs to the well with Keith and tells him the plan; they’re blindsiding Jeremy. Keith is in. Kelley shows up next. She’s in. 

What Kimmi doesn’t realize is that Spencer and Tasha are on to her. She’s acting strangely, and they know something’s amiss. I mean, you don’t have to be dating a rocket scientist to know that Kimmi has flipped. 

Jeremy refuses to accept the thought of Kimmi’s betrayal. He prides himself on developing strong, loyal ties to his allies, and Kimmi has been with him since the beginning. This would be too much to bear. When Tasha and Spencer insist that Kimmi has flipped, Jeremy pulls Kimmi aside to question her. Here come the waterworks. Ok, ladies— just so we’re all clear— getting incredibly defensive and starting to cry when someone asks you a question is a dead giveaway that you are lying. Do not use this move. It’s amateur hour. 

Though we all see right through Kimmi’s manipulative emotional deflection, Jeremy is still blinding by his trust in his loyal ally. You’ve got to give it to this guy. He’s a good one.

One of the hardest things about playing this game is being deceived by people that you trust. Yes, betrayal and deception are woven into the very fabric of this game, but that still doesn’t make it easy to accept this dishonesty. 

I don’t think Kimmi needed to make this move against Jeremy right now. She could have just laid low and taken out Spencer or Jeremy at the next vote and ensured herself a place in the final three. It would be easy to convince one of the boys to go after the other, simply to eliminate a greater threat to win. 

But, Kimmi gets greedy to make a name for herself and at tribal council she gets called out at tribal by Spencer, who finds himself emboldened by the immunity necklace around his neck. 

If Kimmi sticks to her plan to vote out Jeremy it will be three votes on Jeremy and three votes on Kelley Wentworth. Spencer is laying it on thick, however, and it seems that maybe Kimmi will be convinced to ditch her plan and vote with the majority. 

They vote. 

Wentworth plays her idol. 

Jeremy plays his idol. 

Jeff reads the votes. 

Three votes for Kelley — do not count. 

Three votes Jeremy — do not count. 

Say whaaaaat?!?! Stephen Fishbach’s head explodes. No votes?? 

This has never happened in the history of Survivor. 

What a tribal! After 31 seasons, the game still continues to shock and amaze us. That’s why we all love it so much, right?

So, what happens now?

They re-vote. But, before they get to that, Jeremy must know who voted for him. He’s shocked. It cannot be Kimmi!!? Could she have it in her to turn on him like that?? How could he have been so foolish not to see it?? 

He skips his way over to the voting box, and with a flourish, deposits Kimmi’s name in it. 

The girl’s toast. 

Jeff reads the votes— again. 

It’s a tie — again. Three for Tasha, three for Kimmi. 

We’re deadlocked once more. 

Now, Jeff has to just start making up rules. Since this has never happened, here’s how it’s going to go: Jeremy is safe, Kelley is safe, Spencer is safe. The six contestants still in this now have a chance to have a conversation and come to an agreement. If they cannot decide between Tasha or Kimmi, then both the girls are safe and Keith goes home by default. 

Keith’s face says it all — how could this whole thing now be on me?!

Spencer doesn’t even give them a moment to deliberate. “Tasha is not going anywhere. So it’s either Kimmi or Keith,” he proclaims with the utmost authority. 

This guy must be used to barreling people over to get his way. It’s an effective strategy. 

For a moment, Keith tries to sacrifice himself, but Wentworth is not having it. As a group, they decide to send Kimmi packing. 

Wow. 

That is most definitely the most dramatic tribal council I have ever witnessed, and I’ve seen my fair share of drama at tribal. 

Even Jeff is lost for words. 

All he can say is, “wow” as he sends the final five back to the beach. 

And the show must go on. 

It’s going to be impossible to top that tribal council, but I suppose I’ll keep watching.

The failure of Kimmi’s plan leaves Kelley Wentworth in a very precarious spot. She no longer has the protection of a hidden immunity idol, and if she loses the next immunity challenge, she will surely be making the long, lonely walk to loser’s lodge. 

I don’t want this to happen. I want Kelley to crush this challenge and score the necklace. I like her. She’s playing a mean game and she deserves a shot at the win. But, the odds are not in her favor. 

I’m biting my nails watching this challenge. It’s a puzzle. For sure, Spencer will take this one, easily. 

He doesn’t. Kelley wins!!

And, all is right with the world. 

Seriously, this is perfect. Now that Kelley’s safe, she can get to work trying to save her last remaining ally, Keith. 

Tasha, Spencer and Jeremy are not turning on one another. Kelley’s only option is to try to trick the group into believing Keith has an immunity idol. She fashions a fake one out of some beads and a medallion she’s collected. Keith takes his treasure and tries to look suspect. 

After that wild tribal council, Jeremy is off his center. He’s checking out Keith and feeling ‘weird.’ 

What if Keith has an idol? It will probably be Jeremy that they vote out. Jeremy can’t shake the paranoia. He gets Keith’s attention, and while Tasha is sleeping in the shelter next to him, Jeremy whispers to Keith to vote Spencer. 

No way Jeremy is really going to vote Spence. He values loyalty too much to turn on his boy now. It also makes zero sense to vote out Spencer and keep Keith. That would be giving way too much power to Wentworth moving into the final four. 

Not happening. 

But maybe, if Keith can play this fake idol right… 

He doesn’t even mention it at tribal. Why not even try, Keith? Whyyyyyyy???

So, Keith goes home, and it’s Wentworth fighting against the power threesome Tasha, Spencer and Jeremy. 

This doesn’t bode well for our scrappy little underdog. 

Again, Wentworth finds herself in the position of needing to win immunity to stay in the game. This challenge requires mental focus and agility. It looks like something she can win, but she looks tired. 

Kelley’s frailty is in stark contrast to how confidant Jeremy looks going into this challenge. When Kelley is the first to drop, sadly, we know it’s curtains for Kell.

Jeremy wins the challenge, and he immediately drops to the earth in tears. These are tears of relief. He’s given everything he has to get to this point, and he’s made it to the final three. It’s almost over. 

Almost. He’s still got to make it through the jury battering. 

Unsurprisingly, Jeremy stays loyal to Spencer and Tasha and they vote out Kelley, unanimously. 

I can’t wait to see what Kass has to say about all this, as the power now shifts to the jury. 

One by one, the jurors ask their questions. Tasha is basically ignored, and we know that it’s between Spencer and Jeremy for the win. 

They both are working the jury seamlessly. Jeremy compliments Ciera on impacting the game, and Spencer tells Kass exactly what she wants to hear. Smooth boys. Real smooth. 

But, the real win comes when Wentworth asks her question, “What is your second chance story?”

Tasha says she wanted to be loyal. Spencer talks about his transformation. 

Then, Jeremy drops a bomb. He’s here for his wife Val and their two kids, but what the jury doesn’t know is that Val is pregnant. Jeremy says that the hardest thing he’s had to do was not talk to Val, to miss his baby growing inside her and to not tell everyone that he’s going to have a son. 

The emotion is so thick, I can see everyone scribbling Jeremy’s name on the parchment in their minds. 

He wins. 

What a dynamic, incredible, surprising, perfect end to a perfectly played out season. 

Congratulations, Jeremy, and congratulations Survivor for killing it once again!

Well played everyone. 

Survivor

December 09, 2015 6:00pm PT by Parvati Shallow

 Courtesy of CBS

Parvati Shallow is a Survivor champ and three-time competitor on the show. Find her on Twitter @parvatishallow.

 

“We could totally win challenges now.” Is Spencer’s statement foreshadowing his imminent immunity win?

It’s safe to say everyone is a bit relieved that challenge-dominating Joe is out of the game, and now the playing field is more even. While I know many fans, myself included, are missing Joe’s fabulous, flowing mane, we have to admit it will be more fun watching challenges that anyone can win. 

So, let’s get to it. 

The reward challenge is a repeat of one that Keith won in his previous season, and watching him fly through the ropes course, gathering just enough rope to give him space to complete the bag toss, we see just how unfair this is. Not to minimize Keith’s ferocity in challenges, but it appears that the rope gathering is the trick to win this, and having competed and won this challenge before gives Keith the ultimate advantage. 

After destroying everyone in the challenge, Keith chooses Kelley to join him on the most incredible reward of all time, a trip to Siem Reap to be blessed by monks and to sleep in the ancient temples. Now this is a reward worth fighting for, and when Keith gets to choose another player to join him, I’m surprised that no one begs for it. Keith stares at the ground and picks Spencer. 

Jeff, with the utmost curiosity, must know what just went down in Keith’s mush-ball brain. In his attempt to placate Jeff, Keith points to Jeremy and garbles about seeing Val and then looks at Tasha and completely blanks on her name, mumbling something about her cousin and how hard that was. 

Say what??

This season of Survivor is one of the best I’ve ever seen in regards to just how much these people are going through. I think the fast-paced nature of this game, plus being beaten down by the elements and not eating enough, is really taking its toll. 

What happened to all those giant clams that you were collecting in the beginning, Kimmi? Was Monica right in wanting to ration the ocean’s bounty for the end game? We haven’t seen them eating anything but rice for the past two episodes, so I think Kimmi may be regretting her choice to eat all the food up front. We’ll never know what’s going on in Kimmi’s head, however, because she simply does not speak. Her big talk last week about pulling together an all-girls alliance has fizzled and is not even on the radar anymore. Sometimes I forget Kimmi’s even here — until we have a scare like Tasha’s near-death experience at the immunity challenge. 

The immunity challenge is rough for everyone. Spencer, after his feast and a good night’s sleep at the Angkor temples, is racing out front — until he face-plants into the side of a boat and has to return to the start. I’m wincing each time we see Spencer take another digger in his desperate attempt to win. It all pays off in the end when Spencer takes 15 seconds to crush this insanely difficult puzzle and win immunity. Seriously, I realize that I am no puzzle master, but I tried that puzzle in San Juan Del Sur when I went down with press, and after 10 minutes, I still didn’t even come close to getting it. This is a huge victory for Spencer. He’s just proven himself a force to be reckoned with at challenges, and he’s earned the title of Puzzle King of Cambodia. No one will beat Spencer at a puzzle from here on out. You mark my words. 

While Spencer is making quick work of the puzzle, Tasha is still in the water — looking in need of serious assistance. The underwater safety team rushes to her aid and drags her onto the platform to asses her need for medical care. She’s visibly shaken and coughing up a lot of water. This is scary. 

It’s the second time we’re seeing strong contestants’ bodies give out at a challenge. Joe’s body crumbled in last week’s immunity challenge, and now Tasha’s body is failing from exhaustion. These people are giving everything they have to this game. And, each one of them will give everything to get to the end. 

While they’re all playing their hardest, not everyone has an equal shot at winning. Abi believes she’s really beefing up her Survivor résumé, and despite knowing that people want to take her to the end because they think they can beat her, she thinks she’s got what it takes to win. This is crazy talk. I like Abi, but she has no shot at winning this game. She’s played erratically and made people uncomfortable. She did have some power in the beginning of the game, but we haven’t seen her making any strategic moves since then. All of the strategizing credit must go to Kelley Wentworth for getting out Joe last week and saving Abi. 

So, for this tribal council, will people be targeting Keith because he’s a challenge threat, Abi because she’s a threat to go to the end or Tasha because she’s so close to Jeremy and Kimmi?

I have to give credit to these contestants. Just when I think I know who’s tight with whom and which way the vote’s going to go, I’m surprised. Spencer and Jeremy start each morning off with a coffee walk and strategy talk. They look super close, but Spencer has turned on Jeremy and Jeremy has betrayed Spencer’s trust. How can anyone know who’s truly trustworthy when they all seem so close? 

Which “we” will it be??

Trust is so nuanced in this game. Kelley and Keith trust Spencer because they just made a deal with him on the reward to vote out Tasha. But, when Tasha approaches Spencer with a plea to give the fans the best show, Spencer is sold. At this point, it’s less about trust and more about the bigger picture. What will the fans want? A boring, predictable final three? Or will Spencer give the people that voted him back in the game what they want — an exciting final show?

With this argument, Tasha wins Spencer’s vote for this tribal council, sending Abi packing. 

Who knows what will happen next week as we sail into the final episodes of this magnificent season? One thing is certain, Kelley Wentworth will most certainly have to play her idol, and we can expect some more fireworks at tribal council. 

Giddy up, Survivor!

Survivor