After trusting his alliance/God last week, Brandon should have been on the verge of another breakdown, but it’s all good.
It’s hard to acknowledge when someone you don’t like is right, but Ozzy was right about Brandon…he wasn’t blindsided! He played Russian Roulette with immunity and tried to gain some votes for himself in front of the jury and it backfired.
Coach is sick of the politicking, people trying to be “holier than thou” and ”hamming it up to those on the other side.” Well Coach, of course people are going to politic in the game, now that it’s the end. This is the part of the game Coach hasn’t experienced in his ‘Survivor’ career. He made it to 5th place in Tocantins, but the most politicking that went on was JT and Stephen at the end, and in Heroes Vs. Villains, he only made it about halfway in, barely making the jury. Coach is still green when it comes to jockeying for position to win the game.
No surprise Ozzy is going to miss Redemption Island. That was the only part of the game he had any control over, and since the social game hasn’t been Ozzy’s specialty, it’s understandable. The one on one, schmoozing sessions with his competitors gave Ozzy the focus and concentration needed to give him a good shot at winning the game. Where else could he butter up Brandon and call him “one of the biggest threats” to win.
The stage was set at R.I. for the final duel of the season…and for Ozzy to return to the game. The final duel was used in Vanuatu, Heroes Vs. Villains, Tocantins, and more noticably, Cook Islands (which Ozzy won)! These types of challenges are tedious to watch and quite frankly, it’s not exciting when 2 people are just waiting for the other to fall.
Thankfully there was some excitement in the duel with Ozzy and Brandon going up and down their posts trying to find the right spot and keep it.
Ozzy completed his winning streak and his second return from R.I. this season, both pre-merge and post-merge.
Brandon couldn’t help but thank God again, despite coming up short. It’s easy for Brandon to say he isn’t going to hold any bitterness towards anyone, but wait until he gets to Ponderosa with the rest of the jury when he finds out some secrets about his former tribe mates. It will be his biggest reality check.
The tribe gave their awkward ‘congrats’ to Ozzy, but it was pretty evident that everyone was shaing in their Buffs seeing their worst nightmare right in front of their faces.
Coach can’t help but backpeddle himself and become a politican, even though he despised those actions earlier on in the episode. Coach’s peaceful warrior approach was too good to be true, and so were all of Coach’s final 3 deals with everybody. Whenever a castaway says “it’s my game to lose”, or anything to the effect of “I’m in control,” your game is going South for the winter.
Well, someone in the challenge department got an idea and added a twist to the immunity challenge! Genius!
I’d like to go online and see how many books there are on building a house of cards. I wonder if Sophie has any trophies from building house of cards tournaments.
Sophie tried to think outside the box, but Probst put the kibosh on her dream to thwart Ozzy. I’m surprised she didn’t get disqualified for this. Isn’t it also against the rules to threaten bodily harm against another contestant? After all, she did promise Albert she would beat him if he didn’t help out. I kid, I kid.
Thanks to some tile management and some steady hands, Ozzy won immunity…again! Like his competitors dreams’, Ozzy crumbled his house of cards and proudly walked back to camp with the rest of the tribe.
Leaveit to Ozzy to offset a great physical game with a lousy follow up of poor sportsmanship. There is such a thing as being a sore winner and Ozzy took that title without even thinking about it. Yes Ozzy, so close, yet so far for everyone else. Absolutely Ozzy, you won with the perfect plan in mind and you made it happen. UGH!
I never thought I’d say this but…Sophie is a freakin’ warrior! The girl who barely makes a blip on the radar made herself known at tribal by showing her secret weapon…her heart, and wore it on her sleeve. It’s reverse pscyhology to her fellow competitors saying “I’m losing it and I’m not a threat at all,” as well as telling the jury, “I’m doing the best I can, show me some love on day 39 if you care.”
Coach’s hugs were probably sincere, but the more he keeps giving them out, the more insincere the gesture seems, even though it might not be. Being true to his word might have gotten Rick 5th place overall, but it didn’t earn him the million dollars, or even a shot at redemption.
Oh Ozzy. Winning isn’t a plan B, much less a Plan A, it’s a last ditch effort when everything else has failed. It still didn’t stop him from getting some personal therapy with Coach. Looks like Ozzy still has some Micronesian wounds that haven’t fully healed. It’s amazing how much you can get from someone when you aren’t aggressive towards them. Opening up your heart, and theirs, leaves room for vulnerability. Way to slay him Coach!
The moment Ozzy’s been waiting for, the final immunity challenge, again, kind of modeled after another Cook Islands he dominated, this shouldn’t be a problem for Ozzy…right?
Once again, Ozzy is off to a huge lead, but come puzzle time, the lead is gone. But Ozzy never gives up. EVER! Despite trying to look at her puzzle, Sophie can’t be stopped, and Ozzy loses a challenge. He is human after all. Persistence paid off, and Sophie is now the new Dragon Slayer! Coach should have knighted her for the achievement, it’s not everyday a ‘Survivor’ legend gets taken down.
He might be down, but not out, and Ozzy’s attempt to have Coach flip and go to a fire making challenge (via Bob/Matty from Gabon) was a good move to give Coach a reason to keep him in for his best interest. The problem is, bargaining with people you barely talk to in the game is a sign of desperation, and no one wants to help a desperate animal.
The heat got turned up again when Ozzy went on a character assassination of Coach. Maybe Ozzy caught wind early on that Coach wasn’t going to keep his word. He might not have been able to help his game, but he certainly drove a nail in Coach’s game for sure. After being voted off for the third time this season (a series first), and fourth time overall in the history of ‘Survivor’ (another series first), Ozzy takes his bow and leaves for Ponderosa. As Ozzy eloquently stated, “Que sera, sera,” or “Whatever will be, will be.”
The final breakfast. Nothing like getting some real food after the 39 most intense days of your life. There’s also nothing like getting together with 1 tribe mate to psych out another. Sophie and Coach know that although this is the last day, it isn’t too late to make a move to affect the outcome in your favor. With Albert’s confidence in tow, the job is a no-brainer.
Albert and Coach set themselves up for failure with their talk of higher power and Christianity. It wouldn’t surprise me if most of the jury turned atheist after all was said and done.
When Ozzy said there was good news and bad news, he led me to think that there was a SuperCuts on the island and he was heading there afterwards. Seriously Ozzy, the “Jack and Jill” challenge is over, no need for the braids!
The ‘dogs’ were released, and for the most part, their bark’s were worse than their bites…until Brandon’s question. Brandon was surprisingly light on Coach, but firm on Albert with a “yes” or “no” response. It’s pretty clear that Albert’s nice guy persona rubbed off on the jury the wrong way and is the sacrificial goat.
Sophie laid the smackdown on Keith’s question, making sure the jury knew how she outwitted everyone in the game. A great comeback considering her social game, the most important aspect was attacked and criticized.
Whitney showed her bitterness by taking parting shots at the final 3. Comments like Whitney’s should give production a new incentive to make contestants ask a real question and not give each other a reason to have a pity party and clamor for camera time.
Hallejulah! Edna finally spoke up and knocked some sense into everyone, a la Shii-Ann on All-Stars. This isn’t a time for punishment, it’s a time for reflection on who made the best moves in the game. She of all people could have laid into the final 3, especially Coach, but no sour grapes.
Cochran tried to help out his former ally by giving him a chance to own his actions, but his “convoluted mess” gave Albert and Sophie the chance to sell Coach as their pawn that they used in the game by comparing his strategy to theirs.
Cut to CBS in Studio City, California, Jeff tallied the votes and after a brief tennis match of votes between Sophie and Coach, Sophie took the grand prize and became the Ultimate Survivor (and the new Dragon Slayer in town)!
How did Sophie win the game? She owned her actions better than Coach and Albert. It also didn’t hurt that she put herself in an under the radar position (voting out the other women of her tribe gave the guys reason to discount her until her time came to shine).
What more can I say? Despite a Pagonging and a recycled format of 2 returning players plus Redemption Island, South Pacific was a breath of fresh air for the franchise.
Next season, no returning players, Redemption Island, or Hantz’s on Survivor: One World, premiering Wednesday, February 15, 2012!
Have a great holiday season everyone!
Images Courtesy Of:
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