Survivor: Caramoan Episode 12 Thoughts

As I was finished watching this episode a thought crossed my mind that sent shivers down my spine. It is so unthinkable that I tried everything that I could to get it out of my mind. But no matter how much I tried, it lingered, like the stench of death.

Eddie is going to the final tribal council.

What frightens me about it isn't so much that he's going to be there, but that he stands a chance of winning if the jury gets bitter.

I realize this is far away thinking, but it is obvious now that the Favorites are thinking ahead to final tribal and who they want to face, or more specifically, who they do not want to face. This was prompted by Andrea's big play thinking, which she had been able to harness only when she needed to (specifically when the Three Amigos were looking flip the split vote on to her.) Obviously she felt that now was a good time to make her move and put herself into what she felt woudl be a better position for final tribal. That triggered the rest of the favorites' strategy and survival skills and caused the nuclear strike we ended up seeing.

Now that the favorites have been woken up to the fact that they are going to have to get rid of other people who seem like they could win, which basically encompasses the rest of the favorites. So they're going to go after each other, while Eddie and Sherri squeak on through. Eventually, they are just going to reach a point that where the favorites have taken each other out and one or two of them are left with Eddie and Sherri. And ultimately, would you rather go against Eddie or another favorite?

As for Eddie's chances to win, they are long. But they do exist.

I know that I've ranted about how Sandra did not deserve to win Heroes vs. Villains, in part because her argument was that the strategy and plays that she attempted to make failed. However, that's going to be a better argument than what Eddie can present to the jury. Eddie's argument for the jury is basically "Hey, I didn't do anything to you guys." That would be infinitely more frustrating because there isn't even an appeal to the jury to say "Hey I was smarter than you" like Sandra's pitch implicitly said. Eddie's pitch would be a pure "You hate those guys, right? So vote for me to stick it to them." And if he won, that would be the worst.

An Ode to Reynold

I might be the only person watching Survivor who actually liked Reynold. He had a little bit of douchiness, but nowhere near as much as Eddie. And his plans never seemed to work out. But he was a hard worker, a good challenge competitor and he was never willing to give up. He also had a positive attitude that I doubt I could have if every single plan I made ended up failing miserably in the end. And his faith in others was something to behold; even Erik wasn't that trusting.

Was he a great player? No. But he wasn't a bad player either. I'd actually be interested to see him play again and how he might change his play the second time around. At a minimum, he will be good for great plans that fail in predictable ways.