Survivor: Heroes Vs. Villains - A Strategic Overview of Episode Five
This week we saw the Heroes make their worst decision yet when they voted off Tom. Tom was clearly one of their strongest competitors, and by voting him off as opposed to the injured James, the heroes are clearly more interested in staying true to their alliance than winning immunity challenges. After James injured his knee during the reward challenge, it was obvious that he would not be able to contribute to the tribe the same way he did before. However, since he was in a strong alliance with Rupert, Amanda, and JT, they decided they would rather keep him in the game than risk losing the numbers to the Tom, Colby and Candice alliance. So in a 5-2 vote, Tom became the fifth person eliminated from the game.
What could the Heroes have done differently? Did JT make the right decision? And where does everyone stand strategically? This week I will once again review the strategies of select contestants.
Tom
Sometimes nice guys do finish last. Luckily, this nice guy already won the game in his previous season. Tom did just about everything he could to stay in the game, but sometimes it’s just not enough. The only thing differently he could have done was try and target Candice. The alliance of JT, James, Rupert, and Amanda didn’t want to vote off one of their own, but I think he could have convinced them that he was more valuable to them than Candice. Tom led his previous season’s tribe to win every single immunity challenge. It’s no doubt they would have been better off with him than without him.
JT
So last week, JT joined Colby and Tom to vote out Cirie because he thought that he would only be able to trust his alliance of James, Rupert, and Amanda if Cirie was taken out of the picture. However, this week he was forced to decide whether or not to change his plans when James injured his leg during the reward challenge. He could have once again chosen to side with Tom and Colby to vote off James, but he ultimately decided to stay with his alliance. JT is hoping this vote will prove his loyalty to them. He can’t survive the game flip-flopping back and forth when Colby and Amanda are already on to him.
Rupert
I never thought Rupert was a great player. But he’s really showing the world now. He practically told Candice to vote him out. She came to him with her concerns about James’ ability after his injury. Rupert challenged her to put his name down if James’ injury was a good enough reason to vote him out. This is not something you should do.
Rob M
If everyone votes for Russell, and Russell plays the immunity idol, then whomever Russell votes for will be eliminated. It doesn’t seem like Rob understands how to handle a hidden immunity. He has mastered almost every aspect of the game, but I have a feeling this will be his undoing. He also hasn’t given Coach the reassurance necessary to keep him as an ally. All it took was Russell showing him his idol for Coach to switch loyalties. Rob seems to have lost his touch.
Russell
Bringing Coach along was the perfect move. While I disagree with aggressive searching for the idol, which put him in danger in the first place, he seems to be making smart moves. He now has Parvati, Danielle, and Coach on his side. It’s not the majority, but it’s enough to ensure his safety for now. As long as he has the hidden immunity idol, he controls who gets voted out.
I'll be back next week with some more strategic musings.
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