Survivor: Cook Islands - Aired Dec. 17 - Commentary

What? It's over already? Damn! That means no more strategizing. Ummmmm... So, what did you think of the season?
No. I can do better than that.
What was your favourite memory?
NO!
Okay, let's just look back at the finale. Yeah, that'll do.
Adam somehow started growing something in his cranial cavity in his last couple of days on the island. It may have even been the start of a rudimentary brain of some sort. Even though it wouldn't have helped him out at all, his plan to get Yul to part with the hidden immunity idol was fundamentally a good one for the three people going up against him at the end, but unfortunately this whole "thinkin'" thing is still just too new to him, so he was unable to bring that plan to fruition (or, if you're Ozzy, to fruit). It would have been hard enough for a person of average intelligence, or hell, even a genius, to make the Aitu Four turn on Yul, and it was just plain impossible for someone whose nervous system is incapable of keeping his tongue in his mouth.
That first spark of life in Adam's head did seem to spark a small ember of growing awareness at his last Tribal Council (enjoy the fire analogies now, because they won't be relevant at all when we get to the fire making challenge that comes later). As much as I like the Aitu Four and was happy to see an alliance make it intact to the final four for once, I did enjoy how Adam's comments seemed to be causing discomfort in them. Frankly, it was stupid not to force Yul to give up the immunity. Ozzy was likely going to win the next challenge anyway, so taking Yul out of the picture would have given Becky and Sundra more of a chance of winning.
Oh, who am I kidding? Neither of them had a chance. But before getting to that, I have to say I was very impressed with Sundra in the final immunity. She was doing quite well, and I was actually on the edge of my seat for once each time Ozzy looked like he might fall. Hell, I was hoping he would, because that would have really shaken things up. But it didn't happen, and Ozzy once more and for the final time won individual immunity. It was nice to have it be interesting though. I also have to admit I was wrong again. In my last commentary, I thought Becky would have had more of a chance in the final challenge than Sundra, but she showed me up by going out there and kicking my prediction's ass.
However, I also made an argument in Becky's favour when it came to playing the game, and none other than Jeff Probst agreed with me. She was a much more integral part of Aitu's strategy than people gave her credit for, including the jury. Especially the jury.
Even if anyone on the jury was leaning towards voting for Becky and Sundra, whoever made it through the last elimination, they did a good job pushing those inclinations away with the most embarrassing tie-breaker ever. Yes, I know they were nervous, but other people have been nervous in the same situation and still managed to start a fire with the flint. Sundra couldn't even do it with matches! The good news is that the two of them managed to earn themselves a lifetime of never being arson suspects.
I was glad to see Becky make it through that tie-breaker. Of the two, she was more into playing the game, and even though not taking Yul's offer of the hidden immunity seemed crazy at first, it made perfect sense. She was going to have a hard enough time winning the jury over anyway, but taking that idol would have sealed her fate. Not that her lackluster arguments at the end didn't have the same effect. It's million dollar time! Stop playing nice!
Going a little bit backwards in time now, I do like that Ozzy wanted to see the tie-breaker. Considering how tight this alliance has been, it was a very fitting way to end it. It really didn't matter which of the two won, it was going to be an Ozzy/Yul showdown anyway.
And that brings me to the "final three" concept. It seemed like an interesting twist, but unless Adam made it to the end with Yul and Ozzy, it was still going to be a final two with one very sad looking hanger-on. I know I've said it already, but neither Becky nor Sundra stood a chance, though Becky had more arguments in her favour. Not that she would have been able to overcome the juries conceptions. I wonder why that's why her arguments were so lackluster. She probably saw the writing on the wall from the beginning. Damn, it was hard not to feel sorry for her from the start of the jury questioning to the moment the last vote was read.
It would have been nice if she got one vote, then we would have seen another tie-breaker, which would have been another fitting end. But nope, Yul got that last vote, and congratulations to him!
Yul certainly deserved his win (though I don't think any winner ever didn't deserve it, but some have worked harder than others). People may argue somewhat derogatorily that he may not have won without the hidden idol, and that's likely true, but it doesn't take away from his win. It's not that he had the idol, it's that he used it smartly. Look at Terry last season. He had an Ozzy-like domination of immunity challenges, and he had the hidden immunity idol. But he also lost. Why? Because he didn't use the hidden idol at all. It was just there as back-up in case he lost a competition. Aitu may have been a tight alliance this year, but Terry's alliance pretty much worshipped him. He could have used the idol to turn the numbers in his alliance's favour, and it would have been a much different end to the season.
That's why Yul deserved to win. He used the idol to flip a 5-4 against disadvantage into a 5-4 for advantage, and his alliance never had to look back after that. (For the record, Realivision wasn't around last season but on the boards I frequented I argued a lot that Terry didn't deserve to win because of his mishandling of the hidden idol, so I was very happy to see Yul demonstrate how it should be done.)
Terry also works as a comparison to Ozzy as both of them dominated in the individual immunity challenges. In the finale, Ozzy talked about playing alone, but if it weren't for his alliance he likely wouldn't have made it to the end. Thanks to Yul turning the numbers in their favour, when Adam won the individual immunity Ozzy was still safe. Assuming Raro could have mustered up enough cognitive thought between them, that would have (should have) been the end of Ozzy's game if they still had the numbers advantage.
Urgh. That's two seasons in a row now where one person has dominated challenges. If it happens again next time, it's going to get very boring.
I'm not going to get into the reunion show. It was okay, but there was nothing particularly jaw-dropping. The biggest disappointment in the whole three hours was that we were once again robbed of cheesy footage making it look like Probst travelled from the island straight to the studio. Ah, those were the days. Why did you stop doing that, Jeff Probst and Mark Burnett? Why? WHY?!?!
Maybe it's something we can look into while we wait for the premiere of Survivor: Fiji. Until then, we can just enjoy the fact that we just got a pretty damned good season. If you enjoy rooting for an underdog, it couldn't get any better than this.

Survivor: Cook Islands - Aired Dec. 14 - Commentary

So I've been arguing that the Aitu Four should stick together until all of Raro has been eliminated. I was wrong. It really is in the best interests of Yul, Sundra and Becky to vote out Ozzy the first chance they get now. With Pavrty gone and Adam as the lone Raro left, they can now afford to get rid of Ozzy.
Pavrarti, as it turned out, was the biggest threat left from Raro. If anyone was going to swing anyone in Aitu, it was going to be her. Becky and Sundra appear to be immune to Adam's considerable charms... HA! Damn, I was almost able to keep a straight face at the end of that sentence! Okay, it's easy for Becky and Sundra to be immune to Adam. He's not a bad looking guy, but apart from not being the smartest monkey in the barrel, I surely can't be the only woman in the world who can't stand that he can't seem to keep his tongue restrained to the confines of his mouth.
As for Yul, forget his loyalty, he smart enough to know he should go to the final three with Becky and Sundra. Even if Ozzy decides to make a move now with Adam, what kind of move could they make?
The next tribal council should be an easy one. If Ozzy wins immunity, vote out Adam. If Adam wins, vote out Ozzy. If neither wins, vote out Ozzy because it's now time to get him out the first moment he's vulnerable.
All that said, there is still once chance for Adam and Ozzy. They need to get together and work on Sundra. Open her eyes to how tight Yul and Becky are. She'd be stupid to go for it, as her best chance at final two (unless there is a final three at the final Tribal Council as it looks like there might be) is to go to the final three with Yul and Becky. Becky's been fiercely loyal to Yul so far, but both she and Sundra must realize that their best chance of winning this game is to go to the end together, and with Survivor's history of final immunity challenges requiring balance and/or stamina, between the two of them they'd have a good chance of winning that final competition. Well, Becky moreso than Sundra.
Actually, their best chance of winning would be to go up against Adam. Hmmmmm. Yul is safe at the next Tribal Council, but after that his hidden idol is no longer any good. If Ozzy goes next, it would be a toss-up after that whether they should vote off Adam or Yul. The biggest problem with taking Adam is that there are so many Raro members in the jury that it would really be tough to beat him, unless there are enough people who are still pissed off that they went before Jonathan. Brad, Jenny, and Rebecca are going to be tough to predict when it comes to their votes. Nate, Candice (the evil one, not the tough and awesome Kandice from Amazing Race, just to make that clear) and Porvraty would easily vote for Adam at the end. Jonathan is another tough call.
Ooooh, this is good. So many possibilities! This is what I love about Survivor!
Adam needs to get together with Ozzy, and both of them need to work on Sundra.
Ozzy, well, see above.
Sundra and Becky need to work together on their end game. Becky, unfortunately for her, may be too loyal to Yul and seems to be resolute on her plan to get to the final two with him. They do need to get Ozzy out, but then face a very tough choice after that, because neither of them could beat Adam or Yul at this point.
Yul is good to go through the next Tribal Council. After that, he needs to win immunity. I can't see the hidden idol do anything more than keep him safe one last time. The only way for it to come into play would be if a majority decides to vote for him just to force its use, but that would be a pointless exercise at this late point in the game.
Finally, I'd like to make an argument in Becky's favour. She and Sundra seem to be viewed as riding coattails through this season (something I still see as a valid strategy, with its biggest evil being that it's kind of boring to watch). That accusation seems to be valid in Sundra's case, but not Becky's. Sure, she hasn't been a threat at competitions, but few people have been with Ozzy in the picture. However, she has been one of the leaders in the alliance. Yul may have been a lot more visible, but Becky has been a strong voice.
It wasn't Yul who wanted Jonathan out last week. And who convinced him this week that Ozzy needs to go? Don't mistake lack of air time as not having an effect on the game. As for those on the island, Yul having the hidden idol has been an influence on how they view him, and I can't help thinking a small dose of sexism comes into it too. He's the guy! Of course he's the leader! He is a leader, but he shares much more of that role with Becky than people give her credit for. That's good for staying safe, but in the end it could cost her a million dollars.

Survivor: Cook Islands - Aired Dec. 7 - Commentary

Idiots.
To quote my very first paragraph from last week, "Okay, Aitu, don't do anything stupid. Candice is gone and that's a good thing. Messing with the plan now would be a bad thing. Is Jonathan annoying and untrustworthy? Sure. But voting someone off because they're annoying is always one of the stupidest things tribes on this show ever do, and if you know someone is untrustworthy, you an use them."
Is Jonathan not trustworthy? Of course not. Was the treatment he received this week pathetic? Yes. Holy crap, they could barely bring themselves to talk to him. "Oooooh, camp is ever so much funner without Jonathan around!" Thanks to the treatment Aitu gave him, and this really stupid vote, I no longer care who wins. Aitu just gave Raro the opening they needed to really start to work people and try to turn them. If Adam or Parvartie (again, I have no idea how to spell her name) aren't voted off next week, you can give the game to them.
I really did want to see an alliance go all the way to the final four without fracturing, but getting rid of Jonathan is the first crack. Is he really that unbearable that he can't be tolerated for a few more days for the sake of a million dollars?
Not only that, Aitu let Raro and their hypocritical distaste for the man influence them. So they're a lot more fun without him around. You're voting them off anyway!
And yes, they are really, very hypocritical. The only difference between him and Candice is that he realized he made a mistake and changed his mind. She turned on her tribe without even blinking.
It gets even worse. Adam has won an immunity, and Proovity just won a reward challenge after nearly severing part of her finger. That makes them dangerous! WHY OH WHY ARE YOU NOT VOTING THEM OFF WHEN YOU HAVE THE CHANCE?!?!?!
Idiots.