Survivor Roundtable, Week 13 - The Melting of Icecream Boy

[iguanachocolate]

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Every week, our panel of elite Survivor analysts will gather to discuss the goings-on in Micronesia. Who's dealing? Who's reeling? What does our panel think of these weighty questions? Read on to find out.


1. Did Erik indeed end James' reign as dumbest survivor ever?

burntbrat: Absolutely. It'll be hard for anyone to top Erik's nonsense. I'm still shaking my head over how he justified that move to himself.

Mariner: No doubt. I think he may have even captured the dubious title of dumbest reality contestant move ever. There was no need to worry about jury votes until he got there. I'm guessing he has bought a lot of drinks for women in bars since he turned 21 who have given him fake phone numbers.

Yardgnome: Hell yes! He was a complete idiot for giving up the immunity. There was no logical reason for him to and he just made the biggest fool of himself.

canuckinchile: It was definitely a dumb move. It can still be argued that James had TWO immunities that he didn't use. However since it was more of a passive decision I think actually giving the necklace away makes Erik the winner of the dumb crown.

AJane: Erik is completely without guile, so if I'm comparing him to James, then yeah, the dumbest move ever. He must not have any sisters at home.

waywyrd: Erik has now been crowned King of Dumb. Having immunity and not using it is bad enough - having it and giving it away just takes the cake.

MsFroggy: He did and in such an enjoyable way too. We need an Erik type of move on every season of Survivor!

iguanachocolate: He ended James’ reign brilliantly! Never, ever give up immunity. Period.

2. Do you think that Parvati really just spent her time on Exile Island sunbathing and didn't look for the hidden immunity idol? If she didn't was that a mistake on her part?

burntbrat: She looked a bit worn out on this episode so yes, I believe she relaxed and did not try to look for the last idol. She should have, though, just to guarantee that if their plan didn't work she would still be safe.

Mariner: I'm guessing she did make at least a half-hearted attempt to find it. She may even have found it. If she didn't look for it, that was a mistake in my book. A little insurance is always good no matter how confident you are.

Yardgnome: She should have made an effort but it was understandable for her not to. She didn't need it and it gave her an opportunity to rest up a bit for future challenges.

canuckinchile: I don't think she looked for it at all. The producers may be fooling us and keeping it hidden from us but I don't think so. She feels very secure in her alliance with Cirie and Amanda, which in my opinion is a huge mistake considering the number of blindsides that have been going on.

AJane: If she really did try to find it then she's a better actress than Amanda. She's obviously feeling completely secure, and why shouldn't she? She was never in any real danger of being voted off last night. Cirie and Amanda would have voted Nat out had Erik retained his immunity.

waywyrd: I don't think she bothered. She feels confident in her alliance and took the time to relax before the finale.

MsFroggy: I agree with way. I think she felt secure and didn't see the need to search for it. However, I think she should have. At this late stage in the game you just can't afford to be too confident, no matter what alliances you have. It worked out for her but I'd advise future Survivors against relaxing like she did.

iguanachocolate: I don’t think she looked for it with any seriousness, maybe as a way to relieve boredom. She really felt secure the next TC and it cannot be used after that.

3. Erik's explanation to Amanda for why he didn't take Natalie on the reward with him was that he wouldn't be able to relax with her around. Why didn't he send her to Exile Island though given that was also part of their deal?

burntbrat: He wanted to get either Amanda or Natalie out this round so he couldn't risk either of them finding the idol. And Amanda so cleverly put it in his ear that Parvati was weak and wouldn't look for the idol given the chance.

Mariner: I think he was still trying to please Amanda after she confronted him at the last tribal council so he did what she suggested. He's like a little puppy who needs to please. It was incredibly stupid of him. Natalie hasn't shown any ability to win immunity challenges. He didn't need to worry about getting rid of her at this point.

Yardgnome: I agree that he was trying to please Amanda. He has shown no skill in the game, excluding his ability to win challenges, so his mind is easily infiltrated and corrupted.

canuckinchile: He was the victim of his own "idol worship". I think he was genuinely upset that Amanda was mad at him and lost sight of the game. He had sort of an alliance (or so he thought) with Ozzy and Amanda and I think it influenced his thinking. I also agree that he thought Parvati probably wouldn't work too hard finding the idol.

AJane: I agree with Canuck completely, except I think Erik was more devoted to Ozzy rather than Amanda. No doubt he had Amanda's relationship with Ozzy in mind when he gave in to Amanda.

waywyrd: I agree also. Poor starstruck Erik was trying to get back in Amanda's (and perhaps Ozzy's, indirectly) good graces after being made to feel like a jerk at last tribal. He seems more worried about being buddies with everyone than with winning the game.

MsFroggy: Falling in line here. I didn't see much strategy behind Erik sending Parvati to Exile Island. I saw him listening to Amanda because he wanted to please her.

iguanachocolate: I agree with the others, he was kissing up to the favorites – he wants to be in the ‘In’ crowd as he sees them. A member of their club.

4. Did Cirie know Natalie was listening in on her conversation with Erik where she got Erik to propose a final three of Erik/Cirie/Parvati?

burntbrat: I don't think so. She probably would've mentioned that when the girls were having their pow-wow and comparing notes on Erik.

Mariner: I'm going to disagree with burnt. I think she did know and that's why she asked him to be more specific about what he was talking about.

Yardgnome: I also think she knew. She's smart and knows how to get people talking and to be able to use it against them. She ensured herself another week in the game.

canuckinchile: I'm not too sure of this but I lean towards she knew that Natalie was there. From the clips we saw she sure wasn't saying a lot and was in fact leading Erik to his doom. Cirie is awesome with the open ended non-judgmental questions to get people to open up, much to their own demise.

AJane: I'm not sure. I think that had Erik kept his immunity, Cirie might have been very open to voting out Amanda. Her chances in front of the jury wouldn't be half-bad against either Erik or Parv.

waywyrd: Oh, she knew. Cirie outed Erik to Natalie perfectly without really saying much herself. The woman should have been a CIA interrogator.

MsFroggy: I didn't think so initially but it makes more sense that she did know. It would be just like her to lead the lamb to the slaughter in such a sneaky way with little cost to herself.

iguanachocolate: She may have, Natalie was in her line of vision. But I don’t think it matters either way as Cirie was just playing with Erik, like a cat with a mouse.

5. Why did Cirie and Amanda hatch the "harebrained idea" to convince Erik to give individual immunity to Natalie instead of just voting Natalie out?

burntbrat: Amanda did it to save herself. She knew she was the alternative to Natalie and that Natalie and Erik might've teamed up to take her out and forced a tie-breaker at Tribal Council. I think Cirie just loves to scheme and wanted to see if they could actually pull it off.

Mariner: At first I was bewildered because with five survivors left and Amanda, Cirie, and Parvati being so tight, I don't think there was any chance of a tie or anyone but Natalie going. Then it occurred to me that after Erik's immunity run, they wanted him gone so he couldn't ruin their plans by winning immunity at the final four immunity challenge.

Yardgnome: Their idea was absolutely crazy. I think they knew they needed to get rid of Erik and this was the only way or else he would keep winning the immunities.

canuckinchile: I think they were all afraid he would keep winning immunity. Also, even though they convinced him otherwise, he is a pretty likeable guy and not the ideal person to go up against at the end. Most of the ladies have stepped on a few more toes than he has. Lastly, I think they really wanted to see if they could pull it off and have an all women final four. I'm sure there was a back up plan though.

AJane: Only because he continued to win challenges and immunity. He was even winning the non-physical ones. If Erik wasn't so lacking in confidence, he would have realized that he was the main threat to everyone in the final five.

waywyrd: Agreed. Erik was the biggest threat as far as challenges, so they had to come up with some way to take him out. I actually laughed when they first brought up the plan. I never thought he'd fall for it...

MsFroggy: It was a shaky plan, with many holes some of which even dim bulb Erik noted when talking to Natalie. But it all hinged on Erik's gullibility and lack of self-esteem. They knew how his mind worked, or should I say, how it didn't.

iguanachocolate: I agree with others who said it was because of his immunity threat. I think also, the women are a tight alliance and really wanted to see an all girl Final Four. Of course, there was always the possibility that they were bored and just wanted to see what they could do with their ‘power’.

6. Who was most responsible for getting Erik to take the bait at Tribal Council and surrender immunity?

burntbrat: Hmm, that's tough because they all played a big part. I'm going with Cirie. When Erik talked to her about why he couldn't just keep immunity and vote Amanda out, Cirie was the one who finally convinced (or confused) him.

Mariner: I'm going to agree that it was Cirie. Parvati and Amanda contributed to the whole act but Cirie sealed it with her masterful speech about actions speaking louder than words.

Yardgnome: I'm also going with Cirie. She has a way that she talks to people and they seem to trust her. She worked him over good.

canuckinchile: I hate to sound like a broken record but I have to agree it was Cirie. A lot of credit goes to the other girls for Oscar winning performances but I watched the tribal council a couple of times (it was too funny not to!) and the look on Erik's face after Cirie spoke about redemption spoke volumes.

AJane: Well, I'll be the dissenter. I think it was Amanda, for the reasons I stated above. I think Erik still feels loyalty to Ozzy and just transferred it to Amanda.

waywyrd: Cirie, though Amanda was the icing on the cake. They've got blindsiding down to an art.

MsFroggy: Cirie and Amanda deserve the credit. Amanda poured it on thick and laid a lot of guilt on him while Cirie reinforced the message from a different angle.

iguanachocolate: I agree with MsFroggy – it was a tag team effort. Either one of them may have been able to do it on their own, but with both of them working him, he was just a goner.

7. If Natalie does not win immunity, is there any argument she can give to the others not to vote her out?

burntbrat: The only argument I can come up with is that any one of them would win against her, so she's the best bet if they want to win the million.

Mariner: What burnt said. She needs to convince someone to at least force a tie on the basis that she has no chance of winning at tribal council whether she believes that is true or not.

Yardgnome: I agree with Mariner and Burnt. She needs to make them believe that she has no chance of winning in the end.

canuckinchile: The only argument I can think of that might work for Natalie is that Amanda looks like she would beat any of them. The jury has done a poor job this season of appearing neutral, and she should point that out to them. Was there anyone that didn't clap and cheer when Amanda pulled out the hidden II? She should work the angle that Amanda would beat any of the other ladies if left in the final two.

AJane: She'll make the argument that she can't win, but I'm going to agree again with Canuck. Nat needs to convince them that Amanda has to go next.

waywyrd: Natalie's only hope is to convince the others that they'd have a better shot against her in finals. I just don't know if she can convince them to dump Amanda, though.

MsFroggy: I'm going to echo everyone and say that her only argument is that she can't win against any of them. I agree with way that the others won't want to get rid of Amanda instead of her.

iguanachocolate: I agree with everyone else, she’d have to argue Amanda to go.

8. Who will be in the final three and who will win?

burntbrat: I gotta go with Cirie, Parvati and Amanda. I hope Cirie will win but I think the jury will like Amanda's game better and will give it to her.

Mariner: I'm again going to agree with burnt. I don't think Natalie has any realistic shot unless she wins immunity and she hasn't shown any ability to do so.

Yardgnome: I'm also agreeing with Burnt. I would love to see Cirie take this whole thing but I just don't know if it's going to happen.

canuckinchile: The last immunity will probably be an endurance/balance challenge so it might not automatically go to Amanda, but I think it probably will. Natalie doesn't really have a hope unless she win immunity or gets Amanda blind-sided. I think it will come down to Parv, Cirie and Amanda. Cirie just might pull it off based on Amanda's seemingly dismal speaking skills demonstrated at last season's finale.

AJane: I'd love to see one last blindside. This is wishful thinking, but I'll go with Nat/Cirie/Parv.

waywyrd: Amanda, Parv, and Cirie for final three. It's a toss up for the winner - I'd be happy with either Cirie or Amanda. They've both played an outstanding game, and I hope the jury can see that.

MsFroggy: Barring an inconvenient immunity win by Natalie, I think we'll see a Cirie/Parvati/Amanda final and that's the final I'd like as well. I would be happy with Amanda winning but Parvati is the dark horse in this race.

iguanachocolate: I think it will be a Favorite final three, Cirie/Parvati/Amands, and I would love to see Cirie win. Having had her hand in just about every blindside she could, she’s made it to the end the hard way – by scheming and it is a miracle that none of them have backfired on her.

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