We have now reached Survivor season 22, in which Boston Rob and Russell return and the theme is Redemption Island, which means people could still come back into the game after being voted out. I would think the Redemption Island theme should not affect voting strategy too much, at least not in the early stages, as there is a high chance that someone voted out would not return. More interesting at this stage, with two well established characters, the game should not be boring. Considering that these two are so famous, they cannot avoid attention. They will have fans wanting to support and go far with them, but are always subject to being candidates for the vote from those who know what strong players they are. With the experience they bring, they can help the tribe survive in the wild, and for that reason they would be seen as valuable early in the game. This is not true for all return players who have done well, of course, as some would be seen as just strong players who would be threats but not benefit the tribe. It seems Rob is more popular than Russell as the cheers were louder when he joined his tribe - but is this indicative of how far they will go?
Russell is a dangerous player but not really much of a team player. As usual, his strategy was to go for a position of power in the tribe and plan to control the game. He found an ally in Stephanie, and with two seasons of history behind him, the other men on the Zapatera tribe were wise to his plan, and decided they would make him the first target. Almost certainly he will make a deal with one or two others, and bank on finding the idol. The atmosphere started off tense as people were wary of Russell. Not too many tears would be shed if he left early, as people would surely want to be remembered as the ones who voted him out.
In Ometepe, Rob was popular with his tribe, with the exception of Francesca, Kristina, and Phillip. Kristina, especially, was keen to get rid of him, and her first thought was to find the hidden immunity idol. Her behaviour looked too suspicious for Rob's liking, and he figured out she was looking for it and was a good player who needed to be checked. In fact she actually did find the idol and could start plotting. Her first target was Rob, of course, and she decided to get Francesca and Phillip to join her. However, while they considered it, they were rather reluctant to do commit. Although Rob could have been a target even on the first day, they clearly saw that it would not have been a good idea to vote him out too soon. He was after all, with three seasons of previous experience, going to be quite an asset. Francesca and Phillip felt they had to balance their desire to progress in the game with the need for the tribe to perform well. Also, such a move would not have made them popular.
Rob had crafted a foolproof plan in which either Francesca or Kristina would go. Knowing it was possible that they might have the idol, he knew they had to make sure they gave three votes to each of them to guarantee one would go even if they played it. From his past experience in a similar situation in Heroes v Villains, he reminded his tribe-mates of the blundering Tyson, and told them that under no circumstances were they to change their votes.
Tribal council was likely to be very interesting, but Phillip made it unexpectedly far more dramatic than it really had to be. Without warning and surely without any sensible reason, he bizarrely gave away Kristina's entire plot! Surely he looked like a complete fool to come so clean at this point in time! The three of them engaged in a public argument, to the amusement of Rob. Even so, he had taken pains to make sure he and five others did not change their planned votes, and Phillip was safe even with both Francesca and Kristina now voting against him. Kristina took a bit of a chance by not playing the idol and voting for Phillip rather than Francesca, but perhaps it was because she believed Phillip when he truthfully said he would be voting for Francesca. The tally was Francesca 4 Kristina 3 Phillip 2.
What had the three of them done wrong? Kristina had wanted to attract votes to herself and surprise Rob with the idol. They could easily have targetted Natalie instead, which is what Francesca wanted. Of course Rob had allowed for the possibility that the idol could have been played, and they would have been thwarted anyway. Phillip really let them down badly as he could at least have been discreet about the matter and quietly voted for Kristina to remove the idol from the game. As Kristina declined to play it, he lost his only potential ally and only succeeded in making himself the next target.
So, right now, matters appear straightforward in Ometepe. The next time they go to tribal council, they should vote Kristina 4 Phillip 3, and this way the idol has to be used, and Phillip goes to Redemption Island. These two are not very popular anyway, and no one would want to save them: Phillip seemed to be a rather odd character even before his tribal council antics, and Kristina has shown herself to be too dangerous a player to keep around.
Somehow I think things are going to get turned around, though. There is always the possibility of Phillip getting individual immunity. Idk, I just feel he's not leaving yet. LOL. It was entertaining, that;s for sure !
Great synopsis...and pretty much agree with all you said !! One comment...
I think Phillip is a little crazy...lol... smart crazy... the scariest kind!!! hahah Great read as always Philomena!!! <33333
