#14: Caicos Islands (Season 8, July - August 2013)
Winner: Trey C./bowling4fun (4-2-0)
Wiki page: http://bit.ly/1HqP01u
This one might shock a few people. The fan boy inside of me wants to put this higher because this season will always hold a special place in my heart, but I just can’t put it any higher than this. Caicos Islands is and will probably remain one of the most unpredictable seasons I have ever done, filled with idol plays, tie votes and TWO rock pullings. Each day of the merge the majority flipped back and forth by one vote. When somebody got majority, an idol would screw up the chances and force it back to a tie vote.
It was exciting and fun… so… why is it at 13th? Well, unfortunately I just described the very problem with the season. It lacked in true strategically adept players, becoming reliant on idols and coincidental ties due to even not-budging alliances, leading to few memorable players.
The season began with the introduction of the One World twist (later revived for Jan Mayen). Immunity bounced back and forth between the tribes before and after each and every tribe swap. Cole, who would later return for Second Chances, was booted first in an entertaining vote. The first tie of the season came after the first tribe swap, and was between memorable rivals Adam and Ronnie. They both attempted to take control, and in trying to vote each other out caused a tie and re-vote, resulting in the pulling of the purple rock, and Amy’s demise, which was a loss of an interesting character. Jayson, now known for his reappearances in Reclamation and Bingo vs. Suitman, was also booted during this swap. The next swap saw another tie, this time between Jordan and Matthew, solved by the shocking flip of Anthony in the re-vote, eliminating his former ally Jordan. This solidified Anthony as an ally of Ronnie after betraying Adam’s alliance.
The merge commenced with a clear Ronnie vs. Adam battle. Idol paranoia caused Adam and Ronnie to both be avoided as targets, and so James and Matthew were the go-to votes. However neither Adam’s alliance nor Ronnie’s alliance budged, and the vote ended with another purple rock, eliminating JB from the game, and putting Ronnie at a disadvantage to Adam. This was then Adam’s time to strike and take out Anthony the betrayer with the extra number. However Anthony knew he was next on the block, and so he placed his idol, shocking everyone as all he votes were voided, taking out Adam’s ally James. The tribes were even once again and this time it was Eamon vs. Anthony. The vote tied, but was solved in the re-vote when Brain accidently forgot to vote, and out went Eamon, putting Adam’s alliance at the disadvantage. Finally with a majority behind him, Ronnie was determined to get out his enemy, and targeted Adam, while Adam went after Ronnie, and, knowing he was certain to go, played his idol, negating all the votes, and shocking everyone, as Ronnie became the latest idol victim. The season-long feud ended in bittersweet circumstances. Now that Ronnie was gone, his alliance began the break down. Anthony tried to hold the fort, but Matthew saw greener grass with Adam’s alliance, and joined him to finally remove Anthony. However, things then got ugly, as Brain decided to turn back on Adam once and for all. Conor and Matthew were all up for that, and Adam was blindsided, leaving Trey on his own. The final vote saw Brain join Trey in taking out Conor, leading to a Trey/Brain/Matthew Final Three.
The Final Three was slightly disappointing; given that there was such an entertaining and dramatic post-merge. The Ronnie/Adam feud led to neither of them winning, and it was Trey who took home the title with his great social game, compared to the sly maneuvers that Brian and Matthew took in the later stages of the game. As you can see, there was a lack of true players until they saw they needed to do something at the Final Five, and that most of the post-merge was dominated by ties and idol plays that, while entertaining and dramatic, just showed Adam vs. Ronnie, and their followers behind them. It’s a strange mix of good drama, and poor characters.
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LEVEL OF STRATEGY: 3 out of 5
This season was let down severely on the strategy front. Adam and Ronnie were the main two spearheads, with Anthony’s flopping gameplay all season long another vocal point. Brain and Matthew came out to remove Anthony and Adam when they needed to at the end, but until then there was little they had done by means of themselves. Some good other strategists like James and Jordan were booted way too early to leave their true mark on the game
ENTERTAINING/LIKEABLE PLAYERS: 3 out of 5
Adam, Ronnie, Trey and Anthony were rootable players. They were all compelling and had good confessionals (which is why it was a good thing they won). In fact, these are the only people that are memorable beyond this season. Adam and Ronnie returned for East Timor, as I have already documented, Anthony was short-of relevant in the Friends vs. Favorites pre-merge, and Trey got pre-merged during Moral vs. Merciless. Beyond that only Cole and Jayson are known for Second Chances and Reclamation, but they were both pre-merged here and aren’t known for being part of it. There wasn’t enough raw character to stick your teeth into.
BLINDSIDES/DRAMA/SHOCKS: 5 out of 5
This is where the season DID excel, and warrants our first 5 out of 5. Most votes this season ere highly entertaining, shocking, unpredictable and entertaining. Although this was due to Adam and Ronnie’s solid alliances (which only broke down after Ronnie’s exit), the mix of ties, rock pulling and idol plays, caused many shock emoticons to be present, as each vote saw the exit of another irrelevant person who was never to return again.
SATISFYING CONCLUSION: 3 out of 5
An Adam/Ronnie/Anthony Final Three would have made this season awesome, but their games collapsed late-merge (of course we ended up with an Adam and Ronnie finals the next season – which thank god it was otherwise East Timor would really have been totally shit). This unfortunately left us with a finish where only Trey was rootable enough to win, and it’s fair to say he was a likeable winner with enough good confessionals to show he played a fierce social game. But it still felt like a Fabio-like ending to such a season (sorry Trey – wuv you).
VIEWER RECEPTION: 4 out of 5
Luckily for this season, the high-octane drama was a hit with the viewers, who declared it one of their favorites (don’t blame them, it was excting). Even I was tricked into calling it great. However looking behind that mask of drama exposes a season of few notable people. Who the fuck were Eamon and JB? Where the hell are Matthew and Brain, two of the Final Three? I don’t even know.
TOTAL SCORE: 18 out of 25 (Grade: If only Anthony had been in East Timor too…)
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SEASON HIGHLIGHT(S):
- Anthony flips to take out Jordan, ultimately causing one of the most entertaining post-merges of Gen Two.
- Anthony’s idol voids votes against him, removing the smug faces of Adam and his allies as James planted his ass on the Jury.
- Ronnie thinks he finally has control, but Adam pulls out his idol and takes his rival out, putting Adam firmly back in the drivers seat. But not for long…
STANDOUT PLAYER:
Anthony. Ronnie and Adam get their spotlight in East Timor, and, although their rivalry with each other is great, Anthony’s strategic moves and interesting confessionals enriched this season and made him a compelling character to watch. It’s a pity he didn’t fare as well in the Friends vs. Favorites, because he really has a lot of potential.
SUM-UP:
Caicos Islands is a very very strange season that really excels is one area, but not in another. While being vibrant, exciting and unpredictable, it is also character-less and bland in returning player material. Which is what gives it this placing at the middle of the pack.
Oh and can we get some appreciation for the pink/neon green/orange color scheme please? It’s so bright a colorful :o
HINT FOR NEXT POSITION:
A post-Friends vs. Favorites season featuring returning players.
STILL IN THE RUNNING:
Saint Lucia
Brazil
Jordan
All-Stars
Brunei
Vietnam
Occultus Island
Moral vs. Merciless
Reclamation
Second Chances
Jan Mayen
Bingo vs. Suitman
Allies vs. Adversaries
#14: Caicos Islands (Season 8, July - August 2013)