#12: Vietnam (Season 13, January – February 2014)
Winner: Dana M./TotsTrashy (5-1)
Wiki page: http://bit.ly/1AOZGCU
Introducing the season that had to prove that all newbie seasons were worth the space – and it did just that. Vietnam put a new group of talented castaways on the stage, and left us with one of the most popular winners of all time – the first (and only) female one of Gen Two. Similarly to Occultus Island, the season was not be biggest in terms of gameplay, but is instead well known for it’s high amount of post-merge drama and pleasing resolution.
Pre-merge we were introduced to one of the shittiest all-time tribes in Da Nang – a tribe that literally had three useful people out of eight. It’s then not surprising that this tribe had eight separate self-votes in the first four days. It’s saving grace came in the form of Dana and her pet Sim. We heard, for the first two days, their grievances with their tribe, as Zach (who?) and Pasquale (who?) fell by the wayside. When the Continuous Mutiny twist gave them the chance to jump ship, they both jumped at the chance to join the succeeding Can Tho tribe, and hopped off of the sinking boat. After that, Da Nang was doomed, and they lost the last two challenges, eliminating both Ricky (who?) and Sarah (who?).
The tribe swap brought new life into the game, as the succeeding tribe now had to make some tough decisions. The first big move of the game came in that next vote when Cedric, Davey, Cal and Daniel decided to oust their own Can Tho tribemate, rising threat Brendon, instead of Da Nang loner, Jerome. The same happened on the other tribe, with Cedric and Ryan deciding also to oust some of the fat from the original Can Thos, this time enlisting Da Nang’s Dana, Sim and Andrew, bringing us to the merge with the eliminations of Paul (who?) and John (who?).
The Can Tho “cull” post-swap had left us with a 5-4 merge. Daniel and Cal both pushed for all the Can Thos to band together to take out the Da Nangs. However the swap seemed to have split the Can Tho tribe, and unpredictable Davey saw a better future with Da Nang’s Dana and Sim, as did Cedric. Therefore the game was suddenly shunted in a new direction, with Dana, Sim, Cedric, Andrew and Davey ousting Jerome to the shock of Can Tho members Cal, Daniel and Ryan. In the next vote, Davey attempted to flip back and take Dana out, however her momentum was already flowing, and used Ryan as an extra vote to take majority without Davey, taking out Daniel, Cal and Davey in one swoop, leaving the Da Nangs up in numbers 3-2 at the Final Five. In the next vote, Dana and Sim attempted to oust Cedric, however a hidden idol got in the way and the vote tied between Ryan and Andrew, with Ryan being booted, leaving Cedric as the last standing Can Tho. When Cedric lost the next Immunity Challenge, Dana and Andrew made the decision to finally take him out. However, Sim decided he wanted to keep him around (because he’s dumb ofc), and tied the vote 2-2, sending it to the Purple Rock, which ousted Cedric. At the Final Immunity Challenge, Dana won and finally executed Cedric, putting her in the Final Two with Sim. At the FTC, Sim was blasted for being a sheep and announcing the decisions he did make as poor. They saw Dana’s more socialy dynamic game as the better one and Dana was crowned the first female (we think) winner in a 5-1 vote.
There are people who may say I overrate this season, and from the way the game played out and the poor pre-merge, it does look a very simple season. However, that actually made it interesting. The characters like Dana, Sim, Davey and Daniel brought a whole new and fresh feel, and the end resolution made Dana one of the most popular winners as she was good not only in the game but also as a character. It was a very dramatic season, with lots of bad blood between the castaways, leading to entertaining moments and arguments.
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LEVEL OF STRATEGY: 3 out of 5.
The strategy in this season was not as big as other seasons, and was a let-down point for the season. It can be expected with a newbie season, but some parts, especially the pre-merge, had obvious votes, which cannot be ignored. Despite this, Dana, Cedric, Davey, Daniel, and to a certain extent Sim emerged as key power players in how the season progressed.
ENTERTAINING/LIKEABLE PLAYERS: 3 out of 5
There were a few iconic characters this season such as Dana, Sim and Davey. All three of these people are completely crazy, and their confessionals all made for entertaining reading. However, all the pre-merge boots despite Brendon were complete forgettable flops, and currently only Dana, Davey, Sim and Brendon have returned from this season.
BLINDSIDES/DRAMA/SHOCKS: 4 out of 5
It may lack in blindsides, with Brendon, Davey and perhaps Ryan’s boots standing as the only ones in the season. However, the drama present throughout the season was on a brutal bad blood level almost to the same level as All-Stars/Brunei (and that is saying something). Clashing characters such as Sim and Davey led to heated arguments, which were great to watch. In my memory, this was one of the most entertaining seasons I had hosted in a long time.
SATISFYING CONCLUSION: 4 out of 5
Dana’s win has stood out to be one of the most popular amongst fans of Suitman’s Survivor, for a number of seasons. Her entertain character, combined with the underdog status associated with the likes of Malcolm and Spencer for being on shit tribes, leads to an extremely rootable character. No one has rooted for the person who became the winner on this level until Patrick came along in Allies vs. Adversaries. The beauty in it is that all Dana needed to do is flaunt her social game, which she did perfectly. A true example of Dana’s unknown power is the fact she got 4th in Moral vs. Merciless despite not being there half the time. Oh and she’s the first female winner of Gen Two. Yeah that helped too.
VIEWER RECEPTION: 4 out of 5
On initial viewing, this season was one people passed off as one to skip. They were more interested in Occultus Island, which was coming up next. However as the drama started to rise and as support for Dana rose, people started becoming hugely invested in the season, and the satisfying conclusion made it an instant hit with the viewers. Something sometimes rare with all newbie seasons that are amongst returnee seasons.
TOTAL SCORE: 19 out of 25 (Grade: It’s clear that Dana sucks as a host tho)
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SEASON HIGHLIGHT(S):
- Brendon is blindsided by his tribemates, making him angry.
- Jerome blindsided by Davey’s flip, making everyone angry.
- Ryan helps take Daniel out, making everyone angry.
- Davey makes his mark as a crazy bitch (confirmed in MvM). It made them angry.
- Cedric plays an idol causing a tie, making everyone angry.
STANDOUT PLAYER:
Dana. Because life.
SUM-UP:
To conclude, despite the lack of gameplay and a lot of forgettable players, the drama between certain castaways made this season an unmissable experience. If you just want a fun romp of drama and jiggery fuckery, this is the one to watch.
Also Sim wasn’t that bad….
I brought him back didn’t I?
HINT FOR NEXT POSITION:
A 20-person season.
STILL IN THE RUNNING:
Saint Lucia
Brazil
Jordan
All-Stars
Brunei
Moral vs. Merciless
Reclamation
Second Chances
Jan Mayen
Bingo vs. Suitman
Allies vs. Adversaries
#12: Vietnam (Season 13, January – February 2014)