Survivor Caramoan Finale and Reunion Show Discussion and Recap *Updated with Videos and poll*

Hello Survivor Fans. It’s the end of another great season. I really hope the producers have learned from the last two seasons and continue to cast people who want to play the game over people who just want to be on TV.

Here’s a preview for the episode that has been playing since Thursday.

http://youtu.be/slE2qOKIahk

There is not much to say about the season that hasn’t already been said. It was a fun season that got awesome after the merge with all the chess pieces. My preseason pick of Cochran is still going strong so fingers crossed he wins to counter balance the embarrassment of having my preseason Amazing Race pick finish in last.

Apparently over (60%) agree with Cochran winning. The surprising result from that poll that Eddie finished second with (16.51%). He was followed by Erik (Almost 14&), Dawn (just over 7%) and Sherri in dead last (Under 2%).

The crazy thing is I think Eddie and Sherri can now beat Dawn if it came down to it. I think Dawn has no chance of winning the game because people will hold the Brenda vote against her.

I will be back later with my recap and final thoughts on the finale along with any important information from the Reunion show such as the winner of Player of the Season (AKA Favorite Survivor since it is really just a popularity vote) and what the Fall season of Survivor will be.

As always feel free to discuss below and come back later for my recap. Enjoy the show and for any mother’s reading Happy Mother’s Day.

ETA: Cochran is the winner of Survivor! Malcolm is the Player of the Season

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We start off with a recap of the season and I will say again that I really don’t agree that the majority of the Fans were not Super Fans especially with the way they played the game.  The recap also shows how uneven the season has been with the pre-merge being heavy on big personalities but lacked the strategy that makes a great season of Survivor. But then we had the post-merge and the season has been amazing since with all the chess moves being made by everyone.

After the recap we head back to camp and Erik is having some issues. He is dazed and seems out of it and it brings Jeff and the doctors to check him out. He has a slow pulse and the doctor thinks that not enough fluids are going to his head.

The place an IV into his arm and when Erik has questions about what is happening Eddie steps up with an amazing answer to help Erik with his worries. Erik’s blood pressure is low and the doctors make the decision to pull him from the game. It is a sad moment for the game and I feel horrible for Erik since he is such a big fan of the game and even if he wasn’t the most exciting player he was a really nice guy to root for.

Eddie feels that this is his chance to step up and win the game of Survivor. He’ll need to win Immunity and take out Cochran to have any chance at that happening.  Get ready for a lot of filler since there is one less challenge that is needed.

Back at camp there is a few nice words about losing Erik but Cochran is back into game mode. He wants to get to Eddie first since he thinks Eddie will have the best chance to win the last immunity. They make an agreement to bring Sherri with them since she would be easier to beat. Of course if Eddie loses there is no way Cochran takes him.

We will have a reward challenge. Before heading over Dawn explains that she feels she has played a great strategic game this time and now she just needs to focus on the challenges.

The challenge entails balancing a bar with arm while building a house of cards to reach a red line and win. The winner will get an advantage for the final immunity challenge.  This would have been  a great immunity challenge.

http://youtu.be/Fi7HgOniD6w

Cochran jumps to a lead but his stack falls. Sherri’s stack falls next and Dawn was close to finishing but her stack falls just a card away. Eddie is close to the end but he tumbles as well leaving Sherri in the lead. Cochran is having trouble as he continues loses his tower. Sherri falls over and Dawn is briefly in the lead but also falls over. Eddie gets high and falls.

It looks to be down to Sherri or Cochran but as Sherri reaches over to grab a card her stack falls. Cochran takes advantage of this and wins the advantage.

I really hate the idea of someone having an advantage in the final immunity challenge. What I really wish is that they bring back the car challenge.

Cochran is happy to hold the advantage rather than Eddie or Dawn. He likes to have options to go with either Dawn or Eddie. Eddie and Sherri for their part realize that Dawn is dangerous because she has a sympathy vote. What they don’t realize is that this jury doesn’t feel sorry for her at all.

Cochran says that every day is a rollercoaster with Dawn and he doesn’t understand why she feels she deserves a free pass into the finals especially since he is considering ditching her.

We are off to the final immunity but first we get the “Fallen Comrades” montage.  It makes me feel sorry for some of the early fans who went home especially Matt, Hope, and Allie. They could have been great players under different circumstances.

Watching them burn the nameplates made me think of Wicker Man which was one of the worst movies I have ever seen and I wish to never be reminded of it.

And it is finally time for the final challenge and it looks massive. They must climb stairs, untie a bag of puzzle pieces and slide down. They will need to gather three bags and then build a Fire puzzle for immunity and a chance to face the Jury for the $1million prize.

http://youtu.be/OMbQLKDE_Bg

Cochran’s advantage us that he will not need to untie his puzzle pieces. If he is good at puzzles this would be a huge advantage. He is up and down quickly and on his way for bag number two before the others get down once. He has all three bags before anyone else has two bags.

Cochran is working on the puzzle as Eddie and Dawn head up for their last bags.  They both head down with their last bags as Sherri is starting to untie her last bag. Everyone else is working on the puzzle as Sherri arrives with her last bag.

Cochran’s lead has disappeared as Dawn and Sherri pass him building the puzzle. Cochran makes a little comeback as he starts putting pieces together. Eddie is pretty out of it with the puzzle. The advantage didn’t help tons but Cochran does pull out the win for his third immunity win. Jeff and Cochran go back to their first immunity together then he asked to be called Cochran and said he wanted to be amongst the Donaldson’s and Mariano’s. If I am being honest I would have to put Cochran amongst the greatest ever the way he has played this season. He has played smart and he continues to prove it by mentioning that he is open to taking out Dawn if that is what is best for his game.

The wins have really gone to his head as he is unsure who to give second place to. He is adamant to take Sherri since he is convinced no one will give her enough votes for first or second. The decision is between Dawn and Eddie for second place.

Eddie makes his push that he thinks that Dawn will have the sympathy vote. When Cochran brings up that the jury will like listening to Eddie he point out that he is likable but on the other hand he has done absolutely nothing strategic the entire game and that includes pre-merge.

Eddie says that if he wants build a shelter for dogs which makes me like him more but he follows this up with the fact that his dog shelter will be attached to a bar. He likes dogs and he likes beer so a bar where you can bring your dog would be awesome. I love that had the extra time to fill to include this quote.

Cochran says it will come down to Eddie or Dawn in the final three with Cochran and Sherri.

We start the tribal by discussing Erik being removed from the game. Eddie says that it opened doors since he felt it would be Dawn, Sherri, and Erik in the final three. Cochran is happy Erik wasn’t in the game but it was hard to celebrate the way he was removed from the game.

Dawn argues that Eddie has friends on the jury and could beat Cochran since he didn’t have to have a hand voting out anyone while Eddie argues that the best move is to take him since he didn’t play a strategic game at all.

Jeff points out that no one is focusing on Sherri and it seems like a foregone conclusion that she will be in the final three. She says that everyone has been underestimating her the entire game and she has played the game with alliances and did what was needed to get there. What we call this un the real world is “Coat-Riding.”

Eddie throws out that Cochran’s best chance to win would be against Eddie and Sherri. I disagree. I think Cochran wins no matter what so at this point he should keep Dawn so that he can say he was loyal to the one person the entire game.

Dawn votes for Eddie and Eddie votes for Dawn which is obvious. We hear Cochran say that he has voted out the only person he thinks can beat him. And with that the last Amigo has fallen as Eddie has become the last member of the jury.

http://youtu.be/92h7-k8eGew

We are treated to the final Three Breakfast which entails eating and people talking about why they deserve to win. I kind of spaced out a little at this point since the real answers will come at Tribal which is next,

Before it airs I am betting on Brenda being the angriest jury and Phillip having the crazy questions.

We start with opening statements. Dawn says she feels humble and she says she had a hard time because she has a hard time lying. She knew she needed an alliance to get to the end which was with Cochran. She also says that she needed to give herself permission to lie and back promises and play the game. That is how she made it to the end.

Sherri says that the personal things she shared about herself was true but that she also owns several successful business and her game plan was to deal with others the way she deals with people in her everyday life. She stumbles on her words since she is nervous but she says that she had to integrate herself into the favorites and she did that successfully since she is still standing.

Cochran says that Survivor has been his life for 13 years. He use to write newsletters and a Law School paper on the game. He says that there were a lot of great players and he doesn’t think he outplayed others but he made his moves before they can which is why is excited to answer questions because he will own his game. He seems to be taking the Todd (Survivor China winner) approach to tribal by complimenting the jury while taking ownership of his moves.

We start with Malcolm. He congratulates them for making it to the end. He doesn’t have a question for Sherri but his vote is up in the air. Malcolm asks Sherri to own her moves rather than pretending to be the friend to everyone. He asks Cochran what characteristic Cochran has that Malcolm does not have that made him make it to the end. Cochran says his insecurity is the reason he made it further since as soon as he heard others had plans that differed from his own he made moves against them.

Eddie is next. He asks Sherri to admit she was carried to the final three which she disagrees with. This makes the jury laugh which is never a good sign when you are trying to get votes. He says that he has troubles with Dawn since she says she played a cold hearted game but she was always had mental breakdowns. She says she wasn’t strong but still did what was needed to get to the end even vote out her closest friends. Eddie says that Cochran has done a total 180 from the last time he played the game and asks where Cochran goes from here. He asks Cochran that if he is at the bar with the Three Amigos where he is standing. Cochran is at the bar with them. Two years ago he would have panic attacks but now he would be hanging with them since he has confidence now.

Phillip is next which surprises me since I expected him to be one of the last. He says he knows what it is like to sit where they are and congratulates them. I shouldn’t have worried since he starts his talk by kicking Sherri out of Stealth R Us. He tells Dawn that he doesn’t respect Dawn since she had so many melt downs and doesn’t see himself voting for her. He ends by calling Cochran a class act and says it was a joy to play with him.

Erik starts with Dawn. He tells her that he thought that they had something special with her and that she crushed that when she voted out Brenda. Dawn says she came into the game ready to use the relationships she made. She says that the feelings were genuine but she did what she needed to do. He then asks Sherri if she is truly aware of how she got to the end. She says she played hard and he asks what exactly she did to deserve being there. She says she played her game. He tries to get her to open up about her strategy and she attacks him and says she doesn’t need to explain herself. It’s too bad she took it as an attack rather than a chance to really explain her game since no one else is asking her questions.

Michael says that when he was with them after the swap he saw Dawn and Cochran worked together and vote together but she is taking the hits for their moves. He asks her why Cochran is not being attacked more. She says that Cochran didn’t build the relationships she did so there is less blood on his hands. She says that Cochran didn’t have to do anything but show up and vote. She says that Cochran would not be in the game without her getting the information. Cochran counters that he had to be her therapist and without him she wouldn’t have lasted.

Reynold admits to disliking Dawn from the first day because she comes off as fake and created a character. He asks her to say what she thinks of Reynold. He begs her to tell him, He says that he knows what she has told others about him and he wants her to say them.  She says that she thinks he is chauvinistic, that he has a sense of humor, and he is vulgar sometimes. He gets her to say that she kicked everyone else’s asses and she liked it.

They keep showing Brenda’s face and it just feels like there is a storm coming with her questions.

Andrea says she is not bitter and that she was impressed they blindsided her with a hidden immunity in her pocket. She asks Cochran to choose an animal that he played the game like. He says he is Chameleon because he has been able and willing to change at the drop of a hat depending on the situation. She tells Dawn that she is proud of her and she would have played a similar game to get to the end.

Time for Brenda and she is almost crying before asking the questions. She says that they bonded because she gave them the reward for the challenge and he voted her out. He says that he deserves her vote because she was a threat to him and he needed to get her out. She says that she had a real friendship with Dawn and it hurt that she was the most upset that she voted for her out. She asks Dawn if she would have really quit if Brenda didn’t find it and Dawn says she wouldn’t have. Brenda tells her to prove it by showing everyone how she looked on that day and be vulnerable. Dawn refuses to do so because she says that it is not needed. Brenda says she needs it to be done since Dawn is minimizing the effect of that moment. They argue back and forth on whether it is needed and Dawn eventually pulls out the retainer. Brenda is satisfied since Dawn can feel a little of the humiliation she felt. It really felt unnecessary and mean whet Brenda did to Dawn.

And again Sherri isn’t asked a question. I think there is no way Cochran loses this one.

And with that it is time to vote. Phillip votes for Cochran. They don’t show any other votes which mean it may be a shut out for Cochran although Malcolm says he did not think he would be voting for the person he voted for.

Jeff leaves with the votes and takes off into the jungle that leads right to California. It is time to show the votes. Sherri admits her chances at winning are not good. Cochran says he is confident but learned from the season that as soon as you are confident you could be blindsided. Dawn says she may not win but she will be able to buy some new teeth.

http://youtu.be/0nagsaWOnLk

It’s time for the reunion and it looks like we will have some big guns giving their thoughts with Rudy and Richard from season one and Boston Rob giving his thoughts on Phillip.

For the Reunion the pre-merge castaways are in the audience. I kind of blame Brandon for this but to me it isn’t a big deal since those people barely get a chance to say anything.

The reunion starts by highlighting Cochran’s fish out of water story and transforming into a great player. Jeff talks to him about how he is now a confident player. Cochran says that he has accepted his geeky quirks and accepting who he is allowed him to focus on the game this time. Cochran says he wants to write since he has the gift of gab. He gets a viewer question about being a sex symbol now and he jokingly tells her to hit him up on tweeter. At least I think he was joking.

We now get to see Dawn’s roller coaster ride of tears. Dawn and Jeff talk about how people can be attacked on Social Media (Just ask MJ about Nikki Minaj fan and other stans). Dawn says she shut down her Twitter since she was being attacked. They bring Brenda on by satellite to speak with Jeff. They say that  Dawn has tried to reached out to Dawn but Brenda didn’t want to answer. Dawn apologizes about the move but says that she had to do what she did. She accepts Dawn’s apology and announces that she couldn’t be there since she is pregnant and ready to give birth any day.

Next up is one of my all-time favorite Survivors, Boston Rob. We start of by talking to Phillip. He says that everyone was really digging the way he played. They talk about Phillip was open to fans and even watched episodes with some fans and talked Survivor. That’s actually kind of cool.  Before they get to the BR Rules they chat about how he comes up with the Stealth R Us names. Phillip says that he has given out over 2000 names. He says he thinks about the personality and assigns a name. He inducts Jeff with the name the “Piercing Eagle” because Jeff swoops in with piercing questions.

They now bring up the BR Rules.  They end the segment with the rule to get rid of your alliance before they get rid of you and Phillip having his torch snuffed. They go to Boston Rob in the audience. He says that Phillip is one of the most entertaining players ever and he was honored to have the BR Rules named after him even if the execution wasn’t perfect. He was also inspired to put pen to paper and author the Boston Rob Rule Book which he gives to Phillip since you never know when CBS and Survivor will come calling again.

They tease the next season rather than showing where they are going. They show blood dropping into water. I cheated a little and looked it up and it is Survivor: Blood Vs. Water which I will discuss later.

The spotlight is on Malcolm now. They talk about how crazy it is to play back to back with no time off. He says that he learned to be humble since he expected to run through challenges and in the end any one could win and he lost. They show a clip from his role on the Bold and The Beautiful and he fits right in on a Soap Opera. Malcolm says he gets a lot kids approaching him and he loves it because he has worked with kids.

They get a comment from a cute kid from the audience to talk about why kids love Malcolm. She says that it is because Malcolm is good at the game and has the hair.

They talk about how Andrea was done in by the boys. She says she still has the idol and wears it sometimes. Reynold says he learned not to take the game so seriously and to not let getting turned on get to you from the Favorites.

We look back at the first season of Survivor. I remember the show and I loved every moment of it.  I still love it today. We talk with Rudy in the audience. It’s amazing that he was 72 when he played in Season 1. He says Survivor was nothing. Putting up with the people was the hard part. They have a message from Richard and it brings back fond memories of watching the show with my mom.

It is now time for the Sprint Player of the Season. 71% of the votes cast were for two people, Malcolm and Brenda. It was 36% to 35% with Malcolm winning.

http://youtu.be/YdIO-dyU3a8

And it is time for the preview for next season Survivor: Blood vs. Water. (Check MJ’s Post for the mini tease and season logo).  I am hearing it will be Survivor favorites against family members but nothing is known for sure. I am crossing my fingers that it does not involve any of the Hantz family. I’ve just had enough of that family.

The idea does interest me (as long as it isn’t as lame as the Family Edition of Amazing Race). Either way I will be looking forward to September. It’s been a blast recapping Survivor and talking about the show. I’ll see you guys in the fall.

Actually if you watch Big Brother I will be back in June to recap all the summer craziness. It should be fun!

And let’s end with one more poll: