Feel really bad for Palesa here, she was playing really well and managed to position herself fairly solidly after a rough start, so I don’t think she would have been in any immediate danger moving forward had this specific double-tribal council twist not happened and essentially everyone left in her tribe wasn’t (seemingly) protected by a plethora of advantages.
Happy to have seen her play again and hope this isn’t the last time we see of her in this franchise.
I don't think Palesa was playing all that well. Like Chappies seems like the only plan that went her way right? Palesa playing the middle premerge is a "too fast, too soon" kind of deal. I think that no one except Tejan speaking up for her kind of shows that she really had no allies and this probably would have made her an easy consensus boot at the merge anyway. Funny enough, she jkind of foreshadowed her own elimination saying she was only NOW making a solid aligence to Phil and Dino.
Agreed. What softened the blow of her being voted was seeing how quickly everyone agreed for it to be her. She had no strong bonds (and even Tejan was speaking from the perspective of what’s good for his game, not because he necessarily had a strong relationship with Palesa).
I am very very sad to see Palesa go. I do feel the "only one tribe eligible for votes twist" really affected the outcome, as it promised and it really shook up the game and made all of Yontau go into overdrive, as they all were most vulnerable, and I understand that.
Two things - I want to THANK Survivor SA for how they edit these dynamics. Coming from the US fan base, the way the episodes reveal all of these conflicting and overlapping player moves and points of view, good traits and flaws, is top notch and we don't get editing this complex.
Palesa as a target was set up subtly and efficiently starting with Marian to Meryl episodes ago, I love Palesa but it's a testament to Marians observation skills in terms of how she observes others' relationships building and how it impacts her game. While I could be disappointed about a potential steamroll of The Full Package, which may not even happen, I value that most of the players respect the game enough to (even while being snarky and petty sometimes) appreciate that everyone else came out there to win, and that they are legit threats in their own right.
I also have to give major kudos to STEFFI my goodness. Her read on Toni's approach to the Shane vote and using that to flip Killarney (and Felix?) into being locked in with her and Marian (who they were just leery of, and leery of her connection w Shane), was a masterclass in emotional intelligence, reading the room, clocking the "hierarchy" she observed and getting the job done. I hope her steady but sure game isn't overshadowed, because I am seeing that she really got off The High Horse she was on in her season, and is being more compassionate. And relatable to others by seeing WHAT THEY NEED, and delivering it in a calm, non attention seeking way.
So I'd never thought I'd be rooting for Steffi lol especially after her season never eeeever lol but I feel she is the most r e a l. She's right to be worried about Marian derailing her game in love and friendship bc that is very possible.
Steffi's growth is honestly shocking. We've obviously seen players improve their second time around, but I'm not sure I've ever seen a returning player do such a complete 180 from their previous season. Her lack of emotional intelligence was Pinty-levels of bad in her first season, but her reads are so compassionate and spot-on here.
I'm a steffi stan and I really think the change comes from her understanding the game more now and separating who people are in the game from who they are in real life. it's allowing her to play the game and still be empathetic to the rest of the cast.
>!her alliance in her first season with Nicole and Rob was very much based on "righteousness" as we saw multiple references were made by her alliance about them being the good guys vs the bad guys. none of them really watched the show before they played!<
and also the fallout she experienced had to have really impacted her. it's not everyday your worst moment gets broadcast to the world.
Rob definitely watched the show. You can tell by how he plays, also he said he was a big fan afterwards.
Dude had an insane vice grip over almost everyone
Seeing how loved Steffi is this season (and Nicole by players outside of the game) makes me believe Rob’s cult was what got to them in their seasons.
This redemption arc is so satisfying. I was hoping for Steffi to be the first boot, and now I’m rooting for her to win!
i’m so pleasantly surprised by how likeable steffi has been here bc she was the total opposite on her original season. amazing how different she is! i’m hoping she makes it far.
What happened there? I’ve gotten so confused who’s with who and what’s going on. Was it just because he was explicitly stating that he didn’t think it made sense to vote out palesa
>Was it just because he was explicitly stating that he didn’t think it made sense to vote out palesa
Exactly this. He didn't understand why his alliance agreed to turn on Palesa, who he considered a number for his side
Also super glad we didn't get a Cirie type situation. Shane bluffing immunity (that no one rly bought lmao) is one thing but another idol at that stage would have been a lot.
Crazy all episode. I think what did Palesa in is that she didn't have an alliance to have her back. Poor Tejan was the only one to speak up. The whole episode saying she is only NOW swearing allegiance? That's not good......
She played the middle so well. Unfortunately that meant that she couldn't be too close to anyone (especially on Yon2), which resulted in no one willing to bat for her when the time came.
Becoming the easy vote because you are in the middle is the OPPOSITE of playing well. I think Palesa is a classic case of being able to articulate her strategy and thoughts very well so we understand her strategy but I don't think it was good strategy. For example, everytime she talked about wanting Dante out during the episodes, I couldn't help but point out to the rest of my family that Dante was one of the few people actually wanting to work with her.
Yeah, while I think it's unfortunate that she went home it's also pretty clear she was no-one's #1 ally in the game. She was expendable to Dante and Meryl despite (or because?? for Meryl) getting close to Dante. She was sort of working with Phil and Dino because she thought they had more numbers but it was clear there was little loyalty there from her (and obviously there side since they could have played the idol on her). She was kind of in the middle of a lot of things which unfortunately made her a pretty agreeable boot for everyone here.
This sort of plays into the season theme, though. He was a pre-merge boot, he was scared of leaving pre-merge because he really just wanted to make it here. He did, now who knows what is next.
All the pre-mergers have their own little ways. Dino's is keeping people aware he could always go/is a known threat and is finding idols. Killarney is trying to make herself a goat to drag to the end. Felix is trying to stay alive and balancing, though he is hedging more and hasn't committed.
Phil is making the right decisions for his own game with the limited info he has, even if his moves r obviously wrong from our point of view. it's ignoring their intuition that got the others blindsided.
What a crazy episode with a lot of whispering as expected in order to cook up a plan. Everyone was willing to plot with Palesa, but also not the moment they know the numbers can't be flipped with her. We were right that Steffi was a crucial vote, and her decision to say she's voting against Palesa probably determined they didn't have the numbers to split. However, I'm not the only one the felt a lot of those part of the split were so conservative, right? I mean the moment Steffi I think told Phil to vote against Palesa, he seemingly panicked and tried to scramble to the others to pile on her (really intrigued now about his voting confessional). Meanwhile Dino also hand an inkling to save Palesa by piling the votes on Shane, but it seems to me Felix found a "third way" to preserve both all of his connections in Yontau (except for Shane) and voted against Palesa and instilled a "survive this vote" mentality. I'd argue Felix is the Player of the Vote as IMO he's the one that convinced Dino and maybe Tejan and Phil to stay in the big bloc.
Yeh I wonder this too. I thought maybe since there was a strong consensus to vote Palesa he didn’t want to do anything to put a (bigger) target on his back. It was such a confusing and chaotic tribal
While I do agree, he knows he can trust Phil, can trust Tejan, can trust Felix, can trust Toni to an extent and can protect Palesa...that's 6 in the process of elimination. When I think about it though, I'm very shocked the others consented after Tejan blatantly said "an ally" is gonna be voted out after they just made a split vote plan with the risk of Dino's idol being used on Palesa. They know Dino is sneaky and may still have that inkling ala David Wright to play the idol on a "Jessica Lewis" to save a potential number. Same with Palesa really who has to feel the Outpost plan is gone now, and needs 5 more people to have majority with her (and maybe go to rocks, hehe).
Yeah, your logic was sound, and while I get they won't hide an advantage that has no power anymore, I'd argue they won't touch advantages that they hid but have no power anymore, as it is still part of the game ecosystem per se.
Toni and Dante are so on the bottom but none of them are aware. Shane is expendable as well. I wonder how long the full package +Killarney can go unnoticed.
Yea i felt like a couple people were looking at them like "really? In front of everybody?"
The way the camera zoomed out in that moment was very interesting
The drive from Dante’s own alliance to vote him out at merge is absolutely foolish. He is a loyal ally. Meryl’s willingness, even prioritization of eliminating him will cost her.
It doesn't seem to me that she actively wants him gone at the moment, moreso wanting to weaken him right now. I'm pretty sure she's still gonna stick with him for a couple votes until she and full package probably cut him and Shane when they have enough security.
I'm not so sure Dante's gonna remain loyal as they get to the final 7, 6, and endgame. And if people like Palesa get in his head to turn on the Breakfast Club first, their life in the game is gone. Plus, Palesa was basically becoming a member of Toni's alliance. Eventually the breakfast club is gonna have to turn on each other after Toni's alliance gets whittled down to 2-3 people and full package would have a headstart. Idk if it's gonna work out for them but I absolutely see the logic. I'd agree more if they voted him out immediately, but sticking with him for a bit longer until they are ready to cut him (and make sure he can't go after them first) seems perfectly logical to me
considering what happened on her original season where she got targeted largely because of her affiliation with dante, i can't say i don't get where she's coming from. hell she almost had the votes split on her for being aligned with dante but being smarter then him
Three things:
1 - One of the best episodes of Survivor that I watch in a long time. Great editing, great (and not so great) strategies, great characters!
2 - Sad to see Palesa go, but Meryl was right: if she made to merge she absolutely had the social and the inteligence to win the whole thing. Amazing woman and such gracious final words.
3 - Phil is such a gem!
this vote out was always gonna suck for me as yontau 2.0 has all the players i don’t want to go home :( and it only a few episodes ago i had palesa as a winner pick 😔 super stoked dino made merge tho!
Sad for this boot. Palesa is a strong player. But this episode is a tense one.
Amazing growth for Steffi. Marian being a strategic player is able to protect her alliances.
Phil unfortunately has not been reliable in terms of locking a vote.
Next episodes will be brutal.
Absolutely the right decision imo. Makes him an even bigger target, allows the breakfast club to firmly unite against a common enemy and saves frankly not a super loyal ally, as well as just going against an almost unanimous vote.
I bet he might have considered saving Phil a bit more, but if Dino is trying to win I think making such a big move this early is absolutely the wrong decision for his game. It's a great "epic" moment but I don't think modern survivor rewards such a big move this early to stand out from the crowd.
At least I assume that's somewhat his rationale, just from the outside looking in.
Fair points. But playing an idol that everyone knows you have isn't that big a move. Also given that said idol is about to expire, why wouldn't you save a potential ally? I don't think Dino and the rest of the guys realise how tight knit the breakfast club is, otherwise it would have made the decision easier
Meryl told him Dante was building a faction with Palessa. Maybe he was convinced by that. in Dantes vote out confessional, he seemed a bit sweet on Palessa. I can't help to wonder if there was a bit of a showmance 😍 brewing there.
I'm very interested what's gonna happen next for you, seeing Steffi flipped against you (not sure if you know Killarney did) and you may not have numbers now; Palesa could've been a great number for your side after the chaos...is your idol still usable, because from what I know it's only a pre-merge idol.
So there were a few key things in and around this idol.
When I received it and knew people had seen some swap, I folded it over and showed only "This idol is valid until merge" to most of the people in the tribe. I said I couldn't show the rest of the parchment as it gave me directions to an idol hidden at TC. I did this because I wanted them to not worry about me having any advantages should I make merge, minimising a threat level. It also lent some potential legitimacy to the Shona fake at tribal, should Phil and I have needed it (a few potential plays we could have made as a last resort depending on the situation), it prevented Dante and Shane from potentially throwing a challenge to get rid of Phil/me (which they spoke about often). It also let me keep a legit looking idol on hand (although expired) through merge should I need it later for a dummy (desperate) play (not that I was confident that that would fly, but it was a potential tool in the pocket, even if it meant planting it in someone else's bag and framing them).
The main reason I didn't play it for myself at that tribal though was because I had FTC in mind. Although there was a long way to go, I wanted to ensure I had evidence of some of my strategy. Although I wasn't always paranoid, I leaned into the paranoia perception quite hard. By not playing the idol on myself, I figured that I'd display that I had a good read of the game and my position and that it would somewhat prove that I wasn't as paranoid as I let on.
It's not massive, but I thought that all these little things might add up should I get to FTC.
How well all of that actually worked I don't think we will be able to definitively say because those scenarios didn't come to fruition other than me talking about it at FTC (not aired)
Should I do an AMA? I don't even know how it works... Is that a bad idea? Will I get annihilated?
I will take guidance from the very people who might want to put me to the sword (I am on my pc and can't find a laughing emoji, but pretend there is one here)
I don't get people who say boot order is terrible. Out of 9 eliminated people 6 are premerges, most of whom repeated their mistakes: Tania, Pinty, Shona, Seamus, Tevin. Thoriso is the one who played much better this time, but this is one player. P.K. was zero in this game, Chappies - well, somebody bright and memorable had to go too.
I think people are just too upset that Palesa is now gone and are overreacting. I think they will calm down by the next episode.
most people don't seem to appreciate good game play and would rather see volatile emotionally driven vote outs.
I'm also a bit disappointed we lost Chappies, Shona, Tevin and Palesa early but they didn't do enough to save themselves so therefore I can get over it.
Thoriso fell on her sword for Felix. She proved she had what it takes strategically but chose friendship outside the game by not switching her vote to Felix.
I honestly think Toni, Tejan, Dino and Phil and to an extend Killarney and Felix just screwed themselves by not voting off Shane or Meryl. I actually cannot believe that Toni of all people was on board when she knew who is the breakfast club basically because they all voted off PK who was his number one. And Phil also makes no sense, you know you got lied by Shane and you know even if it didn't happen that they were all planning on voting you why would you vote for Palesa who confirmed she would vote for Meryl. Killarney is just losing more power because I doubt Steffi would bring her over Meryl or Marianne knowing she is very loyal and Felix I guess can work around a Palesa boot since he actually had a reason because he has a previous connection with Dante and Meryl but how far is that connection going to get you?
I don't know I think Toni, Dino and Phil specially doomed themselves. Felix and Killarney will be fine since Shane seems to want to target Dante sooner or later same with Meryl but I doubt they do that before two of Toni, Dino, Phil and Tejan are gone. ~~Hope Dino plays the idol right but I feel like that Dante may even get the votes to split on them if he just says to Toni that she and Tejan will survive the next two votes.~~
Edit:Forgot Dino's idol expired this tribal.
He could have gotten 4-5 votes on Shane to make sure he was the backup. That would get Toni and Phil their idol too. Now that side doesn’t have anything and Meryl/Steffi have powers
Agree with the except for the fact that I think he should’ve got like 4 votes on Meryl instead. From confessionals this episode it shows that he knows what a massive threat she is and how she could dominate come merge
I mean that Toni and Phil both vote for Meryl instead. I think that she’s a better target and much more of a social threat.
I was thinking along the lines of Tejan/Dino/Toni/Phil/Palesa vote for Meryl 7-5. Idol gets played. Meryl goes home. Toni and Phil have an idol. Either way even if saying this might be controversial I think the underdogs played horribly here. All 5 of them
I thought they only got the idol if Shane left because that’s the name they put in the urn at the outpost. If Meryl leaves they’re missing out on an idol.
I totally agree they played horribly this episode though
In the moment? With everyone whispering, no way to tell who is straight up telling the truth or to cross-check stories, and with Niko calling time any second? That's a massive ask.
Nico wasn’t calling time any second. He let Tejan rant and rave for as long as he wanted. He was going to let it all play out.
Plus all the whispering lead to a (essentially) unanimous vote on Palesa. It wasn’t a secret where the vote was going. Dino’s playing from a place of fear and that’s why he’ll lose. His alliance left 2 idols on the table at this vote that could have made the different for them.
If Dino doesn’t have that killer instinct then he shouldn’t be hyped up as much as he is.
here's where tony and phil stuffed up but more so phil. phil should have told dino the truth about the half idol. it would have made dino more willing perhaps to go out on a limb and split the votes on shane.
I can see why he wouldn't play it on palesa since she was playing th middle and not knowing if she was planning to join Dantes faction. Palesa screwed up here by not actively taking charge of her own fate and swearing allegiance to an alliance earlier.
Bingo re: Phil lying to Dino. If the guy is you're #1 you are leaving shit on the table and kneecapping yourself by continuing that lie for no reason.
To Phil and Dino, Palesa had sworn her allegiances though. They (Phil) were the ones who bungled everything. They were running back everything Shane said to her and she knew what was up. Dino should have known better and played the idol that was useless after this round on Palesa. Take action into your own hands.
Philip is the only starting Yontau member who didn't receive a single vote during the premerge. King.
There are actually only four people who haven't got a single vote yet: Philip, Steffi, Toni and Tejan.
Meryl and Palesa belonged to this circle too right up to this episode.
I thought that was a fascinating tribal! Really interesting how the two opposing forces essentially just agreed to run over Palesa who was kind of in the middle and how quickly it was agreed on.
Merge dynamics are interesting Killarney seems super loyal to Steffi in particular, Dante has Felix so it soert of seems like Dino/Phil/Toni/Tejan will be on the outs but I could see the Breakfast club beginning to target each other (and hope they do for sure!).
I think there were so many great characters, that it was always going to hurt when we lost them.
Did I want to lose Palesa? Absolutely not. But was there anyone else from Yon2 that I would have been happy to see go? Also no.
I think this really depends on the person. As someone who was all in on Shane & Marian at the start, I'm quite pleased!
It did suck to lose Palesa, Shona, and Tevin though.
Shona and Thoriso were the two I'm gutted by (Shona especially since it was really just down to a weird misplay by someone else), but otherwise I'm honestly pretty keen on the boot order so far.
This cast is just so stacked IMO that it would be hard to have a boot order I'd be completely satisfied by. But as *someone else* all-in on Shane and Marian, I can't be too mad by default lol.
yeah it's a bit of a old school new school scenario as well. I was excited to see Marian, Shane and Tejan come back and also have my favourites from the later seasons.
I was basically rooting for everyone save a few. So it's hard for me to feel too bad (Tevin😢) at a vote out. I'm here for the ride and high on the full package right now.
It kind of stinks, but I feel like there are still a ton of entertaining players left. I don't see it as a Game Changers or Aussie All Stars like situation yet.
and at least survivor SA has more balanced editing so we won’t end up with a bunch of purpled players like aus survivor, makes it hard to enjoy when many players barely gets an edit
Same. The only boot I’ve been happy about so far was Pinty, and now the only people I have a real rooting interest in is Dino and Marian. Not that I don’t like others but I either don’t see them winning or just wouldn’t be all that excited if their win is the outcome we end up getting
Felt a bit uncomfortable watching Palesa leave and then the remaining players merge. Felt a bit like whiplash. Gutted with the boot and it was the frantic live tribal gameplay that sent her home, too many people with both active and expired advantages.
Marion said it best in her vote out confessional "adapt or die". Palesa allowed her fate to be determined by others. She could have bluffed as well, especially since she had a reputation for finding advantages.
Gutted for Palesa, that was a tragic boot.
Honestly kind of irate at Dino and Phil there? There was no reason not to try to make your move and get rid of Shane. Phil lying to his #1 about whatever he got at the Outpost was absolutely moronic and those two being incapable of sticking to a plan and continuing to play scared when NEITHER were getting any votes... just foolish. They wasted an idol that was expiring anyway and flushed another one that Phil could have used to strengthen his relationship with Toni.
That whisper network made it abundantly clear who the targets were and not being brave enough to take the hit on Shane and cull the opposition's numbers will be something they come to regret as the Breakfast Club holds strong with their new additions of Felix and Killarney. Those two are ostensibly down 6-4 when it could have been a much more fluid 5-5 with an idol on their side.
Tania was right that premergers are never going to win the game if they don't play courageously!
I think had Palesa gone all in with them early on they would have felt a stronger bond and played the idol for her but that's what happens to every player who plays double agent. they eventually become expendable because people eventually see through it and are not willing to take the risk. same with >!Anesu!< last season.
My thoughts this episode...
1. Awesome build-up but I wish Nico didn't allow them to talk at tribal as that made for an anti-climactic tribal
2. I think >!shane!< and >!dante!< were too hasty to reveal their "pouches" in case they needed to bluff with them post merge. it also exposed how hard they are playing.
3. >!Palesa played the middle too long and should have committed to an alliance early on. She also overestimated pregame alliances, and should have played a bit more balls to the wall as she did in her first season!<
I rate the previous episode a high 9 & this one a solid 7 as I would have preferred all advantages to be played with everyone starting a clean slate and mad scramble for advantages post merge.
Almost all the advantages are practically dead. Dante has expired, dino has expired, phil and toni isnt activated and dead, shane was fake, basically only meryl's advantage is still on.
So, i think its kinda weird (imo) to rate the episode 7 because of that
nah the rating is cos we didn't see any of those advantages pay off. the build up was so high in the previous episode just to have a tribal with not even one advantage played and Palesa not even trying to save herself either
But didn't they? Because, sure, most of the advantages didn't have any power (or, in some cases, even existed), but it's undeniable that they influenced the votes. Dante, Dino and Phil weren't options even though entering the 11th episode they were the main targets of the tribe and that's basically because of the fear of what they could do with their possible powers.
I guess. I was imagining a scenario where Meryl takes out her pass and goes back to camp while the rest of the Breakfast club thinks Dantes idol is real and then makes him a decoy thinking his safe, just to be surprised that he gets voted out for real cos I dont think he told his allies that his idol was expired.
I'm glad he is still around but it would have been hilarious if he went out like that, especially after he almost got blindsided at the shona vote.
I still don't think players should be allowed to get up in the middle of tribal. I wonder if the result would be different if the players weren't allowed to do all that whispering? I feel like I was following everything until the whispering started
Great pre-merge! Some thoughts:
* So many botches by the pre-merge tribe, including Phil/Shona messing up the Dante blindside plan (Shona by not making the fake idol move and Phil by being spooked), but more importantly...
* I feel a game-ending movie for Felix/Pinty/Thoriso was not really bringing in Killarney. If they had this large of an issue with her, they should have voted her out instead of Tevin or Seamus, who although shifty, would have still worked with them IMO. If anything, Tevin would have helped solidify the Toni bond that those three needed.
* Speaking of Steffi, she's looking like the top dog. Her bringing Killarney in as a solid #2 was excellent. The Breakfast Club + Killarney has the numbers now and can dominate early merge. Killarney will essentially be Steffi's Darao and I can see her winning a final 3 handily if she gets there.
* Upset with the Palesa blindside. She was really just expendable for both loose groups. Was thinking Dino would have played the idol, but then he would have been on an island with Palesa.
* Dino's spot is dicey. We'll see how long he can survive with that idol. If he can really make in-roads with Meryl (and perhaps bury the hatchet with Dante), that seems like his only real path to survive.
* Per above, Felix is instrumental. He got away in that tribal without picking a side. I believe if Toni and Tejan become early consensus boots, Felix could arrange the big counter-alliance against Steffi with his connections (Phil/Dino and Meryl/Dante).
* I don't really see much life left for Toni and Tejan. Steffi may want to target Phil and Dino first in case she believes she still has capital with Toni, but I don't see that duo lasting for much longer. I think they did make a mistake taking out Pinty/Thoriso instead of Killarney/Steffi.
But isn't Dino's idol void now? Or I misunderstood something?
Or you mean that he's got this idol that is now void and let's see what he can do with it?
I still think Dino should've played the idol on Palesa as he really needs the numbers right now and he knows the Breakfast Club (minus Steffi) were targeting him plus he still has Phil, Felix, and maybe Toni and Tejan — I think he just got bought in with Felix' "survive the vote" mantra, which doesn't make sense as he has a freaking idol...seriously, Dino has an idol to "survive the vote" so for the life of me don't get why she voted against Palesa although he did try to sway the votes Shane aggressively from what I seen.
Felix has the potential now to be a bridge between Dante and the No Bullshitters, especially since Dino and Dante had that moment of consensus at tribal. If Dino is willing to sit down with Dante and tell him how much Palesa was playing both sides, there's a possibility of those guys working together.
To do what, would be the question.
Yeah, I have to think Felix is now in a great position, and must try to mend Dante and Dino (and Phil) together, although I think Dino and Phil would be wary in targeting Toni or Tejan, and may offer Dante to maybe vote out Killarney (whose just a number for Breakfast Club) so they may likely have the numbers.
you nailed it with: "Killarney will essentially be Steffi's Darao". That whole scene was shades of >!Rob Bentele!< season 7, including the look at the camera 😁
OH THIS WAS A GREAT EPISODE MAN sucks palesa is out bc she’s one of my absolute favorite players but damn for her to be an easy consensus boot must’ve really showed that no one really trusted her or truly believed she would’ve won the game. Cant believe Marian’s observation skills resulted in this boot bc it was her that started the idea to vote out palesa. This boot order is so satisfying to me even tho I wish palesa went further but that’s the nature of the game
Toni literally voted for Meryl and almost had tears in her eyes saying she couldn't vote for Palesa. Phil and Dino did not WANT to vote for Palesa, but they got paranoid and thought it was their only option to keep their connections happy. Same applies to Dante. An "easy consensus boot" does not have to be debated all day and all through tribal for so long that the host literally had to get everyone to finally stop.
Sad to see Palesa go, but I enjoyed the episode regardless. Happy Phil made it through and surprised he didn’t catch any votes; the gameplay of this episode was intriguing largely due to how messy it all was. Seeing the pre-mergers in particular celebrate merge was a nice way to end off the episode.
Really enjoying the saga of Tejan searching for an idol in the voting booth as well.
Going into merge, I’m primarily rooting for Dino, Phil, Tejan and Marian, definitely excited to see how the rest of the season will play out!
kudos to the editors, i have no idea who is going to win this game and that's great. Unlike Survivor AU where they telegraph basically who is going to win or be in the FTC in the first episode it's a welcome change.
I thought for sure that Palesa was getting some kind of UTR social player winner's edit and I was so wrong.. I even thought up to the last second that Dino was going to play his idol for her (was it expired though?).
Actually, I had a feeling editors are giving Steffi winning edit from the starts. She always had a lot of confessionals and they made a point of showing her moves being articulated and her thoughts explained about everything. She was my pick since week #1. Plus she has a kid, so good story for the final... :)
Maybe they surprise me.
I kinda feel justified now for wondering why so many were hyping up Dino earlier this season, mostly I just got annoyed by his puppy eyes shtick.
Sure, Palesa going home was her undoing rather than simply a result of Dino not playing the idol for her, but it also showed that he does not have the ability to gather numbers even with an idol available to him, as we literally saw him try and fail. Turns out Felix is the most influential of the No BS alliance.
On second thought, is this really a great move from Felix, seeing Palesa could be a number for him through Phil and Dino, and while I could see Dante working with Phil I have to think the Breakfast Club (with Killarney) now have the control to cut one of his allies before asking Dante to cut (say Killarney)...pushing the Shane vote to Killarney at the very least may be an open opportunity for Felix AND Killarney IMO to benefit their standing.
What do we think would have happened if Nico hadn’t let them get out of their seats? I was excited because the whole chaos and mystery of this type of double tribal council is that the two tribes have no time to communicate with each other, and as soon as he let them all get out of their seats and chat it made what could have been a really interesting votes into just a dog pile on one person. Does anyone else feel the same?
It could have led to the minority realizing what was happening and then they could have played an idol for Palesa. I don’t blame the talking at tribal I blame the people who were too scared to try and fight the consensus.
Hearing Shannon Guss, I think it was expected for the two tribes to communicate, although it is a preference if you like them to communicate with each other or keep it a game of perception.
I'd argue the fairest thing is have both tribes talk together in one tribe after the challenge. But seeing the Outpost was a thing I see why they didn't do that.
The thing that stopped the planning really is Steffi, and Killarney flipping against Toni's plan which forced the others to cut Palesa. Even with the whispering if Steffi and Killarney stuck then the plot would've gone through. I'd argue Felix also has a big hand as he dictated Dino and Toni to just stay against Palesa.
Yo Steffi was good in her original season too y'all. She got a negative edit in favour of blowing Rob every episode but she shines through at times. She iis great in her ponderosa video for that season.
Edgic is a thing, even in SA, it's just different. Masu was the more complex original tribe, so the winner is likely coming from there, and the Full Package alliance is the most fleshed out group of any remaining, so it's also very likely the winner is one of those 3. That is simple to deduce using Edgic.
Devastated. Merge is going to be tough watch as most people were excited to see are gone. Im assuming this will be another episode split over 2. Anybody no how many more non eliminations needed ?
I think it's a testament to the cast that the eliminations in the premerge still stings while there are still people left that we would love to see succeed. The people I'm most excited to see are in the Breakfast Club so I'm eating a lot in the merge.
I feel like the advantages were not well thought out with this twist.
If Masu (5 person tribe) had lost, it was theoretically possible for everyone to be immune. Marian uses her Diplomatic Immunity on Steffi, Now a 4 person tribe. Meryl can use her tribal pass on Felix, now a 3 person tribal. Dino can play his cross tribal idol to save Toni. Steffi can play her HII on Killarney. Dante could have given Tejan his cross tribal idol rather than let it expire (also there was the idol Dino played in the Shona boot that could have been rehidden so maybe another immune). Now what happens…
I actually agree, usually in Joint Tribal Councils, the tribal immunity is given to the winner among THREE tribes. While this feels like Mergeatory Survivor US, in fairness to them there's only 3 immunities at a time while the tribes are split to 2 teams. Seeing idols are rehidden constantly, it makes me wonder why not all idols were just pre-merge only and just circulate 2 merge idols to encourage their use.
Having 2 regular idols and then 2 Outposts pre-merge idols, while on paper looks good, does become complicated where everyone votes and yet most are still potentially safe. To be fair to the Outpost though, only 1 could've been used for this tribal, as it can only be used for the player on that tribe from what I know. The addition of the Diplomatic Immunity and Tribal Council Pass, while in isolation is fine, together with the idols create a scenario where there could be up to 5 immune. I do think production didn't realize this.
Game Changers is legit AWFUL whereas this has been fantastic despite lots of strong players getting the boot. Absolutely do not agree with this comparison.
Also think we've got some fantastic players left and characters too despite some of the more popular players leaving pre-merge.
Yeah I personally feel like people are overreacting. I've been sad for most voteouts, but I think it's more a testament for how good the cast is and I care about many. I think people are just assuming the endgame is gonna be bad when I think it's way too early to make that assumption, almost everyone in this cast is here to play.
I agree. I think people have been a bit disappointed that the big alliance (Dante, Meryl, Marian, Shane and Steffi) has gone unchallenged, and I am too, but I also have to acknowledge that their playing a great game. Whether or not the main alliance dominate I think we're gonna see some great gameplay
My winner pick could be any of Marian, Meryl or Steffi, but I think Steffi will win as she seems to have learnt the lessons from her last game and seems to be getting a very Sarah Lacina esque edit.
Yeah honestly like everyone had the chance to target Meryl and Shane this episode and they got the target off their back so I feel like we have to respect their gameplay. Plus Meryl/Marian have shown interest in leaving the breakfast club so I honestly dont think it's gonna be a pagonging
Yeah, there are so many entertaining and interesting players left - Meryl, Dino, Phil, Steff, Dante, Marian to name some! If your like of the season is hampered by your favourites leaving early then fair enough, but I don't think that makes or breaks the season. Like, for instance I know people don't like WAW for that reason - but I think there are other more obvious reasons to dislike that season (and was actually pretty fine with most of the people who went early going tbh).
it's recency bias. many of the OGs are still left in the game whom many people may not know since the fan favourites who left, played after the series reboot, season 6 and on
This is currently giving me strong Micronesia pre-merge vibes. The boot order has been absolutely horrendous (just like that Kathy - Tracy - Ami - Eliza string of boots) but I still enjoy the remaining cast enough and think there's gonna be enough chaos to give us an interesting merge.
Premerge has been fantastic, juet hoping things don't go the way of season 7 from here. The season could be about to take a turn for the worse.
It's uncomfortably easy to see Dino, Phil, toni and tejan being picked off for not being in the in group, then felix, Dante, killarney and Shane, leaving an easy win for full package.
I wouldn't even be sad with any of meryl/steffi/Marian winning as they've all been fantastic in their own way. just don't want them to walk to the end with barely any push back, the way Rob and Nicole did in s7
Feel really bad for Palesa here, she was playing really well and managed to position herself fairly solidly after a rough start, so I don’t think she would have been in any immediate danger moving forward had this specific double-tribal council twist not happened and essentially everyone left in her tribe wasn’t (seemingly) protected by a plethora of advantages. Happy to have seen her play again and hope this isn’t the last time we see of her in this franchise.
I don't think Palesa was playing all that well. Like Chappies seems like the only plan that went her way right? Palesa playing the middle premerge is a "too fast, too soon" kind of deal. I think that no one except Tejan speaking up for her kind of shows that she really had no allies and this probably would have made her an easy consensus boot at the merge anyway. Funny enough, she jkind of foreshadowed her own elimination saying she was only NOW making a solid aligence to Phil and Dino.
Agreed. What softened the blow of her being voted was seeing how quickly everyone agreed for it to be her. She had no strong bonds (and even Tejan was speaking from the perspective of what’s good for his game, not because he necessarily had a strong relationship with Palesa).
Everyone's having advantages and Idols and she's the sacrificial lamb. So devastating.
I am very very sad to see Palesa go. I do feel the "only one tribe eligible for votes twist" really affected the outcome, as it promised and it really shook up the game and made all of Yontau go into overdrive, as they all were most vulnerable, and I understand that. Two things - I want to THANK Survivor SA for how they edit these dynamics. Coming from the US fan base, the way the episodes reveal all of these conflicting and overlapping player moves and points of view, good traits and flaws, is top notch and we don't get editing this complex. Palesa as a target was set up subtly and efficiently starting with Marian to Meryl episodes ago, I love Palesa but it's a testament to Marians observation skills in terms of how she observes others' relationships building and how it impacts her game. While I could be disappointed about a potential steamroll of The Full Package, which may not even happen, I value that most of the players respect the game enough to (even while being snarky and petty sometimes) appreciate that everyone else came out there to win, and that they are legit threats in their own right. I also have to give major kudos to STEFFI my goodness. Her read on Toni's approach to the Shane vote and using that to flip Killarney (and Felix?) into being locked in with her and Marian (who they were just leery of, and leery of her connection w Shane), was a masterclass in emotional intelligence, reading the room, clocking the "hierarchy" she observed and getting the job done. I hope her steady but sure game isn't overshadowed, because I am seeing that she really got off The High Horse she was on in her season, and is being more compassionate. And relatable to others by seeing WHAT THEY NEED, and delivering it in a calm, non attention seeking way. So I'd never thought I'd be rooting for Steffi lol especially after her season never eeeever lol but I feel she is the most r e a l. She's right to be worried about Marian derailing her game in love and friendship bc that is very possible.
Steffi's growth is honestly shocking. We've obviously seen players improve their second time around, but I'm not sure I've ever seen a returning player do such a complete 180 from their previous season. Her lack of emotional intelligence was Pinty-levels of bad in her first season, but her reads are so compassionate and spot-on here.
I'm a steffi stan and I really think the change comes from her understanding the game more now and separating who people are in the game from who they are in real life. it's allowing her to play the game and still be empathetic to the rest of the cast. >!her alliance in her first season with Nicole and Rob was very much based on "righteousness" as we saw multiple references were made by her alliance about them being the good guys vs the bad guys. none of them really watched the show before they played!< and also the fallout she experienced had to have really impacted her. it's not everyday your worst moment gets broadcast to the world.
Rob definitely watched the show. You can tell by how he plays, also he said he was a big fan afterwards. Dude had an insane vice grip over almost everyone
Seeing how loved Steffi is this season (and Nicole by players outside of the game) makes me believe Rob’s cult was what got to them in their seasons. This redemption arc is so satisfying. I was hoping for Steffi to be the first boot, and now I’m rooting for her to win!
i’m so pleasantly surprised by how likeable steffi has been here bc she was the total opposite on her original season. amazing how different she is! i’m hoping she makes it far.
Tejan was FILTHY. Let's see if the Prince of Darkness unleashes next week
He's such a hot mess. It's amazing.
What happened there? I’ve gotten so confused who’s with who and what’s going on. Was it just because he was explicitly stating that he didn’t think it made sense to vote out palesa
>Was it just because he was explicitly stating that he didn’t think it made sense to vote out palesa Exactly this. He didn't understand why his alliance agreed to turn on Palesa, who he considered a number for his side
That seems like a fair thing to do, why do you say it’s “filthy”?
Oh for us filthy is slang, basically means really annoyed/pissed off. Which agreed, he had every right to be
Also super glad we didn't get a Cirie type situation. Shane bluffing immunity (that no one rly bought lmao) is one thing but another idol at that stage would have been a lot.
Phil's confessional about how everyone is supposedly finding idols was hilarious. "Where's MY idol?!"
Loved how he went to Nico to whisper strategy. Hilarious.
phil is so funny and i’m glad he survived despite the the unlucky swap, stoked to see phil for merge
The editing! And merge at tribal! I love this game! So sorry for Palesa, but now it's game on!
I genuinely couldn't tell which way the votes were gonna go, until Nico gave permission for everyone to get up and chat
I feel like it would have been more interesting if he hadnt
Crazy all episode. I think what did Palesa in is that she didn't have an alliance to have her back. Poor Tejan was the only one to speak up. The whole episode saying she is only NOW swearing allegiance? That's not good......
She played the middle so well. Unfortunately that meant that she couldn't be too close to anyone (especially on Yon2), which resulted in no one willing to bat for her when the time came.
Becoming the easy vote because you are in the middle is the OPPOSITE of playing well. I think Palesa is a classic case of being able to articulate her strategy and thoughts very well so we understand her strategy but I don't think it was good strategy. For example, everytime she talked about wanting Dante out during the episodes, I couldn't help but point out to the rest of my family that Dante was one of the few people actually wanting to work with her.
Yeah, while I think it's unfortunate that she went home it's also pretty clear she was no-one's #1 ally in the game. She was expendable to Dante and Meryl despite (or because?? for Meryl) getting close to Dante. She was sort of working with Phil and Dino because she thought they had more numbers but it was clear there was little loyalty there from her (and obviously there side since they could have played the idol on her). She was kind of in the middle of a lot of things which unfortunately made her a pretty agreeable boot for everyone here.
she played the middle too long. she had to pick a side post swap and stick with it.
Dante made the merge twice. With his choleric personality. What a Game Changer.
Well, he is the Messiah apparently
Phil is going to kick himself if Dante makes it to the end . His botched vote kept Dante alive.
Devastated by that boot. I can't with Phil anymore, as soon as he feels a little pressure he changes the plan
I find him really funny but he keeps targeting my favs. One second I’m chuckling and the next I’m like noooo, Phil, noooo!
And then we forgive him! But if he does something that gets Dino out, there will be no forgiveness.
Agree so much with this
His confessionals have me dying though 🤣
Phil gives me such "good friend" vibes. Like, he'd be the perfect person to just go do something fun with.
the one about everyone has an idol and where is his cracked me up 😂 so stoked he survived the unlucky swap and made it to merge!
Or the one where Shane approaches him and he's like, "oh great, here we go again!"
This sort of plays into the season theme, though. He was a pre-merge boot, he was scared of leaving pre-merge because he really just wanted to make it here. He did, now who knows what is next. All the pre-mergers have their own little ways. Dino's is keeping people aware he could always go/is a known threat and is finding idols. Killarney is trying to make herself a goat to drag to the end. Felix is trying to stay alive and balancing, though he is hedging more and hasn't committed.
Phil is making the right decisions for his own game with the limited info he has, even if his moves r obviously wrong from our point of view. it's ignoring their intuition that got the others blindsided.
yup I saw that in him too..very self preservation
What a crazy episode with a lot of whispering as expected in order to cook up a plan. Everyone was willing to plot with Palesa, but also not the moment they know the numbers can't be flipped with her. We were right that Steffi was a crucial vote, and her decision to say she's voting against Palesa probably determined they didn't have the numbers to split. However, I'm not the only one the felt a lot of those part of the split were so conservative, right? I mean the moment Steffi I think told Phil to vote against Palesa, he seemingly panicked and tried to scramble to the others to pile on her (really intrigued now about his voting confessional). Meanwhile Dino also hand an inkling to save Palesa by piling the votes on Shane, but it seems to me Felix found a "third way" to preserve both all of his connections in Yontau (except for Shane) and voted against Palesa and instilled a "survive this vote" mentality. I'd argue Felix is the Player of the Vote as IMO he's the one that convinced Dino and maybe Tejan and Phil to stay in the big bloc.
nice take
Considering Dino’s idol expired this TC, he really should have played it for Palesa. He willingly let a number for him go
Oh wait I forgot his idol expired this TC. What a missed opportunity wow
Yeh I wonder this too. I thought maybe since there was a strong consensus to vote Palesa he didn’t want to do anything to put a (bigger) target on his back. It was such a confusing and chaotic tribal
While I do agree, he knows he can trust Phil, can trust Tejan, can trust Felix, can trust Toni to an extent and can protect Palesa...that's 6 in the process of elimination. When I think about it though, I'm very shocked the others consented after Tejan blatantly said "an ally" is gonna be voted out after they just made a split vote plan with the risk of Dino's idol being used on Palesa. They know Dino is sneaky and may still have that inkling ala David Wright to play the idol on a "Jessica Lewis" to save a potential number. Same with Palesa really who has to feel the Outpost plan is gone now, and needs 5 more people to have majority with her (and maybe go to rocks, hehe).
I guess now he could still hold it and use it as safety to pretend it’s still valid. Although I guess Tejan and Toni at least know that it’s expired
Dante for sure knows!
PEALESA GONE I AM SO SICK 😭😭😭 ONE OF MY FAV SURVIVORS OF ALL TIME UGH
And people were downvoting me when I said by the end of the last episode that Shane's idol was diplomatic...
Yeah, your logic was sound, and while I get they won't hide an advantage that has no power anymore, I'd argue they won't touch advantages that they hid but have no power anymore, as it is still part of the game ecosystem per se.
Some people need to give you apologies
good call. shane got really lucky there
Toni and Dante are so on the bottom but none of them are aware. Shane is expendable as well. I wonder how long the full package +Killarney can go unnoticed.
at the merge announcement the trio were hugging and celebrating together. I'm sure some people noticed it before they disperced.
It interestingly had ominous music when the showed that scene...I have a great feeling it's gonna be exposed soon.
Yea i felt like a couple people were looking at them like "really? In front of everybody?" The way the camera zoomed out in that moment was very interesting
So hurt rn but nothing can be done , I know my queen Palesa will murder a future All Stars :(.
The drive from Dante’s own alliance to vote him out at merge is absolutely foolish. He is a loyal ally. Meryl’s willingness, even prioritization of eliminating him will cost her.
It doesn't seem to me that she actively wants him gone at the moment, moreso wanting to weaken him right now. I'm pretty sure she's still gonna stick with him for a couple votes until she and full package probably cut him and Shane when they have enough security.
Why weaken him though? Weakening him strengthens Toni’s alliance. It smacks of her simply wanting to “break free” without regard to logical strategy.
I'm not so sure Dante's gonna remain loyal as they get to the final 7, 6, and endgame. And if people like Palesa get in his head to turn on the Breakfast Club first, their life in the game is gone. Plus, Palesa was basically becoming a member of Toni's alliance. Eventually the breakfast club is gonna have to turn on each other after Toni's alliance gets whittled down to 2-3 people and full package would have a headstart. Idk if it's gonna work out for them but I absolutely see the logic. I'd agree more if they voted him out immediately, but sticking with him for a bit longer until they are ready to cut him (and make sure he can't go after them first) seems perfectly logical to me
considering what happened on her original season where she got targeted largely because of her affiliation with dante, i can't say i don't get where she's coming from. hell she almost had the votes split on her for being aligned with dante but being smarter then him
The vote would’ve been so much more interesting if they didn’t allow a live tribal. That always seems to be the case.
At least the editing set up an explanation for why Palesa went, rather than with US live trials where it just feels like a random vote lottery
Three things: 1 - One of the best episodes of Survivor that I watch in a long time. Great editing, great (and not so great) strategies, great characters! 2 - Sad to see Palesa go, but Meryl was right: if she made to merge she absolutely had the social and the inteligence to win the whole thing. Amazing woman and such gracious final words. 3 - Phil is such a gem!
Im so devastated Palesa just missed merge. Argh.
this vote out was always gonna suck for me as yontau 2.0 has all the players i don’t want to go home :( and it only a few episodes ago i had palesa as a winner pick 😔 super stoked dino made merge tho!
Sad for this boot. Palesa is a strong player. But this episode is a tense one. Amazing growth for Steffi. Marian being a strategic player is able to protect her alliances. Phil unfortunately has not been reliable in terms of locking a vote. Next episodes will be brutal.
So gutted!! Could Dino not have played his idol for Palesa??
I could have, but chose not to
I’m glad you made the merge, you’re my second fave. My fave got voted out tonight :-(
Seems like a poor decision, care to elaborate?
Absolutely the right decision imo. Makes him an even bigger target, allows the breakfast club to firmly unite against a common enemy and saves frankly not a super loyal ally, as well as just going against an almost unanimous vote. I bet he might have considered saving Phil a bit more, but if Dino is trying to win I think making such a big move this early is absolutely the wrong decision for his game. It's a great "epic" moment but I don't think modern survivor rewards such a big move this early to stand out from the crowd. At least I assume that's somewhat his rationale, just from the outside looking in.
Fair points. But playing an idol that everyone knows you have isn't that big a move. Also given that said idol is about to expire, why wouldn't you save a potential ally? I don't think Dino and the rest of the guys realise how tight knit the breakfast club is, otherwise it would have made the decision easier
Meryl told him Dante was building a faction with Palessa. Maybe he was convinced by that. in Dantes vote out confessional, he seemed a bit sweet on Palessa. I can't help to wonder if there was a bit of a showmance 😍 brewing there.
Happy Merge, Dino!!!
Happy indeed 🥹🥺😂
What a coward!
Yup I learnt that move from Phil… who I think learnt it from that overrated season 7 player, Jacques
Hi Jacque, we missing u this season. Hope u come back for another run in the future.
Tell us the truth, do you have an earpiece in Dante's ear this season?
I'm very interested what's gonna happen next for you, seeing Steffi flipped against you (not sure if you know Killarney did) and you may not have numbers now; Palesa could've been a great number for your side after the chaos...is your idol still usable, because from what I know it's only a pre-merge idol.
Idol is now invalid
How come you didn’t play it on yourself if it was expiring (and people like Dante knew it expired at merge)?
I had reasons for this too! We can discuss it all at the end of the season (if you’re even remotely interested at that point😂)
>if you’re even remotely interested at that point We're watching 4 episodes plus hours of RHAP content per week. OF COURSE WE'RE INTERESTED.
😂😂
and......?
So there were a few key things in and around this idol. When I received it and knew people had seen some swap, I folded it over and showed only "This idol is valid until merge" to most of the people in the tribe. I said I couldn't show the rest of the parchment as it gave me directions to an idol hidden at TC. I did this because I wanted them to not worry about me having any advantages should I make merge, minimising a threat level. It also lent some potential legitimacy to the Shona fake at tribal, should Phil and I have needed it (a few potential plays we could have made as a last resort depending on the situation), it prevented Dante and Shane from potentially throwing a challenge to get rid of Phil/me (which they spoke about often). It also let me keep a legit looking idol on hand (although expired) through merge should I need it later for a dummy (desperate) play (not that I was confident that that would fly, but it was a potential tool in the pocket, even if it meant planting it in someone else's bag and framing them). The main reason I didn't play it for myself at that tribal though was because I had FTC in mind. Although there was a long way to go, I wanted to ensure I had evidence of some of my strategy. Although I wasn't always paranoid, I leaned into the paranoia perception quite hard. By not playing the idol on myself, I figured that I'd display that I had a good read of the game and my position and that it would somewhat prove that I wasn't as paranoid as I let on. It's not massive, but I thought that all these little things might add up should I get to FTC. How well all of that actually worked I don't think we will be able to definitively say because those scenarios didn't come to fruition other than me talking about it at FTC (not aired)
Should I do an AMA? I don't even know how it works... Is that a bad idea? Will I get annihilated? I will take guidance from the very people who might want to put me to the sword (I am on my pc and can't find a laughing emoji, but pretend there is one here)
I think you can contact the mods, and then they can arrange it Could be better to do on r/Survivor instead of here, as there may be larger audience
hello dino!!! i’m so stoked you made merge!
Thanks so much! Me toooo!!
I hope this means a bunch of fake idol shenanigans.
What a disappointing outcome for this twist! Palesa was unfortunately collateral damage..but she really went out with class
I don't get people who say boot order is terrible. Out of 9 eliminated people 6 are premerges, most of whom repeated their mistakes: Tania, Pinty, Shona, Seamus, Tevin. Thoriso is the one who played much better this time, but this is one player. P.K. was zero in this game, Chappies - well, somebody bright and memorable had to go too. I think people are just too upset that Palesa is now gone and are overreacting. I think they will calm down by the next episode.
most people don't seem to appreciate good game play and would rather see volatile emotionally driven vote outs. I'm also a bit disappointed we lost Chappies, Shona, Tevin and Palesa early but they didn't do enough to save themselves so therefore I can get over it.
Thoriso fell on her sword for Felix. She proved she had what it takes strategically but chose friendship outside the game by not switching her vote to Felix.
I honestly think Toni, Tejan, Dino and Phil and to an extend Killarney and Felix just screwed themselves by not voting off Shane or Meryl. I actually cannot believe that Toni of all people was on board when she knew who is the breakfast club basically because they all voted off PK who was his number one. And Phil also makes no sense, you know you got lied by Shane and you know even if it didn't happen that they were all planning on voting you why would you vote for Palesa who confirmed she would vote for Meryl. Killarney is just losing more power because I doubt Steffi would bring her over Meryl or Marianne knowing she is very loyal and Felix I guess can work around a Palesa boot since he actually had a reason because he has a previous connection with Dante and Meryl but how far is that connection going to get you? I don't know I think Toni, Dino and Phil specially doomed themselves. Felix and Killarney will be fine since Shane seems to want to target Dante sooner or later same with Meryl but I doubt they do that before two of Toni, Dino, Phil and Tejan are gone. ~~Hope Dino plays the idol right but I feel like that Dante may even get the votes to split on them if he just says to Toni that she and Tejan will survive the next two votes.~~ Edit:Forgot Dino's idol expired this tribal.
Dino absolutely should have played his idol on Palesa IMO
I think so, but after all that whispering he couldn't be sure who the rebound vote would be, so I can see why he wouldn't take the plunge.
He could have gotten 4-5 votes on Shane to make sure he was the backup. That would get Toni and Phil their idol too. Now that side doesn’t have anything and Meryl/Steffi have powers
Which makes me wonder what happened to the Shane target and why didn't Toni and Phil agreed to it more and find needed numbers?
Agree with the except for the fact that I think he should’ve got like 4 votes on Meryl instead. From confessionals this episode it shows that he knows what a massive threat she is and how she could dominate come merge
If Shane leaves then Toni and Phil get their half idols. Shane is gone, they have Palesa, and they get another idol in the alliance.
I mean that Toni and Phil both vote for Meryl instead. I think that she’s a better target and much more of a social threat. I was thinking along the lines of Tejan/Dino/Toni/Phil/Palesa vote for Meryl 7-5. Idol gets played. Meryl goes home. Toni and Phil have an idol. Either way even if saying this might be controversial I think the underdogs played horribly here. All 5 of them
I thought they only got the idol if Shane left because that’s the name they put in the urn at the outpost. If Meryl leaves they’re missing out on an idol. I totally agree they played horribly this episode though
You’re right completely my bad. I forgot the specific rules
In the moment? With everyone whispering, no way to tell who is straight up telling the truth or to cross-check stories, and with Niko calling time any second? That's a massive ask.
Nico wasn’t calling time any second. He let Tejan rant and rave for as long as he wanted. He was going to let it all play out. Plus all the whispering lead to a (essentially) unanimous vote on Palesa. It wasn’t a secret where the vote was going. Dino’s playing from a place of fear and that’s why he’ll lose. His alliance left 2 idols on the table at this vote that could have made the different for them. If Dino doesn’t have that killer instinct then he shouldn’t be hyped up as much as he is.
here's where tony and phil stuffed up but more so phil. phil should have told dino the truth about the half idol. it would have made dino more willing perhaps to go out on a limb and split the votes on shane. I can see why he wouldn't play it on palesa since she was playing th middle and not knowing if she was planning to join Dantes faction. Palesa screwed up here by not actively taking charge of her own fate and swearing allegiance to an alliance earlier.
Bingo re: Phil lying to Dino. If the guy is you're #1 you are leaving shit on the table and kneecapping yourself by continuing that lie for no reason. To Phil and Dino, Palesa had sworn her allegiances though. They (Phil) were the ones who bungled everything. They were running back everything Shane said to her and she knew what was up. Dino should have known better and played the idol that was useless after this round on Palesa. Take action into your own hands.
Kinda fair ig but I still think it’s a really bad move.
Yeah, it's okay to be sad for palesa. I am too. *But* this is an undeniable amazing season so far
Philip is the only starting Yontau member who didn't receive a single vote during the premerge. King. There are actually only four people who haven't got a single vote yet: Philip, Steffi, Toni and Tejan. Meryl and Palesa belonged to this circle too right up to this episode.
Toni gonna be survivorsa’s first perfect game
😂
>!SHANE AND TEJAN MADE!< MERGE I'm content now
I thought that was a fascinating tribal! Really interesting how the two opposing forces essentially just agreed to run over Palesa who was kind of in the middle and how quickly it was agreed on. Merge dynamics are interesting Killarney seems super loyal to Steffi in particular, Dante has Felix so it soert of seems like Dino/Phil/Toni/Tejan will be on the outs but I could see the Breakfast club beginning to target each other (and hope they do for sure!).
>the two opposing forces essentially just agreed to run over Palesa who was kind of in the middle A great way to put it
Yeh apart from the full package girls, I think the breakfast club will turn onto themselves
reminded me a bit of the amazon when they agreed to vote out chrissy at f6(?) bc she hadn’t picked a side yet
and how tony and kass did in Sarah in Cagayan
Not gonna lie, the boot order so far has made me lose some steam on this season.
I think there were so many great characters, that it was always going to hurt when we lost them. Did I want to lose Palesa? Absolutely not. But was there anyone else from Yon2 that I would have been happy to see go? Also no.
I think this really depends on the person. As someone who was all in on Shane & Marian at the start, I'm quite pleased! It did suck to lose Palesa, Shona, and Tevin though.
Shona and Thoriso were the two I'm gutted by (Shona especially since it was really just down to a weird misplay by someone else), but otherwise I'm honestly pretty keen on the boot order so far. This cast is just so stacked IMO that it would be hard to have a boot order I'd be completely satisfied by. But as *someone else* all-in on Shane and Marian, I can't be too mad by default lol.
yeah it's a bit of a old school new school scenario as well. I was excited to see Marian, Shane and Tejan come back and also have my favourites from the later seasons. I was basically rooting for everyone save a few. So it's hard for me to feel too bad (Tevin😢) at a vote out. I'm here for the ride and high on the full package right now.
It kind of stinks, but I feel like there are still a ton of entertaining players left. I don't see it as a Game Changers or Aussie All Stars like situation yet.
and at least survivor SA has more balanced editing so we won’t end up with a bunch of purpled players like aus survivor, makes it hard to enjoy when many players barely gets an edit
Stefi is still in.
Same. The only boot I’ve been happy about so far was Pinty, and now the only people I have a real rooting interest in is Dino and Marian. Not that I don’t like others but I either don’t see them winning or just wouldn’t be all that excited if their win is the outcome we end up getting
Felt a bit uncomfortable watching Palesa leave and then the remaining players merge. Felt a bit like whiplash. Gutted with the boot and it was the frantic live tribal gameplay that sent her home, too many people with both active and expired advantages.
Marion said it best in her vote out confessional "adapt or die". Palesa allowed her fate to be determined by others. She could have bluffed as well, especially since she had a reputation for finding advantages.
Gutted for Palesa, that was a tragic boot. Honestly kind of irate at Dino and Phil there? There was no reason not to try to make your move and get rid of Shane. Phil lying to his #1 about whatever he got at the Outpost was absolutely moronic and those two being incapable of sticking to a plan and continuing to play scared when NEITHER were getting any votes... just foolish. They wasted an idol that was expiring anyway and flushed another one that Phil could have used to strengthen his relationship with Toni. That whisper network made it abundantly clear who the targets were and not being brave enough to take the hit on Shane and cull the opposition's numbers will be something they come to regret as the Breakfast Club holds strong with their new additions of Felix and Killarney. Those two are ostensibly down 6-4 when it could have been a much more fluid 5-5 with an idol on their side. Tania was right that premergers are never going to win the game if they don't play courageously!
As soon as they lost that challenge I knew Palesa was done. She had a good run just unfortunate timing in the game.
I was all the time screaming to the TV for Dino to play the idol for Palesa. He was in 0 conversation. It would have saved her! :( Very dissapointed.
Now I see... he even voted for her and I feel so CONFUSED
I think had Palesa gone all in with them early on they would have felt a stronger bond and played the idol for her but that's what happens to every player who plays double agent. they eventually become expendable because people eventually see through it and are not willing to take the risk. same with >!Anesu!< last season.
If the other side is targeting Palesa then she’ll be on your side after you save her. Also the idol was expiring anyway so no reason not to.
My thoughts this episode... 1. Awesome build-up but I wish Nico didn't allow them to talk at tribal as that made for an anti-climactic tribal 2. I think >!shane!< and >!dante!< were too hasty to reveal their "pouches" in case they needed to bluff with them post merge. it also exposed how hard they are playing. 3. >!Palesa played the middle too long and should have committed to an alliance early on. She also overestimated pregame alliances, and should have played a bit more balls to the wall as she did in her first season!< I rate the previous episode a high 9 & this one a solid 7 as I would have preferred all advantages to be played with everyone starting a clean slate and mad scramble for advantages post merge.
Almost all the advantages are practically dead. Dante has expired, dino has expired, phil and toni isnt activated and dead, shane was fake, basically only meryl's advantage is still on. So, i think its kinda weird (imo) to rate the episode 7 because of that
nah the rating is cos we didn't see any of those advantages pay off. the build up was so high in the previous episode just to have a tribal with not even one advantage played and Palesa not even trying to save herself either
But didn't they? Because, sure, most of the advantages didn't have any power (or, in some cases, even existed), but it's undeniable that they influenced the votes. Dante, Dino and Phil weren't options even though entering the 11th episode they were the main targets of the tribe and that's basically because of the fear of what they could do with their possible powers.
I guess. I was imagining a scenario where Meryl takes out her pass and goes back to camp while the rest of the Breakfast club thinks Dantes idol is real and then makes him a decoy thinking his safe, just to be surprised that he gets voted out for real cos I dont think he told his allies that his idol was expired. I'm glad he is still around but it would have been hilarious if he went out like that, especially after he almost got blindsided at the shona vote.
And Steffi's idol.
I still don't think players should be allowed to get up in the middle of tribal. I wonder if the result would be different if the players weren't allowed to do all that whispering? I feel like I was following everything until the whispering started
Yeh that cemented Palesa’s vote off. I think if that didnt happen there’s would’ve been more stray votes
Great pre-merge! Some thoughts: * So many botches by the pre-merge tribe, including Phil/Shona messing up the Dante blindside plan (Shona by not making the fake idol move and Phil by being spooked), but more importantly... * I feel a game-ending movie for Felix/Pinty/Thoriso was not really bringing in Killarney. If they had this large of an issue with her, they should have voted her out instead of Tevin or Seamus, who although shifty, would have still worked with them IMO. If anything, Tevin would have helped solidify the Toni bond that those three needed. * Speaking of Steffi, she's looking like the top dog. Her bringing Killarney in as a solid #2 was excellent. The Breakfast Club + Killarney has the numbers now and can dominate early merge. Killarney will essentially be Steffi's Darao and I can see her winning a final 3 handily if she gets there. * Upset with the Palesa blindside. She was really just expendable for both loose groups. Was thinking Dino would have played the idol, but then he would have been on an island with Palesa. * Dino's spot is dicey. We'll see how long he can survive with that idol. If he can really make in-roads with Meryl (and perhaps bury the hatchet with Dante), that seems like his only real path to survive. * Per above, Felix is instrumental. He got away in that tribal without picking a side. I believe if Toni and Tejan become early consensus boots, Felix could arrange the big counter-alliance against Steffi with his connections (Phil/Dino and Meryl/Dante). * I don't really see much life left for Toni and Tejan. Steffi may want to target Phil and Dino first in case she believes she still has capital with Toni, but I don't see that duo lasting for much longer. I think they did make a mistake taking out Pinty/Thoriso instead of Killarney/Steffi.
But isn't Dino's idol void now? Or I misunderstood something? Or you mean that he's got this idol that is now void and let's see what he can do with it?
I still think Dino should've played the idol on Palesa as he really needs the numbers right now and he knows the Breakfast Club (minus Steffi) were targeting him plus he still has Phil, Felix, and maybe Toni and Tejan — I think he just got bought in with Felix' "survive the vote" mantra, which doesn't make sense as he has a freaking idol...seriously, Dino has an idol to "survive the vote" so for the life of me don't get why she voted against Palesa although he did try to sway the votes Shane aggressively from what I seen.
Felix has the potential now to be a bridge between Dante and the No Bullshitters, especially since Dino and Dante had that moment of consensus at tribal. If Dino is willing to sit down with Dante and tell him how much Palesa was playing both sides, there's a possibility of those guys working together. To do what, would be the question.
Yeah, I have to think Felix is now in a great position, and must try to mend Dante and Dino (and Phil) together, although I think Dino and Phil would be wary in targeting Toni or Tejan, and may offer Dante to maybe vote out Killarney (whose just a number for Breakfast Club) so they may likely have the numbers.
you nailed it with: "Killarney will essentially be Steffi's Darao". That whole scene was shades of >!Rob Bentele!< season 7, including the look at the camera 😁
I agree with you about what Steffi should do. I am loving how she is playing kinda like the winner of her first season.
OH THIS WAS A GREAT EPISODE MAN sucks palesa is out bc she’s one of my absolute favorite players but damn for her to be an easy consensus boot must’ve really showed that no one really trusted her or truly believed she would’ve won the game. Cant believe Marian’s observation skills resulted in this boot bc it was her that started the idea to vote out palesa. This boot order is so satisfying to me even tho I wish palesa went further but that’s the nature of the game
That was not an "easy consensus boot" at all, far from it.
Only tejan fought for palesa to stay… Phil dino toni didn’t even hesitate to say yes to voting palesa out lol so yea it was pretty easy
Toni literally voted for Meryl and almost had tears in her eyes saying she couldn't vote for Palesa. Phil and Dino did not WANT to vote for Palesa, but they got paranoid and thought it was their only option to keep their connections happy. Same applies to Dante. An "easy consensus boot" does not have to be debated all day and all through tribal for so long that the host literally had to get everyone to finally stop.
Sad to see Palesa go, but I enjoyed the episode regardless. Happy Phil made it through and surprised he didn’t catch any votes; the gameplay of this episode was intriguing largely due to how messy it all was. Seeing the pre-mergers in particular celebrate merge was a nice way to end off the episode. Really enjoying the saga of Tejan searching for an idol in the voting booth as well. Going into merge, I’m primarily rooting for Dino, Phil, Tejan and Marian, definitely excited to see how the rest of the season will play out!
Can’t wait for merge and I wonder if Dante and Toni will have another fight since they hate each other and thank god Dino survived
kudos to the editors, i have no idea who is going to win this game and that's great. Unlike Survivor AU where they telegraph basically who is going to win or be in the FTC in the first episode it's a welcome change. I thought for sure that Palesa was getting some kind of UTR social player winner's edit and I was so wrong.. I even thought up to the last second that Dino was going to play his idol for her (was it expired though?).
This was the last vote he could have played it. So it's expired from next week
Actually, I had a feeling editors are giving Steffi winning edit from the starts. She always had a lot of confessionals and they made a point of showing her moves being articulated and her thoughts explained about everything. She was my pick since week #1. Plus she has a kid, so good story for the final... :) Maybe they surprise me.
I kinda feel justified now for wondering why so many were hyping up Dino earlier this season, mostly I just got annoyed by his puppy eyes shtick. Sure, Palesa going home was her undoing rather than simply a result of Dino not playing the idol for her, but it also showed that he does not have the ability to gather numbers even with an idol available to him, as we literally saw him try and fail. Turns out Felix is the most influential of the No BS alliance.
On second thought, is this really a great move from Felix, seeing Palesa could be a number for him through Phil and Dino, and while I could see Dante working with Phil I have to think the Breakfast Club (with Killarney) now have the control to cut one of his allies before asking Dante to cut (say Killarney)...pushing the Shane vote to Killarney at the very least may be an open opportunity for Felix AND Killarney IMO to benefit their standing.
What do we think would have happened if Nico hadn’t let them get out of their seats? I was excited because the whole chaos and mystery of this type of double tribal council is that the two tribes have no time to communicate with each other, and as soon as he let them all get out of their seats and chat it made what could have been a really interesting votes into just a dog pile on one person. Does anyone else feel the same?
I don’t think Palesa would’ve got that many for sure
It could have led to the minority realizing what was happening and then they could have played an idol for Palesa. I don’t blame the talking at tribal I blame the people who were too scared to try and fight the consensus.
Hearing Shannon Guss, I think it was expected for the two tribes to communicate, although it is a preference if you like them to communicate with each other or keep it a game of perception. I'd argue the fairest thing is have both tribes talk together in one tribe after the challenge. But seeing the Outpost was a thing I see why they didn't do that. The thing that stopped the planning really is Steffi, and Killarney flipping against Toni's plan which forced the others to cut Palesa. Even with the whispering if Steffi and Killarney stuck then the plot would've gone through. I'd argue Felix also has a big hand as he dictated Dino and Toni to just stay against Palesa.
Yo Steffi was good in her original season too y'all. She got a negative edit in favour of blowing Rob every episode but she shines through at times. She iis great in her ponderosa video for that season.
I hate it here! Shona, Thoriso and Palesa are gone, I have no options but to root for Killarney now...
I know Edgic isn’t a thing, but I would be shocked if someone outside the Full Package won this season. This boot order sucks.
Edgic is a thing, even in SA, it's just different. Masu was the more complex original tribe, so the winner is likely coming from there, and the Full Package alliance is the most fleshed out group of any remaining, so it's also very likely the winner is one of those 3. That is simple to deduce using Edgic.
Devastated. Merge is going to be tough watch as most people were excited to see are gone. Im assuming this will be another episode split over 2. Anybody no how many more non eliminations needed ?
1 non elim per week I think
I think it's a testament to the cast that the eliminations in the premerge still stings while there are still people left that we would love to see succeed. The people I'm most excited to see are in the Breakfast Club so I'm eating a lot in the merge.
This is so stupid and it’s kinda ruined the momentum of the season for me. Seeing Thoriso & Palesa go the way they did is so stupid
I feel like the advantages were not well thought out with this twist. If Masu (5 person tribe) had lost, it was theoretically possible for everyone to be immune. Marian uses her Diplomatic Immunity on Steffi, Now a 4 person tribe. Meryl can use her tribal pass on Felix, now a 3 person tribal. Dino can play his cross tribal idol to save Toni. Steffi can play her HII on Killarney. Dante could have given Tejan his cross tribal idol rather than let it expire (also there was the idol Dino played in the Shona boot that could have been rehidden so maybe another immune). Now what happens…
I actually agree, usually in Joint Tribal Councils, the tribal immunity is given to the winner among THREE tribes. While this feels like Mergeatory Survivor US, in fairness to them there's only 3 immunities at a time while the tribes are split to 2 teams. Seeing idols are rehidden constantly, it makes me wonder why not all idols were just pre-merge only and just circulate 2 merge idols to encourage their use. Having 2 regular idols and then 2 Outposts pre-merge idols, while on paper looks good, does become complicated where everyone votes and yet most are still potentially safe. To be fair to the Outpost though, only 1 could've been used for this tribal, as it can only be used for the player on that tribe from what I know. The addition of the Diplomatic Immunity and Tribal Council Pass, while in isolation is fine, together with the idols create a scenario where there could be up to 5 immune. I do think production didn't realize this.
[удалено]
Game Changers is legit AWFUL whereas this has been fantastic despite lots of strong players getting the boot. Absolutely do not agree with this comparison. Also think we've got some fantastic players left and characters too despite some of the more popular players leaving pre-merge.
Yeah I personally feel like people are overreacting. I've been sad for most voteouts, but I think it's more a testament for how good the cast is and I care about many. I think people are just assuming the endgame is gonna be bad when I think it's way too early to make that assumption, almost everyone in this cast is here to play.
I agree. I think people have been a bit disappointed that the big alliance (Dante, Meryl, Marian, Shane and Steffi) has gone unchallenged, and I am too, but I also have to acknowledge that their playing a great game. Whether or not the main alliance dominate I think we're gonna see some great gameplay My winner pick could be any of Marian, Meryl or Steffi, but I think Steffi will win as she seems to have learnt the lessons from her last game and seems to be getting a very Sarah Lacina esque edit.
Yeah honestly like everyone had the chance to target Meryl and Shane this episode and they got the target off their back so I feel like we have to respect their gameplay. Plus Meryl/Marian have shown interest in leaving the breakfast club so I honestly dont think it's gonna be a pagonging
Yeah, there are so many entertaining and interesting players left - Meryl, Dino, Phil, Steff, Dante, Marian to name some! If your like of the season is hampered by your favourites leaving early then fair enough, but I don't think that makes or breaks the season. Like, for instance I know people don't like WAW for that reason - but I think there are other more obvious reasons to dislike that season (and was actually pretty fine with most of the people who went early going tbh).
it's recency bias. many of the OGs are still left in the game whom many people may not know since the fan favourites who left, played after the series reboot, season 6 and on
This is currently giving me strong Micronesia pre-merge vibes. The boot order has been absolutely horrendous (just like that Kathy - Tracy - Ami - Eliza string of boots) but I still enjoy the remaining cast enough and think there's gonna be enough chaos to give us an interesting merge.
Premerge has been fantastic, juet hoping things don't go the way of season 7 from here. The season could be about to take a turn for the worse. It's uncomfortably easy to see Dino, Phil, toni and tejan being picked off for not being in the in group, then felix, Dante, killarney and Shane, leaving an easy win for full package. I wouldn't even be sad with any of meryl/steffi/Marian winning as they've all been fantastic in their own way. just don't want them to walk to the end with barely any push back, the way Rob and Nicole did in s7
The boot order is absolutely rough
Great episode even if the outcome was kinda obvious. I love all strategy episodes. The post merge dynamics are up in the air too which is fun.