Survivor Insights 121: One World – The Biggest Threat (Episode 3)

THE UNLUCKIEST: Personally, it was not surprising that Matt went home.

Survivor is a game of numbers. That’s the first rule. You can’t change it. Even if you’re playing under-the-radar, when you got the right numbers on your side, you’ll still get far. Unfortunately, that’s not the case for Matthew Quinlan. He’s struggling with numbers from the beginning. He tried every possible angle to dig deep but all his efforts went south. Seven members of his tribe felt he’s the biggest threat in all departments (in terms of strength, intelligence, charisma). Even his alliance of four was not as strong as we’ve seen on TV. Bill voted against him and Jay chose to be with the “misfits” (Colton, Troyzan, Tarzan, Leif and Jonas). Only Mike stayed loyal with him but surprisingly, their votes were not on the same page. Matt voted against Colton while Mike, who probably thought Colton would play his idol, voted against Bill.

Since Survivor decided to end its season with the three remaining castaways in season thirteen, only two men as threatening as Matt (Yul in Cook Islands, Boston Rob in Redemption Island) made it to the Final 3. Yul was definitely the likeable castaway in his season but he was not seen as a biggest threat. Boston Rob was playing an excellent social game in season twenty-two but all his tribemates were soft. Boston Rob was not blindsided or whatsoever. Parvati was only the female survivor who was perceived as the biggest threat in Day 1 of Heroes vs Villains but successfully escaped the vote until she reached Day 39. Parvati, who was also not with the numbers, was an inch closer to a second title only if Sandra was not sitting beside her. Matt could have had Parvati’s fate and made it to the Final 3 should he remain lucky.

THE GOOD: This episode is mainly about the renaissance of Salani tribe. They were feeling wet and cold but it didn’t stop them from performing at their best during the challenges. It remains a mystery why the men were fools during the Reward Challenge. It was a memory game and it only requires them to recall the correct sequence of the items. I expected Matt or Jay to score a point but nothing happened. Manono was thrashed 0-5. In the Immunity Challenge, it’s a well-deserve win for Salani. When it came down to puzzles, the communication line among the women was more open and “in control” than the men.

WHO STANDS OUT?: Kim was a real stand-out during the Immunity Challenge. She’s clearly one of the reasons why Salani won. I never saw this hunger inside her in the previous episodes. Kim was in command and in total control all at the same time without “being obnoxious.” She was only instructing Sabrina what to do next yet, it completely looked like she was playing. It’s a wonder how Kim managed to picture the puzzle in her mind without the pieces in her hands.

THE BAD: Jay, according to Probst’s assessment, could be the season’s dark horse. Either it’s true or not, his decision to side with the misfits could put him in a bad position. Considering the five were tightly solid and they decided to bring him to the merge, he’ll still be a threat and like Matt, he might remain powerless and could be easily voted out.

EPISODE RATING: 7 of 10 stars! Now that Matt was out of the game for good, the pattern is getting predictable should the men lose next week’s Immunity Challenge.

Photo courtesy of:  CBS