Week 11 of Survivor: David vs. Goliath should be a master class on what to do (and what not to do) when making a game-changing move. All of the pieces need to be in place, and the people involved have to be fully involved with the move to go through. If even one person falters, the entire tower falls like playing cards. The group was so close to voting Christian out of Survivor, but their inability to stay on the same page kept around the BIGGEST threat to win yet again.
Regarding Carl’s abrupt elimination, Christian and Gabby moved to the top of the target list. They burned their bridges with the Davids and the Goliaths wanted them gone regardless. How could Davie and Nick sweep everything under the rug after being blindsided? That reality seemed unreasonable. The Davids had the majority but Gabby and Christian squandered it. I still stand by that Gabby and Christian made a terrible move.
Nick successfully convinced Christian that he was still on his side and didn’t hold any grudges. That lie was the only move he could do because he couldn’t make enemies out of them, especially since he was on the minority side again. Nick had to bite his tongue. The problem, on the other hand, was the trickiness of wanting Christian out but having to deal with the numbers. If Nick blindsided Christian, the Davids would be in the minority again. It is stressful moments like this that make you (as a player) balance the weight of decisions that will impact the future.
Davie caused a big mess that I believe will hurt him in Survivor: David vs. Goliath. Going into the Tribal Council, he had three options he could go with: Side with Christian and get Alison out, vote out Christian, or vote out Christian but get Gabby out as a back-up. Based on the results, we know he went with the third option, but his playing in the middle between all three brought into question his loyalty. He shouldn’t have told Christian that both Nick and Gabby campaigned to get him out.
Christian won’t trust the Davids now, which means he’ll side with the Goliaths if he’s given a choice to protect himself. That will give the Goliaths majority voting power. If Nick finds out Davie told Christian, their alliance will be ruined, as well as trust from Angelina and Mike who did want Christian out too. And, if Gabby finds outs what Davie did, he’ll lose the jury vote. Davie created a “lose-lose” situation by wanting to keep a bigger threat in the game. He did not think through this clearly.
Gabby, on the other hand, finally made the move she needed to make. Albeit, at the worst time with the worst voting majority. If she wanted any chance to win, she needed to get Christina out. Luckily, her campaigning did work, but her approach overall was awful.
In the game of Survivor, you should never pitch to someone why a player should go based on how it benefits you to win. Gabby told everyone that getting Christian out would give her all the credit for her moves. Why would they want to do that for her and help her win? The best strategy is telling the players how it benefits THEM by getting Christian out. Inflate their ego, not the other way around.
I love the return of the loved one’s challenges. It’s always heartwarming to see the players break down and experience a glimmer of happiness after a long and stressful time in the game. Kara said it best when she saw her brother–seeing a familiar face that you know is trustworthy helps to lower the stress senses and provide warmth/security. The players become more competitive during this challenge, but it would’ve been perfect if the loved ones got to compete too. Mike’s boyfriend pitching strategic plans and reaffirming alliances for him is serious game goals.
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Gabby will be missed. She came into her own at the pivotal moment of her Survivor: David vs. Goliath tenure. While her chances to win were high, she still wasn’t one of the top contenders. Her emotions controlled her moves, and she didn’t have an established social capital to pull people to her side. However, she could’ve made a good case if she were sitting at the finale.
You can’t control the results of hidden immunity idols. If Christian hadn’t played his idol, Gabby would still be around and Christian would be gone. The move was made, so let’s see if Christian’s survival will haunt any of the remaining players.
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