How did the gameplay get this messy so close to the end of Survivor: David vs. Goliath? Typically, the castaways would have already figured out where the majority and minority alliances planned to vote. A blindside might occur, but for the most part, alliances would make a decision. These voting blocs threw a huge wrench into the plan; we haven’t seen a split vote like this so close to a Survivor finale in a long time. Episode 12 of Survivor: David vs. Goliath defeated a huge threat while keeping us at the edge of our seats.
The divided vote stemmed from the roller coaster alliance of Davie and Nick. Ever since Carl’s blindside, the thread that kept them together (which was being from the Davids tribe) went into disarray. The pair lost all trust for each other, and even after Gabby got the surprise boot, the pair didn’t fully want to work with each other. Davie and Nick’s biggest mistake most recently involved turning the target to each other instead of a Goliath threat.
Numbers dwindled fast and they lost the majority due to Christian and Gabby’s poor planning. However, Davie and Nick had many opportunities to fix their path and get into a better situation. If they had teamed up this time with Christian at the last moment, Alison would’ve been voted off, essentially giving the Davids and Goliaths a “3 vs. 3” scenario. Now, the Goliaths would be foolish to keep Davie and Nick around as the remaining Davids in the finale. We could easily see them being the next two targets. Davie, Nick AND Christian should’ve put their issues aside for now to do the move they needed to make.
Nick telling Davie about the fake hidden immunity idol helped to restore a small part of their bond. The truth opened a crack in the door, which sometimes all a player needs is a crack to make a big move. Though, that move saved Nick from elimination, but it didn’t help the Davids overall.
In the case of the Goliaths, Mike played the best game this week by far. He won his first individual immunity challenge, he led the charge at getting Christian voted out, and he successfully turned Nick into making the big move with the Goliaths. We should keep our eyes on Mike because he is one of the front-runners to win Survivor: David vs. Goliath. Whenever a castaway has other players coming to them with secrets/game plans and they’re the one who changes the direction, that scene is a telling sign that they have the control.
Mike and Alison voting out Davie only served as a back-up plan in case Christian had the hidden immunity idol. The real target was Christian, and while the Goliaths didn’t need Nick to fulfill the plan, Mike’s strategic game cemented that alliance and jury vote even further. He has Angelina, Nick, and Alison ready to take him to the finals. Kara most likely will take him as well. Mike is sitting pretty unless things shake up dramatically.
Alison’s threat status came out of nowhere. She only won one immunity challenge, but sometimes all it takes is one good win and a decent performance all season. Just like Christian, she won’t be able to shake the reputation; she’ll have to win her way to end. Kara is flying behind-the-scenes. My guess would be a spot in the finals. Her ability to be likable and foster relationships might earn her a jury vote or two. However, she’ll need to make a big move to make a case to win.
Angelina, on the other hand, still won’t win Survivor: David vs. Goliath. The trouble with her alliances rubbed people the wrong way, and based on the jury’s response to her, they don’t particularly like her. She won’t be able to make a successful case. Plus, if she brings up sacrificing for the rice one more time, she’ll completely destroy her game. That rice became the curse of our existence.
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At Tribal Council, Davie made the right call using his hidden immunity idol. He could’ve only used it at that Tribal and it was better to play it than risk going home. Plus, with so few players left, you have to be very careful with taking risks or else it could blow up in your face. Davie succeeded by not risking his vote and playing his idol while Nick failed by playing two idols to test the waters. What was he thinking?!
Christian’s elimination wasn’t too surprising because it needed to happen and he had been an ongoing target for weeks now. He had the best shot to win Survivor: David vs. Goliath based on his story, his likability, and his challenge prowess. Now with Christian out of the game, the others have a better shot at snatching the prize since it gives them a level playing field. And with the finale coming up next, they needed to do it when they had the best opportunity.
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