Day 34: Favorite Family Visit

Survivor 39-Day Challenge

Well, I cannot pick that one family visit I really favor or am entertained by the most, so instead I’m choosing a season’s family visit. And that’s in Tocantins (2009).

This may very well be my favorite Survivor Auction (a classic tradition of the series) as well.

The entire scene started with the Final 6 getting it on at the auction, bidding for food mostly — chicken parmesan, nachos and guacamole, french fries. But the last item up for grabs turned this auction to fun to emotional in a snap. A video letter from home would be the prize for whoever got to outbid everyone else.

The emotional part kicked in as no one would dare bid against one person (except most probably Coach) and gave their money to Taj. A simple act of kindness in a game that “can be rather nasty at times,” as Probst put it. “She left a little baby at home,” Erinn explained.

Everyone did not even need to give Taj money as she didn’t need to bid against anybody and just paid twenty dollars. That’s just how sweet everyone else was. So, Taj got to watch a video letter from home, with her husband Eddie talking to her. She was so emotional she just couldn’t think, or hear straight, and missed something significant. Probst was about to tell Taj just that, until she realized and the second wave of the emotions ran: See you back at the camp?! And she lost it.

The caveat, however, was that the only loved one back at camp would be Eddie, but Taj could sacrifice herself to go to exile island where Eddie would be waiting and the entire tribe could have some love back at the camp. Probst wasn’t even finished explaining this to Taj when she turned to the entire tribe and said she’s doing it. The third wave of emotion flushed down on everyone.

I mean, it’s my “I’m not crying, you’re crying” moment while watching. It was so beautiful. Even as competitors, the bond they had in the game really is something else and they became family over there (or maybe that’s only true for some of the seasons like Tocantins). This is actually my first pick for a previous category; just thought to go a different direction on that one.

Just how the entire tribe got the spend a day with their loved ones that season makes it my most favorite. It was a roller coaster of emotions which culminated to everyone having some love from people they truly trust the most. And in the middle of a cutthroat game like Survivor, that must be so refreshing and rejuvenating.

I love all family visits, maybe not for like four or five of it. I love family visits because they’re all relatable and enjoyable to watch.

Runner-up: Brenda’s and the entire Enil Edam’s family visit, Survivor: Caramoan (2013)