Fake Survivor: Caramoan

Second Time’s the Charm?

It’s time for another instalment of Fake Survivor. This time, we will be visiting Caramoan. We go back to an old theme that was used once before: Fans vs Favorites. In real Survivor, these seasons have always been dominated by the returning players. They have more experience, are more comfortable playing a second time and generally just perform better than first time players.

In Fake Micronesia however, the fans turned the tide of the favorites and managed to get a win. Will the same be true for Fake Survivor: Caramoan, or will the new favourites come in with a grudge and reverse the outcome? Let’s get right into it to find out.

First, the established rules of this series:

• I have not altered any player’s profile to make them better or worse than anyone else on the season. I have not adjusted any player’s relationship to other players in any way to impact a season’s results.
• For simplicity’s sake, we will assume all players are the age they were the first time they played real Survivor. Otherwise it would be weird to imagine an infant Will Wahl on like Survivor: Africa or something like that.
• No restarts if a player I like in real life ends up being an early boot, that’s just the reality and likely kills his chances to return in the future. That’s life man.

To follow along, here is the link to the simulation: https://brantsteele.net/survivor/caramoan/r.php?c=tjZB35XS

First, let’s meet our fans, 10 new players who will be out there performing against some of their idols.

As you can see, this tribe feels like a very possible fans tribe on real-life Survivor. Brad and Jenna are definitely the stand-outs in this tribe when it comes to real-life (and we’ll give Troyzan an honorable mention). The rest of these players range from fodder (Cecillia, Cristina, Patrick and Tyrone), train wreck personalities (Debb and Shamar) and faintly memorable (Michelle).

But as we always say, this isn’t real Survivor. Any of these players have a chance to carve out a new legacy in this franchise. Fake Survivor has made relative unknowns into legends (as we will soon see on the Favorites tribe) and some legends are but a blip on our radar. These fans have a shot at glory, will they be willing to take it?

To reach that glory, they will first have to reckon with some returning players. All of whom have only played once before, none of whom have won the game. Without further delay, let’s look at these returnees and remember why they’re back for a second time.

Brendan Synott, Fake Survivor: Redemption Island

Brendan was an early boot on Redemption Island. His legacy came from the season’s subtitle, Redemption Island, where Brendan dominated the duels. His strength in those challenges helped him come back into the game and make it all the way to the 12th episode before being officially eliminated. Brendan hasn’t shown a lot of strategic chops just yet, but his challenge skills have been battle tested. He’s coming back hoping for a little more room to maneuver in the game and without redemption island as a safety net, he’ll have to figure out how to do so quickly.

Gabriel Cade, Fake Survivor: Micronesia

Here is our Fake Survivor equivalent to Erik Reichenbach graduating from fan in Micronesia to favorite in Caramoan. And I swear Gabriel isn’t here solely because he kind of looks like Erik. Back in Micronesia, Gabriel finished as the season’s runner up. He was a strategic force in a strong alliance that lost to a competition beast at final tribal council. This is a shot at redemption for Gabriel, whom a lot of people figured was going to win his original season (myself included).

Helen Glover, Fake Survivor: Vanuatu

In her original season, Helen found herself on a dominant women’s alliance. Unfortunately for her, she was ultimately betrayed by that alliance after there started to be some inner-squabbles between its members. The betrayal came swiftly and unexpectedly for Helen, who seemed like a contender up until that point. She will now have to navigate new waters on a tribe that isn’t separated by gender. Can she recreate a dominant alliance while avoiding the cold touch of betrayal?

Kim Spradlin, Fake Survivor: Tocantins

Back in Tocantins, Kim made it all the way to the end of the game where she lost to Russell Swan. Kim proved to be tenacious and convincing as alliances crumbled around her but she continued to make progress. She only lost because Russell was an unconventional winner: he didn’t really strategize, made his way to the end based on strength and loyalty, and thus, didn’t have any foes on the jury. If Kim can find her way back to final tribal council, she’s hoping to make it with some less likable people this time around.

Mellisa McNulty, Fake Survivor: Nicaragua

Another runner-up is in the mix. Mellisa is a great example of a non-entity in real-life who became a legend on Fake Survivor. Back in Nicaragua, Mellisa became a beloved player for her refusal to die against all odds. She has one of the most impressive moves in Fake Survivor history, when she swung two players at final five to go against a dominant duo, and that got her to the end of the game. Unfortunately, Mellisa allowed Sydney Wheeler a chance to go to the end with her, and that proved costly. Now Mellisa is back, hoping to have a second chance to get to the end, where this time she won’t make the same mistake.

Michelle Yi, Fake Survivor: One World

In One World, Michelle Yi seemed set for a deep run. She was part of a dominant women’s alliance that had nearly eradicated the men’s tribe. That alliance seemed locked in with each other. Unfortunately for Michelle, all that early winning meant that it allowed for some outsiders on her tribe to make it to the merge. It was there that these outsiders sided with the remaining men and allowed for an upheaval of fortunes, sending Michelle out much earlier than anyone expected. We’ll see if Michelle will try to cut some extra fat a little earlier this time after being burned so badly by the outsiders her last time out.

Russell Hantz, Fake Survivor: Gabon

No one can accuse me of being biased with Russell on this cast. We all know my disdain for Russell but I also can’t deny that he ran his season (along with his alliance). His loss at final tribal council ultimately came down to being disliked, which is true to the Russell storyline. We know that in real-life, that has been something he hasn’t been able to fix. Will he have more luck on Fake Survivor?

Spencer Duhm, Fake Survivor: Philippines

Our most recent player on this cast, Spencer is just coming off a deep run on Fake Survivor: Philippines. He became a beloved figure by joining with the season’s eventual winner, Stephen Fishbach, as they ran most of the action during the season’s post-merge. Spencer was known for being a deadly social threat and was cut short of his goal at the final five. This cast doesn’t know his gameplay, can Spencer replicate his social wonders a second time around?

Stephenie LaGrossa, Fake Survivor: Samoa

Most memorably, Stephenie was picked off at the final 10 of Fake Samoa in a 3–0 vote. She was the victim of a tribal council where two immunity idols were played. It’s easily one of the most explosive tribal councils in Fake Survivor history. Stephenie is hoping to get a little more lucky with the advantages this time around so that she can make due on some potential she showed off all the way back in Samoa.

Zane Knight, Fake Survivor: South Pacific

Okay, maybe sometimes I’m a little biased. Zane was the second boot of his season and lost the first duel (meaning that he was technically the first boot). But in real-life, production gave Francesca a second chance and I’m giving Zane one. He’s an entertaining personality with a lot of potential to give us some fireworks. Does anyone expect Zane to win (or even get to the merge)? No. But it’ll be A++ stuff if he does.

So that’s our cast. It should be noted that none of these returning players have played together, making this an already more balanced season than the real production gave us. Let’s get into the action because we’ve already spent more than 1000 words on the preamble.

Episode One

The Alliances

The fans alliances are very balanced. Cristina, Michelle and Patrick are on one side. Debb, Jenna and Troyzan are on the other. That leaves Brad, Cecillia, Shamar and Tyrone in the middle. The dynamics for this tribe will depend on how those four will want to play the game. Shamar might quick before he even decides which side he would like to support.

Over on the favorites tribe, it’s more of the same. Brendan, Gabriel and Helen have formed a troika. I can see these three working together. They are hard-workers, they’re loyal and you know what to expect from each of them. The other threesome of Russell, Spencer and Zane is a little more surprising. I can see Russell wanting to have Zane as a puppet, but Spencer being the third member is unexpected. Still, Spencer is already showing off some of those social muscles by hitting it off with these two after forming a tight bond with Stephen last time out. You can’t say the guy isn’t versatile.

Michelle, Mellisa, Stephenie and Kim have not yet chosen a side. It kind of makes sense. Stephenie and Kim were both in alliances that ended up crumbling and leaving them to scramble. Michelle was screwed over by people who weren’t aligned and might now see the power of being a floater. Mellisa was a scrambler who never really committed to anyone in the post-merge of her season. These four ladies will be doing whatever suits them best going forward.

As is often the case on Survivor, the tribe that gets underestimated early has a chip on their shoulders. You see it on men versus women seasons and you see it in Fans versus Favorites. This season is no different as the fans pull off two upsets by winning the reward and immunity challenge, sending the favorites to the first tribal council of the season.

One of these returning players is about to have their second shot cut drastically short, it’ll be interesting to see how this all plays out. But before we can explore what’s going on with the favorites, it bears mentioning that Tyrone has found the idol hidden at the fans’ beach. Meanwhile, Jenna’s behaviour has been rubbing her tribe the wrong way (true to real-life).

At the favorites’ beach, we also have an idol find. This one falls into the hands of one Kim Spradlin. With no real affiliation to either alliance, having an extra layer of protection via the idol must feel good for Kim. Shocking that the king of the idols, Russell, did not manage to find this thing first. It’s better off this way as the two opposing alliances will go into tribal council with nothing but their words as weapons.

Will we see one of the two sides lose a number? Will it be one of the outsiders? Let’s go talk with Jeff Probst and find out.

At tribal council, it becomes evident very quickly that someone on this tribe has failed to ingratiate themselves to others. Despite having two very opposing sides, everyone on the favorites tribe is in favor of voting for one person: Mellisa McNulty.

Maybe it’s because they feel like she doesn’t belong as part of the Survivor community. Maybe they think she is too much of a threat based on her first season. Whatever it is, it’s a unanimous decision that Mellisa needs to be the first one gone. Saddening to lose her so quickly after she had such a good run her first time out, but that’s why they’re called favorites. If we didn’t like them, they wouldn’t be here a second time, right (as I side-eye Phillip and Brandon being on the real Caramoan cast).

For what it’s worth, Mellisa puts her vote on Gabriel.

This also means that for the first time in real or fake Survivor history, Zane has survived a tribal council! Congratulations Zane, that is a huge achievement for someone like you.

Episode Two

No reward challenge in this episode, we skip right to the immunity. Surprisingly, the fans hold their ground and win their second straight immunity challenge. These guys aren’t playing around. They must have seen the Micronesia fans put on a clinic and don’t want to be remembered as the fans tribe that sucked.

Following last episode where she was alienating everyone, Jenna has now officially isolated herself from the tribe. That means that starting next episode, she will have removed herself from her alliance, making the Debb, Troyzan and Jenna trio officially a duo.

We still have no real idea of how this favorites dynamic is going to work out. Last time, they took out Mellisa unanimously. Is there someone else that everybody can agree upon or will this be the vote where things get a little dicier?

It became clear from where tribal council was going that this time around, the two alliances were going to go at each other. It seems like the perception is that Gabriel is the leader of his threesome with Brendan and Helen. That is why Russell, Spencer and Zane decided to target him.

To return the favor, Gabriel’s group earmarked Spencer as their victim. Maybe he’s seen as the leader or maybe his status as an enigma is worrying the other alliance. Either way, both alliances have set their targets on each other, leaving Kim, Michelle and Stephenie to decide their fates.

Stephenie is quick to declare that she likes Spencer more than Gabriel and sides with Russell’s alliance. Unfortunately for them, Michelle and Kim both decide that they like Gabriel more than Spencer and side with Gabriel’s alliance. That’s enough to give them a 5–4 majority and make Spencer the second victim of the season.

A much shorter stint this time around for Spencer. He’s surely disappointed in his results but at least he gave it a shot. Yet another Stephen ally who does much worse without his presence around him, Spencer can now swap some stories with JT and Jeremy about their disastrous Stephen-less adventures.

Episode Three

As it stands, the favorites need a win in a big way. In another episode without an immunity challenge, they pull through and finally send the fans to their first tribal council of the season. No doubt on the back of a stellar performance by known challenge beast Zane Knight.

To celebrate this victory, Zane and Russell’s partnership officially dissolves. Spencer must have been the glue that was holding them together because the minute he left, they broke up. This is bad news for the other alliance of three now that they are outnumbered by five people who don’t have any real bonds. It shines a gigantic target directly on them.

Continuing her stellar performance through three episodes, Jenna gets into a minor fight with Cristina before tribal council. So far, Jenna has had the worst performance you can string together without even attending a vote. She’s rubbed people the wrong way. She broke up with her alliance. And now she’s getting into a fight. I will be shocked if she isn’t the first boot on this tribe.

Evidently, my read ends up being correct as Jenna becomes the first fan to be voted out of the game. Interestingly, this isn’t unanimous. Despite Jenna cutting herself off from Debb and Troyzan, they decide to go down swinging with her, joining Jenna in voting against Patrick. This probably isn’t ideal for them moving forward, but I guess we can respect the loyalty?

Episode Four

We bring back the reward challenge for this episode, which the favorites win. But then, the fans turn around and pull off another victory in the immunity challenge, pushing their lead back to two in terms of numbers. These favorites did not come into this season with their A game in terms of challenge and so far, it’s showing.

Following the Bikal victory (that is the real tribe name for the fans), Cecillia and Shamar, both outsiders on the tribe, bond a lot. That could be a sign of an underrated alliance forming, because Brant Steele doesn’t really fabricate new alliances after day one (outside of swapped tribe allegiances), so we should keep an eye on that.

Meanwhile, over at Gota (the favorites tribe’s real name) Russell bonds a lot with Kim. He likely understands that he could be in trouble if the outsiders don’t bond together and go after Gabriel’s group. This is a good play by Russell, who we’ve accused of being unable to form real bonds in the game. Maybe he has finally learned a thing or two in this simulation.

At tribal council, the last remaining alliance on Gota makes a potentially fatal error. They decide to target Michelle after she’s sided with them in the past vote. They could have gone after Russell, Zane or Stephenie and probably kept the same five votes they got last time, instead, they decide to flip on someone who had helped them out in the past.

Obviously, Michelle wasn’t going to stick around for that, so she flips over to Russell, Zane and Stephenie, who despite not being an alliance, are all resolute in voting for Gabriel once again. Meaning that Kim’s vote would be the swing between Gabriel going home or a tie vote.

In the end, Russell’s attempt to bond with Kim may have been valiant, but it seems like she remains closer to the other side. She sides with Gabriel and forces the tie, despite sitting on an idol and knowing she might go to rocks with that in her pockets.

On the revote, Kim’s gamble pays off because Russell is unwilling to risk his life for someone who didn’t even vote with him last time. He flips on Michelle and votes her out, living to fight another day. There’s still the possibility that Kim will come over to his side now that Michelle is out, maybe she didn’t like Michelle and Russell doesn’t have to risk his own life, at least not in this moment.

For the second time in as many seasons, Michelle falls victim to people who weren’t in an alliance acting in their own best interests. This time around, Michelle didn’t even get in an alliance herself and quickly found herself at the bottom of the totem pole.

Episode Five

A depleted Gota tribe showed up to episode five’s immunity challenge. Despite the odds being stacked against them, the favorites showed some life in the challenge and managed to pull off their second immunity win of the season.

After the challenge, Stephenie and Gabriel get into a minor fight. He’s probably not happy that she’s tried to vote him out at their last two tribal councils. She’s probably not happy that her attempts have been met with failure so far.

With no obvious target for the fans to congregate around, it feels like the game will finally be starting for them too. Debb makes herself appreciated with her hard work around camp (undoubtedly, she must have built a beautiful shelter made of rocks). Will she be a target after exposing herself in the last vote, much like Troyzan, her closest ally?

The answer is no. Possibly threatened by an uprising, the alliance of Patrick, Michelle and Cristina decide to go after Tyrone, holder of the immunity idol. Shamar, who apparently does not like Tyrone, goes along with this plan. That’s four quick votes on Tyrone, who does not play his hidden immunity idol.

Meanwhile, Debb and Troyzan decide to target the opposing alliance. It makes sense, they are an established group and if allowed, will seize control of the tribe entirely. They decide to go for Cristina. Tyrone joins them in their plight, leaving the fate of his game in the hands of Cecilia and Brad. If either of them doesn’t side with Tyrone, he will go home with an idol in his pocket.

And remember, Shamar and Cecilia had some major bonding moments in the previous episode. I bring this up only to misdirect you because both Brad and Cecilia see the logic in knocking out Cristina and side with Deb, Troyzan and Tyrone, voting Cristina out in a 5–4 decision.

Episode Six

We are one episode away from a swap. Despite a murky beginning, the favorites can even up the score with an immunity win in this episode. A few episodes ago, this felt like an unlikely scenario, but they’ve shown some fight as of late and it’s good to see the veterans go to work.

Before we can see the immunity challenge, we must highlight that the fans win a reward challenge. Okay, that’s been noted. Moving on.

In the immunity challenge, the favorites come through and tie the game up. The fans will be heading to tribal council once more. If I’m not mistaken, this is the episode in real-life where Brandon gets his Jeff Probst massage and gets himself removed from the game. This will not happen on Fake Survivor because Brant Steele doesn’t allow for players to be removed for mental health reasons.

At Gota beach, the win isn’t celebrated because almost immediately upon getting back to camp, Zane and Kim get into a major fight. I was impressed that Zane had stayed quiet for so long, I figured he was due for a blow up. I’m just surprised that Kim even allowed herself to engage with him, as she’s so calm and collected normally. The Frankenstein man has a way to get to anybody he so chooses.

As for the fans, the alliance of Patrick and Michelle (and Shamar by virtue of voting incorrectly) are now on the backfoot. They’ve been stunned by a surprise haymaker engineered by Debb and Troyzan, will the stragglers choose to stay aligned with those two or can Patrick and Michelle manage to convince Brad, Tyrone or Cecilia to vote with them?

You might not be surprised that the answer is no, thanks to some astoundingly stupid decision making by both. Patrick and Michelle, who ostensibly had Shamar with them because of the last vote, decide that their strategy for this round will be to target Shamar… what?

Obviously, Shamar isn’t going to be down with that, so he flips over to Troyzan and Debb, who won’t discriminate on who wants to vote with them, and they target Michelle. Brad and Tyrone seem okay with sticking with this duo for now and join them, sealing Michelle’s fate regardless of Cecilia’s vote, which is good because she throws in a random vote for Patrick, potentially to avoid a weird idol play (but the two votes on Shamar would have been protection enough).

This is where we are seeing the fans show their greenness. They are making some weird decisions at tribal council and in terms of their general strategy. With the tribes now even in numbers, this could be all the favorites needed to turn the tide back in their favor. But you never know, the swap could go thousands of different ways.

Episode Seven

We’ve officially reached the swap. 7 fans, 7 favorites. Who will get unlucky and swap into a brutal position? Will original tribal lines hold up or will the fans and favorites mix it up? This should be fun to watch unfold given the parity between both sides to this point.

If things are going to stick to tribal lines, this was a brutal swap for Zane and Helen. They must now share Bikal beach with Debb and Troyzan, a defined alliance, with Brad, Shamar and Tyrone who have all voted together at the last vote. On top of that, Zane and Helen weren’t even working together back on their original tribe, making it likely that they will throw each other to the wolves if need be.

Similarly, Cecilia and Patrick could be in some hot water on Gota. Their odds seem slightly better because this is a favorites tribe that is still fractured. Brendan and Gabriel are a defined alliance. They have Kim on their side as of right now, although unofficially. Russell and Stephenie have been against that group this entire time. Would they be amenable to working with Cecilia and Patrick? Can Cecilia and Patrick even work together?

With these two new tribes, Bikal wins the first immunity challenge. That means that the favorites-heavy Gota will be attending tribal council. Of the two outcomes, I think this presents more alternatives and thus, will be the more interesting vote.

I can see a universe in which Russell and Stephenie simply decide to ride it out with the favorites and figure out what to do later. I could also see a world in which they align with Cecilia and Patrick to target Gabriel, who they’ve been wanting out since their second tribal council. It probably helps that, after the challenge, Patrick gets into a fight with Gabriel. This could add fuel to the fire for Russell and Stephenie, potentially seeing an avenue to get rid of the biggest thorn in their side up to this point. You also have to account for Kim’s idol and how that might come into play. Though I don’t think she will be wanting to play it for anyone else but herself.

Sadly, at tribal council, we get the most straight-forward outcome. The favorites are not here to get outplayed like the ones in Micronesia did. Instead, they put their differences aside to go after a fan. They decide to put their votes on Cecilia while Patrick and Cecilia vote for Kim.

Episode Eight

In this episode, Gota wins the reward challenge but loses their second consecutive immunity challenge. It could be that they are throwing these things to allow Zane and Helen some breathing room over on the other side. It would be akin to what Peih-Gee was trying to do the same to Aaron and James in the real Survivor China.

Continuing to be unexpectedly brash, Kim gets into another fight on their beach. This time, it’s with Stephenie. Another strong personality who isn’t known for holding back her words. Kim has really been kind of a hothead this time around, nice to see a different side of her even if it isn’t necessarily good for her overall chances.

At tribal council, we get the expected result but not through the expected path. Patrick does indeed get picked off here in a 3–2–1 vote. Finally, Russell’s bond with Kim pays off when he’s able to convince her to join Stephenie and himself in voting for Patrick, this despite their fight in the same episode. I won’t lie, this is impressive work from Russell. Meanwhile, Gabriel and Brendan put two votes on Stephenie, to double-cross a fellow favorite during their truce. Patrick puts his sole vote on Gabriel, who is just soaking up all the votes he can.

I have to think that Gabriel and Brendan thought they had Kim on their side. She’s been voting with them all game and just got into a tiff with Stephenie. From their perspective, she was going to be the 3rd vote they needed to make this blindside happen. They got outplayed by Russell and Stephenie and now they’re kind of in a tight spot.

So, Patrick does go home, but it also leaves a huge fracture in this favorites tribe. With the merge coming up in the next episode, it’ll be interesting to see how it works. Yes, the fans look to be in prime position to get Pagong’ed, but Gabriel and Brendan just threw a warning shot across the bow to the other favorites, so we’ll have to see how they scramble out of this one.

Episode Nine

We have made it to the merge.

Our biggest players so far are undoubtedly Gabriel, Russell, Kim and Debb & Troyzan. These are the players that have been making the most noise on either tribes. Zane has been fairly quiet, but deserves credit for making the merge after being such a bust. See? I was right to have fate in this dude.

Brendan and Helen have been mostly hiding behind Gabe, which makes sense because so far, the dude has been a massive meat shield. The stragglers of Bikal all kind of blend together at this point, they will have to make some individual moves to separate themselves from one another if they want a shot to win. Same can be said for Stephenie, who has done well to get this far, but will need to show that she isn’t just playing behind Russell.

The dynamics for this merge will be interesting. The five Bikal left are all okay to work with each other and have in the past. The same can’t be said of the seven remaining Gotas. There is a possibility that after their failed coup, Gabriel and Brendan could swing over to the fans and give them power again.

In the first individual immunity of the season, Debb comes away as the winner. It’s the one where you have to eat gross food. I can picture Debb being good at this sort of challenge.

After the challenge, Kim and Stephenie begin to heal their past wound by bonding slightly. This is a sign that Stephenie is taking control of her own game by going out and making relationships outside of those dictated by Russell. He may have gotten them together for the last vote, but now they seem like they might be okay to work together with or without him.

There is a merge tribe idol hidden away in this round, but nobody is able to claim it.

At tribal council, things get a little crazy when both idols come out. Kim and Tyrone both play it for themselves. At this point, I imagine that Stephenie was having déjà vu from getting knocked out by a double idol play.

From the votes, it seems like this was all kinds of messed up. The five fans remaining plus Zane voted for Kim. So, this tells us that Zane may have deserted the favorites altogether after having no official alliance left on that side. Maybe he got comfortable during his days on New-Bikal and doesn’t want to leave those guys anymore. Then, there was the unofficial troika of Kim/Russell/Stephenie putting their three votes on Tyrone. Those six votes went down the drain.

That left the Gabriel, Brendan and Helen trio with all of the power. You might have figured that this would be lights out for Stephenie, since that is who Gabriel and Brendan targeted last time around. But you’d be wrong. Instead, they put their three votes on Shamar, potentially saving the favorites from getting sideswiped by Zane’s betrayal.

It’s weird that both sides of the favorites tribe voted for someone from the fans but couldn’t agree on which one to target. Maybe Gabriel’s side sniffed out that Tyrone had an idol and didn’t want to put their eggs in that basket? Either way, were it not for Kim’s idol play, a favorite was going home in this round.

Episode Ten

Quickly establishing herself as a huge threat, Debb wins her second consecutive immunity challenge. This time it was the Last Gasp, that dreadful challenge where they have to lay under a steel grate as the tide rises over their heads. Somewhere, Phillip Sheppard just shuddered but doesn’t know why.

This winning streak will put a target on her back, but it’s also serving to separate Debb from Troyzan. So far, everything they’ve done has been in lockstep. This could be the start of Debb’s ascension and Troyzan’s fall into being a purple edit, something he has experience with in real life.

The idol once again goes untouched in this round. Maybe Russell Hantz put all of his attribute skills in his guile this time around, leaving none for the “idol finding” column. Zane also gets into his second fight of the season, with Gabriel Cade. I can see that these two would never get along in real life, so this tracks.

This will be a very telling tribal council. Zane seems to have deserted the favorites but if that is the case, it’s a 6–5 advantage for the retuning players. They couldn’t get all six on the same page the last time around. If that’s the case, a solid five would be stronger than a loose six. There are no idols this round we’re playing classic Survivor for this vote.

Our strong five decides to go for Kim for the second time in a row. Clearly, these people see Kim as a very strong player. It’s almost like the attention has shifted from Gabriel to Kim as the fans enter the picture. There could be a dichotomy at play where the favorites see Gabriel as the biggest threat while the fans see Kim.

Unfortunately for the fans + Zane, our loose six is able to tighten up in this round. Both sides of the favorites tribe get together and target Tyrone, probably because he just played an idol and is unlikely to have another one. Like Kim, this could also have been a situation where out of everyone available to them (since Debb is immune), Tyrone is the biggest threat.

Episode Eleven

Debb’s immunity streak gets snapped in this episode. Instead, safety goes to Kim for winning the keel hauling immunity. Kim’s star is really starting to shine in this post-merge, she’s become the biggest focus for her opponents, she’s successfully saved herself with an idol and now she’s won immunity. Good stuff here from Kim.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, Brad has begun to isolate himself from the tribe. He was already not in an alliance and now he’s choosing the post-merge to sulk? Brad has been kind of a flop on this season despite coming in as one of the bigger names in the fans tribe.

For his betrayal, Zane’s time has come at this tribal council. Only Brad is willing to stand by his side as the ship sinks. They vote together for Stephenie. The six favorites and Debb/Troyzan all place their votes on Zane. This is particularly cutthroat from Debb and Troyzan after Zane converted to their side, but they’re clearly not here to make friends and they want to see Brad out before the favorites come for them.

I really didn’t think Zane would even get as far as he did. I mostly threw him on this season for the meme potential of him getting voted out of his tribe first again. With those low standards, Zane surpassed expectations. He only has himself to blame for getting voted out. It’s generally not a good idea to betray the majority for the minority. The funny thing is that had Kim not played her idol, his move would have worked, and he would likely still be in the game. He just came up against a great intuitive performer like Kim and that was it for Zane.

Episode Twelve

Since Debb is out here winning immunities, Troyzan figured he needed to up his game too. This led to Troyzan’s first immunity win in the challenge where you’re hanging off the edge of a platform holding onto a rope (the one Cochran dominated because of the advantage he got at the auction, let’s assume Troyzan got the same advantage).

For the third straight round, the idol goes undetected. At this point, I’m not convinced that anybody is actively looking for it even though the fans absolutely should be tearing down the jungle for this thing. Instead, people are hanging around camp where Helen’s hard-working nature is beginning to be appreciated by her fellow castaways.

With the fans’ numbers dwindling, now is the time for the favorites to make a move if they want to have pieces to play with. At least, that’s how Kim, Russell and Stephenie see the pieces on the board when they go to Debb, Troyzan and Brad and offer a new plan: let’s get someone from that other alliance out of here.

Gabriel, Helen and Brendan had the same thought. For them, it’s clear who they most want out of the remaining favorites: Stephenie. And that’s who they decide to target. Their plan is similar, hope that the three remaining fans will want to side with them and eliminate Steph.

Russell’s side decides to go for Brendan. So that’s three votes on either side with the three fans in the middle. After some discussion, all three fans decide to vote the same way and side with Russell, sending Brendan home in a 6–3 double-crossing.

Unlike his first outing, Brendan got a chance to play the real game of Survivor for a much longer period. He proved to be a solid ally for his alliance while never stepping out and making moves to benefit the individual. Even his challenge skills seemed to be worsened compared to his impressive run on Redemption Island.

The big question will be whether this was a bit too early for the favorites to turn on each other. There are still three fans left. That’s as many as the biggest cluster of favorites. It would be easy for the fans to now flip to Gabriel and Helen and even out the two sides, playing king maker until the favorites are thinned out. Let’s see how this plays out.

Episode Thirteen: Part One

In part one of a double-header, Brad wins his first immunity of the season. These fans have really dominated the immunity challenges, both individually and as a tribe.

Finally, someone finds the merge tribe idol. It’s Helen who comes up big for her duo. They’ve just had Brendan knocked out of the game and their backs might be against the wall. Now, Helen and Gabe have some ammunition they can brandish as a weapon to hopefully swing some people to vote with them, likely against Russell’s trio.

As I outlined in the last episode, the worst-case scenario happens for Russell, Kim and Stephenie. They swung on their own people too quickly and handed power over to the fans. Possibly with some idol coercion, Debb, Troyzan and Brad all flip over to vote with Gabe and Helen. Those two finally get their wish and get Stephenie voted out of the game in a 5–3 vote (Gabe receiving the other three).

Stephenie managed to last a long time in this game without ever aligning herself with anyone on an official basis. Her relationship with Russell led to a relationship with Kim which was the crux of her time in the game. She wasn’t the biggest shaker, but she still had a nice impact her second time out.

Episode Thirteen: Part Two

A solid episode for Mr. Culpepper as he wins his second immunity challenge in a row. After having that low moment in the previous episode, Brad has asked himself, “what would Monica do?” Since then, he’s playing with a renewed vigor and could be shaping up for an end-game run.

Helen is still in possession of the immunity idol. The favorites are fractured but if they allow the three fans left to pin them against each other for one more round, it’s going to be all she wrote for them. They need to get over their mutual dislike for each other and work together if they want to have a favorite win this game.

This is exactly how our four remaining favorites saw the game going too. In a round like this is where the experience will help you out. Yes, there are hard feelings on both sides of the favorites alliances, but they also don’t want those feelings to culminate in all of them losing the game. Instead, they regrouped together to form a foursome and vote against Debb, the biggest target remaining among the fans. The three fans put their votes on Kim, further proof that she is seen as the biggest jury threat, but it wouldn’t matter much in the face of four votes.

For her first time out, Debb put together a very strong performance. She was very quickly in a tight spot on the fans tribe and didn’t let it phase her. She performed well in challenges and showed some strategic prowess in surviving further than she had any right getting to after the favorites got a strangle hold on the game.

Episode Fourteen

“I’m the greatest of all tiiiiime”, Russell proclaimed as he won his first immunity challenge.

Then, Kim got into yet another argument. This time, with Troyzan who is likely feeling trapped in a corner after the favorites have refocused their efforts on snuffing out the fans rather than each other.

Kim likely would have preferred to go after Troyzan in this round, but the other favorites knew better. Brad is the bigger winning threat and challenge threat. He just had an episode where he won both challenges and hasn’t really had to betray anyone to this point. Since Kim lost her first game to a player who was somewhat like Brad, she saw the light fairly quickly.

Even Troyzan got in on the action and voted out Brad. He likely knows that his path to the final tribal council is being the last fan left. Now, if the two sides are going to want to target each other, Troyzan’s vote becomes a necessity (well, if Helen’s idol wasn’t in play anyways). By voting out Brad, he’s showing a willingness to work with either side of the favorites nucleus. Loyalty won’t get you anything at this point and this is a good decision from Troyzan to hopefully get closer to the end.

Finale: Part 1

The biggest threat left in the game at this point is Kim. She doubles down on that by winning her second immunity of the season at the biggest impasse in the game. Given that Helen has an idol, it seems likely that this vote will come down between Gabriel and Russell. Unless of course the favorites just vote out Troyzan now to avoid having a fan at final tribal council.

That’s exactly what Russell and Kim were thinking. Unfortunately for them, that wasn’t what Gabe and Helen had in mind. Since one side decided to target Troyzan, that left him no other option than to vote with Gabe and Helen, sending Russell home in a 3–2 vote.

Russell had two separate alliances this season that were never officially recognized. With Kim and with Stephenie. That’s how good his social game was this time around. He was able to hold bonds with people that Brant Steele didn’t even see as an alliance. He didn’t have any of the idol bravado, Russell just played a good, solid, traditional Survivor social game and he got very close to reaching the end because of it. I have to say, I’m impressed.

Finale: Part Two

To me, the stakes seem clear. If Kim wins this immunity, she likely wins the season. If anyone else does, she’s getting voted out 3–1 and Troyzan suddenly runs a chance of becoming a dark horse winner. Gabe and Helen have both had good games and stand a chance to split votes between them. If the fans are unwilling to vote for the favorites, it could be enough for Troyzan to come from behind and steal this win.

Before the immunity challenge, there’s a reward challenge where the reward is an advantage in the last immunity. In a clutch situation, Kim wins this challenge and gets the advantage. She followed that up by going out and winning the final immunity challenge, securing her place in the final three.

To me, this means that Kim has won the season. But we all remember Jimmy Johnson, so this means nothing until the votes are read. Ideally, she should just side with Gabe and Helen and not allow a fan the chance to sneak into final tribal council. Let’s see how the votes go.

3–1, Troyzan has been voted out. Good decision Kim.

Final Tribal Council

The situation is as such: Gabe and Helen had very similar games. Gabe was a huge shield for his alliance and he soaked up a lot of votes. Helen survived a very tense swap situation by avoiding tribal council altogether and came in clutch with the hidden immunity idol at the final five. Outside of those differences, they largely played similar games and will be judged very evenly.

Kim is a different beast. She started on the favorites tribe without any alliances. For a while, she sided with Gabe and Helen, voting alongside them until the swap. At the same time, she grew close to Russell and formed a legitimate bond despite voting against his side. That bond was key in holding the favorites together at the swap, which is where the game titled in favor of the favorites. In the post-merge, she successfully flipped to Russell’s side, played an idol correctly, saving herself and won multiple immunity challenges (three specifically). She managed to get into an alliance with Stephenie, whom she had feuded with in the past. She ran this game from the swap until now.

The biggest drawback for Kim’s chances of winning? She was explosive. Kim got into three separate arguments that were big enough that Brant Steele mentioned them. That might have rubbed people the wrong way. That said, if people are being objective, Kim is a unanimous winner of this season. Let’s find out.

It’s not unanimous, but the jury got it right. Kim gets the win that just eluded her in the past and she now joins the pantheon of legends like Tom Westman, Devon Pinto and Vecepia Towery (Colby Donaldson is the sad kid on the perimeter that is so close to being allowed in). This was a truly transcendent performance by the queen and one that will be remembered for ages.

Helen was the three votes and those came from Tyrone, Zane and Stephenie. Kim feuded with the latter two in that crowd, though it is surprising that Stephenie did not give her a vote after they patched things up in-game.

As everyone predicted, our fan favorite ended up being the one and only Zane Knight. This dude completely blew away anything we expected from him and honestly, it makes me think he will be back on Fake Survivor at some point down the line.

This was a fun season of Fake Survivor. The favorites started off looking a little shaky but turned it around completely. We got saw strong performances from old players like Kim, Gabe, Helen and Russell and some new potential threats emerged in Debb, Brad and Troyzan.

Next week, I have to figure out how I will proceed with Blood vs Water. I have some ideas that I’m tossing around and will try out, but I look forward to seeing how that might play out.