The episode in which Zavion got whacked.
I am still reeling with excitement from episode 16!!! I almost cannot contain myself. WHAT AN EPISODE!!! I think M-Net should give the casting directors some sort of casting bonus. Could they have found a more brilliant cast? Me thinks not!!
Let’s start with Graham. As a former contestant, I can attest to the fact that challenges become more and more grueling as the days pass on. The stair puzzle thingymajiggy was quite a cruel challenge to have to compete in on Day 25! It was clear that Graham was fighting with every ounce of energy that he could muster. My legs went numb after watching that!
Zavion tried his best to contest Graham’s victory but the Financial Manager from Cape Town managed to pull out a HUGE well-deserved win!! If Graham was going to win just one immunity, he picked the right one.
We now know that had Zavion won that challenge, Graham would probably have been voted out. Timing is everything in this game. And oh boy, speaking of which, did Sivu time the biggest move in the game so far with absolute precision or what?
After the challenge, we all had the pleasure of watching David clean sand out of his cavities. I am emotionally scarred for life. This is not an image that I would like to relive……ever. Whilst Graham’s shower was on the more seductively steamy side of the scale, David’s shower scene was somewhat cringe worthy. Don’t get me wrong, I am actually a David fan. I just did NOT need that visual!
After I drank some wine to try and soothe my trauma, I noticed that the Zavion/David/Graham alliance paraded around camp committing a cardinal Survivor sin. They thought their alliance was safe and protected. You are NEVER safe in this game.
I tend to agree with Buhle - Zavion’s speeches came across in an arrogant, condescending way. Nobody wants to hear how wonderful they are from the person that is about to write their name down. I don’t believe that it was Zavion’s intention to be so patronizing however it did come across that way. That just motivated Sivu even more to blindside his a$$ and take him out!
Each time Sivu explained his plan to the camera, I wanted to throw a magician’s cape around him and hear him laugh loudly while stirring a hot cauldron with utter glee. At one point he said that he wanted Nico to just skip to the voting but I am glad that did not happen.
Tribal Council was a master class in the art of a Survivor blindside. The way Sivu answered all of Nico’s questions made the idol reveal even sweeter. He played the gloomy doomed castaway who was being led to the slaughter. Buhle played her part, got the salvation cup vote from Mark and secured the plan.
The moment that Nico requested that anyone in possession of an idol come forward, Sivu reached into his bag and turned the entire Tribal upside down. Sivu planned that moment for days with incredible insight and virtuoso. I have the utmost respect for him as a player. Surely he deserves to be in the finals?
I made it to the final 3 but I was voted out on the last day because, for my season, the final 2 pitched their case to the jury. I am hoping that this season has a final 3!! If that’s the case, I’d like to see Sivu, Buhle and Graham at the end.
Here’s why:
Sivu has played this game strategically from day one. He has had a blunder here and there but that has not had a negative impact on his game at all. I could see Sivu going to the finals and being able to “Gerrie Nel” the jury with ease.
He played both sides for a long time, he made strategic decisions carefully in order to propel himself further in the game, he formed strong bonds with most of the jury members, he won individual immunity when it counted and of course, he made the biggest move in the game by blindsiding Zavion (with such style I might add). If that is not a million rand story, then I don’t know what is!!
Graham has a compelling case to make to the jury as well. He came into the game without flexing his muscles and rattling too many cages (the opposite of what Solly and Zavion did). If you are strong, you do not want anyone to fear your strength, especially in the beginning. So Graham turned up the heat exactly when he needed to.
He made the merge and also made some tough but necessary moves. I think he could argue that getting rid of Moyra was a turning point for him in the game. He also won immunity when he needed it and he made the right alliance.
A problem for Graham at this stage that separates him from Sivu, and not in a good way, is the fact that he is probably not that popular with the jury. However, is he a deserving winner? Definitely. What makes this game so tricky is that the people you play with have to believe that you deserve to win, not the people that watch the show.
Buhle has used a less popular strategy to get this far in the game but it is an effective one. She has been a “floater” as I have said before. Ousted jury members typically do not buy into the “floater” storyline but many a floater has floated their way straight to winning this game!
She has won immunity though which we should not forget and she needed it on that occasion. Even though she didn’t devise the Zavion blindside, she played an important part in executing the master plan.
Lastly, she doesn’t have any real enemies on the jury either. I think there’s a case to be made here for Buhle so I would not count her out.
My view is that everything I’ve just mentioned about these 3 worthy finalists categorically outweighs any case that David could possibly try to make. David could win the final immunity challenge but even if he doesn’t, here’s a possible curveball.
This jury is comprised of Survivor fanatics who inhale every aspect of this game and treat it with so much respect. I know that sounds exaggerated but it’s true. They appreciate the essence of this game and David has really not done anything dramatic enough in terms of strategy to declare that he has outwitted, outplayed and outlasted his remaining adversaries.
So, in a twist, doesn’t that mean that David becomes the PERFECT person to take to the finals? With this game anything can happen! No matter what though, he has been fantastically entertaining and I could not imagine this season without him!
In fact, I couldn’t imagine this season without any of them. I’m TOTALLY jelly that I couldn’t play with you all!!
The finale draws near but I don’t want it to end! It’s been BY FAR the best Survivor SA season……LIKE EVER!!