Surviving the Jury on Survivor

In the Outback, Elisabeth asked which two jurors did not deserve to win, and Nick asked who they thought would be in the final two had Michael not had his accident. Tina told Elisabeth that she would exclude Jerri and Rodger. Colby chose Jerri and Keith. Jerri was an easy answer for them—she was widely disliked, so naming her was not controversial at all. Colby’s choice of Keith was also an easy one, because most players apparently didn’t have much respect for him. But it’s hard to understand why Tina picked Rodger, who was well-liked, especially by Elisabeth. Elisabeth asked for names only, with no reasons. If you are only naming names, it’s probably better to choose uncontroversial people. Still, apparently that answer didn’t hurt Tina, since she won the game. Nick’s question was also an interesting one. His tribe had dominated the game and might have gone into the merge with a majority had Michael not fallen into the fire and burned his hands. Colby said that he thought Nick and Michael would make it into the final two, no doubt thinking that a little flattery would help him. Tina said it was hard to answer the question, since she didn’t know the dynamics at the Kucha tribe. She said she thought Michael would make it to the final two, and declined to name a second player.

In season three, Brandon asked a two part question—which juror would you choose to replace you, and which juror would least deserve to win. Kim P. asked which juror taught the final two the most about themselves, and which juror taught them the least about themselves. Ethan and Kim both chose Lex as the juror that most deserved to be in the final two. Really, if in doubt, the third place finisher is a great answer to this question. That player obviously did something right, since he got farther than any other member of the jury.

In answer to which player least deserved to be in the final two, Kim named Big Tom, saying that he was sexist. Ethan famously told Brandon that Brandon himself did not deserve to be in the final two. When Brandon voted, he said that he had been set to vote for Ethan, but because Ethan insulted him in his own question, he was changing his vote to Kim. In answer to Kim P’s question about which jurors they learned the most and least from, Kim said that she learned the most from Kim P, saying that she admired her decision to call off her wedding, and that she learned the least from Big Tom. Ethan said that he learned the most from Teresa’s will to win, and the least from Kelly because he didn’t know her as well. Kim’s answer to this question was the most successful. It didn’t matter that she insulted Tom twice, since she was fairly sure that he’d vote for Ethan anyway. And her flattery of Kim P apparently worked, since she got the other Kim’s vote.

In season six, Heidi asked the players which juror most deserved to be in the final two. Jenna and Matthew agreed that third place winner Rob was the most deserving juror. Both of them said that he was a master strategist and knew the game very well. Heidi cast about a few hints that one of them should name her, but both of them stuck to Rob as their answer. In the end, their answers to this question were probably irrelevant, since everyone knew that Heidi would be voting for Jenna.

In Guatemala, Jamie asked Danni which players she’d liked to have taken to the end with her. Cindy had an interesting question- if the final two could eliminate any juror, who would it be and why? Danni told Jamie that she’d have taken Bobby Jon, Gary, and Brandon. Honestly, it was an easy question for her- of course she’d have preferred to have the rest of her old tribe at her side. To Cindy, Danni answered simply and honestly- she’d prefer to get rid of Rafe since he had such strong ties to Stephenie and would surely vote for her. Stephenie didn’t answer nearly as well. She tried to ride the fence, saying Bobby Jon, since he was the first juror. She’d have come across much better if she’d named, say, Gary, who was loyal to Danni.

During the Exile Island jury, Sally asked Aras and Danielle which former Casaya player contributed the most to their being there. Both of them chose Cirie. Danielle because she felt she could always rely on Cirie to fill her in on what she’d missed while at Exile Island, and Aras because she was both a friend and helped him advance in the game. Cirie was a safe, uncontroversial choice since she was so well-liked.

Questions about strategy: Jurors want to be able to say they lost to the best player. As a result, they often ask the final two questions about what strategy they used to stay in the game.

In season two, Keith asked when politics and manipulation came into play. Colby told Keith that politics and manipulation came into play when he and Tina formed an alliance with Keith to vote out Mitchell. Tina agreed, saying it was a strategic move. Since the two of them had the same answer, this question probably didn’t influence any voters one way or the other. It was a good answer, especially because it showed that Colby and Tina had been scheming since very early on in the game.

In Marquesas, Kathy asked when Neleh had her most dramatic strategic moment, and if it happened independently. She then asked Vecepia if she played the game too passively. Neleh told Kathy that she started playing the game when she and Pascal decided to align with Kathy, Vecepia, and Sean to oust the Rotu Four. Vecepia said that she worked to adjust her strategy and switch alliances whenever necessary to stay in the game. Kathy’s questions showed what she thought of the two players—Neleh didn’t start playing until late in the game, and even then didn’t take the lead in strategizing, whereas Vecepia was too passive. Of the two answers, Neleh’s was clearly the worst. Neleh reinforced Kathy’s opinion that she didn’t start playing the game until well past the halfway point, and that she was not a leader. Vecepia may have been passive, but at least she planned to be passive.