Survivor: Thailand – What If…?

Looking at where Survivor: Thailand is going, it is hard to believe that some of these people did not even want to be on the tribes that they were selected for. Most of the players who ended up on Sook Jai were thrilled that Jake picked them and that they did not end up with Jan. Too bad they did not realize that their tribe would be whittled down to two while the ex-Chuay Gahn members still have five people in the game. I often wonder what would have happened if certain people had been picked by Jan instead of Jake and how different the game would be at this point. Let’s take a look at some scenarios on what would have happened if certain tribe members were switched and the possible consequences to that switch.

Alright, of the last two women to pick from, Jan had a choice of Tanya and Erin. She chose Tanya, and that ended up being a bad choice. Even though she did not know that Tanya was so sick, she also did not know that Erin was much tougher than the fragile Tanya. Had Erin ended up on Chuay Gahn, they may have won the second immunity challenge, because Tanya was not that great in the water and Sook Jai also had Penny, who does not do well in water challenges either. With just this one switch I think the game would have turned out so much differently. I would bet that Sook Jai would have gone to more Tribal Councils as well. Erin was much stronger than Tanya was, and I also wonder that if Sook Jai had gone to the second tribal council if they still would have voted out Jed, or would have gone straight for Robb because of how annoying he was. Even if Chuay Gahn had lost that immunity challenge, they would not have had a simple vote by picking Tanya, which might have caused a bit more fraying of the tribe early on.

I really did not understand why Jan even picked Ted first. Yes, he is big, but he is somewhat overweight, and as large as he is, that could also be a liability. Just because someone is large, or tall, does not mean they are competent; remember Mitchell from Survivor 2? Had Jan chosen Ken first, I think this would have made the game more interesting. I bet that Brian and Ken would have made an alliance, and Ken would still be in the game. Not only would that have given Chuay Gahn a stronger team, but I think that Sook Jai really would have suffered. Would Shii Ann have lasted as long as she did without Ken? Sure, she had Jake, but I do not think Ted would have been received as well as Ken was, or fit in the same way as Ken did, thus making the Sook Jai alliance of five non-existent. The same thing goes with Robb. I could see Ted and Robb going at it a few times, especially given what we’ve recently seen of Ted’s need to stay away from annoying people. Another perspective of this would be that the Ted/Ghandia fiasco would have never occurred. Would this mean that Ghandia might have made the merge? I doubt it because she really was not that useful, but Ted would have been much better off if he never had a chance to meet her.

Scenario #3 – Jake taking John over Jed

The second male pick by Jake was Jed. What would have happened if he had chosen John, had he still been available? (Assume Jan chose Brian before John) I think that would have really helped Sook Jai, and John would still be around. He had good survival skills, and I think he would have gotten along with Jake, Ken, Shii Ann, and the rest of their little alliance. Jed ending up on Chuay Gahn would have also been a good thing. I bet they would have won the first challenge, and Robb would have been gone on day three. Also, I could see Jed and Helen creating something. They both realized how important food was on the island, and both of them had the same priorities. So who would have been voted out at the first tribal council if Jed was on Chuay Gahn and they lost? I think it would have been Ghandia. Not only did she mess up the challenge, but I think Tanya would have been given a chance to feel better, as she was when John was voted out. Another scenario that shows the whole Ted/Ghandia thing would have never happened.