Survivor: Thailand – MVP Moments for Everybody

Originally, I had opted not to do an MVP for the last episode. However, I decided that instead of picking an MVP for the last episode (because it would obviously be Brian) it would be more interesting to pick out one moment for each survivor showing when they were an MVP. Just because every survivor did not win the weekly MVP once does not mean that they did not play the game well. Surely, they didn’t play it as well as Brian, but along the way everyone made a good choice at one time or another. Let’s take a look at each player’s highest moment in the game when they were an MVP.

John – Although we only got to see John in one episode, he did do one thing right. His shining moment was when he found the water source. He may not have been around for that long, but had he stayed around I think John would have played the game very well. It’s almost the same thing that happened to Debb in Survivor 2. John, like Debb, was ready for the experience and was prepared to live off the land. However, just like Debb, John could not mesh well with his tribe and ended up being the first one to go.

Tanya – We received next to no camera footage of Tanya really, but I still love her. Why, I don’t know, but this girl was so sweet. If I had to pick an MVP moment for her, it would be the way she graciously accepted the fact that it was her turn to go. She knew she was sick, and somewhat wanted to be voted out of the tribe. There was no spite in the way she was voted out and she understood that the tribe was only doing it to strengthen the team and help her become healthy again. Tanya was missed though, and I wish I could have seen more of her.

Jed – What a bad break Jed got. This guy was a challenge GOD! Several times he pulled through on a challenge for the Sook Jai tribe. His golden MVP moment though was during the lotus challenge when he had to dive in twice to retrieve two pieces of the floating flower. Jed basically won that challenge for Sook Jai. He was a great competitor and was only booted because he was not with the “in crowd.” Jed would have done much better had he ended up with Chuay Gahn, where his work ethic of gathering food and water would have been more appreciated.

Ghandia – I am going to dig deep for this one. Believe it or not, Ghandia did have an MVP moment. It came when she accepted Ted’s apology for allegedly grinding with her in their sleep. I thought it was very honorable that she was able to accept Ted’s apology, and move on without telling the tribe. Although, she did eventually end up telling everyone and even tried to have Ted voted out of the tribe as a result. Had she kept her mouth shut, Jan might have gone before her. But this article is not about what could have happened, it is about recognizing smart players and at one point Ghandia was one of them.

Stephanie – I loved everything about Stephanie. She was my original pick to win the whole thing! Her work ethic was great, she performed well in challenges, and at the end she attempted to work better with the tribe. Her greatest moment came when she decorated the dummy for the one reward challenge. Everyone sat around all day and did nothing while Steph decorated and prepared the dummy for the challenge. As she had done from the beginning, Steph took the initiative to do the work while the others sat back and relaxed. Some ridiculed her for not helping with the hut, meanwhile they were the ones drinking the water she prepared. Go figure.

Robb – Many feel that Robb’s MVP moment came when he had the big turnaround and decided that he was not going to be a jerk anymore. I disagree because I still don’t think it was all that genuine. I think Robb’s MVP moment came during the reward challenge in the episode he was booted off. He pretty much single-handedly won the challenge for his team, catching all the balls that Penny had shot. Even when Big Ted changed to block him, Robb still managed to catch them. He was in great shape and could have lasted much longer had he known when to be quiet. I do like Robb though because he reminds me of a friend of mine. Outside the game I bet he’s a blast to hang out with. If he did walk away with a new appreciation for life, I’m very happy for him.

Shii Ann – Shii Ann was a very smart player and understood what it took to win the game of Survivor. However, an unexpected twist sealed her fate. I think Shii Ann’s biggest MVP moment came at the tribal council that she was voted out. At that point she knew she was going so Shii Ann decided to tell Penny and the others what she thought. I was glad to see her speak her mind finally, instead of just venting to the cameraman. It was nice to finally see Shii Ann tell Penny everything about her that was annoying. It was also nice to see Penny try and force a fake smile and act like she didn’t care. Shii Ann brought many good moments this season and I look forward to seeing or hearing about her in the future.

Erin – Erin flew so far under the radar that I did not even know she was playing the game for a while. It is actually kind of hard for me to think of an MVP moment for her because we were shown such little footage of her. The best thing I can come up with was her jury question. Instead of being angry or vindictive, Erin calmly asked both finalists to explain to her why they deserved her vote. She presented herself in a classy way, and nobody really had any negative opinions of her.