Survivor: Pearl Islands – Why I Love the Outcasts

Okay, so we have had a few weeks to get used to Lill and Burton, from the Outcast tribe. They assimilated their way back into the game and haven’t looked back. It’s actually kind of funny – as much as I don’t really agree with the whole Outcast tribe fiasco to begin with, I find myself rooting for them more than any of the others who had not been voted out before Episode 7. Why do I love them so much? What is it about them? Well, I have finally come up with some reasons as to why I want either Lill or Burton to win.

From the beginning of the game, I had taken a shining to Lill. All the way from her never-give-up attitude down to her Boy Scout uniform, I knew she was the real deal. I don’t think there was ever a time in the game that she disappointed me and I was certain that she was more valuable to the Morgan tribe than they had given her credit for. I mean, for goodness sakes, she was the only one out there tending to the fire and getting water for the tribe. Physically, I can admit, she was not as tough as Andrew, Ryno, or Tijuana, but I do think that she was better at challenges at Darrah, and she did a heck of a lot better mentally than Osten was doing. I simply don’t think that she was the one who should have been voted out on day nine, when Darrah was the better choice.

To me, Lill got the shaft, and that is why I was glad to see that she is getting this second chance in the game. I also think that she has come a long way. In the beginning, she stated that she was not good at lying, and look at her now! I’m not saying that she is the biggest liar in the game, but she understands that it has to be done in order for her to advance. Because she is not a physical threat, she is able to go even further and people know that what they see is what they get with her. Lill does not hold back for anyone and although it may seem like she is distancing herself at times, it’s only because she is not exactly sure how to fit in with those who are considerably younger than her. I feel that if the Morgan tribe had just tried to include her in the tribe dynamics a bit more, Lill would have never felt the need to turn on them. I respect Lill for her role in the game so far, and in my opinion, she has a very good chance at making it to the finals.

I feel the same way about Burton. As much as everyone says it was a horrible idea for Drake to throw an immunity challenge, I don’t think it was all that awful. I mean, if Burton really thought he would get away with it and get rid of someone who was starting to get on several people’s nerves (Christa), then I say go for it. However, he didn’t realize that the tables were about to turn. Although now, we look at the situation and it’s pretty easy to see that Burton throwing the immunity challenge ended up actually working to his advantage. When I say that, I mean c’mon – if he was not voted out when he was, he surely would be gone by now simply because he is so strong. I don’t think that he would have had a shot at being in the finals, which I think right now is a very strong possibility.

I like Burton because he has his head on his shoulders. He knows how to play the game and it looks to me like he knows how to build alliances. It may not have seemed that way from before when he was voted out, but if he didn’t then, he has it all worked out now. His bond with Lill is strong and I have a pretty good feeling that he actually has a strong alliance with Jon as well. I don’t think that Burton will win the game, but I do think that he is final four material, along with Lill.

So I stated my case for the former members of the Outcast tribe and now I feel a little better. I realize that some may feel that the Outcasts should not be in the game because they didn’t “Outwit, Outlast, or Outplay” any of the people who were not originally voted out, but how can you say that? I mean, they outplayed them in the challenge that they won. If those who were not voted out think they were so superior, it should have been easy for them to wipe the floor with the Outcast tribe. The simple fact is that the Outcasts were looked upon as being too weak to win, and they still are. However, I think one of them is going to make the final two and the other will at least get to the final four. So I guess you have to wonder, who is outplaying who now? Makes me laugh, but it also makes me like the two Outcasts that much more.

Phil Kural is a senior at Temple University, and can be reached at pkural@temple.edu.

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