Survivor: Palau, Episode 12 MVP: Bust a Move

This was a really exciting episode of Survivor. Ever since the players in Survivor: Marquesas faced the dreaded Purple Rock O’ Death tie-breaker, players have been terrified at the prospect of a tie vote at tribal council. To lose a million bucks not because you were voted out but because you randomly drew a purple rock from a bag would be really disappointing. But in this episode, Tom and Ian decided that the prospect of being voted out at random was worth it, if the alternative was to let Gregg, Jenn, and Katie vote them out. The plan worked, largely due to the smart play of this week’s MVP, Ian.

The reward challenge was the kind that’s designed to show where players’ loyalties lie. That certainly happened this time. It became very clear that although Ian and Katie had a previous agreement that they’d go on a reward together, Katie was more loyal to Gregg and Jenn. And if there was any question as to whether or not Gregg and Jenn would stick together, his first asking her if it was okay to knock her out, then choosing her to go on the reward with him pretty much answered it. And who was the other person in their clique? None other than Katie.

As Gregg, Jenn, and Katie headed off to the yacht, it didn’t take Ian, along with Tom and Caryn, long to piece things together. Ian realized that if Katie didn’t value their friendship/alliance enough to give up an evening on a yacht, she certainly wouldn’t be true to him with a million bucks on the line. Clearly, it was time for Ian and Tom to take control of the game back. Caryn knew she’d otherwise be the next to go, so she was more than happy to go along with their plan.

But, alas! Ian knew that if they voted for Gregg, it would be a 3-3 tie at tribal council. If they tied, they’d risk the Purple Rock O’ Death. What to do? Ian quickly realized that if they did tie the vote, Katie would have the choice of either changing her vote from Caryn to Gregg or drawing a rock. He and Tom agreed that it was a chance they were willing to take, but one that Katie might not embrace. The plan was afoot, largely due to Ian’s planning.

I hope that Gregg, Jenn, and Katie enjoyed that reward, because I do believe Ian, Tom, and Caryn may have enjoyed tribal council even more. And am I the only one who was wondering how much Ian really would have enjoyed swimming with dolphins? I mean, the man is a dolphin trainer. Obviously he likes dolphins, but did he come to Palau to work? Maybe later as a reward they’ll let Tom put out a fire or Jenn look after some kids.

Anyway, back to Ian’s MVP-ness. He completely rocked that immunity challenge. Tom was right there with him until it came time to fire the gun. Tom said later that it was a real weakness for him, but it wasn’t just that Tom wasn’t good at it; Ian was really good. By winning the immunity challenge, Ian gave himself a little insurance policy. If they did have to draw rocks, he would no longer personally be at risk. Most of the other players didn’t realize it, but it was an important immunity win for Ian.

Then, in the time after the challenge and before tribal council, Ian made what I thought were two big mistakes. In retrospect, I think only one of them was a mistake. He told Gregg that tribal council would be “interesting.” Gregg, of course, didn’t think there was anything interesting about voting Caryn out. Tom scrambled quickly and said something about how tribal council is always interesting. Luckily, Gregg bought it, but it could have been a bad mistake on Ian’s part.

The second thing that I initially thought was a mistake was telling Katie that they were going to vote out Gregg. Ian told her that she could either go along with them or risk being Purple Rocked. At the time, I was yelling at my TV for Ian to keep his mouth shut, but in retrospect, I don’t think it was such a bad move. Katie now can’t claim to have been blindsided, so she won’t be resentful when they get back to camp. More importantly, Ian can later say that he tried to help her out and keep her in the loop, that he was loyal to her. That could get him a jury vote from her later if it comes down to it.

All in all, this week Ian decided to bust a move. Sure, Tom and Caryn were part of the plan, but Ian seemed to be the driving force behind it, and he made a lot of smart decisions in how to execute it. For that reason, he is this week’s MVP.

Next week: is Katie ungrateful or just clueless?

Betsy Wasser is the Associate Editor of Reality News Online. She can be reached with comments and MVP nominations at betsywasser@gmail.com

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