Survivor: Palau – Why Tom Won

Tom helped lead Koror to the most victories ever achieved by a single tribe. But most people who show their strengths early in the game are tossed by the middle or end as players seek to eliminate the threats. How did Tom make it all the way and bring home a victory? Why did Tom win?

Just as we examine each loss according to What Palau Survivors Should Have Learned, we also look at the winners in the same way. So let’s see what we can learn from Tom and what Tom learned from previous editions.

First and foremost, did Tom scheme and plot? In short, yes. He – and Ian and Katie – understood a key point from the first rule: “From the very beginning, you have to start making alliances and cementing relationships.” They made their alliance almost as soon as they hit the beach and stuck to it. This was especially important because both Tom and Ian (and later Gregg) became such physical threats that if they hadn’t had their alliance of three (and five), they almost certainly would have been wiped out.

At the same time, Tom made some side deals, but was careful to word those deals in such a way that he couldn’t be accused of lying later. He agreed to watch Stephenie’s back as much as possible; he agreed to help Caryn when he could; etc. So if things went the way he planned, Tom would have been covered; if they went another, he still had a backup.

Just as important, Tom didn’t get drawn into the trap of scheming and plotting too much, which claimed both of his main alliance-mates. Sure, he talked to Caryn, but Ian knew all about it and never thought he was going to be replaced by her. Ian, on the other hand, would talk to people and then get caught in it because he hadn’t mentioned it to Tom. Tom steered clear of these problems.

The third rule says to pretend to be nice, but Tom didn’t need to worry about that. He had thought about going in with a persona, but his wife convinced him to just be himself – and he was. Katie even said that if anybody went to the Final Two against Tom, they would lose in part for that reason!

Tom also managed to mostly avoid the pitfalls of the fourth rule, allowing emotions to control him. Ian and Katie both suffered from these issues, but Tom only fell prey to it once – when he got upset upon finding out that Ian was considering the possibility of voting against Tom and so Tom insisted on voting against Ian. He even admitted that he did it out of a grudge rather than strategy. Luckily for Tom, Katie stayed true and Ian won the tiebreaker.

As far as the fifth rule, Tom obviously blew it because he was the biggest threat out there. He was the challenge king, he was the food provider, he was the shark-killer, he was the nice guy. You name it, Tom had it, and everybody knew it because he simply couldn’t hide it. But even with all of that stacked against him, he still made it all the way.

Of course we just mentioned that Tom was the food provider, so that goes to the sixth rule. Had there been any tribal immunity losses, it’s rather doubtful that Tom’s name would have come up because he helped make sure the Koror bellies were full – probably more full than on any previous Survivor! Meanwhile, in the Final Two, Tom faced Katie, who was described as lazy and useless around camp. No contest there.

Finally we have the rule that says to be flexible. Tom was not as flexible as some past contestants have been, making a variety of alliances and then breaking them when it was convenient. Instead, as we already discussed, he allowed himself a bit of wiggle room, telling people what they wanted to hear without actually making specific promises. If things had gone wrong for his main alliance, he could have used those people. It didn’t, so he didn’t have to, but the opportunity was there.

Tom is one of the most satisfying winners of Survivor ever. He wasn’t the most brilliant strategist, but he definitely played the game. He helped lead his tribe to victory after victory in the tribal portion of the game, and maintained that leadership even after Ulong was wiped out – as well as maintaining his ability to win challenges. Tom made an alliance and stuck with it, though he had some backup plans just in case. He made a few mistakes but generally made the right decisions when the chips were down.

Tom was himself – strong, a nice guy, true to his word. He made the right alliance early on and played his type of game throughout. While he was a threat and could have been cut down on his road the Final Two, he managed to avoid the traps. Once he made it to the jury phase, he had nothing to worry about. Tom played Survivor his way, and it also was the way it needed to be played. That is why Tom won.

If you haven’t already, be sure to check out these other Survivor: Palau Finale articles:

David Bloomberg is the Editor of RealityNewsOnline and can be reached at RNO@pobox.com.

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