Is your body ready? Mine isn’t ready. Do check out my pre-finale recap before reading this one. It’s chock full of analysis of each character and is worth checking out if you want a refresher on what to possibly expect tonight. This will be a LONG one so let’s not waste any time.
Too Long Didn’t Watch
Jeff welcomes us to the finale episode live in the studio audience. He shows us the early boots as well as the current jury. Everyone looks beautiful. Angela in particular catches my eye with her sleek black dress and swooping blonde hair. Jeff claims this is the most watched season ever. Did I hear that right? I find that hard to believe. In my Marlo Hampton voice, “where are the receipts?!”
We’re shown a flashback of the season highlighting each character remaining. Sebastian plays with his heart instead of strategy. Donathan has adapted to playing the game despite being a fish out of water but has recently struggled due to causing drama with his “truth bombs”. Laurel has built her game around unwavering loyalty to her allies from Naviti. Angela has been on the outside most of the game. Wendell’s social game and partnership with Domenick has made him a huge threat. Domenick’s brash attitude was superseded by his good strategic game moves.
We finally get back to the current time in-game, and everyone is weirded out by how Donathan has gone nuclear on everyone. Laurel tells Donathan that he almost voted himself off. I love that they still need subtitles for Donathan. Sebastian all of a sudden tells us he’s sick of being in the shadows of Domenick and Wendell and claims he’s going to make a big move with his extra vote. Sebastian is too little too late. Speaking of Sea Bass, Domenick is ready to take him out due to him potentially being a threat in challenges and having played a “clean” game thus far. I think he means nonexistent game.
We get to one of the biggest mazes they’ve ever done on Survivor. It’s prodigious! For immunity, they will race through this maze collecting pieces to solve a puzzle. They’re also playing for a steak & potatoes dinner. Donathan is immediately lost. Domenick is also struggling. Sebastian gets back first with his pieces, but Laurel and Wendell aren’t far behind. Even Angela is competitive at this point! Donathan yells that he finally found his 3rd bag while everyone else works on their puzzle. Laurel and Angela haven’t made any progress on their puzzle while Wendell and Domenick fight for immunity. Wendell screams to Jeff that he’s done with his puzzle as to not make the same mistake he did last time. Wendell picks Sebastian and Angela to join him on the reward. Laurel rolls her eyes at the obvious strategic reasons behind his picks. Laurel is pissed that Wendell picked her “two biggest enemies” to partake in reward. She says she can’t take it anymore and that she’s coming after the boys. Where have we heard this before?
Wendell explains that he wants to curry favor with Angela and Sebastian before sending them on the jury which makes perfect sense. The three of them discuss voting Donathan off, because he’s changed since the beginning. This is a stupid reason that has nothing to do with the game. Sebastian says he’s going fishing, and he wants someone big hinting at taking out Domenick. Back at camp, Laurel is complaining hardcore about Wendell’s decision, and I can’t roll my eyes harder.
Angela, Sebastian and Donathan all discuss potentially voting against Domenick and crossing their fingers for a blindside. Sebastian tells them both that he has an extra vote that he can use against them. Angela feels really good about being in a power position. She’s delusional. She immediately goes to Domenick to rat out their plan. What an idiot!! Little does she know that her only chance is to align with Sebastian and Donathan. Donathan also spills the beans to Laurel about Sebastian’s extra vote and desire to blindside Domenick. These people are so so so stupid! Domenick questions whether he should play his idol for tonight or to save it to guarantee himself Final 4. If he doesn’t play his idol, that’s silly, but if he knows his competitors are as stupid as we do then he’ll probably be fine tonight.
At tribal council, Donathan and Sebastian play charades about Donathan going home, but Domenick calls them out on the lies they’re telling. Domenick is being super aggressive towards both Sebastian and Donathan. He’s showing the ugly side we’ve seen before. He says he’s got “merchandise” in the form of hidden immunity idols. Wendell starts fighting with Donathan, and they have an intense back and forth sarcastically calling each other “bro”. The way both Wendell and Domenick are trying to spin this as Donathan being disloyal is kind of silly as if they haven’t promised everyone everything under the sun. Domenick suddenly gives Jeff his fake idol early on. Votes are read: 1 Domenick, 1 Donathan, 1 Sebastian. 2 Sebastian and the 3rd comes in for Sebastian. Wait, so Sebastian didn’t even fucking vote with Donathan and didn’t use his vote doubler despite it being the last night to do so?!?! This round was a total clown fiesta.
Final 5
I can’t understand the stupidity of what I just watched. Before heading into the immunity challenge, just so you know, both Wendell and Domenick will be playing their hidden immunity idols tonight, guaranteeing them both Final 4. This means one of Laurel, Donathan or Angela are going home. This is why I said Laurel was less than smart for not making them use their idols earlier. They have so much safety and influence. She’s definitely in danger right now. The immunity is a basic obstacle course through water and sand. Wendell and Laurel are in the lead. The puzzle at the end is simply 4 pieces built into a pyramid but is proving to be truly difficult! Wendell quickly wins his second immunity in a row and has the ability to even give his idol to someone else. He’ll probably choose Laurel to reward her ridiculous loyalty to him.
We get back to camp, and Domenick is disappointed that Wendell is getting another heads up in terms of his resume building. Domenick starts weighing his options between booting Angela, Laurel and Donathan. Laurel realizes that her game fucking sucks and she’s at the mercy of Wendell and Domenick tonight. She says to them both that she would take them both to the end. Donathan lies saying he wants to go to the end suddenly with Domenick. Domenick sees through all of the bullshit, because these players are stupid. Domenick wants to bring a “non-factor” to the end with him and Wendell, basically insinuating that he wants to boot Laurel. Wendell says he could make a big move with his idol play tonight and reverse the curse that Erik made when he gave his idol away. Could he possibly save Laurel with his idol? That would be silly, Wendell.
Tribal Council is here, and I’m on edge. Everyone agrees that tonight’s decision is up to Wendell and Domenick. Donathan makes the case that he’s the weakest challenge competitor so it’s better for him to be taken to the end. Laurel hopes that her loyalty will have Wendell save her, but Donathan quips that it’s getting down to the “nitty gritty” and loyalty doesn’t matter at the end. Donathan ends up writing Laurel’s name down, and I’m not really that mad about it. The votes are tallied. Domenick plays his idol for himself. Wendell decides to play his idol on Laurel, claiming she has been like a sister to him in the game. This is all grandstanding for the jury. Will it pay off? We’ll see. In the end, the gesture meant nothing as Donathan receives all of the votes. He goes out with a smile and thanks everyone for the most wonderful experience in his life.
We see Donathan in real time getting a positive spin on his experience on Survivor. Jeff tells us that Sia, our very own “Survivor benefactor” who previously gave Tai a bunch of money, is giving Donathan $10k to help with his expenses. And there’s no “gift tax” because it’s less than $14k. Well, I take back what I said, Donathan played an amazing game this season to get a nice coin like that from Sia.
Final 4
Here we are at the final immunity challenge! Survivors will stack balls on wobbly stands while standing on a wobbly platform. This challenge is lacking in lust. Remember last season’s “advantage” that Chrissy had from winning the last challenge? Well, that stupid twist is back and presumably here to stay. Whoever wins will get to take one person to the end while the other two battle in a fire-making challenge. The wind has been taken out of my sails for this finale. What about you? Wendell’s butt looks really nice during this challenge. We see big falls from Domenick, Wendell and Angela. Laurel seems to be completely out of this challenge. Domenick ends up winning the final immunity challenge! He also receives a note that he will read in private. This forced fire-making in the Final 4 is so stupid, because it doesn’t actually give the players a chance to unanimously vote someone out 3-1. You can thank the rigged finale of last season for this.
On Ghost Island, the focus is on Domenick’s decision. Wendell feels confident in his fire-making abilities, because he knows Domenick isn’t going to bring him to the end. Domenick recommends to Laurel that she practice making fire. Laurel complains about the position that she put herself in, and I can’t help but not feel any sympathy for her. She says Angela is much better because she tends to the fire more. Domenick thinks it’s disrespectful that Laurel has given up on herself. Angela is confident about making fire but pitches to Domenick that Laurel is a bigger jury threat than she is, hoping that he makes Laurel and Wendell fight it out instead. Domenick is more worried about potentially having Angela get rid of Wendell in the fire making challenge, because that would lead to a guaranteed win for him.
We get a montage of final immunity winners who made horrible choices like Tina, Woo and Culpepper. Domenick doesn’t think Angela can beat Wendell so he contemplates a monumental move of giving immunity away to make fire himself against Wendell. He sounds crazy. The two boys hug it out before heading to Tribal Council.
We get to the penultimate Tribal Council, and I’m immediately in awe of how great Donathan looks! The irony isn’t lost on me that plaid is his color. Both Laurel and Angela make pitches why Domenick should take them to the end. Wendell doesn’t even make a case. Domenick explains why he brought the urn from Cagayan and hopes he can reverse that curse. Domenick ends up choosing to Laurel to take to the end. There is a huge kerfuffle about who sits at what colored seat since the orange Malolo color is supposedly cursed. Wendell ends up asking to be seated in Naviti, and Angela obliges. Wendell gets a flame quickly, but it’s blown out. Angela’s flame goes out too. Both are doing really well, but the wind is really intense. Wendell has gotten a flame and is piling more on now. Wendell stares over at Domenick as his flame rages on. Malolo loses again even in the finale. Angela gives hugs to everyone before leaving.
Final 3
It’s the end of the game, and we get beautiful shots of the Final 3 enjoying themselves and appreciating the experience they’ve shared. Wendell calls himself a silent assassin and claims his social connections really determined the way this game went. Laurel talks about how her confidence has grown, and she feels like an underdog. She says her game wasn’t flashy, but that her saving Dom and Wendell is what controlled the game. Domenick gets a heroic confessional about how he’s played this game for his family. He knows he’s up against two great competitors but that his game is by far the best. He hopes his edges aren’t too sharp for the jury.
I feel like I’ve been recapping the finale for 5 hours, but don’t worry, it’s almost over. Angela is SMOKING HOT when we get to the Final Tribal Council! Kellyn starts us off first with a basic question about connecting socially. Laurel says her big move was exposing Desiree. Michael calls her out on that actually being a bad move. Michael says Domenick has the strongest social game with most people out there. Wendell says while he didn’t have many conversations, the ones he did were more genuine. Chris wants to know which of Wendell or Domenick was the mastermind. Lots of arguing about who brought in the most allies. Wendell takes a beating.
We get to the physical portion of the game, and Laurel says she never had to rely on challenges to stay in the game, instead relying on her social connections. Wendell talks about how helpful he was around camp, but is rudely interrupted by Michael to get into the idol management of both Wendell and Domenick. Sebastian calls Domenick out on how nasty he was to him and Donathan the night Sebastian was blindsided. Sebastian’s feelings are hurt; Kellyn adds her two cents about Domenick being a nasty person. I can’t say they’re wrong about his attitude being off-putting. Pre-merge Domenick was just as unbearable to me as Chris.
The last portion of the council is outlasting the others. Laurel says the big move to take Wendell and Domenick out would have been a big move for everyone but her. She lays out a very convincing case as to why she’s gotten to the end. I don’t think the jury is buying it, but I see her point. Domenick tries to ease the tensions people have towards his nasty attitude and implores them to vote with their heart and respect for the game. We haven’t heard a single word from Jenna, Libby, Angela or Chelsea. This format is stupid. Wendell says that he was methodical and played a good well rounded game.
It’s time for the big vote! Michael votes for Domenick. Sebastian votes for Wendell. He looks completely high off his ass. Chris Noble predictably votes for Domenick. Kellyn votes for Wendell sighting him as the brains behind the operation. Does Laurel not get a single vote? I could have told you that was going to happen. OH WOW! Jeff says he’s going to read the votes right now instead of taking them to L.A. Everyone’s mouth is dropped including mine. I’m shaking! Everyone at tribal council including the jury is fucking SHOOK! 3 votes each for Domenick and Wendell. The 4th goes to Domenick. Another for Wendell. 5 votes for Domenick. Last vote… is for Wendell, and we have a tie! Laurel just became the last juror of the game and has to vote for the winner. Wow! Ok so this last twist may have saved the entire finale for me in terms of entertainment value Laurel appears to cry as she casts her vote. Wendell has tears in his eyes. WOW! So now Jeff is taking that last vote to L.A. to reveal! Sorry this last paragraph reads like the twitter feed of a 15-year old gay boy. The last vote is revealed for… WENDELL! I’M SO HAPPY!
Because I’m sure the comment section will be crazy and I haven’t had time to process the finale, I will forgo “Cho’s Top Takeaways”. Instead, I want to thank everyone on my Aunt TT’s blog for making my first season recapping Survivor an amazing experience! I’ve had so much fun and appreciate all of the comments and twitter follows. Please do let me know in the comment section what your thoughts are on the finale. Are you happy with Wendell winning? What do you think about mostly original Malolo (except Laurel/Donathan) voting for Domenick while original Naviti voted for Wendell? What are your thoughts on the reunion? Also, what do you think about me doing a follow-up post on some interesting tidbits on the cast sometime next week like Jenna and Sebastian choosing to date in real life? Lastly, what do you think about the theme of next season being David vs Goliath?
Wendell for the win! I’m so happy he won. Cho, I’d love to read a follow-up recap. You did a great job. Because of your recaps and insights, I actually watched a few episodes this season. First time in over 10 years! Thanks again.
Wow! That is a huge compliment. I’m happy I could drag you back onto the couch to watch this season. I think the show is iconic and worthy of discussion. Best reality TV show in the world’s history in my opinion!
I’m also happy that Wendell won the game. He definitely deserved it. There’s a lot of social media angst about Domenick losing though. I’m surprised he lost most of the Naviti votes.
Keep on recapping, Cho!
I loved the finale, and I jumped off my recliner when Wendell won😀.
I was also happy that the final three were all strong players.
Thank you! I’ll be sticking around the site for sure! 🙂
In terms of the final 3 all being strong players, it’s unfortunate that Laurel was overshadowed so heavily, but it’s unfortunately the position she put herself in. Really predictable end for her. She deserved a better showing.
I was really disappointed for Domenick. He worked so hard and I think he deserved to win. Please do a follow-up blog. I would love to see your thoughts.
Yep, I think he deserved it more. But I did like Wendell.
That’s two votes for me to do a follow up post on the season! OK looking good so far!
If I were voting, I would have voted for Domenick. His point of having the most social influence was proven when Kellyn asked every juror which of the two brought them into their alliance. That’s powerful. Still, I LIKED Wendell way way way more than Domenick. Laurel too. So I’m pretty satisfied.
Looking forward to all your thoughts! Maybe I will do a follow up post “Cho’s Final Takeaways for Ghost Island”. That way I can really give you all some more points to discuss. I’m open to ideas! There’s still so much to talk about this season. Let’s get most of it out in the comments now!
delurking to say thank you for all of your recaps Cho! I wasn’t crazy about this season but your awesome recaps kept me hanging in there. Personally I was rooting for Dom (rough edges and all) but Wendell played a great game as well so I wasn’t too disappointed. I was shocked to hear about Sebastian and Jenna dating in RL esp after he called her chubby or something to that effect on the island. I’m wondering if it’s more of a fauxmance because they tag cbs and survivor on a lot of their Instagram pics. Do you think they’re angling for an invite on Amazing race? Also they both said they were hooking up DURING the game, I’m wondering why didn’t we see any footage of that. That, for sure, would have livened up the season! : P l would love you to do a follow up with interesting cast tidbits! I thought the reunion was lame as Jeff barely talked to any of the cast, I always like hearing how the show affected them and what they’ve been up to since they’ve left the show. Next seasons theme looks interesting to me, although I don’t think that huge wrestler guy will last very long just eating rice. Thanks again for all your great writing, Cho!!! : D
*cries* that is so kind of you to come out of lurking to say hello to me. Thank you for reading my thoughts all season long. your opinion is always welcome, but I also appreciate you just taking the time to read!!
That is interesting TEA you’re serving me concerning Jenna/SeaBass. I didn’t know about all that. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were angling for TAR. Unfortunately, if that’s their goal, they should have fucking did better on Survivor.
The modern day reunion shows aren’t really worth watching to be honest. It’s disappointing. I will try to carve out some time this weekend for a follow up post while we all bid farewell to this season! Thank YOU again Laura for your support!
Your recaps were far more exciting to read than actually watching the show. This season was a .major disappointment so I didn’t invest any of my limited thought process to think strategy. I read everything you write, so continue on. I hope next season is more compelling and if so, I’ll be here to actually write about the play, instead of whine about the cast. Thanks again, Cho. Great job!!.
I so agree. The recaps were the most interesting thing about this season. I still don’t know some of their names. I have hopes for next season.
I’d have voted for Dom but thought Wendell would win.
Thank you SJU! It’s been fun having you this season and I hope you stick around for the next. What do you think about the theme David vs Goliath?
Dainty thank you so much for your support. This season wasn’t the best. There were a lot of characters mishandled. They should have double-downed on Bradley as a villain for example. Maybe given Chelsea a confessional. Bah! Anyway, moving on! I hope I have you as a reader for the next season as well.
I’m a die-hard survivor fan. I’ll be around to read your recaps!
You did an excellent job recapping. I appreciate the time it takes and the level of detail you gave. Great job!
Blossom, thank you for your kind words! I’ve had SUCH a fun fucking time writing for aunt TT and I plan on doing much more for the community here!
First of all, I love 💘 your recaps! Yes! Follow up!
And I came to the finale having read about a tie and Laurel being the sole vote but the thought was that she would vote for Dom.
Still, you never know.
I was happy to see Donation getting his smug torch snuffed and really irritated when Laurel was so salty over Wendell’s picks to go eat steak.
Wendell won twice when it co
Aww Lynn thank you! haha I was also happy to see Donathan finally leave. After the first vote off of Sebastian, I was ready for Wendell or domenick to win. I didn’t understand Laurel being so upset at Wendell was so annoying to me. <_<
I don’t know why this season didn’t grab me as previous ones have. Has to be that the people just didn’t have the personality. I’m glad it’s over and looking forward to the next.
I can understand that perspective. There were a lot of characters that were underutilized and flat out ignored. *cough* Chelsea *cough*
Hopefully the next season will be much better!
When it counted but was still forced to make fire.
Anyway, since I suddenly couldn’t keep typing in my first post, let me say I wasn’t blindsided that there was a tie, but I was SO HAPPY that Wendell won!
SIA may have convinced Donathan that smug is a good thing. Hopefully not.
I was utterly shocked at the tie vote. For some reason, I thought it would be close but I didn’t think it would be that close. My mouth dropped when Jeff started reading the votes live at Tribal Council. I literally screamed. lol
I was happy with either Dom or Wendal
Super happy that zWendal won! That’s really nice that Sia donated to donathan.
Yeah it was interesting that SIA has now given money to another Survivor’s cause. I like her addition to the show. It’s kind of like the new version of the popularity vote… except Michael should have gotten a half mill for his efforts. haha
Thanks Cho for the wonderful recaps this season. I thought it was a pretty good end to a kind of boring season, no crazies, no big fights, and no rain! ( I love it when it rains on them). I was hoping for Dom in the end, he was playing the most strategically, but I am glad Wendell won. I dont like the fire at the end either, nor do I like how they immediately go to rocks to go to ghost island, which takes a lot out of the competitive nature of the game. I would not mind seeing Ghost Island again, but they need to make some tweaks, such as a challenge every time. All that build up and then “sorry, try again!” was maddening.
I am looking forward to next season, as long as the challenges are not all brawn-heavy. Looks like some strong personalities in that one!
I completely agree. If I were a juror, I would have voted for Domenick. That being said, we at home on the couch have to remember that this is a social game. We aren’t connected emotionally to them out there on the island. When you play the game with someone, it’s a bit different. Sometimes, it pays to just be fucking nice to people. And Wendell was exactly that… except when it came to Donathan sometimes. lol
Ghost Island’s theme was a huge success, but their execution was a huge fail. So disappointed with how it was handled. No consistency whatsoever makes it a very poor twist.
Looking forward to the next season. Are you excited?
I had a rough time watching this season, but I did watch every episode. I think the only ones I really liked were Sebastian and Kellyn. Out of the final 3 I really liked Wendell, Dom played a good game but he just got on my last nerve. Good recaps and thanks for all the hard work.
Hey Deb first of all thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment. I also started off loving both Kellyn and Sebastian. However, Sebastian last episode really turned me against him due to how silly of a decision he made. Kellyn, I actually adore despite some of her emotional breakdowns the last few episodes she was on. lol
I know Dom is pretty popular, but he was so fucking annoying to me all throughout the premerge game. Like, I actually DIDN’T LIKE HIM! But when the merge came around, he got a lot better. Now, I can say that I’m NEUTRAL on Dom. I just respect him as a player.
Dislikes for this season: Ghost Island (total bust, boring, blah), lots of nameless cast members who had zero impact on the game
Happiness for this season: Cho’s recaps – loved your perspective and interaction! The 3 best players made it to the end – that doesn’t always happen. I’m OK with Wendell winning but I hate that it came down to Laurel making the decision. What a bust for Domenick. Looking back, Dom’s fatal mistake was taking Laurel instead of Angela who really was a zero threat.
One last thought, I did not like how Dom and Wendell attacked Donathon during Tribal. I saw a side of Wendell that I didn’t respect. There wasn’t any need to humiliate Donathon but I was happy to see Donathon stick up for himself.
Hope you come back next season Cho!
The thing is that Angela ended up voting for Wendell too, so in a tie vote, we are led to believe that the outcome is the same. It might be crazy to say this, but Domenick simply needed to beat Wendell in a fire making challenge. Or you know what else would have been great? If the stupid fucking F4 twist didn’t exist due to them rigging it for Ben last season. If this was a true F4 situation, Wendell goes home 3-1 unless Laurel forces a tie to save Wendell… which is actually likely somewhat after he gave her immunity the previous TC.
And I agree, donathan and Wendell were downright NASTY to Donathan his last days out there. This does’t excuse Donathan’s petulant attitude, but the way they tried to bully him was pretty fucking gross.
And don’t you worry, I will for sure be back for the next season!!
I agree with you, Cho, the good guy won, but I also feel kind of let down – doesn’t it almost feel rigged again??? I know production can’t predict a tie but leaving it totally up to Laurel meant without a doubt that Wendell wins.
Maybe they should have had to make fire for the final win??? That would have been exciting!!! 🙂
Are the game rules published anywhere? They come up with these “never happened before, but here’s the rule” situations… these situations swing the game and can seem “produced”.
At last season’s finale Jeff Probst announced what would happen in the event of a tie. The third place finalist would then vote.
They did know what would happen if there was a tie. Jeff wasn’t just singing it.
So while it was a shock and unexpected it was not unfair to Laurel.
The tie-breaking situation at finale tribal council is NOT a twist. It is firmly in the rules and has been since F3s were introduced with 10-person juries. There’s a Domenick interview floating around her showing that they all knew how the tie would be broken.
It wasn’t rigged at all. You know how I know? Because, Domenick is above and beyond more popular than Wendell. He had the biggest story line. They edited him to be a break out star. Also, again, they didn’t just make up the tie breaker decision this season.
I think the person who won should have won. I’m always of that opinion. If I were a juror, I would have voted for Domenick, but I’m not. Social connections matter. Sometimes, just being a fucking nice person through and through is enough to effect another person significantly. Wendell did that with Laurel, and THAT was enough.
I haven’t had time to read the whole recap yet, but I will.
I just remember the final three making their appeals and I thought Laurel made her position sound really good. I was surprised by how well she spun it. I was all set for a Laurel win after her speech.
But Laurel as the deciding vote? I knew she would pick Wendell. But I think it was WRONG of Jeff to put her in that position.
I also found myself going: “ok everything you said about Laurel is wrong, Cho”. What Angela said about her was true: she’s highly intelligent and a great talker. Her speech was VERY convincing!
For Laurel to have to stop what she was doing right there and vote on the spot was really dramatic. I couldn’t believe. I kind of knew Wendell would receive her vote, but that’s the thing: Wendell was great at managing the relationships he had where as Domenick focused primarily on his resume. In the end, the good guy won.
Yeah, I have mixed feelings about this. I was good with either one of them winning…. for the right reasons. First and foremost, I did not find Dom to be any more abrasive then Wendall was at that Tribal where Sea Bass was voted out. Wendall also pulled out his “necklace” and gave a slightly more watered smack down to the other two. Sea Bass looked like he wanted to cry!! GROW THE F UP!
Kellyn continued the ” I am mad and bitter show” at FTC. Her lack of emotional regulation does her no favors and it isn’t pretty. This is a fight for a million dollars, not a social club!! Dom was NOT pulling a Russell Hanz. The fact is there was a LOT more strategy that played out during the season, that we just did not see. But during the last hour on Ghost Island I got to really see Dom’s mind ticking, planning and strategizing.
I (personally) want to see someone win on their game play merits not simply because I like “you” more. Dom put Laurel at FTC, no way would she have been there without him. He played an amazing game. At least he got $100k for his family. I didn’t realize 3rd place got $85k! (just found that out).
Donathan & Kellyn voted out of bitterness…I kind of hated that. I loved seeing Aunt Patty!
I heard today that Rudy Boesh is extremely ill, as many of you know he was niot a young man when he played in the first season. I hope he get to stick around for awhile longer.
Cho…thanks for the recaps!! It’s has been wonderful to have somewhere to go to discuss Survivor. I promise I will figure out the Twitter DM (e.g. follow TT’s instructions). 🙂
I agree. Both Wendell and Dom were disgustingly arrogant and aggressive the night of Sebastian’s vote off. I think Dom got the brunt of the blame because he started the fight first and Wendell simply tag teamed. Also, this isn’t the first time domenick has rubbed people the wrong way. Ironically though, the people he rubbed the wrong way like Desiree and Chris ended up voting for him.
Yeah, it did seem like Kellyn was trying to spin Dom as some Russel Hantz type which is a manipulative narrative to push. I think she was just kind of bitter towards him for some particular reason. I’m also glad he got money to support his family. Expect to see Domenick again. If anyone gets asked back from this season it’s Michael and Dom.
I am SO sad to hear of that news of Rudy. 🙁
Feel free to email me as well if that’s easier: [email protected]
Like everyone said before the season was lackluster; the recaps were really good though. I couldn’t tell this was your first time recapping….hope to see you next season!!
Wow thank you for the compliments! I will for SURE be back 100% for the next season and hopefully with even better recaps!
Cho- thank you for an amazing season of recaps.
TT- I agree with you about Laurel being put on the spot to vote. I think production should have had a better plan for a tie. Maybe have the three finalists cast their vote In advance in case there was a tie . I think it was unfair to Laurel to have her vote after knowing the jury’s votes. I wouldn’t want that decision on my conscience.
Michael blew me away. With each finalist he complimented them then pointed out the negative outcome of their decision. I hope they bring him back for another season.
While it wasn’t fair to Laurel, I have to admit it did add to the dramatic entertainment of the finale. To be honest, I wasn’t really enjoying the piss poor gameplay that was happening. It all seemed just so obvious that one of them would win. But when Laurel had to make that decision, it really turned my attitude all the way around!!
BTW- did anyone notice how good Wendell’s dad looked in his suit. So handsome!!!!!!
YASS KERRY!
I mean, as the season has grown, so has my appreciation for how hot Wendell is. He gets it from his daddy.
For the first time in all these years, I fell asleep before the final tribal council. This whole season was a bust for me. BUT I am so excited for the new season. What a great concept. I’m also eager to read your coverage of it, Cho.
I’m so sorry you didn’t have a great experience watching this season. It really helped that I was recapping the show and had everyone to chat with about the going ons! Hoping next season will be better and that you join us in discussion! <3
I’m so happy Wendell won!!! I hated Dom in the beginning but grew to respect his game. I wonder if Angela taking the orange seat cursed her? Lol Next season looks great!
I am also very happy that Wendell won. It sucks how awful the gameplay was from Laurel, Angela and Sebastian this finale episode, but I am more than happy with the final outcome. I definitely think Malolo orange cursed Angela! haha
I think it was a great evening with a well deserved winner. I do think Wendell deservedly beat Dom. I also think Laurel deserved her position. Wendell played a buffer for Dom that was more of quiet way. Wendell’s name was the one that was always in mind (after Chris left with his Dom obsession). I think people were more apt to play with Dom because he had a strong support of Wendell. And Dom helped keep Wendell in the game by diversions & keeping people on task for different taggers. Laurel, was actually the one that kept them both safe by not going with the plans. Because if she had, Dom and Wendell would had likely gone home back to back.. – I say all the to say they all needed each other and played a role into why they were sitting at the end. Because, honestly if they had flipped I think none would have mad it.
THANK YOU for a well thought-out opinion. I agree with 90% of it tbh. They all played a significant role in their success in the game. Reading my recaps, I have deservedly been harsh towards Laurel, but let’s not forget how fucking SIGNIFICANT her role was. There’s something to be said about that.
However, I do still think that had Laurel backstabbed them earlier on in the merge, she could have had the CHANCE of getting to the end and the CHANCE of winning. Instead, she took no chance to get to the end but also had no chance of winning. She knew the odds, and she has no one to blame but herself.
If anything, she should have forced them to burn their idols before Final 5. For example, going with Desiree’s plot, but then telling them to play their idols. Desiree still leaves, and Laurel remains in the middle position with Dom/Wendell still depending on her.
I finally got to watch and so very glad I was UNSPOILED! EPIC on the tie part!
I agree with every word of your recap Cho.
Can’t wait to read the comments but zzzzz firtst
Thank you so much for all of your support, Aud! It’s been so fun chatting with everyone and I look forward to more involvement with the site!
Domenici said in a interview that they watched a season where Jeff explained what would happen in a tie at the finale.
It actually have Laurel more airtime and more chance at a future season.
Sharing my final thoughts with u:
-The final looked like a perfect script, the perfect final 2 and deserved winner
-It looked like a season with one of the best tribal councils(not counting Michaela’s season, eating popcorn& drinking tea) but also with both some of the best & worst players so far (or maybe it was the editing?)
-Don’t know what was more harsh for Laurel, being the deciding vote or getting zero votes for herself…
-Don lost the game on his own, getting crazy out of the blue…
And does cbs have like a bag full of seasons already filmed? Loving it but wow!was it fast!already making us choose a favorite =p
Thanx so much for your recaps!!
I Also think Dom beat Wendell at the final Tribal Council & had a harder game (as he was kind of hated at the beginning) but ssome votes came from resentment I guess
I also agree that the ending was perfect for this season. The story just made sense. I also think it’s a really interesting position to be in for Laurel having received no votes yet getting the most important vote of the entire season. Her story arc really came full circle by the end of things.
If you download CBS All Access or even HULU, you can access all of the seasons!! It’s so exciting. I’m actually considering purchasing CBS All Access. The biggest difference between them is that Hulu doesn’t give you the most current season aired.
Thank you so much for commenting. I really appreciate it!