The unspoken follow-up sentiment - though Shan crucially doesn't seem to pick up on it, as far as we know - is that he doesn't think he'd do the same for her. He's clearly shaken by the news that people he thought were his allies were going to snake him this week, but he's also thrown by the fact that Shan is choosing to save him. Liana isn't willing to break that bond, even if it means their alliance crumbling, which it will if they target DeShawn for elimination, which is now Shan's plan.īut THEN, Shan goes to Ricard to tell him about the now-foiled plan and the new vote-out-DeShawn plan, and Ricard's reaction is deeply fascinating. Through tears, they both talk about their initial meeting on the mountaintop where they bonded over - among other things - the deaths of their mothers, a moment that's proving to be the most significant single interaction of the season. And here again is where these very savvy and intricate gamers end up being waylaid by their feelings, because Liana ends up blowing in this plan to Shan because she can't find it in her to betray the bond they've built together. It's deep stuff, and DeShawn in particular breaks down when talking about how important it is, while also agonizing that for his own personal survival, he might need to snake Shan sooner.Īfter a reward challenge where Ricard wins (showing himself to be even more of a competition threat) and then rather politically chooses Shan, Heather, and Xander to accompany him, DeShawn and Danny start to see Ricard as not only a jury threat but also as an asset that gives Shan too much power within their alliance, so they approach Liana with a plan to backdoor Ricard without telling Shan about it, reasoning that Shan would have no choice but to stick with their alliance afterwards anyway. They both make reference to 2020 being an especially hard year, and while neither elaborates on it, clearly it's not just the pandemic but the murder of George Floyd and the reckoning and protests that followed that's on their minds. It's a complicated tangle of impulses for both of them, and the show gave us illuminating interviews where they echoed each other's sentiments about how meaningful it would be to their community to make it to the end with their alliance intact. the all-Black alliance they formed with Danny and Liana at the merge - and to their own personal games. As has happened before, though, clearer heads prevailed and the next morning DeShawn and Shan had a rather fascinatingly real conversation about their senses of loyalty to "the culture" - i.e. After weeks of incongruous communication styles and conflicting ideas on who their alliance (which includes Liana, Danny, and Ricard) ought to target, DeShawn seemed like he'd had enough and began entertaining offers from Erika to flip sides and target Shan.
Voted out before Heather! How did this happen? It was, in fact, the end of a very intricate chain of strategic events, but it was also a decision made after several deeply personal decisions, with Shan, DeShawn, Liana, and Ricard all torn between conflicting demands to follow their heads or follow their hearts.Īt first it seemed like this episode was going to center solely on the long-simmering clash between Shan and DeShawn. Voted out with an idol and an extra vote in her pocket.
I don't want to bury the lede any more than I already have, though, as Shan Smith, the player many suspected - and I was stone cold certain - would win this season, was voted out in 8th place.
What was so phenomenal about Wednesday night's Thanksgiving eve spectacular was that this emotional episode didn't come at the expense of big strategy, it came in concert with it, resulting in an episode that was surprising, dramatic, strategy-packed, and feelings-forward. And if there's one thing that has united this diverse and entertaining cast of players, it's been that, to a person, they've been expert gamers. How did this happen? Gamebots aren't supposed to play this way.
#Survivor one thing left to do win full#
In a season that Jeff Probst has promoted for all its twists, turns, and new wrinkles to the game, the biggest shocker in this week's episode wasn't the elimination of the player whom most observers had penciled in for the finale at least, if not as the outright winner no, the biggest shocker was that in this season full of Survivor gamers, students, and superfans, we got one of the most emotionally powerful episodes in recent Survivor history. SPOILERS for the outcome of Wednesday night's episode of Survivor ahead.
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