The Cast - offs: "What might have been"
By: Paolo Bediones
October 30, 2008 |
(265) Comments
Finally, it’s the merge.
The two tribes have become one.
No more Naak, no more Jarakay.
Just Chalam.
But before the real battle of outwitting, outplaying and outlasting begins with the individual reward and immunity challenges as well as the various attempts to make new alliances and break old ones to survive, I would like to take this opportunity to look back at what has been and answer the question:
What could the castaways who were eliminated have done to stay in the game longer?
I had the chance to talk to all of the first eight Castaways to be voted off before they flew back to the Philippines and we would discuss extensively about what they feel or think they could have done to at least make the merge.
For some of the guys who became my roommates they would wake up in the middle of the night for two major reasons: They were looking for sand beneath them instead of a comfortable mattress and they had a realization of what they could have done and what could have been.
Since I was not privy to all of the things going on at camp, I had to watch together with all the viewers to be able to assess the situation and determine what may have been the catalyst or the trigger that led to their early exit.
I coupled this information with whatever I saw at challenges and how they would interact with one another as well as the Tribal Council sessions where I would have a more intimate view of how they saw one another.
Let’s do this in chronological order:
CHEV
The Bisayang Palaban could have stayed longer if she were a bit more sociable.
She did more than enough at camp and she did okay at the challenges but I feel she could have tried making more friends in the beginning, maybe even asking for advice on how to play the game which obviously she wasn’t knowledgeable in.
If she didn’t antagonize and intimidate the men of Naak so much with her disposition then maybe she wouldn’t have been voted off first.
EMERSON
Totally opposite of what Chev did and didn’t do.
Emerson came out in the first few days with guns ablazing. He immediately tried and failed at playing the game. He implemented his strategy too early.
He would say one thing to one group or person and another to some other tribemate.
What he didn’t count on was getting caught when the Naak members started comparing stories and realized he couldn’t be trustworthy.
The fact that he and Vevh had an altercation at the Thai Pillow Battle didn’t help matters any as well. And because of that he was the second to be voted off.
Lesson here is to learn how to adapt first before playing the mind games.
GIGIT
Gigit was a strong contender who could have made it all the way to the end.
He had the right combination of brains and brawn. He understood enough of the game to know that strong ones shouldn’t be voted off early in the game to ensure victory at the challenges.
He was a work horse at camp as well and didn’t rub any of his tribemates off the wrong way until it became evident that he was a man that could not be controlled.
When told to vote for Nina he was strongly against it. The next target was Patani but Gigit wanted Nikki to be taken out because she was homesick. It was this behavior that alarmed his alliance and consequently made him their target.
What Gigit could have done is told Nina how he was protecting her which would compel her to tell her all girls alliance to not vote Gigit and maybe go for Marlon instead. But he decided to keep it to himself.
Lesson here is when there’s an opportunity to tell a tribemate you are protecting them use it because in the future they may try to protect you as well.
PATANI
Although the Yaya ng Bayan was pretty happy about being voted off since she already got what she wanted from the game, just for the sake of argument let’s talk about what she could have done.
She was the entertainer for both Naak and Jarakay when she was part of both tribes. She was a worker at camp as well.
Her weakness was in not taking the game seriously, openly wondering why people were making alliances and behaving strangely even at times finding much humor in what was going on.
It was this candidness that made her an easy target especially at Tribal Council when she declared that it was okay for her to go home since she got the exposure she wanted.
Lesson here is for whatever reason, valid or not, never ever say it’s okay for you to go home.
NINA
Nina was a unique case because there was literally nothing she could have done to stay in the game except maybe turn back time to the moment she was about to be stepped on during the Spooling Around reward challenge and try to avoid her tribemates’ feet.
Although she could have hidden her injury from me and decided to play the next day, her injury would have gotten the better of her and she will end up seeking medical attention anyway.
It's also interesting to note that if you do have a serious injury or accident and you keep the production people from finding out about it you can be eliminated if found guilty of withholding that information.
A broken toe cannot be taken lightly. Nina, just like Gigit, had what it takes to make it to the end since she also learned quickly upon Patani’s ouster that Survivor is a mind game and not an all-heart game.
VEVHERLY
In the Giant Sepak challenge, Vevh was bruised and battered by the wooden ball. But being the true fighter that she is she kept on pushing until there was nothing left in her.
Her injuries, which she didn’t want any medical attention for, gave her tribemates a convenient reason to vote her off.
However, Vevh clearly knew that with or without the injuries she was probably the next in line to be eliminated since she did not have an alliance to begin with.
Vevh made sure that although she knew her body was quitting on her she was not gonna quit the game without facing Tribal Council.
Remember quitting the game before Tribal Council does not cancel the session, which means someone will be voted of Naak.
Until the end she was doing the honorable thing and was thinking of her tribe.
The lesson here is to make sure that early on you have at least one other person that you have as an ally which could lead to a full alliance with other tribe members.
JOHN
John is an example that no matter how healthy and fit you look on the outside, it’s still the inner workings of your body that is more vital.
Having too much muscle mass was actually a disadvantage for John and he was not prepared (read: did not bring much fat) for island life.
His resources were depleted after every challenge and weren’t replenished at all except for the occasional banana or two and a few “spoon fulls” of rice.
Some feel that this vote was a convenient one for Jarakay since his health worsened and they needed to boot someone off.
The result as we saw it was an even more weakened Jarakay tribe that lost challenge after challenge.
I think however from a producer’s standpoint it was a good thing that John was voted off at the time.
I remember riding home with John on the Yellow Dumptruck (that saved his life) when a strong downpour drenched everyone crammed in the back.
He began shaking again and his fingers stiffened as he called out for Doc Zoe and Sam.
When we got back to base camp we were all relieved that he was with us and that we didn’t have to rescue him again if Jarakay voted someone else off.
Lesson here is that if you do become a Castaway, it’s okay to bring a few extra pounds of fat since you will lose it anyway.
NIKKI
The call center cutie could have lasted longer if she did two things: one, contribute a little more at camp and make sure her tribe notices it, and two, stop herself from declaring anything that may be perceived as homesickness, weakness or giving up.
Nikki contributed at camp and at challenges but her fellow tribemates were more overt in their actions compared to her subtle style.
She also did well in the challenges where she either wasn’t told to sit out or simply be a puzzle maker. She was instrumental in the Thai Pillow Battle fighting it out and assisting Marlon in pulling Rob to the Jarakay mat to win immunity.
But since first impressions last more often than not, she was tagged as the one always sleeping and at times lifeless, not being used to island life and its physical nature.
I think if she reached the merge she would go far, what with her disposition and natural likability making her a non-priority target and a non-threat.
Lesson here is that early in the game make that impression that you are useful at camp and at challenges and make sure it sticks.
There you have it, the first eight Castaways who were voted off and what I think and feel they could have done to at least make it to the merge.
Okay, that’s it. Till next time, enjoy Survivor Philippines and prepare to fall off your chairs in the next few weeks.
The two tribes have become one.
No more Naak, no more Jarakay.
Just Chalam.
But before the real battle of outwitting, outplaying and outlasting begins with the individual reward and immunity challenges as well as the various attempts to make new alliances and break old ones to survive, I would like to take this opportunity to look back at what has been and answer the question:
What could the castaways who were eliminated have done to stay in the game longer?
I had the chance to talk to all of the first eight Castaways to be voted off before they flew back to the Philippines and we would discuss extensively about what they feel or think they could have done to at least make the merge.
For some of the guys who became my roommates they would wake up in the middle of the night for two major reasons: They were looking for sand beneath them instead of a comfortable mattress and they had a realization of what they could have done and what could have been.
Since I was not privy to all of the things going on at camp, I had to watch together with all the viewers to be able to assess the situation and determine what may have been the catalyst or the trigger that led to their early exit.
I coupled this information with whatever I saw at challenges and how they would interact with one another as well as the Tribal Council sessions where I would have a more intimate view of how they saw one another.
Let’s do this in chronological order:
CHEV
The Bisayang Palaban could have stayed longer if she were a bit more sociable.
She did more than enough at camp and she did okay at the challenges but I feel she could have tried making more friends in the beginning, maybe even asking for advice on how to play the game which obviously she wasn’t knowledgeable in.
If she didn’t antagonize and intimidate the men of Naak so much with her disposition then maybe she wouldn’t have been voted off first.
EMERSON
Totally opposite of what Chev did and didn’t do.
Emerson came out in the first few days with guns ablazing. He immediately tried and failed at playing the game. He implemented his strategy too early.
He would say one thing to one group or person and another to some other tribemate.
What he didn’t count on was getting caught when the Naak members started comparing stories and realized he couldn’t be trustworthy.
The fact that he and Vevh had an altercation at the Thai Pillow Battle didn’t help matters any as well. And because of that he was the second to be voted off.
Lesson here is to learn how to adapt first before playing the mind games.
GIGIT
Gigit was a strong contender who could have made it all the way to the end.
He had the right combination of brains and brawn. He understood enough of the game to know that strong ones shouldn’t be voted off early in the game to ensure victory at the challenges.
He was a work horse at camp as well and didn’t rub any of his tribemates off the wrong way until it became evident that he was a man that could not be controlled.
When told to vote for Nina he was strongly against it. The next target was Patani but Gigit wanted Nikki to be taken out because she was homesick. It was this behavior that alarmed his alliance and consequently made him their target.
What Gigit could have done is told Nina how he was protecting her which would compel her to tell her all girls alliance to not vote Gigit and maybe go for Marlon instead. But he decided to keep it to himself.
Lesson here is when there’s an opportunity to tell a tribemate you are protecting them use it because in the future they may try to protect you as well.
PATANI
Although the Yaya ng Bayan was pretty happy about being voted off since she already got what she wanted from the game, just for the sake of argument let’s talk about what she could have done.
She was the entertainer for both Naak and Jarakay when she was part of both tribes. She was a worker at camp as well.
Her weakness was in not taking the game seriously, openly wondering why people were making alliances and behaving strangely even at times finding much humor in what was going on.
It was this candidness that made her an easy target especially at Tribal Council when she declared that it was okay for her to go home since she got the exposure she wanted.
Lesson here is for whatever reason, valid or not, never ever say it’s okay for you to go home.
NINA
Nina was a unique case because there was literally nothing she could have done to stay in the game except maybe turn back time to the moment she was about to be stepped on during the Spooling Around reward challenge and try to avoid her tribemates’ feet.
Although she could have hidden her injury from me and decided to play the next day, her injury would have gotten the better of her and she will end up seeking medical attention anyway.
It's also interesting to note that if you do have a serious injury or accident and you keep the production people from finding out about it you can be eliminated if found guilty of withholding that information.
A broken toe cannot be taken lightly. Nina, just like Gigit, had what it takes to make it to the end since she also learned quickly upon Patani’s ouster that Survivor is a mind game and not an all-heart game.
VEVHERLY
In the Giant Sepak challenge, Vevh was bruised and battered by the wooden ball. But being the true fighter that she is she kept on pushing until there was nothing left in her.
Her injuries, which she didn’t want any medical attention for, gave her tribemates a convenient reason to vote her off.
However, Vevh clearly knew that with or without the injuries she was probably the next in line to be eliminated since she did not have an alliance to begin with.
Vevh made sure that although she knew her body was quitting on her she was not gonna quit the game without facing Tribal Council.
Remember quitting the game before Tribal Council does not cancel the session, which means someone will be voted of Naak.
Until the end she was doing the honorable thing and was thinking of her tribe.
The lesson here is to make sure that early on you have at least one other person that you have as an ally which could lead to a full alliance with other tribe members.
JOHN
John is an example that no matter how healthy and fit you look on the outside, it’s still the inner workings of your body that is more vital.
Having too much muscle mass was actually a disadvantage for John and he was not prepared (read: did not bring much fat) for island life.
His resources were depleted after every challenge and weren’t replenished at all except for the occasional banana or two and a few “spoon fulls” of rice.
Some feel that this vote was a convenient one for Jarakay since his health worsened and they needed to boot someone off.
The result as we saw it was an even more weakened Jarakay tribe that lost challenge after challenge.
I think however from a producer’s standpoint it was a good thing that John was voted off at the time.
I remember riding home with John on the Yellow Dumptruck (that saved his life) when a strong downpour drenched everyone crammed in the back.
He began shaking again and his fingers stiffened as he called out for Doc Zoe and Sam.
When we got back to base camp we were all relieved that he was with us and that we didn’t have to rescue him again if Jarakay voted someone else off.
Lesson here is that if you do become a Castaway, it’s okay to bring a few extra pounds of fat since you will lose it anyway.
NIKKI
The call center cutie could have lasted longer if she did two things: one, contribute a little more at camp and make sure her tribe notices it, and two, stop herself from declaring anything that may be perceived as homesickness, weakness or giving up.
Nikki contributed at camp and at challenges but her fellow tribemates were more overt in their actions compared to her subtle style.
She also did well in the challenges where she either wasn’t told to sit out or simply be a puzzle maker. She was instrumental in the Thai Pillow Battle fighting it out and assisting Marlon in pulling Rob to the Jarakay mat to win immunity.
But since first impressions last more often than not, she was tagged as the one always sleeping and at times lifeless, not being used to island life and its physical nature.
I think if she reached the merge she would go far, what with her disposition and natural likability making her a non-priority target and a non-threat.
Lesson here is that early in the game make that impression that you are useful at camp and at challenges and make sure it sticks.
There you have it, the first eight Castaways who were voted off and what I think and feel they could have done to at least make it to the merge.
Okay, that’s it. Till next time, enjoy Survivor Philippines and prepare to fall off your chairs in the next few weeks.
265 Response(s) to "The Cast - offs: "What might have been""
» kelly9 said on November 18, 2008 06:17 PM
Hi Pao! Blog naman about the Jury Camp. Thanks!
naiyak talaga ako nung natangal si kiko, sayang kasi, sa dami ng ginawa niya para sa naak, may 2 pa talagang di nagpapahalaga, ako naman walang pakialam kong sino mananalo basta ang gusto ko lng taga naak ang mananalo. sana inisip un ni cris at kaye bago nila binuto si kiko. solid naak kami ng bf ko lalo na ako kay kiko. kay marlon naman naiinis ako parang wlang kwentang tao, pagulo, never pa nman cyang nanalo sa mg pagsubok na ginawa, kapalan lng ng mukha ang pinaglaban nya. lalo kong kinainisan pati si nanay zita pinatulan nya para syang hindi lalaki putak ng putak, bagay sa kanya ung sampalok n binigay ni JC kasing asim ng ugali nya, basta go!!! naak! sana makita ko in person si kiko hanga kasi ako sa ugali nya.
In fairness ha ganda ni vern,naka ligo na wala na ba amoy ehehehe..peace
solid naak ako! ang yabang mo marlon sabi mo bihasa ka sa pabhagis ng sibat e hindi nman pala he ang yabang mo dapat binigay ni cris ung asin at tubig kay marlon hindi kay charise kasi kawawa si charise. sana tanggalin nyo na si marlon kasi panggulo lang nman sya wala syang kwenta jan. i love survivorph.
na hook na ako sa survivor philippines, every night talaga nakabantay na ako. it's worth na magpuyat ako. i've seen the hardship of all the castaway lalo na sa mga immunity challenges ang gagaling nila. there are time na nakakatuwa sila lalo na pag may mga rewards na binibigay sa kanila, may time din na nakakainis lalo sa si marlon! ang galing nyang kontra bida, very effective talaga. to the remining 7....i wish you all the best.
i'm proud to say that nikki dacullo is one of the cast aways of SP. and the fact that she's from Tacloban, too. (i'm from tacloban also) it's just sad that she was voted off the island sooner than i expected. she could have done better than that. maybe she really wanted to go home na. MARLON? there's also a good side in him. people may not see that but i do. it's just how he plays and strategize makes him the MONSTER. LOL. you know, try to see the good in everyone people.. :P we all have our differences. i really thought that KIKO (ang aking manok!) would be at the top3.. it's sad that his friends turned and voted him off. perhaps it was his weakness, being loyal to his tribe and all. pero astig rin kasi he stayed humble and maprinsipyong tao sya. kip it up!
TO ALL OLD NAAK REALLY ROCKS AND TO YOU MARLON.......HEHEHE YOUR SURELY A DEAD MEAT MAN!!!!!!!!!!
go!go!go castaway kso naalis na c kiko cia pa nmn ung bet nmen. .hai go!!!kaye..ahe. .
I hate MARLOn very much!!!such a loser even though until now stil di pa rin xa natatanggal..its just a game marlon di mo kailangan maging masama napanuod kpa nmen if i am ur gf..duh!break na anjan kpa..ahaha..di mo gayahin c jc with looks na my disposition pa..yan ang tamang laro..kip it up jc and mami zita..
sa una palang im a JARAKAY fan.. i like JACE AND VERN sa simula palang.. parehas kasi sila eh.. kaya bkit gnun ang nangyari??bakit si VERN ang natangal??dahil ba sa malakas siya and JARAKAY siya or natatakot lan sila sakanya o sa JARAKAY na makapasok sa top 5..?? pansin namin dito sa amin.. ung THREAT ung unang inaalis ndi ung walang ginagawa o ung wlang tinutulong.. dba??pansin nyo?? si JACE ung FIRST then ngaun si VERN na.. si Kiko kasi kaya siya vinote out kasi siya ung parang incontrol ng lahat ng NAAK eh dba?? payo ko lang sa CAstaways THINK WISELY naman.. may sari-sarili kayong dignidad, utak saka decision.. un lang... grabe nakaka-disappoint ung resulta..kasi si VERN ang natanggal.. kasi un daw ung napag-usapan sabi ni Zita and JC eh may sarili naman silang dignidad at utak eh.. kung si Marlon tlaga ung gusto nilang tanggalin eh di siya ung tanggalin nila huwag ung THREAT sa kanila o ung Napag-usapan..!! GO JACE AND VERN...WE LOVE YOU..FROM BAGUIO BEANS...
Marlon I pity you.Dami ng galit sa iyo.You are a destroyer just to stay in the game, you dont't deserve to win coz you dont't exert effort in all the challenges. Magaling ka lang gumawa ng kwento at paguluhin ang isipan ng mga tao. Vern ok lang kahit na tanggal ka magaling ka at you showed a best fight tahimik ka. Nanay Zita good kuck sa iyo sana ikaw ang manalo!!!!
during the immersion of kiko, rob, jc & nanay zita..do the rest of the castaways can also have the chance to have the immersion too?
Hey Pao! Miss your blogs na... Maybe you can also blog about the Jury Camp, really curious about it. Love you again! Keep up the good work! - Kelly.
Just to correct... "...survivor is a game but life is not..." » ghandiz said on November 12, 2008 11:39 AM in any game importante may pagpapahalaga sa dignidad... di dapat mawala yun... survivor is not a game but life is not... so whatever na ginawa mo sa game na yun parte pa rin ng performance mo sa buong buhay mo.... saludo ko sa inyo! KIKO, JC and MAMI ZITA! but here is one thing at sana mabasa ng NAAK, lahat kayo naging biktima lang ni Marlon....
I really admire SP for having a great format.Compared to its rival show which is PFF,i prefer this show because of the exciting twist and shocking revelations that this has to offer...mas kapanapanabik talaga panoorin...and the true drama of a reality show is here...imagine anyone would do para lang manalo ng 3M...and aside from that iba't ibang karakter rin ang napapanood natin...kumbaga nakita na natin kung paano nasugatan at nagkasakitan ang mga castaways para magstay sa game...actions,drama,comedy and romance rolled into one...kaya i wouldn't miss any episodes of the show...sana talaga may season 2 ang SP para ibang karakters na naman ang makita natin...at talagang all walks of life ang mga contestants unlike sa PFF na maypagkabias ang mga kasali...lahat may itsura...sinama pa si phoemela baranda...wala ba talaga silang makuha na contestants???Hay!I couldn'r wait for the reunion of the castaways and the announcement of the first pinoy sole survivor...hope that nay zita or jc win talaga...basta wag lang
well..well..well..the question now is kng ano tlaga ang real plan ni nanay zita?hndi kya bading si jc kya nya lagi gsto kasama si rob..hehehe wlang pikunan just curious lang..besides wla pla cia word of honor..between him and nanay zita..good luck sa immunity mmya gabi..who will be???
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