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""
» shake09 said on November 11, 2008 11:10 PM
gus2 ko mtanggal c marlon.. isa syang ungas na baboy, dinemonyo nya c kaye @ cris kc dinadaga sya ky kiko.. i2 nman dalwa ngpauto! d nyo nlng inisip na pnili c zita isama kc obyus nman na if ever na spa nga un price eh gus2 lng nman ni jc pa feel ky zita un gnun dba..hello hirap kya sa buhay un mtanda kesa sa inyo..isa pa strategy nyng marlon na yan na mgsipag para lng di sya i vote out tpos ssbihin nya si nanay zita un gnun, marlon may nanay kba?!? pti mtanda pnpa2lan mo hellooo!!! ng aral kba?!? o in need ka tlga kya k gnyan kgaspang.. dude i bet ikw na ang susunod na mttanggal.. kapal mo
gud luck nlang ky MARLON...pg nkita tlg kita s mall babatukn tlg kita....
hay! day 1 plng naiinis nko s pgmu2kha ni marlon....til nw lalo kung naasar pti matanda pinapa2lan..den bgla p ngpsori ky nanay zita kung si p cya kinausap ni rob....kaduda2 ung gngwa nya sbi nga ni kaye ang bilis nyang mgpasori after nyang ngslita nung anu2...hay marlon...tagal mong mawala....asar ung boses mo?! pra mong kinakain mga words mo.....la kng kwenta,,,,,hay cguro ngyn nppnuod mo n ung survivor cguro nta2wa k nlng s mga pingga2wa mo eh...cmula plng kung di k tnulungan s pghangon s pangpang mlmng nw lunod k n....day1 plng un....hay,,,,2wing nki2ta kita kumukulo dugo ko....hay lht ng tao asar n syo...bka pamilya mo dn cguro...sbi mo nga bka icpn ng pamilya mo yn b tinuro nla syo ung wlng values,,,,,.....hay kainis din cla kaye and cris...di lng cla cnma ngtampo n....msyado kcng ngpa2dimonyo ky MARLON....lam nyo ppbgsakin din kyo ni marlo....c cris nmn my nla2man png paiyak iyak,,,,kala ko dti ok k cris...nw hay asar n din ako syo....traydor k....c kaye p dti cnbi n lng mgttraydor at mla2man din kung
cgurado aq d mananalo yang baboy na walang modong marlon nayan! cya and no.1 kinaiinisan ng bayan, sobra talaga, laging nakakainit ng ulo, nawalan tuloy ako ng gana dahil wala na c kiko, sya at c nanay zita ang may malaking puso, may isang salita. inis na inis din ako kay cris at kaye nayan, akala ko pa naman may isang salita sila lalo kan cris paiyak iyak kapa drama mo lang pala d ka rin pala totoo. akala ko ang naak ang matitirang maglalaban laban sa huli, sayang! ikaw kay nabasa ko biography mo d2 sa SP, sabi dun religious ka at active sa social activities e wala ka naman palang sinabi, ipinakita mo kung gaano ka, ka selfish. sa biyernes, ikaw na Marlon matatanggal at hindi ka sisikat tandaan mu yan baboy ka!!! galit na galit sayo and marami isa na ko dun.
Hala! talagang napaiyak ako sa epsisode ngayon! \r\nGA*O talaga tong Marlon na to! Talaagang babatukan kita pag nakita kita! ka-babaeng tao, at matanda, pinapatulan mo! Ganun ba kababa pagkatao mo??? you would do that just to win that price? Mali na yan, ok lang mag strategize ka, but not to the extent na mananakit ka ng damdamin ng ibang tao, lalo nat babae at mas matanda sa u!!!
oo nga ibigay na lang kay marlon yun 3 million kasi kelangan nya yun para magtago sa tao hahahaha! di sya makakalabas ng buhay san man sya magpunta!
what is winning the 3 million if u cant live ng maayos after it.i pity u. gudlak na lang sa paglabas mo sa bahay mo simula sa araw na ito. yes the mean purpose is to win the money but that doesnt mean u will lose your dignity. napaka greed ng mga tao jan sa survivor. di ba niyo naisip na isa lang mananalo at your chances of winning eh maliit talaga? what if u lose the so called game? eh di pati dignity nyo na talo din. buti yung iba eh, just like patani. natalo nga pero at least in tact pa rin dignity nya. see thats why others love her. cris- sayang. u made your family proud na sana kaso sumablay ka pa!kaye and charisse- why cry? plastik! pano na lng mga future dealings nyo sa respective careers nyo? can they trust u pa kaya?rob- wla ako masabi. magaling ka kasi nun una, kaso bat ka nagpapaimpluwensya kay marlon pa!jc- just stay like that. u dont have to win the money. marami ka ng fans siguro.kiko- yes naging gahaman ka rin pero at least inisip mo rin yung tribe. im happy also dahil di mo kinompromise ang di
kaye and cris just did the right thing. Marlon, being the D_advocate only showed them the true meaning of the game, to be the sole survivor. Kiko's controlling the group too much, esp. zita and jc. these two are the most affected with kiko's departure. Now they started to feel more pressure. it's everybody's ballgame now, trust will no longer be around. Hidden character will start to surface, coz everyone that's left want to be the 1st survivor.
hoy marlon nakakainis kana ang kapal ng pagmumuka mo tlaga............ wala ka ng galang sa nakakatanda sayo pinapatulan mo si nanay zita!!!!!!! sa totoo lng dapat sa umpisa pa lng ikw na ung natangal.. hindi ka bagay na sumali dyan..
ang bastos talaga ng baboy na yn. pati matanda pinatulan. moron the correct term 4 marlon. overreaction dw c nay zita what a word OVERREACTION ang tanga talaga kailangan talaga nyng manalo pra maayos ung pagsasalita.. kawawa nmn gf ni marlon mahahawa kc cya ng kabobohan ky marlon....... walng ibng bobo s sp kundi ikaw hindi c kiko. bobo ka n baboy ka pa.....
pinagtatawanan ni marlon ang buong pilipinas.... f### you marlon piggy!!!!!
hoy bullshit ka MARLON! kaw ang pinakaplastic,bastos at pinakaBOBO, walang kwenta diyan sa camp! Wag ka magugulat kung buong pinas galit sayo talgang kahit sino makakita sayo yari ka,YOU'RE A DEAD MEAT MAN! kung ako GF mo ikahihiya pa kita at mkikipagbreak ako agad wala kang GALANG,BASTOS OMG imagine na maging asaw or even BF ang isang tulad mo! sana chris and kaye makita nyo yung katangahan na ginawa niyo nagpa-brainwash kayo sa DEVIL PIGGY BEASTY MARLON na yan!! sana kaw na matanggal badtrip ka nakikisama pa si charisse!! Hindi part of the game strategy yan,ganyan talaga ugali nyan dicky head na yan!! Get Lost men! YOU'RE DEFINITELY A LOSER!!! and you don't deserve to win even chris and kaye but especially you FUCKIN' ASSHOLE MARLON!!
nakita nyo na ang kabastusan nyang si Marlon!!!??? Yan ba ang klase ng tao na piniling mas paniwalaan ni traydor na si Kaye at Cris? Walang modo! kung walang kamera, duda ako kung mag-sorry yan kay Nanay Zita, baka nga sinapak pa nyan e! Anong breeding ang sinasabi nya? kawawa naman gf niya! tsk tsk tsk
KAPAL NG MUKHA MU MARLON PLASTIC KA!!!!BWISET KA BULOL KA NAMAN!!!!!!!!!!
This is the first time i did watch a reality show...and was very disappointed when Kiko was voted out...Grabe...ganito pala feeling pag sinusundan mo lahat ng events sa TV...hehehe... Nagalit talaga me ng todo kay marlon, as in i did swear and mouthed bad words for this d*%$l s** of a b*%#$...especially nung si Kiko ang navoted out instead of him...which is very unlikely of me as my husband told me...nakakainit ng ulo that some person will do everything para masira samahan ng NAAK...Hanggang matulog ako, at pumasok kinabukasan sa office eh dala2 ko ang galit ko sa nangyari sa Survivor... I was disappointed more with Cris, from the beginning, my husband were pouring praises for this person, un pala he is one of the traitor...Lumalabas talaga ang kulay ng isang tao...sooner or later... Trust is very important, pag nawala talaga to, at may anay na katulad ni Marlon sa Tribo ng Chalam eh you cannot trust no one talaga... Wish ko lang manalo ung deserving manalo...bet ko parin si JC, Nanay Zita at Vern
nakakainis nman natanggal c KIKO! sya pa nman ang pnka malakas TRIBE nla sya lng ang IDOL ko dun! nkakainis c MARLON! nka2inis ung pag mumuka nya pag naki2ta ko sya sa SURVIVOR..patulan ba nman c MAMI ZITA! wala syang GALANG sa mtnda dpat pnabayaan nya nlng, wala syang MODO!!!!!!!! c mami zita dpat ang mnalo dyan! khit mtanda na malakas parin sya! sya na ang bagong IDOL ko sa SURVIVOR! GO MAMI ZITA! GODBLESS :)
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