Welcome to Reality Rambling’s Finale Recap! Join me and Annabel’s Spice Rack as we farewell Australian Survivor 2017! Thank you to this year’s amazing cast and for anyone who’s read these weekly recaps. WE MADE IT!! 🙂 (Sorry no GIFs this blog as I’m currently away on vacay, and limited WiFi!) And as always thanks to the amazingly talented Able and Game for letting me feature their cartoons! http://www.ableandgame.com
EPISODE 24: Days 50-51
MEGA ADVANTAGE UP FOR GRABS
The Final Four are told at the next challenge they are playing for an advantage, to vote out a Jury member. Tara drops out of the challenge with not even pulling one peg out. After over half the pegs gone, Michelle drops. This challenge really suits Peter’s lanky and flexible body type, but in the end Jericho’s small stature wins him the Advantage!
Back at camp, Jericho puts all the names into vote piles; who would vote with him and who won’t, And I just love how the others are helping him choose (nooo!!). Jericho questions Tessa. Peter tries to convince Jericho to not vote Tessa or Jarrad. Making the Advantage an even bigger one, Jericho is able to ask Jury questions to help him make his decision. After questioning Tessa, she says she would remove Tara from the game as she seems like the weakest gamer in the bunch. But I have a feeling Jericho already knew he was going to boot her.
NO JURY FOR YOU!
Firstly, I’d like to say this is probably my least favourite twist in Survivor, especially when it involves people who aren’t even up for the end prize. The jury shouldn’t be meddled with and are there merely to witness, collect information and formulate an opinion to who they think should win the $500k. When I first heard about the Juror Removal twist happening, I thought OK, so they’ll just rock up at Tribal, surprise the challenge winner and they’ll just pick someone off, but no. Australian Survivor likes to be difficult. They allow Jericho to discuss the dilemma with the other tribe mates, and then interrogate the Jury?! The Jury shouldn’t be allowed to speak until the Final Tribal. Hell, I don’t agree with kicking off a juror until you know who the full Jury are! Jericho’s questions to Jarrad, Tessa and Anneliese were superb and he definitely made the right choice for him booting Tessa. The questions were merely a foil (and filler for producers). To be booted as a threat to win the money both in the game and on the Jury is an honour; props to Tessa for being so gracious in her walk out. Sigh. IT JUST DAMN SUCKS.
EPISODE 25: Days 52-53
FAMILY REWARD; NO CRYING CHALLENGE
And they all failed, including me! The sappy side of Lyndz came out tonight as each contestant’s family came running out from behind the bushes! At first I thought, wow, no challenge, they don’t even have to fight for their family?! BORING! But then I ended up in a puddle of tears as I adored on Tara’s kiddies, cheered for Michelle’s dream come true to gossip with her sister, laughed at Jericho giving his bro shit for being so high maintenance because ‘yes, this is what life is really like on Survivor’, and was so inspired and proud of Peter and what he’s achieved thus far in his family
A NEW GOLD MEMBER
It’s the Final Four Immunity Challenge and it’s a pretty good obstacle course. Jericho had no problem owning this challenge, with Peter not far behind… Until the puzzle. As always, Michelle arrives at the Puzzle in last place, but unbeknownst to us, she’s actually not that bad at them! We see Jericho’s first weakness in challenges as he struggles with the pieces and loses his lead very quickly. This gives Peter time to move ahead and in a race against Michelle, he ends up winning his first Gold Medal! Congrats, Peter!
PLAYING FIRE WITH FIRE
Jericho is livid that Peter won Immunity. The three immunity losers all agree to have one on one’s with Petey who is feeling like a King right now! Peter is targeting Jericho tonight and Michelle agrees. She thinks Jericho will understand… SURE! Haha. Tara also ‘agrees’. Peter then tells Jericho that they are all voting for Tara and Tara is OK with this. Suddenly it all seems too easy and devil Jeri is total suss! By the body language and sneaky side discussions, he realises he’s not part of the Tara vote. “Shame on u, Michelle!” Should Michelle have stuck with Jericho for loyalty? Probably. Should Tara have told Jericho of Pete’s plan to vote him out? No. But Tara, already rattled by Tessa’s words at last Tribal, wants to make a big move, and by making Michelle go to fire with Jericho beating her, would be just that. Making a big move doesn’t make it the best move and I feel like this gives Jericho the $500k on a platter. Jericho approaches Michelle and we see an explosive argument I wish we got to see in a Final 2 tribal!! Alas, these two go head to head in a Fire Challenge for a Final 3 spot.
Also, Locky, SIT DOWN!
Jericho’s READY for fire! No one is going to dictate his vote, and Michelle is like, if you wanna play that game, then LET’S GO BIATCH!
Flashbacks of Becky v Sundra stream through my head, but obviously this wasn’t going to happen! We see a great battle between the two outspoken castaways, and the fire boy, Jericho comes out victorious! Michelle goes home with her head held high and I feel she played one of the best independent games this season. Stuck to her guns and wasn’t afraid to put herself out there when she needed it most! Here’s to all the HouseNannies who need some inspiration 😉 Michelle-2, Jericho-2. Michelle-1, Jericho-1, Fire-Jericho.
EPISODE 26: Day 54-55
It’s the same classic Final 3 challenge from last year, and even though held at night at high tide, I feel it was less dramatic. Hold on the pole for as long as you can, no matter how cramped you get! Tara drops first after a few hours, leaving the two boys to battle it out for a guaranteed spot in the Final 2. Jericho keeps an eye on Peter who seems to be struggling much more than the Cookie King!
And after around five hours, Peter can’t take it any longer and asks Jono to help him down. Jericho steps down with a MASSIVE smile on his face, you’d have no idea he was in pain!! High tide smashes out any fire that keeps the three desperately warm post-challenge. Hehe.
Nothing was going to keep Peter in the game at this point. It was a done deal with Jericho taking Tara to the end. Sweet Petey goes home and becomes the final jury member. ❤️
FINAL TRIBAL
With a not-so-bitter Jury, which I am happy about, it shows it’s not as thrilling. As a viewer we love to see the tantrums and bitter speeches being thrown at the Final 2, but they were merely just digs at certain aspects of their games. Ziggy’s question felt like they were written by the Producers, Luke and Locky were so lack lustre you wish Tessa was still there, and the standout for me was actually Henry! His passion for the game shone through and he really gave it to both Tara and Jericho, saying Tara isn’t good with words, and Jericho is just a contradicting snake.
The biggest surprise for me was Sarah. As a person who talks up a big game and sees herself as a gamer, I was surprised she voted for Tara to win. LOVE IT. Sarah can vote for whoever she pleases, and I’m certainly glad Tara received more than 0 votes, which was anticipated by many.
The final vote: Jericho – Jarrad, Anneliese, Henry, Luke, Ziggy, Michelle. Tara – Sarah, Locky, Peter. I was THRILLED to see the infamous Cookie Monster take the title and feel it was well-deserved. His final tribal speeches were a little dismissive, and he could have pandered to the Jury a bit more, but he owned up to his devilish game which he made very clear from Day 1 on TV. Jericho had his few mates on the Jury which definitely helped, and for all we know if Tessa were there, she could have advocated for Tara in the end. Who knew Jericho and Tara would be at the end though? They both defied the odds and shut the haters up!
REUNION
In a nutshell: Sausage-fest. There is only so much of four alpha Survivor men one can handle in a short time-frame. Women were mainly addressed on the following: 1) any flaws they made 2) shaming them, and 3) things that happened to them related to a male players game, not solely their own. Channel Ten think they know what the broader society in Australia want to see, and it’s just not good enough. For a (version of a) show I’ve been watching for years it’s sad to see them end this magnificent season on a sour note; at least for me, and many others who have expressed the same opinion on social media. Yes, a few of the male characters were bigger and bolder, but that doesn’t mean ignoring the women makes it right. It was nice for Sam to express her love for Mark (they are SUPER cute), and then talk about Henry’s game play, but what about her own? In the end, she was the biggest threat on Asaga when the game started. Tessa was asked about being booted off the Jury, but what about those explosive tribals where she fought from the bottom? And same with Michelle on her epic turn-around tribal against Ben. You could see the joy on Anneliese’s face when Jonathan said her name to be asked a question, and then the dismay when it was only about fucking JAM, which the boys stole, not her *eyeroll* I’m making these points not to take away from the boys, because I believe they all deserved their airtime, but how the time was spent on a whole. I guess I hoped they’d do things a little differently from the US… And poor Peter. Not even a single question and he made the Top 3. Not sure what excuse the producers have being a PRE-RECORDED ‘live’ show. Something to think about for next year!!
Overall, this season was a step up from 2016, especially with production quality, challenges and this brilliant ‘gamer’ cast! Congrats to everyone who made it on season 2017, it’s been a pleasure writing about you all!! PEACE OUT. Xx
THE SPICE RACK: FINALE WEEK
Follow Annabel on Twitter
Final Spice Rack for SurvivorAU, but don’t get too emotional, because you’ll still have fortnightly instalments covering the new USA season. Huge congratulations to Jericho, a SR favourite from the beginning. The money could not have gone to a cuter, sneakier, social butterfly. The reunion show, on the other hand, left a lot to be desired. But a party is obviously not a party unless I am invited, so what did we expect? This week I will reimagine the reunion show the way we really wanted it. Set in an alternative universe where the social order is reversed, the players answer questions from host Jennifer LaPaglia:
JLP: Without question, the best players this season were Michelle, Tara, Sarah, Tessa, Anneliese, Ziggy… have I missed anyone?
Jericho: Errr?
JLP: Oh that’s right, can’t believe I nearly forgot Joan! Everyone sit back and enjoy this fifteen minute montage of Ziggy flexing, and looking intelligently at the local fauna.
*Audience revels in joy as robbed goddess Ziggy gets a gratuitous amount of screentime*
JLP: If that doesn’t prove the natural superiority of women, I don’t know what does! Now Anneliese, you were obviously playing a perfect game that was destroyed by the emotional, weak decisions of the men around you. In hindsight, was it worth it?
Anneliese: Look Jennifer, it obviously sucked when I was literally two seconds away from winning the game and the car, but at the end of the day, the softer, gentler gender has its upsides too, and the special relationship I now have with Ben makes up for it all.
JLP: That’s very gracious of you Anneliese. Let’s move on to Henry! Wow, weren’t you just the worst player in the world! Voted out with an idol in your pocket, developed split ends…
Henry: B…but what about my successful moves, and the way I rose to the top of two tribes?
JLP: As I said, garbage. But hey, at least you didn’t break a nail. Now Locky, you were obviously known for your social game, and the way you rode the coattails of vastly superior player, Tara. What was it like having Tara sensuously caress your abs?
Locky: *laughs nervously* look our relationship was purely friendship. FRIENDSHIP. What you saw out there was just platonic, friendship spooning.
JLP: *roars with ferocious laughter* with an ass like that who can blame her!
Tara: *winks and slaps Locky on the thigh*
JLP: Now Peter. I don’t think a single one of us had dry eyes when you lost that final immunity challenge. The queer community has really suffered recently as this gross plebiscite to legalise heterosexual marriage drags on, and I know I speak for many of us when I say that your perseverance meant something in the face of this deviant threat.
Peter: Thankyou Jennifer. It was hard being out here with so many hets; I am just grateful I didn’t have to watch the whole Sam/Mark situation go down. Why do they have to rub their lifestyle choices in our face?
JLP: I don’t know Peter, it disgusts me too. Don’t worry, we’ll just pretend they aren’t here tonight. Okay audience! We only have time left for another half hour of Michelle’s jury outfits, and times Tessa made the men look stupid. This was a great season, and I can’t wait to see all you girls next year!
Blog by Lynda Olson. Guest writer; Annabel Fidler.
Follow Able and Game on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ableandgame/
ALL IMAGES USED IN THIS ARTICLE ARE COPYRIGHT CHANNEL TEN & ENDEMOL SHINE. THIS IS A PERSONAL BLOG AND VIEWS ARE MY OWN.
