Survivor 23 has followed the same format as Survivor 22, and there are two old-timers returning to the show: Ozzy and Coach.
The Main Characters
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The first reactions of the players upon finding out who was joining which tribe indicated that Ozzy was far more popular in the Savaii tribe than Coach was in Upolu. At the start of the game, it is more useful to have a physically strong and hardworking tribe member than a rather odd character, after all.
Of course returning players are always likely to be the focus of attention as they bring history with them. But there are other players too, and at this stage the two other interesting characters are Cochran (Savaii) and Brandon (Upolu).
Survivor fan and theoretician Cochran asked to be known by his surname rather than his first name (John), reflecting his aim become an all-star like Mariano, Penner, and Hantz. Of course he knew both Ozzy and Coach had played exactly twice each already. It seemed that he was basically telling everyone he that his aim was to show what a great player he was. But people would be likely to vote him out precisely for that reason.
Brandon brought history with him, despite not being a returning player. Being the nephew of the infamous Russell Hantz was not an issue unless people knew it. Common sense would suggest that Russell would have given him some tips on how to play. It is not just the relation, it's really those telltale Hantz tattoos that Brandon had better keep hidden that add spice to the game, keeping alive the spirit of Russell Hantz (and maintaining the fans' interest).
Alliances
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In the early stages, forming an alliance is important for future planning. Some similarities can be observed in how these have formed within the tribes.
In Savaii, the weaklings Dawn and Papa Bear stuck together, knowing they were both vulnerable. Cochran appeared to be less able than them, but perhaps he did not realise this at that time. There did not seem to be any firm alliance just yet. Ozzy was safe enough in his role as provider, so he did not really need to worry too much just yet. But other people were concerned about the girls wanting to ally with him. Semhar made an impression on Ozzy, and he would certainly have accepted her into any alliance he wanted to form, but she was voted out in the first tribal council. Ozzy then allied with Keith, and then Jim joined in and thought he could forge a strong "3+2" alliance by including Whitney and Elyse as auxiliary members. Dawn, Papa Bear, and Cochran were clearly surplus to requirements, and there would have been no good reason not to get rid of them. Ozzy found the hidden immunity idol, but that hardly matters just yet.
In Upolu, Coach version 3.0 found a friend early on in Edna, and later on formed a formal alliance with Albert, Brandon, Sophie, and Rick. His biggest enemy was clearly Christine, who had uttered those famous remarks: "temporary players". Also, she had been too busy searching for the idol. Stacey was probably next in line, followed by Mikayla who for some reason was not in the alliance. Sophie observed that Brandon was "hiding something", despite being his ally.
Major Developments
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Brandon apparently had a crisis of conscience and eventually revealed his "Lil Hantz" tattoo to Coach. After all, he could not keep covered up forever, could he? Having had first-hand experience of Russell Hantz, Coach must have felt a sense of déjà vu. But he kept calm, and reasoned that Brandon had nothing to gain by revealing this information. Of course he promised not to tell anyone Brandon's deep dark secret - and would have scored points for integrity, so this promise seems likely to be honoured.
And suddenly Mikayla became Brandon's number one target. Sensing she was another Parvati, he decided he wanted her gone. Being a married guy and seeing a beautiful girl, he felt it was desirable to get rid of this temptation. Unlike Uncle Russell, he might actually have had a conscience. There were stategic reasons too, but it is not clear if these were primary or secondary. After losing the second immunity challenge, he tried rather too hard to get his alliance (and his non-allies Christine and Stacey) to vote out Mikayla, but at this early stage the strong tend to earn the right to survive, and no one was interested. Lying to Coach that Christine and Stacey wanted to vote Mikayla out did not help his cause as the votes still went as initially planned, and he brought too much unwanted attention to himself.
Tribal Councils
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Alliances can be formed, for what they are worth. They only become effective when it matters - at tribal council. Let us reflect on what happened there.
Savaii went to the first, and were to choose between Cochran and Semhar, but not for reasons relating to any alliance. It was apparent that Cochran, Papa Bear, and Dawn were the weaklings of the tribe, and striking that Cochran as a young man was considered the weakest of them. Semhar however had made a positive impression on Ozzy. Unfortunately, she had volunteered to throw coconuts in the challenge, but had performed abjectly, thus causing the tribe to be defeated by the narrowest of margins. Also, people might not have been too keen on Ozzy supporting her. At tribal council, somehow all the votes went to Semhar. Cochran's pathetic plea for salvation, in return for which he promised improved performances, was resoundingly successful, but this was definitely a stay of execution rather than a vote of confidence. Fortunately for him, his tribe won the second immunity challenge.
The second tribal council was controlled by Coach. Sensing that Christine could possibly have found the idol (she had spent a lot of time blatantly searching, and did in fact find the clue) he got his alliance and Edna to split their votes 3-3 between Christine and Stacey. Unfortuntely for Brandon, for some reason Coach revealed that Christine and Stacey had reportedly wanted to vote out Mikayla, and after their denials, he eventually confessed to making it up. Mikayla voted for Christine, giving her that crucial fourth vote, Christine voted for Edna, and Stacey voted for Sophie. Despite being together in trouble, Christine and Stacey could not at least vote for the same person.
Conclusion
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It seems straightforward in both tribes. The 3+2 of Savaii should surely be thinking of voting off their weakest - Cochran, Dawn, and Papa Bear in that order. And despite Brandon's strong opposition to Mikayla, Upolu should be voting off Stacey next. With Coach trying to save Edna and Brandon trying to oust Mikayla, surely Mikayla should be in trouble after that. Brandon could be another candidate, as he has only succeeded in making an enemy of Mikayla. It is looking good for both Ozzy and Coach.
Heyy Girl...so glad you're back!! You KNOW what a fan of your blogs I am!!! I found it very interesting the way Ozzi and Coach were received!!! It was made clear very clear to Ozzi that while he was c well received.... the tribe was going to vote as they chose...and was lead by the poker player, legel drug dispenser.. Cant's remember his name.
Coach was not so well received and was piratically shunned.... except by the Asian girl who need a strong male ally... I was very impressed the way Coach turned it around. mostly by being helpful.... and formed what seems to be the strongest alliance in his tribe .... for now.. lol
The person of interest seems to be Brendon Hantz.. Russels nephew, He's determined .. with the help of God...to play the game "with honor" as he put it... unlike his dastardly Uncle!!! lmaoooo!!! He's very temped by the "seductress" Mykalya..tho shes done nothing to make any one think so but him!! He needs to have her gone "to be true to his marriage" ...lol!!! The guy gives the impression of a ticking time bomb to me ...and puts me in mind of the men who under the cloak of religion ,burned the the fairest of the town as witches,, because they were temped by them. He clearly has some inner demons!! lol... The whole game to him, seems to be about his struggle with good and evil.....not to outwit outplay or outlast.. hahah!!!!
