Misool lost the first immunity challenge and were all on the same page. The tribe opted to remain strong and eliminate the only inactive member of their tribe.
1️⃣7️⃣ Luca/LiukBB - Salawati - Day 2 (5-1)
Salawati had their first tribal council, where the tribe looked to vote out the inactive Luca. Cody opted against this and voted for Keizo, but it was not enough and Luca's torch was snuffed.
1️⃣6️⃣ Zelen/Zelen - Misool - Day 3 (4-1)
1️⃣5️⃣ Stoner/Gaiaphagee - Batanta - Day 3 (3-2-1)
In a double boot, Zelen was the easy target for Misool as he was not a part of the majority alliance. Meanwhile, Batanta visited tribal council for the first time and Stoner was clearly the target. He tried one last ditch effort to save himself, and got Bengie to flip with him, but it was not enough and he was voted out.
1️⃣4️⃣ Dan/dwipeouts - Misool/Salawati - Day 4 (4-2-1)
In the challenge, Misool lost and was absorbed by Batanta and Salawati. Dan and Keemstar were in the minority on the new Salawati and the vote was between the two of them. However, Keemstar was able to maneuver his way into the majority alliance as Dan was voted out.
1️⃣3️⃣ Brady/CoachWade - Misool/Batanta - Day 5 (5-2)
On the new Batanta tribe, BB and Brady were on the outs and Brady looked to flip one person to take out the inactive Bengie. However, BB was looking for a new alliance as he felt the old Misool was a sinking ship. Brady sunk to the bottom and was voted out.
1️⃣2️⃣ Cody/TwoStep - Salawati/Salawati - Day 6 (6-0)
The Salawati tribe had to choose between Keemstar, the only non-original tribe member left or Cody, someone who voted for Keizo the past two votes.
Ultimately, the tribe felt Keemstar was more loyal and Cody was voted out right before the merge.
The two tribes merged and the tribe was split down the middle. The Batanta tribe held a 6-5 majority, but the Salawati tribe felt they could swing BB, the only Misool member of Batanta, over to their side. Their attempt failed and Keemstar joined the jury.
1️⃣0️⃣ Pat/pokepat - Salawati/Salawati/Waigeo - Day 8 (6-4)
The Salawati tribe was now down 6-4, and they tried once more to get BB to flip over to their side to force a tie. However, the plan failed for a second time and Pat became the second person to join the jury.
0️⃣9️⃣ Bengie/countrysavage - Batanta/Batanta/Waigeo - Day 9 (1-0(5)-0(3))
In one of the craziest votes in Cutthroat history, Akshay was the next to go in Batanta's pecking order. However, the minority hid the fact that Akshay had an idol and they looked to set their sights on Hufus, the game's biggest threat. However, Hufus's intuition was strong, and he played his idol in the case Akshay played one. Both Akshay and Hufus played idols successfully, negating all of their votes. Just one vote counted -- Bengie's self vote, and it would be enough to send him to the jury.
0️⃣8️⃣ Patrik/patricenka9 - Batanta/Batanta/Waigeo - Day 10 (3-2)
0️⃣7️⃣ Akshay/galore - Salawati/Salawati/Waigeo - Day 10 (2-1-1)
With Bengie joining the jury, it was a victory for the minority. And another gift came their way when the One Day Tribes were activated.
Keizo won a double vote at the auction and joined a tribe with Livingston. They formed majority on the purple tribe and voted out Patrik.
On the green tribe, Akshay was all alone, but he played his last card -- an idol bluff. The bluff was enough to get Hufus to vote Dave, but it was not enough for Akshay to stay.
0️⃣6️⃣ Livingston/noobsmoke13 - Salawati/Salawati/Waigeo - Day 11 (2-2-1-1/3-1)
Keizo and Livingston were in a 4-2 minority, but they had confidence that they could swing Kaitlyn and that cracks had been exposed after the last tribal council.
While BB and Kaitlyn were the votes that Keizo and Livingston thought they could get, the two of them voted Livingston, while Dave and Hufus threw their votes to force a tie.
In the revote, the Batanta 4 stayed strong and sent Livingston to the jury.
0️⃣5️⃣ Keizo/Foxy_Piplup - Salawati/Salawati/Waigeo - Day 12 (4-1)
With Keizo facing a 4-1 minority, all he could hope for was immunity. When Hufus won his third immunity challenge, Keizo was all out of luck and was voted out unanimously.
0️⃣4️⃣ Kaitlyn/MarthaSpeaks - Batanta/Batanta/Waigeo - Day 13 (3-1)
With Hufus winning his fourth immunity challenge, Kaitlyn was voted out as she was the player furthest from the core of the alliance.
--- Final 3 ---
0️⃣3️⃣ BB/purplebb4 - Misool/Batanta/Waigeo - 2 votes to win
0️⃣2️⃣ Hufus/Hufus - Batanta/Batanta/Waigeo - 2 votes to win
0️⃣1️⃣ Dave/DaveRCB - Batanta/Batanta/Waigeo - 4 votes to win
With four immunity wins, a successful idol play and no votes cast against him all season, Hufus was the bookies' favorite going into tribal council.
But BB and Dave weren't going to lay down and let him have it. In one of the greatest FTC performances in Cutthroat history, Dave pulled off the improbable and won 4-2-2.
This season is a breath of fresh air compared to most of the Cutthroat seasons. Many members of this cast were young in their TG GG careers and are some of the more prominent members of the community today.
A lot of the people in the cast would go on to be some of my favorite players to host in Cutthroat history.
The pre-merge left something to be desired and the Misool dissolve did not play out as well as it did in my head.
Even though the merge was very much one side versus another, it was very entertaining.
The Bengie vote is one of the most iconic plays in Cutthroat history, and the two tribal councils after that were exceptional.
If I were a juror this season, my vote goes to Hufus. He really did not do anything wrong, but Dave won the jury over. Therefore, I cannot really say that Dave does not deserve it. He played a great game and I'm happy with him winning as the outcome.
Overall, this season was so fun to host because the personalities were fresh, the players enjoyed it and they respected each other.
Rating: 7.25/10
Ranking: 10/20
Returnees: Dave (All-Stars), BB (Mamanuca), Hufus (All-Stars, Edge of Glory), Livingston (All-Stars, Henan, Edge of Glory), Akshay (All-Stars, Edge of Glory), Pat (Edge of Glory), Brady (Mamanuca, Melanesia, Overstepping Champions), Dan (Flops vs. Tops), Stoner (Flops vs. Tops)
