FINAL THOUGHTS
— Lisa Rinna and Tamar Braxton were pushed. Majorly. And, like Kelly Wiglesworth, will have to wait 31 seasons to get their second chance :/.
— Weird Al gave me Richard Hatch vibes. I was upset he didn’t win to be honest.
— Kaley was the female star of the season but Connie as her sidekick was so Renny / Keesha of them!
— Taylor Swift was definitely Parvati in Cook Islands 2.0. She tried, she really did :(.
— Timothée was a dark horse that I thought would win.
— Liam was definitely the male star of the season that I expected to go early into the merge so props to him! I am happy he almost won and his decision to flip on his original alliance almost paid off!
—I am glad it was a Pagonging because it kept it mirror-image to real series.
— Heather and Manila’s friendship was so cute :).
— Overall very good inaugural season and great boot order and winner overall. The Australian Outback casting call is tomorrow!
ALL STAR POTENTIALS
Karl “Manila Luzon” Westerberg, 9th Place, one of the more entertaining players of the season, Karl, or Manila Luzon as he requested to be called on the island, came into the game and immediately began playing up his social game, a strength he knew he could excel his game with. Instantly liked by all, he was well on his way to becoming one of the most popular to win in the game. After winning the first two immunities, he was able to form a close alliance with Heather Morris, soon after adding Leroy Garrett and Timothée Chalamet to the mix. But after losing leverage and banishing a few players from the game, his villainous side came out after he and Heather dictated at each vote who would go home. Despite this, he sailed to the merge but with a 5-5 even split. Despite trying to sway multiple Tagi players in the first vote, they lost Timothée and despite leading at the pre-merge, Manila was never able to rebound from the then 5-4 disadvantage and he was seen by Tagi as the next bigger threat, voted out as the first jury member.
Heather Morris, 7th Place, the former “Glee” star came to the island of Borneo with one goal in mind; return with the title of Sole Survivor. And she certainly put up a big fight to try and claim the title. Seen as the chipper, sweetheart of Pagong, she was viewed as an early favorite to win the game after proving not only to be a social threat but a physical one as well, proving to be a vital player in key tribal immunity wins. Instantly, she formed a close one with Manila Luzon and the two built a very strong alliance featuring Leroy Garrett and Timothée Chalamet and the foursome controlled the pre-merge and looked to be well on their way to the final four. But when Heather and the crew reached the merge and Timothée was ousted first and her BFF Manila ousted soon after, the game turned into a Pagonging and after winning an immunity necklace but failing to win again at the top seven, she was seen as the next biggest threat and became jury member three.
Taylor Swift, 6th Place, the blonde icon of the season and probably the biggest name in the case, Taylor came in and instantly proved to be a fan favorite, struggling in challenges early on but overcoming adversities to began a hero storyline arch. She early on formed an alliance with Peter Andre, Lisa Rinna, and Tamar Braxton but after losing all of them pre-merge, she was forced to start anew at the merge. Bonding with Kaley Cuoco proved to be a vital move in Taylor’s game, as she was able to build trust. As her tribesmates were voted off, Taylor opted to vote in the majority to ensure her name was never on the chopping block and it worked for her, as she was always seen as the weaker link compared to Timothée, Manila, Leroy, and Heather. As she was successful in becoming the final Pagong player standing, she attempted to outlast the Tagi tribe after she got Kaley and Antonio to flip to oust Weird Al but after the vote deadlocked in a 3-3 tie, Kaley flipped back to her original alliance and despite almost clawing her way from the bottom, she was ousted in sixth place and landed as jury member four.
Al “Weird Al” Yankovic, 5th Place, one of the most polarizing of the celebrities in the cast, Weird Al came to Borneo with a goal of not only winning but showcasing to the audience that he can also be a serious person. And he certainly proved that, being one of the bigger strategical masterminds of the season. Forming an unlikely bond early on with Sarah Drew, the duo added in Post Malone and Liam Hemsworth to a strong foursome that looked to be going far after surviving the first vote and tie breaker to send Gabbie Hanna home. But Al’s game took a sharp turn immediately after when his ally Liam Hemsworth turned on the alliance and helped oust Post Malone and Sarah Drew from the game, leaving Weird Al alone on a tribe with a strong final four. Al’s luck returned when Tagi was able to win the final tribal immunities to help him sail to the merge. And after helping Tagi earn the 5-4 advantage, he continually advised that he would flip at the right moment, knowing he was always on the bottom. Despite his words, however, he was never able to find the right moment and despite almost leaving at the top six due to Kaley and Antonio’s betrayal, he stayed loyal to his alliance only to have the writings on the wall come true and he became the first of the Pagong five to go home. Weird Al landed in fifth place and became the fifth jury member.
Liam Hemsworth, 3rd Place, the odds on favorite to win the game from the start, Liam Hemsworth came to Borneo and was instantly seen as one of the biggest tribal assets of the game, helping to start a fire early on and being the only player to successfully catch fish. Additionally, he proved he was a physical powerhouse by helping the almost decimated Tagi tribe come back from losses to enter the merge on equal playing field. But it was his decision in the pre-merge that excelled him almost to the end; forming a close alliance with Sarah Drew, Weird Al, and Post Malone early on, he stunningly turned on them after Kaley promised him a final two if he did so. Capitalizing on this, he helped vote off Post Malone and Sarah Drew before the merge and stayed loyal to his alliance to help pick off the Pagong players. When his strategy of not winning immunities kept him off the radar, he was able to get to the final three where, despite almost winning, he lost the final immunity and Kaley Cuoco stunningly broke the final two pact and banished him as the final jury member.
Connie Chung, Runner Up, the oldest player in the game, Connie Chung was self-admittedly expecting to be the first player to exit but when she formed an unlikely friendship with Kaley Cuoco, she was immediately more driven to succeed in the game. Despite losing the first challenge, she was able to socialize well enough to convince the other alliance to oust Gabbie Hanna over her, despite her poor performance in the challenge. When her ally Kaley Cuoco successful flipped Liam Hemsworth to their alliance, she was able to be protected in the following two votes Tagi attended, sailing Connie into the merge. Fearing her past votes would come back to haunt her in the merge vote, she convinced the other tribe that it was Weird Al with the most previous votes. Despite the others believing her, Kaley led the charge to promise players fake deals to ensure the vote would not tie and the Pagong tribe was eliminated one-by-one. When Connie’s ally Kaley did not include her on the almost-blindside of Weird Al, it left her alienated and she cast a vote against her the following round but despite this, she remained ultimately loyal to eliminate the final players in the game to slip into the final two. Connie argued her social game was what she relied on as she wasn’t the most physically fit and she was the oldest in the game, however, the jury viewed her as a coattail rider to the more prominent player, Kaley, and Connie finished as the runner up.
Kaley Cuoco, Sole Survivor, an extreme super-fan of the game, Kaley Cuoco came to Borneo and was instantly seen as a threat to win — being pegged as the student celebrity of the game. Early on, she bonded with Connie Chung and the duo agreed no matter what to reach the end together. Despite a promising final two, Kaley and Connie lost a close ally in Gabbie Hanna early on and with Kaley seen as the knowledgeable threat, her time was close to ending. But when Connie motivated Kaley to not give up, she went on to make the move of the season, convincing Liam Hemsworth to side with she, Connie, and Antonio Pozo, turning on his own alliance, for theirs. When the move paid off, Kaley barely escaped elimination but rode the majority alliance out into the merge, entering with a 5-5 even split against Pagong. It was Kaley who created several smoke screens, causing the Pagong tribe to split their votes and allowing Tagi to oust a Pagong player to earn the majority, picking Pagong off one-by-one until the final six, where Taylor Swift convinced Kaley and Antonio this time to flip to her to oust Weird Al. Despite the move appearing full-proof, it backfired when Kaley was seen as a flipper. It was ultimately a move that almost cost her the game by losing trust with Liam and getting a vote from Connie the following round. Despite all of this, Kaley was able to convince Connie of their final two pact and the duo successfully misted Weird Al and Antonio, leading to the final immunity challenge that she won. She ultimately went back on one of the two final two plans she had — with Liam and Connie — and ousted Liam as the final juror. While the jury berated her for her constant backstabbing, they admired the fact that she did play the game and Connie was ultimately seen as a goat. In a stunning 6-1 vote, Kaley became the first Sole Survivor of Generation 2.
