The Finale of “Survivor: Cambodia – Second Chance” is upon us. Tonight, we are in for four Tribal Councils, a two-hour episode followed by a one-hour Live Reunion Show and for some “epic” events to occur, in an episode the Jeff Probst on EW.com called “phenomenal, historic and unpredictable.” So are you strapped in?
We all know that for any season to end as a “great” one, it must have a great ending, a satisfying winner and some late-inning drama. Probst has definitely been known to over-sell some things, but this season has sold itself. If it does indeed end the way that he describes it will, could this be the best season of Survivor in history?
We are down to six remaining contestants looking to make good on their second chance: Jeremy, Spencer, Tasha, Keith, Kimmi and Kelley. Here is the official synopsis of the Finale episode from CBS:
Episode 14 – “Lie, Cheat and Steal” – Six castaways battle it out for a shot in the final three, and a shocking tribal council delivers a Survivor first. Later, the final three castaways plead their cases for the $1 million prize, on the two-hour season finale of SURVIVOR, Wednesday, Dec. 16 (8:00-10:00PM, ET/PT), followed by the one-hour live reunion show hosted by Jeff Probst (10:00-11:00PM, live ET/delayed PT), on the CBS Television Network.
Analysis. So what is the “Survivor first” that was hinted at during last week’s episode preview and then again in this CBS description? I had originally thought that maybe there was a tie vote for the winner! Which is an occurrence that has never happened in 30 previous seasons. But this synopsis clearly states that the “shocking” Tribal Council will happen prior to final jury. So what could happen?
My best guess is that maybe both Kelley and Jeremy play their Idols, which – if it had been a 3-3 split or even a 4-2 or a 5-1 outcome – and if both Idols were played on the vote-getters, this could result in the first-ever “no votes cast,” because technically all players would have received zero votes. Since that has never happened, it’s unclear how Survivor would proceed, but chances are they would go to their tried-and-true (and controversial) rock-pulling tie-breaker, or perhaps a fire-making challenge. I would hate for this season to come down to a “purple rock” or some sort of weird rule technicality, so it definitely will be interesting to see how this shakes out, and to who it ultimately ends up screwing.
As it stands, Kelley is still on the outside looking in, and that Idol may be her best chance at squirming her way into Final Three. Keith is pretty much toast unless he can win Immunity Challenges, which he has shown he is capable of. And while Kimmi has been aligned the entire game with Jeremy, I could see Kimmi getting the boot before Final Three.
The real test, for me, will be watching how Spencer and Jeremy strategize down the stretch. They are the two front-runners for the million, in my opinion, but I find it hard to believe that they would want to bring each other to the end. For each of their games, one would think, they need to take out the other. If they don’t and they do go to the end together, it will be a million dollar mistake for one of them. Is there a scenario where neither of them make the Final Three? I find that to be all but impossible, especially considering Jeremy’s Idol.
Who will make it to Final Three? What will be the “Survivor first” we keep hearing about? And who will be named the Sole Survivor or this season? Please watch tonight (like I need to tell you) and be sure to check back tonight for my full Finale Recap, analysis and also my separate recap of the Live Reunion Show, where we are set to get a glimpse of Season 32 of Survivor. Please also check back tomorrow for my final round of exit interviews with all six contestants, including our winner. Later tomorrow, I will also post my updated “Most Memorable Seasons” and “Best Survivor Winners” rankings for you to criticize or applaud.
Thank you for another great season everyone! Be sure to subscribe to this column (above) or follow me on Twitter, @tomsantilli if you aren’t already, for all the latest Survivor news and info as we head towards Survivor – Season 32 (!!!) which premieres in February of 2016.
