Five Drinks Into Reality TV: Survivor Season 25 Episode 8 "Dead Man Walking"

Tom's Take:

Wow, what an episode. On the one hand, I'm a little worried that Tandang will Pagong the rest of Dang Rayne, but on the other hand, I'm just thrilled by the incredible drama we got in this episode. I mean, I had no idea who was going home. When they finally got to the votes, I was convinced it would be Peter. Multiple people made moves in this episode, and unlike other critics, I don't think there was any bad gameplay per se, I just think that everyone who tried to make a move got blocked. Jeff Kent wanted Penner out, but Penner won immunity. Lisa wanted Malcolm out, but Malcolm brainwashed Peter. Malcolm tried to take out Peter, but Lisa got to Skupin. The result was an absolute mess, and in the end it was Jeff Kent that went home, due to a very odd vote from Penner. Did he think Abi Maria was the target, or did he want Jeff Kent to go?

Dang Rayne Tribe

 Penner: (193 points) Penner quickly gathers that his former alliance betrayed him, and quickly shifts into every man for himself tactics. The result appears to have been Jeff Kent's elimination, but he also shook up the pecking order enough, that he should make it a few more Tribal Councils at least. He's not in the dominant alliance, but we all think he's got something going with Skupin that should help him out down the line. I don't see him winning, especially with Jeff Kent being an early juror, but I see him lasting until Final 6.

 Carter:  (88 points) This was a really bad episode for Carter. He looked like a dummy when it came to strategy, he did terrible at that challenge, and he lost his closest ally. I think Carter's next on the chopping block.

 Jeff Kent: (152 points) Jeff was a decent player, but he didn't do a good enough job reigning in Denise and Lisa, whose antics these last two weeks ultimately cost him the game. I think he'll be a strong anti-veteran voice in the jury, which should help ensure that a newbie wins this season.

 Denise: (142 points)  Denise is playing well, and she's made it way further than you would think, but she's in trouble now. I have a feeling she is going to be the victim of Malcolm's idol play, but maybe I'm underestimating her ability to talk Lisa or Skupin into flipping.

Mike Skupin: (151 points) Skupin's wait and see strategy allowed him to leap frog over Malcolm to 5th in the Tandang Five Alliance, and he's a fairly crucial swing vote. Now is the time for him to flip from Tandang, if that's what he wants to do. He's in a great position if he's up for seizing his opportunity.

 Abi Maria: (137 points) I love that Abi randomly pulled out her idol at that Tribal Council. According to this episode she has no chance of winning the game, but a very good chance of making it to the Final 3.

 Artis:  (102 points)  When did Artis become so evil?

 RC: (144 points) First Juror.

 Lisa: (162 points) Way to step it up. This episode was all about Lisa, who ended up leading the new/old 5 person Tandang Alliance that put an end to Malcolm's lucky run. She outed Malcolm's idol, and put Malcolm in the hot seat for the first time all season. Ultimately, Peter screwed up her plan to take out Malcolm, but she still came out of this episode as one of the strongest players in the game.

 Peter: (133 points)  Peter barely survived this second Tribal Council, and we saw just how inept he is at reading people. He stared into Malcolm's soul? No. He looked at Malcolm's abs. His naivete almost got him voted out. Lisa was the only person who saved him.

 Malcolm: (215 points) I love both Malcolm and Lisa, and seeing them battle it out was a real treat. He crushed Peter in terms of strategy and social gameplay in this episode, but Lisa ended up outplaying him. Still, he's got the idol and a great deal of competition prowess on his side. By the way, I love how he used the idol, as a threat, without actually giving it away. It takes a great deal of guts to keep the idol, but that was what Malcolm did. And it guaranteed him at least Final 8.  

Final 11 Rankings

1. Malcolm: 215
2. Penner: 193
3. Lisa: 162
4. Jeff Kent: 152
5. Skupin: 151
6. RC: 144
7. Denise: 142
8. Abi Maria: 137
9. Peter: 133
10. Artis: 102
11. Carter: 88