28--R10--Caramoan--Fans vs. Favorites

Rank: Returnee #10
Season # 26
Title:  Survivor: San Juan Del Sur:  Blood vs. Water

Location: Caramoan, Phillippines 
Broadcast: Spring 2013
New Players:  10
Returning Players: 10 

Days: 39
Winner:  John Cochran
Final Tribal Council:  3 Players 8 Jury
Initial Tribes: Bikal (Favorites), Gota (Fans)
Swap at 14
Merge: at 12 Enil Edam (Madeline spelled backwards)
Jury: at 11 
Premise:  Pit a tribe of newbies against a tribe of Favorites? for the 2nd time.

You can see my opinions of the favorites here.  Unlike the first Fv.F in Micronesia, this band of Favorites weren't very exciting.   We also had a band of "Fans" some of whom acted like they never had seen Survivor.  

Shamar wanted fire right away over building shelter.  He was successful in getting the fire started, but then started conserving energy coming off as lazy before being medically evacuated because of an eye injury on Day 10.   Reynold called Shamar out on Day 5.   Sherri protected Shamar in the first tribal vote.  

Eddie and Hope and Reynold and Allie paired up in budding romances.  Not surprisingly,  Allie and Hope were the first two voted out of the tribe. 

The Favorites meanwhile, had both Phillip and Brandon, who were certifiable in their first seasons, and even more so in the second.  Phillip had Francesca voted off 1st again after the Favorites lost the first immunity.  

Francesca became the first person to be voted off first twice.  To be fair, Francesca is the only person who was voted out first and played another game.   But you kind of feel production intentionally put her with Phillip again, to make this result. 

After the first vote out, the rout again was on. The fans had three straight immunity losses and a medical evacuation.  Overall, they would lose 7 of the next 9 players.  

To break up the streak, Brandon became a total nut case, while Phillip increased his bullying tactics.  After a meltdown at the Immunity Challenge, the Favorites forfeited the challenge and Brandon was voted out.  

At the next meeting of the tribes, there was a switch.

Matt, Julia and Michael (Corinne's "Gay") joined Corinne, Phillip, Dawn and Cochran on Bikal at the Favorites beach. Phillip recruited Julia to their side which set Corinne off. 

Erik, Malcolm, Brenda, and Andrea joined Reynold, Eddie and Sherri on Gota's beach.  Gota Favorites learned quickly that there was a rift from Sherri vs. Eddie and Reynold.  

Bikal lost the next two immunity challenges and voted Matt and Julia off before the merge. which gave the Fans 4 against 8 favorites in the merge. 

The 2nd Bikal tribe lost the next 3 people.   Corinne, and Michael were first post merge vote outs.  But then came one of my favorite tribal councils ever. 

Malcolm, Reynold and Eddie were on the outs with Sherri, and thee remaining 6 favorites.  Phillip was trying to "Boston Rob" his way to the finals and win the game, but many of the players were emotionally distraught by his behavior and bullying and tell Phillip  Having misplayed an idol at Michael's elimination, the three Amigos still had a secret idol in Malcolm's hands and the previous one was replanted,    At the immunity challenge, Phillip sat out the water challenge due to an incident as a boy.  

Reynold and Malcolm made it to the final of the challenge, with Reynold edging out Malcolm to win immunity.   So the plan was 4 Malcolm and 3 Eddie.   At this point the search for the replanted idol started beginning, while Phillip was regaling stories of his childhood to his minions.  Malcolm found it in front of Dawn and Andrea.   

At tribal, Malcolm brought out his immunity idol.  And then he brought out  his other immunity idol for Eddie.   And then while everyone was scrambling, Malcolm announced that the 3 Amigos were voting for Phillip.   Erik spoke up and said they could be bluffing and not play both idols.   Which convinced everyone to vote the way they planned--Except for Erik who voted for Fillup!

This only delayed the departure of the 3 Amigos but it sure made camp life less antagonistic.  Malcolm and Reynold were the next two eliminated, despite some inner turmoil among the Favorites.  Andrea and Brenda started going after each other and both got support.   After Reynold left  Andrea thought Brenda was going, but was blindsided with--you guessed it--A hidden immunity Idol in her pocket as Cochran realized Andrea's plan was to take Eddie with her to the final.  

Brenda was next to go, while Erik was getting dehydrated and had to be removed from the game right after the Tribal Council on Day 36. 

Because Erik was gone, the next challenge was a reward/advantage challenge.  Cochran won, and gained a big advantage in the final Immunity.   Cochran had to decide between Dawn and Eddie for "second place" as he believed Sherri would not get any votes at FTC.  

He took Dawn and Sherri.  Sherri was mostly ignored at FTC, even losing her membership in Stealth R Us (which might be the best thing that happened to her at FTC).  Dawn was considered a tag along with Cochran as all 8 voted for Cochran.  

The two Fans vs. Favorites seasons as well as the Blood vs. Water I season had half new and half returning players and in all 3 cases the initial tribes are separated by new and returning players, which creates an imbalance. Unlike Blood vs. Water where all players personally knew at least one returning player (their loved ones) the FvF seasons create an imbalance because returnee players develop friendships within their seasons and across seasons as well.    This is downplayed to the viewers, but the obvious ones remain.  Phillip, Andrea and Francesca played together before on the same initial tribe even in Redemption Island as did Dawn and Cochran in South Pacific who also played with Brandon in that season.  Malcolm on the other hand was a favorite that nobody knew playing back to back seasons and eventually became an outcast with the newbies. This contrasted with Amanda and James in Micronesia playing together back to back and at least knowing each other.  (BTW--They played in 3 seasons together in the same tribe.)  

Beyond that, the "Favorites" were not likeable or Favorites in my book.   We could have done without the antics of Phillip, the meltdowns of Brandon and the constant emotional outbursts of Dawn.  Most of the others were middle of the pack in their earlier seasons, with Andrea going fairly long in Redemption Island being voted out 14th and returning then being voted out again.  Cochran was voted out 13th.  

Brenda went out 11th in Nicaragua,  Francesca seemed like a novelty with the sole purpose of voting her out 1st again.  Corinne was voted out 12th in Gabon.  

Only Erik, Malcolm, and Phillip made it as far as 5th place previously.  This was not a bad season, but the FvF theme just made it not exciting.