Oh Jeremy, why did you have to play too-hard-too-fast on Survivor: David vs. Goliath? The cunning and resourceful lawyer had all the potential to be a strategic threat, but his game blew up during Survivor’s third episode. He went from being under the radar to front and center because of his many missteps. If he had simply let Natalie dig her own grave, the narrative would have completely changed. “I Am Goliath Strong” essentially became the story of how Jeremy’s game plummeted before our eyes.
Jeremy’s first mistake was trying to quell all the conversations happening at camp. This is the game of Survivor–people are going to talk! Angelina and John from the Goliath tribe were right on the money when they deduced his motives. He only did that to stop any conversations from happening about him. However, whenever someone tries to control the narrative or dictate process, the other castaways always look to the person changing the flow. Jeremy should’ve let the game continue as it naturally does.
His second mistake was telling the rest of camp that Dan had the hidden immunity idol. By the third episode, Jeremy played mostly in the middle with Mike and he didn’t have the social capital or trust to make that big of a move yet. By telling everyone about the idol before the immunity challenge, he gave up his only leveraging piece to change up any future votes and it made him look shady when he revealed that he dug into Dan’s pants to find the idol. The proper method for this move is slowly sharing the knowledge with a few trustworthy people at first because the knowledge of the idol needs to sink in. Rushing to get the numbers would only cause questions and throw people off.
It’s easy to blame his elimination on the argument with Natalie, but the plan would’ve moved forward regardless of the fight. The rest of Goliath had flipped over to Jeremy, even with a reluctant Natalia still campaigning for Natalie’s elimination. “Napalm Natalie” had no impact on the blindside. That’s not to say Jeremy’s approach didn’t hurt his case because it definitely did. He came off as a loose cannon and equally as temperamental as Natalie, whom he also blamed for being stubborn.
Natalie’s chances are still pretty slim. She got the reprieve for this one vote, but next week might be a different story. I have a feeling she will flip to the David tribe during the tribe switch. The Goliaths don’t value her presence while the Davids could offer her a trustworthy alliance. Plus, they could ensure that Natalia would get voted out since she’s targeting Natalie. Her best bet is sticking with the Goliaths for now before turning on them.
John’s social capital rose since the Survivor: David vs. Goliath’s season premiere. He became a valued member of the group by providing food, and they legitimately laughed at his jokes. His personality isn’t rubbing anyone the wrong way, so he has the potential to make it far. Natalia, on the other hand, showed that she has some fire in her. Why did she place all the blame on Natalie for losing when two people were on the puzzle together? She needs to not let her frustrations show to Jeff Probst or the tribe because people could easily turn her words against her for a future vote.
Over at the David tribe, Nick and Christian played the post-Tribal Council round perfectly. By throwing Gabby under the bus, all the attention was placed on her as the reason for Jessica’s blindside. Smarter Survivor castaways would have determined that the blame should also fall on Nick and Christian since they played the middle and decided the vote. However, no one looked in their direction. Both of them could easily find their way far into the jury phase. Plus, Nick’s campaigning to get Gabby out would ensure that Christian didn’t have another close ally and all the trust would go back to Nick. It’s a smart move to play to eliminate a competing force.
Do you think Bi’s knee injury will result in her elimination? A medical evacuation seems like a stretch, but her chances of surviving a Tribal Council have decreased. Survivor: David vs. Goliath is still in the tribe phase, so physical players who can win challenges are a necessity. If she can’t compete, she will be an easy target to get out. Unfortunately, that outcome could be her reality in the new episode if her tribe loses.
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“I Am Goliath Strong” brought out all the drama in a heated and highly entertaining Tribal Council. The three-episode arc between Natalie and Jeremy’s crumbling friendship came to its conclusion with fire and betrayal. We were treated to a blindside, and Natalie walked away as the victor with one of the funniest voting booth one-liners in Survivor history. Overall, the third episode of Survivor was a good time had by all, except for Jeremy… and also those who got stuck in the rain.
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