The finale begins on Night 35 at Redemption Island. Grant arrives, saying he didn't think he would be voted out. It's possible Rob or Phillip betrayed him, but he's A-OK with that. Andrea didn't want Grant showing up because the Duel will make her the under-underdog. Over at Murlonio, the final four Ometepes return to camp. Rob says he is sure Grant feels bad right now, but that's the game. As much as Rob likes to think he's a cold, calculating player, it still hurts to vote out his friend. Grant might be the only person to come back from RI that he might vote right back out. Ashley needs to go next in Rob's opinion.
The next morning at RI, Matt feels really great. RI has become home for him on this 29th day for him on RI. Grant and Andrea get Tree Mail about the final Duel. They will be required to "dig deep." Mike has been out on RI for 14 days, so he'll miss it a bit. "RI purgatory is coming to an end," he remarks. Matt says a prayer for all of them, and then runs through the stats of his game (seven days in the game proper, eleven RI Duels), and gives glory to God.
RI Arena. For the final Duel, each player will place a foot on one end of a balancing board with a vase on the other end. If their balance falters, the vase will crash to the ground. The last person with his or her vase unbroken rejoins the game. The other three become the fifth, sixth and seventh members of the Jury. Each player takes his or her position and the Duel begins. After 20 minutes, Grant starts to falter, as do Matt and Mike, but they recover. At the 40 minute mark, Grant tries to stretch his leg, but his vase falls, and he is out. One hour elapses, and Matt's vase falls. After 36 days in the game, Matt fell short and became the sixth member of the Jury. Mike sways a bit, but recovers. When Andrea begins to lose her balance, Mike looks toward her, loses his balance, and eventually, his vase falls. Andrea stays alive and reenters the game!
The players congratulate Matt for his hard work. Grant is Juror Number Five and places his buff in the fire. Matt is Juror Number Six, places his buff in the fire and leaves to applause. He believes God's will was ultimately done. Mike is the seventh member of the Jury. He, too, places his buff in the fire. He says it wasn't meant to be, but that's alright. Jeff brings the other players down to greet Andrea. Does she feel like part of the fivesome, when she was blindsided by them not too long ago? No, because now it's an individual game. Rob confesses that as long as Ashley doesn't win Immunity, Andrea gets to stay another day.
Day 36 at Murlonio. Andrea notes that no one is happy to see her. She doesn't feel completely welcomed, but she needs to try something to stay in the game. Andrea tells the girls that the guys at RI told her that they thought all of the girls were Rob's puppets. She then lies and say the guys were considering giving their final votes to Phillip. when Andrea leaves, Ashley asks Natalie if they are going to vote our Phillip if Andrea wins Immunity.
Rob and Phillip discuss how Ashley is telling them that they should vote out the other of the guys. Rob confides that Natalie is a pure soul and Ashley is corrupting that. He tells Phillip that they need to convince the girls they are voting for Andrea. The next morning it is time for the...
...Immunity Challenge. The players will race across a balance beam collecting bags of tiles numbered 1-100. Once they retrieve a bag, they must place the tiles in order on a game board. The first to have all 100 numbers in place wins Immunity. "Survivors ready...go!" Rob has first bag, but is quickly followed by the others. Rob gets his tiles (1-10) in order, followed by Andrea and Ashley. Rob is back with his second bag before Phillip returns to the beginning of the balance beam. The girls get back with their second bags, which contain twenty tiles each. Phillip falls off the beam and has to go back to the beginning. Ashley and Rob finish at the same time and hustle back for their third bags. Ashley and Rob work on their third bag's tiles. Phillip is way behind and Natalie may as well sit down. Ashley goes for her fourth and final bag, and is back with the bag before Andrea and Rob can go for their last bags. There are forty numbers in the final bag. Rob and Andrea start working on their final set of pieces, but Ashley is on her final row. Ashley pops in the number 100 with Rob on 98. Ashley wins Immunity! She is at a loss for words because this win was so huge. Andrea confides that's it. It makes sense to vote out Rob, so hopefully the girls will see that.
Day 37 and Murlonio returns to camp. Ashley wishes this Challenge was the Final Immunity Challenge. Rob tells Andrea, to her face, that he's sorry, but she's next. Rob tells the camera that Andrea is a hard worker who has good relationships, so it "seems like a no-brainer" to vote her out. He then confesses he has the HII, but he's so in charge of the game that he doesn't even need to use it.
Ashley tells Natalie that if it comes down to it in the next Tribal Council, she wants to make sure Phillip is the next one to go instead of her. They pinkie swear, but Phillip saw the whole conversation. When Rob gets back, Phillip gives him a full report. The guys have this whole conversation right in front of Andrea. Hearing this plotting, Andrea thinks there's a chance she can make a play. She approaches the girls and tells them that she wouldn't want to be up against Rob in the finals. It makes more sense to get rid of one of the guys. Rob and Phillip talk in the woods about the situation, while Natalie confides that it is tough because Rob will likely win if he gets into the finals.
Rob tells the camera that on Day 37, he can predict what the girls are going to do. He can dictate the vote as long as he has Natalie on his side. He doesn't even need the HII. He likes to gamble, so he likely won't play the HII at...
With that, its time to vote. They do, Andrea votes for Rob, and Jeff collects the ballots. He asks if anyone wants to play an HII. Rob says his mother told him it is better to be safe than sorry, and gives Jeff the HII, so votes for him don't count. The first vote is for Rob. The second is for Andrea, as is the third. Jeff reads the fourth vote, "The sixteenth person voted out of this game...Andrea!" Jeff snuffs her torch, and off she marches into the Blue Light of Death, bound for Ponderosa. Jeff offers his congratulations to the Final Four who will compete the next day in the Final Immunity Challenge.
...Final Immunity Challenge. For this final Challenge, the players will race through a huge (and quite awesome looking) maze for four bags of puzzle pieces. After collecting the bags, they will race to the top of a pyramid and use the pieces to solve a puzzle that says "Only You Are Safe" to win Immunity. "Survivors ready...go!" Ashley, smartly, follows Rob wherever he goes, while Natalie quickly gets lost. Ashley and Rob get their first bags, as does Phillip at another station. Natalie finally gets a bag, while Ashley and Rob find their second bags. Rob tries to lose Ashley, but they end up at their third station together. Phillip has slowed and Natalie is pretty much out of it (as she always is during Challenges (except for the first one, which she won, of course)). Rob finds the final station, and he successfully loses Ashley for a bit. Rob gets his final bag, but needs to figure out how to get atop the pyramid. Ashley grabs her final bag and makes her way to the pyramid as well. Jeff, in one last hysterical bit of Challenge commentary shouts out the status of the players: "Rob and Ashley have all four bags. Phillips has two. Natalie...one bag!" Rob climbs the pyramid with Ashley right behind. Natalie and Phillip are effectively out of the competition.
The pieces are like those middle school fortune tellers (if you don't know what I mean, check out the credits for the fantastic comedy Community). Ashley solves the word "Only," but removes it from her game board. She then gets "Safe" and places it on the board. Rob is lost so he asks if they can work together, but Ashley says she doesn't have anything. Rob, peering at Ashley's board, gets "You Are Safe," with Ashley placing "Only You Are." Rob drops the first word in and wins Immunity!!
Everyone celebrates, and Rob starts crying. He now gets to make his case why after four tries he deserves to win. Rob confesses that Amber encouraged him to play again. He did this for her and his daughter. Actually, no matter the outcome, he is satisfied. This is ironic because he only came back so he could win the game, finally. Now he just needs to decide which "of these other idiots" to take with him to the Final Three. He also must convince the Jury to give him a million dollars when his wife already won a million dollars.
Day 38. The members of Murlonio hug it out. Rob wants to make Phillip and Ashley feel like they are safe, but if he wants to get rid of Ashley he needs to get Natalie on board. Phillip disappears, so Rob tells Ashley that she shouldn't sweat anything. Ashley confesses that she feels safe, but there is about 5% that worries. Natalie says she can't wait to spend a Phillip-free day with Rob and Ashley.
Phillip talks with Rob and confirms Ashley is going. Natalie assures Ashley that she is safe. Rob worries that Ashley made too many friends with Zapatera. He tells Natalie that Ashley has to go, but she questions him. Rob says Ashley will win too many votes. He promised he would get Natalie to the end, which he has, so she should trust him here. Natalie confesses that she didn't intend to make friends, but she did. Ashley asks Natalie if Rob said anything, but Natalie lies and says only that the plan to vote out Phillip is on. Natalie tells the camera that she would rather lose the game than lose a friend. So, who will she vote for at...
...Tribal Council. Jeff tells Ashley that losing the Challenge could have been a million dollar loss for her. He then turns to Rob and says he has a big vote. Ultimately, Rob replies, he wants to sit with people he thinks he can beat, but he doesn't know what the Jury thinks about the moves he made. Natalie says they have all been together, and hopes that Rob thinks she should be next to him. Phillip says he was the Specialist, and won no Challenges. Ashley says that she could have thrown Rob under the bus but stayed loyal.
It's time to vote. Phillip votes for Ashley and vice versa. Jeff collects the votes. The first vote is for Ashley, and the next is for Phillip. Vote Three is for Ashley. Jeff reads the final ballot: "The seventeenth person voted out of the game...Ashley!" Jeff snuffs her torch, and out of Tribal Council Ashley goes to become the final member of the Jury. "Boston Rob, Natalie and Phillip, you have gone as far in this game as you can go," Jeff says. They have one more night under the stars of Nicaragua, so they should try to get some sleep. Ashley confesses that she really thought she wasn't going home, which means she was probably an idiot. She knew she was Rob's biggest threat, but she wouldn't have changed anything about how she played.
Day 39. Phillip finally got to experience the feeling of "I did it." His great-great grandfather Jessum came to him in a vision to help him through some hard times. He learned a great deal about himself: it's OK to have a relationship with someone who has been dead since 1870. Now he just needs to convince the Jury he deserves the money.
The players find the Final Three Feast. Natalie says Survivor is the hardest thing she has done in her life. It has been about overcoming her fears. She needs to prove herself to the Jury, but she thinks she can win. Rob confesses that playing Survivor for 117 days over the last ten years is overwhelming. There is only one step he needs to overcome to win. He tells Natalie the errors he made in the past with the Jury, and what they should do to argue they are deserving of the money. Rob confesses that it may look like he's giving pointers to Natalie, but he's actually giving her pointers on how he wants her to play. Phillip says to Rob and Natalie that like all good things, this too must come to an end. With that, it is time for the...
Phillip says he deserves to win because his strategy was turned upside down when Rob got off the helicopter. He went and apologized to Rob for wanting to vote him out. Luckily, Rob accepted the apology and took Phillip to the end. Rob was the Mastermind, and Phillip just followed Rob's lead.
Rob thanks everyone for the opportunity to play again. If he was on Zapatera, things would have turned out differently. He won four Challenges. He formed great alliances that stuck together. He worked hard around camp, but that doesn't matter; it only matters what the Jury thinks are successful qualities. Rob has been out there for 117 days trying to climb to the top of the mountain. A third of his life has been spent playing this game, but it doesn't define him because it is all about his wife and child. He wants to win so he can make his family's life easier.
Now it's time for the Jury to ask questions. First up is Andrea. She tells Phillip he is weird, as they have seen a plethora of Phillips. Who is the real Phillip? Phillip responds that he was on the outside of the original Ometepe so, no, she didn't know him, but he is the man she experienced for 30-odd days. Andrea then says that Natalie's relationship with Rob was borderline creepy. She responds that Rob had experience in the game, so she stuck herself to him.
Ashley. She has no questions for Phillip because she is sick of hearing his voice. She will speak, but he won't speak. Of course, Phillip replies, and they bicker. She and Natalie agreed to share everything, but when she asked for a head's up on being voted out, Natalie said nothing. Natalie says that she and Rob only agreed ten minutes before going to Tribal Council to vote out Ashley. Ashley tells Rob she also put him on a pedestal, but she doesn't know who he really is, and doesn't want to.
Grant. He had an alliance with Rob too, but what was the dynamic of everyone else's relationships with Rob. Natalie says they had the same deal Rob and Grant had, and knew that Grant was a threat. Rob says Natalie asked what to do, and he told her to stick tight to him. Rob says he trusted Grant until the end, right until he thought Grant would kick his ass.
Ralph asks if Natalie couldn't do anything without Rob? Why was she afraid to do anything with him [Ralph]? She never even talked to him. Natalie answers that she wanted her tribe to know she was loyal, so she didn't fraternize with the Zapateras at the Merge. Phillip disappoints Ralph because he doesn't have a whole chicken on his head. Phillip says he likes Ralph because he worked hard, and they would have been friends if they were on the same tribe.
Matt. Rob is clearly a liar, but where is the line drawn after ten years of Survivor? How does he keep himself together after so long? Rob responds that the line is drawn when he goes back to his real life.
Julie. No one played a respectful game. When Natalie won the first Individual Immunity Challenge, Julie said how her parents will be proud of her. Will they be proud of her now? Would they be sad the way she was a servant to Rob? Phillip is there because no one likes him. Would his son be proud of the way he played the game? Phillip replies that Julie told him he was hardest worker in the game. So, to Hell with her now. Julie turns to Rob, but Phillip keeps talking, saying he kicked all of their asses. Julie then tells Rob to teach his daughter to be a strong woman, unlike Natalie.
Mike. He was able to get closer to God and make great friendships. What have they learned about themselves during the game? Natalie responds that she didn't think she would make it, being so young, but she is stronger and more capable than she thought she was. Rob replies that he learned that he needs to stop playing games. This is the last day he will play so he can take care of his family. Phillip was blessed to do something like Survivor. He's an outcast, but he can make it on his own.
Steve congratulates them for withstanding the elements. He commends Natalie because she's sitting over there, and he's in the Jury. He praises Rob for playing the game as much as he has. Steve just feels sorry for Phillip because he is a shameful person.
It's time to vote for a winner. David votes for Rob, saying he would have rather played the game with Rob than against him. Ralph votes for Phillip (and, of course, spells his name incorrectly). Jeff grabs the votes and brings them into...
...the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City! Natalie says she tried her best, and has taken so much out of the game, and yes, she thinks she could win. Rob hopes that he could win, as does Phillip. Jeff reads the votes. Vote One is for Rob. T he second vote is Ralph's vote for Phillip. Votes three and Four are for Rob. Vote Five is for Rob. Jeff reads the next ballot: "The winner of Survivor: Redemption Island...Rob!" Rob rises, kisses Amber (a fellow Survivor winner and Rob's wife) and hugs the rest of his family.
Ashley, why didn't the girls flip the script on Rob? She and Natalie knew Rob had the HII, and knew he would play it, so they couldn't go against him (though she doesn't answer why they didn't try to blindside him earlier than the Final Five). Andrea says Rob played the game with everyone as individuals, so she, and everyone else, felt close to him. If she played again, what did she take from this? Andrea replies that she needs to constantly check in, and never feel comfortable.
What did Rob see in Phillip? Rob says Phillip is a lovable guy. Imagine what it is like to come from a family of twelve like Phillip did: you're always fighting for attention. If Rob showed Phillip some love, he knew Phillip would be there for him. Jeff says to Phillip that he seems down. "Are you down?" Nope, he's just attentive.
Did Natalie ever truly consider turning on Rob? Not as long as Rob had the HII. How was the Final Tribal Council, especially with Julie being so harsh to her? She takes everything with a grain of salt and has moved on. Julie, any regrets? Yes, but at the time, she wanted to wake up the women.
Rob, when Ometepe had to turn on itself, it hurt Jeff to see him turn on Grant. Has he repaired the damage? Rob says that they first talked when they returned from Nicaragua, but he stopped hearing from Grant three episodes in to the airing of the show. Jeff says Grant's body language looks like Grant might jump Rob. Grant, clearly still fuming at the way Rob ousted him, asks where do one draw the line between calling it a game and having it be reflection of who one really is? Jeff asks Rob is it a function of playing so much that he no longer feels the game is personal? Rob answers that if you set up lines to not cross, then you worry about those lines once in the game. For his part, Jeff says Rob's victory was the closest to a perfect game of Survivor as has ever been played.
Matt now has records for winning ten of eleven Duels, and the most days on Redemption Island. He is also the first person to be blindsided twice in the same season. The lowest part of the game was when he broke down and cried. God does what He wants to, so we have to be respectful of that. Jeff asks if, given the chance to play the game again, he would change his strategy. Matt says that he started the game deciding to blindly follow his heart. Now he knows that doesn't mean disregarding logic and reason.
Andrea, there was some talk of a connection between Matt and her. Is it true? She says he is cute, but won't say if there is a love connection. Mike has protected the country as a Marine. Is the any comparison between the game and serving in the military? He learned a lot about his faith out in the game. While not the armed services, Survivor is very real, and very difficult; it's just that one's life is not on the line.
Russell, what was it like when people saw you cry? It was the hardest thing he's done in his life. He congratulates Rob for playing an excellent game, and they shake hands. Zapatera wanted him out so bad that they threw a Challenge. Russell says Jeff should be asking if Zapatera has any regrets throwing a Challenge seven days in. He is shocked that Steve says Phillip isn't a man when Steve was scared to take on Russell and gave up, especially as a former professional football player. Jeff asks if Russell would really not play again? He should say no, but tells Jeff to keep his phone number.
Jeff asks Phillip if there was a method to his madness. Yes, he saw Rob take a grip of the tribe on Day Two, and after a week, Rob still had it, so he tried to be evil. That way, Rob would see Phillip as a target and could keep the spotlight off of himself by keeping Phillip around. Plus, he played with integrity. Jeff asks for two quick answers. Has Phillip healed the race wound with Steve? Not yet, but Phillip apologizes to Steve for making a mistake, and they shake hands. Secondly, Jeff knows Phillip served in the Army, and shows a picture of him in his uniform. What federal agency did Phillip serve in? The Defense Investigator Service, and the Naval Investigative Service as a judicator. Jeff then talks to someone in the audience who trained with Phillip and confirms Phillip was a federal agent.
It was a close vote for the Sprint Player of the Season. It came down to Matt and Rob, but the winner is Rob. Jeff then talks about relationships, noting he sensed a real friendship between Ralph and Phillip. Grant proposed to his girlfriend right after he got back from Nicaragua. David has been dating Carolina, the first player voted out of Survivor: Tocantins. Jeff asks how it has been going, and whether he wants to make it more official. David then goes into the audience and proposes, though her acceptance of the proposal seems rather insincere.
Jeff then announces that for Season 23, Redemption Island is returning. Sixteen players will try to earn their own redemption on Survivor: South Pacific. Like this season, however, I would bet that the show invites two former players back. We'll have to wait and see, though it would be nice to go back to the original format of the game.
But we still have a bit of work left to wrap up on Survivor: Redemption Island. Let's take a look at my original Odds to Win:
1) Andrea 2) Mike 3) Krista 4) Matt
5) Steve 6) Ashley 7) Grant 8) Ralph
9) Julie 10) Phillip 11) Francesca 12) Russell
13) Kristina 14) Rob 15) Stephanie 16) Natalie
17) David 18) Sarita
Now let's take a look at the ultimate finishing order:
1) Rob 2) Phillip 3) Natalie 4) Ashley
5) Andrea 6) Mike 7) Matt 8) Grant
9) Ralph 10) Steve 11) Julie 12) David
13) Sarita 14) Stephanie 15) Krista 16) Kristina
17) Russell 18) Francesca
I didn't do nearly as well as last year's results, but how was I supposed to know that Rob would end up with a tribe that completely fawned over him? I figured Ometepe would take the same approach Zapatera took with Russell and vote him out as soon as possible. Instead, Rob wa able to gain the trust, somehow, of most of his tribe, and then played them like a fiddle until the end. As I have always said, my Odds to Win aren't the finishing order I predict the players will wind up in, but still, I was pretty off. All that means is that I have to pick it up for Survivor: South Pacific! And as a Broadway fan, you can bet there will be a number of references to the musical South Pacific next season. I apologize in advance.
So, that's it for Survivor: Redemption Island. What did you think of the season? What did you think about Redemption Island itself? Personally, I thought the only good part of it was the fact that Matt kept winning. If someone new had won each week, I think it would have just seemed tedious, robbing us of Reward Challenges, which are always fun. Further, the person reentering the game was at a sever disadvantage, and in both cases, was sent right back out of the game. Maybe they can tweak it before next season. Are you happy with Boston Rob winning? Are you happy that he won once he made it to the Final Three (and, therefore, avoided a Russell/Natalie Survivor: Samoa debacle)? Please leave your comments below. Survivor is now gone until the cast announcement in August, which, of course, I will cover in full here at TVOvermind. Be sure to check us out all summer for all of your Survivor and other TV news. I'll see you in August. Until then, I'm off to be proud of wearing plum-colored underwear.
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