Survivor retro rewatch: Borneo episode 10, “Crack in the Alliance”

Survivor: Borneo seems to have realized that its most compelling storyline is the rise and fall of the original Tagi foursome on Rattana.

With a name like “Crack in the Alliance,” one would expect plenty of drama from episode 10 of Survivor: Borneo. This storyline of Kelly waffling on the first showed up in episode 9, something that the recap definitely picked up on. We’ve come a long way from “The Marooning,” haven’t we?

Day 28 had Gervase claim that the alliance was real. (Which, yes.) And Sean then said he still didn’t believe if it existed. The production then promptly had Colleen and Rich comment how silly it was, and finally Sean publicly talked about how he might change his strategy.

Speaking of Colleen, she also said something very important: Survivor is a game of strategy. This might be the clearest repudiation yet of the “Survivor is only about the personal dynamics” and represents a shift both in the production’s decision on how to see this alliance — and in the cast’s perception. Rich, Rudy, Kelly, and Sue made it okay to play the game, to use one of Ciera Eastin’s favorite exhortations, and all of a sudden, all of Rattana seemed to realize that.

Speaking of realizing, Sue and Kelly started forming their counter alliance against Rich. If you’d paid attention, you could have seen Sue’s strategic skills pretty early on, but this episode made it obvious that she’d been playing her own version of the game all along.

Survivor also did something it might not do so quick these days: it sent a birth announcement to Gervase for his son being born … and a cigar to boot.

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Jeff Probst quickly introduced the viewers at home to the basic reward challenge of a three-stage balance beam course set just off shore, with the reward a product-placement phone call and some pizza. Gervase, Rich, Sean, and Sue advanced first, and it came down to Rich and Gervase. Gervase ended up with the win, and viewers got to hear the “Ride of the Valkyries” as the pizza slice arrived by helicopter. He did share it, though, letting everyone take a bite if they so desired. Probst even made a special trip to Rattana so that Gervase could actually make his phone call. The show also filmed Gervase’s family answering the call.

Actually, the show actually talked a lot about Gervase’s personal life and relationships, letting others comment on it as well, so maybe the shift to strategy hadn’t happened completely yet.

But then the conversation turned to Kelly and her feelings towards the original alliance (but not the sub alliance with Sue, apparently). She explicitly talked about with working with Rich as bad, and also revealed her own strategy of going along with him until her own conscience couldn’t take it. Even then, she had a swing vote status.

The show pulled out the fire-making challenge and set it at sunset, presumably for more ominous lighting. There was also a collecting element — materials weren’t just provided. Rich ended up winning immunity.

Back at camp, Gervase and Colleen nicknamed themselves “Bullseye” and “Sitting Duck,” but they also started trying to pull Kelly and Sean in again for one last pass at Rich. That came up at tribal council, too, and Sue actually made a case for alliances in society as a whole, kind of a precursor to a famous speech we’ll talk about more when we get to the finale.

Sean and Gervase had votes shown for them, and then Probst brought the votes and said something close to his now-usual spiel — only saying “tallied” instead of “read” — before getting to it.

Alas, “Bullseye” — Gervase — went home with five votes from all the former Tagi members (yes, even Sean), while he and Colleen voted for Sean.

Next: Survivor: Borneo rewatched: Episode 9

On episode 11 of Survivor: Borneo, the alliance will once again dominate. Surprise, surprise.