In both global thermonuclear war and in Survivor season 35, sometimes the only winning move is not to play. Is the super idol’s holder playing chess?
This article will discuss the events of the first episode of Survivor season 35: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Huslters.
Over the course of 60 minutes, the premiere episode of Survivor season 35 gave viewers a peek into the idol paranoia that Game Changers has brought these players. With only being able to watch the first few episodes of that season (in which, at that time, Tai had found all the idols in the world not held by Troyzan), it seemed like searching for idols was a necessary, but cursed move.
Of course, from minute one of this premiere episode, it was evident that one would be found. Ryan Ulrich spotted a secret advantage during the marooning, producing a super idol that could only be played at the first Tribal Council. If he wasn’t going, he could will it to another player on the tribe that would, effectively creating a bond with that player and disrupting their camp.
After Chrissy Hofbeck’s breakfast made its way back up after the first Immunity Challenge, it was clear that she was a possible vote candidate. Ryan willed it to her, hoping that she would be targeted and could flip a vote against a threat like Alan, JP or Ashley. Instead of using it on Katrina, her only true partner in the game at the time, Chrissy voted against her in a 5-1 unanimous vote.
There are methods to Chrissy’s madness in Survivor season 35’s debut. First off, by going against the majority alliance by using the super idol, she would be putting a bigger target on her back. One could argue that she has a target inherently due to her being the only remaining member of the Mom Squad (the shortest-lived alliance ever).
Knowing that Alan Ball is trying to blow up JP and Ashley’s games by acting like a lunatic, the tribe is ripe with discord. By not using the super idol, she inherently thwarts Ryan’s plan of creating even more chaos by laying as low under the radar as possible. While other players are firing off against each other, Chrissy can play to be a number on either side.
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More importantly, by not using the super idol, she effectively has a fake idol that looks like a real one (because it was). There is no amount of string, beads, bronze and craftsmanship available on the island to make a fake look as good as the real thing, meaning she can now use it to bring someone in to be her partner.
During the preview for the next episode of Survivor season 35, Chrissy is shown running off with Ben to convince him to work as a team. I’m convinced that she showed him the idol, proving to him that she’s loyal to her while convincing him they’re capable of making some big moves when push comes to shove.
Chrissy Hofbeck is an actuary; it’s her job to assess future risk with mathematical equations. There’s likely nothing that’s happened she hasn’t thought about thrice over since the start of Survivor season 35, so it’s not like she made a snap decision.
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Not using the super idol is a bold, but calculated move in Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers. Let’s see if it pays off.