Survivor: David vs. Goliath – Why was _____ voted out in 19th place?

The very first Tribal Council of Survivor: David vs. Goliath brought forth the second elimination of the David Tribe as they scramble for an identity.

The first victory of the season was a fleeting one for the David tribe. As Survivor: David vs. Goliath has proven in its first two episodes, the underdog has an uphill battle to climb on the path to victory (if such a thing can be certain), while the champions remain champions.

As Christian alluded to early in Survivor: David vs. Goliath episode 2, without having gone to Tribal Council, alliances and partnerships are fleeting. Everyone’s trying to hold onto a group, but there’s no line in the sand until their first vote draws it out. Unfortunately for Jessica Peet, one of the stronger social players of her tribe, she was undermined by her own strengths.

Because Nick was the agreed voting target in the first episode (before Pat was evacuated from the game), he decided to kick up his gameplay in order to stay more than just three additional days. His new partnership with Christian, the Mason-Dixon Line (even though both Maryland and Kentucky are south of the line), plays a crucial part. They want to be in the know when it comes to the vote.

Even though Carl was pushing for Nick to go home first in the previous episode, he knew that getting rid of all the strongest people on the tribe first would be a detrimental strategy against the titans of muscles over on the Goliaths. That’s when he got Bi, Elizabeth, Jessica and Nick together to pitch getting rid of their “weakest” player; Lyrsa.

Little did Carl know that Elizabeth and Lyrsa already made a pact to help each other out, so she immediately ran off later to tell Lyrsa as she exasperatingly detailed how she won the shelter kit for her tribe. Thankfully, she didn’t pull a Natalie Cole and explode on everyone opposing her, instead bottling her emotions and playing the game with mental fortitude.

Lyrsa was shown a bit frustrated during the Immunity Challenge, forcing puzzle pieces in places they don’t belong. However, the entire David tribe was floundering in the heart, leading to the “swift” one-hour-plus annihilation by the Goliath tribe. It seemed as though they had a 45-minute lead at all times, and actually communicated with each other to accomplish their task.

Communication is key in Survivor, as when people aren’t talking to you and making you feel comfortable, that can send up warning alarms. When Bi and Jessica told Gabby everyone’s voting for Lyrsa, the two others couldn’t expand or give any information other than vague terms and “easy vote” descriptors.

If you’re trying to whip the first vote of Survivor, it’s imperative to build towards a team to go forward rather than pretend the tribe is 100% going to vote against every “target” afterward. That made it easy for Lyrsa and Elizabeth to approach Gabby, pitching Jessica as their target. By doing so, Jessica and Carl, plus Jessica and Bi, would become a pillar of the opposite side, making her the perfect target.

With Gabby working on Christian’s emotions, who debated with Nick over which player (Jessica or Lyrsa) to vote out, Survivor: David vs. Goliath episode 2 became a focus on relationships and how you approach people in the game. Gabby already solidified a relationship with Christian in the first episode, and that paired with her playing into Christian’s desire to be a leader helped gather Christian onto her side in this vote.

When Tribal Council came around, Lyrsa spoke to her strength, while Jessica chided in about if you play the game only at tribal, then you need to re-check yourself. It was a bit of arrogance in playing the game with an expected vote and letting sleeping dogs lie. Jessica did not have a read like Lyrsa did, as she was voted out 5-4 in a blindside due to the fact that the game played faster than she did.