As the oldest member on her tribe, no one expected Janet Carbin to be this clutch in challenges and as a tribe provider in Survivor: Island of the Idols.
One of the biggest strengths of Survivor: Island of the Idols so far is its diverse and intriguing cast. We’re just one episode in and castaways are already jumping out at us for their unique personalities, and Janet Carbin is a perfect example. Thanks to her clutch challenge performance and her strong presence back at the Vokai camp, Janet is our MVP pick of the season premiere.
As the oldest female castaway in over 20 seasons, Janet had the self-awareness to recognize she could be an easy first target. She wasn’t about to let that happen. Without sounding arrogant or overconfident, Janet expressed her willingness in trying to start a fire without flint.
When she made that statement about starting a fire with bamboo, I thought it wasn’t going to end well. Thankfully, I couldn’t have been more wrong as Janet walked the walk and remarkably made a fire without flint in no time.
It’s true that the game has evolved, as providing for a tribe by no means guarantees your safety, but Janet’s actions showed her dedication to Vokai. It proves that she’s not going to be a liability for them, allowing the target to shift away from her and closer to Jason and Dan. As great as her fire-making scene was, she also stole the show during the Immunity Challenge.
She fought hard throughout the obstacle course, and then it came down to landing a grappling hook. For Lairo, 28-year-old Dean Kowalski, who was a High School and Collegiate basketball player, got outplayed by a woman more than twice his age! While Dean struggled with the hook and even had someone replace him, Janet landed her’s right away, giving Vokai the lead.
On top of her challenge performance, Janet even found some success in the social game. While the edit didn’t show her join any alliances yet, Janet was the person both Kellee and Molly went to when they wanted to talk about Dan’s touching. If Janet can continue being that caring player that others can confide in, then she can be more than a hard-working tribe member.