Survivor 49 just completed the pre-merge portion of the show by shaking things up one more time during episode 6. Host Jeff Probst had the 12 players, on two tribes, redraw into three tribes of four.
This unforeseen twist put everyone on edge, but it also added even more weight to the later immunity challenge. There is nowhere to hide in a tribe of four.
The most interesting tribe turned out to be the one that lost. Original Hina member Steven Ramm joined three original Uli members: Sage Ahrens-Nichols, Jawan Pitts, and Shannon Fairweather. Easy vote, right? Wrong!
Sage vs. Shannon on Survivor 49
From the beginning, Sage was somewhat of an outsider in the Uli tribe. She’s funny, but she is also very quirky, and didn’t give off much of a strategic vibe. Shannon was the social butterfly. She led meditation sessions on the beach (eye roll), and she made connections with just about everyone on her beach - except Sage.
A strong alliance of four emerged on the Uli beach, comprising Shannon, Savannah Louie, Nate Moore, and Rizo Velovic. Jawan was on the fringe, but he occasionally did dumb things, like collect wood with Savannah’s bag. Sage was on the outside because she wasn’t a great fit with the rest.
When the tribes reshuffled the first time, Shannon showed how easily she could integrate herself with the other players from other tribes. She was astute at determining what was most important to each person, then finding common ground with them.
For the audience, it is unclear whether she truly cared about those things or if she was very good at pretending. From the edit and from Sage’s observations, Shannon seemed disingenuous. Apparently, few others could see through that facade.
After the first tribe shuffle, when Sage and Shannon were the only Uli members still together, Shannon tried to mend fences and connect more with Sage. The latter played along but was not fooled by Shannon's shenanigans.
Credit Sage for also, not giving a fake hug in the moment, after she orchestrated Shannon's ouster. Shannon offered a hug, but Sage let her know that they can hug when the game is over, but that Sage didn't feel like a hug. Good for her!
Shannon thought she had a read on Sage and could control her. She did not, and she could not. Shannon decided to go after Jawan because she knew her top ally, Savannah, wanted him gone. Sage turned the tables and got Steven and Jawan on board, and Shannon was completely blindsided.
Savannah won’t be pleased with what went down.
What's real? And, what was good editing?
The Survivor edit is a real thing. While the show is mostly unscripted, the narrative is controlled by the edit. The edit has made both heroes and villains in its 49 seasons.
So, was Shannon as disingenuous as she seemed, or was that merely a product of the edit? Was her strategy for the game to be as friendly as possible?
She is obviously outgoing, and she does read people very well. If her fakeness and insincerity were intentional, then that is okay. It is a game strategy that is tricky and hard to sustain, but still a strategy.
Because of Sage’s cagey observations and some of Shannon’s (edited) confessions, this all did appear to be part of her game. And it was pronounced. She must be very good at being duplicitous because few outside of Sage picked up on it. Some of the players fell for her facade entirely, while others were slowly starting to figure her out.
Savannah won’t like the vote, and Sage might pay that price, but it was the right choice for Sage, Jawan, and Steven, in that moment. It was also an excellent decision for the audience, because Shannon was unfortunately one of the most annoying players in recent memory. Her friendliness came off as calculated, and her interest in others seemed to be only a game necessity.
The fallout of this vote should be epic, but it was the right one.