Previously on Survivor Hamilton: Old Meets New
After Kobara continued their domination of the Immunity Challenges, Nevala participated in their third Tribal Council in a row. The first result was a surprising 4-4-4 split between Sasha, Damien and April. Then, following the first re-vote of the season, Damien became the 5th player voted out of the game by a 7-2 vote.

We don’t need to spend too much time talking about what’s happening with the Nevala Tribe; it’s been well documented. There is video evidence. This group has been very quick to jump on any player deemed shady, caught in a lie, or just rubbing people the wrong way. Though sides were initially forming, the vote has jumped back and forth, from side to side, so much that it’s difficult to predict what would happen if they lost again.

Going down 4 players so early in the game has not been easy for the rookies on Nevala. Just when trust seems to be building, a tough vote comes along and shatters it, leaving the fractured pieces to try to come back together again. Both Sasha and April each did not need to be reminded of getting 4 votes against at the last Tribal Council, and so they were not willing to sit back and hope that they could get through another vote. They needed to act to solidify or grow their alliances.

On the Kobara Tribe, all was good. Talk of idols was dying down, players were spending time with their families, getting work done, and really just enjoying how relaxing Survivor Hamilton was this year. I’m sure that some of the more over-eager players were getting impatient, wishing they could take a trip to tribal just for something to do, but cooler heads would prevail. Kobara had been working tirelessly to get even better at challenges, because they did not want to let off the gas, which would encourage Nevala.

A perk of winning Immunity Challenges has been that increasing numbers of Kobara players get to sit out, gaining valuable time back in the day. This time around, the green tribe would be sitting out 3 players, but it can’t be Amanda or James, who sat out last time. Of course they did the typical thing by sitting out David C. (I hope you’re enjoying yourself!) and Jonathan, and then Peter volunteered to watch from the stands as well. So we’d have a challenge of 11 vs 11.

This Immunity Challenge would be a little different. Instead of one question that everyone needs to answer, we will be competing in 11 different head-to-head matches. One by one each pair (1 from Kobara and 1 from Nevala) would be sent an email with a trivia question, and the first from each match to answer correctly via WhatsApp message would win a point for their tribe.

The tribe with the most points after 11 matches will win Immunity. The losing tribe will have to vote someone out on Saturday. I’m sure Nevala would like some time off, so hopefully the format change can give them a chance! You could also just call this the “Google Challenge” if you want. Ready for the first matchup?

here

we

go

Match One:
VS
“Two of the largest pizza delivery chains, Domino’s and Little Caesars, started out in what mid-western US state?”

In our first match, Amanda and Andre would be the scouts for their respective tribes. The sooner they could let the rest of the tribe know the challenge had started, the more of a headstart the others would have. Well, Amanda got the correct answer of “Michigan” in just one minute before Andre, giving Kobara that early edge.

Kobara leads 1-0

…

Match Two:
 VS
“Who served as valet to Phileas Fogg in Around the World in Eighty Days?”

Anyone who knows anything, knows the answer was “Passepartout”, which both Bryan and April answered correctly. The problem for April was that Bryan answered even before Amanda and Andre did.

Kobara leads 2-0

…

Match Three:
 VS
“What was the real first name of jazz legend Duke Ellington?”

Down 0-2, Dave was probably not excited to see himself put up against Chelsea, the carbon monoxide detector of Survivor Hamilton. But at least all he had to do was Google the question exactly, and he’d find that the answer is “Edward”. But of course, Chelsea submitted first (by seconds!), extending the lead for Kobara. Things were not looking good for Nevala.

Kobara leads 3-0

…

Match Four:
 VS
“What type of pasta is usually shaped like little wagon wheels?”

I’m sure both of these guys love their pasta, but only Ian was clever enough to answer “rotelle”, as Chris had his first Immunity Challenge slip-up of the season and jumped the gun by answering “rotini” instead.

Kobara leads 3-1

…

Match Five:
 VS
“As a child, Albert Einstein had 8 years of training in what musical instrument?”

The answer was the Violin, and because only one of these 2 people spends their free time calling into radio stations to answer trivia questions, the winner was obviously going to be Cowin right? Nope! Jim swooped in with “violin” a minute before Cowin. Alright Nevala!

Kobara leads 3-2

…

Match Six:
 VS
“What is a group of lions called?”

This easy-ass question was given to Elliott and Jon, and after unsurprisingly quick answers of “pride”, the winner was Jon by the slimmest of margins. Yeah man!

We’re tied 3-3 with 5 matches left…

…

Match Seven:
 VS
“How many puppies did the dog Perdita give birth to in the classic The Hundred and One Dalmatians?”

This fun, and almost trick question, didn’t pose an issue for Google, as Graham quickly buzzed in with the correct answer of “15”, putting Kobara back in the lead!

Kobara leads 4-3

…

Match Eight:
 VS
“What as the name of the very first Space Shuttle, initially launched into space on April 12, 1981?”

Not able to sit out this week, James took on Ruth in a hotly contested match. The first player with the correct answer of “Columbia” was Ruth, tying the Immunity Challenge back up with only 3 matches remaining!

We’re tied 4-4!

…

Match Nine:
 VS
“On a standard colour wheel, what colour is opposite blue?”

Oh great, a colour question! Everyone loves those, except Jordan who responded with the correct answer of “orange” but it was a minute AFTER Sasha, which means that for the first time in a long time…

Nevala leads 5-4! Only 2 matches left, can Nevala do it?!?!?!?!

…

Match Ten:
 VS
“You may not be aware but Barbie Doll has a last name. What is it?”

Shareed was eager to take on Kyle, a school teacher, and a big gun on the Kobara Tribe. Then the question was about Barbie and they both needed to Google something we bet they never thought they would, learning that “Roberts’ was Barbie’s lame last name. But who was first? Kyle of course!

We’re tied again, at 5-5, with only… 

one

match

remaining

…

…

…

…

Match Eleven:
 VS
“Second only to Christmas, on which holiday are the most greeting cards sent annually in the US?”

Of course the answer is Valentine’s Day, but the answer didn’t matter much at such an integral, game-defining moment as this. Tied 5-5, everything came down to how quickly Paul or Sharon could correctly answer this question. For the past 20 minutes, both tribes had been frantically communicating with eachother, trying to prepare each player to get ready for their turn.

Kobara vs Nevala had never been closer than this. But which player would be by their phone, logged into their Gmail, waiting to answer their question? This one’s gonna sting. With a gap of 3 whole minutes, the winner of the final match, and sealing the deal for their tribe is…

…

…

…

Paul the tie dye guy came through in the clutch for Kobara, winning Immunity, averting disaster, and giving the returning players another weekend off! Kobara will continue to enjoy what will be a full 2 weeks away from Tribal Council.

Congrats Kobara Tribe. It was a hard fought victory, and has often happened in Survivor Hamilton in the past, one that hedged on whether or not someone was driving when an Immunity Challenge question was posted. Still, all’s fair when I don’t know where anyone is or what they’re doing.

Here are the screenshots for those of you that still wonder whether I’m tracking it correctly…

And so unfortunately, Nevala will go from 11 players to 10 over the weekend, and they will be desperate to turn it around. Hopefully this close defeat will encourage the players on Nevala that they are this close to Kobara when they all work together. These close calls can often be game-defining, so what will you learn from this experience?

Great job everyone!

MH