Previously on Survivor Hamilton: Old Meets New
Nevala had lost 3 Immunity Challenges in a row, voted out David M., Wayne, and Damien, and were desperately in need of a win. In a series of head to head matches on Thursday, Nevala put up their best fight of the season, but came up short by the slimmest of margins when Paul defeated Sharon in the last match, breaking the tie. Nevala would be losing their 5th member today, but would the departure be happening at Tribal Council?

It was really brutal to watch Nevala lose Thursday’s Immunity Challenge at the last moment, when it looked like they were going to steal away the victory (short-handed even, but we’ll get back to that), only to come up empty. Ian, Jon, Sasha, Jim and Ruth each walked away with a victory against Kobara in their head to head matches. That was 5 hard-fought victories, when unfortunately they needed 6 to avoid Tribal Council.

While Kobara had had 2 weeks off from voting, no game-related stress, and were taking the time to get to know eachother better, Nevala had to focus on crushing someone’s hopes every 3 days, while trying to stay honest doing it. That goal is truly impossible, and unless you’re in a majority alliance for the entire game, you’ll need to lie to SOMEONE eventually to get past a tough vote, blindside someone, or simply move the target off of yourself.

David M. and Wayne had found out the hard way that once you were labelled as “shady” or a “liar”, the majority of the Nevala Tribe, viewing themselves as honest, would vote you right out. Because a last-second shift in the vote had sent Wayne home, the people who had built trust with Wayne were now going to need to decide whether they still trusted those that flipped; and there wasn’t much time to figure it out. On Wednesday, Damien paid the price in a wild Tribal Council that drew new lines in the proverbial sand.

Down to 11 players, Nevala would find themselves at Tribal Council again tonight, where their numbers would be reduced to 10. But Tribal Council would not be happening this time at all.

As has been known to happen from time to time in Survivor Hamilton over the years, a player has made the tough decision to withdraw from the game, saving the rest of their tribe from the vote. Marishka came into Survivor Hamilton with zero knowledge of how the game works, but with abundant positive energy and enthusiasm. Literally knowing no one but the host, Marishka quickly learned the ropes, and built a growing bond with players like Wayne and Shareed, solidifying her place on Nevala. There had never been a target on her, she’d been performing pretty well in the challenges, and she was likely to go far in the game.

For better or worse, however, real life takes priority over Survivor Hamilton, just like any other game. Over the past few weeks, like many people across the globe, members of Marishka’s family has been dealing with illness, and of course the entire family is spending a lot of time supporting each other. Family is the most important gift we will ever receive, and Marishka has been doing her part to be there for her family when they need her. As such, though Survivor Hamilton can be a distraction during tough times, it also TAKES a lot of time, and in Marishka’s case, time has never been more important.

So while I’m sad to see Marishka leave the game as the 6th player to depart, I couldn’t be more grateful that she took a leap of faith to join in the first place, and if she ever wants to play again there will be a spot waiting. Please keep Marishka and her family in your thoughts and prayers, and hug your own family a little closer this weekend. The game will continue again on Monday as regularly scheduled.

Of course there will not be a Tribal Council or PLAYED! episode tonight, but please follow me on Instagram at @mj_hammers, which is where I filmed the below IG Live video. At intervals throughout the game I’ll be doing videos like this to connect with you all, and give you some insight into the game we love! Look forward to chatting with you all!

 

 

MH

Next Episode