Previously on Survivor Hamilton: Old Meets New
We finally reached the merge, with 4 players from Kobara, 4 from Nevala, 5 from Ulloo, and Elliott returning from Exile Island to make 14 players remaining in the game. With the focus shifting to everybody for themselves, the strategy and tension would be ratcheted up from here on out, starting with tonight’s first Tribal Council for Tendua.

Each of these players has had their own journey in Survivor Hamilton: Old Meets New. Our four remaining Nevala rookies April, Jon, Ruth and Sharon each had to fight through one Tribal Council after another, watching allies go home while needing to protect themselves again and again. They had each gotten through the rough 1-7 in their own ways, then needed to integrate with the Kobara veterans or go home.

Those same Kobara vets had come back to a game that seemed very easy for a month, then all of a sudden got much more intense than in previous years. On Nevala and Ulloo they thrived, while on Kobara they were taken out one by one by other vets. Now everyone is back together (minus some major targets) and the game begins anew. But where would everyone line up now that allies and ex-allies are all joined up again on Tendua?

The clearest grouping were the four “bastards” from Nevala who stuck together after the Tribe Swap, and were likely to stick together now. That Elliott rejoined the game from Exile Island only strengthened the group that contained Chris, James, Jon and Peter as well. The fact that Elliott, Chris and Jon won Immunity on Monday was icing on the cake. But when it came down to it, these were friends and rivals, and there would be a lot of voices in their ears telling them to beware of each other. Kyle was of course Chris’ brother, but he’d made a name for himself by winning Survivor Hamilton 2 around 13 years ago, and then storming back this year with target after target notched into his belt on Kobara. But could anyone trust him after all of these big moves?

Two players that probably could trust him were Sharon and Chelsea, who had also been integral to the recent votes on Kobara. Sharon and Kyle had needed to work together through necessity after the Tribe Swap, but now that she was reconnected with Jon and Ruth from Nevala – would she stick around? Chelsea also had lots of options now that all the remaining players were together on Tendua. As a power player in the challenges Chelsea was no doubt eager to make her own moves now that the game had opened up.

The last vote hadn’t gone Jordan’s way, and so after losing his uncle, his brother-in-law, and now his cousin to the chopping block, he was likely out for blood. And that leaves us with the 5 players from Ulloo. Ruth was likely grateful to be rejoined with Sharon and Jon, since she didn’t know any other players in the game. That didn’t mean she wasn’t going to make her own mark on Tendua, and keep things very interesting in the process. April was probably just hoping people would forget about the “family” for a little but, ya know!

For now she had been able to join up with Paul, Bryan and David C., but would that continue on for much longer? Paul was grateful to be in the merge this year after not having much success in his last season, but with many new and old (and older) connections, where would his allegiance end up? That left challenge beast Bryan (0-1 come on buddy get it together!) and David C. who came into the game working together – and had kept that up all game – as a potential pair that could either be snatched up or targeted.

There were so many potential alliances and targets for this first vote that it would be hard to keep track of, but there are a few things we can be sure of. By winning the first 3 Immunity necklaces on Tendua, the “bastards” had just made their target even bigger. Players were wondering who still had Hidden Immunity Idols, and they were interested in forcing their use. Nobody was sure where Rewards throughout the season had ended up, and what they were, but they were certain their appearance would cause a stir. And finally, nobody wants to sit back and do someone else’s dirty work. Every player here has a plan, and when all the cards were on the table, we’d soon find out where everyone was aligned.

Check out the below video of Tendua’s very first Tribal Council, and continue on for a reading of the votes. Remember, Chris, Elliott and Jon cannot be voted for since they won Monday’s Immunity Challenge.

So before I read the votes, we first need to know if any player will be using a Hidden Immunity Idol to protect themselves – or someone else. This first Tribal Council will help determine the rest of the game and we know that there are idols out there!

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And yes, someone WAS going to be playing an idol, but not for themselves…

Chris was going to use his hard-earned Nevala Hidden Immunity Idol on…

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So Chris (with an Immunity Necklace around his own neck) decided to save his friend Peter. Any votes cast for Peter will not count!

Let’s get to the votes…

Amazingly there are 8 votes for Peter, and none of them count! 6 votes left…

First Vote:

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Second Vote:

That’s 1 vote for Bryan, and 1 for Chelsea. 

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Third Vote:

That’s 1 vote for Bryan, 1 vote for Chelsea, and 1 vote for Kyle.

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Fourth Vote:

That’s 2 votes for Chelsea, 1 vote for Bryan, and 1 for Kyle. 

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Fifth Vote…

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By a vote of 4-1-1, the 17th player voted from the game, and 1st member of our Jury is Chelsea! What a ride for Chelsea, our most enthusiastic supporter, and a long-term veteran of the game. With many connections spread throughout the game Chelsea was always going to have lots of potential allies, but potential enemies as well. This is the third major target in a row to be sent packing, but unlike the others Chelsea is now on the Jury, and she was sent there with only 4 of 14 votes. The majority of votes went to Peter, but of course he was saved. What does this mean for the rest of the game? Will those 4 players continue to be targeted, or will this move do what it was designed to do – stir up trouble for anyone going against the “bastards”.

Only time will tell, but for now let’s just be grateful for a very exciting day, and an excellent Tribal Council. Additionally, here’s an excellent episode of PLAYED! with Meg & Mike featuring a homemade Chelsea Powerpoint!

Our next Immunity Challenge will take place tomorrow. Good luck!

MH

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