‘Survivor Cambodia: Second Chance’ spotlight: Can Andrew Savage be anything other than a leader?
If you look back over the history of “Survivor,” Andrew Savage is one of those guys who you always reference when it comes to being screwed over by a twist. The Outcast Tribe was a crazy-fun TV moment and we’re glad it happened for that reason; however, it also remains one of the most unfair things we’ve ever seen. We were not sure that someone like Andrew was ever going to be given a second chance.
What we saw in “Pearl Islands” was that this was a guy with leadership skills and an ability to do well in the challenges and around camp, and he also was a solid alliance member you could trust. However, where he struggled sometimes was in the realm of empathy, and making people feel okay when they were in a little bit of danger. We know that Andrew can play the game in one gear, but one of the missions in “Survivor Cambodia: Second Chance” for us as a viewer is figuring out if he has another gear.
History lesson – 10th place, “Survivor: Pearl Islands.” Known for wearing the suit jacket, leading the Morgan tribe on a comeback before the Outcasts entered the picture, and then ultimately the big twist itself. The return of Lil to the game wrecked much of what Andrew was doing, given that she held it against him for being voted out. She flipped at the merge, and this sealed his fate in a 6-4 vote. As a player, his history is fairly clear-cut.
What worked last time – We feel like Andrew was a strong, confident player, and someone who had a mind for bolstering his alliance. We think that he was loyal for the most part, but he was not so blind as to think that sticking with one group was the right way to go if he was in danger. We think that he anticipated a variety of different moves in the game, but understandably never thought that people would return to the game, and his past actions would come back to haunt him.
What needs to change – The biggest thing? He needs to learn how to not be a leader, since on a returning-player season the last thing that people want to do is have someone tell them want to do. He will need to let other people control more of the game, given that he’s also more than ten years older and may not be as solid in the challenges as he once was. Finally, he just needs to be careful with the words that he chooses, and that he doesn’t make someone ever feel like they are on the bottom.
Potential obstacles – We feel like there are some in-game comparisons that could be made between Andrew and Brad Culpepper, though we don’t think Andrew is as hard-headed when it comes to playing the game a certain way. There will be preconceived notions about his leadership skills and intensity that he will have to battle, and maybe even some who don’t like the fact that he and Jeff Probst have had at least a casual friendship over the years. Even if it doesn’t help him in the game whatsoever, sometimes people find silly things to be jealous over.
Prediction – In looking at Andrew’s tribe, he is working with people like Stephen, Kass, Keith, Jeremy, and someone who saw Brad’s game well in Ciera. These are not people we see meshing well with him and his style of play. He’s probably going to come in here aggressive, and seeking redemption for what happened to him so many years ago in Panama. In turn, this aggressiveness could be his undoing. We just don’t see many scenarios where Andrew makes it as far as he did the first time.
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