‘Survivor Caramoan: Fans vs. Favorites’ review: A merge, and a return to glory

Merge episodes are traditionally one of the best of any “Survivor” season, and we have to say that this one really did not disappoint. There were all sorts of twists and turns, pure hilarity (Malcolm naming the tribe after his grandmother, which we’re pretty sure is a chapter in the BR rules playbook), and also a vote that you could not see coming at the start of the episode.

Before we get to that, let’s talk merge! There was an interesting dynamic created here almost right away, as Corinne and Michael were seemingly ready to join Malcolm, Erik, Eddie, and Reynold in their alliance of six. The problem? Six is only half, and they needed to make some more moves first. There was a pretty good plan in place to target Sherri, and in some seasons we genuinely feel like it could have worked pretty well.

Next to the strategy session, the biggest surprise of the whole episode was seeing the return of the incredibly gross / entertaining food-eating challenge, where none other than Cochran proved himself to be worth of a future spot in a Nathan’s hot dog eating contest. For a little guy, he has no fear! This was his first immunity challenge win, and possibly the last given how non-physical the guy is (and he pretty much admitted it).

Now, let’s get back to tribal council … and how Corinne, a returning player who we are a major fan of when it comes to entertainment value, made an enormous mistake. She didn’t need to tell Dawn that she wanted to vote Phillip out of this game, and the entire plan was almost set in place already. Basically, she told Dawn that she had an offer to be seventh in a six-person alliance. Why would she be interested in that? We’re just glad that Cochran and Dawn literally took control, and used their strategic might in order to form a new coalition to take Corinne out of the game. The twist? They needed Dawn and Erik (who seems utterly clueless for a second-time player) in order to make the blindside happen.

At the end of the day, we are going to really miss Corinne. She mixed things up, had opinions, and was far more entertaining than Sherri, who was the other target. Ultimately, though, she just played a little too hard and sealed her own fate.

What do you think about this episode? If you want to see where we ranked some of the “Survivor Caramoan” rankings, you can do so over at the link here.

Photo: CBS