Post by Jeff Probst on Jan 12, 2011 20:23:42 GMT -5
At the beginning of our series sixteen castaways were stranded on the South Pacific Island Nation of Borneo. The cast was assembled to duke it out for the title of Sole Survivor, all why battling the elements, the stress, and each other.
The sixteen contestants were split into two tribes, Brunei and Sarawak, both named after provinces of the nation.
Brunei, who would always wear Purple, consisted of:
Aaron, a 22 year-old Professional Skater from Miami, Florida
AJ, a 29 year-old Body Builder from Los Angeles, California
Kendal, a 34 year-old homemaker from St. Paul, Minnesota
Kristen, a 25 year-old Adult Actress from San Francisco, California
Marielle, an 18 year-old Recent High School Graduate from Newport Beach, California
Max, a 22 year-old Artist from Brooklyn, New York
Natalie, a 40 year-old Lawyer from Columbia, South Carolina
Thomas, a 57 year-old Early Retiree from Detroit, Michigan
Sarawak, who would always wear Orange, consisted of:
Adam, a 37 year-old Bar Owner from Grand Rapids, Michigan
Craig, a 30 year-old Salesman from Lincoln, Nebraska
David, a 23 year-old Model from Los Angeles, California
Jason, a 44 year-old Journalist from New York, New York
Linda, a 21 year-old Heiress from Beverly Hills, California
Maria, a 19 year-old Pastor’s Daughter from Santa Fe, New Mexico
Nancy, a 20 year-old Student, from Sandy, Utah
Wendy, a 36 year-old Chemist from Tallahassee, Florida
From the get go the castaways were told of the season’s twist, that there would be no twist. That’s correct, right from the beginning the sixteen players were told they were completely on their own. There would be no swaps, no exile, and no idols to save them and tip a situation in their favor. Just strict social, physical, and mental gameplay, “Back to Basics”
The contestants were brought back to the location that started it all, and fittingly, they played just as the originals did, so fittingly, the game was titled, Borneo: Rebirth
There was a deep animosity between the two tribes as the competition heated up quickly and Brunei secured the first immunity victory in a battle of pure endurance, with Marielle, AJ, Aaron and Natalie contributing to the Purple Tribe’s victory.
Over at Sarawak’s first tribal Maria made waves with her strict religious views courtesy of her upbringing. Labeling Linda as worthless because of her background and condemning Jason for his sexuality, Maria was promptly and unanimously voted out from the Orange Tribe.
Following the trimming of their “fat” Sarawak steamrolled Brunei with two straight victories sending them to back to back Tribal Councils. The Purple Tribe, not being together for two long, based their votes off of social game; voting Kristen out for her cold attitude towards the others, and Thomas for not wanting to contribute or get to know the others.
During the first three episodes an underlying sense of gender inequality and gender division began to form and cement itself into both tribes. Linda, Nancy, and Wendy felt like the outcasts over at Sarawak, while Marielle, Kendal, and Natalie formed a girl’s alliance at the Brunei camp and vowed to target a strong male if they were to lose again.
At the fourth immunity challenge, Brunei broke their losing streak and sent Sarawak back to Tribal Council. During the hours leading up to said Council, it was apparent that one of the girls would be going home. Linda, desperate to save her skin, sold Wendy down the river, claiming that she was plotting to vote out each individual from the tribe. Wendy tried to counter with her own false claims that Linda would flip come merge, but Linda’s damage was already done. Nancy, wanting to remain loyal to both girls, threw a stray vote at Craig during Tribal, but ultimately was null as Wendy was voted out.
Following Wendy’s removal, Sarawak was determined to unify and send Brunei to the next two Tribal Councils, but during the fifth immunity challenge, Jason broke a clear rule and forfeited the immunity idol to the Purple Tribe. Disgusted with the rule break, gender lines were forgotten at the council and Jason was voted out, but not before he threw a vote David’s way, who he was convinced, was calling the shots.
Going into the sixth episode Sarawak was in a must win situation, while over at Brunei Max felt isolated and picked on by his tribe. Marielle, Kendal, and Natalie were firm in their alliance and were using their feminine charm to try and woo both AJ and Aaron, while Max was the only one clearly seeing what was going on. Wanting to save himself he planted the seed that Aaron wasn’t all that he seemed, but was quickly called out and ridiculed by Natalie. Following that confrontation that sparked a deeper confrontation between Natalie and Aaron, which ultimately led to a loss by Brunei and a third Tribal Council.
At the Council words and insults were slung and ultimately the girls were able to trick both AJ and Aaron, and voted Aaron out over Max, who they believed would be a bigger threat an liability to the tribe, come Merge.
Following Aaron’s exit the tribes merged and after a grueling, but impressive display of Endurance, Marielle came away with the first individual win. After the challenge all of the Sarawak members zeroed in on Max , who they detected was the outsider on Brunei’s side. Max agreed to side with them on the condition that they’d vote out his bitter rival, Natalie. Sarawak quickly and gladly complied, and at the next Tribal, Natalie was blindsided as Max successfully flipped to Sarawak’s side.
Following that Tribal, Marielle and Kendal went on a vicious rampage and accosted Max left and right for his betrayal, while AJ tried to lay low in the background. With Max in Sarawak’s pocket and an immunity win from David shutting out the remaining Brunei girls, the former Sarawaks and Max easily took out Kendal and sent her to the jury by a 7-2 vote, showing that AJ was trying to flip to try and prolong his stay in the game.
Following the removal of her final ally Marielle once again went on a tirade against Max and proceeded to show him several conversations she had with nearly all the remaining players, showing their clear dislike and disdain for Max. Finally fed up with all the harassment and ridicule from his fellow players, Max quit the game, and allowing Natalie a spot on the jury.
Following Max’s sudden and unexpected exit, the tides quickly turned in the game. Marielle and AJ knew they were on the outs, and before the next immunity challenge they approached Linda and Nancy. They relayed to the girls that they were in an alliance that would take them to only 5th and 4th place. Marielle conveyed that if they jumped to their side, they’d at least get 3rd and 4th, potentially the Final 2 if they were able to beat the Brunei duo. Convinced it was the right plan, the Sarawak girls jumped ship after the immunity challenge and voted out the male ringleader, David, in a 4-3 blindside vote.
Following the vote, both Adam and Craig were stunned and bitter by the girl’s betrayal. With their backs against the wall the two males set out to try and convince AJ to see past Marielle’s constant flirting and to try and get him to see the light behind her intentions. After Nancy’s first immunity win, Adam and Craig made one last push towards AJ to try and side with them, but AJ wouldn’t budge and Adam was voted out.
Down to the final five, it was a clear 4 on 1. Craig, no longer tolerating his tribemates, decided to focus solely on winning the next challenge. Against all odds Craig succeeded and sent the other four castaways into a frantic spiral. Both pairs tried to convince Craig to side with them, but Craig, still bitter over Nancy and Linda’s betrayal, voted with the Brunei and voted out Linda 3-2.
At the final 4, after winning his second immunity Craig sided with Nancy to try and force either AJ or Marielle out of the game, in what he saw would better his chances at getting into the Final 2. However this plan was unsuccessful as the vote tied and Nancy and AJ were forced into a tiebreak where AJ easily defeated Nancy.
At the final 3 it was Brunei vs. the last remaining Sarawak, and after a grueling series of challenges, Marielle came away with the final victory and made the choice to vote out Craig.
At the final tribal council much mud was slung at both finalists. Marielle defended her childish outbursts and moments of immaturity by overshadowing it with the fact that she played a great social game by roping in the girls and playing AJ, while also adding that into a mix of challenge wins.
AJ took a different route and played up his social game, claiming to be the guy anyone could talk to or come to for a vote.
Ultimately the game came down to what divided many from the beginning, gender, and with 4 votes, all coming from the women, Marielle was crowned the Season 1, Sole Survivor.
The sixteen contestants were split into two tribes, Brunei and Sarawak, both named after provinces of the nation.
Brunei, who would always wear Purple, consisted of:
Aaron, a 22 year-old Professional Skater from Miami, Florida
AJ, a 29 year-old Body Builder from Los Angeles, California
Kendal, a 34 year-old homemaker from St. Paul, Minnesota
Kristen, a 25 year-old Adult Actress from San Francisco, California
Marielle, an 18 year-old Recent High School Graduate from Newport Beach, California
Max, a 22 year-old Artist from Brooklyn, New York
Natalie, a 40 year-old Lawyer from Columbia, South Carolina
Thomas, a 57 year-old Early Retiree from Detroit, Michigan
Sarawak, who would always wear Orange, consisted of:
Adam, a 37 year-old Bar Owner from Grand Rapids, Michigan
Craig, a 30 year-old Salesman from Lincoln, Nebraska
David, a 23 year-old Model from Los Angeles, California
Jason, a 44 year-old Journalist from New York, New York
Linda, a 21 year-old Heiress from Beverly Hills, California
Maria, a 19 year-old Pastor’s Daughter from Santa Fe, New Mexico
Nancy, a 20 year-old Student, from Sandy, Utah
Wendy, a 36 year-old Chemist from Tallahassee, Florida
From the get go the castaways were told of the season’s twist, that there would be no twist. That’s correct, right from the beginning the sixteen players were told they were completely on their own. There would be no swaps, no exile, and no idols to save them and tip a situation in their favor. Just strict social, physical, and mental gameplay, “Back to Basics”
The contestants were brought back to the location that started it all, and fittingly, they played just as the originals did, so fittingly, the game was titled, Borneo: Rebirth
There was a deep animosity between the two tribes as the competition heated up quickly and Brunei secured the first immunity victory in a battle of pure endurance, with Marielle, AJ, Aaron and Natalie contributing to the Purple Tribe’s victory.
Over at Sarawak’s first tribal Maria made waves with her strict religious views courtesy of her upbringing. Labeling Linda as worthless because of her background and condemning Jason for his sexuality, Maria was promptly and unanimously voted out from the Orange Tribe.
Following the trimming of their “fat” Sarawak steamrolled Brunei with two straight victories sending them to back to back Tribal Councils. The Purple Tribe, not being together for two long, based their votes off of social game; voting Kristen out for her cold attitude towards the others, and Thomas for not wanting to contribute or get to know the others.
During the first three episodes an underlying sense of gender inequality and gender division began to form and cement itself into both tribes. Linda, Nancy, and Wendy felt like the outcasts over at Sarawak, while Marielle, Kendal, and Natalie formed a girl’s alliance at the Brunei camp and vowed to target a strong male if they were to lose again.
At the fourth immunity challenge, Brunei broke their losing streak and sent Sarawak back to Tribal Council. During the hours leading up to said Council, it was apparent that one of the girls would be going home. Linda, desperate to save her skin, sold Wendy down the river, claiming that she was plotting to vote out each individual from the tribe. Wendy tried to counter with her own false claims that Linda would flip come merge, but Linda’s damage was already done. Nancy, wanting to remain loyal to both girls, threw a stray vote at Craig during Tribal, but ultimately was null as Wendy was voted out.
Following Wendy’s removal, Sarawak was determined to unify and send Brunei to the next two Tribal Councils, but during the fifth immunity challenge, Jason broke a clear rule and forfeited the immunity idol to the Purple Tribe. Disgusted with the rule break, gender lines were forgotten at the council and Jason was voted out, but not before he threw a vote David’s way, who he was convinced, was calling the shots.
Going into the sixth episode Sarawak was in a must win situation, while over at Brunei Max felt isolated and picked on by his tribe. Marielle, Kendal, and Natalie were firm in their alliance and were using their feminine charm to try and woo both AJ and Aaron, while Max was the only one clearly seeing what was going on. Wanting to save himself he planted the seed that Aaron wasn’t all that he seemed, but was quickly called out and ridiculed by Natalie. Following that confrontation that sparked a deeper confrontation between Natalie and Aaron, which ultimately led to a loss by Brunei and a third Tribal Council.
At the Council words and insults were slung and ultimately the girls were able to trick both AJ and Aaron, and voted Aaron out over Max, who they believed would be a bigger threat an liability to the tribe, come Merge.
Following Aaron’s exit the tribes merged and after a grueling, but impressive display of Endurance, Marielle came away with the first individual win. After the challenge all of the Sarawak members zeroed in on Max , who they detected was the outsider on Brunei’s side. Max agreed to side with them on the condition that they’d vote out his bitter rival, Natalie. Sarawak quickly and gladly complied, and at the next Tribal, Natalie was blindsided as Max successfully flipped to Sarawak’s side.
Following that Tribal, Marielle and Kendal went on a vicious rampage and accosted Max left and right for his betrayal, while AJ tried to lay low in the background. With Max in Sarawak’s pocket and an immunity win from David shutting out the remaining Brunei girls, the former Sarawaks and Max easily took out Kendal and sent her to the jury by a 7-2 vote, showing that AJ was trying to flip to try and prolong his stay in the game.
Following the removal of her final ally Marielle once again went on a tirade against Max and proceeded to show him several conversations she had with nearly all the remaining players, showing their clear dislike and disdain for Max. Finally fed up with all the harassment and ridicule from his fellow players, Max quit the game, and allowing Natalie a spot on the jury.
Following Max’s sudden and unexpected exit, the tides quickly turned in the game. Marielle and AJ knew they were on the outs, and before the next immunity challenge they approached Linda and Nancy. They relayed to the girls that they were in an alliance that would take them to only 5th and 4th place. Marielle conveyed that if they jumped to their side, they’d at least get 3rd and 4th, potentially the Final 2 if they were able to beat the Brunei duo. Convinced it was the right plan, the Sarawak girls jumped ship after the immunity challenge and voted out the male ringleader, David, in a 4-3 blindside vote.
Following the vote, both Adam and Craig were stunned and bitter by the girl’s betrayal. With their backs against the wall the two males set out to try and convince AJ to see past Marielle’s constant flirting and to try and get him to see the light behind her intentions. After Nancy’s first immunity win, Adam and Craig made one last push towards AJ to try and side with them, but AJ wouldn’t budge and Adam was voted out.
Down to the final five, it was a clear 4 on 1. Craig, no longer tolerating his tribemates, decided to focus solely on winning the next challenge. Against all odds Craig succeeded and sent the other four castaways into a frantic spiral. Both pairs tried to convince Craig to side with them, but Craig, still bitter over Nancy and Linda’s betrayal, voted with the Brunei and voted out Linda 3-2.
At the final 4, after winning his second immunity Craig sided with Nancy to try and force either AJ or Marielle out of the game, in what he saw would better his chances at getting into the Final 2. However this plan was unsuccessful as the vote tied and Nancy and AJ were forced into a tiebreak where AJ easily defeated Nancy.
At the final 3 it was Brunei vs. the last remaining Sarawak, and after a grueling series of challenges, Marielle came away with the final victory and made the choice to vote out Craig.
At the final tribal council much mud was slung at both finalists. Marielle defended her childish outbursts and moments of immaturity by overshadowing it with the fact that she played a great social game by roping in the girls and playing AJ, while also adding that into a mix of challenge wins.
AJ took a different route and played up his social game, claiming to be the guy anyone could talk to or come to for a vote.
Ultimately the game came down to what divided many from the beginning, gender, and with 4 votes, all coming from the women, Marielle was crowned the Season 1, Sole Survivor.
