Survivor: Palau - Finale! [Spoilers]

[CrusaderX]

I wished Ian would have won. As pointed out, the guy did nothing wrong. Yet Tom berated Ian mercilessly. I lost all respect for Tom after that - the guy became a paranoid bully by the end of the show. Ian and Steph showed a heck of alot more character than Tom did, even though I realize character doesn't win you the game.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

I wished Ian would have won. As pointed out, the guy did nothing wrong. Yet Tom berated Ian mercilessly. I lost all respect for Tom after that - the guy became a paranoid bully by the end of the show.

I didn't see it that way at all. The reason Tom was so upset with Ian wasn't really that he broke their alliance, it was that even after it had been revealed, Ian wouldn't own up to it. He kept trying to weasel out of admitting his move, instead of just coming out and taking ownership of what he'd done. That last night before the final challenge, if Ian had just looked Tom in the eye and said "Yes Tom, I broke our alliance. I'm playing this game to win, and let's face it, you'd be incredibly strong in the final two. Knowing that, I wanted to get you out of the game before it came to that. I respect you as a man, and I'm sorry it had to be done, but the best chance of me winning that million bucks was to make sure I wouldn't be facing you in the final two." He could have avoided all the verbal abuse.

But no, instead he spent all night trying to convince Tom that he hadn't really decided to vote Tom off, and trying to simultaneously convince Katie that he wasn't betraying her right then, but denying the pact he'd made with her and Jenn. He came off as a weasel. As far as I'm concerned, Tom was perfectly justified in his anger towards Ian.

The one thing I want to know, though, not having seen every episode this season. Why was Coby so angry with Tom? What exactly did Tom do to Coby that made him so angry? Coby made a lot of accusations towards Tom and seemed to have some real venom built up toward him, which took me by surprise.

 

[CrusaderX]

I didn't see it that way at all. The reason Tom was so upset with Ian wasn't really that he broke their alliance, it was that even after it had been revealed, Ian wouldn't own up to it. He kept trying to weasel out of admitting his move, instead of just coming out and taking ownership of what he'd done. That last night before the final challenge, if Ian had just looked Tom in the eye and said "Yes Tom, I broke our alliance. I'm playing this game to win, and let's face it, you'd be incredibly strong in the final two. Knowing that, I wanted to get you out of the game before it came to that. I respect you as a man, and I'm sorry it had to be done, but the best chance of me winning that million bucks was to make sure I wouldn't be facing you in the final two." He could have avoided all the verbal abuse.

But no, instead he spent all night trying to convince Tom that he hadn't really decided to vote Tom off, and trying to simultaneously convince Katie that he wasn't betraying her right then, but denying the pact he'd made with her and Jenn. He came off as a weasel. As far as I'm concerned, Tom was perfectly justified in his anger towards Ian.

And I don't see it that way at all. Ian made no true pact with Katie and Jenn. Jenn asked Ian if he would vote Tom off, and Ian said yes. But he also told Tom that he'd stick with him to the final two. Obviously, Ian was "playing the game" and lying to someone, but it's much more likely that he was lying to Jenn at that point, rather than Tom. Ian never admitted lying to Tom, because I don't believe he ever did. Ian just kept saying he was "playing the game", and it seems that "playing the game" in this case meant simply lying to Jenn.

Ian tried to explain all of this to Tom, but Tom and Katie both refused to hear it.

From beginning to end, Ian, not Tom, was the most honorable person there.

 

[Hand of Evil]

The one thing I want to know, though, not having seen every episode this season. Why was Coby so angry with Tom? What exactly did Tom do to Coby that made him so angry? Coby made a lot of accusations towards Tom and seemed to have some real venom built up toward him, which took me by surprise.

We really did not get to see a lot of interaction with that tribe as focus was on the Ulong tribe but I think Coby just saw Tom as everything he disliked in 'middle-America' and they just rubbed each other wrong.

I felt for Ian, he really was the most noble but Tom AND Kattie saw the weakness and hammered the wedge in, they knew he was at his limits.

 

[JoeBlank]

I agree that Ian probably would have avoided some of the criticism from Katie and Tom if he had just owned up to what he was doing. He played a pretty good game, but just could not lie convincingly at the end. But without him Tom would have probably lost Katie, maybe even as early on as the Gregg-Jenn-Katie alliance, and would not have won.

And I don't see it that way at all. Ian made no true pact with Katie and Jenn. Jenn asked Ian if he would vote Tom off, and Ian said yes. But he also told Tom that he'd stick with him to the final two. Obviously, Ian was "playing the game" and lying to someone, but it's much more likely that he was lying to Jenn at that point, rather than Tom. Ian never admitted lying to Tom, because I don't believe he ever did. Ian just kept saying he was "playing the game", and it seems that "playing the game" in this case meant simply lying to Jenn.

Ian tried to explain all of this to Tom, but Tom and Katie both refused to hear it.

From beginning to end, Ian, not Tom, was the most honorable person there.

But at the final four tribal council Katie asked Ian if he had lied to her in the last 24 hours, and he replied "No." So when he told Katie that he would vote with she and Jenn, and against Tom, he was telling the truth, or at least that is what he wanted Katie to believe at the time.

Katie was just as guilty as Ian of letting emotions run her game. Her pouting about losing her best friend when Ian took Tom on the reward after winning the car would have been worth it if it had been towards a purpose, such as a women's alliance.

 

[Cthulhudrew]

Ian tried to explain all of this to Tom, but Tom and Katie both refused to hear it.

It still kills me that Ian didn't point out to Tom and Katie that, hey, Katie was also willing to throw Tom to the wolves if he didn't win the next immunity challenge. Then again, I think Tom was already aware that Katie was likely to tip the boat if she felt it helped her chances... and you'd have to be a sucker not to want to take Katie to the final Two.

 

[CrusaderX]

But at the final four tribal council Katie asked Ian if he had lied to her in the last 24 hours, and he replied "No." So when he told Katie that he would vote with she and Jenn, and against Tom, he was telling the truth, or at least that is what he wanted Katie to believe at the time.

I thought that conversation was mainly between Ian and Jenn, not Ian and Katie, even though Katie was there too. But maybe I'm remembering it wrong.

And I have no doubt that Ian told a bunch of little lies to various people througout the season - as did every player. But I still don't see any hard evidence that he was going to turn on Tom.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

And I have no doubt that Ian told a bunch of little lies to various people througout the season - as did every player. But I still don't see any hard evidence that he was going to turn on Tom.

*shrug* In Ian's testimonials at the time, he seemed pretty solid about voting Tom off.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that Ian is a snake because of what he did. Voting Tom off would have been the smart move. But Ian lost respect in Tom's eyes because he wouldn't own up to it. He still clung to the facade of being honorable, even after it was blatantly clear that he hadn't been. And that annoyed Tom. Not the betrayal, but the continued insistance that he hadn't done what he obviously had. Every denial was another lie.

And as far as buying into Ian's story that he hadn't really decided to vote Tom off, I think Ian's sacrifice is proof that he had. If he really hadn't made up his mind, then Tom's accusations wouldn't have weighed on him. It's because he had turned on Tom that Tom's beratement affected him so much, and he eventually decided to give up any chance at the million to try and make up for what he'd done.

But that's just me. And most of the time we're in the same boat as the Survivors themselves, trying to read people's true strategies from their tone, expressions, attitude, etc. So everyone's MMV.

but I think Coby just saw Tom as everything he disliked in 'middle-America' and they just rubbed each other wrong.

Maybe so. But when it came Coby's turn to ask his question at the final Tribal Council, he said that Tom played the game "as dirty as I wanted to" and basically accused Tom of being two-faced throughout the game. It felt like Coby had really been reamed by Tom at some point, harshly. Not just "I don't like people like you." Ah, well. Guess it'll remain an unanswered question in the back of my mind.

 

[Wolf72]

In defense of Ian, Survivor is not just challenges, alliances and game play to get you to the end, there is a lot of mental fortitude too; you learn a lot about who you are and end up doing some soul seaching (11 hours on a pole), Ian just was not mentally disciplined and started to crack. I think he was a good man in a bad spot.

Tom said it too ... Ian just didn't have the [mental] maturity.

IMO the 'All-Stars' shouldn't have any previous winners ...

 

[stevelabny]

Ian's dive was essentially the end of the game. Katie never had a chance. It would have been interesting to see Tom and Ian face off in the end but the way it turned out simply cemented this season as the best since Season 2. Next season will most certainly be a letdown until they have some characters that are just as interesting.

Just to prove you cant please everyone all the time. Here's my take:

Ian's dive cemented this season as the WORST survivor since season 2 (when the dumb redneck gave away a million dollars to tina while 14 of the most boring people ever assembled on television looked on). Having some like Janu quit, is no big deal, but when you get down to the FINAL THREE and someone just gives up? UGH. shoot me.

This season was a disaster: from less than exciting personalities, to a complete massacre of one-tribe, to ian quitting. Next season would almost have to be better by default.