SkimIt
For the second installment of the Fans vs. Favorites Survivor series, they are bringing back 10 memorable Survivor contestants. Whether it was for their quirky behavior, likeability or skill; these contestants were given a second chance at Survivor glory. They will be pitted against 10 Survivor fans with their own skill sets and dynamic personalities. Ten veterans will need to come together to defeat the Fans Tribe, and the Fans are tasked with learning the game quickly.
Survivor: Caramoan Fans vs. Favorites hosted by Jeff Probst airs on CBS at 8:00 pm ET.
Meet the Favorites
Malcolm Freberg was one of the most popular contestants on the show and he came within one challenge of winning as a contestant on Survivor Philippines.
Cochran (John Cochran) was known as the Survivor Nerd but his betrayal of the tribe during his stint on Survivor South Pacific ultimately did him in.
Brenda Lowe tried to use her good looks as an advantage on Survivor Nicaragua but this worked against her when the other females in the tribe got her booted off.
Erik Reichenbach was a fan in the first Fans vs. Favorites Survivor edition but his naivety got him booted off.
Brandon Hantz is the nephew of the infamous Survivor villain, Russell Hantz, but tried to play an honest strategy in Survivor South Pacific before his final departure.
Andrea Boehlke is a hard working farm girl that flirted her way right off of Survivor Redemption Island.
Corinne Kaplan was previously on Survivor Gabon but made far too many enemies to stay on the show.
Phillip Sheppard was labeled a crazy man by his tribe mates in Survivor Redemption Island and made a definite impression on his nemesis, Francesca Hogi. Francesca was the first to be voted off in Survivor Redemption and her and Phillip have a rivalry since the last elimination they faced together.
Meet the Fans
Michael Snow is a 44-year-old event planner. Laura Alexander is a 23-year-old administrative officer. Shamar Thomas is a 27-year-old Iraq War veteran. Allie (Alexandra Pohevitz) is a 25-year-old bartender. Reynold Toepfer is a 30-year-old real estate sales associate. Julia Landauer is a 21-year-old racecar driver. Eddie (Edward Fox) is a 23-year-old fireman/EMT. Matt Bischoff is a 38-year-old BMX bike salesman. Hope Driskill is a 23-year-old pre-law student. Sherri Biethman is a 41-year-old fast food franchisee.
Now that introductions are out of the way, let’s get on to the action!
The competition begins when both tribes land on the island. Each tribe has to pair off in twos and race to retrieve rings out in the water. While trying not to be stopped by the opposite team, the first tribe to retrieve a ring and grab their flag pole wins. The first tribe to get four wins, receives flint and twenty pounds of beans. While the competition was close, it was the Favorites that won in the end. However, it wasn't a total loss for the Fans because it enabled the tribe to see who their strongest players were in the competition. It seems Reynold, Shamar and Eddie all gave good performances in terms of strength.
Alliances Created or Renewed?
In the Favorites tribe, Phillip starts to create an alliance almost immediately, pulling in Corinne, Andrea and Malcolm. He calls this his core alliance. Francesca had spoken with Dawn and Andrea early in the competition and assumes they are still on board her alliance. However, with Phillip making his strategic moves under the radar, it seems Francesca isn't quite sure how well her strategy is working. Cochran, Francesca and Dawn all seem to be aligned but tensions run high when new people start questioning Andrea's allegiance.
Over at the Fans’ tribe, Reynold aligns himself with Allie since they competed well with each other during the initial challenge. They are quickly joined by Eddie and Hope and self name themselves the cool kids in high school. However, this is starting to draw negative attention from the rest of the tribe, especially when tribal members notice Allie and Reynold doing a little more than just snuggling for warmth at night. Laura says, "Romantic alliances don't work on Survivor and that will make them a target right away." Laura tries to rally some others to form their own alliance but Michael wants to keep his options open to see which alliance will be best for him. Michael tries to align himself with Matt, since they both seem to have similar personalities.
Elimination Challenge
The elimination challenge involves a series of towers, sandbags and a race between both tribes. While it was a close call, in the end the Bikal tribe beat out the Gotas.
During eliminations strategy negotiations, Francesca seems confident to vote out Phillip due to his irrational behavior. However, things start to get confusing when other tribal members weigh-in. Erik divulges the fact that Phillip approached him early on to join his alliance and said that they had the numbers on their side. When Erik tells this to Francesca she seems perplexed because it seems the only person he has with him is Corinne. This calls Andrea's loyalty into question and the group decides to vote Andrea for elimination at the last second. When the elimination convenes, the votes are neck-and-neck between Andrea and Francesca. However, the one vote it rested on was Cochran's. Although he and Francesca seemed to be aligned together, he ended up voting for her elimination in the end. It seems he still maintains his story of betrayal from his previous days on Survivor.
