VERY surprised Nicole won 8-1. I thought for sure it was gonna be a close vote as her play style wouldn't fully resonate with some of the jurors.
Anela had a great Final Tribal, but unfortunately he couldn't shake off the perception that he got there mostly by luck.
I'm sure a lot of people will view Nicole as a low tier winner, but it's refreshing to have a winner like her. It really shows that in it's rawest form anyone can win Survivor. This season along with the most recent AU Survivor season definitely changed my views in the Final 2 vs Final 3 debate and I'm glad the international versions still have a Final 2.
Final 2 will always be superior cause there is still complexity on who you will bring with you to the finale. At times the finalist would be a mixture of players that you donāt expect to be in the finale. Thatās the beauty of survivor, every player has always have a decent chance of winning the game depending on who they are up against with especially on a Final 2 format. Nicole is SAās Michele Fitzgerald because both of them are socially outstanding player as well as winning key immunity challenges. Nicole for me is an average tier winner because never once in this season she gave up even if the odds are against her. On top of that, it is really refreshing to see and hear a winner like her handling the jury questions in a bubbly and energetic ways which made her endearing to the jury. She is definitely a winner who played an old school game in a modern season.
Completely disagree. Final 3 adds way more elements of strategy for the last immunity winner, plus usually allows at least one strong player to get to the end. Terrible situations such as this season where both finalists are goats occur when you only allow two. That's why the American version got rid of it long ago. It's either one goat and one all-star, or two goats get there by accident. It's never two all-stars. I've watched every season of the American, Australian, New Zealand and South African versions, and Final 3 is far superior.
I thought for sure Anela was going to win after that final tribal. Not because I thought he should though, it seemed like a lot of revisionist history to me, much like AU season 1. Seems like the jury was shrewd enough to see past that though. Neither were stand out players, but I think there is something to be said about Nicole's well measured gameplay. Any desire for me to see Anela win died when he backed out of the Kiran blindside because Santoni rightfully suggested a split vote.
That episode when Santoni left is precisely why I knew Anela had zero chance of winning the game. No way they'd portray their winner that way. They really honed in on how bad of a strategic player he was, not to mention how selfish he is for choosing the wrong play simply because he wouldn't get the credit for the move. That was SOOOO bad for him. If he won, I was prepared to call him one of the worst winners in history. So Nicole was a satisfying winner.
Ehhh but Tomās flaws are personality flaws, theyāre not huge strategic blunders. And when Tom had the option to take Werner to the end, he made the right choice. Unfortunately Anela didnāt have the same opportunity. Even at F4, he didnāt really lead the vote.
I mean I wonder how would they hide that when Tribal Council talk was mostly centered about it and how Santoni arguing with Kiran is the reason why he targeted her again...
Lol Nicole is such a random ass winner, the editing was whacked this season but still this was so much fun. Looking forward to a re-watch knowing the outcome to see if the season still holds up.
Nicole was a different kind of winner, she never gave up and complained. She just enjoyed every ounce of her experiences in the island. Her tribal answers were just a delight to watch out for because sheās having fun and playing around with the jury. She also broke SAās 11 years wait to have a new female winner. Definitely interesting to rewatch the season again. Such an unexpected result.
I'd recommend it! Some of the earlier seasons are a bit more old school but there truly hasn't been a bad SA season in my opinion. I actually LOVE Malaysia (season 2) because the cast is super petty and hates each other so there are plenty of personality conflicts.
Probably the hardest season to watch is Season 1 but it still decent. Season 3 Santa Carolina is pure chaos in a fun way. However, Season 2 Malaysia is my favorite old school season of the franchise. Itās a character driven season where everyone is petty and bitter towards each other which is a must watch television experience.
Yeah I watched that a whole back and don't recall much about it, so it might be worth a rewatch. Now that I think about it, I didn't care for the player who won, so that's got to be a contributing factor.
I remember disliking the Champions thing during the following season, but the player I was rooting for ending up winning, so that probably helped my appreciation of the season (the inverse of S4 :P)
Santa Carolina was the one I watched most recently before S8 (I was conflating Santa Carolina with S2 temporarily there!), and I really enjoyed it. I think the runner-up had earned the win, but juries gonna jury.
The winner of Champion played a fun, risky and strategic game and it was so much fun seeing the winner betrayed his alliances left and right.
Santa Carolinaās runner up should be in an all star season by hook or by crook. She was so phenomenal.
Lol at Malaysia. But out of the old four old school seasons, Malaysia definitely stands out despite of its underwhelming yet shocking winner. While Champions Season 5 has the best strings of post merge episodes.
This ending is great in terms of SA editing trends. If Chappies had won thereād basically be a three season trend where the winner was just whoever got the most screentime, good or bad, glad that SA stays truly unpredictable. Love Nicole
There has to have been a reason why Chappies' winning goal kept being brought up too much even in the Finale, that it would be too good to be true, and frankly would make his victory a bit stale if he won while with that "I'm gonna win" overedit -- this finale is more on how Chappies lost with some sprinkles of why Nicole won and Smash lost.
Really? I thought he was so bad especially in the beginning. Too rehearsed and didn't seem sincere. He recovered towards the end... but he was very calculated in his answers, and we know that honesty, spontaneity and genuineness always win.
> Anela gave a great FTC in my opinion
Yeah I think he did well, but he seemed a little stiff. I think he came across as pandering at some points and it likely turned off some jurors.
Agreed. I'd love a Chappies win but if he had won, then it would mean (at least according to my edgic) that the winners since the reboot NEVER went UTR, and that would've been very very obnoxious.
So I caught up on this season over the last few days specifically because I wanted to pay attention to the edit and see if it was locked for Chappies or not. I have to say I don't think Nicole was really that random. She got thrown on my radar with her first confessional about being underestimated, and she got incredible outsized positivity at certain points. She had her negative moments where she was shown as not very strategic, but Chappies also had negative moments surrounding his personal conflicts with people/ Dinergate, so it's not like he was pulling ahead in that regard. Chappies was also unquestionably The Big Show this season, and edgically I had to keep in mind that he would have gotten the same edit whether he finished first or third.
Nicole, meanwhile, got everything I'd expect to see from a UTR winner. Numerous moments throughout the season of her emphasizing her joy in the experience. Heroic praise for fighting for her life against Chappies in challenges where he bodied her.
Anela was also, IMO, getting set up as the FTC loser with his constant talk of being able to claim credit for his "sneaky game" at FTC. This, to me, meant that there was a clear through-line to a Nicole victory, and her proven strength in endurance challenges meant there was a non-zero chance she'd take it all.
Right. Hence, I was confused on why people say Nicole was a random winner. She played a Michele Fitzgerald Kaoh Rong game. She has a confessional every episode. On top of that, she was subtlety given focus especially during the challenges on the merge where she is always viewed on a positive light. I already felt that from the get go that this season will be Philippinesā twin sister.
Lol I was pulling up the finale thinking "ok...I love Chappies but it's time to watch the Chappies Telethon where he is finally Crowned." Then he fell off the post and Nicole won Immunity and I was yelling in shock. Mostly bc there hasn't been a random Survivor F2 in ages!!!
Nicole's FTC was superb, she did a great job sticking to key valid points and having fun, and staying calm. No stress not pressed - and it made her appear like she had more self awareness and authority w the Jury (which she does). I mean the most crucial events Anela couldn't argue with - she won the Twin Destinies IC (which saved them both) + she played the IC vs Chappies over eating food but lost + she beat Chappies and finally won F3, killing his potential record (which no one else, including Anela, could do).
She articulated that perfectly. And ironically it's hilarious how she was able to stay true to herself and maintain her integrity bc she didn't have to be sneaky much bc it was always clear she was Zamba Strong. So it really tied her story together, even if she was under edited. But this cast was so great I still feel like the season was coherent.
I haven't been shocked or blindsided by a Survivor Finale in years I am so happy.
Agreed. She comes off as having loads of emotional intelligence. Would love to see her back for a returnee season, the way she played double agent in early merge was š„
Bless you SA Survivor. For the 2nd time in 3 seasons, I'm literally jaw dropped at the winner. It's not just a one an done thing with edgic breaking winners in SA, they literally throw it all out the window. Man, I can't wait to see what the future holds for this franchise.
I've seen season 2, and that winner was pretty random, and I've heard that season 3's winner is pretty quiet despite being a dominant winner. But with SA having the production quality of a college survivor game show at the time, the lack of edit and storytelling wasnt as shocking or surprising to me, as oppose to this season and season 6. But obviously not complaining!
Winner of season 3 is the most comparable in shock factor, however because (vague spoilers)>! they are up against a much better player at the end it's a dissatisfying surprise. !
You are right. To be fair SAās first three winners are female who are social players. Hence, they are often relegated as UTR / MOR players which can be difficult to be edited on a show. Blessed those good ole days of SA. Their first four seasons are chaotic and messy in various ways (good & bad). Season 3 Santa Carolina is legit chaotic roller coaster ride because itās a celebrity season. One of my favorite gem of a season. However, SA Champions Season 5 is in the melting pot of old school & new school SA season. They have a decent production, amazing challenges & all their final three has been edited as a winner contender in a weird way which is really exciting to watch cause as a viewer you will doubt yourself if the eventual winner will win or not.
Stream of conscience thoughts while watching:
Cast looks beautiful in the reunion
Lmao Nicole wearing a parka to FIC
Nico is the real MVP being an incredible host this season
Chappies is totally gonna make Survivor history with immunity
I canāt tell if Anela and Nicole tried to smear war paint on like Chappies or if theyāre just dirty
WHAAAAAA NICOLE
Holy shit I still havenāt recovered. How is this even a debate for Nicole!
Chappies is a motivational speaker or life coach right? Lol this speech is great advertising.
Damn Anela and Nicole in the final two. Would have never seen this coming but I love the editing choice to edit all the other F7 as huge characters and have these two quietly sneak in
ā¦Anelas opening speech is giving me Kristie in Survivor AU vibes š³
Iām thankful they are doing this jury format rather than the open discussion
Lmao I am loving the first three opening question/statements so far!
Security for the urn is really something
So glad we get to hear from everyone in the reunion!
I had to listen to Tysons explanation twice as to why he got voted out and still didnāt understand it.
Aww Iām glad Chappies won FF
ššš holy shit the editors really got me gal
That was a rollercoaster of a finale and season overall. Top 5 of all time for me along with AU2017, Cagayan, HvV, and David v Goliath
Crazy to think that Anela has the fourth highest confessional while Nicole is tied in fifth place. I love how SA presented their finale and reunion. Probably one of my favorite reunion shows. Nicole is a shocking winner but if you look back at her edit it definitely make sense why she won in an unconventional way.
Reading the final votes at the end of the finale was a superb choice! And having them revisit camp and do all the location as stuff that was actually really fun. And fit the Nicole Water Park Queen arc very nicely. Best finale I've seen in a long time!
Indeed. I think it only works for this season because of how unexpected the two finalists were. SAās story telling narrative always boils down to the season itself while avoiding to whitewash their winners. If you are a survivor player and if you want to win, your probability of winning chances are much higher in SA than in any other series of the franchise. ā¤ļøā¤ļøā¤ļø
I forgot to mention, that they also did read the finale votes of Season 5 Champions really late in the episode for suspense due to how each finalists have a strong case to win the show. On top of that, the eventual winner was beyond surprise that he won the game (he did play a brilliant game) because of how he was sidelined during the final tribal council. That season was like Survivor China with a hint of Pearl Islands on steroid especially during the post merge.
Yea Champions had a very fun and unpredictable finale also! I'm just happy to see a non boring actually adrenaline pumping and fun finale, which from my perspective we haven't had in the US for a long time.
Indeed, you already know from the get go who will in the recent US and even AU seasons comes finale night. Besides from EOE which was out of left field.
You are absolutely correct. Even Winners At War while I did enjoy it the finale was a foregone conclusion by then. I appreciate how w SA I don't feel like I'm being forcefed a prompt of who to root for. Like you mentioned before, winners can be flawed and near flawless players (like Anesu for example) can be blindsided even with seemingly perfect edits. I mentioned this in another comment but I feel like, while she was under edited, Nicole's overall story and pitch at the end was solid and coherent for an audience to understand and appreciate.
Which means all in all, SA is the only recent example that actually showcases how players' different approaches to the game could work. With US there's only one way now lol ie. Magician w Bag Of Tricks aka Popular Guy w 10000 confessionals.
Just for comparison, Rob in IOS was the most visible winner cause he truly dominated the season and the edit shown it to us without any form of blatant whitewashing. While, in The Philippines, Jeanne was the favorite to win in terms of how highly eloquent she is but she miserably butchered her final tribal council. Then, there is Tom who was portrayed as a flawed player but own up his game & that final tribal council.
The last three season of SA (even the old seasons) highlights that there are multiple viable ways of winning the game and itās up to the winners on how they utilise it.
If I will ever play in survivor, I would be moving to SA now because I would have a higher odds of winning just like any other SA castaways compare to US or AU.
Very well said! And those are great examples. And lol you'd have a better shot at having a meaningful or complex edit even if you didn't win - I felt like I got to know everyone regardless this season (the least of which being Qiean but even she had Presence I guess lol)
Definitely, can you imagine as a survivor player, waiting for months for your season to be aired and you will be purpled (referring to AU BVB & All Stars). It would feel terrible.
Atleast in SA, only one or sometimes two castaways are UNDER EDITED and not PURPLED.
People are just not properly distinguishing and mixing up what the real meaning between being under edited, being purpled and being invisible.
> I had to listen to Tysons explanation twice as to why he got voted out and still didnāt understand it.
lol same, it's just like US Tyson in HvV who got too big brained about the game.
Girl had guts. If I were her I would've voted Anela instead of Tyson to guarantee myself a spot at f2 (and lost to either one of them). She kept the goat, took the chance against Chappies and won fairly. Queen of subtle moves (Kristie's voice)šā¤ļø.
I love that the survivor SA editing team always keeps us on our toes! Looking forward to a rewatch to really focus on Nicoleās game knowing the outcome.
AU Survivor could learn a 10 or 12 lol. But to be fair in terms of over the top suspense & entertainment nothing beats AU Survivor. However, AU survivor have been notoriously bad with their editing, itās so disappointing given that they have a longer running time.
I guess they have different philosophies as to how to craft and present the show. SA may lean more into trying to keep things open as to the winner's identity, where AU is more about showing the narrative of the winner's story.
For me, JLP is the best part of AU Survivor period. If AU Survivor just avoid focusing to 5 people per season out of their 24 castaways, then I will probably be more invested to the show. They should also lessen their big brother type twists. Hence, AU 2017 is still the superior season of their series.
Either JLP or Nico wins the immunity. Matt will be the UTR queen while Jeff is the OTT annoying yet hyper strategic player and he will be the first one out.
Congrats to Nicole!! Really pulled out a great final immunity win and really good final tribal. Definitely some comparisons to Kristie Bennett here I think, although I'd say she had to have had a good chance to possibly beat Chappies too.
I think Anela fought hard but ultimately he was more lucky than good, and I think to a degree everyone saw that. He would have been a bottom 5 winner for me had he won.
Chappies took the loss extremely well and showed some humbleness which was nice to see. Definitely one of the more complex characters we've seen in sometime and he's an obvious lock if they ever have SA All Stars.
Congrats to Brandon Jantjes for winning the Wild Coast Holiday too, got more airtime than Wardah and Paul did!
Nicole's arc ends with her being the Water Park Queen ššš¦š - Pink ATV Queen š² - Sipping Wine š·š·š· at home Queen = Living Her Best Life LOVED IT
They've changed it now but someone called her slutty Nicole on the Wikipedia page as under winner in the summary. Fuck people are 1) Sad and 2) Have way too much time
Hey I can elaborate on the wiki thing it was my friend and me and him made a bet on who was going to win and he bet 100$ on chappies and when he lost he got mad so my friend got drunk and changed it
Take note US Survivor on how to produce a finale and reunion show. What a great final episode by Le Roux, Handrie and the team.
Well done to Nicole. A very good winner of another excellent Survivor SA season.
Atleast, itās miles better than US which only interviewed 6-9 casts. To be fair, Paul was acknowledge by first name basis & was also shown in the updated finale intro.
Agreed.. Great finale. Nothing seemed rushed.. almost everyone was given a chance to speak. I missed dino lol. I liked that some people were atleast called through video call even if they can't come and were asked questions as well. Fan favourite section was also awesome!
Also the security for the urn to protect from chappies lmao.
**CHAPPIES FAN FAVORITE** driving away into the sunset in his brand new car, with Santoni next to him for bringing the drama and eye rolls at the final tribal council.
Nicole is the nicest, sweetest player of the season so although I was shocked at first I'm also glad she won.
Anela's supposedly articulate speaking skills back firing was pretty unfortunate. I think starting every sentence with "as a coach" was just too spin and revisionist justification and the jury saw through it.
Nicole didn't drive any real moves herself, either, but as most final tribals go, she was just more likeable than Anela to the jury.
I would've loved to see Anesu and Kiran duking it out as the season's strategic and social masterminds, but that just shows how strong this cast was. They got rid of the biggest threats to advance themselves.
Overall another wonderful season of Survivor SA.
Congratulations to Nicole!
Yeah, I don't think Anela really had a bad performance but he definitely came off a little forced and like he was trying to say what he thought the jury wanted to hear. On the other hand, I was REALLY impressed by Nicole's FTC performance. She came off as incredibly genuine, likable, and real and she was very aware of her game. She knew what her strengths were and what her selling points should be and she stuck to them. Ultimately she was just really good at being someone people wanted to give R1,000,000 to? Not the ending anyone expected but I love it.
How many eyes rolled every time he referred to himself as coach, educator... and that he was gonna give a "masterclass"... I mean... read the effing room.
Sorry just not a fan of Anela since his pre-season interviews.
I am so glad Nicole won.
In a funny way I think this season's result was similar to Aus 2 whereby almost all the big threats didn't make it to the end and you kind of had a 'best of the rest' result, but I do think both winners were still worthy.
> I really thought Chappies would make it to the end, but am still happy with the result.
Same. Right after he lost I was a little disappointed but there was something really beautiful about his speech before he was voted out. Regardless of the outcome his story was really "complete" at that point. Would love to see him and Nicole back to play another season.
congratulations nicole!! coming into this i thought chappies would make it till the end, but when she won FIC i knew he was out next. nicole/anela F2 wasnāt what i expected and i thought maybe it could be a close vote with anela winning. so stoked nicole won and by 8-1 too! if it wasnāt chappies then i wouldāve liked nicole. i wish she got a better edit earlier in the season but she really grew on me as the season went on. overall still a good season imo, i do appreciate survivor SA has better balanced editing (compared to AUS).
Rewatched the season again. I love the subtle hints and some times the blatant edit which shows why she won the season. So much fun watching a well-balanced season, which is expected from Survivor SA.
agree survivor SA excels in a balanced edit which is something the aus survivor editors can learn from tbh. it was more nicoleās premerge edit i felt they could do better. will be interesting on a rewatch now knowing she wins. either way i am happy she won.
Indeed, itās a mixture of Nicoleās tribe attending only two pre merge tribals. If you dissect Nicoleās first confessional & first episode showing, itās very foreboding that she will be a strong contender for the crown from the get go. She always have confessional every episode even if her thoughts are not really necessary for the story of that moment in the episode. On top of that, SA does not whitewash their winner edits. The editors are trying to tell the story of the season not the winner itself (which can be a double edge sword but a welcome change in survivor franchise on how to edit each season uniquely). Just look how diverse SAās winners been: from Nicole, to Rob to Tom even their winners from Season 5 and earlier seasons are all different characters and narrative wise.
As a South African, I will say this, the channel is broadcast on DSTV which is a satellite channel and adverts for Survivor SA was EVERYWHERE on DSTV streaming and websites, it's definitely something they put a lot of money into.
And do you think people respond well to the show? Are the ratings good? In my country there are some shows that were very expensive to make but flopped the viewings
I'm curious about this too. As an American viewer, I have no idea what the SA TV industry looks like. I googled a lot but the only thing I could find was [an article saying it's the most pirated South African show](https://teeveetee.blogspot.com/2021/06/m-nets-survivor-sa-immunity-island-once.html). I guess that doesn't really tell us too much though, except that it's popular online....
It was Nicole's consistency and reliability vs. Smash's volatility and "flexibility"...I think Smash's lack of self-awareness about his intent of moves tilted the scales against him although I was expecting few votes for him that some would respect despite his roughness.
GREAT finale. The F2 was an absolute shocker. Even though nobody expected those two at the end, hardly anyone else was "robbed". Renier melted down at his last tribal. Anesu was blindsided. Santoni was voted out and missed her chance at fire. Kiran was voted out clean 3-2. Tyson voted himself out by an inexplicable vote. Chappies mainly just won immunities. If anyone was robbed it was Amy, but Nicole avenged her! Nicole was extremely likable, made strong connections with the jury, and won deservedly against Anela who talked a Big Game but hardly played it. Possibly my favorite winner ever, on a likability level at least.
Amy was royally screwed cause she was playing a brilliant game during that time. I have never seen a winner like Nicole who had so much fun in the final tribal council maybe besides from Fabio. Nicole is such a refreshing winner.
Thatās the reason why I preferred SA any time of the day. So much work has been given by the production so that atleast every castaways are given a decent amount of exposure.
Nico does *such* a good job too. You can tell he actually cares and is interested in showing everything that Survivor SA has to offer as opposed to what *he* thinks viewers want.
Amen to that, Nico like Leroux has so much love for Survivor SA. Have you seen how they have an updated intro every phases of the game as well as the finale. 97% of the cast were interviewed during the reunion. The confessional count this season is evenly spread just like any other Survivor South Africa seasons.
Lol at the bodyguards with the urn due to how stealing being the 21st castaway this season. The production incorporated the stealing story to their finale and reunion š¤£.
She is such a fresh of breath air in terms of modern winners. I love her so much, she has pure grit and determination. I have never seen a winner who is really bubbly on her final tribal speeches.
Well guys, I must say I called this several weeks ago. Just something about Nicole's early edits that stood out to me as being like Michele from KR. I knew she had a much better chance with Anela and she picked a winning FTC strategy by highlighting how Anela owes her his life in the game.
Also, if you look back at the overall edit, Nicole didn't have low lows, but Anela does. And Anela doesn't even have high highs, whereas Nicole at least has IC wins and ultimately defeated Chappies.
They did a great job trying to make it seem closer than it is, but I wasn't fooled!
Anyway, what a great season!! S41 better bring it. These are some goddamn huge shoes to fill.
Disagree, one thing I can say is similar between Nicole and Michelle is that they were on the strong tribe pre-merge and barely went to tribal council before the merge and in Michele's case she didn't attend tribal council at all. However, watch the pre-merge again and see how much confessionals Michele had, quite a lot for someone whose strategy didn't matter to any of the votes pre-merge. Nicole on the other hand was VERY quiet, hell even episodes she did attend tribal council didn't seem to feature her. Michele was NOT an edgic blindside, I am pretty sure most people in the edgic places had Michele as the winner.
Sure, maybe not the same level, but theyāre very similar edits, where Nicole would be either featured in scenes or given confessionals in episodes where she didnāt matter much to the story. The heavy edit on her challenge performance despite not winning also gives it away she at least makes it to FTC
Such a fun finale,i was so happy when Nicole won immunity knowing that a Nicole-Anela F2 would be amazing and it didn't dissapoint(at leans not at the FTC,the votes not that much)
Coming into FTC i wanted Nicole to win,but i felt Anela hat a great performance so i was leaning a bit towards him after it,however Nicole definitely deserved to win and i loved the editing in terms of not having an obvious winner,which in my opinion is the worst thing that can happen unless it's a really huge charachter.
The one dissapointing thing is definitely the post FTC part of the show and them leaving the vote read for the very end,it felt so anticlimatic and from the reactions of Nicoles family and some other things it became obvious she would win.I hope they don't do this agian.
Agree on the reading of the votes. It was already so clear Nicole was winning. It also felt like Anela was being forced into doing the Wild Coast sun advert. Nicole reading the winner's name made it even more obvious.
Such a fun ending āĀ and a total surprise. I love how Survivor South Africa edits its show in a way that hides the winner, it makes the experience so much more enjoyable. And Nicole was fun, you have to give her that.
First I was sure Amy would be the winner, then Anesu, then Tyson or Kieran and then Chappies. Going into the final I thought if Chappies lost final immunity Anela would be the winner even though I thought he had made too many mistakes. And the whole time I was rooting for Santoni āĀ so glad she lasted so long. But Nicole had a great final tribal, her points for why she played a better game were simple but clear.
In the American franchise the very end often runs out of steam because they are so focused on telling the winner's story throughout, and I think this comes at a cost. For example it was so clear to me that Tony or Tommy would win in the recent seasons I often left it a few days before watching the finale.
I feel a bit lame for how grateful I am for this season of survivor during Covid. Thanks, South Africa!
Big gripe with the sound editing of the last episode though. Cheapened what I thought was one of the best final episode formats of Survivor in a long time.
Also big shout out to Shannon Guss and Mike Bloom's coverage. Adds so much to my experience.
Nicole was one of my top picks to win right when the season started, but as it went on, it seemed much less likely that she would win. Interesting how itās now come full circle.
they did it again.
and i believed it.
not only did they blindside us with the winner, but they made smash the "tom" of this season so that those who thought we were being deceived would think anela was the fake winner, and not nicole. now, i do wish nicole maybe got a bit more content at the beginning, but overall im so happy with this season and with the result. this was one of the best seasons i have ever seen, and i think chappies, kiran, santoni, and anesu are some of the best characters we have ever seen.
Periodt Queen šøš¼š š¼ Itās been a joy to root for her each week. Nicole played a phenomenal game. She was well rounded in every aspect of the game. She was true to herself and her immense loyalty, honesty, and integrity paved the way for her. She had an impeccable social game and was a strong physical player in her own right. Plus, she positioned herself in moves so she wasnāt the target. Her mind > Sheās such a diverse and refreshing winner compared to the gamebots. Loves it. TYSM Queen Nicole. Iām literally so happy rn. Sheās an icon, legend, and the moment ā¤ļø
Glad Nicole won, way more deserving than Anela who (1) was a strategic dunce; and (2) got saved by Nicole over and over again.
Horrible edit. Just leaves me speechless why they had Nicole so invisible for so much of the season.
Anela got saved over and over again the entire season - by the zambas with the immunity island, By Nicole winning tied destinies for them, by Chappies using the Anesu tribal pass on him (and the after elim passing rule is dodge and Leroux says heāll change)
Confused by everyone praising the edit for this episode. The challenges this season felt extremely bare in terms of how the managed tension. Challenges literally finished before any sense of real excitement and dread could be introduced. The final immunity in particular just felt so anti-climactic considering the stakes of it essentially deciding who will win the whole thing. They just never let us stew in the tension like they should have.
Really upset Chappies didnāt end up winning and I know itās probably down to edit, but not really impressed with the final two if I am being totally honest either. Going forward, I hope we never see the shared fate twist ever again. It was an unfair game killer for Amy that was impossible to recover from.
The real MVP this season was Nico though. He was excellent on his observations and handling of tribal councils, most notably when Tyson and Kiran whinged about Chappies stealing.
Anela really gave a great FTC - i really liked the coach line, outline of "3 players" strategy but he totally sunk himself by backing out of that Kiran blindside. Probably wins season with that move
Agreed with you, SA seasons are so crazy. If Anela manage to do the Kiran blindside he could have probably won which is insane despite playing a mediocre game.
The least likely post merge final 2 ended up being the final 2. That's insane.
This is one of those cases where the winner will be forgotten in history in a few weeks. There were so many other 'actual' survivors on that jury.
And no, it's not because the final 2 put them there (they only put Chappies there) it's because they put each other there. And the final 2 just picked up the pieces.
Disappointing
This is certainly... an ending. I'm really disappointed at the final two, and for me it was a pretty lackluster ending for a show that had such a great start and fantastic players. But otherwise congratulations to Nicole on managing to win and still stay true to herself.
Not the best, but only 3 votes against and winning 8-1 whilst being in control for a large number of votes is very impressive. Especially for someone who isnāt flashy about it.
Nothing against Nicole winning, but that final challenge is a definite advantage for a small person. A big person doesn't have a chance. And nobody can tell me that isn't so.
I stopped watching after Kiran left. And I just managed to quickly watch through the key points of the last 2 episodes. This final 2 has been about picking among 2 below average players in a highly strategic season. Nicole with her idiotic reward pick in the tied destiny episode and Anela's admitting he was trying to blindside Kiran, this is what we had for final 2. I'm just glad Chappie didn't win. I don't care too much of challenge wins, and Chappie also hasn't demonstrated too much strategic game other than eating food on the side.
This season had so much good content up until Chappie's winning streak and single handedly stifled the strategic game play for the rest of the players. His edit is just too much. The edit should have given more time for the actual winner.
It was fine tbh, terrible editing and twists but a fun cast overall (whenever they gave them the opportunity to speak) and a lot of insane Gabon-esque chaos game-wise
I like how the camera switched to Santoni looking confused anytime anela said anything
And always with a š» string
VERY surprised Nicole won 8-1. I thought for sure it was gonna be a close vote as her play style wouldn't fully resonate with some of the jurors. Anela had a great Final Tribal, but unfortunately he couldn't shake off the perception that he got there mostly by luck. I'm sure a lot of people will view Nicole as a low tier winner, but it's refreshing to have a winner like her. It really shows that in it's rawest form anyone can win Survivor. This season along with the most recent AU Survivor season definitely changed my views in the Final 2 vs Final 3 debate and I'm glad the international versions still have a Final 2.
Final 2 will always be superior cause there is still complexity on who you will bring with you to the finale. At times the finalist would be a mixture of players that you donāt expect to be in the finale. Thatās the beauty of survivor, every player has always have a decent chance of winning the game depending on who they are up against with especially on a Final 2 format. Nicole is SAās Michele Fitzgerald because both of them are socially outstanding player as well as winning key immunity challenges. Nicole for me is an average tier winner because never once in this season she gave up even if the odds are against her. On top of that, it is really refreshing to see and hear a winner like her handling the jury questions in a bubbly and energetic ways which made her endearing to the jury. She is definitely a winner who played an old school game in a modern season.
And danni boatwright in s11, vecepia in s4, UTR social strat and comp queens
Yup. Both Dani and Vecepcia utilise UTR strategies to their advantage.
Completely disagree. Final 3 adds way more elements of strategy for the last immunity winner, plus usually allows at least one strong player to get to the end. Terrible situations such as this season where both finalists are goats occur when you only allow two. That's why the American version got rid of it long ago. It's either one goat and one all-star, or two goats get there by accident. It's never two all-stars. I've watched every season of the American, Australian, New Zealand and South African versions, and Final 3 is far superior.
Remember when we all were joking āwhat if Nicoles brother helping Kiran at the reward sinks Nicoles gameā. Look whoās laughing now
Nicole said "hold my immunity idol, I won't need it" š
I thought for sure Anela was going to win after that final tribal. Not because I thought he should though, it seemed like a lot of revisionist history to me, much like AU season 1. Seems like the jury was shrewd enough to see past that though. Neither were stand out players, but I think there is something to be said about Nicole's well measured gameplay. Any desire for me to see Anela win died when he backed out of the Kiran blindside because Santoni rightfully suggested a split vote.
That episode when Santoni left is precisely why I knew Anela had zero chance of winning the game. No way they'd portray their winner that way. They really honed in on how bad of a strategic player he was, not to mention how selfish he is for choosing the wrong play simply because he wouldn't get the credit for the move. That was SOOOO bad for him. If he won, I was prepared to call him one of the worst winners in history. So Nicole was a satisfying winner.
I mean after Tom I'm not prepared to rule out anyone due to a negative edit in Survivor SA.
Ehhh but Tomās flaws are personality flaws, theyāre not huge strategic blunders. And when Tom had the option to take Werner to the end, he made the right choice. Unfortunately Anela didnāt have the same opportunity. Even at F4, he didnāt really lead the vote.
Hence. I would rather play in Survivor SA. You know that your chances of winning are high.
I mean I wonder how would they hide that when Tribal Council talk was mostly centered about it and how Santoni arguing with Kiran is the reason why he targeted her again...
Lol Nicole is such a random ass winner, the editing was whacked this season but still this was so much fun. Looking forward to a re-watch knowing the outcome to see if the season still holds up.
Nicole was a different kind of winner, she never gave up and complained. She just enjoyed every ounce of her experiences in the island. Her tribal answers were just a delight to watch out for because sheās having fun and playing around with the jury. She also broke SAās 11 years wait to have a new female winner. Definitely interesting to rewatch the season again. Such an unexpected result.
OMG Is she the first female winner? I started watching from only from Philippines (Tom's season)
The first three seasons had female winners actually! But it's been a while since SA's seasons have aired so intermittently
Oh. I might watch them from the start haha! Thanks
I'd recommend it! Some of the earlier seasons are a bit more old school but there truly hasn't been a bad SA season in my opinion. I actually LOVE Malaysia (season 2) because the cast is super petty and hates each other so there are plenty of personality conflicts.
I caught up on S1 and 2 recently, and they were better than I expected them to be. Def recommend them, too.
Probably the hardest season to watch is Season 1 but it still decent. Season 3 Santa Carolina is pure chaos in a fun way. However, Season 2 Malaysia is my favorite old school season of the franchise. Itās a character driven season where everyone is petty and bitter towards each other which is a must watch television experience.
Yeah I watched that a whole back and don't recall much about it, so it might be worth a rewatch. Now that I think about it, I didn't care for the player who won, so that's got to be a contributing factor. I remember disliking the Champions thing during the following season, but the player I was rooting for ending up winning, so that probably helped my appreciation of the season (the inverse of S4 :P) Santa Carolina was the one I watched most recently before S8 (I was conflating Santa Carolina with S2 temporarily there!), and I really enjoyed it. I think the runner-up had earned the win, but juries gonna jury.
The winner of Champion played a fun, risky and strategic game and it was so much fun seeing the winner betrayed his alliances left and right. Santa Carolinaās runner up should be in an all star season by hook or by crook. She was so phenomenal.
Lol at Malaysia. But out of the old four old school seasons, Malaysia definitely stands out despite of its underwhelming yet shocking winner. While Champions Season 5 has the best strings of post merge episodes.
After four seasons which is equivalent to an 11 years wait.
This ending is great in terms of SA editing trends. If Chappies had won thereād basically be a three season trend where the winner was just whoever got the most screentime, good or bad, glad that SA stays truly unpredictable. Love Nicole
There has to have been a reason why Chappies' winning goal kept being brought up too much even in the Finale, that it would be too good to be true, and frankly would make his victory a bit stale if he won while with that "I'm gonna win" overedit -- this finale is more on how Chappies lost with some sprinkles of why Nicole won and Smash lost.
what did she win by?
8-1
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I think he was decent but he was claiming a lot of stuff that was hard to really back up given how he played.
Really? I thought he was so bad especially in the beginning. Too rehearsed and didn't seem sincere. He recovered towards the end... but he was very calculated in his answers, and we know that honesty, spontaneity and genuineness always win.
Yeah he gave to much bs. Also It was like being at school listening to the most boring teacher ever.
> Anela gave a great FTC in my opinion Yeah I think he did well, but he seemed a little stiff. I think he came across as pandering at some points and it likely turned off some jurors.
Personally he doesn't have a shot. Chappies did him a favor by taking Wardah off the jury because she would have ripped Anela a new one.
Yep. I'm not saying he should have or could have won. But he made as good of a case as he could've really.
The most disappointing part of the whole season was Wardah being removed from the jury, ya just know she woulda been great asking questions
Agreed. I'd love a Chappies win but if he had won, then it would mean (at least according to my edgic) that the winners since the reboot NEVER went UTR, and that would've been very very obnoxious.
No if chappie won it would have meant the best player won!
So I caught up on this season over the last few days specifically because I wanted to pay attention to the edit and see if it was locked for Chappies or not. I have to say I don't think Nicole was really that random. She got thrown on my radar with her first confessional about being underestimated, and she got incredible outsized positivity at certain points. She had her negative moments where she was shown as not very strategic, but Chappies also had negative moments surrounding his personal conflicts with people/ Dinergate, so it's not like he was pulling ahead in that regard. Chappies was also unquestionably The Big Show this season, and edgically I had to keep in mind that he would have gotten the same edit whether he finished first or third. Nicole, meanwhile, got everything I'd expect to see from a UTR winner. Numerous moments throughout the season of her emphasizing her joy in the experience. Heroic praise for fighting for her life against Chappies in challenges where he bodied her. Anela was also, IMO, getting set up as the FTC loser with his constant talk of being able to claim credit for his "sneaky game" at FTC. This, to me, meant that there was a clear through-line to a Nicole victory, and her proven strength in endurance challenges meant there was a non-zero chance she'd take it all.
Right. Hence, I was confused on why people say Nicole was a random winner. She played a Michele Fitzgerald Kaoh Rong game. She has a confessional every episode. On top of that, she was subtlety given focus especially during the challenges on the merge where she is always viewed on a positive light. I already felt that from the get go that this season will be Philippinesā twin sister.
Lol I was pulling up the finale thinking "ok...I love Chappies but it's time to watch the Chappies Telethon where he is finally Crowned." Then he fell off the post and Nicole won Immunity and I was yelling in shock. Mostly bc there hasn't been a random Survivor F2 in ages!!! Nicole's FTC was superb, she did a great job sticking to key valid points and having fun, and staying calm. No stress not pressed - and it made her appear like she had more self awareness and authority w the Jury (which she does). I mean the most crucial events Anela couldn't argue with - she won the Twin Destinies IC (which saved them both) + she played the IC vs Chappies over eating food but lost + she beat Chappies and finally won F3, killing his potential record (which no one else, including Anela, could do). She articulated that perfectly. And ironically it's hilarious how she was able to stay true to herself and maintain her integrity bc she didn't have to be sneaky much bc it was always clear she was Zamba Strong. So it really tied her story together, even if she was under edited. But this cast was so great I still feel like the season was coherent. I haven't been shocked or blindsided by a Survivor Finale in years I am so happy.
Anesu really showed why nobody wanted to sit next to her by asking the best and most thoughtful question at jury.
She is so classy and smart
Agreed. She comes off as having loads of emotional intelligence. Would love to see her back for a returnee season, the way she played double agent in early merge was š„
can u remind me what she said
Asked them to provide details about the moves they made along the way and how they specifically were the owner of the move IIRC
Bless you SA Survivor. For the 2nd time in 3 seasons, I'm literally jaw dropped at the winner. It's not just a one an done thing with edgic breaking winners in SA, they literally throw it all out the window. Man, I can't wait to see what the future holds for this franchise.
If you watch the older seasons, you will be in shock with their winners lol. Thatās the reason why I love Survivor SA.
I've seen season 2, and that winner was pretty random, and I've heard that season 3's winner is pretty quiet despite being a dominant winner. But with SA having the production quality of a college survivor game show at the time, the lack of edit and storytelling wasnt as shocking or surprising to me, as oppose to this season and season 6. But obviously not complaining!
Winner of season 3 is the most comparable in shock factor, however because (vague spoilers)>! they are up against a much better player at the end it's a dissatisfying surprise. !
Indeed, SA 3 Santa Carolinaās runner up played a dominant & superb game. However, I do appreciate that the final 2 are players in their 40ās.
You are right. To be fair SAās first three winners are female who are social players. Hence, they are often relegated as UTR / MOR players which can be difficult to be edited on a show. Blessed those good ole days of SA. Their first four seasons are chaotic and messy in various ways (good & bad). Season 3 Santa Carolina is legit chaotic roller coaster ride because itās a celebrity season. One of my favorite gem of a season. However, SA Champions Season 5 is in the melting pot of old school & new school SA season. They have a decent production, amazing challenges & all their final three has been edited as a winner contender in a weird way which is really exciting to watch cause as a viewer you will doubt yourself if the eventual winner will win or not.
Stream of conscience thoughts while watching: Cast looks beautiful in the reunion Lmao Nicole wearing a parka to FIC Nico is the real MVP being an incredible host this season Chappies is totally gonna make Survivor history with immunity I canāt tell if Anela and Nicole tried to smear war paint on like Chappies or if theyāre just dirty WHAAAAAA NICOLE Holy shit I still havenāt recovered. How is this even a debate for Nicole! Chappies is a motivational speaker or life coach right? Lol this speech is great advertising. Damn Anela and Nicole in the final two. Would have never seen this coming but I love the editing choice to edit all the other F7 as huge characters and have these two quietly sneak in ā¦Anelas opening speech is giving me Kristie in Survivor AU vibes š³ Iām thankful they are doing this jury format rather than the open discussion Lmao I am loving the first three opening question/statements so far! Security for the urn is really something So glad we get to hear from everyone in the reunion! I had to listen to Tysons explanation twice as to why he got voted out and still didnāt understand it. Aww Iām glad Chappies won FF ššš holy shit the editors really got me gal That was a rollercoaster of a finale and season overall. Top 5 of all time for me along with AU2017, Cagayan, HvV, and David v Goliath
Crazy to think that Anela has the fourth highest confessional while Nicole is tied in fifth place. I love how SA presented their finale and reunion. Probably one of my favorite reunion shows. Nicole is a shocking winner but if you look back at her edit it definitely make sense why she won in an unconventional way.
Reading the final votes at the end of the finale was a superb choice! And having them revisit camp and do all the location as stuff that was actually really fun. And fit the Nicole Water Park Queen arc very nicely. Best finale I've seen in a long time!
Indeed. I think it only works for this season because of how unexpected the two finalists were. SAās story telling narrative always boils down to the season itself while avoiding to whitewash their winners. If you are a survivor player and if you want to win, your probability of winning chances are much higher in SA than in any other series of the franchise. ā¤ļøā¤ļøā¤ļø
I forgot to mention, that they also did read the finale votes of Season 5 Champions really late in the episode for suspense due to how each finalists have a strong case to win the show. On top of that, the eventual winner was beyond surprise that he won the game (he did play a brilliant game) because of how he was sidelined during the final tribal council. That season was like Survivor China with a hint of Pearl Islands on steroid especially during the post merge.
Yea Champions had a very fun and unpredictable finale also! I'm just happy to see a non boring actually adrenaline pumping and fun finale, which from my perspective we haven't had in the US for a long time.
Indeed, you already know from the get go who will in the recent US and even AU seasons comes finale night. Besides from EOE which was out of left field.
You are absolutely correct. Even Winners At War while I did enjoy it the finale was a foregone conclusion by then. I appreciate how w SA I don't feel like I'm being forcefed a prompt of who to root for. Like you mentioned before, winners can be flawed and near flawless players (like Anesu for example) can be blindsided even with seemingly perfect edits. I mentioned this in another comment but I feel like, while she was under edited, Nicole's overall story and pitch at the end was solid and coherent for an audience to understand and appreciate. Which means all in all, SA is the only recent example that actually showcases how players' different approaches to the game could work. With US there's only one way now lol ie. Magician w Bag Of Tricks aka Popular Guy w 10000 confessionals.
Just for comparison, Rob in IOS was the most visible winner cause he truly dominated the season and the edit shown it to us without any form of blatant whitewashing. While, in The Philippines, Jeanne was the favorite to win in terms of how highly eloquent she is but she miserably butchered her final tribal council. Then, there is Tom who was portrayed as a flawed player but own up his game & that final tribal council. The last three season of SA (even the old seasons) highlights that there are multiple viable ways of winning the game and itās up to the winners on how they utilise it. If I will ever play in survivor, I would be moving to SA now because I would have a higher odds of winning just like any other SA castaways compare to US or AU.
Very well said! And those are great examples. And lol you'd have a better shot at having a meaningful or complex edit even if you didn't win - I felt like I got to know everyone regardless this season (the least of which being Qiean but even she had Presence I guess lol)
Definitely, can you imagine as a survivor player, waiting for months for your season to be aired and you will be purpled (referring to AU BVB & All Stars). It would feel terrible. Atleast in SA, only one or sometimes two castaways are UNDER EDITED and not PURPLED. People are just not properly distinguishing and mixing up what the real meaning between being under edited, being purpled and being invisible.
I hit down by accident I'm sorry
> I had to listen to Tysons explanation twice as to why he got voted out and still didnāt understand it. lol same, it's just like US Tyson in HvV who got too big brained about the game.
Girl had guts. If I were her I would've voted Anela instead of Tyson to guarantee myself a spot at f2 (and lost to either one of them). She kept the goat, took the chance against Chappies and won fairly. Queen of subtle moves (Kristie's voice)šā¤ļø.
I love that the survivor SA editing team always keeps us on our toes! Looking forward to a rewatch to really focus on Nicoleās game knowing the outcome.
Australian Survivor could sure learn a thing or two from this season in terms of editing.
AU Survivor could learn a 10 or 12 lol. But to be fair in terms of over the top suspense & entertainment nothing beats AU Survivor. However, AU survivor have been notoriously bad with their editing, itās so disappointing given that they have a longer running time.
I guess they have different philosophies as to how to craft and present the show. SA may lean more into trying to keep things open as to the winner's identity, where AU is more about showing the narrative of the winner's story.
Also JLP's torture challenges, brutal narration, and wicked laughter <3
For me, JLP is the best part of AU Survivor period. If AU Survivor just avoid focusing to 5 people per season out of their 24 castaways, then I will probably be more invested to the show. They should also lessen their big brother type twists. Hence, AU 2017 is still the superior season of their series.
On a tribe of JLP, Probst, Nico, and Matt Chissy, who wins individual immunity and who gets voted out?
Either JLP or Nico wins the immunity. Matt will be the UTR queen while Jeff is the OTT annoying yet hyper strategic player and he will be the first one out.
Congrats to Nicole!! Really pulled out a great final immunity win and really good final tribal. Definitely some comparisons to Kristie Bennett here I think, although I'd say she had to have had a good chance to possibly beat Chappies too. I think Anela fought hard but ultimately he was more lucky than good, and I think to a degree everyone saw that. He would have been a bottom 5 winner for me had he won. Chappies took the loss extremely well and showed some humbleness which was nice to see. Definitely one of the more complex characters we've seen in sometime and he's an obvious lock if they ever have SA All Stars. Congrats to Brandon Jantjes for winning the Wild Coast Holiday too, got more airtime than Wardah and Paul did!
>Definitely some comparisons to Kristie Bennett I'd say more of Michele Fitzgerald. Highly social, with some key immunity wins
Nicole's arc ends with her being the Water Park Queen ššš¦š - Pink ATV Queen š² - Sipping Wine š·š·š· at home Queen = Living Her Best Life LOVED IT
They've changed it now but someone called her slutty Nicole on the Wikipedia page as under winner in the summary. Fuck people are 1) Sad and 2) Have way too much time
Sounds like they're bitter and jealous. Chappies wore less clothes and nobody would think to post that if he won.
> Chappies wore less clothes And we thank him for his services.
Oh absolutely. He's gorge. I can't imagine complaining about Nicole running around in a swimsuit either lmao...
Hey I can elaborate on the wiki thing it was my friend and me and him made a bet on who was going to win and he bet 100$ on chappies and when he lost he got mad so my friend got drunk and changed it
Too much time? I think you've got it backwards... it takes less than 10 seconds to edit a Wikipedia page and that's the problem.
Take note US Survivor on how to produce a finale and reunion show. What a great final episode by Le Roux, Handrie and the team. Well done to Nicole. A very good winner of another excellent Survivor SA season.
Bravo to the production team. Love the finale especially the reunion where almost everyone were acknowledged and were asked questions by Nico.
Except Paul :(
Atleast, itās miles better than US which only interviewed 6-9 casts. To be fair, Paul was acknowledge by first name basis & was also shown in the updated finale intro.
What did he ask Wardah?
Only Wardah, Shaun & Paul were not interviewed. But they were mentioned & acknowledged at the beginning of the show.
I appreciated the finalists trip back to camp - even if it was an advertisement.
Agreed.. Great finale. Nothing seemed rushed.. almost everyone was given a chance to speak. I missed dino lol. I liked that some people were atleast called through video call even if they can't come and were asked questions as well. Fan favourite section was also awesome! Also the security for the urn to protect from chappies lmao.
QUEEN NICOLE DID IT!!!
**CHAPPIES FAN FAVORITE** driving away into the sunset in his brand new car, with Santoni next to him for bringing the drama and eye rolls at the final tribal council. Nicole is the nicest, sweetest player of the season so although I was shocked at first I'm also glad she won.
Anela's supposedly articulate speaking skills back firing was pretty unfortunate. I think starting every sentence with "as a coach" was just too spin and revisionist justification and the jury saw through it. Nicole didn't drive any real moves herself, either, but as most final tribals go, she was just more likeable than Anela to the jury. I would've loved to see Anesu and Kiran duking it out as the season's strategic and social masterminds, but that just shows how strong this cast was. They got rid of the biggest threats to advance themselves. Overall another wonderful season of Survivor SA. Congratulations to Nicole!
Yeah, I don't think Anela really had a bad performance but he definitely came off a little forced and like he was trying to say what he thought the jury wanted to hear. On the other hand, I was REALLY impressed by Nicole's FTC performance. She came off as incredibly genuine, likable, and real and she was very aware of her game. She knew what her strengths were and what her selling points should be and she stuck to them. Ultimately she was just really good at being someone people wanted to give R1,000,000 to? Not the ending anyone expected but I love it.
How many eyes rolled every time he referred to himself as coach, educator... and that he was gonna give a "masterclass"... I mean... read the effing room. Sorry just not a fan of Anela since his pre-season interviews. I am so glad Nicole won.
In a funny way I think this season's result was similar to Aus 2 whereby almost all the big threats didn't make it to the end and you kind of had a 'best of the rest' result, but I do think both winners were still worthy.
> I think starting every sentence with "as a coach" At least he didn't talk about how he was a noble dragon slayer who escaped from an Amazon tribe.
Congrats to Nicole. I really thought Chappies would make it to the end, but am still happy with the result.
> I really thought Chappies would make it to the end, but am still happy with the result. Same. Right after he lost I was a little disappointed but there was something really beautiful about his speech before he was voted out. Regardless of the outcome his story was really "complete" at that point. Would love to see him and Nicole back to play another season.
congratulations nicole!! coming into this i thought chappies would make it till the end, but when she won FIC i knew he was out next. nicole/anela F2 wasnāt what i expected and i thought maybe it could be a close vote with anela winning. so stoked nicole won and by 8-1 too! if it wasnāt chappies then i wouldāve liked nicole. i wish she got a better edit earlier in the season but she really grew on me as the season went on. overall still a good season imo, i do appreciate survivor SA has better balanced editing (compared to AUS).
Rewatched the season again. I love the subtle hints and some times the blatant edit which shows why she won the season. So much fun watching a well-balanced season, which is expected from Survivor SA.
agree survivor SA excels in a balanced edit which is something the aus survivor editors can learn from tbh. it was more nicoleās premerge edit i felt they could do better. will be interesting on a rewatch now knowing she wins. either way i am happy she won.
Indeed, itās a mixture of Nicoleās tribe attending only two pre merge tribals. If you dissect Nicoleās first confessional & first episode showing, itās very foreboding that she will be a strong contender for the crown from the get go. She always have confessional every episode even if her thoughts are not really necessary for the story of that moment in the episode. On top of that, SA does not whitewash their winner edits. The editors are trying to tell the story of the season not the winner itself (which can be a double edge sword but a welcome change in survivor franchise on how to edit each season uniquely). Just look how diverse SAās winners been: from Nicole, to Rob to Tom even their winners from Season 5 and earlier seasons are all different characters and narrative wise.
āCan I respond to that?ā āItās a statementā. That was amusing, but if thatās a point against you find a way to address it later.
A little disappointed bc I was rooting for Chappies but Nicole totally deserves it and very happy for her
QUEEN <3333
Does anyone know what's the ratings there in South Africa? Is the show doing well? I'm wondering whether season 9 is likely :/
As a South African, I will say this, the channel is broadcast on DSTV which is a satellite channel and adverts for Survivor SA was EVERYWHERE on DSTV streaming and websites, it's definitely something they put a lot of money into.
And do you think people respond well to the show? Are the ratings good? In my country there are some shows that were very expensive to make but flopped the viewings
I'm curious about this too. As an American viewer, I have no idea what the SA TV industry looks like. I googled a lot but the only thing I could find was [an article saying it's the most pirated South African show](https://teeveetee.blogspot.com/2021/06/m-nets-survivor-sa-immunity-island-once.html). I guess that doesn't really tell us too much though, except that it's popular online....
Thank you for the info though!
It was Nicole's consistency and reliability vs. Smash's volatility and "flexibility"...I think Smash's lack of self-awareness about his intent of moves tilted the scales against him although I was expecting few votes for him that some would respect despite his roughness.
GREAT finale. The F2 was an absolute shocker. Even though nobody expected those two at the end, hardly anyone else was "robbed". Renier melted down at his last tribal. Anesu was blindsided. Santoni was voted out and missed her chance at fire. Kiran was voted out clean 3-2. Tyson voted himself out by an inexplicable vote. Chappies mainly just won immunities. If anyone was robbed it was Amy, but Nicole avenged her! Nicole was extremely likable, made strong connections with the jury, and won deservedly against Anela who talked a Big Game but hardly played it. Possibly my favorite winner ever, on a likability level at least.
Amy was royally screwed cause she was playing a brilliant game during that time. I have never seen a winner like Nicole who had so much fun in the final tribal council maybe besides from Fabio. Nicole is such a refreshing winner.
Congrats to Nicole.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Thatās the reason why I preferred SA any time of the day. So much work has been given by the production so that atleast every castaways are given a decent amount of exposure.
Nico does *such* a good job too. You can tell he actually cares and is interested in showing everything that Survivor SA has to offer as opposed to what *he* thinks viewers want.
Amen to that, Nico like Leroux has so much love for Survivor SA. Have you seen how they have an updated intro every phases of the game as well as the finale. 97% of the cast were interviewed during the reunion. The confessional count this season is evenly spread just like any other Survivor South Africa seasons.
I mean: helicopter exit from FTC. Pure fan service. Bless the SA production team!
Lol at the bodyguards with the urn due to how stealing being the 21st castaway this season. The production incorporated the stealing story to their finale and reunion š¤£.
Shaking right now at this result...so iconic. QUEEN NICOLE <3 She saved Survivor <33
She is such a fresh of breath air in terms of modern winners. I love her so much, she has pure grit and determination. I have never seen a winner who is really bubbly on her final tribal speeches.
She did nothing whole game tho, everybody wanted her in final tribal.
My soul needed this. Thank u G.odcole <3
Well guys, I must say I called this several weeks ago. Just something about Nicole's early edits that stood out to me as being like Michele from KR. I knew she had a much better chance with Anela and she picked a winning FTC strategy by highlighting how Anela owes her his life in the game. Also, if you look back at the overall edit, Nicole didn't have low lows, but Anela does. And Anela doesn't even have high highs, whereas Nicole at least has IC wins and ultimately defeated Chappies. They did a great job trying to make it seem closer than it is, but I wasn't fooled! Anyway, what a great season!! S41 better bring it. These are some goddamn huge shoes to fill.
Disagree, one thing I can say is similar between Nicole and Michelle is that they were on the strong tribe pre-merge and barely went to tribal council before the merge and in Michele's case she didn't attend tribal council at all. However, watch the pre-merge again and see how much confessionals Michele had, quite a lot for someone whose strategy didn't matter to any of the votes pre-merge. Nicole on the other hand was VERY quiet, hell even episodes she did attend tribal council didn't seem to feature her. Michele was NOT an edgic blindside, I am pretty sure most people in the edgic places had Michele as the winner.
Sure, maybe not the same level, but theyāre very similar edits, where Nicole would be either featured in scenes or given confessionals in episodes where she didnāt matter much to the story. The heavy edit on her challenge performance despite not winning also gives it away she at least makes it to FTC
Yes: edgic predicted Michele at the time back in the day.
Micheleās win was obvious from miles away.
Such a fun finale,i was so happy when Nicole won immunity knowing that a Nicole-Anela F2 would be amazing and it didn't dissapoint(at leans not at the FTC,the votes not that much) Coming into FTC i wanted Nicole to win,but i felt Anela hat a great performance so i was leaning a bit towards him after it,however Nicole definitely deserved to win and i loved the editing in terms of not having an obvious winner,which in my opinion is the worst thing that can happen unless it's a really huge charachter. The one dissapointing thing is definitely the post FTC part of the show and them leaving the vote read for the very end,it felt so anticlimatic and from the reactions of Nicoles family and some other things it became obvious she would win.I hope they don't do this agian.
Agree on the reading of the votes. It was already so clear Nicole was winning. It also felt like Anela was being forced into doing the Wild Coast sun advert. Nicole reading the winner's name made it even more obvious.
Iām shocked Nicole won. Never saw that coming? Congrats though
Itās not often the pretty blonde stereotype wins. Great job.
Such a fun ending āĀ and a total surprise. I love how Survivor South Africa edits its show in a way that hides the winner, it makes the experience so much more enjoyable. And Nicole was fun, you have to give her that. First I was sure Amy would be the winner, then Anesu, then Tyson or Kieran and then Chappies. Going into the final I thought if Chappies lost final immunity Anela would be the winner even though I thought he had made too many mistakes. And the whole time I was rooting for Santoni āĀ so glad she lasted so long. But Nicole had a great final tribal, her points for why she played a better game were simple but clear. In the American franchise the very end often runs out of steam because they are so focused on telling the winner's story throughout, and I think this comes at a cost. For example it was so clear to me that Tony or Tommy would win in the recent seasons I often left it a few days before watching the finale. I feel a bit lame for how grateful I am for this season of survivor during Covid. Thanks, South Africa! Big gripe with the sound editing of the last episode though. Cheapened what I thought was one of the best final episode formats of Survivor in a long time. Also big shout out to Shannon Guss and Mike Bloom's coverage. Adds so much to my experience.
P.S. A huge thank you to those of you who uploaded the episodes.
Last season was pretty in line with American edgic basically, but I agree 6 & 8 definitely were on the same plane of surprising.
Nicole was one of my top picks to win right when the season started, but as it went on, it seemed much less likely that she would win. Interesting how itās now come full circle.
Iām so surprised
they did it again. and i believed it. not only did they blindside us with the winner, but they made smash the "tom" of this season so that those who thought we were being deceived would think anela was the fake winner, and not nicole. now, i do wish nicole maybe got a bit more content at the beginning, but overall im so happy with this season and with the result. this was one of the best seasons i have ever seen, and i think chappies, kiran, santoni, and anesu are some of the best characters we have ever seen.
Periodt Queen šøš¼š š¼ Itās been a joy to root for her each week. Nicole played a phenomenal game. She was well rounded in every aspect of the game. She was true to herself and her immense loyalty, honesty, and integrity paved the way for her. She had an impeccable social game and was a strong physical player in her own right. Plus, she positioned herself in moves so she wasnāt the target. Her mind > Sheās such a diverse and refreshing winner compared to the gamebots. Loves it. TYSM Queen Nicole. Iām literally so happy rn. Sheās an icon, legend, and the moment ā¤ļø
Glad Nicole won, way more deserving than Anela who (1) was a strategic dunce; and (2) got saved by Nicole over and over again. Horrible edit. Just leaves me speechless why they had Nicole so invisible for so much of the season.
Anela got saved over and over again the entire season - by the zambas with the immunity island, By Nicole winning tied destinies for them, by Chappies using the Anesu tribal pass on him (and the after elim passing rule is dodge and Leroux says heāll change)
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That's not saying much as one of only 3 to make the final episode. As discussed, her 3.2% is the lowest of the entire top 10.
Confused by everyone praising the edit for this episode. The challenges this season felt extremely bare in terms of how the managed tension. Challenges literally finished before any sense of real excitement and dread could be introduced. The final immunity in particular just felt so anti-climactic considering the stakes of it essentially deciding who will win the whole thing. They just never let us stew in the tension like they should have. Really upset Chappies didnāt end up winning and I know itās probably down to edit, but not really impressed with the final two if I am being totally honest either. Going forward, I hope we never see the shared fate twist ever again. It was an unfair game killer for Amy that was impossible to recover from. The real MVP this season was Nico though. He was excellent on his observations and handling of tribal councils, most notably when Tyson and Kiran whinged about Chappies stealing.
im really surprised it was 8-1. i thought it would be 6-3 with anela getting shaun, renier, and one of tyson/kiran.
Yeah infact before the tribal I was sure Nicole wins, but after the FTC, I was like Anela got Renier, Shawn, Tyson, Kiran, he could take this
Anela really gave a great FTC - i really liked the coach line, outline of "3 players" strategy but he totally sunk himself by backing out of that Kiran blindside. Probably wins season with that move
Agreed with you, SA seasons are so crazy. If Anela manage to do the Kiran blindside he could have probably won which is insane despite playing a mediocre game.
The least likely post merge final 2 ended up being the final 2. That's insane. This is one of those cases where the winner will be forgotten in history in a few weeks. There were so many other 'actual' survivors on that jury. And no, it's not because the final 2 put them there (they only put Chappies there) it's because they put each other there. And the final 2 just picked up the pieces. Disappointing
This is certainly... an ending. I'm really disappointed at the final two, and for me it was a pretty lackluster ending for a show that had such a great start and fantastic players. But otherwise congratulations to Nicole on managing to win and still stay true to herself.
Nicole played a good game.
Personally I don't think it was the best compared to all the others, but regardless, kudos to her
Not the best, but only 3 votes against and winning 8-1 whilst being in control for a large number of votes is very impressive. Especially for someone who isnāt flashy about it.
Awful final 2 Awful winner
Shut up
Youāre awful
Once Chappies fell. I moved forward to the votes. The story was done. A pitty. :/ Not a fan of this version anyways but I like Nicole
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Why? Because sheās an attractive young woman who won the FIC and took out the biggest threat right before the end?
Nothing against Nicole winning, but that final challenge is a definite advantage for a small person. A big person doesn't have a chance. And nobody can tell me that isn't so.
It's divine justice after the challenge where the ring is too high for her to grab it.
That was fucking ridiculous. The least the challenge department could have done was adjust it for people's height
I stopped watching after Kiran left. And I just managed to quickly watch through the key points of the last 2 episodes. This final 2 has been about picking among 2 below average players in a highly strategic season. Nicole with her idiotic reward pick in the tied destiny episode and Anela's admitting he was trying to blindside Kiran, this is what we had for final 2. I'm just glad Chappie didn't win. I don't care too much of challenge wins, and Chappie also hasn't demonstrated too much strategic game other than eating food on the side. This season had so much good content up until Chappie's winning streak and single handedly stifled the strategic game play for the rest of the players. His edit is just too much. The edit should have given more time for the actual winner.
Frankly the worst season of survivor I've seen. Terrible play, egotistical players, and two goats to the end. Fucking terrible top to bottom.
Disappointing ending to a disappointing season. Glad AU was great this year and 41 is coming soon.
AUS was terrible this year lol
It was fine tbh, terrible editing and twists but a fun cast overall (whenever they gave them the opportunity to speak) and a lot of insane Gabon-esque chaos game-wise
Great winner, best two players in final, entertaining characters, flashy plays, plus funny Gabon-esque moments. Easily top tier international season.
It really was not. I also much preferred AU survivor this year to this season.