Blog 9, Ep. 10: This is Where We Build Trust

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I really understood everyone’s logic at the beginning of this episode. Reed really wanted to get Jon out because he felt that Jon thought of himself as the “Alpha Male” and thought too highly of himself. Nataly felt like she could not trust anyone because of what they did to Jeremy last episode. For the first immunity challenge, the prize was the winners could help donate baseball gear to kids in need and have a chance to enjoy baseball food while watching the game. The Yellow Tribe won and Missy was on the losing team, once again, so Reed thought to swap with Missy so she would have a chance to experience one of the prizes from the immunity challenges (and hopefully build an alliance with Missy and Baylor). When the winners were gone, Reed talked to Keith and Wes and convinced them that Jon was useless, they agreed. When that happened, Nataly and Baylor went to search for the idol and Nataly found it. Then when Nataly said she wanted Reed voted off, things started to get confusing. For the individual Immunity challenge, Jon was the first person to give up and Reed won. Reed thought that since Jon stepped down first, it really made him look ‘cocky’ and a little too confident that he wont be voted off. That is when everyone else started to agree with Reed about Jon. At the end of the episode, when the voting was going on, Nataly whispered to Jon to play his idol, so he wouldn’t get voted off. Turns out almost everyone wrote down Jon’s name, so if he had not played his idol he would have been off. Instead of Jon voted off, Wes was voted off with just one vote.

In Chapter 6, the 5th edition, it discusses group motivation. To me, the only group motivation I see throughout this tribe/ team is when the members motivate/ convince others on whom they should vote off. Also, Jon feels motivated because everyone runs to him or Jaclyn as if they are the head of the whole tribe, which really boosts his self-esteem and makes him actually feel like the Alpha Dog. I also think JOn really falls under Shutz’s Theory of interpersonal needs. He wants to feel included and wants to be in control of the tribe and also wants and needs Jaclyn to be there with him the whole time.

Survivor # Three-Squared

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This episode of Survivor finally brought out the immunity idols for the first time this season. Both Keith and Jon wisely played their idols to avoid being eliminated. It was a decision that was made at the last second at tribal council thanks to Natalie who encouraged Jon to play it this week instead of holding on to it. Natalie helping Jon provided a turn of events because Natalie throughout the show was saying she wanted Jon to get a taste of his own medicine referencing what transpired with Jeremy last week. Jon, otherwise would have been voted off the show and the show would have been extremely more interesting had the power couple been cut in half. What was Natalie’s motivation for telling Jon and keeping him in the game when she wanted revenge for what happened to Jeremy? I think one of the motivators behind it was her being able to exercise her sense of choice which the book describes as “the shared feeling that a group has the power and ability to make decisions about how to organize and do its job.”  Natalie used her autonomy, wherewithal, and ultimately her sense of choice for the betterment of her group (Baylor and Missy) by getting inside Jon’s head to play the idol. Natalie also motivated Baylor in finding  an idol initially as they teamed up while heading back to camp as the losing team cementing their trust in each other. Obviously Missy is safe since she is Baylor’s loved one forming the three as a power group. Now Jon no longer has his idol and he is aware that the group no longer wants him in the game. Jon is going to have to adjust his game plan if he wants to make it another week. Natalie has a good strategy she’s sticking to Keith was influenced to play his idol once Jon played his. Now Natalie/Baylor have the only idol and they are three strong which is the strongest combination to have at this point.