Archive for month: November, 2014

Chapter 10 is probably the best chapter to use to compare to Survivor because the entire series is conflict in groups. The main one this episode is the million-dollar decision is made by Julie. This was a conflict within herself, but her actions caused there to be a group conflict. Jeremy has to now use argumentation to get more players on his side because he is down one member that he knows of. Josh will need to get the players in his alliance to get stuck in a groupthink and not be able to think for themselves. Also critically to stay in the game you must have at least six people on your side, and both the main players Josh and Jeremy need to strengthen their alliances to make sure that they will get to the best vantage point to stay in the game the longest. Cooperative argumentation that we see the couples doing within each other but do not participate with the rest of the tribe as a whole. It is vital in this game to have other players see you as a smart and pragmatic person and with cooperative argumentation you can get the answers to your question as to if this person is someone who you want on your alliance.

Finally what we have all been waiting for, the Merge of the new Huyopa tribe! This episode of Survivor begins with the tribes arriving back after tribal council, and Keith is noticeably upset that Missy and Baylor betrayed by placing a vote for him. We then watch Julie fracture her alliances as well when she hoards some of the trail mix from their feast. John searches through her purse while she is away and exposes and shares what he finds with the group. At that moment Julie was being questioned for credibility by every tribe member. A very strong alliance throughout the episodes has been Baylor and Josh, but since the merge; she is choosing loyalty to her mother leaving Josh very bitter. It is immediately obvious that this merge has disrupted the loyalty of everyones alliances.
In chapter 9 Structured and Creative Problem Solving in Groups we cover decision making which is displayed individually and as a team in Survivor. I found it interesting that “groups often make better decisions than individuals working alone”(195) but Jaclyn and John came to mind. I did not think this statement could be completely true because groups can go very good or very bad, but it all depends on the strength of what everything revolves around in Survivor…alliances. Jaclyn and John are a couple, which makes the alliances in this type of game much more trustworthy than anyone else. They also happen to be a couple that everyone goes to to be aliened with, therefore they are once again in a tough place. Missy and Baylor have a very strong accord as well, but Baylor shows signs of using the dependent decision making style. The book states that this style is characterized by someone that “seeks the advice and opinions of others before making a decision.”(200) Throughout the episode she is filling her mom in on conversations with other members and her options, seeking advice and approval from her. I can’t wait to find out who will trust who once more loved ones are not there for unconditional support.

The people in survivor this episode needed to get their business together. This episode of Survivor there was a lot of turmoil and individuals trying to form what their next plan was as well as individuals continuously trying to remain the alpha leader. They showed several dynamics of group leadership such as the types of leaders and situations. After day 19 many people were very upset that Julie quit survivor and did not give them their first opportunity to vote someone off as a “united group” in their Huyopa . During the first reward challenge it was for a they split into to groups and the reward was a taco bar. The group that won were Keith, Reed, Jeremy and Wes. Once they were at the legit taco bar on the deserted island it became evident that there to leaders emerging and they alliances made it super awkward for them to have a conversation at the table. It was like all their conversations had to revolve around alliance building and who was the leader that day.In chapter 5, it takes about a leader who has position power and at the taco bar it became evident that Jeremy had power on the island based on his sway on others member as well as the amount of challenges he as been apart of that have one. With Jeremy being in power, it also lead to so many situations being changed and people alerting leadership after Jeremy won immunity. Two other types of leaders are designated leaders and emergent leaders. It showed that the designated leaders were Jon and Jacklyn as a unit because they were looked to for everything by the groups and even when Jon was on exile island they still waited and consulted him. The emergent leaders were Baylor and her mom Missy, they were familiar with the groups goals and began to contribute more when they wanted a further alliance and to sway what could possibly happen at tribal council. Once they started saying more that is when people looked more to them whether they did not get along with the men or not. During this episode they also displayed a lot situation leadership from different people in the group it was partially for individuals to get what they want and being able to change that effectively as a leader helps with tasks. With all of the changes at tribal council they ended up voting Josh off the island.

“Santa Rosa Island is a mystical time machine, and Cause Hanna facilitated this most excellent journey.”

“I found something very special here. Thank you CSUCI and Cause Hanna for such a rewarding and enjoyable experience.”