Survivor Review: The Cochran Plan

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To the untrained eye, this week’s episode of Survivor, "Running The Show," was not very interesting. Tribal council was predictable with who was sent home. Even the twist wasn't shocking and didn’t impact the game much.

Good Balance

Or did it? The show spent a lot of time on Albert’s discussions with Sophie, Cochran, Dawn and Whitney about how now is the time to make a move and how he wanted to reward Cochran with something better than seventh place. Why spend all of that time if they were just going to vote off Dawn and/or Whitney?

I believe that Albert and Sophie really are contemplating the eventual fracture of the former Upolu, but felt the twist was too risky to make their move then. Along those same lines, I feel that Albert and Sophie are confident that they can make a move now, even after Dawn and Whitney’s votes are out of the picture.

But Luke, Albert, Sophie and Cochran are only three votes. They still need one more. Where is that coming from? I don’t know. However, I have a theory...

The twist also revealed Sophie’s hand. As Whitney improbably kept surviving through the impromptu question and answer session, Sophie began to sweat out the challenge. Why would she care? Even if Whitney wins, that simply means Cochran goes home.

She did care, however, and that means something. How I interpreted her sense of relief is that she actually needs Cochran around. She did not want to vote him off because she and Albert need him and a fourth vote to make a move next week.

The loose thread in my theory is who that fourth vote is. In reality, there’s only one option: Rick. Brandon is far too loose of a cannon to suggest turning on Coach. Whitney summed up Edna’s allegiances pretty well: “Edna’s so far up Coach’s butt it’s ridiculous.”

That leaves Rick. You know what? Rick is eminently possible. We know nothing about him. He’s virtually never featured. He never has anything to say. He hasn’t been a factor or a non-factor in any challenge. Who’s to say where he lies?

Another counter argument is that the double tribal council was so obvious, why couldn’t Albert, Sophie, Cochran, Dawn and Whitney have prepared for something Cochran predicted? How hard is it to vote off Edna and then have two names ready for a possible next vote?

Nevertheless, my money is on Albert, Sophie, Cochran and Rick making a move next Wednesday.

More from this episode:

  • Coach’s plan was to get to this point. Now what does he do? Voting out Cochran is not the long term answer. He needs a plan with numbers and more victims than just Cochran.
  • One thing I didn’t mention above was if Coach’s threat right before tribal council had any impact on Albert’s Edna plan not coming to fruition. Possibly, but unlikely I feel. I still think the twist was why they backed off.  
  • I liked that the dual eliminated two players, not one. There’s something to be said for winning a dual rather than not losing it.
  • Hilarious quote from Albert about Edna: “This game is not out-organize, out-clean and out-gather.”

Running The Show Review

Editor Rating: 3.8 / 5.0
  • 3.8 / 5.0
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User Rating:

Rating: 3.1 / 5.0 (7 Votes)
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Survivor Season 23 Episode 10 Quotes

More blindsides happen than alliances sticking together.

Coach

[Upolu] is a cult unlike any I've seen before.

Jim