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#jeff probst voice: now would be the time to do so.

vonlipvig · 4 years

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Need more on this wooden overcoats survivor au

SURVIVOR PIFFLING ISLES

oh my god, there's just so much that could be done with that. well, i did say that i think georgie would win. like, she's got it all. she's great at making friends, but also great at knowing when and who to deceive, she's 100% great at challenges (but would def be the person that doesn't show it at first, but near the end wins immunity almost every time). plus, she'd make one hell of a final tribal council speech, probably like "hey guys, i outlived, outplayed and outlasted you all, i'm great at doing those things" and she just gets all the votes.

then i feel like chapman would also be good? like, he'd be in a lot of alliances and be liked by all and never really take the blame for blindsides even though he is playing. i can see him alligned with lady templar (who would be the more bitchy, drama girl of the season), but he does end up betraying her and going with antigone (and the SHE ends up voting him out, but he's super ok with it, and roots for her!).

rudyard would be the one who's trying SO HARD to organize a Big Move (TM), like he wants eric out SO BAD but it keeps blowing up in his face ("HA! you won't get me tonight, chapman! i know you're all voting for me, so i use MY IDOL!" "[jeff probst's voice] this ia NOT an immunity idol" "hhhhghnh CHAPMAN" but in reality georgie made the fake idol). he'd probably try to create a plan to get chapman out but that fails and he'd get sent home because they all went to rocks and he picked the bad one fkfkdsksk.

antigone starts the game being a super scaredy person who has never been outside (well, that's canon!) and the obvious pick for first out, but she manages to save herself and ends up being a total mastermind also eric and antigone get sent to exile island because i say so.

desmond and nigel are here to have fun and also become the showmance turned real romance.

oh man, now i have to draw this.

#FKDBDJSJ this probably makes no sense SORRY #but this is so much fun i love survivor aus #also madeline is there because i say so #she's a mouse rudyard befriends in the jungle #wooden overcoats

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patheticwithanem · 3 years

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2020 in Retrospect

Hey friend,

I know it’s late, but I HAVE TO DO THIS. I kind of promised myself I’m writing about the year that was. I’m not exactly sure why; maybe it’s to put things in perspective going in to 2021? And today’s my fourth year anniversary with my employer, so I guess it’s perfect timing? (More on that later)

So I was going through my notes (I have this habit of writing down what happens on a daily basis - be it activities, emotions, drama, name it) and one thing’s for sure. 2020 SUCKED. It did. But I’m committing to this no matter what!

First things first: lots of profanities along the way. Well actually, I was about halfway writing the letter when fucking Tumblr decided to refresh and delete what I’ve been writing for about one fucking hour now. So I have to fucking do it all over again. If this is the Lord telling me to stop being sentimental about 2020, fret not my Lord! I’m one stubborn son of a bitch, so I’m carrying on.

Here’s how the rest of the year unfolded. 2020. Let’s go.

JANUARY. Reunions?

January 1. Had a get-together with a few relatives in Malabon. It was fun! I used to be so allergic to family reunions but I guess age creeping in changes you? You value people even more now? This was also the last time we’re able to spend some time with my uncle from Singapore. He brought his family to spend the holidays here. He’s a sweetheart and a great father who’s missed.

January 9. I attended a college dormmate’s wedding. I remember contemplating whether to go or not only to realize I’m actually lucky to be even invited given the fact that I chose to be distant for them for a long while. I also told myself that not showing up is so far from what I’m trying to be. Although I wasn’t there for the whole thing, I’m glad I did come. I was able to bond with my roommates once again whom I treated like brothers ten years ago and that was nice. A not-so-close dormmate even introduced me to his boyfriend and that’s huuuuge. The bride was beautiful too, and I’m glad she’s in the best place right now after all she’s been through. She’s a strong one, that girl.

January 11. Got invited to a birthday pool party of a colleague at work. I have to say I’m actually quite surprised I was invited to this. She’s always had my back though and always kind of looked after me, so I had to go. It was fun but I didn’t get drunk AT ALL.

January 12. AND THIS IS WHERE SHIT STARTED HAPPENING. The Taal Volcano erupted. It was awful especially for everyone living near the area because everything was covered with ash. It was also a day before my brother’s birthday and we thought the ashfall would be worse the next day so we decided to celebrate earlier.

January 19. Went to a fiesta. Did not expect to survive that at all. It was a different kind of neighborhood, but the people were nice.

January 25. Went to a public market with co-workers to buy clothes, eat chicken wings for dinner and then our regular fix of karaoke. Good times.

Anything else? I was able to book a birthday trip to Yogyakarta, which I eventually canceled because of youknowwhat. Tragic.

February. Blindside!

February 7. Blindside’s a bitch. Yes, that’s what I had written on my notes. I legitimately felt blindsided. So story: I have a friend who I found out was pregnant (let’s call her Ms. Preggy, sorry) and me and her bestfriend (let’s call him Work Son because he was my work son in a lot of ways) decided to hold an intervention for her. The four of us including a friend I’m going to call The-Now-Bestie (kind of a spoiler) whom I had a misunderstanding and was not in speaking terms with will be coming to Work Son’s place. Essentially, the goal was to make Ms. Preggy open up about her pregnancy and her issues with the douchebag father; make her feel that she has us and she doesn’t need to be alone in this. I think it went well, in that regard. However, the whole thing was awkward in epic proportions. It’s as if me and The-Now-Bestie didn’t want to acknowledge each other’s existence, and when we didn’t have a choice, we were sarcastic to each other. I also really felt like an outsider among the four that time; like I wasn’t supposed to be there and wasn’t really contributing to anything. It was a really lonely feeling. I decided to distance myself to them after that.

February 13. WINNERS AT WAR PREMIERE! Words can’t even express how excited I was to see some of my heroes again on screen! Parvati with that “phoenix rising from the ashes” confessional? Damn, girl! Still a fucking legend! It was also nostalgic Yul working his godfather magic once again. I’ve always seen him as a top-tier winner and someone I looked up to for what he represented to the Asian community and the history of Survivor. It was also nice seeing Kim, Tyson, Tony, Sophie, Natalie and Sandra. But I must say I kind of missed Todd. He was my favorite winner and was a great storyteller, a great strategist and a great character with an amazing comeback story. He would’ve been perfect for a season with this caliber of players. And as much as I hate Jeff Probst for shoving him down our throats, I wanted to see Cochran play with these winners! Caramoan’s my first season (a late superfan, yes) and he’s the very reason I got so hooked with the show. I used to think it’s a game where people like me never win. So to see someone like Cochran who’s awkward in every sense of the word (and owning it) win Survivor, it is very inspiring. I like speaking in metaphors and it’s funny how much metaphorical Survivor can be to how I see life now. I see Cochran and if he can win in Survivor, I feel like I can win in life, as silly as that sounds. Cochran sucked his first season, but he then went on to play this dominant game his second try while still managing to be the adorkable underdog that he is. I love that story. Man, I get so worked up when I talk about Survivor! I wish I had that same passion with anything else.

February 19. Mom slipped and had to be rushed to the nearest ER. Good thing there were no fractures and she was fine. I guess we can thank the fats for that? LOL

February 21 ‘til 23. WEEKEND STAYCATION! I needed this! Drinking at the hotel taproom with a live band? YES! Indian for lunch and surf-and-turf buffet for dinner? YES YES YES! That lamb chops, MY LORD. Thank you.

February 29. Leap Day. I started journaling again.

March. FUCKING COVID.

March 16. The Start of the Lockdown we all come to love now (punk, sarcasm).

March 17. Politics is so taboo to discuss especially over dinner. But then BAM. I had a major fight with my dad (and by major, I mean MAJOR in a get-out-of-the-house-in-the-middle-of-the-pandemic kind of major). It was basically about a comment he made that’s so misogynistic (towards the Vice President) that I just knew I can’t just let go. It was sooo bad I got all pissed, and when I’m pissed, I can get scary. Maybe it’s the voice or the eyes or both, but the fight got really heated on the verge of getting physical. Which now that I think about it is stupid just because of fucking different political views. Well, I can never get behind the President and they’re huge fans of him and I’ve come to terms with that but it’s just... bleh. I’m not even gonna try to rationalize it because I can’t. It’s just.. disgusting. Oh fucking well.

April. Wander-fucking-lust.

April 1. I started a 30-day Financial Detox which basically meant no unnecessary expenses. No online shopping, no paying for leisure. None. It was April Fools, but I was dead-set on saving! (Spoiler alert: I failed.)

April 6. Meltdown. I just really couldn’t hold it in anymore.

April 11. Dad’s birthday. After not talking for over a month (which is no easy feat in a tiny condominium unit), we acknowledged each other’s presence. By April 15, it’s like nothing happened anymore. He even gave me a home haircut (which for a beginner, is pretty good). On other news, I started watching The Politician on Netflix and t’was the day I started obsessing on Ben Platt and his music.

April 16. A year ago, I was enjoying sidewalk pho and almost making friends at Cu Chi Tunnels and the Saigon Skydeck of the Bitexco Financial Tower in Ho Chi Minh. Damn, covid.

April 18. That crazy border-crossing from Saigon to Phnom Penh a year ago. That was fulfilling. Damn, covid.

April 19. A year ago, I was experiencing sunrise at Angkor Wat. Wander-fucking-lust UGH.

April 30. That Town Hall shoutout from our company’s President because of reaching my quota from last month. That really felt good. As much as I hate to admit it, I like being validated from time to time. It definitely meant a lot especially coming from her who took a chance on me. I was patting my back.

MAY. Endure. Let Go.

May 14. KING TONY WON. Very well-deserved win. A disappointment of a season if you ask me, but props to the king for dominating an all-winners season. Respect for that. Also Natalie and Michele played great games as well and they should be very proud of themselves. I feel like a proud father to these winners HAHAHA!

May 16. Was pleasantly surprised with Dead to Me. That car scene between Jen and Judy on that ninth episode from the second season? Damn. That’s one of the few moments I teared up because of a TV show. That was powerful. All that tension building up and then that sudden release? I really felt that.

May 26. Why do I always feel all this fucking rage inside of me? I try to think of any triggers but I can’t seem to find one that’s actually reasonable. It’s like the isolation getting the best of me. I initially thought quarantine’s going to be a cakewalk for an introvert like myself, but it wasn’t the case. I feel like I’m losing my shit because I was stripped off of the usual things I have access to whenever I feel uneasy and anxious and angry like this. Endure, let go, I know. But it’s so much easier said than done, right?

JUNE. Breathe.

June 12. So the plan to sell the condo and find a new place is real. We went to this great place in Valenzuela and it was a great house and all but I felt weird. Maybe I was having trouble letting go? Maybe it’s just me being averse to change yet again?

June 15. Slept 6am for that How To Get Away With Murder series finale. That speech. VIOLA. Chills all over my body.

June 18. New phone was delivered. That was fast.

June 27. First time visiting the village we moved to. We were checking a different house this time and was already picturing us living there. Still felt weird, but maybe less.

Looking at it now, I realize almost nothing happened in this stretch of months. Pathetic.

JULY. Change (that’s not necessarily good lol)

July 3. The Anti-Terrorism Bill signed. FUCK THE CIRCUS THAT IS THE PHILIPPINE GOVERNMENT.

July 10. Doomsday. The ABS-CBN renewal disapproved. FUCK THE CIRCUS THAT IS THE PHILIPPINE GOVERNMENT. Also, that first house we checked was bought this day. First heartbreak.

July 22. Decided to donate to one of my elementary teachers to help finance school supplies for his students in the province. That felt good.

July 24. folklore’s goooood. This is the Taylor Swift sound that I love. (I had to write that down because that was a 2020 highlight to be honest)

AUGUST. Getting older. Again.

August 2. Donated to another cause: to help a really close friend’s mom (who’s a school principal) on financing their students’ lesson modules (they needed more paper so the donation was going to be used to buy more paper). That felt good.

August 3. Started obsessing on Dear Evan Hansen. I mean come on. HOW COME I ONLY KNEW OF THIS NOW?!?! The story, the acting, the soundtrack... it felt like I asked the Lord for a musical for me and he gave this on a silver platter.

August 9. Lasagna, baked sushi, lechon belly, pansit, cake. Weird combination, I know, but that’s me!

August 11. Discovered the Slowly app. Changed my life since then! I’m not even exaggerating. I guess it has to do with feeling extremely lonely amid the pandemic and getting this platform where you can talk to literally anyone while still keeping your anonymity. And it strips you off of instant gratification you’re so used to because you actually have to wait for your letters to be sent and to arrive. A great exercise for patience if you ask me! And since you have to wait, you make your letters longer and more worthwhile. It’s a platform free of judgment which relies heavily on building actual mental and emotional connections. It’s a gift, truly. NOT EXAGGERATING; YES I’M THAT LONELY.

August 23. The house search continued. This time, the South!

August 24. It was my first time watching a Korean drama and I gotta say I get the hype now. Korea makes great stories and they take their time when telling these stories. The story centering about mental health was definitely what got me to try watching It’s Okay to Not Be Okay, but the show’s so much more than that. That was a great watch.

SEPTEMBER. Finally some light?

September 1. Second year anniversary. I still really miss her.

September 5. My cat’s 5th birthday! Of course we had to celebrate for her with baked macaroni and burnt cheesecake.

September 11. Lost uncle. He gave a good fight.

September 19. SENSE8. It’s a show that doesn’t need any explaining. It’s the BEST. I love this cast SO MUCH. I remember thinking if I ever get a tattoo (which is unlikely), I’ll maybe have the title of that Sense8 series finale inked on me. AMOR VINCIT OMNIA. Love conquers all.

September 27. After a series of unfortunate events, we were led to this house on the same village we keep going back to, and the moment we saw it, we were sold. This is going to be our house. And it happened.

OCTOBER. Surprises?

October 6. Hooked up with someone I probably shouldn’t.

October 12. Booked a trip for next year because I’M HOPEFUL AS FUCK.

October 21. Had the best conversation I had in a long time.

October 22. Hooked up with someone I probably shouldn’t.

October 28. Organized a digital event for work. I’m still on the fence whether I’m proud of it or not. It was my first event, and I’ve wanted to do that for a long time. While I enjoyed all the preparation that came with it, from making that tactical marketing plan to coordinating with the organizers and my team, I felt like it was bland. There were lapses here and there and I know that we all tried the best we could, but maybe I just pictured it a little better in my mind? It wasn’t a flawless event and maybe I wanted it to be flawless. But it was fun. I never would’ve imagined me hosting an event, but I did.

NOVEMBER. Decisions.

November 14. So news came and we’re finally moving. The buyer of the condo got approved and it was only a matter of weeks to settle documents and payment and we’re good to go. I had mixed feelings about it. It took me back to that time we started looking for houses. I wasn’t exactly ready to let go of the place I grew with for the past five years. And I wasn’t also ready to let go of the convenience, and the relationships I only have started building with friends I found along the way. But at that moment I knew I had to be happy because they were happy. My family was happy. I knew I have to be happy.

November 21. Started all the packing. Packing meant decluttering and reminiscing, so letting go of more things which was overwhelming at first, but inevitable.

November 23. I had something checked in the hospital, and something happened and it wasn’t supposed to go that way but it did and it was so fucking bizarre lol

November 28. HAPPY MOVING DAY. It’s that day of the year. Stress was off the charts because of the time constraint and frankly, the lack of preparedness. Good thing a few people helped us with the rest of the packing. It was an impossible task for me and my sister alone so we were glad we got all the help we needed. I did most of the heavy lifting, so I had bruises all over my body for weeks, but after all was said and done, it felt surreal. Felt like everything coming full circle. That first night in the new home? I’ll never forget that. That was special.

December. The end of an era.

December 2. I went back to the condo to stay for a few more days. Get to feel the place one last time. Also lost a huge deal at work to a competitor. I usually really get depressed with these losses, but for some reason I felt indifferent about it. I guess it was my mind telling me I’ve mentally checked out of work already? That maybe it is really time to move on to something that’ll make me care about what I do again? Make me feel again?

December 4. Met someone (who we can call the Professor) I’ve been talking to for a while now. We’ve had some really great conversations leading to this night; talks at 3AM that’s kind of liberating? I was upfront about the moving and that I only have a few days left in the place which is probably why it happened. Professor was also upfront about leaving the country in a few months for an opportunity to work and do research in Japan for five fucking years. It was awkward at first; but we eventually warmed up to each other and spent the night together.

December 5. Things escalated pretty quickly. The Professor gave me a shower (that was weird but I was feeling it and I thought it was sweet and sexy?). We cuddled until we slept and there was breakfast prepared when I woke up. I don’t usually get to experience this kind of stuff so I really appreciated that. I was feeling it. I thought I can get used to this! I left the place and was invited back again so I stayed over for another night. We’ve had a few more interesting conversations. I was not expecting some of the things we discussed especially the talk about long-distance relationships. The Professor asked me what I think about it and I was honest; I’m not against it but it’s not something I’ll take a chance on if I wasn’t sure about it. Mantra’s always been connection first before commitment. I’m not the “take a leap of faith” kind-of guy; I needed to be sure. Or at the very least be really mentally and emotionally connected with the person. I thought that made perfect sense. I still do.

December 6. So it was finally goodbye. Me and my sister went to the nearest church to donate a few clothes and shoes and to attend a mass. Bid farewell to the Professor too and promised each other to keep in touch. I also had an awkward encounter with my sister’s “friend” who she sneaked in the condo for God knows what for. Pretty sure they did the nasty.

December 13. We went to our old house (the one I spent my younger years in) to get a few stuff for the new house. I only really wanted to get my old bicycle because I want to be biking regularly for the next year. I want to take that fitness journey seriously! So I got the bike and I got to spend some time with some childhood friends. Good stuff.

December 15. A teammate resigned at work. The funny thing is he did it after getting that 13th month bonus HAHAHA! I can’t blame him though after learning about the salary he gets when he’s performing three functions in the team. That’s insane. But it really made me wonder: am I still in this for the long haul? Or do I move on too?

December 17. So I had my work desk and wardrobe delivered. Felt so nice buying things for my room!

December 19. We got a new dog! Another French Bulldog. He’s pretty sweet. Someone’s not happy! (MY MOM)

December 22. And then this happened. We were supposed to meet after my dentist appointment (which I only used as an excuse to meet and I thought that was obvious) but the Professor never showed up. I waited for FIVE FREAKIN HOURS. I had like clothes with me because we agreed I sleepover but FUCK. Good thing a friend kept me company, but that was horrible. I thought YOU NEVER DO THAT TO ANYONE. I deserve better.

December 24. We had our house blessed. It was all super spontaneous; we invited a few friends and relatives over and had an intimate gathering. Mom got emotional (AGAIN).

December 27. So Ms. Preggy (from February - oooh that rhymed) had her son baptized. Since she lives a little father from the city, we decided to have a little staycation with some friends there too. The-Now-Bestie and Work Son was there, and we had beer and homecooked food and a slew of great conversations to cap off the year.

Also December 27. I knew I needed to get something off my chest. And I just had to say it.

“You’re so unfair. You shouldn’t have done that. Gave me false hopes. Gave me a “3-day trial period” only to disappear without any warning. Made promises you never intended to keep. You could’ve just told me you’re not interested anymore and I would’ve been fine with that but instead, you ghosted me. For the past few weeks since that weekend, it never seemed like you wanted to get to know me better. Or even just keep the communication going. It’s been one-sided and I wonder: has it always been this way? Maybe I’m remembering things differently. I told you I like you and I meant that. I’m still wrapping around my head why and how it happened to be honest. Maybe it’s that weekend? Maybe it’s the conversations leading up to when we first met? I don’t know. But things changed after that and I should ask you for an explanation but it’s really not the point. The point is I thought we can work something out and you hurt me. You may feel like you’re running out of time because of Japan but it’s no excuse to do that to anyone, really. You seem so sure about what you want so I hope you get whatever that is. Merry Christmas. Thanks for the memories.”

That was intense.

December 28. The Professor responded. “I apologize... I am getting attached... I had to “ponder on its implications to me in the long run”... I decided to slow down... It hurts... “That weekend that we met felt like I knew you before”... I am afraid... “You have no idea how hard it is to leave everything behind every 4-5 fucking years not because I wanted it but because I have to”... I still hope to continue whatever we have... “I will always remember you. Please don’t forget about me.”... YADA YADA YADA.

I know. You know me. I try to empathize as much as possible. But I mean, come on. These are things I already know. It’s not what I needed to hear.

December 31. I needed to say something one last time. There’s already a lot of uncertainties in the world with COVID and life and everything else. I knew I needed answers; I want the binary. I want the black or white for this one. I’m not taking the gray with me next year. So I asked the following questions:

“What do you want from me? Do you want to be friends? Or we stick with occasional catching up on Viber every once in a while (because that’s what it sounds like to me)?”

“What do you want to get from your last two months here? What are you looking for? Just make the most “fun’? Or look for something that will stick?”

“Have you told me anything you really didn’t mean?”

“That one time we talked about long-distance, were you asking me?”

Fast forward to now: I never got the answer I needed. I guess this is one of those rare occasions where no answer is the answer. And after a few weeks of contemplating about it, I am leaving it behind in 2020.

I’m actually at peace with that.

So there you have it. The suck-fest that is 2020. The first month of the new year wasn’t so bad. I feel this great energy. This year’s going to be different. I did tell you that this letter’s perfect timing. That’s because I’ve resigned and I’m moving on. A friend told me a while ago that he’s proud of me for finally taking action. The 2018 version of myself wouldn’t have done what I did and he was happy for me. I wanted a clean slate and I took it. That I was finally taking ownership of my life.

I was elated. My friend usually spoils me with compliments and encouragement and my ever reliable negative self-image tend to disagree with him but for the first time in a very long time, it felt right. I’m not usually excited for New Years, but I guess I am?

I say bring it on, 2021.

Until then,

Patheticwithanem

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survivorwildwest · 3 years

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Episode 14 - Finale - They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?

Jerri, Colby, Ken, Michaela, Bi, and Lauren, return to camp after a close vote taking out Kass. They tie their horses to the saloon’s hitching post.

“Well done,” Bi says, before retiring to bed.

“Do you want to talk,” Ken asks Lauren.

“There’s nothing to talk about. You’re playing your game. I’m playing mine. I’m not mad at you, baby,” Lauren tells him as she cups his cheek in her hand.

Somewhere in the Mojave Desert, a cottontail rabbit wriggles its nose.

At high noon the next day, the Final Six meet Jeff for their next reward challenge. Jeff and his trusty clydesdale stand before two wobbly tables, each of which have three ropes attached.

“For today's reward challenge, you will be randomly divided into two teams. Each team will have six cards on a barrel, which will spell out a classic Wild West phrase. Place the correct cards in the correct order while balancing a heavy table by holding a long, heavy rope. First team to do so wins reward. Want to know what you’re playing for?”

Everyone nods as they look over the challenge.

“Here in the United States, Nearly one in every four Native American households experience brutal food insecurity, meaning not enough variety, quality or desirability of their diets. Today, you will serve as ambassadors of goodwill when you deliver food and other supplies desperately needed to help their life be a little bit easier. Hot meals, gardening supplies, books and other school supplies. You will then be treated to a traditional Wild West feast.”

“Beans,” Michaela presumes.

“Beans, yes, as well as chips & guacamole, margaritas, pork, beef, baked potatoes with all the fixins. Worth playin for?”

They all nod and clap and get ready for the challenge. The two teams are randomly assigned by rock draw. They take their places and Jeff explains, “Wearing orange we have Ken, Jerri and Lauren. Wearing teal, we have Colby, Michaela and Bi.”

Each of them take their respective rope and stand over the barrel when Jeff calls for the challenge to begin. All six competitors look over the thick wooden cards.

“We have two Es,” Colby says, “An A, a Y, an H and a W.”

“Yeehaw,” Michaela whispers.

Bi takes the Y card and begins her walk to the table Colby and Michaela hold. Lauren is quick to figure it out for orange.

“Both teams think they have it figured out,” Jeff yells, “It’ll be a race to see who can get it done sooner.”

Bi places the Y in its upright position and begins to walk backwards, holding her rope as she returns to the barrel. Hoping to gain an advantage over the other team, Colby holds his rope tight so Michaela can begin her march toward the table before Bi returns.

“Teal team, taking a gamble having two people away from the barrel at a time. We’ll see if it pays off.”

For the orange team, Lauren runs back quickly so that Jerri and Ken don’t have to hold the rope as long. Jerri pushes forward as soon as Lauren returns to pull her rope taut. Jerri places their second card as Michaela walks backwards toward their barrel. It’s a close race but the strategy of leaving Colby in one position the whole time proves successful as the teal team spells out “Yeehaw” first. Jeff announces, “Colby, Michaela and Bi win reward!”

Somewhere in the Mojave Desert, a scorpion burrows under a large, rocky hill.

Colby, Michaela and Bi ride their horses south, trotting through the Colorado River and into Arizona. They pass through the hot springs of White Hills and by the Hackberry General Store before riding along Route 66 for over 20 miles. They come upon a lived-in trailer and a cabin made of stone and wood. The paint has been stripped from the wood after years of inattention. An American flag flies overhead.

They hitch their horses outside a motel. Inside, an old man opens his arms and says, “Welcome to Peach Springs! We’re so happy to have you. I am Dr. Damon Rudy Clark. You can call me Rudy.”

“Nice to meet you, Rudy,” Colby says, shaking the man’s hand.

“Nice to meet you tooo,” Rudy says, elongating the last syllable to ask Colby’s name.

“Colby. My name’s Colby.”

“Colby,” Rudy says, “Thank you for coming.”

“Hi, I’m Michaela,” she says, taking a step next to Colby and shaking Rudy’s hand.

“Michaela, thank you for coming.”

“I’m Bi,” Bi says, jutting her hand out for Rudy to shake.

“Bi, thank you for coming.”

“Pleasure,” she says.

“I would like to introduce you to Tim. Tim lives in a trailer, but his mom recently lost her ability to walk. So, now she’s in a wheelchair. Tim needs help installing a ramp so his mother can more easily live her life.”

“We’d be happy to help,” Colby says.

Rudy takes them to his old, red pick-up truck The supplies are thrown in the truck bed. He drives them in his rusted red truck to Tim’s trailer. Tim sits on the stairs outside his trailer with his head in his hands. He looks up when he hears the truck. He doesn’t look much older than Colby.

“Tim,” Rudy calls, “These kind folks have offered to help with your ramp!”

“Oh, really,” Tim asks.

“Absolutely,” Michaela says.

“Oh thank you. It’s not a big job, but the more hands the better. Thank you.”

They unload the equipment from Rudy’s truck before he leaves to give the rest of the supplies to the stores and schools who need it most. Colby and Tim begin sawing the wood while Michaela and Bi take measurements. The screen door slowly creaks open and an elevated foot in a wheelchair emerges.

“Good afternoon, ladies,” the woman behind the screen door says.

“Hello,” Michaela says, sitting on the next to last stair.

“Thank you for doing this,” she says with a shaky voice, “Would you like some lemonade?”

“Oh, no thank you,” Michaela says.

“If you don’t mind my asking, what happened to your leg,” Bi asks.

“Oh, it was really nothing. I just fell on these steps one morning while on my way out on my way to work. I’ve fallen a thousand times on these steps. But, I’m always able to catch myself. This time… I wasn’t. I guess that’s just part of aging.”

“How old are you,”

“I’ll be 90 this fall.”

“And you’re--”

“This fall,” the old woman laughs, “that’s funny. I didn’t mean to do that.”

“It’s very funny,” Michaela agrees, “So you’re nearly 90 years old and still working?”

“Well, not anymore. This has taken me out for good.”

“So, it’s broken,” Bi asks, noticing no cast.

“Oh, I assume.”

“Does it hurt,” Michaela asks.

“Oh, at my age, honey, everything hurts. It’s just like everything else…”

“You didn’t go to a doctor,” Bi asks.

“Oh no,” she waves it away.

“When I hurt my foot, I saw a doctor immediately,” Bi says.

“How am I supposed to pay for a doctor,” she asks. “Between me and Tim, we can barely afford this trailer. A doctor’s visit? Out of the question.”

“But… I thought the government was supposed to... help you,” Bi says.

“They’re supposed to,” Tim says as he and Colby drop some unfinished wood next to the stairs.

Somewhere near the Mojave Desert, creosote bushes dominate the mountainside.

After installing the ramp and a handrail on either side. Tim and his mother join Colby, Michaela and Bi for the feast Jeff Probst promised. With meats and sweets, they fill their pleats. Colby makes sure to cover his cornbread with beans.

“More beans, Colbeans?”

“What can I tell you, I like beans?”

“Does your butt,” Tim’s mom asks.

Colby only laughs.

“They call it the magical fruit,” Tim’s mom says.

“So I’ve heard,” Colby says.

“Have you,” Michaela asks.

Colby sighs and says, “Not yet…”

After filling a plate for himself and his mother, Tim takes a seat at the picnic table next to a cactus blooming a single yellow flower.

“I really want to thank you all for doing that. I could not have done that without you,” Tim says.

“We’re happy to help,” Colby says, slapping Tim’s back.

“Life can be hard on the reservation. I’m sure you know,” Tim says, “but at the end of the day, we’re really not asking for much. All I want is a good home for my mom. Maybe a wife and some children, and some food to feed them every night.”

They all nod along as he speaks. Colby grabs Tim's shoulder and says, “Yes, of course. We hear you.”

“Thank you, Colby,” Tim says.

Somewhere in the Mojave Desert, a spider continues building its web.

Back in town, Jerri sits alone while Ken and Lauren snuggle on the bench next to the fire.

“Jerri,” Lauren asks, “Are you really taking Michaela to the end?”

“Why do you ask,” Jerri retorts.

“I’m just saying, she’s out with Colby and Bi right now. You don’t think the three of them are making a deal without you?”

“They’re not gonna do that.”

“Okay. I hear you, but if I were you, I wouldn’t go up against Michaela in the final three.”

“What are you proposing,” Jerri asks.

“The three of us take out Michaela tonight.”

“She is a jury threat. Ken, you’re okay with this?”

“I’m not gonna beat her in the end,” Ken surmises.

Jerri tosses the idea around in her head.

“Lauren makes a good point,” Jerri says in a talking head, “Taking out Michaela would help make my argument at final tribal.”

Somewhere in the Mojave Desert, a rosy boa emerges from its hiding place.

As the sun begins to set, Colby, Michaela and Bi make their trek back to town on the backs of their horses.

“So,” Bi says, “We should probably discuss who we’re targeting.”

“I want Lauren out,” Michaela says. “She’s got too many connections on the jury and she hasn’t really pissed anyone off”

“Plus, she’s not in our alliance,” Colby adds.

“There you go,” Michaela says.

“Works for me,” Bi says.

Somewhere in the Mojave Desert, a cottontail rabbit finds shelter in some brush.

The final six meet final six meet Jeff for their next immunity challenge. He stands in front of a board that looks like this:

“For today’s immunity challenge,” he tells them, “you will each fire bullets from a replica nineteenth-century Colt six-shooter revolver. Each time your name on the target wall is hit, you score a point. You’ll each begin with six bullets. But, to make things interesting, you’ll come behind this wall, and secretly distribute your bullets to the other Survivors by placing them in marked containers. Each time you give another person a bullet, you give them another shot at the wall and a better chance at winning immunity and this game. Whoever’s name has been hit the most often by the end of the challenge, wins immunity and has a one-in-FIVE chance of winning this game.”

Jeff gives each of them the opportunity to drop their bullets in the other’s containers, then announces, “Bi received two bullets and will be going first as she received the least. Do you feel unloved, Bi?”

“Not at all. I’m going to use what I have to win.”

“Great attitude. Go for it.”

Bi lines up her shot and hits one of her tiles for her first point. Without moving her arm, she pulls the trigger again, piercing the same tile again. She hands the gun back to Jeff who congratulates her on her two perfect shots. He grips the barrel of the revolver and calls for Colby.

“Colby will take five shots. You handy with a gun, Colby?”

“I believe this is when I’m supposed to say ‘yeehaw,’” he says as he tips his hat to Jeff and takes the revolver’s handle.

He aims for one of his tiles in the center of the board, for fear he may miss off the side. His first bullets strikes a tile with Lauren’s name, just barely missing his own. He takes a deep breath and fires again, hitting the same place. He lets out a frustrated grunt and adjusts his stance slightly. He takes a shot, then another, then another. In quick succession, all three of his bullets fly through his own tile.

“Colby takes first place with three points,” Jeff says. “Bi has two and now Lauren has two. Up next with five shots is Ken.”

Michaela throws her hands up in the air as Ken makes his way to Jeff.

“What’s the issue, Michaela?”

“He’s just gonna give all his points to Lauren.”

“Not necessarily,” Ken says, taking the revolver from Jeff.

He points his gun at the board and closes one eye. His steady hand pulls the trigger. His bullet penetrates Lauren’s tile. Then, again. Then, again. Then, again. Then, with his last shot, he adjusts his aim slightly so that it pierces Michaela’s tile.

“Oh, thanks, Ken,” Michaela unenthusiastically says.

“Up next is…” Jeff says, “Lauren.”

Lauren skips to Jeff and takes the gun. He tells her that she has seven shots. Her eyes go big as she looks at the gun, then the board. She takes aim and says, “I’ve never shot a gun before.”

“Well, there’s a first time for everything,” Jeff tells her.

Lauren wraps her fingers around the grip and holds it tight. She closes an eye and aims for her own name. The bullet races toward the board and hits the wooden border separating her name from Colby’s.

“Damn, okay.” she says before rotating her hips for a more goal-oriented angle.

She fires again and the bullet smashes through her own tile. She takes a deep breath to calm herself then fires again. Again, it hits her target. She jumps up and down excitedly before finding her footing again and taking another shot. Without moving, she takes two more shots, both piercing the same tile. For her seventh shot, Lauren has to reload the six-shooter. When she gets the gun back in working order, she finds a familiar stance and fires. Lauren’s seventh and final shot hits the tile just below the one she’d hit five times in a row, giving Colby another point.

“Thanks,” Colby says.

“Michaela, you’re up next,” Jeff says, “You have seven shots.”

Michaela looks over the board and counts the holes left by the bullets. She looks at the gun and continues her count. She drops her head and aims at the board. She fires all six shots of her first round at Colby’s tile. All six hit.

“You’re not even trying to win immunity,” Jeff asks.

Michaela doesn’t respond. Instead, she places her final bullet in the chamber, lines up her shot, and gives Colby his eleventh point.

“I can’t win this, but Colby still can,” Michaela explains as she hands the gun back to Jeff, “I’m just looking out for my own.”

“Last but not least,” Jeff says, “Jerri. You have ten shots.”

The rest of the tribe looks around at each other, none of them entirely shocked by Jerri’s popularity.

“So,” Jerri says as she takes the revolver from Jeff, “I can’t win this.”

“Seems that way,” Jeff says.

“So, it’s up to me who wins immunity?”

Jeff lifts his shoulders to neither confirm nor deny her comment.

Jerri aims at Colby’s line of tiles. She pulls the trigger six times and leaves six holes in the board. Three in a tile for Colby and three in a tile for Lauren. She looks at the board as she reloads. She rolls her eyes upon seeing the result. She uses the same strategy for her last four shots. The first hits the top right corner of Colby’s tile. The second hits only a couple inches to the right of the first, piercing the top left corner of Lauren’s tile. The third strikes a couple inches higher in the lower left corner of Jerri’s tile. The fourth and final shot of the challenge pierces the board a couple inches to the left, in the bottom right corner of another one of Lauren’s tiles. Jeff calls out “Lauren wins immunity!”

“Dammit,” Michaela says under her breath.

Lauren jumps for joy as she runs to Jeff. He drapes the bandolier across her chest and hands her the key to the Immunity Suite. She beams with pride before rejoining Ken and the rest of the tribe.

“God,” Lauren says in a talking head, “I have been waiting for this for sooo long.”

Somewhere in the Mojave Desert, two cottontail rabbits approach each other cautiously.

The tribe returns to town. Jerri makes her way behind the bar in the saloon and grabs six tumblers “to celebrate the final six,” per Lauren’s suggestion. Jerri fills each tumbler with the brown stuff and passes them to her tribemates sitting at the bar. As she looks up, she notices only Colby, Michaela, and Bi. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Lauren run upstairs with Ken in tow.

“Didn’t realize this was a reward challenge too,” Jerri says.

Somewhere in the Mojave Desert, a newborn cottontail rabbits takes in the new world.

Lauren lays on Ken’s chest. The immunity bandolier can be seen under the sheet they wear.

“Do you think we should take out Colby,” Lauren asks, blue skying.

“Me, you and who, Bi?”

“Unless you can convince Michaela.”

“I can try.”

Ken trots down to the bar where he finds Michaela, Bi, Jerri and Colby sitting at the bar. Jerri is excited to see him and invites him over.

“Oh, no thank you. I’m just going to go get some water,” he says, making brief, but noticed, eye contact with Michaela.

“I could use some water, actually,” she says.

The two millennials make their way to the oasis. Ken is characteristically nonverbal until Michaela says, “Okay, what’s your plan?”

“We need you.”

“Okay. Who is it?”

“Colby,” Ken finally admits.

“That’d be a Big Move,” Michaela says.

“It’s a necessary move.”

“Alright, Ken,” she agrees.

Constellations blossom as evening descends on the Mojave Desert.

As the sun sets, the final six get on their horses and ride to tribal council. They take their seats and Jeff calls in the jury, “Elizabeth, Todd, Russell, Ben, Wardog, Wendy, and Kass voted out at the last tribal council.”

On their akhal-tekes, the jury surrounds the final six. Each juror places themselves behind each of the seven people sitting around the campfire.

“Lauren,” Jeff begins, “First individual immunity of your career. That must feel nice.”

“Couldn’t have come at a better time.”

“Why do you say that?”

“I know I’m their target. They have to target someone else tonight,” she says with a proud smile.

“When you say ‘they?’”

“Michaela, Colby and Jerri.”

“Does that mean it’s you, Ken and Bi, on the other side?”

“Could be,” Lauren says, looking across the fire at Bi. “Or it could be me, Ken and Michaela, or it could be me Jerri and Colby. We won’t know until you read us the votes, Jeff.”

“Jerri, does Lauren winning immunity change your plans tonight?”

“Come on, Jeff,” Jerri says, “You should know by now that plans change by the minute in this game.”

“Bi, any change of plans since Lauren won immunity?”

“I don’t concern myself with the activities of others,” she says.

“Okay. Colby, has your plan changed tonight?”

“I’ve had the same plan since two-thousand-and-one. And that is to win this game.”

“Well, good luck. It is time to vote. Bi, you’re up first.”

Bi makes her way into the cave to cast her vote. The rest of the tribe makes their way in, one-by-one. Jeff collects the votes and returns to the campfire. He tells them, “If anyone has the hidden immunity idol and you’d like to play it. Now would be the time to do so.”

Michaela stares at the glowing sand around the fire. She taps her feet a few times before looking back up to Jeff, who says, “Alright. I’ll read the votes.”

He reaches into the urn and pulls out the first vote, “Colby, Colby, Ken, Ken, Ken, Fifteenth Person voted out of Survivor: Wild West and the eighth member of our jury, Ken.”

Ken nods his head, grabs his torch and stands next to Jeff, who tells him, “Ken, the tribe has spoken.”

“It’s been wonderful. I love you all,” Ken says, “Good luck.”

Ken strokes his quarter horse’s chest before riding off into the horizon of the moonlit Mojave.

Ken and Lauren voted for Colby. Everyone else voted for Ken.

Somewhere in the Mojave Desert, bats awake in a cave and fly into the night.

The final five, Colby, Lauren, Jerri, Bi, and Michaela, return to town and hitch their horses outside the saloon. As Lauren ties up her brown quarter horse, she says, “Have you noticed, the jury doesn’t ride in on the same horses they were voted out with?”

“Yeah,” Michaela says, “There’s are a lot prettier.”

“What do you think happens to the horses when their person gets voted out?”

“I think in horse racing,” Colby slowly recalls, “they... shoot horses, don’t they?”

“I hope not,” Lauren cries.

Somewhere in the Mojave Desert, in the early morning, a wild horse runs free, kicking up the sand among the red rocks as he gallops.

Colby approaches with another piece of tree mail, alerting them to their next reward challenge.

Come High Noon,

This is it, bud

The game will get dirty soon

When you cover yourself in…

“Oh, dammit, is it mud,” Colby asks.

Somewhere in the Mojave Desert, a rosy boa sleeps in a very small cave at the base of a rockhill.

At high noon, the final five find Jeff and his clydesdale standing in front of five empty wooden buckets and a pit of mud.

“For today’s reward challenge, each of you will dive into this mud pit, then transfer the mud in any way you can into your bucket. Whoever gets the most mud in their bucket wins reward. You want to know what you’re playing for?”

They all nod with excitement but not much energy.

“Whoever collects the most mud will win an overnight trip to Las Vegas. A bed, cocktails, casinos, a shower, which will come in mighty handy after a dive into this mud. Worth playing for?”

They all nod and say, “wow.” Jeff clasps his hands together and says, “Alright, we’ll draw for spots and get started.”

They all take their places and Jeff calls for the challenge to begin. Jerri tries to fill her hair with mud. Colby covers his whole body. Michaela and Lauren each try to cradle as much mud as they can. Bi takes the strategy of making a lot of small trips.

Colby, having the most body mass, wipes a significant amount of mud off himself into his bucket. Michaela and Lauren each bring back a comparable amount to one another. Bi doesn’t bring much, but she’s in and out faster than the rest. Jerri was able to collect a lot of mud in her hair, but getting it out is proving more difficult.

Each of the final five continue with their same strategy as the challenge goes on. When Jeff finally calls time, all five appear to have similar levels. Jeff grabs Bi’s bucket first. He places it on the scale and announces, “Bi, twelve point three pounds.”

He returns Bi’s and grabs Jerri’s bucket, “Eleven pounds even.”

He takes Michaela’s bucket after returning Jerri’s, “Twelve and a half for Michaela. A new leader.”

He returns Michaela’s bucket and takes Lauren’s, “Lauren got… also twelve and a half pounds.”

Jeff finally takes Colby’s bucket, weighs it and announces, “With thirteen pounds even, Colby wins reward.”

“For real,” Colby asks with genuine surprise.

“For real,” Jeff assures him.

“Of course,” Michaela says with a dismissive tone.

“What’s the problem, Michaela?”

“Lauren and I worked just as hard, if not harder. He’s just bigger. It’s whatever. I’m not mad. It’s Colby. Colby’s gonna do everything right,” she says while wiping the mud off her face.

“Alright, Colby. You’re headed to Vegas tonight. Who do you want to bring with you?”

“Oh, jeez,” Colby says, looking at the four women before him. Lauren and Bi both expect to not be picked. Michaela raises her eyebrows expectantly. Jerri brushes some mud from her lip and smiles at Colby.

“Jerri, you want to go to Vegas?”

“I’ve been waiting 20 years for you to ask me out, Colby Donaldson. Of course I do.”

“You two will be headed to Las Vegas,” Jeff says, “Lauren, Bi, Michaela, I got nothing for ya.”

Somewhere in the Mojave Desert, a spider has caught prey.

Lauren, Bi, and Michaela ride their horses back to town and take a seat around the fire. Lauren stretches out on Ken’s bench and says, “Sorry Colby didn’t pick you, MIchaela. I know you guys are close.”

“Yeah, thanks. You know, it is what it is. He’s known Jerri for, what, twenty years. I can’t be mad at him. Plus, if I were out there, y’all’d be targeting me.”

“No one’s targeting you, Michaela,” Lauren assures her, glancing to Bi, who nods quietly.

“No, it’s okay,” Michaela says, “I know I’m a target.”

“Would you vote for Colby,” Lauren asks.

“The three of us?”

“Then whichever of us is best at fire can take out Jerri with fire next time.”

“Yeah, that could work. Are either of you good at fire?”

“I’m good at fire,” Bi promises.

Somewhere in the Mojave Desert, two desert tortoises slowly crawl over the cracks in the sand.

Jerri and Colby find their dirty bodies in a pristine hotel room. They track the dirt over the white carpet and into the white & gold marble bathroom. Behind a floor-to-ceiling glass door, they see a large shower with showerheads from more angles than should ever seem necessary.

“Oh wow,” Jerri says as she runs her fingertips over the etched glass.

“That looks so nice,” Colby says.

“Looks big enough for two,” Jerri hints.

Colby grins before unbuttoning his shirt. Jerri does the same and they swing the glass door open. The warm water rinses the excess dirt from their skin. Jerri’s hair falls as the once dry mud falls over her body. Colby takes a washcloth and places it over Jerri’s shoulder to remove the dirt. They both stare at his fingers, his skin nearly touching hers. She places a hand over his and the other on his cheek.

“Jerri,” Colby says, mirroring her movements.

“Colby,” she says softly, staring into his eyes.

The water from every which direction removes all the dirt from their bodies. Colby’s hand drops from Jerri's cheek. His knuckles trace her neck. They haven’t stopped staring into one another’s eyes but their fingers interlace with perfection.

“Would you look at that,” Colby says.

“Almost like it was meant to be,” Jerri says.

“Something like that,” Colby says.

“Seems like someone should have listened twenty years ago.”

Colby gives Jerri a polite smile. He removes his other hand from her shoulder and begins collecting water in his palm. Once full, he pours it over Jerri’s face.

“Hey,” she laugh-screams while trying to push him away. She tries to collect water in her own hands to toss at him. They chase each other around the shower until Colby finally shuts it off.

“Oh, Colby! I was having fun!”

Colby smirks and says, “We’ve got a dinner date.”

Jerri wears a burgundy dinner gown with floral accents draped over her shoulders. Colby wears a classic tuxedo with a matching burgundy pocket square.

“It feels like we’re at prom,” he jokes as they sit down atop Las Vegas’ Eiffel Tower.

“There is a certain romance to it,” she says with a gentle smile as she looks up from the menu.

They order some wine and lobster and look out over the desert. Colby cocks his head to Jerri and lifts his glass of pinot noir, “to twenty years,” he says.

“Twenty years,” she says, clinking his glass. “You ever expect us to be here?”

“I honestly did not ever imagine this,” he laughs.

“I did,” she says before flashing a genuine and charming smile. “I’m really happy to be here with you, Colby.”

“I’m really happy you’re here, too, Jare.”

“How’s your stomach and--”

“Yeah, no. Still can’t pass gas.”

“That’s so weird. Have you tried pushing?”

“Like I was giving birth.”

The two Australian Outback castaways laugh and sip their wine and eat their dinner while basking in each other's company. They watch as a young man on a date takes credit for the fireworks display. The young man wears an ill-fitting suit. He seems nervous. A firework shaped like a heart, complete with an arrow and a ribbon reading “Jerri & Colby,” explodes.

“What is that,” Colby asks, “Did you do that?”

“I had nothing to do with that,” Jerri says, “Did… Jeff?”

“Oh my god, yes,” a voice to their left exclaims. The crowd applauds. Colby and Jerri look to see what’s all the commotion. The nervous young man holds his date in the air. Her arms are wrapped around him. As they spin around in celebration, the young man’s young date opens her eyes and yells, “Oh my god! Colby!”

The nervous young man sets her down and looks over at Colby. His eyes go bing and the two come charging at Colby & Jerri.

“Oh wow,” the nervous young man says.

“Uh… hi…” Colby says to the nervous young man.

“Colby…”

“Yeah, hi. Nice to meet you.”

“That’s my name! And this is my girlfriend-- well fiancee now, Jerri!”

“Oh wow,” Colby says. “So, you just proposed?”

“Yeah, hi, sorry,” the young Jerri says, “We’re just really big fans.”

“Oh yeah,” Jerri asks.

“Oh yeah! I was actually named after you!”

“Oh…” Jerri says, “So, how old are you?”

“Nineteen,” she says with glee.

“And how old are you, son,” Colby asks.

“Twenty, sir,” the young Colby tells him.

“Twenty years old? What are ya drinking,” Colby asks.

“Sarsaparilla, sir,” the young Colby tells him before sipping from his straw again

“So,” Jerri says, “Are you named after my Colby?”

“No ma’am,” the young Colby says, “I just happen to be named Colby. But, that’s how my parents were introduced to the show. Their friends--”

“My parents,” the young Jerri tells them.

“Yeah, her parents. They knew my name was gonna be Colby so they said ‘Oh, you should watch this show.’ So they did. And then when her parents were pregnant they said…”

“Well, whose Colby meant to be with,” the young Jerri finishes, “That’s you!”

“Right,” Jerri says she says with a fascinated grin. “So your families are really close?”

“Oh yeah,” the young Colby says, “Family’s really important to us.”

“Yeah,” the young Jerri says, “His uncle does the fireworks show at the Bellagio.”

“That’s how I got the fireworks with all our names on it.”

“Wow,” Colby says, “That’s really cool.”

“Some people call me Coolby,” the young Colby says.

“Alright Coolby,” Colby says, “Congratulations.”

“Yeah, congratulations,” Jerri says.

“Thanks,” the young couple says before returning to their table.

“Alright then,” Colby laughs as he clinks champagne flutes with Jerri.

Somewhere in the Mojave Desert, two tortoises rest.

The next day, Colby and Jerri return to town, hand-in-hand. They separate before being seen by anyone. Michaela is sitting alone at the fire.

“Afternoon,” she calls when she sees them.

“Howdy,” Colby says as he takes a seat on Ken’s bench. “Where are Bi and Lauren?”

“Getting water. How was the reward?”

“Fantastic,” Jerri says.

“It was exactly what we needed,” Colby says.

“That’s great. I’m happy for y’all,” Michaela says, looking around before speaking again. “We’re all on board for Lauren, right?”

“Yeah, of course,” Colby says.

“Okay, good,” Michaela says, “I’m worried they’re coming after me.”

“We’re with you one hundred percent, Michaela,” Colby says.

The shadows of old rocks cover the wildlife of the Mojave Desert with temporary respite.

Bi and Lauren collect water for the tribe at the oasis. Bi says, “It’s Michaela tonight, right?”

“Oh, absolutely. She’ll win if she makes it to Final 3.”

“Glad we’re on the same page. You think Jerri and Colby will go for it?”

“If they’re smart.”

Somewhere in the Mojave Desert, a scorpion readies its tail from its underground alcove.

The next day, Colby wakes up and makes his way to the saloon. There, he finds Lauren making coffee.

“Coffee,” Colby asks.

“Yeah, you want some,” Lauren asks, grabbing a blue and white mug from above the bar.

“Sounds great.”

“I do have to warn you. We are out of sugar.”

“How’d we run out of sugar?”

Lauren shrugs her shoulders before asking, “Are you going to get tree mail?”

“Yeah, you want to come?”

“Sure!”

The two of them walk to the lone tree in the desert when Lauren says, “I have to be honest. My trek to the tree with you has ulterior motives.”

“Yes. I’ve played Survivor before.”

“Okay, so, what do you think of voting for Michaela tonight?”

“She’s my closest ally.”

“I thought Jerri was your closest ally.”

“I’m not going to rank them.”

“Okay, whatever. Just, think about it. You’re not going to beat her in final three. I don’t mean to be harsh, but...”

“Why do you say that? I’ve played a good game.”

“Look, the way I see it, you, Michaela and Jerri-- not all three of you are going to make it to Final Tribal together. Do you want them to turn on you before you turn on them?”

They make it to the tree before Colby has a chance to respond. He taps the envelope on his fingers as he paces back toward town.

“Bi’s already in on this?”

“Take a wild guess.”

“Alright. Alright. Let me think about it.”

Somewhere in the Mojave Desert, a gust of wind blows a trailing four o’clock from the cactus it once resided.

Lauren stands behind Colby as he reads the tree mail to the rest of the tribe who sit around the fire.

At High Noon,

You’ll be coming Round

You know the tune

Just listen for the…

“Sound,” Michaela huffs.

At high noon, the final five find Jeff standing before five metal contraptions. As they take their places, Jeff says, “First things first, Lauren, gotta take it back.”

Lauren kneels in front of Jeff and bows her head. He removes the bandolier from her shoulder. She returns to her tribe and Jeff explains, “For today's immunity challenge, you will have one hand tied behind your back. You will drop a ball into the contraption. The ball will race through the contraption and fall out from one of two alternating tracks. When it comes out, you have to place it back in the contraption. At regular intervals, you will add more balls. Last person with all their balls still in play wins immunity and has a one in FOUR chance of winning this game. We’ll draw for spots and get started.”

The final five take their positions and drop their first ball into the track. Each of the five balls slowly rolls through the track while their respective castaway watches it. Once the balls reach the bottom, they all place the ball back in the starting place. The balls continue through the track until they all switch to the other track. All the eyes dart around the track as their balls descend. When Michaela drops the ball for the third time, she closes her eyes and waits for the ball to drop into her hand at the bottom of the contraption. Everyone successfully makes it through the third go round. Once they all place it a fourth time, Jeff tells them they now have fifteen seconds to drop a second ball. When Michaela hears the first ball take one track, she drops the second ball and waits again. Colby is watching his without distraction. Bi is invested in her two balls as they spiral through the track like a mirror. Lauren rocks back and forth and she waits for hers. Jerri pays attention to the new ball, but forgets about the first. It drops and she simply laughs and throws up her loose hand.

When everyone seems to get a rhythm down with two, Jeff gives them fifteen seconds to drop a third. Bi mistimes the drop and misses catching one of her balls in the process. Lauren, Michaela and Colby all seem to have three down to a simple pattern. Michaela still hasn’t opened her eyes, focusing solely on her ability to hear. Colby’s focus has become determination. Lauren’s rocking has become quieter. She places her hand in front of the left side of the contraption and the ball comes out of the right.

“Wait, No,” Lauren yells.

“Time for a fourth ball,” Jeff tells Colby and Michaela.

Michaela times out the clinks and clanks of the balls around the rusty metal structure. When feeling they’re evenly spaced, she drops it. She rushes to get her hand down to the one exiting as Colby does the same. Colby grips the ball as it shoots out, waits a beat, then drops it back in. Michaela’s ball flies out with more force than she expected and she bobbles it. She’s able to retrieve it and place it back in but has to open her eyes.

“Nice save by Michaela,” Jeff calls.

The near-fumble by Michaela messes up her rhythm and the next ball falls to the ground.

“Colby wins immunity,” Jeff calls.

Michaela throws her hand in the air and the other three balls shoot to the ground in quick succession as she walks to the bench.

“Colby’s gonna Colby,” Michaela says in a talking head, “but Michaela’s gonna Michaela too.”

Back in town, after hitching up their horses, everyone meets in the saloon for a celebratory whiskey in Colby’s honor.

Somewhere in the Mojave Desert, the sun beats down on the sand all day, but in the early evening, the moon begins to rise.

The final five ride the last five horses in town to Tribal Council. Jeff welcomes them as he stands next to his clydesdale. He announces the jury, “Elizabeth, Todd, Russell, Ben, Wardog, Wendy, Kass and Ken voted out at the last tribal council.”

Ken gives a gentle wave to Lauren as he approaches on his shiny akhal-teke.

“Colby,” Jeff starts, “Once again, you are wearing immunity.”

“Yeah, Jeff. I’m starting to feel like the old Colby again, the Colby everyone fell in love with.”

“Everybody’s always gonna love Colby,” Lauren says.

“Yeah, he doesn’t need challenge wins for us to love him,” Michaela says.

“Yeah, he’s just a good dude,” Bi says.

“Any praise from you, Jerri,” Jeff asks.

“Colby knows how I feel about him,” Jerri says, almost giggling to tease a smile out of Colby.

“And how’s that,” Jeff asks.

“Same way she always has,” Colby says, still smiling at her.

“Are you gonna question them incessantly about their relationship, Jeff,” Lauren asks.

“I might,” Jeff says.

Lauren just rolls her eyes.

“How has camp been without Ken, Lauren,” Jeff asks.

“Again,” Lauren says, “Ken and I are just friends.”

“Pretty good friends from the sounds of it,” Michaela says.

“Does that influence how you vote, Michaela.”

“It all depends on context, Jeff. If Lauren wants to work with me, then I love their friendship. If they're against me, well…” she says, gesturing to the now voted-out Ken.

“Are you taking credit for Ken’s vote out,” Jeff asks.

“No. It was a team effort. Ken got four votes. You can’t vote someone out by yourself, Jeff.”

“What do you vote for on a vote like this, Bi?”

“Well, I’ve made a lot of deals with a lot of people throughout this game. Some of them are worth preserving. Some... aren’t.”

“Do you have certain deals you don’t think are worth preserving, Colby?”

“I don’t know if that’s the phrasing I would use,” the immunity winner says, “but the game of Survivor, at its core, forces you to weigh relationships against each other.”

“Alright,” Jeff says, “With that, it is time to vote. Jerri, you’re up first.”

Jerri gets up from the campfire and makes her way to the cave to cast her vote. Bi follows her, then Lauren, then Bi and Michaela, who casts the final vote. Jeff tells them he will go tally the votes. When he returns, Michaela is already rummaging through her bag. He tells them, “If anyone has the hidden immunity idol and you’d like to play it, tonight is the last night you can play it.”

“Jeff,” Michaela says, “I’m not going home. You guys can chase me but uh… you know you gotta Bi, ha, quicker than that.”

“Unbelievable,” Colby says.

“Wow,” Wendy mutters from the jury.

Michaela walks up to Jeff and holds her gold nugget. She turns to the jury and says, “I found this with Todd the first day of the merge.”

She hands it to Jeff and returns to her seat.

“This is,” Jeff says before pausing.

“Oooh,” Michaela says, proud of her play.

“A hidden immunity idol,” Jeff continues, “Any votes for Michaela will not count. I’ll read the votes.”

Everyone, castaways and jury alike, are rubbing their head and laughing in disbelief.

“First vote,” Jeff says, “Michaela. Does not count.”

Michaela beams with pride.

“Second vote, Michaela. Does not count. Third vote Michaela. Does not count.”

Michaela nods her head, happy she made the right move.

“Fourth vote, Michaela, does not count.”

“Damn,” Michaela says, unsurprised. She turns her attention to Colby, “Even you.”

“ You know I had to… I’m sorry.”

“Yeah,” she says with a now defeated tone, “I could have guessed.”

“Sixteenth person voted out of Survivor: Wild West and ninth member of our jury,” Jeff finally reveals, “Lauren.”

Lauren juts out her chin and nods, “Yeah, that’s fair.”

Michaela stands up and hugs her before she leaves and whispers, “I’m sorry.”

“It’s a game. You had to.” Lauren says, “I mean, I was trying to take you out too.”

The two women laugh together before Jeff tells her “The tribe has spoken.”

In her final talking head, Lauren says, “aaah! Taken out by an idol in fifth place AGAIN! Whatever. I’m not mad. I got outplayed. Good on Michaela.”

Somewhere in the Mojave Desert, a bat stretches his wings.

The final four, Colby, Michaela, Jerri, and Bi ride their horses back to the ghost town they’ve made their home.

“Great job,” they all tell Michaela.

“Yeah, thanks,” she says without eye contact. She retreats to her empty bedroom.

Over the horizon, the sun rises over the Mojave Desert.

On the morning of Day 38, Colby meets Bi, Jerri and Michaela in the center of town for the reading of the tree mail.

“I think this is the last one,” Colby says before breaking the wax.

“Thank god,” Michaela says, “it’s always just some lame rhyme.”

“They do this time after time,” Bi jokes.

“It really oughta be considered a crime,” Jerri laughs.

“Wait wait wait,” Bi says, “Before you read it. Can we just have a toast to the McQueens? We actually did it!!”

“Great idea,” Jerri says. She runs into the saloon. After a couple minutes, she returns with a nearly empty bottle of whiskey and four tumblers.

“Vroom vroom,” Bi says as she holds her glass of brown stuff over the fire.

“Bottoms up,” Jerri says as the three of them join Bi in the cheers.

Michaela lifts her glass without looking away from the fire.

“Wouldn’t you know it, Michaela,” Colby says, “You’ve got another rhyme crime.”

Michaela rolls her eyes and puts on a smile.

Colby reads the tree mail.

In the game of Survivor

You may be met with ire

But in the final four

All you need is…

“Fire,” Michaela says, “You need fire. It’s the fire making challenge. We already know this.”

“I’m so close to the end,” Colby says in a talking head, “I can feel it. I just have to make fire. Who’s better at making fire than Colby Donaldson?!”

As dusk descends, Jeff leads the jury to the campfire in town. Before each of the four seats around the fire is a fire making kit and a revolver. Jeff explains “Tonight for your final immunity challenge, you will all build a fire. The first person to build fire and raise their flag will win immunity and automatically be going to Final Tribal Council. The three who don’t make fire will then partake in a Mexican Standoff. Each of you will take a revolver and point it at one other person. Once one person has two revolvers pointed at them, you will all fire and the person with two guns pointed at them will be eliminated and become the final member of our jury.”

A scorpion stands on a rock on the hill overlooking tribal council. It flexes its stinger.

The jury leans in to watch the final four fire making challenge. Bi takes her time building a base. Colby makes a classic teepee shape. Jerri stacks some kindling. Michaela builds a system she believes should work. They all begin striking their flint. Colby is the first to achieve fire, followed shortly by Bi. She places another piece of wood on the flames whipping in the desert wind. She holds it in the flame until it catches. Once ignited, she places another piece of wood beneath it. The wind nearly extinguishes Colby’s fire to the point he has to rebuild his structure slowly. But, it’s clear as the night sky. Colby’s too late. Bi’s fire is already licking the twine. It snaps and Bi’s orange flag jolts upward.

“Bi wins immunity,” Jeff calls.

Bi lets out a deliberate, slow exhale, as if she’s been holding her breath for 38 days.

“Colby, Michaela, Jerri, the three of you will now take up your arms and two of you must decide, together, in front of the whole town, who will be the last member of the jury. Once two of you have come to a consensus, pull the trigger.”

Somewhere under the star-littered night sky of the Mojave Desert, a tortoise is mere steps from a river.

The three of them take their revolvers and stand before the saloon in a triangle. They all trade apprehensive glances as they hold the irons at their sides. Michaela, while staring at the sand, finally says, “Colby.”

“Michaela…”

“We established a relationship on day one. We wanted to find common ground, no?”

“Yes, absolutely.”

“That was real for me. That was a genuine friendship I wanted with you. I trusted you.”

“The feeling’s mutual, Michaela.”

“Right, but then you didn’t vote with me at our FIRST tribal council. I said, ‘It’s alright. Don’t be mad, Michaela. It’s only the first one. This is a long game.’”

“Right.”

“Then you voted out Wendy.”

“I was vo--”

“I almost went home that night, Colby,” Michaela says, holding back tears, you coulda helped me and you didn’t. You chose not to. You said you wanted to help however you could and when the opportunity presented itself, you didn’t.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m not done yet, Colby. Because, just last night, you tried to vote ME out!”

“I- I’m sorry. What do you want me to say? I'm trying to win this game too! I did what I felt I needed to do to win. I’m sorry!”

“Yeah, truth be told, Colby... your sorries have soured,” Michaela says as she raises her revolver to America’s Favorite Son.

Colby chews his words in his mouth before jutting out his chin and, with tears in his eyes, he points his revolver back at Michaela. They both look to Jerri, who hasn’t looked up from her feet.

“Jare,” Colby says, “It’s me and you to the end.”

“Yeah, Colby,” she said, “From the beginning to the end, Colby & Jerri. But... you had your shot at the end. I think it’s my turn now.”

She points her revolver at Colby and pulls the trigger with Michaela. From the barrel of the gun comes a stick and from the stick unspools a red flag with yellow lettering exclaiming “Bang!”

Colby adjusts his hat over his brow. He collects his things, grabs his torch and sets it next to Jeff. He looks back at the final three and says, “Great game, ladies.”

“Colby,” Jeff says, “the tribe has spoken.”

Colby slings his pack over his shoulder, waves so long, and walks off into the night with the reins of his black mustang in hand. Jeff turns to the final three and says, “Jerri, Michaeala, Bi, congratulations. You have made it as far as you can in this game. Tomorrow, you will present to the jury why you believe you deserve the million dollars and to be crowned the winner of Survivor: Wild West.”

Somewhere in the Mojave Desert, sand blasts a forgotten town.

On Morning 39, Jerri, Michaela and Bi ride their horses to the tree where they receive tree mail. This time, they find a chest filled with food and champagne. They dig through the feast of sausages and fruits and sweets.

“You know what’s not in here,” Bi says.

“Hm,” Jerri asks.

“Beans!”

“Good thing Colby’s not here,” Jerri jokes.

“Colbeans!” Michaela and Bi both shout and laugh.

The final three spend their day contemplating their place in the game and prepare their speeches.

“I can’t believe I actually did it,” Bi says in her final talking head. “After David vs Goliath, going out like that, I told myself I wasn’t going to let this opportunity pass me up again. So, I did what I had to do to get to the end. I’m not going to apologize for being successful.”

They clean their rooms and pack their bags. They meet outside the saloon for the final time.

“Do you know how long I’ve been waiting to get to Day 39,” Jerri asks in her final talking head, “I’ve been vilified for 20 years. And for what? I don’t think I’ve ever done anything villainous. I hope the jury can finally recognize that too.”

They unhitch their horses and ride to tribal council. Their torches light the way through the dark desert.

“I know how I’m perceived,” Michaela says in her final talking head. “In my first two seasons, people called me abrasive or entitled. Why? Because I’m a millennial? That’s some bullshit. Millennials work hard as fuck. I think people finally realize that. So, maybe it’s something else. Hm, I do not know what it could be...”

Michaela sits atop her white mustang. Jerri’s curls bounce as she rides her brown quarter horse. Bi strides across the Mojave Desert on her grey lipizzan with her chest forward and her chin pronounced.

Somewhere in the Mojave Desert, wild horses roam free.

Jeff sits on his strong clydesdale as the final three enter the Tribal Council area. He welcomes them to Final Tribal Council. They take a seat at the three stones next to the fire. Jeff calls in the jury, “Elizabeth, Todd, Russell, Ben, Wardog, Wendy, Kass, Ken, Lauren and Colby, voted out at last night’s tribal council.”

The jury takes their seat on a provided bench. The ten akhal-tekes line up behind the jury, as if they are a part of it. The horses too stare at the final three. It’s a pressure none of the final three anticipated. But, they all feel it.

“Congratulations on making it to Final Tribal Council,” Jeff begins, “You have outlasted 18 other people. Tonight, the power shifts from you to the jury. Based on what they’ve seen over the last 39 days and what they hear tonight, the jury will make a million dollar decision. Opening statements, Bi, you’re up first.”

“Alright, hi everybody,” Bi starts, “As I’m sure you know, I went out early my first time playing Survivor because of an injury. I went into this game hoping to make the best of this second chance. So, I think, that’s what I did. I saw a path to the end. I saw who I needed to take out to get there, so I did.”

“Jerri,” Jeff instructs.

“Sure, so, everybody knows my story. The public absolutely destroyed me my first time out. That persona has followed me around for two decades. I came in this time, hoping to shed that. I tried to foster positive relationships. I wanted to be a hero this time, like Colby.”

Colby gives a knowing and sheepish smile.

“Michaela,” Jeff says.

“Right. Okay. So, First, I don’t have any real history with anyone on the jury, Jeff. So that feels like a disadvantage. But, more importantly. I knew coming in, I didn’t have a lot of close relationships I could fall back on. I knew I had to build those relationships and sustain them throughout the game. And, it wasn’t a game move. I genuinely wanted to get to know Colby, Jerri, Lauren, hell, even Kass. What I’ve found now in my third time playing, and I’m ashamed it’s taken me this long, but when you are truly invested in getting to know someone, you know, that’s felt. That’s heard. That’s what I tried to do over the last 39 days.”

“Alright, Jury, now it’s your turn. Any questions you have for the final three, ask away. Elizabeth, you’re up first.”

Elizabeth gets up from the Jury bench and stands before the final three, “Good evening, ladies. First things first, congratulations. My question is for Jerri.”

“Shoot,” Jerri says with a smile.

“The night I went home, you voted for me. Why did you vote for me over, say, Michaela, since she’s sitting there next to you?”

“Oh sure. I saw that Ken and Michaela were a strong alliance. Stronger than you, Todd and Wardog, no offense. I thought a foursome of me, Colby, Michaela and Ken could be stronger than that of Me, you, Todd and Wardog.”

“Fair enough. Thank you,” Elizabeth says before taking her seat again.

“Ben, you’re up.”

Ben marches to the imagined lectern and asks, “Bi, how long were you planning on taking me out like that?”

“I wasn’t targeting you specifically, Ben. I just figured you had an idol because you always do. I had the idol nullifier, so I used it on you, along with Wardog extra vote to ensure you would go.”

“So, you targeted me because you knew I had an idol?”

“More or less, yeah.”

“Michaela had an idol. Why didn’t you target her?”

“I didn’t know she had an idol. If I had, maybe it would be you sitting here instead of her.”

“I’m good, Jeff. Thanks,” Ben says.

“Lauren, you’re up next.”

Lauren climbs over Ken on the second row of the jury. He holds her hand as she steps down to the ground.

“Michaela, my question to you is simple. You could have taken anyone out when you took me out with your idol. Why me?”

“I saw you as my biggest competition at that point. I knew you would all come after me, so I knew I would play my idol for myself and I’d be able to take out whoever I wanted. And, sorry Lauren. I thought you and I were playing a similar game and I knew the jury would vote for you over me if we were both here, so I wrote your name down that night.”

“Alright, thanks. Jerri... Me, you, Kass and Wendy had what I thought would be a solid final four. Why did nothing come of that?”

“I had every intention of keeping that alliance together. I knew you and Wendy were close and I was close with Wendy. I hoped you and Kass had a similar relationship on your tribe. But, then Kass took out Wendy so we couldn’t do anything anymore.”

“Alright, thanks, Bi, what can you tell me about myself?”

“Oh, okay, um, you dated Ken.”

“I specifically said time and time again that we were just friends. What else, other than my relationship with Ken do you know about me?”

Bi simply shrugs.

“Okay, I’ll make it simpler for you. What do you know about ANYONE you helped vote out?”

“Wardog’s in law school.”

“Okay,” Lauren says, “It seems to me we have two people who worked hard to maintain relationships in this game of social politics and one person who refrained from getting to know anyone because she didn’t care to. That’s all. Thanks, Jeff.”

“Sure. Russell,” Jeff prompts.

Russell rubs his hands together as he makes his way to the stand.

“Jerri, Michaela, Bi,” he says, “congratulations. My biggest issue in this game has always been jury management. Now, I’m on the jury. Wouldn’t you know it?! So, my question is, how do you feel you were at jury management? Whoever wants to go first.”

“Well,” Bi says, “I’ll say, people may be mad at me. And while I think that’s fair, I’m not going to apologize for it. I got here how I needed to. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

“Jerri,” Russell says.

“I hope the jury recognizes I was trying to be good the whole time. I never befriended anyone solely to keep them close until I wanted to cut them,” Jerri says with a quick glance to Bi.

“Michaela,” Russell says.

“Well, how the jury feels about me isn’t really up to me, is it? I know how I feel about y’all. I got nothing bad to say about any one of you. I pray that feeling is mutual.”

Russell nods once and returns to his seat.

“Kass,” Jeff says.

She makes her way to the stand and says, “Congratulations ladies. Bi, Michaela, sit sistas.”

They both give her a knowing smile.

“I’ve battled a sexist view of my game since the first time I played. I know Jerri can relate to that. How do you feel your gender influenced your game?”

“You’re right,” Jerri says, “Seeing you play in Cagayan brought up a lot of the feelings I had in Australia. But, to answer your question, not once did anyone’s gender influence my vote.”

“Same here,” Michaela says, “I mean, my two closest allies were Ken and Colby.”

“My closest ally was Wardog,” Bi says, “There was never any all-women's alliance.”

“Thank you. That’s all I wanted to hear,” Kass says before returning to her seat.

“Wardog, you’re up,” Jeff says.

“Alright,” Wardog says as he lifts himself up and walks to the stand, “Bi, quick question for you. How soon after finding the Nullifier did you know you would take me out?”

“As soon as you showed me the Extra Vote. You showed me that and the whole plan came into my head immediately. I just had to be patient.”

“Alright, thanks, Bi. Good luck.”

“Wendy, you’re up.”

Wendy hops up and skips to the stand.

“Hi guys,” she says with the same beaming smile she always has, “Jerri, I wanted to thank you for being my support and my friend through all this. I really appreciated it. My question is this: were you really planning on taking me to the final three?”

Jerri stares at Wendy and taps her foot. She cocks her jaw to the side then looks at the sand. She adjusts her hat and finally says, “Wendy. I want to be honest with you. You deserve that. I wasn’t going to beat you.”

“So you were planning to vote me out.”

“Not if I could help it.”

“So, you were gonna let someone else do it?”

“No, that’s not what I’m saying.”

“Well, you said you weren’t taking me to the final three but you also weren’t going to vote me out, so which was it?”

Jerri lets out a slow and soft exhale as she searches for her words. Then, finally, she says, “I didn’t want to vote you out. I never want to vote anyone out, but that is unfortunately the game of Survivor.”

“Okay, Jerri, thank you,” Wendy says before returning to her seat.

“Todd,” Jeff says, “You’re next.”

Todd makes his way to the stand and greets them with a positive exhale before saying, “I can’t say I don’t envy your position. But, I’ve been there before. I’ve had my chance. I’m happy to give up my spot to you three lovely ladies. My question is for Michaela. It seemed like we could have worked together, but you took me out immediately. What was your motivation for that?”

“You knew I had the idol. I couldn’t have anyone knowing I had that. The fewer people know about it the more powerful it is.”

“Alright, thanks, Michaela. Good luck.”

Todd takes his seat once again and Jeff calls for Colby. Colby stands up from the Jury and has to hold his stomach as it grumbles when he moves. Once contained, Colby walks to the stand. “Congratulations. I just wanted to say--” Colby says through a stifled burp.

He can’t get the words out. He contorts his face as he holds his stomach. As he deliberately inhales to begin speaking, a different, louder, more unexpected noise is heard from the wrong hole. The Jury, the Final Three, and Jeff are treated to a long, sustained rumble of thunder out of Colby’s butt louder than Krakatoa. Colby goes white as his body deflates. He rests his hand on his stomach and says, “I’m so sorry. That’s incredibly inappropriate.”

The final three all yell “Col-beans” together.

“The magical fruit,” Wardog says.

“Are you alright,” Jerri asks.

“Yeah,” he says, “Never better after that!”

“Do you still want to ask your question,” Jeff asks.

“I actually don’t have a question. I know who I’m voting for. I just wanted to say, Jerri, after last night, I gave it a lot of thought. I was planning on giving you this big speech. And maybe if we were in Australia or Panama or Samoa, I would, but you don’t need all that. We know how we feel about each other.”

“Yeah, of course,” she tells him and they simply smile at each other, both satisfied with where they stand. Colby takes his seat again and Jeff calls, “and last but not least, Ken, you’re up.”

Ken takes his place before the final three and says, “I’ve always found that Survivor, more than a game show, is an educational and potentially transformative experience. So my question is, what do you feel you’ve learned through this experience?”

“I am competitive. I’ve always been competitive. That much I know,” Bi says, “But with that competitive nature, I never took the time to get to know each of you and for that I am sorry. I saw this as, as you said, a game show. I saw you all as my competition. I saw my goal and I did what I felt I had to to get to the end and that is what I’m not going to apologize for.”

“Very good. Thank you, Bi. Jerri?”

“You know the phrase, ‘no man is an island,’” Jerri asks.

“Yes, of course,” Ken assures her.

“Well no woman is an island either. I couldn’t have gotten here if not for my relationships with Colby and Michaela, you and Lauren, Wendy and Russell. I owe my game to the people around me. And for that, I thank you.”

“Okay, thank you. Michaela?”

“When Colby, Bi and I went on that reward to Peach Springs,” Michaela says, “there was a moment when we were talking to this guy Tim, and I looked at the four of us, me, a young black woman, Colby an old white man, Bi, a young Vietnamese woman and Tim, a middle aged Native American man. And Tim said something that just put it all in focus for me. All this strife between us is unnecessary, not just in this game but just… everything. Colby, I got nothing against you. Bi, I got nothing against you. Tim said all he truly wants is a comfortable life for him and his. Isn’t that what we all want? Not money, or love, or any concrete thing. We all just want to feel safe in our home. But, I noticed something else in Tim’s eyes after we installed that ramp for his mom and that was the hope that their future was bright, or at least brighter... I feel that same hope inside me tonight.”

“Thank you, Michaela,” Ken says before returning to his seat.

“Alright,” Jeff says, “Thank you, Ken. You will now have a chance to give a closing statement and then the jury will vote.”

“Well,” Jerri says, “I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again. I strived to be a good person this time. I strived to build relationships. I never intended to hurt anyone. I hope no one feels hurt by me.”

“I feel I greatly improved this time out,” Bi says, “I’m proud of how I played. That being said, looking back, I wish I’d been more invested in getting to know you all.”

“All I’ve gotta say is,” Michaela says, “I played this game with great patience. I know how I’ve come across in the past. I know what people say about me. It’s two things: She’s smart or she’s abrasive. I can’t turn down my intelligence, but I can turn down what people perceive as abrasiveness, so I did, or at least I tried to. People will still be rude online. But whatever. That’s their shit. When someone shows you who they are, believe them. Maya Angelou said that. I put trust in people and that trust was reciprocated... until it wasn’t. At which point, I had to do what I had to do. And, I’ll remind you, this is Survivor: Wild West and a lot of the first cowboys were black.”

“Alright, Jury, take a moment to collect your thoughts and then we’ll vote.”

The jury collects their thoughts as the final three hold one another’s hands and wait. Elizabeth is first up. She proudly writes Bi’s name and draws a pair of boxing gloves in the corner. Kass writes Jerri’s name and draws a rock smashing a pair of scissors. Ken writes Michaela’s name, holds it up to the camera and says, “been a long time coming.”

After the jury casts their votes, Jeff collects the urn and returns to the campfire. He tells them all, “Thank you for an incredible season. I will see you all in LA for the reading of the votes.”

He straps the urn to his clydesdale, climbs aboard and rides off into the night. He rides through the southern tip of Nevada and crosses the border into California. He and his horse traverse the San Bernardino Forest. He comes upon the CBS Studio Center and the doors are opened for him. He rides through the standing audience. On an aisle, Jeff sees Adam Scott hollering. He removes his cowboy hat and places it atop Adam’s head. Jeff hitches his clydesdale to the hitching post at the bottom of the stage. He takes the votes and greets the cast on stage. The stage holds a recreation of town square Bi wears a strapless yellow dress. Jerri wears a fitting red gown. Michaela wears a black dress with long lace sleeves. Jeff wears his same blue safari shirt as he sets the urn on his lectern and waits for the audience to finish applauding. Once they’ve seated, he says, “I’m gonna read the votes.”

The audience hips and hollers again.

“First vote: Jerri.”

The audience cheers and Jerri gives a bashful smile.

“Second vote: Bi.”

There’s a smattering of applause.

“Third vote: Michaela.”

The crowd erupts in applause. Michaela is taken aback by the response. Jeff just grins.

“Bi, Jerri, Michaela,” Jeff says, reading the next three votes, “We’re tied as two a piece.”

Everyone in the studio waits in anticipation.

“Michaela,” Jeff says to more hooting and hollering.

“Jerri,” Jeff says, unfolding the next vote to great applause.

“Michaela, Winner of Survivor: Wild West, Michaela.”

The crowd erupts and Michaela stands up with tears streaming down her face. Her mouth is half-agape in disbelief. She holds her hands a few inches from her face as she greets her family in the audience.

Elizabeth and Wardog voted for Bi. Kass, Wendy and Russell voted for Jerri. Todd, Ken, Lauren, Ben and Colby voted for Michaela.

“Congratulations to MIchaela! She got five of the ten votes! We’ll be right back for the reunion!”

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ramajmedia · 5 years

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Survivor 5 Best Changes Made Since The First Season (& The 5 Worst)

Right after the turn of the century, Mark Burnett and Jeff Probst combined to give America it's 'first' reality show contest, and it still kicks on to today. While Survivor is no longer a television juggernaut like it was, it maintains a respectable audience of devoted fans who love watching people get progressively dirtier for 39 days—both physically and strategically.

The contestant's strategies have evolved through the years and the game has attempted to stay ahead of them at every turn, resulting in several changes throughout the show's lifespan. Some of these changes were to the central contest, but others are to the television presentation, while still others were to the format and advantages in play. It still resembles the contest as it was originally presented, but there's a deep history of tweaks and twists that fans have adored and abhorred in their wake.

RELATED: Survivor: The 10 Biggest Challenge Beasts (Ranked by Individual Immunity Wins)

10 10: Worst - The Outcast Tribe

One of the problems with a show like this is that great 'characters' often get voted out early. The Outcast Tribe of Survivor: Pearl Islands was the show's first major attempt to rectify this.

Unknown to the remaining players, the ones they'd voted out continued separately and ultimately were able to vote some of their numbers back into the game. Due to the unspecified circumstances of the Outcasts conditions, the remaining players not knowing this was coming, and the added advantage of being immune for an additional Tribal Council, this was seen as massively unfair.

Opinion has softened over time, but essentially teleporting players who 'lost' into the middle of a game where constant tension has been applied to everyone else is questionable at best.

9 Best: Edge Of Extinction

Redemption Island 4.0 seems to have finally gotten the 'save cool players from elimination' twist right. Making a Survivor's final elimination a matter of willpower rather than a carnival game of chance gave this twist the spice it needed.

Eliminated survivors were marooned on an island separate from the game with little to no aid or contact. If they couldn't hack it, they literally raised the white flag/sail and were gone. Their only action available was to await chances to re-enter the game against each other. Once in the middle of the game, and once near the end. It produced both a powerhouse player and the eventual winner, lending credibility without seeming to favor them directly.

RELATED: Survivor Is Starting Casting Calls for Season 41 & 42

8 Worst - The Final Four Fire

Plenty of fans cried conspiracy when this alternate elimination came into play. Season 35's Ben Driebergen had gotten himself into a difficult corner. He looked destined to be voted out by the others who knew he'd win if he made it to the end. That knowledge is essentially a death sentence in Survivor and had been for dozens of seasons by that point.

Then, suddenly they couldn't vote him out when the opportunity arose. This was because he and another would be going head-to-head in a fire-making challenge instead. Whether it was brought in to keep an audience favorite from going home with a whimper or was always planned so the finale had someone who 'earned/fought' their way in, fans debate its legitimacy.

7 Best: A Million Little Idols

A way for players to save themselves from a vote, but only if they intuit the right moment to do so? Hell yeah! This is the perfect blend of strategy, gut-instinct, bluffing and boasting that makes Survivor great.

Idols have been so well received by contestants and fans that it has appeared in every season since it's inception in Guatemala. They've been hidden requiring precise steps to find like a treasure, scattered around the camp, snuck into challenges, and put everywhere the show can think of to heighten the drama. They're renowned for a good reason and won't be going anywhere.

RELATED: Survivor’s 40th Season Including 20 Former Winners, $2 Million Prize

6 Worst: Except For Those Other Idols

The idols that could be played after all votes were read were too overpowered and made a person nigh-invincible for the remainder of the game. The initial Idol worked more like you'd won an immunity challenge and kept people from voting for you at all. In both cases, it required too much coordination from the remaining players to overcome. Thus, holding onto those idols had players walking through the game threatening to play them at every turn.

This stunted the dynamic social game Survivor is meant to be. They've thankfully been rarities since the 'vote negating' Idol became the norm.

5 Best: Tribe Swap/3 Tribe Splits

In earlier seasons, it wasn't uncommon for one tribe to dominate proceedings. This lead to them heading into the merge with 'the numbers.' The show cleverly caused some wrinkles to that safe (aka boring) situation by mixing things up. Some seasons have begun with (or temporarily split tribes into) 3 groups instead of 2. This strategically allows smaller teams to band together to overthrow dominant factions.

The Tribe Swap variant is now in every season and also improves the overall game. It ensures no one can simply ride early success without the possibility of having their allies removed from them or them from their allies. Both elements also increase the likelihood of lesser contestants finding their feet in the game and their voice for the show.

4 Worst: Unbalanced Or Pointless

Survivor has been tempted at various times to experiment. Sometimes, that is in ways where the outcome proves the experiment wasn't worth it in the first place.

For instance, in Fiji, tribes were split between the 'Haves and Have-nots' where one group lived in relative luxury to the other. Surprise surprise, the tribe with the advantage dominated early.

In Nicaragua, the Medallion Of Power flumped into the game. Tribes could 'play' the medallion to gain challenge advantages. It became an almost instant afterthought and was retired relatively quickly, never to be seen again. Essentially, anything that makes one appearance and never returns in subsequent seasons falls into this category.

3 Best: High-Risk vs. High Reward Advantages

It could be argued that there are too many 'shenanigans' on Survivor. These are balanced just right to be worth it. There have been several types that work in this way. Advantages that require dropping out of an Immunity Challenge to receive. Advantages where other players will know you have it, but not know it's specific details. Clues that tell you of an Idol hidden in plain sight that you will need to be bold to go after.

These types create great tension within the show without unfairly tipping the balance. Survivor often experiments with variations on this core concept, hoping to catch players unaware without completely upending their game-knowledge.

RELATED: Survivor: 10 Best Tribes Of All Time, Ranked

2 Worst: Schoolyard Pick Double Elimination

Sometimes, Survivor instantly realizes when they've hatched a dud, and this was it. At the very beginning of Survivor: Palau, two contestants, one guy and one girl, were forced to pick from the currently unsorted mass of players. From this, they'd form the two tribes, swapping genders at each pick. Ok, so far. Then, the final man and woman unpicked were unceremoniously sent home. That was it. Wanda and Johnathan were simply gone, and any investment in them was snuffed.

It was unfair, unfitting of the game, and left a bad feeling in fans and contestants alike. The only small solace to this misstep is that in future seasons when Jeff has instituted situations where some players may be left out, there is legitimate tension. Nevertheless, they've rightly never revisited this.

1 Worst/Best? (Depends On Who You Ask): 'Edgic'

'Edgic' is a term hardcore Survivor fans came up with where they get into the depths of discussing how the show and contestants are presented. Portmanteau-ing 'editing' and 'logic' together, the theory is that examination of someone's weight of television time and type can 'predict' each season's likely outcomes. Whether they're shown in favorable, foolish, or an antagonistic light, you can 'know' their destiny well in advance.

Early seasons didn't skew as far in tipping their hands. Seasons like Survivor Samoa, Cagayan, and Redemption Island had a single player dominate the game and show entirely. Latter seasons have seemingly taken this fan phenomenon into account and attempted to lessen the obviousness. This has resulted in more well-rounded contestant showings and better critical reception, more like the original layout but sharper. Either way, it's an element of meta-analysis that undermines the show for some, yet totally makes it for others.

NEXT: Survivor: 10 Best Villains in the Show's History, Ranked

source https://screenrant.com/survivor-best-worst-changes/

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helloworlddemo1122-yahoopar-blog · 7 years

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Jeff Varner Says Zeke Smith Reached Out to Start 'Healing' Process After 'Survivor' Tribal Council

brightcove

Jeff Varner says Zeke Smith was the one to start the "healing" process after his big Survivor reveal.

During an appearance on Survivor: Beyond the Buff, the official Survivor after-show, on Thursday, Varner apologized for outing Smith as transgender during Wednesday's tribal council -- but said Smith reached out to him months after filming took place to talk about the situation.

EXCLUSIVE: Inside Jeff Varner's Decision to Out Zeke Smith at Tribal Council, What Viewers Didn't See

"Zeke and I have spoken several times, actually. He reached out to me [and] I've gotten back to him. We got back [from Fiji] in July. Our first conversation was in October on the phone, that he initiated, and which I appreciate very much. And it was in that conversation that I realized that healing could begin for me, because I just needed to hear his voice, I needed to know that he was safe, and that he was OK, and that he forgave me," Varner explained.

"His forgiveness that night was genuine. But, you know, Zeke and I had conversations about, as members of LGBTQ community, we are both victims, in a way, of this situation, and we bonded, and we had, I thought, really great conversations," he continued. "I understand today that he's in a different place, and maybe even arguing that I'm a bigot, and full of hate, and that it was hate that was at play at tribal council last night, and he couldn't be more wrong."

Viewers were shocked to find out on Wednesday that Smith was transgender -- and that Varner was the one to out him. "There is deception here. Deceptions on levels, Jeff, that these guys don't even understand," Varner said on the episode, looking at Smith. "Why haven't you told anyone that you're transgender?"

WATCH: Zeke Smith on Forgiving Jeff Varner After 'Survivor' Outing: 'I Didn't Want Him to Feel the Pain That I Had'

The three-time player's last plea to save himself from elimination understandably backfired, as his tribemates quickly chastised him for the reveal. After minutes of defending himself -- claiming that he thought Smith was "out and loud and proud" to the whole world, Varner realized what he had done, and apologized to Smith, who accepted with a hug.

"I give Zeke every inch of room to react how he has to react. I caused this, and I deserve it," Varner said on Facebook, after Smith wrote an essay on The Hollywood Reporter about his struggle to truly forgive Varner for his actions. "It's just important for me to say a lot today, but mostly that I love Zeke. I respect him greatly. I love transgender people. They're all in my life. I will fight daily to help their experience in this world, and I'm just so sorry this happened."

During a Skype interview with ET on Thursday, Varner said watching the episode back was "emotional."

"I was prepared for last night, and I've worked through where I was going to be psychologically and emotionally before I even sat down to watch it. I knew that it would be emotional. I cried a lot. I sat numb a lot. There was relief that this is finally out there," he said.

WATCH: Jeff Probst Reacts to 'Survivor' Outing: 'You Just Don't Do That to Someone'

"That night was a nightmare, and having to sit and ponder it for 10 months has been the worst part of it all, and watching it was even more so, but not for me, for Zeke," he continued. "I just couldn't take my eyes off Zeke, and just seeing his face and where he was, and how he felt...When it was over, it was just a big, deep breath. Because now, the healing can begin. Now we can move forward, both of us, and we will make it through this."

Survivor: Beyond the Buff, the official Survivor after-show, airs Thursdays at 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT on the Survivor Facebook page.

See more from ET's interview in the video below.

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glenmenlow · 4 years

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10 Brand And Business Book Recommendations

Every year I am sent hundreds of brand and business books to review. Collectively they cover the most important concepts shaping the business world today. With help from my colleagues at The Blake Project, we dive in and take a close look at each of them. The most useful quickly emerge and we read the entire book.

Prompted this week by a client looking for book recommendations, here are ten of the brand and business books I recommend for Digital Strategy, Brand Strategy, Brand Management, Brand Storytelling, Innovation, Behavioral Science, Brand Purpose, Customer Experience, Marketing and Finance and Business Strategy.

I think you will find that each offer a great deal of actionable insights and are well worth your time.

1. Digital Strategy: Think Like Amazon By John Rossman

“What would Jeff do?” Since leaving Amazon to advise start-ups and corporations, John Rossman has been asked this question countless times by executives who want to know “the secret” behind Amazon’s historic success. In this step-by-step guide, he provides 50 ½ answers drawn from his experience as an Amazon executive―and shows today’s business leaders how to think like Amazon, strategize like Bezos, and beat the competition like nobody’s business. Learn how to:

•Move forward to get back to Day 1―and change the status quo. •Become a platform company―with the right platform strategy. •Create customer obsession―and grant your customers superpowers. •Experiment, fail, rinse, and repeat. •Decentralize your way to digital greatness. •Master the magic of small autonomous teams. •Avoid the trap of past positions. •Make better and faster decisions. •Use metrics to create a culture of accountability and innovation •Use AI and the Internet of Things to reinvent customer experiences.

In addition to these targeted strategies, you’ll receive a rare inside glimpse into how Jeff Bezos and Amazon take a remarkably consistent approach to innovate, explore new markets, and spark new growth.

Get your copy here: Think Like Amazon, 50 1/2 Ideas To Become A Digital Leader

2. Behavioral Science: The Behavior Business By Richard Chataway

If you are in business, you are in the business of behavior – and unless a business influences behavior, it will not succeed.

In the last 50 years we have learned more about how we behave than over the previous 5,000. This book shows how behavioral science has revolutionized our understanding of how people really think (or don’t) – and how we can use those insights in our businesses to influence behavior and gain competitive advantage.

Get your copy here: The Behavior Business

3. Brand Management: The Brand Bridge By Jerome Conlon

Marketing’s role is to create a brand out of the product, and transform it into a symbol. By translating the product’s tangible and intangible benefits into symbolic meaning, images, and feelings, marketers create a brand bridge that is loved and wanted, one that is willingly traversed to get to “the other side.” The meanings, images, and feelings that advertising attaches to branded products create the attractive (or preferably irresistible) symbolic identity as experienced by consumers. This is the brand bridge.

Get your copy here: The Brand Bridge – How to Build a Profound Connection Between Your Company, Your Brand, and Your Customers

4. Brand Strategy: Brand Hacks By Emmanuel Probst

Brands that succeed are the ones that help us find meaning. In this process, the brands become meaningful in and of themselves. Brand Hacks takes you on an exploratory journey, revealing why most advertising campaigns fail and examining the personal, social, and cultural meanings that successful brands bring to consumers’ everyday lives.

Most importantly, this book will show you how to use simple brand hacks to create and grow brands that deliver meaning even with a limited budget. Brand Hacks is supported by in-depth research in consumer psychology, interviews with industry-leading marketers, and case studies of meaningful brands, both big and small.

Get your copy here: Brand Hacks: How to Grow your Brand by Fulfilling the Human Quest for Meaning

5. Brand Storytelling By Miri Rodriguez

Despite understanding essential storytelling techniques, brands continue to explain how their product or service can help the customer, rather than showcasing how the customer’s life has changed as a result of them. Brand Storytelling gets back to the heart of brand loyalty, consumer behavior and engagement as a business strategy: using storytelling to trigger the emotions that humans are driven by. It provides a step by step guide to assess, dismantle and rebuild a brand story, shifting the brand from a ‘hero’ to ‘sidekick’ mentality, and positioning the customer as a key influencer to motivate the audience.

Written by the award-winning storyteller Miri Rodriguez at Microsoft, Brand Storytelling is a clear, actionable guide that goes beyond content strategy, simplifying where to begin, how to benchmark success and ensuring a consistent brand voice throughout every department.

Get your copy here: Brand Storytelling: Put Customers At The Heart Of Your Brand Story

6. Brand Purpose: Grow The Pie By Alex Edmans

What is a responsible business? Common wisdom is that it’s one that sacrifices profit for social outcomes. But while it’s crucial for companies to serve society, they also have a duty to generate profit for investors – savers, retirees, and pension funds. Based on the highest-quality evidence and real-life examples spanning industries and countries, Alex Edmans shows that it’s not an either-or choice – companies can create both profit and social value. The most successful companies don’t target profit directly, but are driven by purpose – the desire to serve a societal need and contribute to human betterment. The book explains how to embed purpose into practice so that it’s more than just a mission statement, and discusses the critical role of working collaboratively with a company’s investors, employees, and customers. Rigorous research also uncovers surprising results on how executive pay, shareholder activism, and share buybacks can be used for the common good.

Get your copy here: Grow The Pie, How Great Companies Deliver Both Purpose And Profit

7. Business Strategy: Connected Strategy By: Nicolaj Siggelkow And Christian Terweisch

What if there were a way to turn occasional, sporadic transactions with customers into long-term, continuous relationships–while simultaneously driving dramatic improvements in operational efficiency? What if you could break your existing trade-offs between superior customer experience and low cost?

This is the promise of a connected strategy. New forms of connectivity–involving frequent, low-friction, customized interactions–mean that companies can now anticipate customer needs as they arise, or even before. Simultaneously, enabled by these technologies, companies can create new business models that deliver more value to customers. Connected strategies are win-win: Customers get a dramatically improved experience, while companies boost operational efficiency.

In this book, strategy and operations experts Nicolaj Siggelkow and Christian Terwiesch reveal the emergence of connected strategies as a new source of competitive advantage. With in-depth examples from companies operating in industries such as healthcare, financial services, mobility, retail, entertainment, nonprofit, and education, Connected Strategy identifies the four pathways–respond-to-desire, curated offering, coach behavior, and automatic execution–for turning episodic interactions into continuous relationships. The authors show how each pathway creates a competitive advantage, then guide you through the critical decisions for creating and implementing your own connected strategies.

Get your copy here: Connected Strategy: Building Continuous Customer Relationships For Competitive Advantage

8. Marketing And Finance: Financial Dimensions Of Marketing Decisions By David Stewart

Long overdue insights for the marketing community are found in this book about linking marketing activities and their outcomes to the financial performance of the organization. The theme of the book is that the marketing function must justify its activities and use of resources in terms of its financial contributions to the firm. More specifically, the book focuses on how marketing activities generate cash flow, growth, and other financial benefits for the organization. This perspective provides a framework for long-term investments for purposes of evaluating and ranking the funding of proposed projects.

Get your copy here: Financial Dimensions Of Marketing Decisions

9. Innovation: Costovation By Steve Wunker And Jennifer Law

Costovation solves the dilemma of how to spend less and innovate more. The book’s revolutionary approach broadens the definition of innovation beyond products to the business model itself. With Costovation, you let go of assumptions, take a fresh look at the market, and relentlessly focus on what customers really want.

Packed with examples and interactive exercises, the book explores cost innovation strategies that work for big and small companies alike. From open innovation and cost-sharing to simplifying products and turning waste into new offerings-readers learn how rivals are carving out niches, protecting positions, and dominating industries.

Innovation and cost-cutting are not opposites. Combined, they expose untapped opportunities to outsmart and underspend competitors.

Get your copy here: Costovation

10. Customer Experience: Building Brand Experiences By Darren Coleman

Retaining brand relevance is fundamental to organizational success, and an increasing challenge that high-level marketing professionals now face. In the past, many have responded with product or price-based competition, yet this can only propel a brand so far when it comes to retaining long-term relevance. Research shows that consumers are in fact driven by emotion and positive brand experiences have the power to drive engagement, while simultaneously offering countless options for competitive differentiation. Building Brand Experiences enables managers and executives to realize this and create tailored, relevant experiences that will appeal to consumers and drive brand performance.

Practically structured around The Brand Experience Blueprint, Building Brand Experiences provides a step-by-step guide to the process of building effective brand experiences based on tried-and-tested tools, templates and informed research. Combining expert insight and real-world examples in an anecdotal and digestible way, Building Brand Experiences is the essential guide to crafting relevant experiences that consumers will love, to improve brand engagement and drive results.

Get your copy here: Building Brand Experiences

At The Blake Project we are helping clients from around the world, in all stages of development, redefine and articulate what makes them competitive at critical moments of change through online strategy workshops. Please email us for more.

Branding Strategy Insider is a service of The Blake Project: A strategic brand consultancy specializing in Brand Research, Brand Strategy, Brand Growth and Brand Education

FREE Publications And Resources For Marketers

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joejstrickl · 4 years

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10 Brand And Business Book Recommendations

I think you will find that each offer a great deal of actionable insights and are well worth your time.

1. Digital Strategy: Think Like Amazon By John Rossman

Get your copy here: Think Like Amazon, 50 1/2 Ideas To Become A Digital Leader

2. Behavioral Science: The Behavior Business By Richard Chataway

If you are in business, you are in the business of behavior – and unless a business influences behavior, it will not succeed.

Get your copy here: The Behavior Business

3. Brand Management: The Brand Bridge By Jerome Conlon

Get your copy here: The Brand Bridge – How to Build a Profound Connection Between Your Company, Your Brand, and Your Customers

4. Brand Strategy: Brand Hacks By Emmanuel Probst

Get your copy here: Brand Hacks: How to Grow your Brand by Fulfilling the Human Quest for Meaning

5. Brand Storytelling By Miri Rodriguez

Get your copy here: Brand Storytelling: Put Customers At The Heart Of Your Brand Story

6. Brand Purpose: Grow The Pie By Alex Edmans

Get your copy here: Grow The Pie, How Great Companies Deliver Both Purpose And Profit

7. Business Strategy: Connected Strategy By: Nicolaj Siggelkow And Christian Terweisch

Get your copy here: Connected Strategy: Building Continuous Customer Relationships For Competitive Advantage

8. Marketing And Finance: Financial Dimensions Of Marketing Decisions By David Stewart

Get your copy here: Financial Dimensions Of Marketing Decisions

9. Innovation: Costovation By Steve Wunker And Jennifer Law

Innovation and cost-cutting are not opposites. Combined, they expose untapped opportunities to outsmart and underspend competitors.

Get your copy here: Costovation

10. Customer Experience: Building Brand Experiences By Darren Coleman

Get your copy here: Building Brand Experiences

Branding Strategy Insider is a service of The Blake Project: A strategic brand consultancy specializing in Brand Research, Brand Strategy, Brand Growth and Brand Education

FREE Publications And Resources For Marketers

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journalism130survivor-blog · 6 years

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Real Life Issues as Seen on a Reality Competition Show

When Survivor began, it was a social experiment to see how people from all walks of life could work together to live in an extreme environment while competing against each other for a million dollars. The contestants were of different races, classes, genders, sexual orientations, and places all over America. Most castaways are fairly tolerant of one other regardless of all their differences, yet since Survivor is supposed to truly represent all walks of life, there are plenty of intolerant people that come to play as well.

In season one, Rudy Boesch, a retired veteran, made several comments about Richard Hatch and his homosexuality. However, Richard didn’t mind and actually managed to befriend Rudy and they were allies until the end. Rudy said that he respected Richard and they got along, but once the season ended he probably wouldn’t stay in contact with him. Richard infamously won the first season beating Kelley Wentworth and on the jury, Rudy cast his vote for Richard to win.

In other cases of tension caused by intolerance, the endings haven’t been so uplifting. Most recently in season 35, Game Changers, an incident happened that caught the attention of everyone in the nation. Game Changers was a season with all returning players including one Jeff Varner. Varner first appeared all the way back in season two and was usually pretty beloved by the fanbase for his eccentric storytelling and his quick wit. So when he was brought back for a third time, people were pleased. However, things weren’t going so well for Varner this time around. After a tribe swap, he bonded with Tai Trang and Zeke Smith over all three being gay men yet it was more of a surface level acquaintanceship as Varner and his closest ally, two time winner Sandra Diaz-Twine, were on the outs. The rest of the tribe voted out Sandra the episode before, and Varner appeared to be the next on the chopping block. His tribe lost immunity once again, and he spent all afternoon trying to get people to flip to his side, but to no avail. Before heading off to tribal council, he told the camera in a confessional that he had a piece of knowledge that no one else knew and that he was going to blow it all open like a cheesy journalist from the 20′s. At tribal, he made a ruckus by saying Zeke and another player Ozzy were in a secret alliance, catching the attention of everyone else and the viewers. That seemed to be his big piece of juicy information he was so excited to present and to his credit, it got everyone in a tizzy. He then said “but wait... there’s more”. Having caught the eyes of everyone there and with the spotlight firmly on himself he turned to Zeke, a young man of only 25, and said in an accusatory voice:

“Why haven’t you told anyone you’re transgender?”

The night this aired, my entire family sat down to watch it together, a rare occurrence. My dad is a strong believer in no spoilers and not knowing what will happen in an exciting show, particularly Survivor. However, we all knew that something major was brewing as the hashtag #survivor was trending on twitter for hours, not common for this show, and many news organizations were talking about it. As we were watching, my sister and mom found out just by logging onto facebook and seeing the democratic pages they follow share an article about it. I found out through twitter during the immunity challenge and audibly gasped. My dad, the only one who didn’t know, was absolutely taken aback when it happened. No one could have predicted such an vile thing to happen from such a likable, and fellow LGBTQ, man.

When Varner asked that question a drop happened on the screen and in my living room. It sucked the air right out of everyone. The rest of the castaways spent the next 2 hours, condensed into 13 minutes, admonishing Varner for his actions and trying to recuperate while in a total state of shock. The host Jeff Probst handled the situation admirably, as something like this was completely unprecedented. Poor Zeke, usually completely exuberant and full of life, sat there in shock with a lost expression on his face as his friend betrayed him. He managed to deliver an incredible speech still as Varner sat there blubbering and muttering that he was a good person. Probst didn’t even have the castaways stand up to vote Varner out, the tribe just said that Varner was gone he was unceremoniously voted off.

Now, instances like this are clearly not a commonality on survivor, but they do show that in between strategy talks, the community of contestants is truly a microcosm of America and our world, through the good, the bad, and the ugly. There have been instances of intolerance, like Varner outing Zeke; notoriously racist Colton Cumbie mocking a black man’s job and stating that the only people of color he knows are his housekeepers and also going on to make racist gestures about an Asian American woman’s eyes; Brandon Hantz calling a woman the Whore of Babylon for wearing a bikini around him; and unfortunately many more. However, time and time again the surrounding contestants and the audience themselves have banded together against such acts and proven that from the bad, good can rise.

Zeke continued on with the game, with everyone supporting him along the way. He would make enemies and betray people but if anyone was ever mad at him or voted him off, it was because of his actions as a player and not who he was. He made jury once again, as he had with his first season.

Varner lost his job and went on to make a fool of himself at the reunion show, as he more focused on promoting his book about the experience rather than showing remorse.

Colton Cumbie returned for one season but quit yet again and is hated by most survivor fans.

Brandon Hantz spent a brief time in a mental institution and is constantly fighting with his family online, embarrassing them and himself.

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njawaidofficial · 7 years

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'Survivor' Season 35 Player Profile: Meet Ben Driebergen

http://styleveryday.com/2017/09/04/survivor-season-35-player-profile-meet-ben-driebergen/

'Survivor' Season 35 Player Profile: Meet Ben Driebergen

Welcome to the Survivor: Heroes vs Healers vs Hustlers preseason! THR’s Josh Wigler reports from his exclusive visit to the show’s shooting location in Fiji, where he interviewed host Jeff Probst, as well as the 18 new castaways battling it out for the million dollar prize.

Click here to make sure you’re all caught up on our stories from the island, including our weekly podcast series “First One Out,” an in-depth look at all of the new players, culminating in an interview with the first person voted out of the season.

Third up on the Levu tribe: Ben Driebergen, employed at a grocery distribution center at the time of our interview, making his home on Heroes beach due to his past as a United States marine. Ben joined the marines in 2003, serving overseas in Iraq.

“I was in the infantry and went over to Iraq and did what marines do best,” says Ben, his typically booming voice hitting a quieter tone when he talks about his time at war. “I was a good marine. I was good at my job. I was a company honor man out of boot camp and school, and loved what I did. Certain things happen. You lose friends. The marine corps was a good experience, but it was also a bad experience.”

When he returned home, the very word “home” became something of a flexible idea. Ben went around the country working a variety of jobs, from staking out land in Alaska to working as a bouncer to living in North Dakota to building fence in Wyoming and beyond. He eventually moved to Texas where he married his first wife at “a drive-through wedding,” with the best man and maid of honor sitting in the backseat of the car.

“The preacher came out through a Burger King drive-through window with the speakers and players, ‘Here Comes the Bride,'” Ben remembers. “I was like, ‘She’s right here! She’s right next to me!'”

Since then, Ben has remarried. He has two children: Wyatt, five years old, who was literally born to the tune of Queen’s “We Are the Champions,” and Gracie, who will be turning three years old during Ben’s time out on Season 35: “She’s a beautiful, healthy little baby girl, but she’s sassy as all hell, so she’s a Driebergen. We’re in for a world of hurt. The world is in for a world of hurt.”

For Ben, his world has started to heal, thanks to the formation of his family and the years he’s spent processing and living his life since returning from his service overseas: “You have to learn from it. It’s hard. You feel like you’re alone when you come back. Every marine and veteran who comes back from all that stuff has a lot on his or her plate. You have a foot in the grave and you don’t care about nothing. There’s help now that’s out there, but you kind of have to figure things out for yourself. Once you do, life is a lot better. Life is worth living after you get back.”

Listen to the podcast below to hear from Ben and the rest of his competitors in the first episode of our preseason series, “First One Out.”

Right now, Ben’s life has taken him to yet another new spot on the globe: Fiji, where he’s competing against 17 other players determined to become the Sole Survivor. Ben says he and his wife are religious viewers of the show every Wednesday night: “The kids go in our room and have movie night, while we have Survivor night. We break out the wine and we watch it. It’s awesome.” When he watches the show, Ben finds himself shouting at the television screen every time a castaway makes a bad move or gets tricked by another competitor.

“I’ll always be like, ‘I could do that! Oh, hell, don’t do that!’ I’ll coach it,” he says. “My wife said, ‘Make a video,’ just so she would stop hearing about it. She’s regretting it now! She started the ball [rolling]. She knew they would like me. She’s nervous. She’s at home with two kids by herself, and surviving in her own right. She’s kicking herself in the butt for telling me to make a video now.”

Now, it’s Ben’s turn to kick some butt, as he attempts to combine his experiences of surviving in hard conditions with the lessons learned from years of watching Survivor, every move fueled by one simple goal: giving his family a better life.

“Five years ago, six years ago, if you would have asked anyone who knew me if I would have a family, a house, two kids, a good job, and I’d be on Survivor? They would kick you in your shin,” he says. “You’re out of your mind. ‘No, not the Ben that I know.’ But my wife helped me out a lot, and I love her for that. She gave me two kids, and that’s why I’m out here. I’m out here for them. I’m out here for us.”

Watch the video below for more from Ben on why he’s going to win Survivor.

#Survivor profiles continue @THR Monday w/ a double-header. Up first: Ben Driebergen, here for one simple reason… https://t.co/Qcj5WsBpBn pic.twitter.com/4T3DP7kfR3

— Josh Wigler (@roundhoward) September 3, 2017

That’s Ben in his own words. But what does everyone else think? Over the course of these interviews, I showed the castaways pictures of each other from casting, to get their pre-game impressions of their future competitors. Read on for their takes on Ben.

Note: comments from the castaways have been edited and condensed for clarity.

Mike Zahalsky (Urologist, Healers Tribe): Honestly, I think he’s the biggest threat in the game.

Desiree Williams (Physical Therapist, Healers Tribe): I love that guy. He seems maybe ex-military. He’s fun and has a good energy.

JP Hilsabeck (Firefighter, Heroes Tribe): He’s got a military hat on, so I’m guessing he was in the military or something. I’ll probably get along with him great.

Ashley Nolan (Lifeguard, Heroes Tribe): I like his hat. (Laughs.) He seems funny. He seems like he might have some kind of military background, and that actually excites me. He reminds me a little bit of a dating phase I went through. He reminds me exactly of the guy I dated, many years back, so that was the first thing that caught my eye from him. Like, I had to do a double take. Like, whoa! Flashback! But the military background, that might be a good person to align with. Because they’re generally used to uncomfortable situations, and inadequate weather, or inadequate just environments in general.

Chrissy Hofbeck (Actuary, Heroes Tribe): Oh, he’s so sweet! I love him. I call him the cowboy. He just looks like he’s joyful and loyal. He’s actually someone I hope is on my tribe.

Katrina Radke (Olympian, Heroes Tribe): He’s cool. You know, there was somebody at casting that looked like him, and I’m wondering if it’s the same guy, but he was sitting so far away I never really saw him close up. I think it’s a different guy. They’re so similar, I’m going, “Wow, they must be casting very close.” I think this might be a different guy.

Cole Medders (Wilderness Therapy Guide, Healers Tribe): He’s hilarious. He’s always like the goofy one in the middle. He strikes me as kind of clumsy sometimes, and just a good old country boy. He already has the cutoff t-shirt and super bad sunburn already, just right out the gate.

Ryan Ulrich (Bellhop, Hustlers Tribe): This man is very badly sunburnt right now, but he still looks great. He just seems like a good guy. He doesn’t seem like he’s from New Jersey! And it attracts me to him because of the difference we have. A lot of people say we could bond over commonalities, but sometimes you just want to find out more about another person’s culture and another’s person’s way of life. He seems pretty friendly. He seems like a guy who’s definitely going to try and build the shelter. And he’s definitely going to not be great at it, but he’s going to want to take charge, and if anybody else wants to take charge? That is fine by me!

Ali Elliott (Celebrity Assistant, Hustlers Tribe): He’s seems funny. I feel like we would get along. He seems very friendly. And he’s always [polite], like, “You go first.” He seems kinda like a gentleman. I think that, you know, because I did go to school in the south, I probably encountered a lot of people like him.

Patrick Bolton (Small Business Owner, Hustlers Tribe): You know, he’s an interesting character. I don’t know exactly what to think. He’s got tattoos all over him, which I don’t like to really judge off of tattoos. He’s got this little pinup doll on his lower calf, and then you can’t count them all — he’s covered in tats. But other than that, he seems like possibly a country guy, hardworking. Seems like a hardworking type of person. So that would probably lend to somebody good at camp. As far as challenges go, I don’t think he would be the most athletic. Doesn’t strike me as an athletic type.

Devon Pinto (Surf Instructor, Hustlers Tribe): Classic, classic hick, definitely. Classic hick, full handle bar mustache like got all the hick tats, the pinup girl, the fucking Texas bull skull, all of that. It’s totally not my style, but as long as he has a good heart? I’ll get along with him just fine.

Watch the video below for an early look at what Ben’s victory speech might look like.

Mike Zahalsky (Urologist, Healers Tribe): Although he doesn’t look it, he’s very charismatic. He’s very charming. He’s very easy to talk to. People congregate to him. But he also has tattoos all over his body. And I believe that tattoos tell a story, and that his story from his tattoos are not necessarily the same story as the guy [who has] the nice little child on his arm tattoo.

Joe Mena (Probation Officer, Healers Tribe): He’s the one that’s going to screw himself, I’m telling you. I like him because of his personality, but he’s extremely social and I think that’s going to backfire on him. He’s kind of too social with everyone, and I just feel it’s going to backfire on him a little bit.

Jessica Johnston (Nurse Practitioner, Healers Tribe): Let me tell you about him. If anyone’s going to play like a villain, it’s going to be him. He has tattoos on every extremity and on his wrist. I haven’t stalked him enough to get this, but it [looks like he] has an angel versus demon, or an angel and a demon. Listen, I have to figure out what side of the fence is he playing on. Are we on the dark side or are we on the light side? I’m playing on the light, and I would hope to align myself with someone who is going to be a little rough.

Josh Wigler (Reporter, THR): You would like to be the angel and you would like to find your demon?

Jessica Johnston (Nurse Practitioner, Healers Tribe): I think every demon needs an angel. I’m going to be his, if he’ll let me.

Simone Nguyen (Diversity Associate, Hustlers Tribe): I love him. I love him. I’m going to try to align with him because he seems big and dopey and kind of doe-eyed. He wants to be a villain, but he doesn’t have it in him, you know what I mean? I think that he wants to think that he’s this badass guy but I think at heart, he’s a big softy. I think that’s why it’s going to be easy to pull at his heart strings.

Lauren Rimmer (Fisherman, Hustlers Tribe): God love him, is all I know. He’s going to be a go getter. I think he’s going to try too hard. I think he’s going to work himself into a hole. And it’s not that he’s going to intentionally do it. I just think looks like he wears his heart on his shoulder, and it might hurt him.

Alan Ball (NFL Player, Heroes Tribe): He’s a character. He’s a character. He kind of reminds me of somebody on The Voice. Do you watch The Voice?

Josh Wigler (Reporter, THR): I do not.

Alan Ball (NFL Player, Heroes Tribe): Okay, so The Voice is kind of like… I can’t give it an analogy. He’s one of those guys who when you look at him, you’re expecting one thing. The way I watch him, he’s full of personality, a good sense of humor. The Voice is based on you not being able to see somebody, but hearing them. You can see him, but his personality speaks a lot louder than his look.

Roark Luskin (Social Worker, Healers Tribe): For me, I can’t decide. The problem is because we can’t talk, I don’t know if he’s like a Keith Nale, who’s going to get along with everybody, or Mike Holloway, who’s going to get along with everybody. And if it’s Mike Holloway, he’s gotta go. If it’s Keith Nale? He can hang.

Ben Driebergen (Marine, Heroes Tribe): You look around at all of these people, and they’re physical threats. Everybody here is strong, cut, both the men and the women. I used to have a six-pack, but now I have a beer gut. But I can still kick it! It’s going to be amazing.

Click through the gallery below for photos of Ben and the rest of the Season 35 castaways.

Keep checking THR.com/Survivor for more coverage of the Heroes vs Healers vs Hustlers preseason.

Survivor

#35 #Ben #Driebergen #Meet #Player #Profile #Season #Survivor

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helloworlddemo1122-yahoopar-blog · 7 years

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Jeff Varner Says Zeke Smith Reached Out to Start 'Healing' Process After 'Survivor' Tribal Council

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Jeff Varner says Zeke Smith was the one to start the "healing" process after his big Survivor reveal.

EXCLUSIVE: Inside Jeff Varner's Decision to Out Zeke Smith at Tribal Council, What Viewers Didn't See

WATCH: Zeke Smith on Forgiving Jeff Varner After 'Survivor' Outing: 'I Didn't Want Him to Feel the Pain That I Had'

During a Skype interview with ET on Thursday, Varner said watching the episode back was "emotional."

WATCH: Jeff Probst Reacts to 'Survivor' Outing: 'You Just Don't Do That to Someone'

Survivor: Beyond the Buff, the official Survivor after-show, airs Thursdays at 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT on the Survivor Facebook page.

See more from ET's interview in the video below.

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helloworlddemo1122-yahoopar-blog · 7 years

Text

Jeff Varner Says Zeke Smith Reached Out to Start 'Healing' Process After 'Survivor' Tribal Council

brightcove

Jeff Varner says Zeke Smith was the one to start the "healing" process after his big Survivor reveal.

EXCLUSIVE: Inside Jeff Varner's Decision to Out Zeke Smith at Tribal Council, What Viewers Didn't See

WATCH: Zeke Smith on Forgiving Jeff Varner After 'Survivor' Outing: 'I Didn't Want Him to Feel the Pain That I Had'

During a Skype interview with ET on Thursday, Varner said watching the episode back was "emotional."

WATCH: Jeff Probst Reacts to 'Survivor' Outing: 'You Just Don't Do That to Someone'

Survivor: Beyond the Buff, the official Survivor after-show, airs Thursdays at 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT on the Survivor Facebook page.

See more from ET's interview in the video below.

brightcove

#_revsp:new_provider_with_logo_342 #_uuid:6a8ee894-3110-314c-a53a-bf1584a6358a #_lmsid:a0VK0000001yfWcMAI

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helloworlddemo1122-yahoopar-blog · 7 years

Text

Jeff Varner Says Zeke Smith Reached Out to Start 'Healing' Process After 'Survivor' Tribal Council

brightcove

Jeff Varner says Zeke Smith was the one to start the "healing" process after his big Survivor reveal.

EXCLUSIVE: Inside Jeff Varner's Decision to Out Zeke Smith at Tribal Council, What Viewers Didn't See

WATCH: Zeke Smith on Forgiving Jeff Varner After 'Survivor' Outing: 'I Didn't Want Him to Feel the Pain That I Had'

During a Skype interview with ET on Thursday, Varner said watching the episode back was "emotional."

WATCH: Jeff Probst Reacts to 'Survivor' Outing: 'You Just Don't Do That to Someone'

Survivor: Beyond the Buff, the official Survivor after-show, airs Thursdays at 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT on the Survivor Facebook page.

See more from ET's interview in the video below.

brightcove

#_revsp:new_provider_with_logo_342 #_uuid:6a8ee894-3110-314c-a53a-bf1584a6358a #_lmsid:a0VK0000001yfWcMAI

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helloworlddemo1122-yahoopar-blog · 7 years

Text

Jeff Varner Says Zeke Smith Reached Out to Start 'Healing' Process After 'Survivor' Tribal Council

brightcove

Jeff Varner says Zeke Smith was the one to start the "healing" process after his big Survivor reveal.

EXCLUSIVE: Inside Jeff Varner's Decision to Out Zeke Smith at Tribal Council, What Viewers Didn't See

WATCH: Zeke Smith on Forgiving Jeff Varner After 'Survivor' Outing: 'I Didn't Want Him to Feel the Pain That I Had'

During a Skype interview with ET on Thursday, Varner said watching the episode back was "emotional."

WATCH: Jeff Probst Reacts to 'Survivor' Outing: 'You Just Don't Do That to Someone'

Survivor: Beyond the Buff, the official Survivor after-show, airs Thursdays at 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT on the Survivor Facebook page.

See more from ET's interview in the video below.

brightcove

#_revsp:new_provider_with_logo_342 #_uuid:6a8ee894-3110-314c-a53a-bf1584a6358a #_lmsid:a0VK0000001yfWcMAI

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helloworlddemo1122-yahoopar-blog · 7 years

Text

Jeff Varner Says Zeke Smith Reached Out to Start 'Healing' Process After 'Survivor' Tribal Council

brightcove

Jeff Varner says Zeke Smith was the one to start the "healing" process after his big Survivor reveal.

EXCLUSIVE: Inside Jeff Varner's Decision to Out Zeke Smith at Tribal Council, What Viewers Didn't See

WATCH: Zeke Smith on Forgiving Jeff Varner After 'Survivor' Outing: 'I Didn't Want Him to Feel the Pain That I Had'

During a Skype interview with ET on Thursday, Varner said watching the episode back was "emotional."

WATCH: Jeff Probst Reacts to 'Survivor' Outing: 'You Just Don't Do That to Someone'

Survivor: Beyond the Buff, the official Survivor after-show, airs Thursdays at 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT on the Survivor Facebook page.

See more from ET's interview in the video below.

brightcove

#_revsp:new_provider_with_logo_342 #_uuid:6a8ee894-3110-314c-a53a-bf1584a6358a #_lmsid:a0VK0000001yfWcMAI

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helloworlddemo1122-yahoopar-blog · 7 years

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EXCLUSIVE: Jeff Varner Tearfully Admits He's Been in Therapy Since Outing Zeke Smith on 'Survivor'

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Jeff Varner is trying to overcome the "trauma" of his actions.

During a Skype interview with ET on Thursday, the three-time Survivor player tearfully opened up about the shocking moment when he outed fellow contestant Zeke Smith as being transgender during Wednesday night's tribal council.

WATCH: 'Survivor' Castaway Zeke Smith Outed as Transgender by Fellow Contestant Jeff Varner During Tribal Council

While a media storm erupted in the hours following Wednesday's shocking episode, Varner and Smith have had 10 months to prepare for the outrage and headlines. Varner said he has been going through therapy.

"[I] have been in therapy, CBS has paid for [me]. They wanted [me] healthy," he revealed. "This was traumatic for the both of us and it was ugly. When I came out of that game, I believe I even said, 'Somebody shoot me.' I probably sent all the red flags up that I was going to kill myself over this, which of course I would never do that as much as I felt like I probably deserved it. There was a psychologist outside at the path that I walked down and I fell into her arms it was just great for me."

Viewers saw Varner realize the ramifications of what he had done throughout the night's tribal council. Scared of going home, the real estate agent made a last-ditch effort to point out Smith's "deceptive" behavior.

"There is deception here. Deceptions on levels, Jeff, that these guys don't even understand," Varner said, looking at Smith. "Why haven't you told anyone that you're transgender?"

WATCH: Jeff Varner Says He's 'Profoundly Sorry' for Outing Zeke Smith as Transgender on 'Survivor': 'I Was Wrong'

Varner first defended himself by saying he was a supporter of transgender rights, and that he assumed Smith was "out and loud and proud" about being trans to the outside world, before breaking down in tears, admitting that he never should have revealed that piece of information.

Still emotional while speaking with ET on Thursday, Varner said he and Smith made their peace in October.

"Zeke and I spoke in October and just hearing his voice was comforting, hearing his forgiveness was comforting, hearing that he believed both he and I were victims in some way was comforting," he shared -- though in a piece for The Hollywood Reporter, Smith said he still had trouble forgiving Varner. "The LGBT community has enough to fight against today, we don't need to be fighting against each other."

Varner, who didn't speak openly about his sexuality on the first two seasons he played Survivor, also says his boyfriend has been extremely supportive.

RELATED: Zeke Smith on Being Outed on 'Survivor': 'I'm Not Wild About You Knowing That I’m Trans'

"My boyfriend has been wonderful to me. He's been by my side through he whole process having to live with it and not talk about it fro so long, almost 10 months now. [Having to keep a secret so long] is traumatic in itself," he explained. "Part of getting past the trauma is being able to make yourself vulnerable and deal with it, and talk through it. This aired last night, and it was impossible to watch, but now I feel like the healing can begin, not only for me, but hopefully for Zeke, and hopefully for trans people across the world."

As for the LGBT community's response to Varner's actions, he says he's gotten the message that he's a "horrible human."

"The LGBT community, we within ourselves have our own issues. We discriminate against ourselves I think a lot more than a lot of people do out there," he confessed. "I have learned that a lot of these outing situations, LGBT people feel free to out LGBT people more than probably everybody else, and we have got our own issues within our own family to work on. But again, this is about Zeke and where he is, and I just love him and I am so sorry. I am so profoundly sorry to him, his family, his friends, his advocates, his allies, everybody, I am so sorry. This is not who I am."

"Trans people are not deceitful, they are not deceiving people. They are just trying to be who they are. They are trying to live a life that is protected, they are trying to stay safe and I just hate that my arguing of the deception has painted this picture that that is what I am talking about, 'cause that is not what is in my heart," he added.

While Varner says he's "never regretted anything" in his life, he confessed that he does feel "regret" over the situation, despite how prepared he was to watch the episode.

WATCH: Jeff Probst Reacts to 'Survivor' Outing: 'You Just Don't Do That to Someone'

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