Survivor 41: Episode 11 "Do or Die" Analysis

 "Wow, that drama was over quick."

-Jeff Probst

Here we are, another great episode of Survivor 41, another stupid twists that falls completely flat.  I didn't like the Do or Die twist, but at least all of the contestants were told about it...unlike some other twists from this season I could mention.  Stupid twist or not, I really liked the rest of this episode, especially the Tribal Council.  Anyway, let's take a closer look at who played well and who sucked.

Who Played Well:

Let's start with Deshawn and Danny.  The two of them seemed to patch things up with Liana fairly well after the last Tribal Council.  I like that they both decide to compete in the Immunity Challenge, even with the Do or Die twist on the line.  They were both likely targets, so might as well go for it.  Danny ended up winning, while Deshawn got lucky with the Do or Die twist.  I also liked how Deshawn used Ricard to show that he wasn't actually a snake at Tribal Council, and that Shan was going after him first.  Unfortunately, both of them ended up on the wrong side of the vote and Deshawn was too emotional at the beginning of the episode, but I thought both of them had a net positive episode. 

Finally, we have Ricard.  He was originally supposed to be the one going home last week, so I'm also fine with him competing in the Immunity Challenge.  He also should have gone home this week, so major props to him for surviving and getting rid of Liana.

Who Sucked:

We'll start with Heather and Erika.  I liked that Heather sat out of the challenge and I don't like that Erika decided to compete.  They are both in the power position.  Why risk all of that when the Do or Die twist is in play?  More importantly is that they both took out Liana, which is a death sentence for their games.  Their best shot to win was to go to the end with Liana.  I think Erika wins in that scenario and it's Heather's best chance.  With Liana gone, I don't think either of them can win in a Final 3.  They really needed to take out Ricard.

Finally, we have Xander, who had absolutely no business competing in the Immunity Challenge.  Had he screwed up, not even the Idol could have saved him.  He is absolutely the last person who should have agreed to compete.  I don't mind that he took out Liana though.  She's been gunning for him for awhile.  Sure, Xander can beat her in the end, but there are other people in the game he can beat.  He doesn't need her to win.  Still, net negative for Xander.

As for Liana, I would have liked to see her work on getting Heather and Erika to flip some more.  Maybe she tried and we just didn't see it.  She shouldn't have gone home here, but I also don't get why she didn't compete in the Immunity Challenge.  If you know you're on the bottom, might as well take the chance.  Anyway, she had a great final episode.  I loved her speech at Tribal Council.  That's a solid note to go out on.

Verdict:

Best Player of the Episode goes to Ricard Foyé for choosing to compete in the Immunity Challenge, surviving the vote, and getting rid of Liana.

Worst Player of the Episode goes to Erika Casupanan for competing in the Immunity Challenge and taking out one of the only people she could beat in Liana.

This was a really fun episode.  I love that this cast keeps avoiding these B.S. twists when they can.  Hopefully we don't see anymore in these final episodes.