Survivor: Island of the Idols Scoop – Week 8 Recap: Winners, Losers, Top Moments

Posted By: John Powell

November 14, 2019

Survivor: Island of the Idols Scoop – Week 8 Recap: Winners, Losers, Top Moments

John Powell – GlobalTV.com

In Survivor, perception is reality whether it is the game itself or the tribal and social politics at camp.

Never was this truer than during Survivor: Thailand in 2002. Ghandia Johnson and Ted Rogers, Jr. voiced conflicting points of view during their personal altercation. As they were sleeping, Johnson claimed that Rogers ground against her during the night. Both were married at the time.

Johnson rightly claimed she was made to feel uncomfortable. Rogers Jr. said he was not fully awake when it happened, he might have mistaken Ghandia for his wife and it was not deliberate in any way.

All these years later, I believe both were telling the truth. Ghandia had every right to be upset and angry. Rogers, Jr., I don’t believe acted purposely, although he could have certainly handled the situation with much more understanding and sensitivity than he did at the time.

What occurred on Survivor: Thailand came flooding back to me watching last night’s controversial episode of Survivor: Island of the Idols. Since the start of the season we have witnessed Kellee Kim and other women explain they have felt Dan Spilo has been too touchy-feely during his interactions with them. On tonight’s episode, Kellee, Elizabeth Beisel and Missy Byrd confided in the older and wiser Janet Carbin about Dan.

“My first take on Dan is that he was an old school guy who didn’t know what he was doing, being physical, an arm around the shoulder, stuff that I would do with my life guards. I am just a very physical person but at the same time, I cannot ignore these girls,” said Janet in a confessional.

“On the off-chance that Dan is innocent, he is going to be devastated. It is a tricky thing to have 100 percent proof. You are never going to get it,” she continued.

Janet’s very words played out in a subsequent scene in which both Elizabeth and Missy spoke about what to say to Janet before they strategized with her about voting Dan out.

“The original Vokai are not the biggest fans of Dan so if I can play up that card in whatever way possible, I will do it,” said Elizabeth in her confessional.

Feeling the need to protect the younger women, Janet agreed to vote with them and end Dan’s time on the island.

At Tribal Council though, it was Kellee and her Hidden Immunity Idols that were voted out as Aaron Meredith, Dan, Dean Kowalski, Elaine Stott, Elizabeth, Lauren Beck, Missy and Tommy Sheehan wrote down her name instead of Dan’s.

Last nights episode was intense and important. Sitting and watching it back and having all the facts in front of me certainly changes my perspective on what was happening. I placed my vote on Kellee because she was a threat to win the game.

— Tommy Sheehan (@TommySheehan22) November 14, 2019

I want to deeply apologize to all women and more specifically Kellee and Janet. While I had my own experiences and feelings towards Dan, I spoke with him and it stopped. While ignorance is not an excuse, after the merge I did not know the full extent of Kellee’s feelings

— Lauren Ashley (@LaurenAshBeck) November 14, 2019

“This wasn’t just a vote. This was standing up for what was right,” said an angry Janet back at camp.

Janet met with Dan outlining the situation and the accusations that were made against him.

“It is the most absurd accusation in the history of mankind,” was Dan’s response.

“I understand both sides of it,” Janet replied to Dan saying the women might have “crossed the line”.

“They played me on your reputation,” she said.

I want to thank you for all of your support. It was a very difficult time, however I do love and care for my fellow survivors and I don’t want to see them negatively affected by anything that is said from the game. Thanks everyone

— Janet Carbin From Survivor 39 (@Carbin39) November 14, 2019

Dan also talked with Missy and Elizabeth.

“Dan, the only thing we can say to that is if we truly, truly felt that way, did we not have the power to vote you out?” asked Missy.

“I have never felt uncomfortable. I know what people are talking about but it is more in a joking way. Maybe that’s where we are on the wrong part of it because we shouldn’t be joking about that but nobody has come to me with legitimate life concerns. It was little bitty snippets here and there snowballing into something it never should have been,” Elizabeth said in another confessional.

pic.twitter.com/pNnNoxsYqr

— Elizabeth Beisel (@ebeisel34) November 15, 2019

In a media interview, Jeff Probst said that Missy and Elizabeth “embellished their stories about the situation, it put Dan in an unfair light and further complicated everything”. Just as Dan’s actions towards Kellee were horrendous, Missy and Elizabeth exaggerating things and taking advantage of an awful and serious situation is appalling in its own way as well.

pic.twitter.com/yIyLneCWYF

— Missy Byrd (@themissybyrd) November 15, 2019

All in all, it is a confusing mess to be sure. As a journalist I have found that the truth of any circumstance usually lies somewhere in the middle.

Dan made Kellee feel uncomfortable. That is her reality. Dan says his actions were unintentional and he “couldn’t be more sorry” if he hurt anyone. That is his reality.

Hi everyone, I’m hurting and very sad watching this last episode too, but please try to be kind and understanding. No one deserves threats or shaming, and we can talk about this in a way that we are all better for it💪🏼 #Survivor #Mentalhealth

— Kellee Kim (@kellee_kim) November 14, 2019

What tips the scales for me though is that Kellee says she told Dan to stop touching her, that it bothered her and he kept doing so. No matter what Kellee’s reasons are, Dan should have been respectful and honoured that request.

What also bothered me was that Dan spoke his mind at Tribal Council. He got the chance to address the situation publicly in front of all the other players and the viewers. Because she is a part of the jury and is not supposed to interact with the remaining players, Kellee had to remain silent. That to me was unfair. In such a far-reaching, important circumstance where reputations and the character of those involved are on the line, the only just and fair thing to do is allow both to be able to say what they have to and need to say.

I am overwhelmed by the support that I am getting and I greatly appreciate it. I do want you all to know that you didn’t see everything and all the people that did try and stand up for me. Tommy was huge in trying to support me during tribal. Please stop the hate.

— Janet Carbin From Survivor 39 (@Carbin39) November 15, 2019

Since we don’t have access to all of the footage, of everything that was said and done we can only assume what we saw and heard was an honest depiction of the situation. While we may never have all of our questions answered the one thing to be learned from situations like these is that rushes to judgment do a lot of harm on any side of any equation. For me, it is like covering the scene of an accident, which I have done many times in the past as a news reporter. You listen to everyone; gather all of the facts pulling in as many perspectives as possible. That is the best way to get a complete picture. It is the only way we can ever get closer to the truth and gain a better understanding of any circumstance, ourselves, others and the world around us.

Part 1 of my apology #survivor pic.twitter.com/kpAuz24QWd

— Aaron Meredith (@ACM_Fitness) November 14, 2019

Survivor Scoop – Week 8: Top Moments

This week’s top Survivor: Island of the Idols moments are…

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Moment # 5: Dan Meets with Missy and Elizabeth

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Moment # 4: Missy and Elizabeth Prepare Their Talk With Janet

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Moment # 3: Missy and Elizabeth Speak to Janet

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Moment # 2: Janet Has a Talk With Dan

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Moment # 1: Kellee Confides in Janet

Next time on Survivor…

Week 8: Game Fail: Kellee Kim and Jamal Shipman

If there is one gameplay characteristic that Kellee and Jamal Shipman shared was they both liked being the power player. They weren’t shy about it. They weren’t discrete about it either. That is what put them on a boat to Ponderosa.

Strategic Gameplay

Jamal was a conniver in his own right, although Kellee took it to a whole new level with her move to send Jack to the jury. Kellee was also more stealth about her schemes than Jamal.

Jamal Rating: 3 / 5
Kellee Rating: 4 / 5

Social Gameplay

Each castaway handled most of the tense situations with grace; however, Jamal was the more playful of the two.

Jamal Rating: 3.5 / 5
Kellee Rating: 3 / 5

Entertainment Value

Each of them were compelling. Kellee was a hard-core player, taking risks and had a quirky personality. Jamal was a decent player, although he was also far more lively than Kellee. It is unfortunate that their egos are part of the reason their promising and engaging Survivor journeys ended.

Jamal Rating: 3 / 5
Kellee Rating: 4 / 5

Final Jamal Rating: 9.5 / 15
Final Kellee Rating: 11 / 15