Survivor Cagayan: A Look Back

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Survivor Cayagan (Source: http://parade.condenast.com)

Survivor Cagayan has proved to be one of the best seasons in Survivor history. Throughout the season, back-stabs and paranoia ran high, and each episode contained numerous twists and turns. However, one thing remained constant: Tony was at the top of the pack. He was able to maintain his allies no matter how many blindsides he organized. And once he discovered two immunity idols, including the newly-introduced special idol, his game was set.
At tribal council with only four players remaining, Tony proudly wore his special idol around his neck, claiming that it contained the powers to bring him to the final three, when in reality, the idol had lost its powers in the previous tribal council. But the three other competitors believed his lie, and Tony squeaked through to the final three.
Usually, once a player makes it to the final three, the jury consisting of nine previously voted out tribe members votes for a winner; however, this season consisted of a final two. The next day, the final three competitors: Tony, Woo, and Kass set out to compete in one final immunity challenge. The winner of this challenge was guaranteed a spot in the final two along with the power to choose who accompanied him there. The three players battled it out in the final challenge, fighting for a chance to win the million dollar prize. Finally, Woo was named victor of the challenge.
Once the players returned back to camp, both Kass and Tony gave Woo a speech detailing why he should pick him/her to bring to the final three. For the survivor fan, the choice seemed obvious: Woo should take Kass. Although Tony’s antics were disliked by his competitors, he made the most game changing moves and was therefore guaranteed to win if he made it to the final two. On the other hand, Kass was hated by her competitors, and, in addition, she never made any great moves. But even though Woo knew that he had a better chance of beating Kass, he brought Tony to the final two. Sadly, this move cost him his game: Tony was crowned sole survivor when he received 9 of the 10 jury votes.
As a huge survivor fan, when Woo chose Tony, I was so upset. For the majority of the season, I rooted for the underdog: Spencer, but when he was voted out in the final five, I switched to Woo. Woo was an extremely likable player: he was funny and charismatic while Tony was, well, Tony. The whole season, Tony lied and cheated his way into gaining players trust. While this a completely necessary part of survivor, Tony took it too far. He swore on his wife and newborn child to every player, promising them a spot in the finale and his paranoid tactics were becoming old. Every week Tony would freak out at the slightest chance that a player would write his name down on the ballot, even when he was protected by two immunity idols! Near the end of the season, I rooted for Tony to make a mistake and get voted out, but sadly he never did.
Even though I couldn’t stand Tony as a person, I still believe that he deserved to win. He made the most game changing moves out of any of the other players and fought harder to win the game than anyone else. His manipulative strategy and complete control of the entire game made him a deserving winner of survivor.