Winners At War Episode 3: Bunkerin' Down

After being awoken by Rob, Adam says that the old schoolers are running the show, and that Rob's need to be in control all the time is gonna be his undoing. Did this kid seriously just give strategy advice to Boston Rob? Yeesh. Adam tells Denise he wants to target Parvati, and gets Michele and Jeremy on board too. Adam also goes to Ethan, which he even says he knows the viewers are gonna tear him apart over ...and as predicted, Ethan doesn't like it.

Fun Tony impressions

Sandra and Nick set up a net, as Tyson decides he needs to make a move to get off the bottom. He goes to Yul and Sophie and proposes voting out Sandra. The next day, Dakal have caught a shark, which Tony grabs by the tail and runs around with. Yul decides to tell Sandra that Tyson is coming for her, and now she wants vengeance.

Danni goes spearfishing on Extinction, and gets one. They also get a clue to a tree, which they find...and there's a box which requires a combination to open. Amber then runs off on her own as the others are guessing, thinking it's the numbers on a crate. However, when she enters, it doesn't open. Natalie then figures out it's the seashells on the string, smashes the others so no-one else can get it, and waits until the others go away to open it up. 3 for 3 in advantages for the Sri Lankan! The advantage is a clue to a vote steal which is hidden at the other tribes' camp.

Queen of Extinction

Sarah turns on the stealth

Sarah finds a note in her bag from Natalie...makes sense to choose her, given her history. She decides to go for it but recruits Tony for help first. He just puts charcoal on her which isn't that helpful (and uncomfortably close to blackface). Sarah sneaks into Sele camp and clunks around with the torches for a while, as Ben stirs. However, he manages to make it out with the goods in the end.

The immunity challenge is that Ninja Warrior one from Ghost Island where you parkour across ramps, get a bag with a ladder, try to hook a ball and string, then climb up ramps to a puzzle. Most get the ramps on the first try but Sele have to wait for Michele. Tony climbs the ladder (good that he got in some practice), whilst firefighter Jeremy does it for Sele. It's now Wendell and Rob tossing, and Wendell gets it first. Ben takes over for Rob, but Dakal are on the puzzle now. Sarah and Sophie take their time as Sele are finally climbing now. Rob and Michele close the gap quickly. It goes back and forth as Dakal struggle with their last piece, Sarah even knocking it out. Dakal win a true nailbiter that comes down to seconds.

We'll see who blinks first

The mood at Sele camp is tense after the loss, with nobody wanting to make the first move. Jeremy goes first and Ben follows, and reaffirm the Parvati plan. Adam tries to convince Rob that the vote is Parvati, and he seems annoyed by it. Rob goes to Jeremy and Michele and reveals that Adam spilled the whole plan. Jeremy and Michele now agree to take the vote into their own hands, and that might mean Ethan or it might mean Adam, who a lot of the tribe are pissed off at now that they know he threw them under the bus.

At tribal council, Jeremy says they're not cohesive anymore. Adam says there's no clean vote since everybody has different connections. Jeff asks Michele how do you figure out who you can trust, and she says it's like dating. Parvati knows she's a huge target. Adam brings up Rob's statue, which seems to annoy Rob, but when Adam argues it's common knowledge anyway, he fires back sarcastically with "oh so you're helping me?" Ben gives a bunker analogy to explain the alliance structure.

I waited 16 years for this?

The votes are read...1 vote Parvati, 3 votes Adam...but the majority go with their own plan and blindside Ethan, leaving both Adam and Rob wondering what the fuck happened. Ethan heads out and passes on his fire token to Parvati. He's a good sport on Extinction, telling Amber how his alliance with her husband didn't go so well.

Well Adam got a huge slap back to reality, he should've known Boston Rob would be far too stubborn to just take an L. And it's a rare blindside for the Godfather too...how long will people just dance around him without taking him out?

STAR OF THE WEEK: MICHELE FITZGERALD

Well, she wanted to prove herself and I think she just did. Her and Jeremy took control and made the best decision for them, whilst leaving everybody else's guns pointing at eachother.

Winners At War Episode 2: Snakes And Ladders

Amber finds Extinction pretty jarring, but is glad she's not out of the game. Rob receives a fire token, and instantly his mind goes to the possibility of Amber being voted out. Parvati reaches the same conclusion, though he's holding out some hope it might be Sandra (guess he doesn't know how mad she is at him then).

One big happy family?

Ben wants to play more of a social game this time, so decides to help Denise find an idol. When she gets it, she sees they work differently this year and she has to give half of it to somebody else. Initially she assumes Ben will want it, but he suggests giving it to someone else, and likes Adam. Adam is stoked to hear about the idol, but less so that Ben knows. Denise asks Adam what he thinks about giving it to Parvati, which he shoots down as a terrible idea...meaning he gets it instead.

Yul uses a pole to knock down the hard-to-reach breadfruit. Kim is looking for an idol, and finds it just as Tony and Nick walk up, but they don't see. Kim has to share it with someone and picks Sophie, since she has a lot of power on the tribe. Sophie questions the choice.

Kim's slow crawl back up the ladder

On Extinction, Natalie and Amber get a clue that they can't decipher. But any time you get a weirdly-written note on Survivor, it's an acrostic, and this one says "Water well". Eventually Natalie finds it by accident, and gets another advantage (safety without power...there's gotta be a better name for it than that) to sell on. She chooses Jeremy, and he decides to buy it.

A health and safety nightmare

Tony is building a ladder to keep himself occupied. When he tries to use it to get fruit, the others are worried about how unsafe it looks, but he insists it's meant to be like that. Somehow Tony climbs up it without breaking, but Tyson says it best - "how is this guy still alive?" Sarah and Tony reaffirm their bond and say they're restarting Cops R Us but for real this time, and keeping it on the down low.

She's so heavy

At the immunity challenge, Probst obviously asks Rob about Amber being gone, and he gives nothing away. The challenge is from Cagayan, where they have to move crates through a course on a cart, breaking it and reassembling it, then solving a puzzle. Hey no fair, two Dakals have already done this one! Dakal edges out Sele on the first gate, and then really powers through the bumpy floor, whilst Sele get stuck. Sophie and Sandra have a big headstart on the puzzle, but Rob and Denise catch up. Rob and Denise take a long time to organize but it doesn't help them much, and Dakal blow them out to win immunity.

Ethan playfully teases Rob about how much he sucked, topping off a pretty bad day for the Godfather. The old schoolers want a new schooler gone, and are torn between Jeremy or Ben. But Danni doesn't feel included so wants to flip to new school. She talks in front of Ethan and Ben about the old school alliance, which Ben obviously finds pretty interesting. Danni targets Parvati, whilst Rob wants to get Danni out now. Adam is really happy to see that old school can't get it together. Jeremy wants to go one step further and flip the game to take out a big threat like Parv. But Adam knows going against Rob is a big move.

Stop and frisk

Before we even start tribal council, there's a funny moment where Adam has trouble putting his torch down. Michele says old school vs new school is dead and reading people is what's important, which she didn't do on the last vote. Danni says she doesn't have the loyalty she had in the last game. Parvati explains how we got to this point and Ben latches on to the mention of the old school alliance to start a big argument. Rob says Ben is crazy and starts whispering, then orders everybody to dump out their bags to find out who has the idol...which they do. Denise somehow gets away with it, as Adam protests. Even in his 5th appearance, Rob is still coming up with new strategies.

The votes are read, and it's unanimous for Danni to leave. She bequeaths her token to Denise and heads to spend the night with the other ladies. She really shot herself in the foot here, it looked like she would've been safe until she turned on an ally for no reason. Well, the old schoolers got a lot of praise last week, but now they're severely weakened and I'm guessing Rob's grip on the game will be over soon.

STAR OF THE WEEK: DENISE STAPLEY

Got her hands on an idol, avoided having that revealed, and got an extra fire token too. The early target on her seems to have completely dissipated and now she's in a solid spot with Adam as her right hand man.

Winners At War Episode 1: Poker Face

Raise your glass

A season 20 years in the making kicks off with 20 former champions on their way to meet Jeff. Parvati says she's hoping to tap into her evil side again. Ethan is just happy to be here, given his well-documented cancer scare. The boys get off their boat first, then come the women (with Denise and Danni falling in the water). Sandra is feeling betrayed, since Rob never told her he was coming back. Jeff seems to be basking in the moment too, and they have a toast. Jeff then divides the tribes and explains the new currency called fire tokens and the return of Edge of Extinction, which don't get a warm reception. Then he announces the 2 million dollar prize, which gets a huge cheer.

Almost had it

We also have a challenge out of the gate which is to grab the ring in the water and take it to your post, and they're shocked when they hear it's for immunity. The first matchup is Tyson and Yul vs Jeremy and Ethan. Tyson gets the ring first, and Yul is able to finish it off to score the first point. Next matchup is Sarah and Kim vs Natalie and Parvati, where Kim pulls Natalie's ponytail and is able to score a point. Ben and Rob take on Wendell and Tony, desperately needing a point, and Rob gets one. Denise and Natalie vs Amber and Sarah is next, and Dakal cheer Sarah to victory.

Dakal arrive at camp and look up the fire token menu, which doesn't phase Nick as he's used to twists. Wendell builds the shelter, but says he'd rather be building relationships. Tyson, Amber and Sarah bond over their kids, with Tyson even tearing up. Sandra and Tony recount their history and seem to be good now.

Tony on house arrest

We cut to Sele camp now where Rob knows he's a big target, thanks in no small part to having a giant statue last season. Adam and Denise go off to the water well where he tells her he would love to be her Malcolm. The rest of the tribe notice them gone however and it's making them a target. Back on the other tribe, Amber goes looking for an idol...a new experience for her. Yul and Sophie decide to work together, against Kim/Amber/Tyson (who are being referred to as the "poker alliance", in reference to a televised poker game that Rob, Tyson, Jeremy and Kim took part in).

Why are these dumbasses not targeting us?

Parvati and Rob agree to work together despite their past. But Rob's name is coming up too and Ben lets that slip to him. After an interrogation, Ben eventually gives up Danni as the source. Rob asks her directly and she admits it, which Rob respects. The next day, nobody knows who the vote is. Natalie suggests Adam. Ben warns Adam and he's pissed. Adam makes the case that Jeremy and Natalie are a much more dangerous duo having played together before. Parvati tries to get a name but can't get a straight answer. She then sits with Rob and laughs that they appear to be sitting pretty.

At tribal council, Ethan and Rob talk about how it's been a while. Denise confesses to being the one that walked off and made a target of herself after Jeremy refuses to say. Natalie says being first boot would be worse than when her sister was. Jeremy doesn't like Parvati's answer to a question, and asks Ben if Rob is pulling a fast one. The votes are read and we have 2 votes Denise, 1 vote Adam and 7 votes Natalie. Jeremy is pissed. Natalie leaves her token with Jeremy and heads to the Edge.

Jeremy looking for answers

The free agents call the shots

Yul, Sarah and Sandra have a talk about voting out Amber, where Sandra lets them know Rob lied to her. Yul, Sophie, Nick and Wendell seem to be in power right now, as the one-time players with no connections. Meanwhile Michele is bummed that she was out of the loop last vote, but Ben tells her he wants an old school player to go next.

A world away

Natalie is reading about how she can get tokens on Extinction, and she has her first assignment: find the "last spot you can see the sunset". After a long trek to the west side of the island, she finds an idol...she can offer it to somebody in the game for one fire token. Damn, the Edge players are gonna have a big impact on this season.

You won't see many players roll over this season

The immunity challenge is to row a boat out to a bag of number tiles, then come back over a rolling barrel, solve a combination lock and complete a ring toss. Sele row the fastest but hit an obstacle, allowing Dakal to overtake. Sele then struggle to get to their station. Both tribes struggle with the barrel, Rob needing to launch his tribemates over one by one and then eventually get pulled over by Ethan. Dakal have a lead and Sandra cheers them on from the sidelines. Wendell starts tossing and has a bit of trouble. Sele catch up and Jeremy proves really good at it, enough to get them the win.

Not so fun when you're on the bottom, huh?

After the challenge, lots of names are coming up: Amber, Nick, Sandra, Tony. Sandra is stirring the pot and now has an idol after buying it from Natalie. Tony guns for Tyson after hearing him say his name, wanting them to throw out Amber as a decoy name and blindside them. Tyson hears this and is now just in survival mode, throwing his allies Kim and Amber under the bus. Kim is getting a bad vibe and scrambling for the first time ever.

At tribal council, Jeff comments about Amber not aging. Tyson says you can see the different eras they come from reflected in the gameplay so far. Tony says he's taking a page from Sandra's book and pulling an "anybody but me". Kim says she feels on the outs and tries to reassure everyone that the poker alliance is not a thing. Amber says friendship was out the window once that 2 million was announced.

The votes are split between Kim and Amber (with one for Nick out there too), and Amber is voted out. She leaves her token with Rob and joins Natalie on Extinction. I feel bad for her, seems like it was her husband that got her voted out more than herself...but if it kicks off an awesome revenge storyline, I'm here for it.

STAR OF THE WEEK: YUL KWON

Yul seemed to be the one pushing the poker alliance as targets without getting caught AND has managed to form an important alliance nobody knows about yet. I'm ready to watch him puppetmaster the game from the shadows and be a key player.

Winners At War cast power rankings

It's finally here, the season we've all been dreaming of for years. I think they did a great job casting it, considering the relatively small pool they had to choose from and the very good reasons some people had for being left out. You really can't go wrong with a season where you're invested in 15-16 players, and the skill level for this group is the highest it's ever been. Now we're going to find out who is truly the best of the best.

LIKELY TIER

Wendell Holland (Ghost Island)
All things being even, I would consider Wendell the favorite here. I just have the same feeling I did in Ghost Island - when exactly is the right time to get rid of this guy? He's a palatable enough winner for both the jurors who want strategy and the jurors whose egos don't want a big name to win.

Tyson Apostol (Blood Vs Water)
People underestimate Tyson, he's probably going to be seen as the joker of the pack and not looked at as a strategic threat. He can hide behind big targets like Rob and then make his move when he needs to. He also benefits from Edge of Extinction more than anyone. My only reservation is everybody knows he's a huge challenge threat, and he doesn't have an injury to hide behind this time.

Ethan Zohn (Africa)
Ethan has spent the longest time out of the game and is gonna have to learn to adapt pretty quickly to the new landscape. There's definitely potential for him to slip under the radar as the threats go after eachother.

Kim Spradlin (One World)
This has to be one of the most anticipated returns of the season. For me she's the GOAT, though I'm sure the Kim skeptics will be out in force if she doesn't do well. She might have a tough time given her reputation, but you know what? I have faith in Kim. If anyone can beat the odds to go far, it's her.

Jeremy Collins (Cambodia)
Jeremy has already proven that he can win a returnee season, and his Cambodia strategy of shielding himself should be easily applicable here. He should get along with both the new school and old school players, which makes him very dangerous.

Adam Klein (Millennials Vs Gen X)
I'm stoked for Adam that he gets to play alongside his heroes. That could probably be his biggest asset: he probably knows all these players like the back of his hand and has a great gauge on the pre-game dynamics. If there is a new school alliance, Adam will likely be at the heart of it.

Sarah Lacina (Game Changers)
Sarah played an incredible game that is often unappreciated because she had a low threat level going on. Well, guess what? That's gonna happen again. In her bio she talks about "psychological warfare" being her new strategy. So we've gone from playing like a criminal to playing like a terrorist?

POSSIBLE TIER

Yul Kwon (Cook Islands)
Wow, didn't expect him to come back but I love it. Anyone who says Yul only won because of the overpowered idol is missing how talented of a player he is. He's a true politician who was able to sway Penner to his side with solid logic, and saw the big picture in terms of negotiating for Adam's jury vote. He's a high variance pick for me. He could go home early because he's not connected and a potential threat, but if he does slide through the first few votes? Watch out, because he'll really thrive as a crucial swing vote.

Natalie Anderson (San Juan Del Sur)
Natalie is another one that could go either way. I don't doubt she has Survivor chops, but she's also known to be a hothead which could come out if things don't go her way. I think her aggressive style might suit this cast though.

Danni Boatwright (Guatemala)
Finally some Guatemala representation! Danni is one of the most exciting casting choices for me, because I have no idea what to expect. She's the only player who admitted to not keeping up with the show in her bio. Every returning player season we search for the player with Amber upside. Danni might be the player that has more than Amber herself! Her under-the-radar style should serve her well on this season.

Denise Stapley (Philippines)
Denise has one of the best social games ever, using her therapist skills to connect with everybody on a human level. She also comes from a demographic that doesn't normally get much love at FTC. The biggest knock against Denise has to be she was willing to go to the end with Malcolm, so does she have the killer instinct?

Sophie Clarke (South Pacific)
I'm someone who was never especially high on Sophie, but she's well-placed here as someone in the middle timing-wise who fits the "most medium suspect" theory. She's not too distant or too connected, she doesn't have a high reputation nor a weak one. In fact, most people will probably forget about her.

Parvati Shallow (Micronesia)
It'll be interesting to see how Parvati's game changes now that she's a wife and mom. Those who pigeonhole her as the flirt are about to see what she can do. It's a tall order, but she's had her back against the wall before.

Michele Fitzgerald (Kaoh Rong)
Despite what Probst might think, I'm fine with Michele coming back...she's easy to root for and I'm sure has a lot to prove. My concern with her is: will the jury want her to represent the season? If not, she could struggle for votes. However the fact she's talking about needing to advocate for her own story shows she is thinking ahead to that and has the right mindset.

Amber Mariano (All-Stars)
I'm not sure how to feel about both of Romber being on the season. They did earn it I guess, and if the players are stupid enough to leave them in when there's such an easy pitch to get them out, that's on them. I could easily see her being taken out as collateral to weaken Rob, but if Rob goes early instead, she might be good for a while. I think she's a lot more competitive than people give her credit for, and if she's up for this, watch out!

UNLIKELY TIER

Ben Driebergen (Heroes Vs Healers Vs Hustlers)
If the cast are smart, Ben would be one of the first targets. If you saw how his season played out, why would you let him get remotely close to the endgame ever again? Ben is likeable though, so he could get into a good alliance.

Rob Mariano (Redemption Island)
The target on Rob's back must be gargantuan. He has three ride-or-dies in this cast...I can't imagine they'll let it stay that way for long. Rob's controlling gameplay has had a pretty mixed record, and I don't think this cast would be dumb enough to fall for it if he tries to play that way again.

Nick Wilson (David Vs Goliath)
The more I think about it, the more I don't think Nick will do well here. The cast skews older and he's one of the youngest, plus the "aw shucks" persona won't work anymore. I almost think he might be first boot, which would be a course correct for David Vs Goliath.

Tony Vlachos (Cagayan)
I think Tony is gonna be a dead man walking coming into this season, and his early exit in Game Changers did nothing to change that. He's a known idol hound and backstabber, why would anyone want to work with him? At least he is finally recognizing that trying the same approach again will not work. Tony's game was truly lightning in a bottle and nobody can replicate it...not even Tony.

Sandra Diaz-Twine (Pearl Islands & Heroes Vs Villains)
I just don't see any way Sandra can win this game. If nothing else, fire will take her out. I also don't think she wants or needs this as much as the other players...she already has a second title and has nothing else to prove. Obviously she's got game, but her opponents all know it and I'm sure won't be sleeping on the one player that's going into this a level above the rest.

The ranking of Survivor seasons *updated with s39*

Man, Island Of The Idols was so close to being a good season. The pre-merge was really fun, but the merge episode sucked all the air out and it never really recovered. A world where Dan leaves instead of Kellee would've probably been enough to salvage it. I'm glad the mentor twist didn't eat up too much time, but it did feel kinda pointless towards the end. Despite a boring but deserving winner, at least we had some memorable characters like Noura.

1. Pearl Islands
2. Cook Islands
3. Heroes Vs Villains
4. Micronesia
5. China
6. Cagayan
7. David Vs Goliath
8. Kaoh Rong
9. Vanuatu
10. Nicaragua
11. Philippines
12. Millennials Vs Gen X
13. Cambodia
14. Palau
15. Caramoan
16. Blood Vs Water
17. Game Changers
18. Worlds Apart
19. Samoa
20. Tocantins
21. All Stars
22. Exile Island
23. Guatemala
24. Gabon
25. San Juan Del Sur
26. Amazon
27. Island Of The Idols
28. Ghost Island
29. Heroes Vs Healers Vs Hustlers
30. Australia
31. Borneo
32. Fiji
33. One World
34. South Pacific
35. Redemption Island
36. Africa
37. Marquesas
38. Edge Of Extinction
39. Thailand

Island Of The Idols Episode 14: Seeing Red

We're out, bitches! This is your home now

Rob and Sandra talk about what Survivor has done for them...for Rob, it's given him a wife and kids. For Sandra, it's money. The players in the game freak out when they see a boat (why are they shocked? It's not the first boat they've seen), and it sends them to Island of the Idols. Tommy gets to be face-to-face with Sandra and Rob for the first time. They show them the shelter and tell them that they're gonna live in it now.

DKVillain makes an appearance

Janet is excited about being in the final 5 and putting a lot of stock into her alliance with Tommy. Dean and Noura say Janet is the biggest threat, but Noura still wants Dean out, as she can't trust him. Tommy looks at the new buff they were given and sees a machete that wasn't there before. He then sees an identical one coming out of a red coconut. He needs Dean's help because he's colorblind, and makes him promise to let him have it. The next clue is a H, but Dean finds the spot and gets the idol...not telling Tommy.

At the end of their rope

The immunity challenge is to collect ropes for a rope ladder, move a key up to the top and roll 2 balls down a ball maze. Tommy and Dean first ones to get their ropes, and build their rope ladders first. Noura starts to catch up as Janet stumbles. Tommy and Dean get up to the maze, with Noura right behind. Tommy lands one. Janet gets one. Dean goes for the harder one first and scores. Now Lauren gets in it. Dean has a near miss but then gets it. Dean gets to pick who to have a meal with and chooses Noura.

Noura talks about how their meal feels like a date. But Dean is all about the game and makes Noura promise to take her to the end. Janet tells Tommy she has a plan and says to put all the votes on her and that she'll vote Lauren. Tommy tells Dean about Janet's idol and tries to persuade him to use the nullifier. Now it's up to Dean to decide who is the bigger threat between Janet and Lauren.

What's the most you've ever lost on a coin toss?

At tribal council, Lauren describes camp life as pandemonium. Janet talks about how she loves fire, which pivots into a talk about the firemaking challenge. Tommy talks about how every juror has a different idea of good gameplay, which makes it so difficult to guess who you should go to the end with. Dean mentions that it's like a coin flip (he would know). Anyway, Janet plays the idol...which just ends up nullified by Dean and results in her leaving. You can tell she's upset that she got too ahead of herself but it's hard to see this coming. Gah, she would've had an easy win too.

Dean practices making fire but isn't very good. Tommy tells Noura he can't make fire (which is a lie) to try and get Noura to take him and promises Noura he'll take her. Noura talks about how good it feels to be wanted and then gets distracted mid-confessional by sexy Dean.

The immunity challenge is to balance blocks on a wobbly frame that spell out "Island of the Idols". For a while, nobody is even getting close and it looks like it'll never end. Dean is first to get the first word, and then Noura gets it too. Noura then takes the lead as Dean loses a letter. Noura takes her time locking it in and wins the final immunity.

Oh dang, she's heated

Noura says she's gonna jump in the ocean first and then tell them what she's gonna do. She then gives a huge speech, which is a really long-winded way of telling her it's gonna be Lauren vs Dean. Lauren goes off crying, since she thought she was Noura's #1. Tommy helps both Lauren and Dean make fire. Noura goes up to Lauren when she needs to focus and starts a fight with her, even claiming she'll hide the machetes. Lauren needs to take this passion and channel it into the showdown.

At tribal council, Noura is trying to explain what happened and is getting bothered by Lauren's facial expressions. We cut to the chase, and she tells Jeff she's choosing Tommy. Dean gets fire first and it's a big one. Lauren also gets a fire, but it's not growing and Dean's is. Dean win the challenge, and then lets Noura know that Tommy played her. Lauren is sad but acknowledges that going out as the biggest threat is not a bad way to go.

On the final day, Tommy encourages Noura to trash Dean in front of the jury, thinking that would go badly for both of them. Tommy expects it to be between him and Dean but knows anything can happen with Noura, and Noura pretty much says the same thing.

Noura's last dance

The jury start off Final Tribal Council by talking about who outwitted. Jack (remember him?) is first to speak, saying they're undecided...they always say that even if they're not. Dean says he didn't want to stand out and that he got Kellee to give him her idol. Noura lists the bizarre acronyms that detailed her strategy, but Elaine thinks she had no strategy. Tommy says he made connections and played in the middle. Lauren asks who was Tommy's closest ally and he says her, but Noura exposes him by saying he was helping Dean more than Lauren ahead of the challenge. Janet wants to know about him betraying her, and Tommy is honest that he never wanted to go to the end with her. Jamal asks what lines they were not willing to cross, and Dean says he never made a F2 alliance with anyone. Kellee says she doesn't get Dean, so he tries to explain he was positive and chill.

"When it rains, it pours"

On the outplay section, Jamal wants to know why Noura brought Tommy, and she gives an answer about Dean instead. Tommy says it was a good play by him to convince Noura to take him. Dean says Tommy won no challenges, but Tommy says he didn't want the necklace as it would've made him a target. Dean pulls out his legacy advantage, and Jamal finally breaks the news that it's fake...awkward. He also reveals his real idol, but Tommy is quick to dismiss it by saying he didn't do anything with it. Dean then slips up and admits he had a F2 with Elizabeth.

Asking for their closing arguments, Tommy mentions he played from day 1 and made big moves. Noura says she's not a player that's ever been seen before. Dean says he was on the bottom all the time and that he wants his entertaining moves written in the history books.

Alright, time to vote, and the first vote we see is Lauren for Tommy. We also see Aaron for Dean, citing his great "4th quarter". Missy seems unsure of who to vote for. The votes are read and Tommy is crowned the champion of Island Of The Idols with a 8-2-0 vote. Ironic that the only member of the final 5 to not get a lesson from Rob and Sandra was the teacher. I guess he didn't need one.

STAR OF THE WEEK: TOMMY SHEEHAN

Tommy made great social connections with the whole cast, and I think the most impressive thing about his win is he never had any idols, advantages or even an immunity necklace (first time since Natalie White). Everybody wanted to work with him and that's why he was never in real danger.

Reunion notes:

• Can't disagree with the Sia award winners being Jamal, Elaine and Janet....but why did Jamal get significantly less?
• At least Probst finally admitted that production could've handled the Dan thing better, even if it was a little awkward that Kellee clearly didn't seem to know what to say.
• Winners At War trailer! Ok sure, the twists might suck, but that cast is bulletproof. This is the long-awaited best of the best showdown we've been craving.