With the fourth season, Survivor returned to its island roots. The Marquesas season of the show would come in with the announcer proudly proclaiming in promos “Back to the Beach!”
By this point, however, it was certain that the game itself had already evolved into something quite different from the original version. The vast majority of the first batch of Survivors was very naïve as to the inner workings of the game. This group was much savvier.
The last thing this group saw before going into play their game was the Africa episode where the switch occurred. As a result, this group went to their island with the attitude that absolutely anything could happen. More than any group before them, they went in with the attitude that they could not assume anything or take anything for granted.
And this group did have some very strategic players. There were some strong moments, and there were some real blunders (the Rotu 4, for instance). This season introduced us to characters that would soon become household names, like Boston Rob. It had one of the most powerful strategic conversions with Kathy, who started off the game as the witch who was a surefire first boot, and then ended up becoming one of the most beloved players in all of Survivor history.
It’s actually extremely ironic that with such dynamic characters in the cast, the winner was the person who came right in the back door. Vecepia was a winner that absolutely no one expected. She was really the first winner who “flew under the radar” as the integral part of her strategy.
Thanks in large part to Vecepia, and the runner-up Princess Neleh, there was something else that was largely present in this season, and actually used in the voting process, and that is religion. Vecepia is a very religious woman, and she actually used her religion to help her strategically in the game.
I will not lie; by far, Vecepia is my least favorite winner of the ten. While it is a harsh thing to say, I do not respect the way she wore her religion on her sleeve as she backstabbed people and voted them off. Sean said at the Final Tribal Council that religion is a touchy issue with some people, and it’s not wise to throw it in people’s faces. I agree wholeheartedly with that sentiment. One of Vecepia’s most detestable quotes is found in the finale. She is explaining her decision to stab Kathy in the back in the final Immunity Challenge to the cameras as she sits on the beach on day 39, and she says that as Christians, “we know we have the power to go to our Lord and say ‘This is what I did, I know you saw this. Please forgive me, and I will go to my brother—-after it’s over with—- and ask for his forgiveness as well.” That whole attitude is disgusting.
However, while I do offer my opinions as a columnist, the purpose of this column is to focus on why Vecepia won her season, rather than talking about why I hate the fact that it happened. While I feel that Vecepia’s actions on the island in terms of her usage of religion were distasteful, it cannot be denied that she played the game well. She had to, in order to win. After all, my biggest belief when it comes to Survivor is that, no matter how much you dislike them, the winner is the best player of that season. Why? Because they are the only ones who completed the sole object of the game: to be the last one standing. It is not to be the most popular contestant with fans that makes you the best player in your season, it is the sole fact that you won and outlasted all of your competition.
If you read my column regularly, then you know that Kathy is my favorite player of all time. While I know that she was one of the best players on that island, she was not THE best for the very simple fact that she did not win. Vecepia did, and as much as I dislike her, I can’t take that away from her.
So, with that said, let’s take a look at some of the various aspects of the game and determine exactly why Vecepia Towery won one million dollars on the island of Nuku Hiva.
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THE CHALLENGES
Vecepia was most definitely not a “challenge whore,” per the popular term for the likes of Colby Donaldson and Tom Westman. However, she did one very important thing: she won a challenge when she needed to. I’m sure we all remember Day 37 of Survivor: Marquesas. It was certainly a big day, with the infamous pulling of the purple rock. Vecepia was the surefire vote that night. She was going home. However, because she had made it her strategy at the beginning to get to know as much about the other people as possible, she was able to pull off an Immunity win when she needed it most. The whole concept of getting to know your fellow players is a good idea, as Vecepia demonstrated. When it comes to the challenges in Survivor, that is the biggest thing you can do: know when you need them and do your best to win them. The second major challenge/strategy decision with Vecepia came the next day. She had made a bargain for the Final Two with Kathy the day before, but we all remember what happened. After Kathy fell, Vecepia immediately turned to the desperate, lonely Neleh and offered to step down in exchange for the Final Two spot. While this was a very evil move not reflective of a self-proclaimed religious person, in terms of the game, it was brilliant. I hated it because it resulted in Kathy’s elimination, and it was pretty cruel to do it right that very second with Kathy having just fallen off. However, it was true that Vecepia had a better shot for the million up against Neleh than Kathy, and she knew it. So she jumped on the opportunity and ended up with a million dollars because of it. So this serves as another sample of using a challenge situation to your strategic advantage in the game, and never is this done more by players than in the endurance challenges that inevitably show up every season.
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THE JURY
The Final Tribal Council of this season may not have been the most exciting, but there was a striking difference between the performances of the Final Two. The Jury was angry at both of them because they each wore their religion right on their sleeves and acted all innocent while they stabbed them in the back. Way back when I devoted an entire column to an analysis of the Jury, I made a point to note for all future players of this game that it is imperative as a Final Two contestant to be able to read the mood of the Jury and respond accordingly. The Marqeusan Final Two is a perfect case study of each end of the spectrum. Vecepia represents how one should respond, and Neleh represents how you shouldn’t respond. Vecepia said that regardless of what she did, she had played strategically for her entire 39 days. She had a plan, and she followed it through all the way to its completion. She made this a point, repeating the motto “Outwit, outplay, and outlast” several times. Neleh, by contrast, did a horrible job in front of the Jury. She was accused of being a phony and a hypocrite, and she responded by feeding them more stuff about friendship and love. Those were the last two themes people like Tammy wanted to hear about. Neleh actually went as far to say that she did not start officially playing the game until day 24, when she joined the alliance to oust the Rotu 4. Okay. Who would YOU vote for? The person who made a point to note that she had a plan she followed through on during the entire 39 day period, or the person who made a point to note (several times, may I add) that she did not start playing the game until day 24? I think I have now made my point.
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JEFF PROBST
There is really only one real significant moment with Vecepia at Tribal Council that stands out in my mind. It occurred on day 38, after Jeff asked her why she turned on Kathy so quickly….literally within seconds. Vecepia stumbled into the trap he so cleverly sets all the time at Tribal Council, and she started going into a bunch of bullcrap about how she “thought it out and decided that it was the best move at the time and she wasn’t even sure where their agreement stood if someone fell off,” which earned raised eyebrows from John on the Jury and JEFF PROBST HIMSELF. If you have the Marquesas finale on tape, go back and rewatch it. I have never seen Jeff raise his eyebrows at someone while they had a blatant BS session right there at Tribal Council. Luckily for her, she rectified that position the next night, when it really counted.
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GENERAL OVERVIEW
While Vecepia may not be the most popular or favorable winner that the fourth season of Survivor could have seen, it cannot be denied that she played the game well to get to the end. She came in the back door, she flew under the radar, she avoided major confrontations, and she did all her dirty work behind smokescreens. When it came back to bite her in the butt at the Final Tribal Council, she made a very solid case for herself, especially when contrasted to the pitiful efforts of her opponent. There is only one word I would use to describe Vecepia: ruthless. And love it or hate it, it most definitely earned her a million dollars.
“See” you next week!
