Survivor: San Juan del Sur Winner Revealed - Recap and Results - This Is My Time
Recap and results of Survivor: San Juan del Sur Season Finale - This Is My Time:
Welcome to the recap and results for Survivor: San Juan del Sur -- Blood vs. Water Season Finale, "This Is My Time"!
We're down to just five castaways in the race for one million dollars: Keith, Natalie, Jaclyn and mother-daughter duo Missy and Baylor! Which castaway will be crowned the Sole Survivor? And what twists are in store for Season 30? Get ready, because all will be revealed as the game comes to a dramatic close!
Let's get this show on the road!
Credit: CBS
We open with Probst in the studio, hyping up the finale to come. I guess we're getting the live in-studio segments we got last season. No complaints here. I kind of like them.
AFTER TRIBAL COUNCIL
Jaclyn had a gut feeling that Jon should have played his idol, but she was too trusting. She praises everyone for being really good at acting and for being fake. She and Natalie get into a shouting match when Natalie implies she knows Jon. She thinks it's really hurtful to hear people talking about Jon. Natalie, however, thinks it's great that Jaclyn has a nervous breakdown, since no one will want to work with her now. She's in a precarious position since she now has to rely entirely on Missy and Baylor to want to take her to the end. Of course, they'd be crazy to take her, but then, I said the same thing about Woo last season, and he still took Tony (pretty much forfeiting a guaranteed million dollars had he just taken Kass like he should have).
The next day, Baylor thinks it's awesome she and her mother are in the final five together, but Missy seems strangely ambivalent, like she's not entirely sure she wants to go to the end with her daughter. She tells Baylor she definitely wants to go to the end with her, but it just doesn't sound like she's 100% with her daughter. However, her tone changes in her confessional, as she says their main plan right now is to prevent Keith and Jaclyn from winning any of these challenges.
Credit: CBS
REWARD CHALLENGE
The challenge involves being attached to a rope and racing to unspool yourself. You then will follow the rope's lead to a bridge you must build. Cross the bridge, untie some sandbags, and use them to knock down a stack of blocks off of a table to win reward. And it's a biggie: an advantage in the next immunity challenge. However, Probst says Missy has pretty much zero chance of competing in this challenge, so she's out. So it's a four-person race.
This is basically a two-person race between Natalie and Keith. Jaclyn is hardly in this at all, and although Baylor starts out well, she gets caught up trying to keep all her rope together. Although Natalie closes the gap on Keith's considerable lead, but it isn't enough. Keith makes short work of the challenge and practically falls over from exhaustion once he wins.
KEITH WINS REWARD!
Keith decides to send Jaclyn to Exile Island, and Probst hands him the advantage to the next immunity challenge, which is intended to be opened in private. We don't linger on this very long before we find ourselves back in the studio with Probst for a live segment, in which he shows a comparison between what the average American eats and the 100 calories of rice the average contestant eats each day on Survivor. He then interviews a little girl named Olivia about whether or not she'd be able to handle the challenge. To her credit, she's honest and says "maybe".
THE BEAUTY QUEEN IN EXILE
On Exile, Jaclyn opens the urn to find a clue to the hidden immunity idol. Unfortunately, it's the same clue everyone else got, which means there's no new idol out there to find. Jaclyn breaks down, reflecting on her position, saying she's been through a lot in her life, such as being diagnosed with the condition that prevents her from having kids. She feels like she's playing for herself and for Jon now, and wishes he were still here to give her a pep talk.
Back at camp, Keith opens his advantage to the next challenge, and finds that it's directions to a re-creation of the challenge ahead. He's basically allowed to practice as much as he wants, but once he stops, that's it, and he can no longer practice. The challenge looks like a doozy, a combination of the final immunity challenge from Survivor: Tocantins, and the paddle challenge they did a few weeks ago. In short, you have to move a series of balls through a course tabletop course using nothing but a flat paddle. It sounds way easier than it looks, and even though he has hours to practice, Keith doesn't appear to get any appreciably better at the challenge. This could end up being an even playing field.
Baylor asks Natalie if she's still in on going to the end with her and Missy, and Natalie says it's up to them (a strange position to take, since you'd think she'd do her best to assure her alliance she's still in on their plan). In one of the more ridiculous soundbites so far, Natalie proposes possibly going with Keith and Jaclyn, which seems like a ridiculous thing to consider, since both Keith and Jaclyn are guaranteed at least one vote apiece from their loved ones on the jury, whereas Missy and Baylor have no such guarantee.
Credit: CBS
IMMUNITY CHALLENGE #1
So Missy has apparently cut up a shoe that Jon left behind, in order to give her a foothold to be able to stand without crutches, since she now is wearing a hard cast on her foot. Seems like insult to injury to vote Jon out and then start tearing up his things, but I doubt he'd even want the shoe back anyway. The challenge is just like Keith rehearsed, with the castaways having to use paddles to guide three balls through a series of tabletop obstacles, one at a time. Drop a ball, and it's back to the start. First person to get all their balls through the course wins.
Everyone is having a hard time with this challenge, but Keith eventually gets the hand of it, getting his first ball in and quickly following it up with a second before anyone has even managed to clear one ball. It's looking like a guaranteed immunity win for Keith, as this becomes one of the more boring challenges in recent memory. Sure enough, he lands the third ball, making this a complete shut-out, as no one even scored once.
KEITH WINS IMMUNITY!
Keith is stoked to be in the final four. "One more win and I won't be sitting by this log, I'll be jumpin' on it," he says, in his confessional.
After the challenge, we go live to the studio as we meet Austin Russell, the Make-a-Wish kid who designed the challenge that Missy ended up getting injured on. It's a really touching segment, as we see him getting to visit the location, go to tribal council, and have a viewing party for the night his challenge aired. Probst asks how Austin wants to wrap this up, and he says, "I just wanted to help the show. You're welcome!," drawing big laughs from the audience. Full disclosure, I loved this. It's heartening to see that people of all ages are getting invested in this game.
GOOD WITH BALLS
Everyone is congratulating Keith, who's surprised no one else even scored once. Keith feels this is the advantage of having had a little practice, but Natalie rationalizes that Keith is simply "good with balls." He agrees. Of course, he's unable to really put any thoughts together in his confessional, since he didn't seem to anticipate still being here.
But now begins the tough part, as the female alliance must cannibalize itself in lieu of Keith's win. Jaclyn simply wants one more day in the game. She takes Natalie aside and proposes Missy getting voted out. Natalie seems to consider this, but the plot thickens once Baylor comes to Natalie and proposes she play her idol for Missy. Natalie doesn't appear to have a problem with this, since she rationalizes no one will be voting for her. But this could be a mistake if she's misreading the situation. Natalie makes a solid point in her confessional, however, when she states that sometimes people in this game are afraid of big moves. She feels if she does something big tonight, she might very well be the one going home tomorrow. And I agree. This close to the end, it's better to just stay the course, I think.
Credit: CBS
TRIBAL COUNCIL #1
Probst asks Jaclyn what the game is like now that Jon is gone. She says that a good thing is that she has no loved one to worry about, but the negative is that the one person she trusted completely is gone. Keith is simply happy to be here with immunity around his neck, while Missy is confident about the hidden immunity idol situation because she knows who has it. Keith and Jaclyn had no idea an idol was even in play, which could make things potentially worse for her.
Natalie reveals that it was a bit of a grim vibe at camp once Keith won immunity, since everyone assumes she, Missy and Baylor are voting together. But she admits that discussions to the contrary were held. When asked by Probst if Keith would have been next to go had he lost immunity, Jaclyn admits that it was between herself and Keith. She fears for her spot in the game, but now it's time to vote.
Baylor votes for Jaclyn and says it's been a pleasure playing with her, and she hopes she doesn't take this too hard. In Jaclyn's hidden vote, she says Natalie told her to do this and to trust her.
Probst asks if anyone wants to play an idol, and Natalie rises up and asks Jaclyn if she voted for who she told her to. Jaclyn says yes, so Natalie decides to play her idol for JACLYN! The jury is LOVING this, particularly Jon, who says "I knew I liked her for a reason!"
Probst tallies the vote, and Missy knows it's her that's going home. She lets Baylor know she loves her as Probst reveals the count...
JACLYN (does not count)
JACLYN (does not count)
JACLYN (does not count)
BAYLOR (WHAT?!)
BAYLOR (YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING!)
BAYLOR IS VOTED OUT OF SURVIVOR: SAN JUAN DEL SUR!
Credit: CBS
OH FOR CRYING OUT LOUD, NATALIE, DO YOU WANT TO WIN THIS GAME OR NOT?! I swear, it's like she's making moves just to make them now. Why would you not go to the end with Missy and Baylor, two people who are GUARANTEED not to get a single vote? Now one of Keith or Jaclyn is guaranteed to make final three, and each of them has a loved one who will give them at least one vote. Sure, Natalie will probably dominate the vote anyway, but why even risk it? Hell, if you HAD to vote out one of Missy or Baylor, why not keep Baylor around just to add one more fit person who could possibly stop Keith from winning immunity, rather than Missy, who's functionally useless in that regard?
In her exit interview, Baylor feels surprised, and says this was a great blindside. To her credit, she's not mad at Natalie, calling it a good move.
RETURNING FROM TRIBAL
Instantly, I feel like a moron because Natalie does such a great job explaining her move. She essentially neutralizes a loved ones pair that could potentially blindside her, eliminating one threat while preventing herself from being perceived as a threat since there are bigger threats still in the game. She also feels her case at the end is stronger without Baylor there than with. It's not a perfect explanation, but I can at least see where she's coming from on this vote. Missy has no hard feelings, and she and Natalie hug it out, but privately, she breaks down about her game being in another person's hands.
While Jaclyn is relieved to still be around, she's still worried about her place in the game, since either she or Natalie needs to win immunity to make the final three, since she knows Natalie wants to take her and Missy. Basically, the mission is to stop Keith. (Once again, then why eliminate Baylor? It's not like Missy is going to be in any way useful in this challenge!)
Credit: CBS
FINAL IMMUNITY CHALLENGE
It's a race, so the castaways must navigate their way through an obstacle course to retrieve pieces to build a puzzle at the top of the course. Once the puzzle is solved, three spaces will be missing. The shape of each space will correspond to a number on a chart. These numbers will reveal the combination to a lock they must open to raise their flag. First person to raise the flag wins immunity and is guaranteed a spot at the Final Tribal Council. To the surprise of no one, Missy is incapable of competing in this challenge, given the crazy Chuck E. Cheese nature of this obstacle course, which involves sliding down a pole, repelling down a wall using a rope, and then going down a slide, before retrieving the puzzle pieces and climbing 57 steps to the puzzle station at the top.
Once again, it's a two-person race between Natalie and Keith. However, the tale is different this time, as Natalie is the one in the lead, with Keith falling behind. Natalie gets to the puzzle first, and begins working on it before Keith or Jaclyn have retrieved all five of their bags. Keith fights to make up ground, while Jaclyn looks like she's about to vomit and pass out, prompting Probst to comment that she's so exhausted, she can't even get the bags open. But Probst admits to having written her off too soon, since she quickly picks up the pace. She solves the puzzle first and rushes down to figure out the combination to her lock. However, when she slides down the pole, she takes a MASSIVE hit, to where Probst has to rush over and verify that she can actually continue. This gives Natalie time to catch up. She's a bit slow in getting her chart untied, giving Jaclyn the lead she needs to get back to her lock first. She solves the combination and just like that, her first immunity challenge win is the most important all...
JACLYN WINS FINAL IMMUNITY!
Jaclyn deserves some kind of award for giving one of the gutsiest immunity challenge performances ever, particularly in a final immunity challenge. Missy practically leaps into Jaclyn's arms, as Probst declares that this is why you should never give up in this game. Keith admits he never would have been able to solve the puzzle for all the world. In a confessional, he says that he's likely next to go, since he sees no reason why Jaclyn would get rid of Natalie. But he's not ready to give up yet.
Credit: CBS
MILLION DOLLAR DECISION OR MILLION DOLLAR MISTAKE
Jaclyn isn't sure who she should take to the final three, since it's all up to her. She feels it could either be a million dollar decision or a million dollar mistake. Keith approaches Jaclyn, saying she has a better chance with him in the final three than with Missy, who will likely get the sympathy vote for her ankle. He also makes the valid point that Missy has one vote on the jury already in Baylor. Of course, this ignores that he has a vote on the jury himself in Wes. For her part, Natalie is trying to control Jaclyn by limiting her from thinking too much. Jaclyn seems to recognize the strength of Natalie's game, approaching Missy about possibly voting out Natalie, arguing that she's played better. However, Jaclyn worries that taking Keith means the guys will simply vote for him, and she'll lose anyway. Missy asks what Jon would have her do, and Jaclyn says Jon would want her to vote Natalie out. Naturally, Missy has her own motives behind wanting Natalie gone ("she blindsided my kid!"), but she recognizes that it's a toss-up at this point.
TRIBAL COUNCIL #2
Jon has the biggest, dopiest grin on his face to see Jaclyn wearing immunity, and I don't blame him. She earned the hell out of it.
Jaclyn admits to having ambivalent feelings towards Natalie. On the one hand, she saved her in the last vote; on the other hand, Natalie blindsided Jon. Keith feels like he's on the chopping block, which Natalie seems to confirm by noting that everyone loves a fireman. Keith feels Natalie makes more sense as a boot, since she has more votes on the jury, considering how well she's played the game. Natalie admits she could win this game, arguing she's done this for herself and Nadiya. She made some difficult decisions and kicked ass in challenges, which has brought her to this point, so she's really happy with the way she played, regardless of the outcome.
It's time to vote, and we don't see a single one. Probst reads the votes...
KEITH
MISSY
KEITH
KEITH
KEITH IS VOTED OUT OF SURVIVOR: SAN JUAN DEL SUR!
Credit: CBS
In his exit interview, Keith says he can hardly handle one woman at home, so he's not surprised he couldn't break into that alliance. However, he says "no hard feelings" and admits he loves all three of the women who voted him out.
Back in the studio, Probst shows some behind-the-scenes footage of Keith moments after he was voted out, and he's floored at getting to have had this experience at all. He says if you'd asked his friends if he was either coming back from the moon or from Nicaragua, they'd have guessed he was coming back from the moon. We then meet Keith's lovely wife, and learn that they had words over Keith telling Missy how to raise Baylor, since you never tell a woman how to raise her baby. Keith's wife is adorable, and I almost wish she'd been the loved one with him this season rather than Wes.
As for the result, this was neither a great nor awful move for Jaclyn, since I really don't think she could have won, no matter whom she took with her to the end. The plus here is that we'll simply get a better winner in Natalie than we would have gotten in Keith.
Credit: CBS
DAY 39
The women celebrate, with Missy saying that through three divorces, she has no fear of speaking in front of the jury. Natalie is proud to have done this without the security of Nadiya's support. She doesn't want to have any regrets about this Final Tribal Council. Jaclyn, meanwhile, feels she's been underestimated in this game, and deserves to be here, since Blood vs. Water represents her in a lot of ways, since a family is exactly what she wants with Jon, and she can't have that without the financial stability that the money represents. However, she says the title of Sole Survivor would mean more to her than the money, since she feels that would inspire other girls with MRKH.
Credit: CBS
FINAL TRIBAL COUNCIL
In opening statements, Missy admits that she could easily be sitting on the jury herself. She admits the decision facing the jury is as big as the jury in a murder trial (um...I love Survivor too, but...what?). She defends her game by saying that anyone who didn't trust her had to go, and that her hardest decision was voting out Jon. Her hardest day was Day 33, when she injured her foot. But she's still here, and hopes they'll vote for her.
Jaclyn says she had to make moves to stay in this game, jumping from the Josh/Reed alliance to the Missy/Baylor alliance. When Jon was blindsided, she had to step up and fight to stay in the game. She says the game has been a metaphor for her life, since she's struggled with MRKH, and fighting to remain a strong woman.
Natalie feels she deserves the jury's vote, switching her game at the merge from surviving day to day, to trying to win the game by making big moves with intent. She even goes as far as to admit that the person who should have gone home last night was her and not Keith. The jury is given the opportunity to collect its thoughts before the questioning begins.
Of the three opening statements, I think Jaclyn gave the strongest from a purely emotional perspective, as she comes across like a hell of an underdog, to where I actually wouldn't be shocked if she pulled a Natalie White and won this thing. Granted, it would take a lot to overcome the hard pragmatism of Natalie's opening, since she's right -- she really ought to have been voted out. The fact that she's still here despite being such an obvious threat speaks volumes of her game, and it ought to carry a lot of weight with the strategists on the jury.
JON: Jon is up first, and asks Jaclyn to give him one move she was solely responsible for, and how it affected the final three. She takes credit for engineering Josh's ouster, and then comforted Reed to keep him from rebelling against the alliance. She says she wouldn't have made it to the end if she'd gone the other way and went with the Josh/Reed alliance. A solid answer.
KEITH: Keith asks Natalie how she feels about her last words to him being a lie. She says she felt it was either him or her. She says Keith was a huge threat, and needed him out of the game. Keith appreciates her answer, but says he just didn't like all the lying, since he himself went through this game without an alliance and generally without lying.
ALEC: Alec asks what Natalie's biggest move was, and she says getting him out was what she needed to do to get Jon out. He says he knew she would say that. Alec then challenges Missy on her "motherly" game, by asking what's something motherly she did. She takes credit for getting Drew out, remaining in the control position to direct her people to do what they were supposed to do.
BAYLOR: Baylor is proud to see women represented in the final three. She fights back tears when addressing her mother, saying they've been through a lot together back home, and here as well. She feels they've been on one foot, hobbling through marriages and divorces and blindsides. She feels her mother making it to the final three on one foot is the most incredible thing she's ever done in their lives together, and just wants her to know she loves her. Missy calls that the best hug she's ever had.
JOSH: Josh congratulates the final three, admitting to a tiny bit of envy on his part. He asks Jaclyn if she thinks she's here on merit, or if choices by stronger players got her here. She feels her game got her here, saying that her merit carried a lot of the decisions in her and Jon's game. She takes credit for voting Josh out, saying it was her move, not Jon's.
WES: Wes loved getting to play with his dad after watching since he was nine. He asks each what it was like playing with their loved one. Missy says it was a blast playing with Baylor, and then praises Keith for being there for her a lot. Jaclyn says playing with Jon is different than mother-daughter or father-son, but says it's been a great experience for them. Natalie fights tears when saying it's been 36 days since she saw her sister. She is doing this for herself and for Nadiya, saying that if Nadiya was the first one out, she wanted her torch to be the last one snuffed.
JEREMY: Jeremy applauds the final three, but says the best player is going to win no matter who is declared Sole Survivor. He feels Natalie deserves the million, telling the jury not to be mad at her. "We all wish we could be there, but we're not," he says, telling the jury that they need to respect the game Natalie played.
REED: Reed says he loved watching Natalie's gameplay, and wants to congratulate her. He also loved getting to know Jaclyn, saying that even though their plans never worked together, he still liked trying with her, and looks forward to hanging out with her after the game. He then turns his attention to Missy by calling her the wicked stepmother of the game, saying she spoiled Baylor, takes things she's not entitled to or didn't earn herself. He says she also abused the help, but making sure the minority alliance made them feel insignificant. He says this is her fatal flaw, since the outcasts are the ones who get the final say. Reed declares that "in a sweeping moment of poetic justice," the people she relegated to the jury will prevent her from winning a million dollars. He says this is why he loves fairy tales, because the wicked stepmother never wins. Baylor is broken up about the grilling her mother takes, prompting Missy to tell her daughter not to worry about it. Baylor just wants to breathe for a second, and rebukes Keith's attempts to comfort her. Blech.
I'm not sure. After that, I feel like it's going to be a nail-biter between Jaclyn and Natalie, which I would not have expected, going in. I'm loving the uncertainty here.
IT'S TIME TO VOTE!
Jon and Reed vote for Jaclyn, Jeremy votes for Natalie, Baylor votes for her mother, and the rest of the votes are a mystery.
FINAL RESULT!
Probst is here with the results! All three women clean up amazingly well. Seriously, they're all stunningly lovely. Not that that has anything to do with the result. Let's get to it!
Probst tallies the votes...
JACLYN
NATALIE (Reaction implies the crowd wants Natalie to win)
JACLYN
MISSY
NATALIE
NATALIE
NATALIE
NATALIE ANDERSON WINS SURVIVOR: SAN JUAN DEL SUR!
Credit: CBS
Well, while I might have had issues with the somewhat risky path she took to get there, I can't argue with this result at all. She played a fantastic game, and deserves this win 100%.
But what do you think of the result? Sound off in the comments! And keep it locked right here, as I'll be updating the post with notes from the reunion!
REUNION NOTES
-Jaclyn explains that she decided to vote against Keith because she assumed he had all the guy votes locked down. She had no idea Natalie was as big of a jury threat as she was. Probst asks the jury how they would have voted if Jaclyn had sent Natalie to the jury instead of Keith. Missy gets three votes, Jaclyn gets one, and...Keith wins the game. Keith struggles with this, explaining that it would have been easier to go out sooner, but getting so close to the end makes it sting that much more.
-Turns out John Rocker and Natalie are friends now! They apparently chatted over Skype during the episode where she rips into him, and joke about it. Similarly, Keith's pals at work tease him about the "stick to the plan!" flub all the time. For his part, Jeremy says Keith just isn't cut out for the game, since his gameplay is so erratic that it makes it hard to work with him. He argues it's actually easier to work with more strategically-minded people than with those who are unpredictable, since you never know what they're going to do. A good point from Jeremy, although for a guy "not cut out for Survivor," Keith did last longer than he did.
-Jon confirms that he and Jaclyn got engaged, and I'm kind of surprised he didn't save the proposal for the finale. But part of me is glad he didn't, since it always feels like a girl is getting ambushed, and is backed into a corner. But I doubt Jaclyn would have been mad about it, since she seems to really love Jon. They're pretty cute in going over their big argument, with Jaclyn not wanting this to be her first impression on Jon's family. They admit that their fight might have played a role in Reed's ouster. The implication is that Natalie might have been the one to go home if they'd decided to back Reed. But Jon just never got the chance to talk to Jaclyn first.
-Reed and Josh are praised for being great representations of gay Christians. One audience member saying that "love is love," and they're proud of how Reed and Josh for how they've represented the Christian faith. Josh and Reed express joy at the support they've received since being on the show.
-Missy expresses offense at Reed's Final Tribal Council comments, since she actually has been a stepmother before. She considered it a massive stab in the back. Reed clarifies that his condemnation of Missy was of her character in the game, not in life. He says she seems like a perfectly lovely person in real life, but he stands by what he said about her character in the game.
-Last but not least, the reveal of Survivor Season 30...WORLDS APART! Click here for more details on Survivor 30, including video of the reveal!
-Okay, last but not least for real, Natalie receives her check for a million dollars. I couldn't possibly be happier for her. She totally earned this, and continues in the recent tradition of truly deserving winners.
-And that's a wrap! Thanks for joining me this season! It's been an absolute blast dissecting the game and recapping all the highs and lows. I can't wait for Survivor 30, and while I may not love the twist for Survivor: Worlds Apart, I'm already anxiously anticipating the premiere on February 25th! Hope to see you here for the 90-minute premiere! Until then, thanks for reading!