The Kindness Problem on This Season of 'Survivor'

Spoilers

There are a lot of genuinely good people on this season of Survivor — people who are good in the world. Kind. Compassionate. Humane. It’s made for heartwarming television more than once already this season. But therein lies the problem: those good, kind, compassionate people are eventually going to have to start cutting throats — because that’s how the game is played.

The back half of this season might be especially riveting for exactly that reason: good people will have to vote out other good people. Some of our heroes may become villains.

That was a big theme in this week’s Survivor episode, particularly between Joe and David — the ripped, kind, fatherly whole-milk-drinking men who’ve bonded with Eva. They want to bring in Shauhin and Kyle and form an alliance built on honesty and integrity. And, bless them, that is not a long-term strategy in Survivor.

Take David, for instance: he’s really pushing the honesty and integrity angle, but the stakes are high for him. He needs the $1 million — apparently, his girlfriend won’t marry him unless he has enough money for her to stay home and raise their future kids. When it comes down to it, David is going to choose his partner’s needs over his alliance’s loyalty, even if that means sending Eva home.

Joe might actually play an honest game — he’s determined to do so and has even said he’d put Eva’s needs ahead of his own — but that’s exactly the kind of noble gesture that gets you voted out. Joe is arguably the biggest physical and social threat on the island. Everyone loves Joe! Which is precisely why they’ll target him.

In last night’s episode, Joe and David also talked about forming a “challenge beast” alliance. They want the winner to be someone who “deserves” it, meaning someone who performs well in physical challenges. That’s kind of a dick thing to say, honestly, and it undercuts the accomplishments of more than half the Survivor winners, who used strategic alliances, well-timed moves, and social savvy to outlast everyone else.

I like both David and Joe. But here’s the thing: Kyle, the third member of their “Integrity” alliance, also has a quiet but strong alliance with Kamilla. When the time comes, I suspect Kyle will use that connection to take out the two biggest threats to his game: David and Joe. And it’ll be a blindside, just like it was for Thomas.

That’s why I almost respect the gameplay of Star, Sai, and even Charity (though Charity was eliminated last night, presumably for not being “honest” enough). They’re essentially saying they’re willing to get their hands dirty and make enemies. Star, in particular, seems to be playing the kind of game that gets you far: stay under the radar, make a few key friends (as she did with Cedrek and Eva), and ride majority alliances until it’s time to strike. The only honest play is admitting that you’ll eventually have to be dishonest to win. Or you can be like Sai and hold a grudge against Cedrek until the bitter end.

In roughly 47 seasons, I can’t recall many winners who triumphed with honesty and integrity — maybe Yul. But Yul had a brilliant social game, a challenge beast in Ozzy as a shield, and a “Super Idol” that could be played after the vote, making it nearly impossible to flush. That’s really why Yul won. He could afford to be honest because he had a season-long safety net. (The rules around idols were changed the following season so players like Yul couldn’t win that way again.)

Still, all of this should make for great TV in the season’s back half. After Sai — who might be an easy vote next week — the “honesty and integrity” alliance will be forced to make value judgments. If honesty and integrity are the criteria, who gets to decide what those mean? And based on what? Because the only thing worse than deceit in this game is smug self-righteousness, which curdles sentiment for even the most well-liked players.