Rating: 6.5/10
Though it was the most predictable of Survivor's first ten seasons, Palau found a way to steadily entertain thanks to its more engaging players and the rewards their vitality reaped. Palau was an examination of physical and mental toughness, revealing how some crumble under adverse circumstances, some unify, and a special few flourish.
Palau played out as two boring but touching half-seasons back to back. The first season chronicled the evaporation of the Ulong tribe from a robust group of nine down to a single withered, lonely and inspirational castaway. Ulong actually won half of its first six challenges, but the three they lost were all immunities. The first reward challenge they lost was a crucial shelter-building reward that thrust them further behind Koror's 8-ball. Soon after, strapping 21-year-old Jeff injured his ankle and asked his tribemates to send him home, pointing his tribe further down the road of ruin and Jeff Probst to mercilessly roast him at the Reunion. Ulong lost six consecutive immunities, which was more a trick of variance than an indictment on their teamwork. Ulong dwindled to a tribe of just Bobby Jon and Stephenie, a likable duo united by awesome work ethics and abs. When they lost a seventh straight immunity, the duo took part in the smallest Tribal Council ever. Stephenie upset Bobby Jon in a firemaking challenge to "merge" with Koror.
Though they'd only had to visit Tribal Council once (a twist episode in which both tribes had to vote someone out), the Kororites had plenty of screen time before the merge. While their dramas never caused fallout other than drama, they did serve to establish post-merge social hierarchies. Every good Survivor season has a tour guide to articulate these dramas to the audience. Palau's was Coby, an intelligent and aware player who recognized the consequences of post-merge voting blocks before his less astute tribemates. Coby desperately tried to shake up the hierarchy before it was too late, but his conniving led merely to a snuffed torch. Stephenie managed to survive one more Tribal when a quirky woman named Janu elected to step down after a mind-altering VisionQuest on the first "Exile Island" introduced into the game. Stephenie, viewed as the "winner" of Ulong, finally saw her run come to an end in seventh place. But she'd endeared herself to both tribes, Survivor's audience, and its producers - who'd invite her back for two more runs at the million.
Stephenie's departure shepherded in the season's one moment of voting intrigue, as the inner Koror alliance was finally forced to fracture. After winning a lavish reward, determined Gregg made the classic mistake of bringing his allies with him, leaving the others alone on the beach to scheme. Caryn decided to join the season's two Alphas, Ian and Tom, to vote against Gregg in what they assumed would be a 3-3 tie. When the rewarded returned, Caryn ran the same fake detachment play Sandra pioneered in Pearl Islands. Moments before Tribal, Ian told his longtime ally Katie of the plan, imploring her to join them to avoid a rock draw. Katie acquiesced and Gregg went home. Caryn overplayed her hand and revealed too much information in the next episode, inspiring everyone to vote her out. Tom won a second straight immunity with four left; Ian trounced Gregg's "girlfriend" Jenn in a tiebreaker firemaking challenge to reduce the field to three.
Though their journey to the final three was rocky, Ian, Katie and Tom comprised Koror's inner alliance since the first night of the game. As the castaways were forced to condense, kindly dolphin trainer Ian succumbed to the vagaries of the game's deception. After one of Tom's many immunity wins, Ian admitted he was glad he'd won so he wouldn't have to consider voting him out. Tom never forgave Ian for that, and the dolphin trainer also struggled through some intense loyalty conversations with Katie. He was emotionally bedraggled by the time the climactic endurance immunity challenge arrived.
Ian stood on a pole for eleven hours and fifty five minutes before deciding to step off so that Katie and Tom could go to Final Tribal together. While admirably altruistic, his decision seemed curious considering the whole reason Katie and Tom were upset with him was that he'd prioritized winning the game over their friendships...and he wanted to win the game so badly he stood on a pole for eleven hours and fifty five minutes. At Reunion, Ian said he didn't regret stepping down, a stance he's maintained ever since. Ian's decision effectively ended the game; Katie performed abysmally at Final Tribal and lost in a 6-1 blowout.
Tom's victory march may have been boring, but it was certainly deserved. He was the most impressive victor of Survivor's first ten, an incredibly potent physical player with impeccable character and solid strategy. With his chiseled body, perfect white hair and archetypal accent, Tom looked and sounded like a movie star playing a New York City firefighter. His accomplishments were myriad and they were legendary. He killed actually poisonous snakes in a cave. He jumped into the ocean and killed a legitimate shark with only a machete. He did crunches on the beach. He saved all his money for a family letter at the food auction reward. He proactively went after Gregg, recognizing he'd be on the wrong side of a 3-2 block if he didn't. He won five of seven individual immunity challenges, including the longest endurance in Survivor history. Even when he got drunk on rum and passed out, he was the first one up in the morning. He went fishing, then stood on a pole for three hours to win an immunity challenge in which every other castaway was tempted away by food. Tom said the only thing he was bad at was shooting guns, so that's why he chose to fight fires. Tom is rarely mentioned in the GOAT conversation, perhaps due to the anticlimactic events paving the way to his win. But Tom's Palau performance was certainly one of the greatest in Survivor history.
