Survivor: Last Resort 2.12 - New Zealand Episode 12

Survivor: Last Resort 2.12 - New Zealand Episode 12
Writer: Chad Taylor

After sixteen castaways were left to fight for survival in the lands of New Zealand, only four remain. Rick Broller, a 42-year-old private contractor who was the mastermind behind an all-male trio that has dominated the last third of the game. Sage Carie, an 18-year-old vape shop worker who has been an outsider from the very outset but has somehow stayed under the radar long enough to survive. Rick Bradley, the hot-headed 38-year-old fitness instructor for Sioux Falls, has bulldozed and strong-armed his way into the very favorable spot he has found himself in. And Earl Green, the 47-year-old widower whose calm demeanor and fatherly style has earned him many allies but can his game stand out compared to his alliance mates?

Only one can claim the one million dollar prize.

It is time for the final four immunity challenge. Castaways will swim out and then climb a stack of crates. Jumping off the crates, they must grab a bag of keys. Castaways will then swim to a balance beam, and cross it, while getting a second set of keys. Using their keys, castaways will unlock their puzzle. Castaways must move balls around so they match the corresponding color in the chute. The first person to solve their puzzle wins immunity. After the first phase, Sage and Rick Bradley are in the lead but the puzzle isn’t easy so Rick and Earl eventually catch up. Earl starts to make quick work of the puzzle but it is not enough as Sage finishes her puzzle first, securing her second straight immunity necklace!

Back at camp, it is worst-case-scenario for the Three Musketeers. There is no other option but turn on each other, just one spot before the finals. Every permutation possible meets with each other. When Rick meets with Earl, they talk about Bradley’s physical dominance this season and how that could earn him respect from the jury. They have always liked each other so voting him out is justifiable. Meanwhile, Bradley is talking with Sage and asks her who she will be voting for. She tells him that Rick has the strongest resume and that he is very good at talking. Bradley agrees and is willing to throw him under the bus. He says he will talk to Earl.

Rick meets with Sage and they talk about targeting Bradley. He says that he has Earl on board, which makes her ears perk up. On the other side of camp, Bradley talks with Earl and tells him that Sage has agreed on voting out Rick, as he is the most strategic player left. Earl is still on the fence but Bradley tries to seal the deal by appealing to Earl’s emotions as they have been together since Day 1 on Tasman and he’s always planned for them to be together on the final day. Earl agrees with this.

Earl meets with Sage and they realize that they have a decision to make.

At the vote, things are a bit of a mixed bag. On one hand, the three men eulogize their unstoppable alliance. On the other, they realize that it is now over and that throats are about to be cut. So who is it going to be? Jeff comments on Sage’s relative silence and she says she is still soaking in her improbable immunity streak. All of the guys congratulate her on that, they couldn’t get it done when it matters. Still, they are proud of their post-merge run. Jeff says that everyone is holding their cards close to their chest so it must be time to vote.

After everyone has voted, Jeff says he will read the votes.

First vote….Rick

……..Bradley

……...Rick

2 votes Rick, 1 vote Bradley, 1 vote left.

…...The thirteenth person voted off of Survivor: Last Resort - New Zealand and the sixth member of our jury: Rick Broller. The tribe has spoken. After Rick’s torch is snuffed and he exits, the final three begin celebrating. Jeff tells them not be too happy just yet. This season will be a Final 2 and not a Final 3. So tomorrow morning they have one challenge left and it’s a classic.

Fittingly, the final immunity challenge of the season is an endurance one. Each tribe member will hold on to the same totem pole while standing on a small log. The person who lasts the longest would win immunity. This is very simple and dates back to the first Survivor finale ever. This is in part in memory of Rudy Boetsch, who took part in that challenge and passed away last week.

The challenge goes on for four and a half hours before Earl has to bow out, leaving Bradley and Sage. Jeff makes them rotate spots on a continuous basis to keep their legs moving. Their battle stretches out into hour seven, where Sage finally gives up and Bradley’s fitness pays off for him. By winning this challenge, Bradley has secured a place in the final two and will cast the only vote at the next Tribal Council.

The next morning, the three of them are treated to a grand celebratory breakfast. Afterwards, they make their walk to the Final Tribal Council. Along the way, they pass the snuffed torches of their fallen comrades, reflecting on each one. One of the first is Suzanne, who Earl says that he misses as she really looked up to him. Sage tells them about Bobby, who was a strategic force on Maori but played a little too hard and couldn’t emulate Jim Marshall like he wanted to. Another that stands out is obviously Karin, who Earl calls Bradley’s mortal enemy. Bradley reminds him who eventually won that duel. Frickin’ nudist. Finally, they pass the last few and Sage laments Kenny’s ouster. She never doubted his loyalty once. Earl and Bradley say the same about Rick.

At Final Tribal Council, the three finalists are delighted to see their jury: Alexandra, Karin, Amanita, Kenny, Jill, and Rick. One more spot left to be filled. At the first part of Tribal Council, Jeff talks to Bradley about the big decision in his hands. This really could be a million dollar decision. He says that he’ll always trust his gut to make the correct choice. Earl and Sage each make their pitch. Earl talks about the “day one” thing and says they can cement their legacy here. Plus he jokingly says that Bradley owes him for the idol play that saved Bradley’s life in the game. Sage takes a more offensive approach, talking about how well-liked Earl is on the jury and that he’s probably seen as more strategic than Bradley. Earl is surprised that Sage went after him but understands that you gotta do what you gotta do. Jeff tells Bradley it is time to vote.

Bradley stands up and says that is one of the hardest decisions he’s ever had to make but he has to consider the best way for himself to secure the grand prize. And so with that...he chooses to vote out Earl and take Sage to the final two. The jury, as well as Earl himself, are pretty flabbergasted by this. Earl’s torch is snuffed.

Then comes the portion where Bradley and Sage make their pitches to the jury on why they should win the million. Bradley talks about his mix of physical dominance and strategic warfare. He picked his spots carefully and was rarely on the wrong side of the vote. He actively made people make decisions that were better for him than they were for the person themself, which he is quite proud of. He’s survived multiple attempts to take him out and has been on the right side of the vote every time since the merge. Thus, he is the puppetmaster.

Sage’s presentation is more of a personal appeal. She says that she put in the time to try and create bonds along the way, prompting Kenny and Amanita to nod their heads. She is used to being the quiet type in her friends group and so this was her natural habitat. She did this long enough until she had to win challenges and she did just that. And while she didn’t win the final challenge, she lasted seven hours and played under-the-radar enough to convince Bradley to take her as a goat. She says that this experience has been about self-discovery after the last few tumultuous years of her life and that she considers herself a winner no matter tonight’s result.

Jeff tells them it is time to vote. They will write down the name of the winner. After the votes have been written, Jeff says he will read the votes...when they return to the United States, where the results will be read in front of a live audience at Madison Square Garden.

At the Garden, Sage and Bradley sit on the stage with Jeff. Everyone looks cleaned up after having been off the island for a while now. Jeff says it is time to read the votes. It takes four to win.

The first vote…..Rick Bradley

…..Sage

…..Bradley

…...Sage

Two votes Bradley, two votes Sage, three votes left

…….Bradley

…….Sage

…….The winner of Survivor: Last Resort - New Zealand….



Congratulations, Sage! When she is awarded her million dollar check, she breaks down in tears and is comforted by her family on stage. Rick Bradley looks shell-shocked. She says that she is so proud to have her family up on stage with her. Being able to fully express her own identity has been a struggle for most of her life but she feels like she is finally proud to be herself after this experience. She tells her parents that she plans to enroll in the local community college with some of these winnings.

In the reunion show, it is revealed that Kenny, Amanita, Karin, and Jill voted for Sage. It becomes clear that Bradley’s brazen attitude and willingness to burn bridges was ultimately his downfall. Jill says that him forcing her to waste her idol humiliated her and ultimately swung her vote in Sage’s favor. Would he have beat Earl? It’s hard to say but it would’ve been an uphill battle, that’s for sure. Bradley is not happy about this outcome as he thought that he was the most deserving and that he purposely chose Sage because she clearly had the weaker game than him.

Jeff calls Rick, Jill, and Kenny to join him on stage. He reveals that they were the three finalists for Fan Favorite of the season and $50,000. Upon looking at the card, he says “quite the season for the Outsiders” and reveals that Kenny Red Thunder is the fan favorite of the season! The finale ends with Kenny and Sage hugging on stage as the crowd cheers.