Hall of Fame Moment – Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains’ Parvati Schools J.T. on Proper Idol Use

Despite being the second Survivor to play the game for more than 100 days, Parvati Shallow isn’t exactly known for her brilliant strategic moves. After all, her plan going into her first season was to flirt with the guys to get ahead. And though she won the Fans vs. Favorites season, it was partly because she working with a strong alliance that brought her to the final three. Parvati started out in Heroes vs. Villains the same way – attaching herself to a strong player, Russell, and following his moves. For the first half of the season, it didn’t look like Parvati would need to do anything on her own to get further in the game.

Her game turned around completely by chance. At a reward meal, she happened to pick the seat with a napkin that contained a clue to a hidden immunity idol. Parvati could have easily shared her discovery with Russell, one of her closest allies, but instead she only told Danielle. This turned out to be the first in a line of very smart moves on Parvati’s part. It’s unclear whether or not she can really trust Russell, but sharing everything with your alliance-mates is a quick way to find out who’s not really on your side.

Interestingly, Russell’s decision to disclose all to Parvati only helped her more. After he received J.T.’s immunity idol and instructions to use it to get rid of Parvati, Russell shared this information with Parvati, who could now confirm that the Heroes thought she was a threat. That knowledge combined with dwindling numbers on the Villains tribe – which meant dwindling allies come merge time – put Parvati on alert. She wasn’t in much danger from her own tribe, thanks to her alliance, but the Heroes were another story.

Indeed, when the tribes merged, Parvati quickly saw that she was a potential target. She, Russell, and Danielle even formulated a plan to get the Heroes to vote for her; she would then use J.T.’s idol to save herself, and the Villains would vote out J.T. While this was a good plan – and ironic, considering J.T. would be ousted by Parvati using the very idol he’d tried to use to oust her – Parvati formulated an even better one.

With Russell’s idol from J.T. and her own hidden immunity idol in her pocket, Parvati showed up for Tribal Council pretending to be worried that she was in trouble even though she had seen through Amanda’s attempt to make her nervous enough to use the idol. The Heroes wanted to make her and Russell both feel like she was the next to go, so they could get Russell to write down her name and prove his disloyalty. Their real plan was to vote out Jerri. The Heroes had J.T. in their sights, knowing he was idol-less and unprotected.

Parvati was the only person who knew what would actually unfold. After the votes were cast, Jeff Probst asked if anyone wanted to play a hidden idol. Parvati spoke up, but instead of playing an idol to protect herself, as the Heroes were expecting, she handed one to Sandra. To everyone’s further surprise, she then pulled out a second idol and handed it to Jerri, saying that she wanted to increase the Villains’ odds of sticking together.

It worked. Jerri had all of the Heroes’ votes cast against her, enough to get her out of the game. But with Parvati’s idol, the votes were void and instead the person with the second most votes was eliminated. Despite his careful planning and what he believed was a brilliant move, that person was J.T. He was ousted with the same idol he thought would help extend his game.

Parvati took a big risk and if she’d misread Amanda and thought she was lying when she wasn’t, Parvati could have left herself without an idol in a Tribal Council where she was a target. She also gave up two idols to other players and kept a huge secret from Russell, who may not let that go unpunished. Parvati’s plan could have easily blown up in her face. But the fact that she took the risk in the first place is a big move in itself. That’s how you win the game. Parvati has shown that she’s not someone to be messed with.

One of the most impressive aspects of Parvati’s big move was the fact that she formulated and executed it all on her own. The only piece of help she needed, other than the information people gave her, was Russell’s idol. It was Parvati’s idea to use that and her own idol to save Sandra and Jerri, and it was also her idea to keep everything quiet so nothing could slip out to the wrong people. We rarely see moves on Survivor that are so secretive, the audience doesn’t even see them coming.

Looking towards the endgame, Parvati has a big check in the plus column if she makes it in front of the jury. Jurors love to know what big moves the final Survivors used to advance in the game – this was Parvati’s. Everyone saw it and no one can deny it. Plus, by doing it all on her own, Parvati is the only person who can claim this move. She wasn’t riding anyone’s coattails, and no one was riding hers.

Parvati not only solidified herself as a strategic thinker, she may have secured herself a couple of allies in Jerri and Sandra. If Parvati hadn’t given her an idol, Jerri would have been out of the game. And Sandra, who saw herself on the outside of her own tribe, will now have to take into consideration the fact that a so-called enemy has extended her game life. Not only did Parvati keep her tribe’s numbers, she may have earned herself two big favors she can call on later in the game.

By using just one idol to save herself, Parvati might have stayed in the game through at least one more Tribal Council. Thanks to the fact that she could see through Amanda’s lies, she knew she was safe and she could have just let things happen however they were going to happen. But Parvati had vowed to save herself as well as ensure that the Villains didn’t lose any more members. She not only rescued Jerri from being voted out, she solidified their alliance and possibly formed a new one with Sandra. Parvati made a huge move that may have put her at risk, but in other ways, she bought herself some security. On top of that, she proved that she’s not just a pretty face – she has some brains, too. And she earned herself a Reality TV Hall of Fame Moment.

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Jenn Brasler is an Associate Editor of Reality News Online and a writer/book enthusiast/secret spy from Falls Church, Virginia. You can e-mail her at jennbrasler47@gmail.com.

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