Today's News: Our Take - Who Won Survivor: Blood vs. Water?

Sunday

Dec 15, 2013 at 12:01 AMDec 15, 2013 at 10:24 PM

Loyalty was put to the test more than once during the final days ofSurvivor: Blood vs. Water, but who ultimately emerged victorious?At the start of Sunday's two-hour finale, the final Redemption Island contest pits Hayden, Tina and Laura against each ...

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Loyalty was put to the test more than once during the final days of Survivor: Blood vs. Water, but who ultimately emerged victorious?

At the start of Sunday's two-hour finale, the final Redemption Island contest pits Hayden, Tina and Laura against each other, with each using one leg to balance a vase on a see-saw-like contraption. Hayden's confidence at going up against "two grandmas" A) really rubbed me the wrong way and B) is completely misplaced, as he's the first one to drop his vase. "Tina, let me have it!" Laura begs, once it's down to the two ladies. (Seriously?!) Tina rightfully shuts her down, and goes on to win her first duel. Adios, Laura and Hayden.

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Back at camp, Monica's the swing vote, and Tina and Ciera try to convince her to ditch her alliance with Tyson and Gervase. At the very difficult immunity challenge, Tyson wins and Monica tells Tina and Ciera that she's strongly considering voting Gervase out at that night's Tribal Council. (Can we also talk about how different Laura looks with makeup on and no baseball hat at Tribal Council? Sorry, I digress.) When Jeff Probst goes to read the votes, Tyson decides to give Gervase his hidden immunity idol and Ciera ends up getting voted out. Also, it turns out Monica didn't flip on her alliance after all.

And so it's down to the final four: Tyson, Gervase, Monica and Tina. The last immunity challenge is an obstacle course/puzzle combo, and Tyson emerges victorious. Tina throws a Hail Monica and asks Mrs. Culpepper to team up with her and vote for Gervase, knowing that she could beat Gervase if it came down to them building fire. Will Monica go for it?

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Things get a little tense between Monica and Gervase at Tribal, with Gervase calling Monica out for checking him during the final immunity challenge. But it doesn't work out for Tina in the end, and she's the last member of the group to be voted out. Her parting words to the other three are to "be kind to each other" when appealing to the jury the following night. Aw.

The next day, Tyson, Monica and Gervase enjoy their celebratory breakfast and begin preparing their arguments for that night. Gervase tells the jury he's made some big moves in the game, Monica says stuck to her plan of making it to the end with Tyson and Gervase, and Tyson tears up as he says that his main motivation in making it to the final three was making up for Rachel's elimination.

Interesting tidbits from the jury: Vytas says he doesn't want to give any of the final three his vote, citing Monica's betrayal and Gervase's unwillingness to adapt. Katie calls Tyson out for his catty comment about her going to the jury after they drew rocks. Tina asks each of them to describe themselves in one word and Gervase gives her a speech. Monica, who's been stressing that she joined Survivor to develop her own identity that isn't just a wife or mother, tells Hayden she "made Brad." (I wonder how that comment will go over at their dinner table!)

The final votes are cast, and we fast-forward to the live reunion show in California. So, who won Blood vs. Water?

Tyson. Monica gets one vote, but Tyson gets the next five and there's no need to read any more.

What did you think? Are you happy Tyson won? Who would you have voted for? Do you think it was a bad move for Monica to stick to her alliance through the end? Sound off in the comments!