Survivor Panama: Exile Island
Keeping the Boss Interested,
Courtney's Conflict Management

Strategy commentary by VikingBear
Tuesday, 28 February 2006

Fifty years ago, every good secretary knew it was important to keep the boss interested. Courtney seems to understand this principle as well.

This episode, when the Mighty Hunters of Casaya returned with their load of snails, there was Courtney! She wasn't specifically flirting, oh no, nothing so obvious. She was simply doing her stretching. Funny coincidence, that... just as the Mighty Hunters returned victorious from their hunt, the first view of camp was Courtney in the sun, very bendy, very stretchy. If the men happened to take due notice, well, that wasn't her fault, now was it?

I hate to say this, but I do suspect that Courtney is playing a deceptively strong game. Is the boss Shane, or is the boss Aras? I'm not really sure... Courtney, of course, is reminding both that she's interesting. What about all that conflict? Surely that alliance will split apart, and Courtney is on the way out!

On the contrary, the Nut Case Alliance (Click Here for the essay) is the strongest alliance going at the moment. Shane is in his element. He's squarely the center of attention, and he has complete freedom to wallow in the dramatic. Remember the first episode, when Shane was stuck with the older men? Nobody really cared if Shane whined or not!

But in Casaya, it's a far different story. They're feeding it. They talked him out of quitting. They confirmed that it really is all about Shane. If things get a little normal around camp, Aras or Courtney will start things up again, lest Shane get bored. All four Nut Cases continue to draw strength from that chaos.

What is Courtney's part in all this? She's not particularly useful - and therefore no threat. She's a little bit useful in the challenges, and therefore worth keeping around. Her little spats with Shane are not weakening her position. Quite the opposite! Shane thrives on chaos and conflict, and it's Courtney who's keeping him fed. So long as Shane has the say, Courtney will not be the next to go, or the next after that. She's bendy and stretchy and feisty, and that will keep the boss interested.

With all this bickering, who else would care to align with any of them? Once again, this could be Courtney's subtle touch. She's using the fact that they are all completely annoyed with each other, to keep the alliance the strongest in the game. They must all hang together, lest they each be hanged separately.

So who's the boss? Shane, or Aras? I suspect Courtney's keeping her options open. She's seeing to it that they both have Courtney on their minds one way or another. And, if we can believe the editing, Courtney's been making eye signals with Austin of La Mina as they arrive for the Challenges. That's keeping your options open!

All these things Courtney's doing to alienate people, just might prove to be strong play indeed.

What about Courtney and Bruce? When Courtney positioned herself, in the sun all bendy and stretchy, to be the first one seen upon the Mighty Hunters' return, she parked herself square in the middle of Bruce's zen garden. I was originally thinking that we had a simple case of "ugly American" in a bikini not having a clue as to her complete lack of respect. And, being somewhat zen-like herself, how could she not know. (Click Here for the essay.)

I now have to wonder if this is a deliberate "accident" on her part. Bruce is a potential leader of Casaya, and can potentially do very well on individual challenges after the merge. Bruce, perhaps, needs to be sent home. When there's a conflict between Bruce and Courtney, who wins? Courtney does! It doesn't matter who's in the right... what matters is that Courtney is part of the "in" alliance.

Bruce, it appeared, was almost "in" with that male-bonding Snail Hunting trip. That cannot be acceptable to Courtney. So there she is, in the middle of Bruce's zen garden, all bendy and stretchy. What do you think Shane and Aras noticed? That Bruce's garden was desecrated? Not likely!

So... we have an upcoming conflict with Bruce and Courtney. Now is the time to force the issue - Courtney, with her Nut Case Alliance, is as strong as she'll ever be in the game. She's therefore inciting the conflict now, which just might turn out to be among the stronger moves in the history of Survivor.