Game Changers: Episodes 6 & 7

Episode 6 was notable for obvious reasons. Varner solidified his WOAT status and also locked up a DOW vote that we don't need to take since it's so obvious. (Bag suggested cleverer wording than this, but I can no longer remember it.) Good riddance! Zeke handled the situation better than I could have imagined possible, and I like how the whole tribe seemed to unite behind him and just going through that tribal together.

What I don't like is that he suddenly became a target the next episode. He was named as the red herring vote because "his story couldn't be beaten at final tribal" which is so obnoxious. Even if they didn't mean it (which they always actually do when they name a red herring vote), it's still super shitty to use his unwilling outing against him just a couple days later.

It wasn't the most exciting merge ever, but it felt like a good set-up for intrigue later on. There's definitely a flow and dynamism to the group that will be hard to keep up with. Debbie & Sierra thinking they are calling the shots was easily the most laughable part of the episode. But good on them for getting rid of Ozzy!


The Teams:

Michal & Ben "Try Harder" - 96 points

1. Tai (45 pts)
2. [Caleb (-3 pts)]
3. Sarah (17 pts)
4. Troyzan (21 pts)
5. Brad (16 pts)

MoonBee "Steel Magnolias" - 69 points

1. Michaela (13 pts)
2. Cirie (18 pts)
3. Andrea (25 pts)
4. [Ciera ( -5 pts)]
5. Hali (18 pts)

Doug & Bri "Original Manbun" - 63 points

1. [Malcolm (5 pts)]
2. Zeke (19 pts)
3. Aubry (13 pts)
4. [Jeff (9 pts)]
5. Sierra (17 pts)

Baggadocious "Legends of the Fall" - 57 points

1. [JT (11 pts)]
2. [Tony (-4]
3. [Ozzy (31 pts)]
4. [Sandra (6 pts)]
5. Debbie (13 pts)

Power Rankings:

1. Try Harder: Tai continues to rake in the points, and the rest of our players are in a strong position. I like that Sarah seems to be keeping her options open. Brad's leadership was pooh-poohed a little this last episode, but Sierra really seemed to draw all the attention, so even he should still be safe for a little longer. He might lose his leadership position, but I don't think that'll be a bad thing.

3. Steel Magnolias: The Magnolias are one big alliance, and while it doesn't look great for them now, a lot can change in a few days. This could end up being a powerful alliance, so long as Andrea doesn't lose her cool over Zeke's betrayal. I like that Michaela has found a new mother bird to cling to. First Sandra, now Cirie. She certainly has good taste. Let's see if it's enough to keep her around for a while longer. She seems to be doing a good job of heeding.

2. Original Manbun: Aubry continues to disappoint and Zeke made a pretty massive mistake this last episode. Sierra's strong but she's outmatched by the beasts this season. Hopefully she'll get a little more humble soon or she could be in trouble. I'm not sure how Zeke will regroup from that blunder, though. I think he could be the next to go.

4. Legends of the Fall: As predicted, Baggadocious' last remaining player is Debbie. Bagdrea made a risky draft that absolutely didn't pay off. Now they're stuck with a woman who thinks that pretending to be drunk and foolish is a strong strategic move.


Douche of the Week:
Ozzy for threatening to not fish if he didn't win the pole-clinging challenge. Honestly him saying that may have lit a fire under Tai's ass and gave him the victory, so I should be thankful. All the same, what a douche.

Game Changers: Episode 5

Tai continues to deliver idol after idol after idol. And the producers are delivering twist after twist after twist. Though I greatly enjoyed seeing Cochran again, it really was too bad that Debbie is the one "game changer" he interacted with. Lucky for Debbie that Cochran persisted until she gave him some actual information so he could give her sage advice. Unlucky for Cochran that Debbie seemed intent on invading his private space and smooching all over his face.

I hope this is the last tribe shake-up before the merge. At this point I think they've done that enough that they need to move on to some other scheme to change the game on these players. Bringing Exile Island back was cool. Will they do that for a couple more episodes? What other past twists might they bring back? Maybe the "hero's stadium" or whatever it was called where there was just one player v. another in that initial challenge? Or maybe the Survivor version of Last Chance Kitchen?

I was sad to see Sandra go. She's been mixing it up this whole season and really kicking ass. I think she went to every tribal council this season so it's amazing she even made it as long as she did. And despite vastly outnumbering her, I think the alliance that brought her down treated the situation with the appropriate level of seriousness, respect, and cautiousness that it deserved. Like they said, they were attempting something that had never been achieved before


The Teams:

Michal & Ben "Try Harder" - 76 points

1. Tai (35 pts)
2. [Caleb (-3 pts)]
3. Sarah (15 pts)
4. Troyzan (16 pts)
5. Brad (13 pts)

Doug & Bri "Original Manbun" - 51 points

1. [Malcolm (5 pts)]
2. Zeke (15 pts)
3. Aubry (10 pts)
4. Jeff (7 pts)
5. Sierra (14 pts)

MoonBee "Steel Magnolias" - 42 points

1. Michaela (10 pts)
2. Cirie (16 pts)
3. Andrea (15 pts)
4. [Ciera ( -5 pts)]
5. Hali (6 pts)

Baggadocious "Legends of the Fall" - 38 points

1. [JT (11 pts)]
2. [Tony (-4]
3. Ozzy (16 pts)
4. [Sandra (6 pts)]
5. Debbie (9 pts)

Power Rankings:

1. Try Harder: We have 4 players, 3 idols, and a 25 point lead on the next closest team. We're in about as good a position as we could possibly be. I am feeling cautiously optimistic, especially as Brad, Troyzan, and Sarah seem primed for some kind of post-merge alliance. It seems unlikely that Tai will make it to the end considering how much people distrust him. But he's amassing major points in the meantime & for all we know he'll get a stockpile of idols that will get him all the way to final 5!

2. Original Manbun: I disagree with Moon & don't think Aubry is a threat in this game at all. She's gained no traction with her tribes and will probably be a bottom dweller in any alliance she's in. Maybe this latest tribal swap will be in her favor, but somehow I doubt it. Varner is in real danger too, but Sierra & Zeke are both strong contenders, and I think both of them (but especially Sierra) could bring in decent challenge points over the course of their deep run.

3. Steel Magnolias: Most of this team is on what appears to be the dominant team in challenges. They need to have a strong run over the next couple episodes for them to get back in this game. Once we hit the merge it's going to be harder for this team to earn big points. So this is probably their best chance to earn major points. If they don't, I don't think they can win, even if a couple of their players go deep.

4. Legends of the Fall: The legend has fallen, and now this team is stuck with a nut-job stick insect and Old Ozzy. Old Ozzy is not enough. And based on the pattern of eliminating major threats, Baggadocious should be a little worried that their last remaining player may well be Debbie.


Douche of the Week:
Debbie. This crazy cougar is so delusional that she thought everything was going peachy keen just because she got some food in her belly. Though as a professional competitive eater who could challenge even the Black Widow herself, I can see why she'd be confident.