Winners At War: Episodes 4 & 5

I studied abroad in New Zealand for the second semester of my junior year in college. Dunedin, New Zealand was an awesome place, but I had no social life. I should've joined the trekking club, but didn't. I played ultimate frisbee twice a week and I watched Survivor with my flatmates once a week. The TV in the flat got three channels and two of them mostly showed music videos. One of the channels played some American and Australian shows, including American Survivor - which happened to be the first All-Stars season. I know it was an awesome season - with Amber emerging victorious over more ballyhooed All-Stars - but I know my opinion was biased because watching Survivor was the thing I looked forward to the most those days.

When I lived in Addis Ababa, we would bus down to the Radisson once a week to pilfer the only free high-speed wifi in town. I would download the latest episode and boot up like 25 Wikipedia articles to read over the next seven days. I had plenty of friends and activities, but Survivor was still the thing I looked forward to the most each week. That season was dominated by Kim, who led my team to an easy victory.

Corona has dazed and confused me over the last couple days. Not literally. I don't have corona. I'm just befuddled. Suddenly my days are looking a lot different. I don't really know what I'm going to do for work and I don't really know what I'm going to do for fun. I'm kind of dependent on sports for both. It's a weird, anxious time void of norms.

Except Survivor. That hasn't changed. That's still gonna be on every Wednesday (though this week's was interrupted by an address from the Oval Office. Cliffs notes for those who didn't watch online like me and Melissa: Wendell and Michele used to date. It didn't end well and Michele made it sound like it didn't end well because of Wendell). So I don't really know what I'll be doing for pleasure (or for business) the next couple months, but I do know there will be a Survivor episode once a week. And it will probably be my favorite thing to look forward to, because there won't be as much to look forward to and because Survivor: Winners At War is fucking awesome.

We all knew this would be an exceptional season but it's exceeding expectations. Edge of Extinction was an annoying distraction the first time but this time it's added intrigue. The 20x Log Walk last week was powerful theater, even by Survivor standards. The omnipresent intensity of the competitors and the epic prize they're competing for has deepened the drama. This may well go down as the greatest season ever played - perhaps because it actually is, perhaps because America's boredom is going to inflate its enjoyment.

 Standings

Ben & Michal - 47
Yul - 10
Parvati - 11
Sarah - 6
Nick - 11
Tony - 8
Danni - 1

MoonBee - 37
Wendell - 10
Sophie - 10
Adam - 5
Adam - 5
Ben - 5
Natalie - 2

Doug - 36
Yul - 10
Jeremy - 8
Nick - 11
Ethan - -3
Denise - 8
Natalie - 2

Baggins - 35
Boston Rob - 3
Sophie - 10
Parvati - 11
Tyson - 2
Tony - 8
Amber - 1

Phil - 32
Wendell - 10
Jeremy - 8
Sarah - 6
Ethan - -3
Michele - 10
Amber - 1

Eric - 23
Boston Rob - 3
Sandra - 6
Sandra - 6
Tyson - 2
Ben - 5
Danni - 1

Power Rankings

1. Ben & Michal 

With all her allies fallen, Parvati is going to have to play her best game ever to get deep in this game. It's unlikely, but the Greenbergs may not need her. The rest of this roster is stacked with solid players. Yul and Sarah would be #1 and #2 in my power rankings at this point. I also love how Tony's managed to curtail his game to this point - assuming he can flick the switch to Crazy Tony after the merge, find idols and bamboozle opponents.


2. Doug

With a balanced roster of under-the-radar grinders and beastly alphas, Doug has four players who tend to hang around and garner points. Nick's humble doofus routine is well-suited to hide in this mafia battle until the dust settles and he can garnish his resumé. Jeremy has overcome the early setback of losing Natalie and could get her back to make a formidable team down the stretch. Speaking of Natalie, her performance has been as impressive as anyone's this season even though she got voted out the first episode. She's a stupendous competitor.


3. Moon & Melissa

Our team's prospects would be much brighter if not for the puzzle meltdown of the tribe with most of our players last challenge. Adam squared, Sophie and Ben are all on that team. At least it was Rob who went home. But if this team loses again, we'll likely be losing a player. And the NEXT TIME ON hinted two teams will be losing next week.

But it's not just the swing of points. We still have five players and are second in points but our players just aren't looking good right now. Sophie has impressed, but Adam has been nervewracking to own all season, Ben isn't playing with confidence and now Wendell is in hot water.


4. Phil

Phil wound up with exes Michele and Wendell, who appear to be rather negatively correlated. They were playing solid games, but this shakeup has cast doubt on the chances of both. Phil also has Jeremy and Sarah, so cheerful prospects remain for the 40 year-old.


5. Bag

Boston Rob's exit was likely heavily edited to generate tribal intrigue. Admittedly, the edit was effective. I was on the edge of the couch wondering if Sophie would play her idol. Melissa and I discussed what a perfect situation this was for Sarah's Steal-A-Vote. And it was compelling theater to watch the Godfather run a communication suppression scheme like an authoritarian president. But it didn't work and it didn't appear close to working. Adam and Ben promptly voted Rob out and there wasn't really evidence they considered otherwise. When the votes were read, Melissa and I felt confident our strategy of avoiding power legends like Rob was correct - and Baggins was left drawing nearly dead.


6. Eric

Big Eric was also foolish enough to draft Rob in the first round. I don't think Eric intentionally targeted power legends - I believe his strategy was more like "Oh, I've heard of them!" - but obviously it hasn't worked. If Sandra follows the route pioneered by Amber, Tyson and Rob, Big Eric could post one of the worst scores ever recorded in this pool.