Survivor Extinction: Ep 4, 5, and 6

"I go to rocks for my people." - David

With a 2 hr extravaganza & a belated blog there's much to cover! But I'm probably not going to because all I want to talk about is the utter dysfunction that is the Edge of Extinction. I'm fascinated by the bitterness and vile [cit. Battlestar Galactica] combined with the mental... fragility, shall we say? There's a reason that losing chefs castaways have not been invited back before. Previous seasons are the better for not including this twist. All the same, I'm excited to see it in action.

Next week we get to see what happens with these Losers, right? Do you think they'll weed out all the current Losers (I'm seriously just going to call them that from now you. And you can't say I'm wrong....) and then start with a fresh batch & then bring 1 person back one last time maybe when they're down to 4-5 players? How will know the Edge of Extinction exists change the way the merged players will compete?

The Teams:

Baggins "Using My Rage Over Last Season to Draft Like a Pro" - 58 pts

• Joe (16 pts)
• Eric (7 pts)
• Lauren (4 pts)
• Ron (14 pts)
• Julie (15 pts)
• Aubry (2 pts)

Eric "Eric" - 57 pts

• Eric (7 pts)
• David (4 pts)
• Gavin (7 pts)
• Wentworth (9 pts)
• Julie (15 pts)
• Aurora (15 pts)

Michal & Ben "The Hammer" - 53 pts

• Joe (16 pts)
• Lauren (4 pts)
• Wentworth (9 pts)
• Victoria (6 pts)
• Julia (14 pts)
• Wardog (4 pts)

Doug & Bri "Well, That Sucked" - 49 pts

• Rick (2 pts)
• Chris (2 pts)
• Chris (2 pts)
• Ron (14 pts)
• Aurora (15 pts)
• Julia (14 pts)

MoonBee "Nerdy White Dudes" - 25 pts

• Rick (2 pts)
• David (4 pts)
• Gavin (7 pts)
• Victoria (6 pts)
• Wardog (4 pts)
• Aubry (2 pts)

Power Rankings:

1. Eric - David might be literally shaky standing on Wardog's shoulders but I think he's a beast heading into the merge. His quote above gave me shivers. Perfection, man. Lesu members might look like they're in trouble but I have a feeling these veterans have a couple tricks up their sleeves. Gavin & Eric are great competitors too. 

2. Baggins - Losing Aubry early with an idol in her pocket is a big blow to this otherwise beastly team. But could she make it back onto the show? If so will she be able to bring back her idol & extra vote too? A burnt Aubry full of secret advantages could be a dangerous & exciting twist to the game if she can get back into the thick of things.

3. Michal & Ben - Victoria impressed me a lot this episode. She might not have come off like a very nice person, but being able to play Aubry like her own personal fiddle was a huge coup and I think is a testament to her potential to run this game. We've got a lot of Lesu players & veterans, but they've been able to overcome some pretty tough odds up to now, so I think this team still has a good shot. 

4. MoonBee - MoonBee is probably down 2 players & despite having  a team I really like, I think they won't be able to overcome their current point deficit. Too much overlap with Hammer/Eric teams to likely be able to cobble together a winning combo of castaways. 

5. Doug & Bri - If Chris gets back in the game then this team could have a chance. But it looks like Keith will do everything he takes to prevent that from happening, so..... tough luck this season guys.

DoW:

Are Edge of Extinction players eligible? Because it's Reem all the way for me. 

Survivor Extinction: Draft & E3

Survivor Pool Season 38 aka The Edge of Extinction is already being touted as potentially the most well-drafted and competitive season of the pool yet. I'm excited to see how things pan out! Here's some early press/quotes:

"I have no shit to talk." - Moon

"Having fewer blondes this season helped me remember who was who during the draft, and focus on what's really important; drafting players with my name." - Eric

"Seriously? Survivor is still making new seasons?" - Random Co-Worker

"Jeff Probst & I use the same anti-aging hyperbaric chamber company. I highly recommend them to anyone attempting to stop the aging process." - Mike Krzyzskewski

"Wendy is my kind of crazy." - Mark the Chicken

The Teams:

MegaDregs "The Undraftable" - 4 pts

• Keith (0 pts)
• Keith (0 pts)
• Reem (0 pts)
• Reem (0 pts)
• Wendy (2 pts)
• Wendy (2 pts)

Michal & Ben "The Hammer" - 13 pts

• Joe (3 pts)
• Lauren (2 pts)
• Wentworth (2 pts)
• Victoria (2 pts)
• Julia (2 pts)
• Wardog (2 pts)

Doug & Bri "Well, That Sucked" - 13 pts

• Rick (2 pts)
• Chris (2 pts)
• Chris (2 pts)
• Ron (2 pts)
• Aurora (3 pts)
• Julia (2 pts)

Eric "Eric" - 16 pts

• Eric (3 pts)
• David (2 pts)
• Gavin (3 pts)
• Wentworth (2 pts)
• Julie (3 pts)
• Aurora (3 pts)

MoonBee "Nerdy White Dudes" - 18 pts

• Rick (2 pts)
• David (2 pts)
• Gavin (3 pts)
• Victoria (2 pts)
• Wardog (2 pts)
• Aubry (7 pts)

Baggins "Using My Rage Over Last Season to Draft Like a Pro" - 20 pts

• Joe (3 pts)
• Eric (3 pts)
• Lauren (2 pts)
• Ron (2 pts)
• Julie (3 pts)
• Aubry (7 pts)

The Draft:

There's not a lot to criticize, really. The draft was quick, professional, and kind of badass.

• I think Doug & Bri were the only team to double-draft a player, Chris. Survivor Gods insta-punished this decision by ousting Chris & effectively eliminating this team from contention. (Unless this Edge of Extinction twist gets people back in play much faster than I'm anticipating...)
• I'm a little surprised no one drafted Wendy just to go against the chalk (am I using that phrase correctly?). Before last night's episode I was regretting the decision not to do so myself. Then I saw the "next time on Survivor" and slept like a baby.

Power Rankings:

1. MoonBee - I think the nerdy white dudes are in the driver's seat this season. MoonBee stacked the Rick/David duo while I stacked their competition with Wentworth/Lauren. Should be an interesting & exciting show-down!

2. Baggins - I'm also a fan of Bag's draft. Ron & Julie could both go really far - those were savvy late-round pick ups. Aubry coming in strong with an idol find in her dreg position doesn't hurt either.

3. Michal & Ben - We themed toward drafting returning players, which might seem risky but they do tend to last longer than what the early threats against them would indicate. Not sure if it'll pay off, but I like the combo of returnees/muscle & (hopefully) crafty new chicks.

4. Eric - Eric doesn't know who Aurora is, and I don't know who Eric is. I might have been confusing him with Chris? I'm looking at his pic right now & can't remember him, which isn't a great sign. I also think Gavin went a smidge high in the draft (but seriously not by much), which is another reason I'm ranking this team a little lower. Overall still a really strong team.

5. Doug & Bri - Doug & Bri were probably watching last night & feeling pretty great. Chris played the role of Hero in the reward challenge, he's building connections with everyone. The only names being tossed around are Wentworth  & Wendy. And then that dope decides he has to play a game honestly where the entire strategy  is based on deception. They still have a sliver of hope, though - there doesn't seem to be a huge amount of overlap with their remaining team & anyone else's, so you might still have a magic combination of players.


Douche of the Week:

Wendy. I can't even

Survivor DG: Finale

COME ON IN, GUYS! - BEN/PROBST

Welcome! Welcome! Welcome! - John Oliver

I'm not sure what's going on? - Paul Wasicka

The finale episode of Survivor's David v. Goliath did not disappoint. Though I realize this blog post might because:

1) it's well after the finale episode actually aired (though that might make it right on time for teh bagginses),

2) Moon's emailed barb did not go unnoticed (email Moon, really? That is soooo early 2000s of you), and

3) I'm attempting to respond within Moon's milieu(s) (hint: ....nah, you don't need it):

Here's a graphic for you, titled "Moon"*

The pool this season looked to be a runaway [citation: Moon's previous blog]. But in a move that can only be qualified as "Classic Bag," team Bagdrea squandered a massive lead to lose to MoonBee after a devastating Monopoly card was played by Nick for (and this is true) "all possible earnable Survivor pool points." (Two sheep for a brick ain't got nothing on buying development cards.)

I've never seen a point-earning sprint like Nick went on, outside of Gendry's improbable run to the Wall.  Nick earned all but 14 of his 91 points in the last episode alone, which I'd hazard to say is some kind of record as far as percentage of points earned within 1 episode [citation: that's 85% but tbh I had to use a calculator to figure that out #mathishard]. And now, this:**

Frequently Asked Questions:
If you're so bad at math, why are you running this very math-based blog?
As with most things on the internet, it's less a matter of "are you the most qualified?" and more a matter of "are you the most motivated?"

How can we better address unexpected twists/advantages ad-libbed by this amazing show?
Well, you could trust the blogmaster to make ad-lib decisions herself, but that seems highly inadvisable given the obviously biased nature of this pool. Instead, I'd propose that any blog commenter could throw out a suggested rule/point allotment for any such unexpected twist/advantage. Should that new rule be approved by a blog quorum (let's say 4 people assuming that I, Phil, Eric, Moon, Doug, Ben, and a Pickett regularly read a blog post within 1 week & we're looking for a majority).

Why is Eric so bad at this pool?
Eric's blatant blondeism kept him out of the hundred club this season, but he would have come in dead last this season whether he'd double-drafted Kara or not. Eric's primary flaws when it comes to the Survivor pools are as follows:

1. Not knowing Survivor history. While I applaud Eric's involvement in the #MeToo movement, knowing that only 15% of hidden idols are found by women might have altered his drafting decision to take only women this season. [Note: not saying that I knew that stat either, but I like to think that I understood it on a subliminal level.]
2. Lack of organization. If you could just list out your thoughts/rankings more cohesively, I think you might be better able to strategize when it comes to the draft. I know that the 8 hr time difference between CO & NJ is brutal, but you have to take that into account if you're committed to this pool 
3. He drank pond water 
4. Math?

If CBS ever tried to pull a 'Great British Baking Show Host Hostile Takeover' of Probst's role in Survivor, how would you respond?
Not well. Worst possible successor would be Carson Daly who would result in me never watching the show again. Probably most anyone else between Probst and Daly would keep me watching the show, but this blog would be heavily laced with bitter diatribe and occasionally open hostility.

Does a Bag comment ever contain more than 3 sentences?
No. No it does not. Sigh.

Why does Moon think I should feel embarrassed?
I get that I panned Moon's team early this season but LONG ago admitted that Mike was one of the players to beat in this season & that John exceeded expectations. I also disagreed with Moon's power rankings in the previous blog post & said that he underrated Nick. Embarrassed? Hardly. Are you?

What did Phil cook for dinner last night?
DraftKings gives it 50% chance that it was a pasta dish, 20% that it contained fish, and 5% that it was vegetarian.

Will next season be as good as this season?
Unlikely. Though I'm always a fan of any season with returning castaways, Malcolm Joe has never been one of my favorites. I'm a fan of Aubry (Aubrey?), but have never learned to spell her name. I remember likely Kelley Wentworth but couldn't say why. And David was great his season but should come in with a massive target on his back. So I guess I'm feeling lukewarm towards last season while still am coming off hot from this last season. High bar here, guys, I hope you vets deliver.



*No, Mom, I am not going to provide a key/legend to the above image. Figure this one out on your own... or ask a GOT friend/fan who is not this here blogmaster/daughter.

**I'm kind of assuming Moon is a John Oliver fan, but couldn't say for sure. I honestly consider any opportunity a good one in which to throw in John Oliver references.

Survivor DG: Episode 12

The epic struggle between Christian and Mike reached its resolution, with the latter winning their war of attrition. The guillotining of Christian illuminated the savvy of the remaining castaways, as they coldly offed their greatest threat the moment the opportunity was presented. This classic season has played out like a George R.R. Martin novel. The most powerful characters have patiently pulled strings from the shadows to topple the world's most featured and charismatic leaders. As in Game of Thrones, the edit has devastatingly misled the audience, endearing us with heroes before stunningly pulling their trapdoors to doom.

We're left with six castaways, perhaps less charming than those they've demolished, but worthy of the final battle. Let's reverse power-rank them in order of their chances of winning.

6. Angelina fancied herself a power player before being humbled into a shapeless burden like the sacks of rice of which she's fashioned her identity. Angelina is a decaf Natalie - disliked and disrespected by all, crippled by undeveloped corporate social skill, abrasiveness and a lack of self-awareness. The difference between Angelina and Natalie is the former lies within three standard deviations of bothersome, so her competitors are willing to tolerate her presence. At this point her competitors all recognize Angelina has no chance of winning at Final Tribal, so each is actually looking to get her there.

5. Kara has a well-rounded resumé including challenge victories, notable moves and backstabs. She's built it without really pissing anyone off except her ex-boyfriend. Yet it's difficult to envision a scenario in which she actually garners the most votes from this jury. It's hard to identify a jury member who would give her the most credit.

4. Nick has been an interesting bob-and-weave player throughout the season, forming corny-nicknamed alliances he appeared to be on the submissive end of but wasn't. At times it appeared his mind was coming unhinged. At times his partnerships seemed to be flagging. He botched his idol in the last episode. He's never dominated, but he does have enough feathers in his cap to convince the Jury of his worth. And convincing juries is what Nick does for a living.

3. Davie has played a world-class game. He's crafted trustworthy relationships without compromising his purpose. He's performed at challenges without attracting a bullseye. He's turned difficult situations on their heads. He's played the short game concurrently with the long. He's a player who could function in any group with any season. Davie is a truly awesome player. His problem is he was on the wrong side of the Christian vote and he's been identified by Lord Varys as next to go.

2. Alison likely hasn't done enough to distinguish herself to the Jury, but there is still time. Could Alison get to Final Tribal as part of a late Female Goliath Alliance and then upend Kara? Absolutely. Could she go on a convincing run of immunities and blindsides down the stretch? Certainly. Does she have the stones to sever the correct throats at the right moment? Without question.

1. Mike is a masterful strategic/social player in the vein of Richard Hatch and Cirie Fields. It takes great finesse to call the shots while letting others think they're calling the shots but still get credit for calling the shots at the end. Mike has been the puppet master throughout. He's disarmed his opponents instead of skirmishing with them. Mike will consider who he should take to Final Tribal more carefully and skillfully than anyone else. But when you play the Game of Thrones, you win or you die. Mike's time in the shadows is coming to a close, and he will have difficulty functioning out in the light.

___

A to Z have a humongous lead and I'm not smart enough to figure out if it's prohibitive. I am pretty sure it will be their team or ours, and we'll need Mike to win it. Possibly in a sweep. 

Survivor DG: Eps 11 (or Comcast says it's Eps 12, but whatever). This one -> So smart they're dumb

Guest blogger Doug here. It's late and I am waking up early tomorrow morning for a trip (in about 3 hours), but I had previously been told during a Top Chef fantasy draft dinner that this was a fairly strategically heavy episode, so my enthusiasm is high! Sleep can be sacrificed for good Survivor!

The episode starts with Nick pissed and regretting saving Christian in previous tribals. This is short-lived as the producers want to go straight to a family love reward challenge. Jeff says 5 words and we are there.

My take on the family interactions:

• Davie's mom is awesome and their relationship seems awesome, but her other kids have to be a bit hurt by her calling out Davie as her favorite awesome kid on national television. I have been liking Davie more and more each episode and wish I would have taken him in the draft because he is mostly awesome. Like his mom. And their awesome relationship. 
• Alison and her mom look nothing alike. We get no further details about their deal.
• Kara's brother shows. She tells the plain truth that she would like to consider some contestants as real friends, but you never know who is faking it. This is a core Survivor trait that really messes some contestants up. She concludes that the best part about family is you know they are really on your side. True story. 
• Nick's dad seems cool. Proclaims it's "What you give, not what you have." I like it, but we'll see if it helps Nick in the game at all. 
• Gabby's mom arrives. Nothing of note there, except she confirms how much reassurance Gabby constantly needs. 
• Angelina's mom clears the bushes. Starts off normal enough. Then there is a political call-out/reminder from Angelina that she sacrificed "her life" for rice for the good of the tribe. As if they had pre-practiced, her mom politician-ed for her right after this to the group. Quite a weird interaction given they haven't seen each other in however long. 
• Mike's boyfriend Josh arrives. They give each other a friend-hug that didn't look like they had been together for 6 years. Their choice? CBS? A mix? Seemed VERY restrained and a bit odd. 
• Christian's GF comes out next. He very awkwardly proclaims something about his beard's presence. Then awkwardly introduces her to Jeff. Then they took way too long to hug. Christian apologizes for how long the game is. He is lovingly awkward and gets emotional when she starts to walk away from him. Then he explains why and nails it. Guy is crushing this season and has to be a lock for Fan Favorite. 

Jeff pushes forward to the challenge like these family members didn't just get done with 19+ hours of travel. He antagonizes Angelina about not winning a challenge and starting in last place, again.

Angelina and Nick end up coming from dead last to "win" the chance to alienate some alliance members by choosing (1) person to join them in the family love reward. An easy choice of Davie is made. Then just like my and Zack's childhood soccer coach telling the team to take "1 more lap" around the field (over and over again, damn liar), Jeff tells the winning pair that they get to choose (1) more person (again) and kinda surprisingly another seemingly easy choice of Mike is made. Angelina says she "loves" Mike as he accepts the reward. No one believes her. Christian legitimately tells everyone to have a great time in the reward as the "losers" family members vanish and the barge feast begins. Everyone believes him. 

Barg feast - Lots of final 4 talk. Davie doesn't buy it and immediately identifies himself as #4 of the "final four". Back at camp, Gabby thinks Christian is playing her, based off his interaction with his GF. Gabby starts talking about bouncing Christian to "Slay her #1 ally" and make a big move solely for herself.

Immunitty challenge time - balance on beam with a pole / bucket of water overhead, etc.

• Mike out first
• Angelina doing some weird breathing 
• After Angelina is out she starts helping Nick
• Christian awesomely calls Angelina and posse out and gets no help
• Davie gets beat by a damn fly (probably paid off by Angelina somehow)
• Kara wins and is astoundingly good at challenges that she doesn't have to move much

Now the post immunity challenge scramble:

• Alison calls out how hard it is to get Christian out
• Gabby correctly says shes needs to get Christian out 
• Nick is pissed about Christian betraying him and says he needs to get Christian out because he is "dead to him"
• Davie is the spoiler. Wants Christian as a sheild. 
• I love that Davie is playing his own game, but he is drawing dead against Christian and this strategy only makes sense if he plans to eliminate Christian later in the game
• Christian pretends to repair the relationship with Nick

And immediately to Tribal and more bullet points as I realize how little sleep I will be getting tonight:

• Standard Jeff questions
• Nothing super important except pretty much every jury member confirms that they are voting for Christian for the win 
• Christian stares down his competitors after the vote and plays his idol. Boss move. 
• The jury again confirms he is crushing (and they are right) 

Gabby goes home after the correct idol play. Mike and Angelina's votes against Gabby win out over Christian's vote against Alison. Alison survives another tribal where she gets the 2nd most votes needed to send someone home. 7 left.

The "So smart they're dumb" episode title aptly applies to one of the people it was placed upon, but not the other. "Awkward" wins out over "only recently found confidence".

I'd give my analysis of the final 7 but it is time to go to bed. I will end this blog with 2 things (and more bullets):

• The previews for next episode now have me worried about Christian actually getting voted out because they showed everyone else BUT him getting their name thrown out
• Potential props to Mike for telling Nick TO HIS FACE that he has to go home next 
• My DoW vote goes to:
• Anyone that influenced Mike and his BF's interaction negatively
• Carl's glare
• But for the actual points, Angelina. Because. She. Sucks. 

I'm out. Viva Mexico. Thomas, kill the next blog post! 

***Reminder to Michal to double check the Dan idol play points and make sure they weren't double counted. ***

Survivor DG: Eps 9 & 10

A couple of big episodes to get into here, and I'm probably not going to do it justice. But we can at least cover the major points:

Episode 9's Tribal Council: Terrible decision-making by the Davids to use the vote steal AND the idol nullifier. If  they had the advantage in votes and knew that Dan was going to play his idol, then just vote out a different Goliath! Dan misplays his idol and Alison or Mike goes home. Everyone wins... except, you know, Dan and Mike/Alison. I think that Carl just couldn't sit on that advantage any longer. It was burning a hole in his pocket and he just couldn't wait to show everyone what a badass strategizer he was.

The idol nullifier is an advantage that is so powerful you really need to hold on to that puppy until you're down to 5-6 players. I might even give you 7 players left. But playing it anytime outside of that range is a misplay no matter the outcome.

Gabby: As soon as Dan went home Gabby jumped at the chance to become the most intolerable castaway left on the island. I agree with Moon that when Angelina went on that sexism rant it was a misinterpretation of the situation. (I also think that Angelina self-perception is MILES apart from how the rest of the world sees her. It's fascinating to watch. I imagine it's hard to live with on a tiny island though.) Gabby is doing the exact same thing now too. She thinks that everyone's just being sexist & labeling her as an emotional blubbering player because she's a woman. Nope. They are labeling you as that because that's exactly what you are.

Alec: I'll miss you man!! If you don't come back for an All-Stars season I will make Bag tweet Probst to complain. And maybe I will too. This is a guy who so truly loves the game of Survivor that he almost passed out rather than risk going home. And the thought of going home when NOT being blindsided was one of the most upsetting things in his life. He's a complete Survivor package and will be at the top of any of my draft lists if/when he returns.

The Blog: Is starting to get hard to keep up with again. (I'm so predictable.) Any chance someone can guest-blog next week? Moon? Also, big kudos to all the comments from the last post. I couldn't agree more (with almost all of them). Patrick Stewart applauds Alec, but also you!

Food Rewards: I appreciate that these people are starving out there. But I think people need to be more cautious around these food rewards. Too much boozing, and far too much barfing in this episode! Maybe winning these challenges isn't actually a reward if you're just going to verbal & literal diarrhea all over the place afterwards....

Moon, if you ever goes on Survivor I'll be cheering for you to lose all these late-game reward challenges. Just looking out for you.

The Ladies: Were outnumbered two to one after Elizabeth was sent home post-merge. Things were looking grim for the #MeToo movement. But now we're all even again with a 4:4 ratio. Count me surprised, I thought it'd be an all-male cast going into the final 5. Does a woman have a decent chance to win the whole thing? Errrm, outlook not good....

Power Rankings:

8. Angelina: the albatross of the season. If she joins your alliance it's a sure thing that it'll all fall apart the next day.

7. Gabby: see above. And even if you believe she'll successfully back-stab Christian per the previews, even that wouldn't be enough for her to earn respect from her fellow castaways. (Also I don't see that happening.)

6. Davie: he's having some good moments & personal triumphs, but this guy is playing far too simple a game to have a chance to win. Would be a decent person to bring with you to final tribal though...

5. Kara: Kara's impressed me over the last few episodes. She's been playing a good social game, trying to see all her options. She's been in a bad position lately but hasn't been marked as a target once. I'm rooting for her!

4. Nick: Not a good sign that he wasn't included in the Carl vote-out decision. His closest allies used to be Christian & Mike, so what happened there? Still, I think he's adaptable & could rally a counter-strike. Plus he's got that idol that only he & Davie know about.

3. Alison: One of the most well-connected players left. I think her challenge prowess is hugely overrated, but her social game may be underrated. I love that "the timing just feels right" for this David/Goliath blurred line (yuck, please stop saying this Survivor) alliance now that Alison is the one in danger. When it was David after David on the chopping block there was no movement. But now... well, now is obviously the right time for Alison to prove her loyalty to Christian & Gabby! How on earth did Gabby & Christian buy that?

2. Mike: Still considering all his options & I'd argue the most strategic player left in the game now that Alec is gone. I think he's playing a little too emotional as demonstrated by voting out Annoying Carl over Alison the Threat. But this could be the result of more than that, including a) thinking through the pecking order either way and/or b) that "trust the threat you know" mentality that the Goliaths have been stuck in all season.

1. Christian: I don't think he's as strategically savvy as everyone thinks he is. But I do think he's playing a stellar social game & I loved his attitude during the 6-hour long endurance challenge. Willpower at this point in the season could be all it takes to win the whole game.


DOW:
Angelina. You sure are a piece of work.

Survivor DG: Episodes 7 & 8

It's a post-merge world in Survivor "and now the real game begins" (said at least 1 castaway on every season of Survivor ever). These were a pretty interesting couple episodes, with a few of my highlights recounted here:

• Elizabeth v. Angelina = what a n00b-fest. Elizabeth told Gabby that she'd save herself by blowing Angelina's secret at Tribal Council and Gabby totally backed that up. If Gabby knows anything about Survivor (and I'm not sure she does), sound advice here would have been to make these kinds of moves on the beach. Vote changes once you're at Tribal Council almost never happen. I'd assumed that Gabby encouraged this because it made her life easier - she supported a friend while also advancing her own plans with her Stealth Force 6 Alliance. But I think I was giving Gabby too much credit.
  
• Alec. Dude's just crushing it. Everyone both trusts & distrusts him at the same time (how is that possible?), he has the most alliances, the most options for game play, a lot of flexibility, etc. Also he's a challenge beast. His current point earnings don't fully reflect how valuable this pony is. That plus his fabulous Probst lip-syncing last episode makes me seriously regret not drafting him. He should be a shoo-in if they ever do an All Stars season again - are you listening Survivor producers??
  
• Gabby is a disaster. But Dan is the wooooorst.
  
• Mayhem! It's a lawless world out there now that the resident Mayor was deposed in a shocking bout of collateral damage. Did not see that coming.
  
• The Davids love each other. Seriously, I'm not sure they're playing optimal game strategy. I think they really bonded during the first week of the show (with the exception of Elizabeth) & are just plain looking out for each other. I'm not saying that Davie's save of Christian was the wrong move -- actually I think it was brilliant.
  
• Trending up. Kara looked like a beast in the reward challenge, and if she finally realizes that Dan is dragging her down I'd be pretty thrilled about her.
  
• Trending down. Not sure Mike fully thought through the implications of turning on Christian & what the consequences would be if he lost. I'm still not sure what those consequences will be myself, but it should be a fun next episode when we watch the fall out!

DOW:

Dan Douchechacho. I just can't stand you, bro. So glad you lost points for that idol mis-play.