Zakros
I think that most of the lurkers agree that it's some bullshit that Michelle, Rachel, and Paul all were put outside of alliance making because of a group chat that they weren't even a part of. They have a pretty solid structure though now, with six people who are not Michaela, Paul, and Rachel making up a majority. I don't really have a lot to say about some of these people. The gameplay here is a little lighter than their opposing tribe and is definitely lighter than Rhodes. I think that this team as a whole will has the least longevity going into the game merge.
Bret- Bret has been fine. He's fringe in his six alliance, ken calls him his "plus 1" but I think that he is relatively inoffensive and has just sort of been going with the flow, as much of this tribe has been. He didn't start any of the rachel/paul/michelle alliance rumors and has just benefited from them so I can't be too pressed at him for believing whatever it is that's getting him on the ins of the tribe. He has stated that he is trying to have all options (getting close to rachel a bit) so he's at least self serving and not just blindly following. He also noted that Jay was a threat so, I'd say his pulse is pretty good honestly. Definitely one of the more rootable people in his alliance.
Cece- I think it's a mix of not really confessing much + creating the drama that got michelle booted that makes me not like Cece that much. She kind of just seems not really here, but put herself in to a good spot by pushing some bullshit. At least she believes her own bullshit so that makes it better, kind of. She is smack dab in the 6, I'm unsure who her plus one is? Probably Jessica? I don't know, I don't care for her too much but she is in the majority within the majority with Ken and Jay so she's definitely doing something right.
Jessica- I'm actually going to PM her whenever she comes on to answer her confessional questions lmfao. I honestly think she's so lost here and is probably just happy to be inside of an alliance. I heard that this was supposed to be will, lmfao imagine. But yeah, she seems sweet but definitely is unbelievably clueless and I think that if we could get her to confess and speak her mind then she would be more compelling. I just have no idea what's going on with her and she really lucked her way in to a majority alliance that was built off of misinformation. Good for her for finding a good spot. I know her and Rachel talk a lot so I'm hoping this is an avenue Rachel can use to dig herself out of the hole that she's in.
Jay- You'd think that I'd be more pissed about Jay for essentially being the figurehead of the whole thing but I'm actually not. He's playing the game, playing pretty hard, and to be fair he is on top of this tribe without a doubt. I think that Bret noted he was threatening but there's no world where anyone goes for him here and he's going to move in to the next phase with some people who are likely going to be A. loyal to him and B. wanting to listen for him to come up with some plans. I just don't know how far his strategic chops go? He hasn't really had to do too much to run this show and he actually benefits a lot from the game staying the way that it is. Unfortunate for Paul/Rachel but he's got this team locked down. Taylor calls him #1, Cece and Ken both have him in tight, I mean it makes sense for him to play this way, so. Good for him, I'm sure he'll be a character as the game moves.
Ken- Ken is like middle ground for me. I see he's playing his game, and he is in a similar spot to Cece so he must be doing something right. I think that the further he gets removed from this tribe/situation, the more I'll like him. I enjoy his little duo with Bret and think that he's pretty well insulated. He definitely benefits from the team moving forward the way it has been and I don't think he's going to be a good person to try and get to shake things up. He's playing fine.
Rachel- Of course my winner pick gets actually boned at the first possible opportunity. Lucky for me, she's put herself in a situation that's actually playable here for a couple of reasons. Firstly thank god she won immunity so there was no option for her boot here. Secondly, she's also lucky that Paul had a blowup last night which has all of the heat on him. Thirdly, she has people who like her. Bret noted he wants her to trust him and sees her as an option, she has a good rapport with Jessica if DM's are any indication. If there's anyone who can make it out of this mess I truly believe it's her. But it's going to require some work. I think that she is going to need to be forward about her intentions with all of the potential fringe people (Bret/Jessica/Michaela) while also trying to show to Jay why it would be a good reason to keep her. Truthfully, you get him on your side and then I think the rest of the peons fall in place to keep her around. More than that, she could use an immunity win here and a swap but I don't think you can bank on that. Regardless, she's by far my favorite person on the team, entertaining confessionals and overall personality she just needs to DIG UP.
Paul- I feel for Paul, I really do. He didn't even do anything wrong and his blowup was warranted. Apparently he drilled people in DM's too which is always rough on the game. He is likely gone tonight with an immunity loss, which has to be demotivating. I don't know if he will even show to try and fight it but I hope he does. I like him a lot, and while I wouldn't want Rachel to go to save him I can tell that he wants to be here and wants to play hard. And, honestly, he has the potential to make something happen if he starts throwing some stuff to the wall to see if it sticks. This team is pretty hive-minded right now but everyone gets antsy so maybe throw a target at jay for being a threat? Make a fake alliance up to shade around just like they did to you? I don't know, it probably won't amount to anything but I want him to fight here.
Michaela- She's definitely entertaining but she's not in it with the rest of the team. Kind of a bummer because Rachel needs her and just voted for her so she's probably not going to be in to working things out. I doubt she even really knows she's at the bottom of it all which is such a bummer. But I guess that's a big up for the rest of the tribe who have her a bit snowed. No one really talks about her? At least not in confesh so she's just sort of coasting here. I think that she will probably grab a target from them eventually, maybe even before Rachel, I don't know. She's going to be pushing Paul which seals his fate even more. She's rootable though and if her and rach can somehow get together I'd be so hyped. Just reread Bret who says she's his number one so fuck yes Michaela making waves.
Taylor- Man, Taylor is the biggest bummer here because I LIKE Taylor and I just don't think that his play is really making sense. Or he's even really thinking clearly. Like, his trust ranking is completely flipped from the previous day outside of Jay. Which is great because he and Jay are tight but Taylor is not Jay's only option and it sort of sounds like Jay is all that Taylor TRULY has. Which stinks, because the kid is here and playing but he just seems a little snowed. I hope that Paul's speech and freak out might open his eyes a little bit but I think that he's going to be complacent and stick with his guns. It wouldn't be the worst thing for him personally, but I think that he can put himself in a better spot by trying to break up some of the clutter that is that team. Like if he somehow got Michaela or Bret out (who went from 9th and 8th most trusted to above the three in the alliance that didn't exist) then he would actually have some power and not just be tacked on to a majority alliance through Jay.
Kameiros
We are lucky to keep the blue power struggle alive with Libby being inactive. There was a ton of craziness yesterday due to Bradley, Chris, Laurel who will probably come to a head tonight. Looks like two fighting factions, one side angling for Laurel and the other for Chris, so if they lose then that's where we'll go. This team has some pretty cut and dry alliances on both sides with a couple of overlapping players. Should be interesting as the day progresses.
Bradley- Super villain in his own mind, member of pretty standard alliance in reality. I love the confessionals though; I hope that he starts letting that seep a little bit in to his actual chat with people. I think that if he's more secure in having power then he totally could. Very good casting here and if he keeps it up then I'll keep coming back to his confesh for sure. He started a whole bunch of shit this weekend and then didn't hit any of the flak for it? Good for him. Domenick says he's not too active but I think that might just be because they aren't in the same alliance. He's in tight with James/Morgan but moreso Steph it looks like, though he doesn't trust the first two now? Doesn't matter because he is so anti-Laurel that he couldn't possibly focus anywhere else.
Chris- Chris's confessional is tough to read. He's so very out of the loop that he's convinced his tribe is just boring. No one has seemed to want to bring him in to the fold sans Dom who is thinking that he needs to drop him tonight anyways. I don't know why he's so out of the loop but he is grouped with the Bradley/James/Morgan/Steph group in my mind because the other group is targeting him. Really for no other reason. So, yeah. Bummer because he's here and trying to push, but whatever he's doing isn't working. I think that if Laurel does go tonight that he will become a popular person very quickly, but if not he's probably gone.
Domenick- Very well put together Confessional, he's definitely one of my favorites on this tribe. He has a pretty good read on things but is starting to get antsy. He reminds me of Mike, but like if Mike didn't do the crazy things that he thought about doing. I think that leaves Domenick a bit more out of the spotlight, still having an alliance with some tight people around him. He's in a group with Wendall/Jacob and has a good connection with Morgan/Laurel so he could take control tonight. He's on to James playing the game hard, which James is, and wants to strike but know you can't overextend for something like that this early. So he'll probably go for Chris, which is good for him if it does happen. He still has his group around him and Laurel for the opposition to target. He's well rounded, pretty level headed, and will be a problem for the opposition if he makes it to the merger.
Jacob- I miss the manic energy now that the opener is gone. He just seems solid with his grouping right now but you can see the crazy looming in his eyes. The video confessionals are gold and I like that he's being real about the making connections peace etc etc. That feels like real survivor almost. I guess I should talk about the making the fake alliance chats here since he caused so many problems on Zakros. I don't blame him for doing it, or the reaction, because conceptually what he did was funny as hell. Not his fault they all ate it up. I can't wait to see him react to that in post. For his game, he's fine here. In tight with Domenick and not a target for any of the sides. He has the right idea, pulling in laurel, wendall, morgan to try and make something happen and I honestly hope his side wins out for this vote. I don't really want him to be under flak because I want more of that mania let loose on the game, man.
James- This kid has some fucking game. Unlucky for him Domenick has sniffed it out but he's definitely the figurehead of his alliance with steph/bradley/Morgan and he's got a tight duo with Morgan (who he's not claimed is running the game alongside him). I would prefer for him to not get his way a little bit since he's identified both Dom and Jacob as people he isn't in with, but I sort of expect him to. Identifying that someone is a threat doesn't really do much if that guy has the entire tribe covered. And he pretty much does if he can get through this tribal with a Laurel boot. Not even sure if that's what he wants, maybe he'll go for Chris? But yeah, he's on it right now and is definitely going to be a problem late game.
Laurel- Laurel's last confessional post is a pretty cut and dry view of the tribe, but is semi accurate. She is a potential target, and really has to try and hustle to bring together the rest of the group (dom,jacob,wendall) to go for Chris. She identified Morgan as the middle vote but I am not sure how much truth there is to that. I'll get to that on Morgan's. Laurel got put in a shitty spot because of Bradley and Chris, but she's also been a little less here than some so she could have gotten some flak anyways. I think that if she does get out of this vote alive, much like chris, people are going to be trying to keep her around as a vote for them, so.
Morgan- I wish she confessed a little bit more but she seems to be incredibly well insulated. Both sides seem to think they have her to do what they want which is great for her. Until she has to make a decision, anyways. Which may happen tonight. So the question is, what's the best move for her that will keep her in the spot she's in? Laurel seems to think she has an in with her so maybe she does just angle Chris as someone who is less liked overall. I don't know, but she is definitely playing this game pretty solidly in a tribe where there are a lot of people playing the game pretty well. She's going to continue to be someone to watch but please come tell me what's on your mind b.
Stephanie- Steph is great! Her confessional is a nice read, she's playing the game fine in a solid alliance. No real complaints here. She seems more liked as a whole by the team than Bradley, she isn't as big of a threat as James so she's probably in the best spot in her little grouping if it gets dismantled. She isn't as well connected with both sides the way a Wendall or a Morgan is, but she's doing her thing and is definitely not in the bottom group of the tribe that's probably going to keep winning challenges (lbr).
Wendall- Wendall is the big winner here, only kid with an idol left in the game, definitely the greatest positioning and overall gameplayer, great confessional, I'm on the Wendell train for sure. I think that it's the same as Morgan, he needs to try and make the least amount of dirt as possible to keep himself right smack in the middle. This all blows up when he picks a side. It sounds like he wants Chris gone and I honestly think that's the best play for him? He wanted Chris out last round so he might as well keep it moving, keep himself in the middle on both alliances and just running shit. This guy will do big things in this game.
I think this round has the potential the be a cooldown round for every team besides Purple who will probably have an exciting round always because the top dogs will keep biting at each other. Blue is pretty interesting and probably has the most decent players.
