How Charlie and Maria Are Balancing in the Middle

There is a little moment in episode two of Survivor 46 that has a key strategic tidbit. Charlie realizes he is stuck in the middle of the men and the women on his tribe. What he does is what you should do when you can’t predict twists: he gives himself options.

When you’re playing the middle, like he is, it’s a lot easier when you have someone on your side who can be in conversations that you’re not. Charlie realizes that the guys want to pull in Maria and that she is going to be in the same position. Instead of trying to force Maria out of the middle, he pulls her in, lays out the situation, and strengthens the two of them as the strategic force in the tribe.

Amazing move. When you are playing two sides, you have more overall information than either side on its own. You get the thoughts and opinions from one side that they think the other side will never know. It’s a balancing act because if you slip up, you ruin your position. By adding another person in the middle, it’s easier to get your stories straight and maneuver together to ensure that each side doesn’t know that you’ve got other plans.

This is a fantastic episode for both of them. Because you can’t predict the future in Survivor, you create options for yourself to navigate all futures. Whichever way things go, Charlie and Maria now hold the power in this tribe. They can decide together which way to vote and it actually gets even better for the self-proclaimed Malcolm and Denise.

Charlie tells us, between Taylor Swift albums, that he would be nervous being number four in the four with the women. By becoming Maria’s number one, even if they pick the girls’ side, Charlie and Maria are at the top. Jem and Mo could think that Maria is their number to play with, yet we’ve seen already that you can’t mess with Maria. Just ask Jelinsky.

Player of the Episode: Charlie + Maria

• They haven’t been to tribal and they’re still playing hard

• Maria could have turned down Charlie’s pitch. Instead, she locked it in and set herself up with an ally who some might perceive as a threat down the line - and a shield for her

• Charlie for winning the Taylor Swift vs Metallica song battle versus Ben

Look Out For: Kenzie. Is this our villain? Kenzie tried playing both sides, failed, and sent Jess out with a fake idol. People are divided on her, which is great. Me, I’m all in on someone playing aggressive from day one, even if it’s messy.

In Danger: Sticking with Bhanu here. While an inability to lie is usually a good thing, in Survivor it’s not. His tribe might be regretting keeping him after he all but told Jess at tribal council that she was going home.

Until Next Time,

Kevin 🐍

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