This Week in BS + Big News

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I have a take on the Maria rock-paper-scissors of it all. She was genuinely unsure who to choose and she thought it would be a fair way to decide. The thing Maria didn’t execute on here is that typically, showing indecision in these games is a poor idea.

It’s a double-edged sword, as Charlie would say, because every single person has indecision in Survivor. “Everything has consequences,” he tells us at tribal council. You’ve got to be so careful of every move you make, word you say, thing you do, that the smallest slip up can lead to danger. This means that you should be constantly thinking about each decision, just not in public.

For Maria, showing her indecision enraged Liz and also diminished the value of bringing Q on the reward. If you’re going to make a move, it’s better to make the move with conviction, even if you’re lacking it. Q knows he wasn’t the obvious choice. Big mistake!

Even just showing Liz that she was an option is worse than just picking Q. Maria dangled the reward in front of a very hungry person and if she hadn’t won immunity she might have had her torch snuffed because of it.

On the note of indecision, I don’t actually hate all these players going home with their idols. Sure, it’s an obvious blunder but the bigger problem is these players got voted out. Their game wasn’t good enough to survive without an idol. Focus on that, not their inability to read whether they’ve been lied to. If you’re good enough at Survivor you don’t need an idol.

Don’t let these players leaving with idols distract from the fact that they’re leaving.

It seems like, other than Charlie’s suspicion, no one knew Venus had her idol. Hopefully that means we see less idol hunting this round and more regular play.

And a Liz-like influx of Ben.

Player of the Episode: Charlie

• It’s easy to make the flashy move and take out Q. Kudos for not taking the bait here and removing the unpredictability of Venus. He has had the pulse the entire game and any threat to that is dangerous.

• Two immunity wins and no one is looking at him? Great job using Maria and Q as his shields.

Look Out For: Kenzie. Maybe I’m seeing something that isn’t there but the post-Tiff vote redemption arc is coming and it’s coming soon. I’m looking for that end of season POP that leads to a win. In a season where players talk about getting credit, whoever gets the credit for the vote-out this week will be the favorite going into the finale. I say it's Kenzie taking out Q or Maria.

In Danger: Can Q Q-eep it up? I have to imagine this journey ends soon but I said that about Bhanu week after week. Q-oach’s days are numbered. He’s over the top and the people in the game see him as a threat. Bad combo.

Until Next Time,

Kevin 🐍

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