Survivor glossary: Does edgic truly predict winners?
In preparation for our first piece of Survivor season 35 edgic, let us explain more about the process of looking closer at editing to predict a winner.
I understand not wanting to be spoiled on a season of a show like Survivor. There’s a lot that can happen in 39 days, and an unlikely winner looking rough out the gate can turn things around as the show progresses. However, there are a fair number of people who want to look closer at the tea leaves and find enjoyment in predicting who will win the season.
In Survivor, edgic describing the logic behind what the editing team is showing us over an episode or a series of episodes in order to predict what narrative they’re highlighting and character arcs they’re building. The goal of edgic is to learn who’s in contention to win, with the goal to have a definitive winner pick after the merge episode each season. The term was created by the lovely, good-hearted people at Survivor Sucks, showing you just how dedicated they are to their appreciation of the game despite that title.
There are a ton of definitions that go into Survivor edgic, with players assigned ratings based on each episode as a season progresses.
You never want to be Invisible (INV), as that means you’re so insignificant to an episode’s story that you’re barely onscreen at all. Under The Radar (UTR) means a character is rarely seen or not provided character improvement in an episode; they’ll speak about others, if at all. Middle of the Road (MOR) shows a character in the middle of active gameplay or character development, but not important enough to drive the conversation. Complex Personality (CP) is the most desired rating; characters are represented with their thoughts, strategies, character development and personality that is well-rounded. Anything more is Over the Top (OTT), as these characters are often bombastic, creating drama or being edited in an outrageous way.
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Editing rating is just one part of Survivor edgic; the tone is just as important. Most characters are often neutral in their edit, but sometimes they can be edited positively or negatively. A Positive (P) edit in an episode shows a character saying sympathetic things, being spoken about positively or having accompanying music backing you. A Super Positive (PP) edit ramps it up to the extremes, showing off Survivor heroism and bravery with the representation of a deity.
On the other hand, a player can be viewed as Negative (N), meaning they’ll be either portrayed as a doofus or get unsettling “evil” music accompanied by their actions. People will talk trash about these players in their confessionals for that episode, and usually, sets up a narrative path for that character’s season. A Super Negative (NN) edit is rare but is reserved for downright acts of villainy or terribleness within an episode.
The final designation of Survivor edgic is someone’s visibility in an episode. 5 is very high visibility, while 1 is very low. When you combine all these functions together, you get a snap look at how a character was portrayed in an episode, which is crucial at certain stages of the game to gauge how viable a player is to win.
For example, if you looked at Survivor Game Changers’ end-game edgic from Inside Survivor, you would know that even though Andrea Boehlke got a Complex Personality push later in the season, she was barely shown in the first half of the season, indicating a lack of character-building. Meanwhile, Sarah Lacina was well-represented throughout the first half of the season, getting a Positive tone before the merge and acting as a Complex Personality making moves post-merge.
It’s a lengthy explanation, but Survivor edgic is a complex process. But does it predict winners ahead of time?
Most of the time, if you’re paying attention, yes! The editors of Survivor need to craft the season around them since it’s so unavoidable that they will make it to the end. Michele for Kaoh Rong didn’t make it to a Tribal Council until Night 23, but she was still giving confessionals about her place in the game and considered important enough to show her struggles in the game. She made so few game decisions, but each was highlighted enough to tip off that she may win the game eventually.
Sometimes, the editing is too predictable, and it’s so obvious who will win. One World is probably the most egregious example, as Kim Spradlin got the biggest push of any winner from such an early standpoint. At other times, it’s a lot less clear. Tony Vlachos is the gold standard of defying the odds, as his Over the Top actions in Cagayan gave him a negative edit, while Spencer looked like the clear winner.
Next: Survivor Winners: Ranking All 33 Sole Survivors By Season
Starting with Survivor season 35: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers, I will be trying my hand at edgic with my observations of each episode for Surviving Tribal. Tomorrow morning, I will be posting my thoughts on who’s the focus in the game, who is trashing their game early, who can redeem themselves in the edit and who’s invisibility does not bode well after episode 1.