After the second episode of Survivor season 35, Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers, finding someone to trust is essential for what likely happens down the line.
Welcome, one and all, to our second entry into the Survivor season 35 edgic for Heroes vs. Healers vs., Hustlers! We’re continuing from our last episode while making some formatting changes to our edgic chart. All colors for what indicates which remain the same, but now the episodes and contenders are filled out with gray to stand out better. If you’re not familiar with what Survivor edgic is, check out our explainer here.
In this second episode, we encountered the second brutal “aqua dump” edit; one that either shows or has a player talk about taking an aqua dump in the ocean. Simone Nguyen is the second player eliminated from Survivor season 35, coming an episode after being mostly invisible from the premiere episode.
Before we explain each character’s edit, let’s look at the Survivor season 35 episode 2 edgic chart:
Complex Personalities
Simone Nguyen (CPN3): While we saw a fair bit of personal character growth from Simone, the editors had to explain who this character was after completely ignoring her in the premiere. After conquering her aqua dump fears and gutting a fish, the rest of the tribe was focusing on her negative traits.
Ryan called her “weird” before she even really got to talk, Devon said she couldn’t even handle puzzles and that she had to go, while Lauren and Ali only wanted to keep her around because she would listen and be loyal to them. To round out her complex personality, she did try to use Lauren’s hatred of Patrick to strategically move the target off her back, giving the viewer an insight into her strategy.
Betsided
Joe Mena (CPM3): Whereas Joe offered his insight as someone willing to drop his healer status when playing Survivor, his second episode edit is a lot more well-rounded. He’s still trying to paint Mike as the one to watch out for on the Healers tribe for searching for the idol as he goes out and searches for the idol himself, hence explaining his current thoughts and predicament.
He brings in Cole to help him figure out the idol clue, swelling in a brief moment of triumph as he finds it. While one could argue he could have a neutral or even positive edit, he does immediately start insisting that he’ll have to bury his idol friend, Cole, if he believes he’s going to use the information against him. He’s been edited as a villain from the start, and his duplicitous thoughts make it hard for him to get a purely positive edit, hence his complex mix this episode.
Ryan Ulrich (CP5): For all intents and purposes, it’s the Ryan Show early on in Survivor season 35. Not only is he dictating the mood and stories of camp, but he’s been thrown into pre-challenge confessionals about establishing a bond with Chrissy down the line. He’s making weird birthday allegories at Tribal Council. He’s been boosted by Devon as someone who’s company can be enjoyed, and has a meeting of the minds with Ali. My only concerned is that he’s shown off too much too early for a winner’s edit.
Ali Elliott (CP4): With the Hustlers tribe going to Tribal Council in Survivor season 35 episode 2, Ali’s early tidbits of strategy now need to come into practice. She talks about how she can work with many personalities, how she can mold Simone to be loyal, how she might have to cut Patrick if he destroys her game, then balances out her options in her final confessional and speaks about what’s good for a personal game at Tribal Council.
At this point, Ali’s in contention for a potential winner’s edit, although her partnership with the bombastic Patrick might tank her game in the long run. It’s a storyline to keep tabs on.
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Chrissy Hofbeck (CP4): After it was edited to show a dire make-or-break situation for Chrissy, Survivor season 35 episode 2 is all about showing her in control. She mentions she can use the fake idol to sway people down the road while noting the cracks in the tribe’s dynamics. Her second confessional is all about figuring out where she should sit within the tribe’s dynamics.
She then, while talking about her actuary profession, breaks down the data while talking about every single member of her tribe and how they fit into her plan. She sees Ben as the best option as the data shows Ashley could still be in that tight alliance with JP, Alan has too much heat and doesn’t see JP as smart enough. She’s sitting well with everyone in her tribe, and that will take her far in a game where she’s perceived by outside tribes as on the outs.
Lauren Rimmer (CP4): I absolutely loved Lauren’s edit in this episode. Not only did we get to see her talk about tribe dynamics and her distaste for Patrick’s antics, but we saw her personal struggle with not wanting to be excluded as the oldest member of the tribe. We later see her try to align with Simone because at least she listens over the unpredictable Patrick. Although she had just two confessionals, she was a key cog in today’s episode from camp discussions to Tribal Council eye-roll reaction GIF material.
Ben Driebergen (CP3): Whereas Ben was previously sitting in the middle of two exploding sides in the premiere, he was dictating just how broken the tribe was right before the opening credits and them. It’s every man for themselves now, as he relays his input on ditching a partnership with Alan to go with Chrissy. They’re shown as equals in their alliance, and both seem to complement each other well enough to go far in this game.
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Cole Medders (CP3): Cole didn’t even get a confessional in the premiere episode, but it was clear by his tribe’s comments that he’s well-liked. Now he’s pursuing Jessica, falling in love, helps Joe find an idol and talks about Wilderness Therapy job as a means to help others. He’s talking about wanting to obtain influence in Survivor while mixing in parts of his personal life; an excellent mix for a complex character.
Middle of the Road
Devon Pinto (MOR3): Devon’s most valuable move right now is to be likable enough for Ryan to choose to partner with him. He’s still in the middle of strategy conversations, but so far he’s been serving the narrative of others. Here, he talks about how Simone needs to go with an obvious bait-and-switch stinger after the Immunity Challenge, except it actually happens. He heaps praise onto Ryan in his talks with him. Right now, Devon is a perfect sidekick character that may develop into something stronger down the road, as he’s still in the middle of the fray.
Ashley Nolan (MOR2): Outside of saying that Alan is off his hinges, Ashley’s focus in this episode is trying to downplay that she and JP aren’t a power couple. You can tell by the way the edit cuts into repeated downplaying that not everyone’s buying it, as both sides prepare for an inevitable faceoff of Alan vs. the non-couple.
JP Hilsabeck (MOR2): In addition to providing for the camp with some fishing, JP talks about how he doesn’t like to get involved with chaos and that he’ll have to sit down with everyone in camp in order to straighten them out (and things like that). Simply put, because he’s part of the storyline he has to be inserted at MOR status, but he’s far too plain with little insight to provide to be considered complex in this episode.
Over the Top
Patrick Bolton (OTTN4): What a lunatic Sir Patrick of House Bolton was in Survivor season 35 episode 2! Ali has her doubts about staying with him, Lauren outright wants him gone (even though she didn’t vote for him), Ryan has his concerns about reliability, the man is out fighting crabs and yelling at the top of his lungs.
Patrick thinks that keeping the tribe entertained will keep the target off his back. Unfortunately, acting like a class clown still requires the clown makeup; a vibrant setup for a tribe of six (now five) that makes it hard to blend in.
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Under the Radar
Alan Ball (UTRN2): Although Alan gave one of the post-Tribal confessionals about how he got what he wanted in creating chaos, it’s more of a follow-up on the efforts of his first episode. Beyond that, we see very little of him outside of competing for (and collecting) the Immunity Idol, and the rest of the tribe talks down to him like they can’t trust him in confessionals With Heroes avoiding Tribal Council this time, Alan’s been given an episode to cool down.
Jessica Johnston (UTR2): So far, Jessica has been used by the editors to push Cole Medders as the “Golden Boy” of the season. She gets a lovely little cut at the beginning of the Healers segment, showing the blossoming moments of wooing each other over. It’s not a good look from a strategic or winners standpoint, but if Cole remains influential in the game, she could go far enough to turn things around later.
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Mike Zahalsky (UTR2): After a fairly visible edit in the premiere, one where he gets a fair bit of focus about his family and the will to win, we barely see anything of Mike in this episode. He’s not part of the ongoing drama yet, although Joe keeps him in mind. He’s getting along well with his tribe, asking more about Desi, but this episode’s edit serves more as a cool down. He’s still a possible winner in my eyes.
Desi Williams (UTR1): There’s certainly an interesting character in Desi, but the editors must have a reason why they’re not showing more of this Miss Virginia winner and Miss USA top 10 participant. In this episode, she is asked more about that aspect of her life, while Joe jokes to Mike that they’re on the Beauty tribe instead! Plus, she’s still hustling and in the middle of challenge editing, helping her escape from the Invisible edit.
Invisible
Roark Luskin: Man, what a sad early burial in the editing room for Roark. She seemed to be pointing the Hustlers to victory in a subdued premiere edit, but beyond some reaction shots and a blur from swearing after winning the Immunity Challenge, she was nowhere to be found. The fact that she described the vibe of the Healers tribe in the premiere keeps her from ducking into unwinnable territory, but we need to see more of her very soon.
Storylines to Watch
- Patrick versus Lauren: Lauren could find herself in a hot spot if she creates a rift within the Hustlers tribe.
- Joe versus Jessicole: The premiere for the next episode showed Cole distrusting Joe after earning the power of the tribe. A conflict could be on the horizon.
- Chrissy and Ben make a move: There’s no way we have this much setup about Chrissy and Ben’s surveying of the land and their partnership for it not to pay off.
Survivor season 35 episode 3, “My Kisses Are Very Private,” airs Wednesday, October 11 at 8 p.m. ET.