Survivor season 35 episode 12 edgic: Up in flames

We’re 33 days into season 35, Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers, and the Survivor edgic still isn’t clear about who wins the game after the latest distraction edit.

There’s been a prevailing theme of Survivor season 35, Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers, that has defined the post-merge gameplay; secrecy. The more you are open with your fellow castaways, the more open you become to betrayal. Lauren Rimmer was making her way into the Final Tribal Council until suddenly, her secrets became open season and Ben’s were kept close to the chest.

This means that it took twelve episodes before my top Survivor edgic winner contender for season 35 was eliminated; a feat that shouldn’t happen if you’re paying attention to the editing. However, the chaotic final third of this season, as promised by Jeff, may be the reason why it’s near impossible to pick a winner; it’s hard to craft a winning edit with so many variables in play so late in the game.

Here is my Survivor season 35 episode 12 edgic chart. A note; I previously mentioned that I would keep four contenders in each episode regardless of the chances of the fourth player, but that has been quickly abandoned (for reasons to be explained).

Complex Personalities

Ben Driebergen (CPN4): The way this season has gone so far, I’m hedging my bets on a non-traditional winner’s edit a la Cagayan. Ben fits the bill as a player willing to do everything he can to stay alive in the game, even to the negative detriment of his fellow castaways. He is the only player who had remained secretive in a game of secrets and has lived to play another day because of it.

That said, he’s still the number one target in the game right now, but if he makes it another week, he’s obtained too many winner’s edit credits. Multiple players have said they’d vote for him in the end, he’s gotten the positive edits to complement his negativity and he’s been complex the entire season.

Chrissy Hofbeck (CPN4): Suddenly, Chrissy has found herself back in with a really outside chance to win. Her rivalry with Ben is noted by all, she’s bitter, but she’s still showing off a fighting spirit. She’s got this underdog play about her, meaning that if she’s sitting beside Ben at the Final Tribal Council, depending on how bitter the jury is towards Ben (and who’s on that jury), she can sneak in a contested win. Plus, she’s still hustling with her strategic talk.

However, the editing has just painted her as a player unaware of their portrayal in the game. Ben’s right in that she paints others to be the villain when they wrong her, but in some cases, those blissfully unaware have won their seasons. The fact that she’s willing to make her game be completely about taking out Ben, yet was found willing to target Ashley in this next vote, shows that she’s willing to bury the hatchet and make a big move that will favor her game.

Ashley Nolan (CP2): Ashley’s certainly got self-awareness for days, and you can certainly hear the sense of urgency in her limited, but poignant, confessionals this last episode. She’s the one who’s been calling for Ben to be voted out since the previous episode, and her wish would have come true if he didn’t play an idol.

However, her overall edit is not good for a winner’s pick per Survivor edgic standards. She spent both confessionals wondering if she’s made any big movez yet, Chrissy brought her on the reward because she seemed the most vulnerable to flip and her strategic confessionals are often the starting point of other people’s debates, not her conversation that she holds.

Middle of the Road

Lauren Rimmer (MOR3): What an absolute bummer. She clearly got the biggest distraction edit in recent Survivor history, as her post-merge content proved to be too imbalanced to maintain towards a Final Tribal Council appearance.

If she were to return again, she’d need to avoid falling into the trap so many had fallen into previously; becoming overconfident. Giving away half of her idol, not using her double vote advantage when her most trusted confidant openly stated he’d vote against her; she got humbled as much as the fanbase was this past episode.

Mike Zahalsky (MOR3): Despite being in the middle of everyone’s conversations this past week, there’s still too much chaos surrounding Mike. He must have absorbed Cole’s secret-sharing powers when Cole was eliminated, as he continues to make a splash by letting people know what others are plotting against them.

Plus, after throwing Lauren’s idol in the fire, Mike might be playing a flashy, splashy game for the jurors, knowing that he won’t likely win the million dollars. Still, depending on how chaotic others make this week’s Tribal Council, he may find himself making it to the finale still in the game.

Live Feed

Betsided

Devon Pinto (MOR2): In the land of weasels, badgers, bears and coconuts, Devon’s unconventional under-the-radar style of gameplay may see him through to victory. The biggest problem is that another player has finally caught on to his comfort level within the game, and the fact that it’s the most chaotic player, Mike, catching on may ruin his game.

At the last Immunity Challenge, Devon openly threw it for a backrub from Ashley. It showed the level of confidence in his safety that stings to those without power and is the exact thing the Survivor editors love to punish. However, another theme of this season is about others suffering punishment on behalf, so we could see Ashley go home to break up their power dynamic.

That is, if Ben doesn’t go home immediately.

Ryan Ulrich (UTR2): For the first time all season, Ryan’s edit has been under the radar. Ever since the edit, he’s been taking a back seat, despite having more confessionals than several players of this season combined.

Next: Survivor Winners: Ranking All 34 Sole Survivors By Season

Paired with how much he’s been compared to things like weasels this season, I’m convinced that we could see Ryan go home tonight by some wild variable, such as a secret advantage or a rock draw. No player gets as big a push before the merge, still be part of the main gameplay, yet get such a quiet edit in the second half.