Survivor Ghost Island edgic episode 8: The die is cast

Despite a very entertaining Chris vs. Domenick merge episode, the Survivor Ghost Island edgic for episode 8 made this a tight race for a select few.

There have been a few modern seasons where the winner is unclear at the merge. For edgic, the joining of the tribes is one of the most important moments in determining who left can win Survivor that season, with the most predictable seasons having things more or less wrapped up by now.

For Survivor Ghost Island, it’s become a two-horse race, with just two other players clawing for an outside chance. Barring some sort of Natalie White-esque edit newly invented for this season, just a few players have consistently stuck out, gave personal content to the audience, gave winner quotes, haven’t disappeared for long segments and were introduced in the opening episode.

Here is our Survivor Ghost Island episode 8 edgic chart, with the third and fourth-place contenders remaining until their edits take them off completely.

Contenders

Wendell Holland (CP4): Literally the only player with a non-negative complex personality merge edit, Wendell has emerged as the strongest winner contender of Survivor Ghost Island. Not only has he displayed impeccable game awareness, but in an episode mostly about Chris and Domenick, he was given extra scenes such as him whipping the vote against Chris.

There’s a lot to like about his emerging chances, even though the majority of his very few confessionals are coming so late before (and during) the merge. One thing to remember is that he’s consistently had bad reads on players, including Chris having an idol this episode. If it doesn’t hurt him, it may bite someone close to him as the season progresses.

Domenick Abbate (CPN5): Domenick’s biggest task in the game has been accomplished. The merge was a battle of wits between him and Chris, and he played a bit flashy in his Legacy Advantage play. A huge question mark remains due to his negativity. He’s still getting the edge of negativity similar to Ben last season and a weaker Tony Vlachos, so he’s still in the realm of winning contention in a sea of nobodies.

Kellyn Bechtold (MOR3): It wasn’t so much that she excelled over Michael at the merge, but that Michael tanked so hard. Kellyn’s ideal mantra of “Naviti Strong” continues to be undercut by the edit, and was presented as an idea that failed to pick up steam. She doesn’t have the control in the game she thinks she has, and I’m concerned her edit is setting herself up for a fall via her extra vote.

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Michael Yerger (MOR2): Because this was the Chris vs. Domenick episode of Survivor Ghost Island, I’m willing to forgive Michael’s subdued episode. However, beyond excitement at the merge, he was mostly silent in an episode built to champion contenders starting out their individual game. I just don’t see the bonds forming around him necessary to build win equity.

Culled By The Merge

Laurel Johnson (UTR1): Any hopes of Laurel taking that crucial next step at the merge is all for naught. Ever since saying she would stop playing under the radar, she has consistently played that way, although her allegiances keep her close to Domenick, Wendell and Donathan. Six confessionals over eight episodes and a quiet merge (when she went to Tribal Council twice) means she’s lost her shot, in my eyes.

Donathan Hurley (UTR1): The concern over Donathan, from an edgic standpoint, was over his standing as a journey player or a contender. Since then, it’s been clear that Donathan is at the forefront when stepping up as a human and growing into a confident person within the game. I am super grateful to have gotten to know Donathan over these past weeks, but to me, his edit is more about growth than about victory.

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Chris Noble (CPN5): Man, what a hard loss at the merge. Never before have I seen such a sloppy merge episode from someone who supposedly thought they had all the power. After hearing Domenick yell his name out, Chris didn’t think to use the idol he just earned at Ghost Island from J.T.; a man who’s been cursed the most by idols. Somehow, taking ten players aside to the well and telling them what to do was a bad strategy to avoid the dictator perception. Who’d knew?

Deadit

Angela Perkins (UTR2): Despite almost being voted out because of her allegiance to Chris, her absence in this crucial episode where Chris went home shows just how little Angela’s story has to the Survivor Ghost Island season at large. She did get a question at Tribal Council opposed to Michael, which is funny to me.

Chelsea Townsend (UTR1): She took a metaphorical seat at the merge episode. She was almost invisible, too, were it not for the scene at the well. Her three total confessionals so far make me think she quits down the line; even J.P. wasn’t this purple!

Live Feed

Betsided

Desiree Afuye (MOR2): Even in the sub-voting plot of voting out Libby, Desiree was taking a back seat to Kellyn. If “Naviti Strong” is a dying storyline, if you’re still with it and not as the leader, you’re just representing the tribal game at the individual stage.

Jenna Bowman (MOR2): This episode saw Jenna talking with Libby and dissecting the correct decision for how the votes should be split. Considering once Stephanie left her story shifted to being showmantically close to Sebastian, the fact the two haven’t shared an important scene since (and are dating in real life) suggests the show is burying it for some reason. Whatever that is, her story not shining through kills her winning chances.

Libby Vincek (MOR3): Of all the Malolo players left in the game, it was somehow Libby that stuck out the most this episode. She was targetted as a voting option, and once Naviti comes to their senses, it will be the remaining Malolo players that become targets. Libby has been painted as untrustworthy by the edit too many times, and the audience hasn’t been given a reason to insist her game can save her in the future.

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Sebastian Noel (UTR1): At the merge, the most impactful thing Sebastian did was look like he was stoned in a Tribal Council zoom-in. Considering he voted out his closest ally, Chris, and we saw virtually nothing about that dynamic at the merge episode, it’s easy to say that Sebastian will not be winning Survivor Ghost Island.