Survivor Ghost Island edgic episode 9: Two horse race

With so much emphasis on a few standout characters, the Survivor Ghost Island episode 9 edgic continues to narrow the field down to a select few.

This past episode of Survivor Ghost Island was a mixed bag. We finally saw Angela take a big step forward, we saw Michael take a huge step backward, and saw a bunch of people sit in the middle. It’s emblematic of the season, one where just a few players are shown working the game while the rest are reactionary or worse; blindsided.

By highlighting several players in reinforcing their types of game, it helps further illustrate who’s really playing for the long haul of Survivor Ghost Island, especially as Jeff Probst starts needling players about the new jury format and players vs. floaters dynamic. I’m not certain if he thinks he’s replacing Julie Chen for Big Brother, but the meta-commentary this far ahead of the actual Final Tribal Council will help foreshadow which side of the arena players will be sitting.

Here is our Survivor Ghost Island episode 9 edgic chart, with the third contender barely holding on:

Winner Contenders

Wendell Holland (CPM5): For the third-straight episode in a row, Wendell was pushed to the forefront with mixed results. He’s been shown with bad initial reads of players’ minds or capabilities (Chris not having an idol, Laurel not being concerned about him), but ultimately gets away with it. Were it not for the negativity surrounding Domenick overall this season, Wendell would be following his footsteps. Right now, though, he’s still game aware enough not to use an idol on himself.

Domenick Abbate (MOR3): Speaking of meta-commentary, Domenick purposefully took a step back this episode to play the role of mediator as opposed to a dictator. Despite everyone bowing to his will at the merge and him being the second possible voting target, he’s obtained his requisite cooldown episode, keeping him on pace as one of the two realistic possible winners of Survivor Ghost Island.

Kellyn Bechtold (MOR2): Kellyn blended closer to the middle of the pack this episode, admittedly getting her result in spite of Michael playing an idol on himself. Despite maintaining the “Naviti Strong” mantra, Kellyn’s level of game awareness is fading hard, and we still don’t see the bonds of alliances forming to get her to the end. If she doesn’t pull off a big episode next week, she might lose her winner contender status.

Complex Personalities

Angela Perkins (CPP4): Despite having a disastrous edit up until this episode, Angela got a huge post-merge-episode push in Survivor Ghost Island episode 9 that makes me feel she makes it to the finale episode. Her dominant eating challenge prowess, her social manipulation of Michael’s attempted social play, her praise given to her by others in Tribal and camp; she’s vaulted many players who have been sidelined since the merge.

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Laurel Johnson (CP4): Laurel is an advanced version of Angela in that she’s knowledgeable about her position in the game, knows who’s ahead of her and knows that she needs to make a big move against them, but doesn’t take it. Logically, she and Donathan should stick with Wendell and Domenick as Malolo is picked apart, but she’s still feeding into the highlighted “coattail-rider” mentality brought up at Tribal. She can’t win if she’s with Dom/Wendell, but she needs them to avoid getting picked off before she can make a move. It’s a tragic dilemma.

Michael Yerger (CP4): Once again, Michael has been given the underdog edit and saves himself once more at the sacrifice of another. To be fair, this is the first time that he’s actually stuck “Malolo Strong” since being removed from power, being the sole vote for Wendell (a Naviti player). He’s still getting a winning edit, but considering he’s out of idols, target No. 1 and a poor challenge competitor (outside of eating food), the logic part of his edgic suggests he’s going home in a week or two.

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Libby Vincek (CP3): Poor Libby. Despite not having a good read on the game, she’s been maligned ever since voting out Morgan Ricke as part of James’ plan. Painted as the blonde not to be trusted, so many people convinced themselves that she could charm her way whenever she pleases. Despite receiving votes in each Tribal Council she visited, she was taken out as the threat she never truly was.

Middle of the Road

Jenna Bowman (MOR3): Despite Ghost Island being a brief respite of camp life and an engaging chance to get a player’s perspective with a day’s worth of self-reflection, Jenna had the most blasé experience yet. Just like with the Exile Island twists of the past, the visiting of Ghost Island has become a chore when presented with middling players that are drawing dead when it comes to a winner’s edit. Who is Jenna? What happened to her showmance with Sebastian?

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Donathan Hurley (MOR3): It’s been clear for some time that Donathan’s Survivor Ghost Island experience is about his transformation as a person, as he’s constantly fifth-wheeled in a four-person alliance. We do get to see a bit of his perspective with Laurel, and that duo is one of the stronger duos of the game. However, any chance he steps up strategically at the merge to complement his overwhelming personal content is gone.

Under the Radar

Sebastian Noel (UTR1): For the third week in a row, Sebastian has become almost completely absent from the story of this game. Even in the episode where his best buddy, Chris, was in the spotlight, we saw him vote out his best friend and got no reason why he did that. Perhaps the editors are hiding the showmance that has spread beyond the show purposefully? Maybe he quits? I don’t understand why the goofiest character in the game is so invisible.

Desiree Afuye (UTR1): Another week, another subdued edit for Desiree. We know she’s a “Naviti Strong” acolyte, yet Kellyn continues to be the Survivor Ghost Island ringleader for that storyline. Based on the “Next Time On” preview for the upcoming episode, we know that she’s in the middle of a chaotic storm of misinformation, but with Desiree not calling the shots, she’s in the background once again.

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Chelsea Townsend (UTR2): While the UK’s royal family grows, Survivor royalty expands in its own right with the Queen of Sitting, Chelsea Townsend. She’s officially received fewer confessionals than J.P. in a similar episodic framing, reaching the vaunted Survivor Philippines Carter status of surprise jury threats that we hear nothing about during the airing of the show.