Survivor Ghost Island edgic for Final 8: Ghost of a chance

We are approaching the final days of Survivor Ghost Island, with the Final Eight reaching an inevitable boiling point over the Naviti Strong and the core alliance.

Sorry, edgic fans! We ran out of time last week to do our edgic deep dive into the episode and season at large, but we more than covered what happened in recaps and opinion pieces. One thing did shift; Domenick has stepped forward a lot over the attempted sabotage by Desiree, and Kellyn’s insistence on knowing she wouldn’t betray her (a falsehood) has taken her out of winning contention.

Pretty much as it’s been since the merge, Survivor Ghost Island is a two-horse race, except now Wendell’s losing the steam he once had. After stepping forward and receiving confessionals necessary to take him to third for the season, he’s been either under the radar or out on making key decisions at smaller five-person Tribal Councils. Domenick’s earlier negativity is unchecked with positivity towards someone else, making it clearer by the day that he’s primed to win the season.

Here’s our updated edgic chart as of Survivor Ghost Island episode 11:

Winner Contenders

Domenick Abbate (CP5): The theme of this season is “one bad decision can haunt you forever.” Domenick hasn’t gone to Ghost Island yet, but the only reason there’s any other winner contender than him at this point in the season is because of that message. We’ve seen very few curses reversed, and players in the minority go home in opposition to the “Naviti Strong” mentality.

Now that there are eight players left in the game, Domenick can convince Sebastian that an all-girls alliance is coming after the men to bring the numbers to their side in a 5-3 vote, take out the Kellyn-led Naviti players and walk his way to victory. However, with a fire-making challenge and a very capable partner in crime, he could take one bad step near the end of the game.

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Wendell Holland (MOR3): Though he didn’t stay invisible this episode, once again, Wendell was shown making a wrong call on someone in the game. He suspected Michael had an idol and was actively working Laurel to let her know to throw votes Kellyn’s way. Thankfully, Domenick pulled him back at the last second, but Wendell’s been seen making incorrect statements all season.

To Wendell’s credit, the only one giving him any negativity is Laurel, but that comes from the idea of taking him out as a threat. Michael was the one throwing votes his way too, but now he’s out of the game. Wendell has an impeccable social game, and he can secure an Adam Klein-esque middle of the road win if things fall into place going forward.

Complex Personalities

Laurel Johnson (CP3): Laurel was one of the few people to be at least partially involved in both Tribal Council situations, helping Donathan with his side and working her way to safety in her own. Kellyn still wants Laurel out if her number one target, Michael, had an idol, playing her extra vote against her to force a tie vote.

Laurel will likely be the “Naviti Strong” target in this episode, but we will likely see the Dom-Wendell-Laurel-Donathan alliance come out to represent and truly draw a line in the sane. Laurel might have to start making moves on her own if she wants to build up a competitive endgame resume.

Donathan Hurley (CP4): Speaking of, Donathan went out and tried to make a gameplay move once again, but it failed pretty badly. Even though in theory an idol play makes absolute sense, it only works if you have a partner you can trust and who will vote with you. Had Donathan played his idol on Jenna, who voted for him, Angela and Sebastian would have sent Donathan home on a re-vote. Now he’s out an idol and still relying on others to carry him in the game. That’s not a winning resume.

Michael Yerger (CP3): Gotta give credit where credit’s due; Michael almost talked his way out of another elimination. By telling Kellyn he straight up had an idol hours before Tribal Council, he fed into her fears and cast doubt on the situation. Unfortunately, Domenick and Wendell saw right through the charade and threw votes his way, sending him home. Michael Yerger is destined to return the first chance Survivor brings back returning players.

Over the Top

Kellyn Bechtold (OTTN4): Though she still holds the strategic acumen of a complex player, the editors really highlighted her one-note “Naviti Strong” mentality and reflected it in the reactions of players like Domenick. “Kellyn might be losing it a little bit…” “Kellyn, who gets super emotional…” Kellyn mentioned being “very, very scared” all episode, despite being in power. Glances at Kellyn after being told, “Not to panic.” I believe Kellyn is being set up for a tremendous fall, cementing her “one bad decision” shot that lingered when she visited Ghost Island both times.

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Middle of the Road

Sebastian Noel (MOR2): Sebastian took the lead on strategic conversations for the Jenna Tribal Council, but as you could tell from the decidedly brief Tribal, he didn’t have much to say other than the straightforward play. He’s had awesome, game-aware confessionals, yet they’re not making it to air. Sebastian is being played up for laughs, and that will be his role until he is voted out of the game or taken to the end as a goat.

Jenna Bowman (MORN3): All you had to do was follow the damn train, CJ commit to voting out Sebastian with Donathan in a way to convince him. Instead, you bad-talked one of the few people in the game looking out for your best interests, sending you to jury immediately and without the chance to clean up first.

Under the Radar/Invisible

Chelsea Townsend (UTR2): I’m seriously convinced that Chelsea either quits or is screwed by a twist because her edit so far has been officially more subdued than Purple Kelly! Even after winning her second-straight Immunity Necklace, we heard barely anything from her this episode. Based on the answers she gave at Tribal Council, though, there may be a reason why; she’s not very entertaining. She’s more entertaining than some past winners, but those winners were at least visible.

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Angela Perkins (INV): I had to look back and see if Angela said anything this episode. She got one whole sentence, and the camera panned away from her before she completed it! With eight players left in the game and just four other people at Tribal Council, it’s unbelievably bad to be this invisible.