Survivor SA Island of Secrets: Players to watch after episodes 1 & 2

Two episodes into season seven of Survivor: South Africa and we have already seen a few colorful characters and some strong strategic minds.

We are now over a week into the four-month-long Survivor offseason. Fortunately, there are a couple of good quality international versions lined up for this summer including South Africa’s latest season Island of Secrets.

After two episodes, tribe dynamics are starting to formulate and the Island of Secrets twist is starting to feel a lot like Ghost Island. Idols and advantages are already in play and that trend will probably continue. We take a look at one castaway from each tribe that has a chance to make it far in this season.

Warning: From here on out, this post will contain spoilers for episodes 1 and 2 of Survivor SA: Island of Secrets.

Jacques Burger – Ta’alo (purple tribe)

At this point, no one is in a better position than Jacques. He hasn’t had to go to Tribal Council yet, his tribe members seem to trust him and there are plenty of other players including Tania, Cobus, and Felix who have made themselves into bigger targets.

In terms of a long-term game, Jacques has a secret extra vote that he can use at the merge, plus a Hidden Immunity Idol that no one but him knows about. Unlike Felix, Jacques has demonstrated great game-awareness, being able to contain his emotions when dealing with Tania’s antics. He also understands the game well enough to come off as being an honorable team player while actually playing a solid individual game.

Nicole Capper – Sa’ula (teal/blue tribe)

The only person who seemed like a threat to Nicole was Lee-Anne due to their history. With that situation out of the way, Nicole has become the most secure player on her tribe. Her social game has been impeccable, building solid alliances with several different people.

She foremost has a tight pair with Steffi. In addition, she’s part of the Amigos alliance which includes Steffi, Nathan, and Rob. The two guys are super loyal, so Nicole’s position in the game is solid.

This week’s episode showed that she’s conscious of the social politics going on around her. She first realized that Steffi also committed to Nathan, moving her to be cautious with her “number one” ally. She also understood the value of forming a sub-alliance inside of the Amigos. Nicole possesses a social and strategic game good enough to make it deep.

Mike Venter – Laumei (orange tribe)

We haven’t seen too much of the orange tribe so far, but Mike stands out as someone who can take control of this game. Although he committed to Rocco’s four men alliance, Mike wasn’t satisfied with his position. He saw Rocco coming on too strong too early, feeling that he could find more trustworthy allies.

As a result, Mike formed a different four-person alliance with Geoffrey, Rose-Lee, and Mmaba. He also has a solid relationship with Geoffrey who is part of both alliances as well. If someone is going to make a big move on this tribe, it’s going to be Mike.