Survivor Edge of Extinction: Ranking the top five players of the season

5) Lauren O’Connell

I find that Gavin and Lauren played similar games. They both flew under the radar and their closest ally was a bigger threat and more responsible for the moves that they made together. However, Lauren lost her closest ally in Wentworth fairly early in the merge.

After finding an idol, it felt like the edit regulated Lauren as a number for Wentworth to work with. Lauren later made it clear that she was her own player as she played a remarkable social game.

The obvious relationship we saw her build was with Julie, and she would have been the perfect player for Lauren to sit next to at the end. She picked up on that fact and pulled off an amazing move at the Final Six by convincing Gavin, and in extension Victoria, to switch their vote from Julie to Aurora.

Not only did this help Lauren, but it also prevented Gavin and Victoria from having an extra number to work with. Lauren even formed tight bonds with Victoria and Gavin, building an alliance with them. I found it interesting the Lauren, not Victoria would be the one to explain certain voting plans to Gavin.

That really underscores how quick Lauren was able to build helpful social relationships even without spending the pre-merge game with these players. Her only downfall was her mistrust in Chris. After holding onto her idol for so long, Chris deceived her into using it for him, leaving Lauren vulnerable at the Final Five Tribal Council.