The Final 10 castaways of Survivor SA: Island of Secrets duke it out while still trying to keep one foot in the majority alliance.
Although a strong sense of trust and loyalty have always been a big part of Survivor SA, the latest season has had several dramatic blindsides so far. Taking out Seipei was a huge move that significantly impacts the existing alliances. Here are our rankings of the final ten players entering this week’s episode.
10) Danté De Villiers
Danté is the only player to be on the wrong side of the votes in every single Tribal Council since the merge. It’s clear that he doesn’t have the relationships to sway the votes, but this past episode also proved that he doesn’t have the awareness to know when his plan isn’t going to work.
9) Mmaba Molefe
This week’s episode will reveal a lot about Mmaba’s fate. Will she continue to be on the outs looking in, or will the crumbling Amigos alliance give way for Mmaba to join a new majority?
8) Laetitia Le Roux
Similar to last week, Laetitia received serious consideration as someone to vote out, but with Seipei gone, that train has passed. The focus should continue to shift to taking out the bigger threats, which will give Laetitia a longer life in this game.
7) Jacques Burger
Ever since he lost Ting Ting, it’s hard for me to pinpoint Jacques’ closest ally. Seipei’s desire to bring him to the Final Three shed a ton of light on that, especially the fact that Rob felt like he had to leave Jacques out of the plan to blindside Seipei. With her out of the picture and Rob plotting to blindside Jacques before he plays his idol, things are not looking good for Jacques.
6) Steffi Brink
The edit hasn’t given us too much of Steffi’s strategic side during this post-merge game. We know she’s in the majority and has roots with Rob and Nicole, but she doesn’t seem particularly close with anyone strategically. Steffi might have problems once the Danté’s and Mmaba’s are out of the game.
5) Cobus Hugo
At this point, Cobus is in the same boat as Steffi. He’s in tight with the majority and is a valued member of the alliance, but I’m not too sure if he has the numbers to stay in the game once there’s only six or seven left. Plus, I’m still puzzled at his vote for Durão at the last Tribal Council, although I’m hoping there was a good reason for it and the edit simply didn’t have room to sneak it in.
4) Nicole Capper
Geoffrey paid dearly for his blindside on Nathan. However, it looks like Nicole has officially recovered. She now possesses a full Hidden Immunity Idol, she’s tight with Rob, and her target level has dropped immensely. Nicole has officially replaced Seipei as the strongest female player in the game, with a serious shot at making the end.
3) Mike Ventor
Willingly voting off his closest ally was tough, but Mike saw the payoff when the Sa’ula four were willing to turn on each other and vote out Seipei, the “puppet master.” Having her out of the way opens the game up for Mike. Now the threat of the Amigos turning on him as the numbers dwindle is less of a concern, weakening Rob’s hold over the game.
2) Durão Mariano
As Rob’s relationship with Durão blossoms, Durão’s power within the alliance is growing. His great social game is paying off, while still playing a low-key game without raising any eyebrows. He’s in a great position to make a run to the Final Three but needs time to pad his resume along the way.
1) Rob Bentele
Was blindsiding one of his closest allies a wise decision? It looks like it will help his short-term game more than his long-term prospects. Without Seipei there to pick a target, Rob can call the shots, focusing on the players who pose the biggest threats to his game.
That said, with Seipei gone, Rob has nowhere to hide. Seipei was indeed controlling the votes, but you can’t ignore Rob’s power over each Tribal Council. Danté’s inability to get the numbers to vote out Rob is a testament to his exceptionally strong social game. We’ll just have to see how long his social game will hold up before his threat level becomes too obvious.