Although original Vokai has an overall majority, the tribe swap in Survivor: Island of the Idols also helped a few Lairo members, improving their position in the game.
Unlike the odd tribe expansion results in Edge of Extinction, the swap in this season of Survivor actually mixed up the tribes to the fullest extent possible. Lairo lost another member, but the dynamics are starting to shift, opening the door up for alliances across original tribal lines. As a result, several castaways greatly benefited from the swap, especially these five.
Jamal Shipman (New Lairo)
Previous situation:
Although Jamal wasn’t in immediate trouble with original Vokai, he certainly had an early scare. When he thought he would be playing a slow-moving, safe game to start the season, Jamal was completely blindsided at his first Tribal Council.
He was aligned with Jack and Molly, and this trio was immediately viewed as a serious threat to the game. Being left out of the Molly vote was like a warning shot across the bow. It did seem like Jamal rekindled his relationships with his tribe and adapted to the surprise Survivor threw at him, but it’s hard to tell for sure because they never went to another Tribal Council.
Current situation:
On the new Lairo tribe, Jamal might not be on a team that’s built for winning challenges, but he’s in the clear majority, which you couldn’t say before. With two original Lairo members on his tribe, plus Noura, Jamal isn’t in trouble at all. With Jack by his side, Jamal could start to work on strengthening his own core alliance.