Survivor Island of the Idols episode 13 power rankings: Insurrectile Dysfunction

5. Dean Kowalski

Most of the time in Survivor, making a big move might not be the smartest decision in the long-term scheme of things. Being flashy early in the game for the sake of building a resumé is a quick way to get yourself voted out before making it to the end even with a huge alliance, but sometimes, making a pivotal play to flip the game changes the foundation heading to the end.

Dean Kowalski didn’t play to win when he told Tommy at Tribal Council how Noura, Elaine, and Karishma were planning to blindside him. He played to become the fifth in a four-person alliance as just like Noura, he didn’t tell Tommy of the plan until the very last minute. He threw those three under the bus, virtually guaranteeing not receiving votes from three out of eleven potential jury members.

Dean opted to make a move not to rock the boat but to stay with the numbers in hopes of maybe winning immunity to the Final Three. Unfortunately, that doesn’t get the respect of the jury, as he has proven time and time again he lacks in a social game, hasn’t made a strategic play outside of Kellee’s idol play (something she will negate on the jury) and hasn’t played to win.