8. Nick Wilson
At first glance, some viewers might believe that Nick had a lackluster season. He definitely didn’t play as strong of a social game as he did in David vs. Goliath, but it would be ignorant to overlook his impact in Winners at War. In fact, Nick was actually the deciding vote in more Tribal Councils that anyone else in this season.
From voting out Parvati and Yul on new Sele, to writing Sophie, Kim, and Jeremy’s names down in the post-merge phase, Nick was that one vote that made all of those moves happen. He does lose points for all of those plans being spearheaded by either Tony or Wendell, but a lot of this season’s key moves wouldn’t have happened without Nick Wilson.
He showed the ability to maneuver between alliances to ensure he would be on the right side of the votes. It did cost him, as some castaways found it tough to trust Nick, but he made it all the way to the Final Six in an all-stars season. His lack of connections made it tough for him to break up Tony’s strong alliance once he realized how powerful they became and not even an advantage from the end could prevent his inevitable fate.
Highs:
– Building a solid alliance with Wendell, Yul and other Dakal members
– Surviving back to back votes in a five-person tribe just like he did in David vs. Goliath
– Being the determining vote in a few pivotal blindsides including the Sophie and Jeremy votes
– Winning Individual Immunity when he was in a vulnerable position
– Preventing Ben from winning immunity by playing an advantage he bought from the Edge
Lows:
– Getting his name on the chopping block several times
– Having that awkward moment when he tells Parvati that she was his high school crush
– Being seen as someone who was hard to trust at times
– Not being able to realize Tony and Sarah’s control until it was too late
– Lacking strategic moves that Nick made individually