7. Kim Spradlin
Similar to Nick, the Sole Survivor from One World was never able to find her footing in the same way she did her first season. The key difference between these two Dakal members is that Kim had a far bigger target to dodge. It went so far that nobody wanted to be seen talking to her before Dakal’s first Tribal Council.
Towards the end of the pre-swap phase, Kim began to gain some traction with Sophie and Sarah, plus she found a Hidden Immunity Idol. When the tribes switched from two to three, Kim emerged into an even better position as a swing vote between two Dakal members and two Sele. She made her second straight merge in decent shape, with a Dakal majority and a few big names to act as shields.
Kim proved to be a big force in the Adam vote and was beginning to get closer to Sarah and Sophie. In fact, Kim mentioned on RHAP that people actually became worried that she was going to create another all-female alliance. That changed when they decided it was time to flush Kim’s idol. She incorrectly played it for Denise, watching her ally Tyson go back to the Edge of Extinction.
It just went downhill from there. She reconnected with Sophie, only for Tony to blindside her the next Tribal Council. Then, when she ended up needing Individual Immunity the most, she stepped off for peanut butter and wasn’t able to rally enough troops to stay alive. It was far from a perfect performance, but the fact she was able to fight from the bottom and make it five Tribal Councils into the merge with her stellar reputation is an impressive feat!
Highs:
– Setting the record for most career Individual Immunity wins by a female contestant with five
– Surviving her first Tribal Council despite being clearly left out of the loop
– Building real relationships with Sophie, Sarah and Denise
– Finding a Hidden Immunity Idol and convincing Sophie to give her the second half
– Making it all the way to the Final Eight in spite of the large target on her back
Lows:
– Getting the silent treatment ahead of the first Tribal Council
– Sophie informing her alliance that Kim found an idol
– Playing her Hidden Immunity Idol incorrectly
– Stepping down from a crucial Immunity Challenge for peanut butter and cookies
– Never being able to get a firm grasp on the game