4. Sophie Clarke
While Sophie has not been on Survivor in nearly twenty seasons she was still among the youngest contestants in Winners at War. Being a part of a season that was sort of a blend of old school and new school Survivor may have helped Sophie navigate the unique tribal dynamics.
There were quite a few underrated champs that came into Winners at War and played well, but Sophie was clearly the best of that group. Many fans viewed Sophie as a “lower-tier” winner who was simply the most logical person on an alliance filled with extreme personalities. In season 40, she proved that she could succeed and dominate against a full cast of experienced players.
It didn’t take long to figure out the Sophie knew the delicate balance of forming strategic bonds without playing too aggressive. She immediately saw eye to eye with Yul and they formed a partnership. Together, they were able to bring Nick and Wendell in, as well as maintaining a working relationship with the Game Changers trio. Even Kim saw Sophie as her closest ally, giving her half of the idol.
She kept on developing a strong social web even after the swap. As a part of Yara, the expansion tribe, Sophie spent a ton of time with Sarah. That’s actually when Sophie found her Hidden Immunity Idol. Telling Sarah about finding that idol reinforced their bond. Sophie didn’t stop there. She took advantage of being in a small tribe and built a good relationship with Ben as well.
When it came to the merge, Sophie had her artillery ready. The strong social bonds she spent time building in the first half of the season set up her strategic game for the second half. She was able to tactfully influence the first merge vote by pushing for Wendell to go. Not only did she eliminate a serious threat who just betrayed Yul, but she weakened Jeremy in the process. At the Final Ten Tribal Council, she took charge and pulled her alliance aside to ensure they could flush Kim’s idol and still take out a big name like Tyson.
Sophie was in complete control without being overbearing. That caught the attention of the future Survivor king, as Tony formulated a foolproof plan to blindside Sophie with an idol in her pocket. Although she was eliminated in ninth place, Sophie played enough time to prove she could take control over a returnee season, which is not an easy task. The fact that it took one of the best players of all time to notice her dominance and vote her off isn’t the worst way to leave Fiji.
Highs:
– Forming early alliances on Dakal to secure her position moving forward
– Finding a Hidden Immunity Idol and using it to build trust with Sarah
– Building strong social connections early on in the season
– Controlling several votes without making to too obvious that she was running the show
– Making bold statements at Tribal Council to get to the truth
– Creating a textbook example of how to successfully flush an idol
Lows:
– Losing her Day 1 ally in Yul right before the merge
– Sarah revealing to Tony that Sophie had an idol
– Getting completely blindsided with an idol in her pocket