After the first true blindside of Survivor 50, the gameplay is finally starting to heat up. While all 19 remaining players are "playing to win Survivor 50," there are four players who are actually showing how they plan to win the game.
Obviously, this is going to be a little tilted toward a handful of players who have lost every challenge and had to actually vote out players, but there are a few others who have made moves in other parts of the game to set themselves up for success. Like, we've seen some players playing a lot harder than others, and that's the group I want to highlight. These are not the players that I think are most likely to win Survivor 50, although there is some crossover among the lists.
Christian Hubicki
If there's one player who has been the star of Survivor 50, it's Christian Hubicki. He's been causing chaos and dictating votes since the first days out in Fiji. He's been to every Tribal Council, and he's been on the right side of every vote so far. That's a sign of power in Survivor, and there's no doubt Christian has the most power in the game in terms of testing his alliances.
The problem for Christian right now is that everyone can see how hard he is playing. In new era Survivor, it's important to keep as low of a profile as possible for as long as possible. As soon as people emerge as threats, players try to vote them out. They aren't always successful, but after voting out an ally in Mike White, Christian will have a target on his back moving forward.
Genevieve Mushaluk
Genevieve Mushaluk is also playing a very interesting game to start Survivor 50. She was part of a solid alliance when the game started, and she's the only player who has already found two Billie Eilish Boomerang Idols. If Ozzy Lusth or Rizo Velovic are voted out without playing the idols, they will boomerang back to Genevieve giving her a huge advantage in the game.
Not only does she have an interest in getting those idols, but she also knows, assuming she has figured out that Aubry Bracco has the other idol, where the idols are in the game. She might not know everything, but she has a good read on the overall game so far. The key for Genevieve, as we saw on her season, is not making a mistake too early and emerging as the top threat in the game. She's easily one of the most strategically sound players in Survivor 50. Now, she just has to survive long enough to make some big moves.
Cirie Fields
Cirie Fields started out on a bad note in Survivor 50 by absolutely tanking the first challenge for her tribe, but her charisma and connections have been able to keep her safe so far. Now, we haven't seen as much of Cirie playing the game as I would have liked, but her strengths are already on display. She can make anyone feel comfortable, heard, and cared for in a way that other players simply can't.
We already watched Cirie plan the seeds early in the season when she wanted a vote to go her way, and she got her way. That's how she does it, and that's showing me that she's ready to win this season. She has a lot of experience in this game, and she's going to need all of it as the game starts to heat up.
Ozzy Lusth
Ozzy Lusth came into Survivor 50 in a very weird spot. His social skills and strategic decisions have been his Achilles heel since he started playing the game. Now, it looks like Ozzy is trying to change that perception. He allied with Cirie, who will likely keep him around as long as possible. He's already given Cirie an advantage to prove his loyalty.
To me, while it might come back to bite him, is the right move from Ozzy. He's always fallen out with basically every alliance he's been apart of because they betrayed him in some form or fashion. He knows how impactful a solid duo can be in this game. His awareness is still a little suspect, but Ozzy is still athletic and strong enough to win challenges. He's more than pulling his weight at camp. I believe those three things, put together, prove that Ozzy is playing to win in Survivor 50.
Survivor 50 returns with a new episode on Wednesday, March 25, on CBS and Paramount+!