Based on the early episodes of Survivor 47, one of the least likely winners of the competition would have been Andy Rueda.
Day one Andy was confused, both physically and psychologically. Right from the start, his social game was found wanting. He was way too aggressive and was mentally melting down, leading him to be outside of the Gata tribe.
It got worse for Andy. He then had a heat-exhaustion-induced medical emergency while standing on the sidelines watching his tribemates solve the immunity challenge puzzle. To make it worse, Gata lost the challenge, and the reason Andy was not voted out in the first tribal council was that his other tribe members were going after bigger perceived targets.
It got worse on Gata, as he was being kept on the outisde of key decisions, with Sam Phalen even choosing not to play his hidden immunity idol just so that Andy would not find out about it.
Coming of age and mastermind of Operation: Italy
The merge gave Andy a new lease on life. He has gone from strength to strength with each move, beginning with orchestrating the elimination of Sierra Wright. Since then, we could see the wheels turning and he has been a strategic player involved in the votes. With the final seven eliminating Kyle Ostwald, he then secured a place with the majority 'underdog alliance'.
Last week's episode was the pinnacle of Andy's Survivor game, where his acting and strategy skills were on full display. Coming back from the reward challenge with Sam and Genevieve Mushaluk, Andy convinced his majority alliance that he was not buying what they were selling and that Genevieve had a hidden immunity idol. That impeccable acting performance convinced the majority of five to split their votes, allowing a three-person minority to vote out Caroline Vidmar in one of the biggest tribal council upsets of all time.
Andy getting voted out in the most Andy way possible
This week, he finally gets to play his game his way, but it also backfired on him. He now gets to call the shots and pitched his jury vote case to Rachel Lamont. The tribe were all voting for Rachel, and Andy wanted to use the time left on the beach to pitch his case on why he should win the million dollars. However, Rachel had a hidden immunity idol, so Rachel could decide who to vote out. She chose Andy.
Andy finally gets the validation he has wanted, just not in the way he hoped for. Sharing his moves with Rachel made him a bigger target to win the million dollars than Sam, and Rachel and Sue Smey decided to vote him out instead.
He finally got the respect and validation he had craved all game, but it cost him his place in the final five. These comments on Reddit summed it up best.
Depsite the elimination, Andy can hold his head up high knowing how far he has come. Fans have a high level of respect for his game and so does his castmates. His transformation is now complete.