There's absolutely no question that I am drawn to the highly strategic players. The ones who consider strategy to be an additional language that they speak because it's so ingrained in the way their mind works. The ones who are so fluent in it that they've sought out careers that utilize this part of their brain because it would be unnatural to do anything else.
I root for these players because I understand these players. I appreciate these players. I hope to be one of these players one day. But for now, all I can do is sit on my couch—hoping that the Survivor casting team loves my tape and gives me a call—and explain why it's nearly impossible for an extremely strategic woman to win Survivor, but why it would be so epic!
Returning players with strategic backgrounds usually have the biggest targets on their backs
Take Aubry Bracco, for example. In her first season, Survivor: Kaôh Rōng, she grew into her own, navigating a masterful path to the end by dictating many of the votes and ultimately securing second place. When she returned for Survivor: Game Changers, she knew she needed to adapt her strategy for the people she was now working with and opted to be a social shadow-mover. She quietly influenced the votes through the relationships she built, and ultimately, she was voted out in fifth place because she was seen as a threat to steal jury votes.
So when she returned for her third time in Survivor: Edge of Extinction, she was quickly blindsided with both an idol and an extra vote in her pocket because Victoria Baamonde—a new player who came into the game with a brilliant mind for strategy and a knowledge of how Aubry plays—knew she needed Aubry out of the game in order to keep her own intelligence under the radar.
Any time a smart player lets people know they're smart, they're voted out
But most recently in the new era, we've seen that a secret power duo of strategists might just be the key to getting to the end. Survivor 48's Kamilla Karthigesu might not have won, but her alliance with Kyle Fraser was a major contributing factor to his win in the end. And while they are both returning for Survivor 50, there's no way that they can work together this time around.
Kamilla is too smart not to target Kyle immediately, especially if they are on the same tribe. Most players will actually likely want to keep previous winners around because they are less likely to be given the $1 million again if they make it to the end. But as we saw in Winners at War, people are threatened by known duos and move to eliminate them first. Kamilla will need to get rid of Kyle to protect herself off the bat.
However, there's still room for a secret alliance, just with another player. So Kamilla needs to be very strategic about who she reveals her new strategy to and I personally think the best person to align with might be someone who thinks exactly like you do. Kamilla and Aubry could be a very interesting secret alliance as they're so similar in gameplay others will assume they won't want to work together because they'll have parallel Final Tribal Council pitches.
Aubry and Kamilla have everything they need to win this game; they just need to play their cards perfectly this go around
Assuming alliances will likely be formed based on eras—like they did in Winners at War—Kamilla would have insight with a new era alliance and Aubry would have insight with the old school alliance. They could meet in the middle to control the game and secure their spots in the Final Four where they'd ultimately battle it out for their place in the finale.
In conclusion, I will only be happy with Survivor 50 if Aubry or Kamilla take home the title of Sole Survivor. Am I being dramatic? Yes. Will I still love watching Survivor 50 no matter who wins? Obviously.
I can't wait to see what fan-voted elements end up in the game and I really can't wait to see if there's even more layers of surprises waiting for us when the show finally airs next February. So whether you're rooting for the strategists like me, or you're a fan of the social butterflies or challenge beasts, I have no doubt that it's going to be an epic season worth watching!
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