When you have 24 people returning to participate in Survivor 50, you knew it would be difficult to predict just how much their previous experiences would affect their games this season.
Each person had their own experiences when they were on Survivor in the past, and it is not surprising that those individual trials would come into play this time around.
Some players would rather not repeat past mistakes, and others want to play differently to avoid preconceptions of their style. Others, like Q Burdette, seemed intent on playing the same way, for better or worse.
Two players seemed to carry more Survivor baggage than others
Survivor legend Ozzy Lusth is playing for the fifth time. His strengths have always been in challenges and in providing for his tribemates. He's really good at both. He's never been known as a social or strategic player, though he does try.
In episode 4, Mike White was rightfully targeted for being a dangerous player. He was also someone Ozzy wanted to work with. His tribe decided to vote Mike off but didn't tell Ozzy because they didn't want anyone blowing up the plan. Ozzy most certainly would have, and his Vatu tribe mates were smart to keep it from him.
Even as Vatu was gathering their belongings to return to camp after Mike was ousted, Ozzy was blasting his tribe for making a big mistake. During episode 5, when Vatu returned to camp, Ozzy continued to throw a tantrum.
Ozzy has been blindsided in the past. The Black Widow Brigade took him out on Fans vs. Favorites, and he was voted out as too big of a threat on Game Changers. He is rightfully paranoid, but his lack of social awareness is hurting him again. During Survivor 50, he demanded Christian Hubicki's shot in the dark as a token of trust. It was a heavy-handed request, but Christian did it to save Ozzy as a number.
Charlie Davis played a terrific game during Survivor 46. His closest ally was Maria Shrime Gonzalez; they navigated the game together, controlling much of the post-merge portion. At one point, both decided on their own that they couldn't go to the final three with each other because they played the same game and might split votes, and they tried to take the other out. Charlie succeeded.
Maria shocked everyone when she chose not to vote for Charlie. She threw her swing vote to Kenzie Petty, taking the win away from her friend, Charlie.
Charlie is clearly still bothered by that betrayal. When he and Rizo Velovic were put on the same tribe at the swap, they connected a little. Rizo, in an effort of transparency about the just-filmed season 49, told everyone that he did not vote for his best friend, Sophi Balerdi, but for Savannah. What he did not explain, or maybe what wasn't shown, was that while he may have been closest to Sophi, his closest ally in the game was Savannah.
Regardless, this had an intense effect on Charlie. From that moment on, everything about Rizo annoyed Charlie, and the latter was intent on getting Rizo out of the game. The issue became that Charlie became almost withdrawn and let his baggage from season 46 dictate what was happening around him.
This inability to let go of his past Survivor trauma cost him, and Rizo was able to build an alliance with Dee Valladares, Cirie Fields, and Kamilla Karthigesu, and they voted Charlie out. Now, Rizo seems to have a strong alliance with at least Cirie and Dee, while Charlie had a brutal, emotional exit confession.
Players have to use their emotional baggage from their previous experiences on Survivor to make positive changes to their playing styles. If they hang onto the negatives, they'll be going home with Charlie.