Hunter McKnight is the clear favorite to win Survivor season 46

Survivor season 46 still hasn't hit the midway point yet, but there's one castaway that should be the heavy favorite to win the season. Of course, we're talking about Hunter McKnight, the sole reason the Nami tribe has won four straight immunity challenges to start the season.

It's still early in the game. We're heading into the fifth episode of the season on Wednesday, March 27, 2024, but Hunter has done a great job positioning himself and his tribe through four episodes.

Hunter is the biggest physical threat in season 46

Outplay is one of the key components of winning Survivor, and Hunter is building quite the resume for winning challenges.

Hunter has dominated every challenge so far. Physically, he's the biggest threat in the game. In the obstacle course in the third immunity challenge, host Jeff Probst mentioned that it was the fastest he'd seen anyone do that challenge so far. He's basically unstoppable. Q Burdette of the Yanu tribe is the only castaway who is a better overall athlete than Hunter, but Q has struggled at different points of the challenges. Hunter, simply, has not.

In the challenges where throwing bean bags on to a small platform and balls into hoop-like nets, Hunter crushed the competition. There hasn't been a puzzle that couldn't solve. In the same challenge referenced earlier, Tevin, who is on Hunter's tribe, was sitting out the challenge and mentioned it was "over" if Hunter had a chance to win it for Nami, and he was exactly right.

Nami is relatively even, but maybe less talented physically, than the other tribes, but with Hunter on their side, they have a chance in every challenge. Even with Randen, another physical threat, leaving the game, Hunter led his tribe to victory all the same. Again, it's early, but we've seen Hunter put his mark on the game so far.

Hunter also excels at camp life and his social game is improving

Outlast is another one of the pillars of Survivor, and Hunter is making strides in that area of the game, too. He's doing an excellent job providing for the tribe, making sure they have the fire, shelter, and everything else they need. He even built a bed with a machete, leaves, and a few branches! It's incredible!

Oh, and he's catching fish! We've seen people make it far in the game by being a solid contributor in challenges and making camp life comfortable for the rest of the tribe.

He's also playing a great social game, which the "provider" role fits into, as well. Although annoyed by the kumbaya vibes his tribe gives off at times, Hunter is playing it cool. He's not rocking the boat at all, and he's allied with Tevin, who is playing the best social games so far. Hunter rightly sees opportunity in waiting for Tevin to make a big move. If Hunter is able to form an alliance with players who are more vocal or more active, it will keep him safe through the merge and possibly even beyond.

Hunter is playing the smartest game so far, in my opinion. And, that ties into the third pillar of the game: Outwit. For a player with his abilities, keeping a low profile, building strong relationships, and allowing others to act as if they are in charge is going to be best for Hunter's game. It might even get him to the end, but it's the smartest way to play his game. He's utilizing his strengths and being as patient as possible. That's so key.

Hunter may have target on his back soon

At some point, though, we should expect the others to recognize what a great Hunter is playing and what a threat he is. In post-merge gameplay, Hunter can win every challenge. We've never seen someone run the table like that in Survivor, but we've seen people win five individual immunity challenges. A handful of contestants have done that. If Hunter makes it to the end, he could break that record for most individual immunities in a season. He's that talented of a player.

Players like Hunter, who physically have the ability to win every challenge, are often targeted early in the game. If they do make the merge, there's always someone trying to take them out because of how dangerous they are.

No one makes it to the end of Survivor without being targeted, and that's where the strengths of Hunter's alliances and bonds will hopefully help him. He's not the only player playing a great game so far either. Jem is also playing well and setting herself up for a deep run. No one is playing Survivor the way Hunter is playing right now, and that's the most important thing to note. I think fans of the show can appreciate someone giving their all in challenges and at camp while also dialing it back a little bit in the social game to make sure he's not perceived as the biggest threat in the game, which he clearly is. It's Survivor mastery so far, but it's early.

We'll have to just wait and see if Hunter makes it all the way to the end. You can watch new episodes of season 46 on CBS on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET.