The tribe has spoken (MAR Survivor thread)

Week 2 leaderboard:

1. Matthew. He got to justify his Shot-in-the-Dark play last week as a strategic maneuver, which was key, and it put him back in good graces with his tribe. He gets a big hero moment with the immunity challenge as well, even emphasizing that he risked potential further injury by removing his arm from the sling. Either that's going to be seen as a gamble that pays off or sees him voted out as a potential liability down the line, but for right now, I think the show wants us to think that taking that risk was the right move. Two big weeks in a row for Matty G.

2. Carolyn. Believe it or not, this was a massive week for Carolyn and I would argue that it was almost entirely positive. She is so unabashedly herself and even when she's saying weird things, there's some strategic rationale buried in there (i.e. her Carson analysis where she randomly throws in "I'm smart too", like a funny aside -- but I think it's meant to be more than just that). Carolyn also managed to snooker the rest of her tribe into thinking that she couldn't possibly have the idol because she wouldn't be able to disguise that, and she got away with it scot-free. And she was able to convince Carson to jump ship without needing to reveal that crucial information. I think Carolyn's in it for the long haul now, and I think in a post-Maryanne/Gabler environment, Carolyn could absolutely win. It helps that the exit press from Helen had nothing but positive things to say about Carolyn, so I don't think she's rubbing anyone the wrong way at all.

3. Claire. We didn't get nearly as much of Claire as I would like, but I feel like what we did get was crucial. We get her commentary on the Frannie/Matt relationship, the edit emphasized her sitting out of the challenge (and I feel like it was done in a way to make me think they wanted us to pay attention to that... is it because she pulls a Sandra and doesn't participate in most challenges in the tribal phase, or is it so she can skate by if there is a potential challenge blunder and she can claim no part in it?), and she seems well insulated in the strongest pre-merge tribe thus far.

4. Danny. The love child of Cody and Werner from South Africa. Man's out here running a mile a minute, finding keys and snatching idols, and no one seems to be alarmed by his absences. Danny seems in a really good spot with his tribe, and he just exudes likability and charisma. I'd be higher on him if he had a stronger premiere, but as his tribe looks like they could snake through to the merge without going to tribal, I'm not that concerned, especially as he was able to get enough focus in an episode emphasizing a brewing showmance.

By rights I should probably have Matt B. in here as well, but any budding showmance gets nipped in the bud hard, and while I think Frannie would be the one who gets the axe considering Matt seems to be the narrator and emotional fulcrum of the duo for the audience, I can't in good conscience put Matt in my top four (especially with him not having a vote for two rounds).

Week 3 leaderboard:

1. Matthew. He's built trust with everyone on his tribe, he has the immunity idol and he planted a fake for Jaime to find, but he seems to want to use that to bond him rather than to potentially blindside her, and I like that. The only thing is he keeps highlighting his shoulder as still being an issue, and while I don't see it being cause for a medevac just yet, I feel it is going to come into play. Still, top of the leaderboard for now.

2. Danny. He got away scot-free, he planted the fake idol (eating the idol clue in honor of the great Werner Joubert), and he immediately sowed distrust with everyone by broadcasting that Matt had it. Now all eyes are going to be on the duo and now that Claire's out of the game, he has a tight alliance with Josh and Heidi (who says Danny is her #1). He's a challenge asset and Claire said Danny was not a strategic threat but she was clearly being undermined there, so I think Danny stocks are skyrocketing now.

3. Carolyn. A nice cooldown from last week but not a death knell by any means. We still got Carolyn's perspective on the game, she's not the immediate target on the tribe (Sarah would be, and Sarah's gunning for Carson by the looks of it), and she still has her idol. As long as Carolyn doesn't get fucked over by a tribe swap, I think she's set for the merge and probably a very, very deep run.

4. Heidi. We got a fair amount of her perspective in the game, she has a strong #1 ally in Danny, and seems to be in good with Josh, and it's clear Frannie and Matt want to work with her so she's safe for the time being. Heidi has been getting small but notable moments where I feel like we need to be paying attention to her and her positioning in the game. She's easy enough to overlook but I think that's by design.

I feel like Frannie would be a close #5 -- I feel we finally get some agency from her, and she's more than just a prop in Matt's story. But I think what will really benefit her in the long run is a tribe swap away from him.

Gotta say, I'm really happy that Sarah's overpowered advantage is out of the game. Utterly shocked she didn't play her (fake) idol when Josh played his -- in a tribe that small, you have to protect yourself any way that you can. At least she can take comfort in the fact it wasn't a real idol she went out of the game with.

Yam Yam really fucked himself over with the "Felicia" talk. Carolyn didn't need to be the decoy vote. Why not make it Sarah and emphasize to Josh that Carson was her #1 and now she's on the bottom? I think Yam Yam got too cute with it and now he's on the outs because Carolyn didn't like being put in that position.

Also, I guess we're getting a medevac next week.

Welp. There goes Matthew. He was a great competitor and had a devious strategic mind, but man, why the fuck would you climb that rock? I hope he comes back, though -- he'd be perfect for a Second Chance game.

"Aren't these the beads from treemail" Idol proceeds to fall apart in Yam Yam's hands.

I have a sneaking suspicion that Matthew gave his idol to Carson on the way out.

Kind of a middling episode if I'm being honest. I don't hate earn-the-merge as much as the rest of the fandom does, but this one just felt kinda rote and we got the same result as we would have if Matthew hadn't been medevaced. I was hoping for a bit more chaos like Gabler did with the Elie vote in 43, but we did get some gold from Carolyn where she put out that Josh's idol was clearly fake and no one really seemed to take that seriously. (Also, she loves sweating, which is a hilarious icebreaker.)

Probst needs to have another sit-down with Mike White.

I had forgotten about Sunday

I was so sure he was going to ask Probst to help him down ala. Harry Hill    

I immediately thought the same thing. "Dirty" Harry indeed.

(Also, I think the moment where Harry asks JLP to help him is one of the most heartbreaking moments in all of Survivor history. One of my all-time favourite players, who got so close to the W.)

I know people swear by AU 2017 as being the best of the Aussie seasons, but man, CvC II is so damn good.