Survivor: Edge of Extinction Episode 12 "Idol or Bust" Gameplay Breakdown

"Jeff, I'm playing!"

-Victoria Baamonde

I'm glad I'm a Rick Devens fan and not one of the haters because he may have had his best episode of the season.  Watching him run through the jungle is one of the funniest things I have ever seen on this show.  While Rick was great, what about everyone else?  Let's take a look...

Who Played Well:

Let's get the obvious out of the way.  Rick had a stellar week.  I loved his lie about being gifted an Idol from someone out on the Edge.  It was a very clever move.  Rick also managed to find an Idol in a Driebergen-esque manner.  This guy is really working harder than everyone else.  I think the mind games were also a good move.  Wearing down everyone mentally might cause them to make a mistake.  Rick also won Immunity allowing him to hold onto his Idol.  He got to put on a show in front of the jury, which allowed him to take credit for Aurora's elimination even though Lauren was the one who truly put that in motion.  He not only kept his Idol, but his ally, Julie.

While Julie didn't spend enough time looking for the Idol, her relationships she's created saved her.  She's bonded with both Rick and Lauren who went out of their way to save her.

Finally, Gavin made the right call in his choices for the Reward, especially now that Aurora is gone, but even if she wasn't, Aurora was the least likely to be swayed by Rick.  He made the right move in turning on Aurora, but he received no credit for it.  Julie will be easier to beat in the end.  I also really liked how he threw Lauren under the bus to Victoria.  He's create a wedge between them, but is still on both of their good sides.  However, he didn't look for the Idol hard enough and allowed Rick to get it.

Who Sucked:

Lauren and Victoria did a lot of the same things, both right and wrong.  They both made the right call in eliminating Aurora over Julie, but neither of them got the credit.  Neither of them looked for the Idol hard enough.  Ultimately, Lauren came off looking worse because of how Gavin threw her under the bus.  She put too much trust in him and now Victoria won't trust Lauren any more, that's for sure.  At least Lauren still has her Idol.

As for Aurora, she was way too set on getting Rick out of the game.  It's the right call, but she should have been less open about it.  She failed to realize she was at the bottom of the four and never managed to build a relationship with Julie.  It's not surprising at all that she goes out here.  With Rick immune, it was the right move for everyone.

Verdict:

The Platinum Probst Award goes to the best player in an episode.  This time it goes to Rick Devens for his Idol lie, finding an Idol, bluffing with it, saving Julie, taking credit for the Aurora vote, winning Immunity, and playing mind games with everyone.  This is Rick's 4th time winning the Platinum Probst.

The Rotten Coconut Award goes to the worst player in an episode (besides the person who gets eliminated).  This time it goes to Lauren O'Connell for not looking for the Idol hard enough, not getting the credit for the Aurora vote, and for putting too much trust in Gavin.  This is her first time winning the Rotten Coconut.

This was another solid episode.  I've liked this season, but everything comes to a head next week.  I had super low expectations coming into this season and the results could be far better than I expected or much worse.  I'm anxious to find out.