Survivor: Winners at War, Episode 10 "The Full Circle" Gameplay Breakdown

"Thank you, Fiji Airways."

-Sophie Clarke

Good news , everyone!  I'm going to spend half of this episode just hanging out on a beach with my family!  I kid, but I'm not gonna lie, I didn't love this episode and it's easily my least favorite of the season.  Way too much time was spent on the Loved Ones Visit, while the strategy talks and Tribal Council were rushed and confusing.  Survivor really needs to start showing us the votes again.  This one was a tough one to piece together, but let's take a closer look at the gameplay.

Who Played Well:

Sophie, Ben, Nick, Sarah, and Tony seemed to take charge of the game and eliminated Tyson, so good on them.  Sophie was especially good because she was the one who gathered her forces together and she still has her Idol.  

I didn't love how Sarah and Tony fought so much, but they still got themselves on the same page eventually.  Plus Tony won Immunity and Sarah played her Vote Steal.  Because of the unusual situation with Jeremy, everyone knew she had an Advantage of some kind.  It was smart of her to play it just to get the target off her back.  This entire group also really screwed up the split vote.  I don't know why they went 5-2 instead of 4-3.  Smart of Sarah to steal Denise's vote though, when the target was really Tyson.  It worked out as a net positive for them, but it could have ended it disaster.

Michele is in an unusual spot.  She was in the majority, but not included in Sophie's huddle at Tribal Council.  I won't hold it against her for flipping though.  Her closest ally is Nick and Kim's group didn't have much of a chance.

Who Sucked:

Jeremy made himself the original target by trying to control the direction of the vote too much.  If he didn't have the Safety Without Power Advantage, he would be on the Edge.  It was the right move to play it, but he put himself in the position where he needed to play it.  Plus he might have pissed off the rest of his alliance for abandoning them.  I think he is most likely to go next.

Kim and Denise ended up on the wrong side of the vote and Denise didn't even get to vote.  Kim totally misplayed her Idol.  Between herself, Tyson, and Denise, Kim picked the worst option.  Sarah set up a trap and Kim totally fell for it.  It seemed like she wanted to make a big move and tried too early.

As for Tyson, he has had a close relationship with Sarah this entire game.  He should have turned on Jeremy's group instead of going all in with the Poker Alliance.  He has room to work with Tony, Sarah, Ben, and Nick for sure.  He didn't need to draw a line in the sand.

Verdict:

The Best Player of the Episode goes to Sophie Clarke for being in the majority, taking charge at Tribal Council, and holding onto her Idol.

The Worst Player of the Episode goes to Kim Spradlin-Wolfe for misplaying her Idol and ending up in the minority.

Didn't love this episode, but hopefully we'll bounce back next week.