Survivor 48, Episode 12 "Icarus Time" Gameplay Analysis

 "They should be in a museum."

-Shauhin Davari

Finally!  Something happened on this season that I can make sense of.  Shauhin going out may not have been the most optimal move, but at least it makes some sense and is interesting.  My stomach nearly dropped out of my gut when I saw that second Mitch vote.  I was going to lose it if we went through all of this just for Mitch to go home, but luckily that wasn't the case.  Let's get into who played well and who sucked.

Who Played Well:

Joe won Immunity, which prevented any treachery against him specifically.  Now, where things get murkier is everything with Shauhin.  Going to Dad-mode with another grown man wasn't the best idea.  I'm sure Shauhin will remember that if Joe makes it to Final Tribal Council.  And while Joe did fall for what Kyle and Kamilla were selling, we have to remember that not all of it was a lie.  Shauhin was scheming against him and Eva.  Taking out Shauhin isn't necessarily bad for Joe's game, but I do think it helps Kyle and Kamilla more than it helps him.  I'll still give him a net positive for the episode though.

Kyle and Kamilla did a great job of throwing Shauhin right under the bus and it does help their game.  I do think they may have been better served by trying to get Eva and her Idol out though.  Still, while they may not have made the most optimal move, this helps both of them.

Who Sucked:

This is kind of a weird situation, but I don't think Eva or Mitch should have been so gung-ho about taking out Shauhin.  I think those three needed to go to the end together for any of them to have a chance of winning.  I know Shauhin threw out Eva's name and Mitch is just trying to survive, but in order for them to have the best chance of winning, they needed to keep Shauhin and take out someone like Kyle.  It's a big ask at this point, but it's what they needed to do.

As for Shauhin, that was a rough one for him.  I do think taking out Eva would have been a smart way for him to go, but in the end he backed down on that plan and wanted to go for Mitch.  I don't know if he could have pulled it off, but he definitely needed to do more to make the Eva vote happen.  Hell, he needed to do more over the course of the last two episodes.  He talked a big game for someone who really didn't do all that much.  Also, he probably shouldn't have won the Reward challenge.  When Loved One's are involved, whether it be in person or letter, people higher up in the pecking order probably shouldn't win the challenge.  All it can do is hurt your position.  

Verdict:

Best Player of the Episode goes to Kyle Fraser for masterminding the vote against Shauhin.  That gives him a nice feather in his cap for Final Tribal Council if he makes it there.

Worst Player of the Episode goes to Mitch Guerra.  Both he and Eva shouldn't have taken out Shauhin, but at least Shauhin had thrown out Eva's name, which gives her more of an excuse, so that leaves Mitch as the worst.  As a reminder, I don't give out either Award to the eliminated player as I find that too easy.

The finale is next!  I'm a little more excited for it than I was.  I thought this was going to be a slow slog to a Joe win.  Don't get me wrong, I like Joe, but now that the game is opened up for a Kyle or a Kamilla win, I think it'll be much more interesting no matter how it shakes out.