Survivor: Ghost Island Episode 12 "A Giant Game of Bumper Cars"

"I love you and hate you so much."

-Kristen Abbate

There was a lot of questionable decision making on this episode of Ghost Island.  Let's take a look at those decisions and the players who made them and find out who played the best and the worst!

Who Played Well:

Let's start with Angela and my girl, Kellyn.  I will say I didn't care for their entitlement about the reward challenge, but that's neither here nor there.  I think they both played as well as they could have trying to get Laurel and Donathan to join their side.  It was the logical move, they presented their case well, I just think the damage was already done in previous episodes.  I admire their effort and I think it was the right play, it all came down to Laurel and Donathan making a bad move, which I will get to later.

Moving on to Domenick.  Dude is a clutch player for winning immunity when he needed it most.  Plus, I don't know how he's done it, but he's kept Laurel and Donathan on his side against their own best interests.  His game has been stellar ever since Chris was voted out.  I'm hoping he can pull it out.

Wendell also did great.  He made the correct move in going to Ghost Island to get the advantage.  That was 100% the right choice.  Even through he didn't end up winning Immunity, it was still the right call.  Plus, like Domenick, he has somehow kept Laurel and Donathan on his side.  Finally, he didn't play his idol.  He has ice for blood, or something.  I would have definitely played the idol, but he read the room correctly and still has that in his pocket.

Who Sucked:

We can start with Donathan and Laurel, who both made the wrong decision going after Chelsea instead of Wendell.  There's a decent chance they missed their shot.  It's not 100% over, but I can't figure out why they didn't make that move.

Finally, Sebastian made some poor decisions regarding the reward challenge.  He pissed a lot of people off, and this is why you should not win the Family Visit.  Nothing good can come from it.

Let's move on to Miss Purple herself, Chelsea.  We didn't see much of her this whole season, but I think she did about as well as she could do tonight.  She worked well with Angela and Kellyn to get Laurel and Donathan on their side.  She made the right points, but Donathan and Laurel played with their hearts instead of their heads.

Verdict:

The "Stacy's Blog Has Got It Going On Award" for this week goes to Wendell Holland.  He made the right calls in going after the advantage and not playing his idol.  Plus he has kept Donathan and Laurel in line, somehow.

The "Not The Player For Me Award" goes to Laurel Johnson for not making a move on Wendell.  Best I can figure, Donathan was leaning towards Wendell, and Laurel was leaning towards Chelsea, so I'm putting slightly more blame on her for this bad move.

So, Wendell or Domenick is winning, right?  I can't see another outcome.  I've liked this season so far, but I didn't love this episode.  It feels like Laurel and Donathan are playing for 3rd place, and unless it gets crazy soon, I think it could be a predictable finish.