Survivor: David vs. Goliath Episode 8, "You Get What You Give" Analysis

"Hello, my name's Threat."

-Christian Hubicki

HOLY CRAP!  This was one of the best episodes of Survivor in years.  I was on the edge of my seat and losing my mind during that tribal council.  This episode was epic and to call it anything less would be a grave injustice.  But who had epic moves and who had epic fails?  Let's take a look.

Who Played Well:

We'll start with Alec, who probably had the best night of all the Goliaths.  He was the one who gave Nick the information he needed to mix things up, which is good for Alec's game.  Luckily, Nick did not blow up Alec's spot, so I think Alec will be the one Goliath the Davids will trust moving forward.  He's keeping his options open and options are always good.

Moving on to Nick, Mr. Kentucky found the Vote Steal, helped convinced Davie to save Christian, and was involved in the brilliant plan of spitting the votes between Angelina and John.  I don't know who came up with the idea to split the votes, so I will give credit to Nick, Davie, Christian, Gabby, and Carl.

Davie not only helped with the vote split on John and finding the clue to the Vote Steal, but he masterfully used his idol to save Christian.  It was a brilliant and risky play, but I think it's going to save the Davids in the long run.

Christian has a really solid social game.  The bonds he created with Nick and, to a lesser extent, Davie saved him in this episode.  This shows how important the social game is.

As for Carl, it's good that he got involved with finding the Vote Steal, but I don't know if spilling the beans about his idol nullifier was a good idea.  It could work out for him, but it could blow up in his face.  Regardless, he had a solid episode.

Finally, I think Angelina may have just managed to escape back under the radar.  I think all of this chaos has taken the target off of her.  Plus she managed to convince Dan to play an idol on her, which I wouldn't have dreamed possible earlier in the episode.  Sure, she didn't need it, but better safe than sorry.

Who Sucked:

The problem for Alison, Dan, Kara, and Mike now is that they were caught in a lie.  They told the Davids they were voting out Angelina and now the Davids will most likely no longer trust them.  If the Davids use their advantages correctly, I could see these four simply getting picked off.  They need to realize that they can't trust Alec.

Dan may have won Immunity, but he did lose the reward challenge (which isn't that big a deal) and he misplayed his idol.  He was in a rough spot though.  If he hadn't played it, John would have still gone home and Angelina would have been out for his blood.  There wasn't really a possible positive outcome for Dan in this episode.

As for John, he played a real solid game, but he probably turned on Christian too soon.  Granted, Christian is a massive threat.  I guess his biggest problem was he trusted Alec.  He's not the first to make that mistake and I doubt he will be the last.

Verdict:

The "Stacy's Blog Has Got It Going On Award" for this episode goes to Davie Rickenbacker for helping to find the Vote Steal, for playing his idol on Christian, and splitting the votes to send John home.  Some truly brilliant gameplay.

The "Not The Player For Me Award" goes to Dan Rengering for losing the reward challenge, misplaying his idol, and for losing any trust he had built with the Davids.  He's lucky he still has an idol, but there is definitely a possibility that he is the next to go.

This episode was a top-tier episode of Survivor.  I can't remember that last time I was so captivated by what was happening on the screen.  This season is just amazing and I have no clue what is going to happen next.