Survivor 44, Episode 2 "Two Dorky Magnets" Gameplay Analysis

 "We're just like two big, dorky magnets."

-Frannie Marin

Ugh, I can't believe my winner pick is already out.  I'm bummed to see Helen go, but this was still a fun episode.  Carolyn is...something else and the birdcage twist actually turned out to be pretty fun.  Let's take a look at who played well and who sucked.

Who Played Well:

Let's start on the Ratu tribe.  Brandon handled combing back from Tribal Council well.  He has every right to be mad at Kane and not trust him, but he didn't show it and kept it cool.  That's exactly what you want to do in his situation.

Matthew did a great job in the challenge and won it for his tribe.  I don't love that he told everyone he's practiced challenges at home, but it was still an impressive performance.  He also confirmed that he used the Shot in the Dark as a way to hide his true allegiance at the last Tribal Council, which I can respect.

Moving over to Soka, the only person I have here is Danny.  He managed to find the key, get the Idol, and replace the bag without getting caught.  Impressive work.

Finally, on Tika, although it was much more sloppy, Carolyn also managed to get the key and the Idol without getting caught.  Everyone underestimated her and assumed she would never be the one to get the Idol.  She also managed to form a strong enough bond with Carson to get him to flip and take out Carson.  I'll give credit to Yam Yam as well for making that happen.  Helen leaving is great for both of them.

Who Sucked:

Going back to Ratu, I don't blame Kane for looking for the Idol.  He's in a bad spot, but he was way too obvious about it and spent too much time doing it.  Everyone knows exactly what he is up to.

Over on Soka, the showmance between Matt and Frannie is bad news.  If Soka ever goes to Tribal Council (which I don't think they will), one of them is probably going.  I also don't like that Matt told Frannie he actually lost his vote for two Tribal Councils.  That makes him less valuable as an ally and Frannie should definitely cut him loose.

Over on Tika, Carson most likely made a bad move in joining Carolyn and Yam Yam.  Carolyn is such a wild card that I would never want to be in an alliance with her.  Unless Sarah told him she lost her vote off-screen, this was a bad move.  If Carson knew it would have been a tie, than I don't blame him, but with the information the show presented to us, it felt more like a case of Carson being antsy and wanting to make a big move.

Finally, Sarah blew the Immunity Challenge.  She put herself in the hero position and didn't come through.  

As for Helen, she needed to have built a stronger social bond with Carolyn and Yam Yam.  Carolyn felt on the outs and even if she wasn't able to flip Carson, she could have played her Idol and knocked Helen out.  Even if you plan on voting someone out next, you need to stay close to them so they don't Idol you out of the game.

There really wasn't enough from Jaime, Lauren, Claire, Heidi, or Josh for me to have an opinion.

Verdict:

Best Player of the Episode goes to, and I can't believe I'm typing this, Carolyn Wiger.  She pulled off finding the Idol without getting caught and managed to get close enough to Carson to get her to flip.  She's now the most powerful person on Tika.

Worst Player of the Episode goes to Matt Blankinship for getting into a showmance with Frannie and giving away the information about not having his vote for two Tribal Councils instead of one.

This was another really fun episode with two wonderfully chaotic tribes.  I've very excited to see what Carolyn does now that she's in power.