Survivor 44: Episode 10 "Full Tilt Boogie" Gameplay Analysis

 "I love being honest."

-Jaime Lynn Ruiz

Man, this was another fun episode of Survivor.  We had four different names thrown out before Tribal Council, all with solid reasons to be voted out.  Going into Tribal Council, I had no idea who was going home and the only advantage that mattered was the ghost of a fake Idol.  I loved it!  Takes notes, Jeff!  Anyway, let's take a look at who played well and who sucked.

Who Played Well:

I only have Lauren and Jaime in this section.  Taking out Frannie is great for them.  Frannie was the biggest threat on the board, but more importantly, another Ratu didn't go home.  Now, nobody believed Jaime's true story about what happened to her Idol, but I don't blame her too much for that.  I don't know what a better option for her would have been.  She was just dealt a very bad hand.

Who Sucked:

I like the move for Carson and Yam Yam to get rid of Frannie here.  Their Tika group stays together and they take out a huge threat.  Unfortunately, they decided not to include Carolyn, which could be a fatal mistake for them.  They know she reacts badly to being left out of the vote, but did it anyway.  They should have either let her know or changed to vote to Danny or Heidi.  Logically, Carson or Yam Yam should be going out of the game next.  I will give Carson credit for winning Immunity though.

Carolyn was left out of the vote for some reason.  It seems like she was too close to Frannie, so Carson and Yam Yam were scared to bring her in.  That's not the reputation you want to have.

Danny turned on Frannie way too early.  Yes, she's a threat.  Yes, she needs to go, but she didn't need to be voted out here.  Now he's lost a number.  I also don't like how Danny spoke to Heidi in this episode about not even needing her vote.  That was strange.  Plus, this was the first time he's talked strategy with Lauren in the entire game.  That's way too late to form a strategic relationship with someone.  He should have been talking with her much earlier.

Finally, I cannot figure out why Heidi cast a vote for Danny and was the only person to do so. Was she out of the loop or was this in case of Shot in the Dark.  Either way, she shouldn't be voting for her closest ally yet.

As for Frannie, she's taking a lot of heat for winning the Reward Challenge on Twitter.   I actually don't have a problem with this.  She was left out of the previous vote, might as well win some food to help in the challenges and maybe make some bonds and attempt to create new alliances with people.  Generally, if you're on the bottom, I think it's fine to win Reward Challenges even if it increases your threat level.  You have to do something to change the game.  Ultimately, Frannie was the biggest threat and went home.  She tried to change things up, but wasn't able to.  It happens.

Verdict:

Best Player of the Episode goes to Lauren Harpe.  She was the only person in this episode to not do any damage to her game and for taking out the biggest threat, Frannie.

Worst Player of the Episode goes to Danny Massa for turning on Frannie too early, the way he spoke to Heidi, and for only now forming a strategic relationship with Lauren. 

This was a fun episode and I can't wait to see what happens with Carolyn next time.  It should be exciting.