Survivor 47: Episode 3 "Belly of the Beast" Gameplay Analysis

 "Just so we don't have a "Q" moment..."

-Kishan Patel

I'll be honest, I can't wait to see Rome's downfall.  I enjoyed this episode and the season continues to setup the downfall of this egomaniac.  I don't know when he'll get voted out.  Heck, he may even make it to Final Tribal Council and lose in spectacular fashion, but I'm stoked to see it happen.  Let's get into who played well and who sucked.

Who Played Well:

Starting over on Gata, Andy had a great bounce-back episode.  I loved his observations of the tension between Anika and Sam, plus he had a really good conversation with Sierra.  Offering to hand over his Shot in the Dark before a Tribal Council was a great way to build trust with her.

I also want to give props to Rachel who did a great job on the puzzle at the Immunity Challenge.  Her efforts let to a comeback victory for Gata.

Finally, the conversation between Sierra and Andy was good for Sierra as well.  She now has a solid connection with everybody on her tribe.  However, she now knows that everyone can see her and Sam as an obvious duo.  It's something she's going to have to deal with going forward, but I would still say this was a net positive episode for Sierra.

Moving over to Lavo, Rome managed to go on the Journey, paint a target on Aysha and Sol to Anika and Kyle, get a Vote Steal, and use it to cement his alliance with Teeny, Kishan, and Genevieve to take out Aysha.  His social game may still be terrible, but he got everything else working for him. 

Taking out Aysha was the right move for Teeny, Kishan, and Genevieve.  For Teeny and Kishan, although they wanted to work with Aysha and Sol, going after Rome and Genevieve was too risky.  You don't have to like someone to work with them.  However, I will knock Teeny and Kishan for their performances on the balance beam.  That seemed to be the main reason Lavo lost the challenge, but still net positives for both of them.

Over on Tuku, we didn't see much of Tiyana, but she has a great social connection with Kyle, to the point where he was doing everything he could to make sure he didn't have to turn on her, even if it would have been the smart move for him.

Who Sucked:

Back on Gata, Anika was coming off as way too bossy and was driving Sam nuts.  She doesn't realize she's in a bad spot.  I like that she went on the Journey, but she needed to go for the Advantage after she lost her vote.  I think she's next to go from Gata.  She did a great job on the puzzle at the Immunity Challenge though.

Sam is making his dislike of Anika too obvious and others will definitely exploit it.  He also has been too obvious in his alliance with Sierra and needs to do a better job of hiding it.

Back on Lavo, Sol ended up on the wrong side of the vote.  He clearly has done a bad job of hiding his dislike of Rome and it came back to bite him.

Over on Tuku, Kyle's move to turn everyone against Gabe was questionable.  There's some logic to it, but Gabe handed him a lifeline.  He might have been better served just taking it and turning against Tiyana.  I like that he went on the Journey, but he's in such a bad spot that he really needed to go for the Advantage.

Sue has every right to want to get rid of Kyle, but she showed absolutely no interest in working with him at all.  She should at least pretend.  If Kyle gets an Idol, I wouldn't be shocked if he knocks Sue out of the game with it.

Finally, Gabe probably could have chosen his words more carefully when talking to Kyle.  It's one thing to tell him that you don't want him to go next, but the conversation came off as shady to Kyle and it made him try to turn the game on Gabe.

We really didn't get enough from Caroline to say either way.   

As for Aysha, I'm bummed to see her go.  I had listened to some of her podcasts before she was cast and I was excited to see her play.  However, it was truly self-inflicted.  She really didn't seem to hide her dislike of Rome and she wasn't willing to turn on Sol to save herself.  Teeny and Kishan handed her a lifeline and she didn't take it because she wasn't controlling the vote.  That's not great.

Verdict:

I hate to say it, but Best Player of the Episode goes to Rome Cooney for throwing Aysha and Sol under the bus on the Journey, getting the Vote Steal, and using his hardware to force Teeny and Kishan into his alliance.  He may have a terrible social game, but he controlled this episode and I'll reluctantly give him credit for that.  He has no chance of winning the game though.

Worst Player of the Episode goes to Anika Dhar for being bossy and not going for the Advantage after losing her vote.

The conflict between Sol and Rome in the next episode ought to be very interesting.  I can't wait to see how it plays out!