Survivor 51, Episode 8 "Load the Ark, Two by Two" Gameplay Breakdown

 "Some spaghetti."

-Jeff Probst

Double, double, toil and trouble.  Now that we've seen the Double Duo play out twice, I gotta say, I'm a fan of this twist.  It just makes for such interesting and different dynamics.  They don't necessarily need to put it on every season, but I'd definitely prefer this twist to a great many of the others Probst has tried over the years.  Anyway, let's get into who played well and who sucked.

Who Played Well:

Let's start with Cristian, who had a big night.  He managed to be close enough with Carter that he was brought into the Salt Alliance and learned about Carter's Idol.  He was sent on the Journey and managed to get his vote back as well as an Extra Vote.  I can't believe he managed to solve that puzzle.  The buoys were drifting away so fast that I thought he had zero chance of getting it.  I like that he gave Eric his Extra Vote so he could play his Shot in the Dark without wasting the Extra Vote.  And the Shot it the Dark saved him!  It's not his fault that Eric is a moron.  However, just like everyone else not in the Helicopter Alliance, he failed to make Devin and Jelly feel secure enough to not play Jelly's Idol, but I'll still give him a net positive.

Devin and Jelly's relationship with Sharonda saved them in a big way tonight.  That relationship gave them the information they needed to play Jelly's Idol to save them.  They also split their votes, which I thought was a very shrewd call.  Devin single-handedly knocked out Kilby and Kristin, two of the biggest threats in the game.  I will say that picking each other as partners when they knew the Double Duo twist was a possibility was a terrible idea, but they managed to get themselves out of the hole they dug.

Sharonda won Immunity, got some information out of Thien An, and used that info to save her two closest allies, Devin and Jelly.  Plus she placed her vote on Devin and Jelly so as not to draw suspicion.  She did lose Kristin and her Tethered Idol playability, but I still think she played very well.

Lewis managed to get into the Salt Alliance and won Immunity, but just like the other players, he failed to make Devin and Jelly feel secure.

Finally, we have Mike, who also failed to make Devin and Jelly feel secure, but he clearly made an excellent choice in picking Maggie as his partner.  As much as everyone wants Mike out, no one wants Maggie out.  If Mike picks just about anybody else and loses the Immunity Challenge, I think he and his partner go home here.  I also like that he followed Cristian out to where he dug up his Extra Vote.  I typically approve of the Babysitting Strategy.

Who Sucked:

I think Maggie was far too honest with Mike in their conversation on the beach.  If Mike is playing poorly, let him.  You don't need to try and help fix his gameplay.  I also hated that she agreed to be Mike's partner.  I would avoid Mike like the plague in this situation.  I would never agree to be his partner unless it was a rock draw or something.  She should have put her foot down and said no.  She also failed to make Devin and Jelly feel comfortable, but she did get into the Salt Alliance.

Thien An probably gave too much information to Sharonda about the vote.  Granted, it seems like the Helicopter Alliance is a completely secret, but still.  She also failed to make Devin and Jelly feel comfortable, but did get into the Salt Alliance.  Forgive me if I sound like a broken record.

Carter may have formed the Salt Alliance, but he also told Cristian about his Idol and I don't think he needed to or should have done that.  He also failed to make Devin and Jelly feel comfortable despite his best efforts.

Finally, we have Eric, who also failed to make Devin and Jelly feel comfortable, but more bafflingly, why in the world did he not play the Extra Vote he received from Cristian?  He told us that he didn't think he needed to, but he knew it expired at this Tribal Council.  Why not play it!?  Bizarre.   He's giving Waluigi fans a bad name.

As for Kilby and Kristin, they had the right idea of picking partners from the opposite side of the game, unlike Devin and Jelly, but they probably should have picked partners with lower threat levels.  Being two of the biggest targets in the game made them a very appealing target for Devin and Jelly, even if they split their votes.  If they had aligned with say, Maggie, or Thien An, or maybe Eric, I don't know if they would have been targeted.  It's a bummer.  I really liked both of them and would love to see them both get another chance.

Verdict:

Since two people went home in this episode, I'm going to give out two Best and Worst Players of the Episode.

My first Best Player of the Episode goes Cristian Chavez for getting into the Salt Alliance, learning about Carter's Idol, getting his Extra Vote back, and giving it to Eric to play his Shot in the Dark.

My second Best Player of the Episode goes to Sharonda Cox for winning Immunity and saving Devin and Jelly.

My first Worst Player of the Episode goes to Maggie Nestor for being too honest with Mike, agreeing to be his Double Duo partner, and failing to make Devin and Jelly feel comfortable.

My second Worst Player of the Episode goes to Eric Macksoud for failing to make Devin and Jelly feel comfortable and not playing the Extra Vote.

I'm not looking forward to the return of the Beast Coin next week.  I really don't like that twist at all.  I really hope no one goes home on a coin flip.  That's just no fun.  We'll see.