Now that’s what I’m talking about! We finally got a nice chunk of action fantasy-wise. Wendell and Michael each found an idol and Kellyn won herself an advantage on her second trip to Ghost Island. And with the merge coming next week, the pace should continue to pick up. We have those three in play and there will likely be a merge idol to be found, plus the continued presence of Ghost Island. Add in the individual challenges and we should have points aplenty from this point on. You’ll find the updated standings below with a fantasy-focused merge preview at the end of the post. If you want a general game preview for the post-merge, I’ve got that for you here.
Matt
Points coming into this week: 7
Wendell: 2, found an idol
JacobSebastian: 0
Stephanie J
Winner pick: Wendell
Episode 7 points: 2
New total: 9
Maddie
Points coming into this week: 4
Domenick: 0
Desiree: 0
Michael: 2, found an idol
Chris: 0
Winner pick: Wendell
Episode 7 points: 2
New total: 6
Chris
Points coming into this week: 5
Brendan
Laurel: 0
Chelsea: 0
Morgan
Winner pick: Kellyn
Episode 7 points: 0
New total: 5
Mary
Points coming into this week: 5
James
Kellyn: 2, earned an advantage
Jenna: 0
Donathan: 0
Winner pick: Kellyn
Episode 7 points: 2
New total: 7
City
Points coming into this week: 0
Libby: 0
Angela: 0
Stephanie
Bradley: 6, voted off finishing in 14th place
Winner pick: Libby
Episode 7 points: 6
New total: 6
Updated Standings
1) Matt – 9 points
2) Mary – 7 points
3t) Maddie – 6 points
3t) City – 6 points
5) Chris – 5 points
Fantasy Merge Preview
Matt: Even with just two players left, not in a terrible spot. Wendell is in a strong position right now and should be considered one of the frontrunners to win the game. But he could emerge as too big of a threat and end up getting taken out early. He’s been playing a great social game so hopefully that will help keep him around. Sebastian should be able to coast for a while, provided he’s not seen as a big challenge threat. He’s nice, easygoing, and likable. And he doesn’t seem to be playing the game too hard. I don’t think many, or any, players will see him as much of a strategic threat. He could find himself in the Final Three, albeit with little to no chance of winning. But he if he makes it that far, he’ll likely have won a couple challenges along the way, providing a nice point boost.
Maddie: Obviously in a great spot here with all four players making the merge. Dom and Michael have both emerged as big players and are both serious threats to win. The preview for next week’s episode shows a possible showdown between Dom and Chris. But with Dom having both an idol and the Legacy Advantage (which can be used this week) I would be surprised if goes home. But how much longer can he stick around? He won’t exactly be flying under the radar. As for Chris, he could easily win a few challenges but I think his social awareness, or lack thereof, could be what prevents him from having a legitimate shot at winning. I still think Des has potential, but she’ll need to start showing something soon.
Chris: Chris is in a bad spot, with only Laurel and Chelsea making it through. Chelsea is just sort of along for the ride. Anyone who isn’t trying to take her along as their goat will want her out sooner than later. Though she could stick around for a few votes as they might target challenge threats early on, while they have a clear shot at them. Laurel could still win, but she has a lot of people to jump over to get to the top.
Mary: Mary is in a pretty good spot. She has Kellyn, a real threat to win the game. Donathan could make his way deep into the game, maybe even the Final Three as his game likely won’t be respected very much by the remaining players. But the nice, likable players can be ones you need to watch out for. Jenna, at least at this point, has zero chance to win the game. But like Chelsea, she could get taken to the end as someone’s goat. And, also like Chelsea, she could stay in the game as the bigger threats are being targeted.
City: Not in a great spot, but not without hope. I still can’t figure out Libby. There’s clearly more to her game than what we’ve been shown, with the way some of the other players have been talking about her. But if she was really making moves, wouldn’t we be seeing at least some of those on screen? She’ll be one to watch going forward. And boy was I wrong about Angela. In the pre-season I had her pegged as a player to watch. And, well, if you’ve been watching this season (And I’d assume you have been if you’re reading this. And if you haven’t been, what are you doing here?) you know why that was way off base. That being said, she does have a couple possible saving graces that might get her a bit farther in the game. She’s so far proven herself to be very loyal. That can be hard to come by in Survivor which might give her alliance reason enough to keep her around longer than they maybe otherwise would have. And with the individual challenges coming up, there’s still the definite possibility of her emerging as a physical threat. We haven’t seen much yet, but she does seem to be in great shape, which could lead her to a couple challenge wins.
If I had to pick a winner here, I would go with Maddie. Being the only one with all four players left is huge. Just in placement points alone, she’s looking at a nice total. But Mary and I are still hanging on. Chris and City look to be out of it, but the beauty of Survivor is you never know what’s going to happen. Though unlikely, either could still pull it out.
