Survivor 48 Episode 2 OOO: Surgical Precision
*Note: This was written before episode 3, but I forgot to publish it
Episode 2 of Survivor 48 showed signs of continuing a common New Era-theme — the disaster tribe. This time, it’s Vula. For a moment, they seemed like they may make it through this week, but the total failure from Cedrek and Kevin’s portion of the challenge continued their streak of being the only ones to have seen tribal council.
But they’re not the only ones who can earn my Outwit, Outplay, and Outlast awards. As a reminder, I will choose three moments from the episode that best demonstrate the three pillars of Survivor and dive into them a bit more.
Outwit
Sai her name, Sai her name. Yes, this week’s Outwit goes to Sai. Is she my favorite player? No, I think she’s playing too hard, too blunt, and is generally not very likeable. But, I’d say her antics are growing on me. Beyond that, her hard play has proved effective thus far. Not only did she axe Stephanie last week, but she learned someone from her tribe was gunning for her and she made him disappear expeditiously. The seeds she planted against Kevin for the future were laced with Miracle-Gro, and his alliance turned on him on this vote. Sai’s social intelligence may be lacking — and I ultimately view that as her eventual demise — but her strategic wits are sharp. While Kev(a)n was planning her blindside, she managed to blindside him. That’s Outwit.
Outplay
The granny shot is statistically more effective. It may not be pretty, but you’ve gotta do it. Mitch knows this. Mitch absolutely dominated at the end of that challenge. His PE teacher skills came out. Not to mention, he also solved the journey puzzle and got a block-a-vote advantage. Total win across the board for Mitch.
Outlast
Mary Zheng, the woman that you are. How is she still here? Who knows. But she is in the game, and that’s what matters. No vote, no alliance, no worries. All you need to do is get past tribal council to have a shot at the million. As Jeff says, you never know what could happen tomorrow on Survivor. For Mary, tomorrow is going to be a big day.