Survivor 46: Episode 12 "Mamma Bear" Gameplay Analysis

 "Rock the Q-Skirt!"

-Q Burdette

This was probably my favorite episode of the season.  I loved it!  It's been a while since I felt a pit in my stomach during Tribal Council.  I usually try to stay mostly objective about who gets voted out and not be too invested one way or another.  That wasn't the case this time.  I desperately wanted Q to not play his Idol and for Charlie to stay.  I got my way and the episode as a whole was such a fun ride.  That said, while I loved the episode, there was definitely some bad gameplay, so let's take a closer look.

Who Played Well:

Charlie should have been the person voted out in this episode after Maria won Immunity.  The fact that he wasn't speaks highly to his social game.  It didn't really matter who went home for Charlie's game as long as it wasn't him.  He wasn't a target and put a dent in Maria's game in the process.

Maria had an interesting episode, but I think her overall gameplay was net positive.  She won Immunity and saved herself and she put together a logically sound plan with Q to take out Charlie.  This was the right move for her and everyone else not named Charlie.  It's not her fault that Liz and Kenzie didn't go along with it even though it would have helped their games.  That said, she could have made sure her plan worked by convincing Q to play his Idol.

Who Sucked:

Ben, Kenzie, and Liz made a terrible move in taking out Q instead of Charlie.  Q is someone they should have been trying to take to the end.  With Q out of the game, I don't think Ben can win anymore.  It didn't help that he not only "accidentally" voted for Kenzie in the previous episode, but admitted to it.  He should have kept his mouth shut and possibly caused some paranoia.  I do like that Kenzie got over it quickly and kept a good relationship with Ben, but voting out Q gives her a net negative.

As for Q, he obviously should have played his Idol, but I don't blame him too much.  Kenzie, Liz, and Ben were the ones who made a bad move at this vote, not him.  His mistakes were made long before this episode.  His erratic gameplay and asking to be voted out at the Tevin vote tanked his game, not anything he did in this episode.

Verdict:

Best Player of the Episode goes to Charlie Davis for avoiding elimination, knocking Q out of the game, and damaging Maria's game.

Worst Player of the Episode goes to Ben Katzman for admitting that he screwed up on the previous vote and taking out Q instead of Charlie.  I believe he can no longer win the game after this episode.

I can't wait for the finale.  I predict Charlie is going to win this thing and I really hope he does.  It would be a great capper to an excellent and chaotic season of Survivor.

I'm excited to see what happens next! If you liked this breakdown, check out my other write-ups at www.stacysbloggoingon.blogspot.com/.