Here are my rankings from 20-1 of the Caramoan cast according to their physical, strategic and social play during Season 26.
20: SHAMAR
A real piece of work in this season. Shamar played the game by insulting his tribemates, even his allies. He would of added nothing to the game apart from being a goat for someone like Sherri.
19: BRANDON
Much like Shamar, Brandon had zero chance of winning the second he opened his mouth this season. If he was relying on antics and attitude to win, the million would easily be his.
18: HOPE
Didn't really get to hear much from Hope. Felt too comfortable in an alliance she believed to be the majority.
17: ALLIE
Allie and Hope were interchangeable, I saw a little bit more 'oomph' in Allie, I think she probably had the heart to play the game hard.
16: FRANCESCA
Her stats label her the worst ever but for the second season in a row she was taken out first as a threat. Fran was good in the challenges she was in and had a good strategy in place. I think it would have been much smarter to take out Andrea first instead of Fran.
15: MATT
Matt, along with Michael, made a smart move early on to side with an alliance of numbers rather than the tight alliance Eddie and Reynold created but that was all we really saw. The 3 fans needed to stick tight during the switch and Matt was a reason why this didn't happen.
14: MICHAEL
Interchangeable with Matt. Made a smart move by voting out Hope and Allie but that was about it. Wasn't able to recognise the tensions going on with his switched tribe and didn't even consider the possible blindside of Dawn.
13: JULIA
It was upsetting that Julia was ousted by Michael, only because she intended to keep the 3 fans strong and try and find a crack in the favourites during the switch, whereas he was quick to turn on her. Had her plan to get rid of Dawn worked (see secret scenes) Julia's came could have been a lot different. Was labelled a strong woman by the original fan tribe.
12: LAURA
Little strategic Laura. Was so tuned in to the game, had a good alliance but it was her physical hiccups that lead to her eventual elimination. Played a pivotal role in the weakening of Eddie and Reynold's alliance and if she held her end physically, would have made it far with Sherri.
11: CORINNE
Always running her mouth but never running the game. Corinne attempted to make a big move but told the wrong person in Dawn. Everything seemed to be in place for her and you have to give her credit for building a tight friendship with Michael during the switch, building her relationships with the fans and with Malcolm but when it came down to it, Corinne didn't have the numbers to make her move. Story of her Survivor 'career' really? Jeff said it best when he said, "she was good at making friends, but even better at making enemies."
10: REYNOLD
If you're going to build an alliance of four in a tribe of ten, do not make yourself out to be exclusive and label yourself 'the cool kids' and not let anybody else 'sit with you'. Well they didn't, and Reynold was sort of in a hopeless situation from the start. He was a let down in immunity challenges which I thought he would excel in but, to his credit, seemed to understand the game and at least gave it all he had. "I think things would have turned out a lot differently for you if you had been a little more humble in this game." - Brenda
9: ERIK
Erik performed well in challenges but that's about it. He was always in pivotal positions but sided with Cochran every time but didn't seem to have a strong loyalty to Cochran. I'm unsure of his game plan and the same goes for both his seasons. But he did make it quite far and credit needs to be given for that, plus his immunity wins. However, if you are going to do minimal strategising, do not fault the finalists for not strategising, Erik.
8: ANDREA
Andrea is a sweetheart who just nearly has what it takes to take her game all the way to the end. I think Andrea overthought a lot of situations and it lead to her trying to make a move a little too soon. She held her end in challenges, made some close bonds and was very likeable, but her ability to strategise and assess every single situation is what got her blindsided in the end.
7: EDDIE
Fun player to watch and was probably a vote away from a million dollars. It may have appeared that there wasn't much going on between the ears for Eddie but when it came down to it, he made it so close to the million dollars. He was a jury threat but a let down in challenges. Eddie tried to work the possible Andrea angle and he ended up outlasting a lot of other competitors.
6: BRENDA
Poor Brenda :(. She put so much trust in her alliance with Dawn and it didn't pay off for her, with Dawn eventually choosing to finish the game with Cochran and Sherri rather than Brenda and Erik. Brenda was a threat in challenges despite injury, and really identified her mistakes from Nicaragua and changed them this time around. Would have loved to see her take the win.
5: DAWN
Played an alright game strategically but probably didn't deserve the votes she didn't get in the end. Frustrating to watch her break down after every event and her layers of fakeness were so obvious to the audience. However, Dawn aligned herself with the right people and did everything in power to protect herself and those working with her. Played a crucial role in Cochran's victory, but nothing she did was ever really going to help herself in the end because of how the jury perceived her.
4: SHERRI
Sherri played a better pre merge game than anyone else this season. She identified the tight alliance of four and it was her who set up a counter alliance to take them out. Eventually, Sherri outlasted that tight alliance and her entire fans tribe to make it to the end for second place. After the merge Sherri knew she had to lay low and did, as other threats from the fan tribe were taken out. She built a strong relationship with Cochran and Dawn but in the end was portrayed as a goat, which I perceived as unfair but understandable from a jury perspective.
3: MALCOLM
I'm not really all aboard the Malcolm fan club but there is no denying his talent in the game. Malcolm was in the majority alliance for the entire pre merge and it wasn't until he tried to make a move with Corinne that his game came crashing down. He was then targeted as a big threat and after making some impressive moves at tribal, was voted out. Played the game hard and was rewarded with the fan favourite award.
2: PHILLIP
Controversial, I know. I think casuals buy into the edit that Phillip is a lunatic with no idea is going on, but really study the show, really study Phillip's gameplay. Have a read of this forum before you criticise my choice to have him at two. Go ahead and hate, I will stick by my decision to have Phillip at the number two spot. http://survivorsucks.yuku.com/topic/114744/Phillip-Sheppard-Good-Player?page=1#.U8YJ8Y2SyFY
1: COCHRAN
Cochran is one of my least favourite players ever, basically because I just felt like the season was handed to him. All Cochran had to do was not do anything wrong, which he didn't. He was in a cast with his friends and a really weak fans tribe, let's be honest. The writing was in the wall from episode one but he didn't get a single vote cast against him, won four individual challenges and won unanimously, as much as I'd love to have him lower down, you can't criticise his actual game.
I'd love to read everybody's opinions on the gameplay this season, just because of the varying opinions there are on players like Cochran, Brenda, Dawn, Sherri and Phillip! Do not neg for a difference of opinion, simply let me know yours and I will read and respect yours like you too have done here. Thanks for the read :)
Brenda should be 17th because she did not get medevact and was not voted out 1st 2 times in a row but she was a do nothing all she did was tan on the beach eat and go to events like really if she was a man no one would have been rooting for her. The only person that i have seen with less strategy (since season 1 & 2) is woo and being 100% loyal is not a good strategy because it makes you play the game blind. You need to know when people will stick with you and when they will target you.
tiafrsn4 do you even read the paragraphs? i think sherri's position is justified and i don't think eddie is too high, he finished 4th and he's 7th on my list.
tiafrsn4 these arent 'official' rankings theyre my opinions. if youre going to throw shade on me every single one i post without reading my justification then fuck outta here. take a seat.
