Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers

originally aired September 27, 2017 to December 20, 2017

The order in which players left the game and the impact they left behind:

• Katrina (Heroes) The initial chaos of her tribe meant it was either Katrina or Chrissy who would go home first this season.  Honestly, I don't really care what Katrina would've ended up doing, but I really wish it had been Chrissy.
• Simone (Hustlers) Ouster mostly reflective of the general character, or generally the poor character, and integrity, of this season.
• Patrick (Hustlers) Probably, he and Simone simply didn't really reflect the intended character of their original tribe.  But this season's depiction of the tribe themes was terrible, and pretty much pointless, the first time Survivor has really dropped the ball in that regard.
• Alan (Heroes) Honestly, sometimes it really seems black men are cast in this show just to look terrible in this game (Earl being a notable exception).
• Roark (Healers) First time Chrissy orchestrates the exit of another woman.
• Ali (Hustlers) Second time Chrissy orchestrates the exit of another woman.
• Jessica (Healers) A victim of the numbers, and her own stupidity, forming a relationship with Cole and not realizing that at least strategically it's a huge, huge mistake.
• Desi (Healers) A victim of the numbers.
• Cole (Healers) Basically a huge idiot, and a major reason the season played out the way it did.
• JP (Heroes) Seemingly nothing much more than a beefcake meathead.  But an amiable presence in an increasingly chaotic season, which is something of a miracle.
• Joe (Healers) A true spirit of chaos, but worth rooting for as opposition to an unlikable dominant alliance.  Also probably the best player to watch this season, until the final few episodes.
• Lauren (Hustlers) One of the members of the majority alliance that was fully convinced they were in charge of the game.  Which of course none of them were.  So they all turned on each other.
• Ashley (Heroes) One of the actually likable members of the majority alliance.  Mostly because she was one of the expendable members, and she had no clue.  So not such a good player, and a key reason the season turned out the way it did.
• Mike (Healers) A likable guy until he decided to become an adjunct member of the majority alliance, just to stick around.  So my respect for his gameplay fell drastically.  Betrayed the spirit of what he and Joe had fought for, and in hindsight ruined a terrific tribal council moment.
• Devon (Hustlers) An amiable cutthroat is still a cutthroat, and he's a key reason the horrible majority alliance happened.  None of the key members could've made it as far as they did on their own.  And none of them won.
• Ryan (Hustlers) One of them "lifelong fans" who too often turn out to be horrible students of the game, who mostly survive as weasels. 
• Chrissy (Heroes) A horribly insecure person who has made her life a fiction about how secure she is.  And maybe in the real world, she really is secure, but Survivor is a game that exposes people for what they really are, rather than what they've managed to make of their lives. 
• Ben (Heroes) Was actually kind of unlikable as long as he was leading the majority alliance, but his true character came through once he was forced out and had to scramble to stay alive in the game.  And that became, thanks to the latest twists in the game, and how it has evolved, one of the most thrilling finishes in Survivor history.  Honestly, it was a much-needed redemptive arc for the season as a whole, which otherwise characterizes the increasingly desperate nature of the game as it tries to justify its continued existence.  The producers seem content with a false image of the competitiveness of players trumping the ability to cast people actually worth watching.  But rats are still rats, and viewers, I think, would much rather watch snakes devour them.