Survivor: Edge of Extinction

originally aired February 20, 2019 to May 15, 2019

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

• Reem (Manu) First voted out, first to embrace Edge of Extinction, and stuck with it to the very end.  She becomes almost by definition the best example of a first vote loser ever in the game.
• Keith (Manu) The surprisingly impactful Manu tribe sort of crystalized over this particular tribal council.  Keith ended up being one of two players to quit Edge of Extinction.
• Aubry (Kama) The fifth voted out (Devens and Chris ended up back in the game thanks to Edge of Extinction) was one of the returning players, who never really figured out how to contend with the new players.
• Wendy (Manu) A standout personality in a season almost devoid of them, Wendy unfortunately couldn't compete in the actual game, and was the other one to quit Edge of Extinction.
• Joe (Kama) Another returning player, a hugely popular one among fans, but who just doesn't have the killer instinct to compete in the actual game.
• Eric (Kama) A key member of the overly ambitious Kama alliance that was quickly dismantled.  Take that for what you will.
• Julia (Kama) One of the more anonymous members of the edit and/or overly ambitious Kama alliance.
• David (Manu) Not as much the strategic powerhouse as the last time he played, David still proved a considerable threat and one of the main reasons the game played out the way it did, spurring Devens along to near-victory.
• Kelley Wentworth (Manu) Her appearance this season justified her reputation as a strong player, always scrambling for power.  Spurred her ally Lauren deeper in the game than she would've gone otherwise.
• Wardog (Manu) One of those would-be master strategists who've dominated the game in recent years despite a rank inability to win (although this really goes all the way back to Boston Rob in the fourth season).  Love the nickname, but he didn't have the personality to match.  Where o where art thou, Coach??? 
• Ron (Kama) Hugely cocky de facto leader of the overly ambitious Kama alliance that took on basically a whole tribe and thus epitomized why that's a horrible idea.  Also epitomized the charisma void in much of the cast this season.
• Aurora (Kama) Somehow made her name by performing well in challenges while complaining she had no allies despite being in the general Kama alliance.  Basically had no interest in strategizing.  That's a terrible way to play this game!
• Victoria (Kama) Sort of made an effort to strategize, but coasted too long on the Kama numbers.
• Lauren (Manu) Made it surprisingly far despite being the weaker player of an alliance with Kelley Wentworth that ended well before she was voted out.  A second chance could prove how good she can really be.
• Rick Devens (Manu) Originally eliminated ironically because Lauren and Kelley realized he was a huge threat, and then seized the Edge of Extinction opportunity to in fact become a huge threat, and by far the biggest and best personality of the season.  His late showdown with Chris in a fire-making challenge probably goes down as an all-time great moment in Survivor lore.
• Julie (Kama) The fact that she got no votes from the jury despite arguably looking best at the final tribal council ought to tell you pretty much everything you need to know.
• Gavin (Kama) A great story but...absolutely no!...personality!  And that's what sucked so much about the Kama alliance, that it only worked at all because of the ridiculous numbers that were thrown at it, not because any of them were particularly good players, and the fate of the alliance proved that beyond any doubt, and the fact that none of them ended up winning.  Again, this is exactly why you don't just assume numbers are all you need in this game.
• Chris (Manu) The greatest beneficiary, obviously, of the Edge of Extinction gimmick, which itself was basically a combination of Exile Island and the Pearl Islands outcast concept, which ended up backfiring spectacularly with an unlikable player ending up back in the game.  This time not only did we get Devens back, but Chris, who swooped in at literally the last minute and actually gave up protection at the last tribal council before the vote so he could prove his worth in the game, in an epic showdown with Devens in a fire-making challenge.  I'm so glad the season ended the way it did.  We've had too many seasons, recently, where it was players who thought they were master strategists basically cancelling each other out because they couldn't figure out how to actually maneuver this game.  It's always possible to be outmaneuvered, but the trend has more been players who weren't good at strategy thinking they were, just because they were aware of the general way the game is played.  They end up more like a Jerri than a Rich, which is why it's better when a Tina wins, someone who maybe didn't have the best game but still put in the effort to get to the end, no matter how it was accomplished, and won with honor.  That's where Chris stands.

Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X

originally aired September 21, 2016 to December 14, 2016

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

• Rachel (Takali/Gen X) Apparently hadn't watched thirty-two previous seasons to know bossiness at camp is a game killer.
• Mari (Vanua/Millennials) A victim of the Triforce's early dominance.
• Paul (Takali/Gen X) The fatal blow to the patriarchs of Gen X, leading to the eventual downfalls of Chris and Bret, who never again had a secure base.
• Lucy (Takali/Gen X) Her elimination was David's first big play of the season, using a hidden immunity idol to save Jessica.
• CeCe (Takali/Gen X) A classic challenge albatross and overall mostly pointless competitor.
• Figgy (Vanua/Millennials) Her romance with Taylor solidified the Triforce and also guaranteed a big fat target on her back, and she never really figured out how to disentangle herself from either of them.
• Michaela (Vanua/Millennials) Decided to start playing way too late; her elimination was probably the point the season turned from not really having a direction to becoming one of the all-time greats.  Her second shot in Survivor: Game Changers will determine if Michaela really is better than she first seemed.
• Michelle (Vanua/Millennials) The "Triforce" consisted of four people, and Michelle was the fourth wheel, and easily one of the worst victims of tribe-swapping in Survivor history.  This girl would've been a force to be reckoned with had the Triforce stayed intact.  She would've outlasted it, as she was really the only member to be able to adapt.  But she was basically forced into a late-game situation early in the game, and that's an impossible riddle for even the best players to solve.
• Taylor (Vanua/Millennials) His love-hate relationship with Adam propelled Adam to victory, but left himself running in circles.
• Chris (Takali/Gen X) A far better juror than he was player, adequately making the case for Adam's victory without the need for that slam-dunk emotional appeal. 
• Jessica (Takali/Gen X) A necessary ally for advancing forward, but also a necessary victim, which makes her elimination by rock all the more ironic.
• Zeke (Vanua/Millennials) His epic showdown with David painted a hugely false impression of where this season was headed, but it was undeniably a highlight not just of the season but Survivor in general.
• Will (Vanua/Millennials) Somehow this guy's the youngest player to ever play the game, but that deep voice of his is great camouflage.  His gameplay, however, betrays him.  Like Michaela chose way too late to begin taking the game seriously, and like her was quickly and easily eliminated because of it.
• Sunday (Takali/Gen X) A classic coattail rider just filling space.
• Jay (Vanua/Millennials) The Triforce (excluding Michelle) was redeemed by this guy, who learned from Taylor's mistakes and made a game run to the end of the season.  Became very easy to root for.
• Bret (Takali/Gen X) The last of the patriarchs somewhat ironically turned out to be gay, in a moment made him relevant, because his gameplay otherwise relegated him to the last of the extraneous players in the game.
• David (Takali/Gen X) One of the most remarkable transformations in Survivor history, a would-be Tai who became a true mastermind and legitimate force, who bested all the obvious threats to his game, until finally everyone left realized he would win if he made it to the finals.  Because he really would have.
• Ken (Takali/Gen X) One of the best allies anyone could find in this game, whose reliability made David possible, who ultimately did what most players never do, which is turn on that ally at the very last minute.  And they didn't end up hating each other!
• Hannah (Vanua/Millennials) The David of the Millennials had a nearly comparable experience, except she had to scramble the whole time.  I would've been happy with any of the finalists winning, which happens, basically, never in this game.
• Adam (Vanua/Millennials) A feel-good winner all-around (and got all the votes, which has happened, what, three other times?), Adam's epic showdown with the Triforce defined the season that wasn't dominated by Zeke and David, and like the best players found and used cleverly all available advantages.  But when everyone found out why he was so driven, his mom's battle with cancer (which she lost an hour after he got home), is the kind of narrative the longevity of Survivor is geared around (they'd applied together to compete on Blood vs. Water, six seasons back).  Some will argue he manipulated jurors with that revelation, but I think it was beyond clear at that point he'd done plenty with his gameplay alone to justify a victory this season.