Quote:
Originally Posted by Zimmer4141
Man this is the weirdest season I've ever seen. There are pretty much no alliances right now and we have 9 people left. I guess this is what happens when floaters band together to vote out people who try to control their votes.
I feel like it's suicide for anybody to take a leadership role. I feel like everybody should just sit back and wait for somebody to implode and everybody to turn on them. I don't think people will naturally turn on Sash. This is just such a strange season because I feel like it's a season with very little strategy being played, which makes the people who show themselves as strategic huge targets.
This entire season, nobody really even talks about numbers and having the numbers all the way. I feel like there has to be a core group of 3 (Ben, Dan, Fabio maybe) that can pick up 2 more people (Holly and Jane) and systematically vote out Chase, Nay, Kelly, and Sash. But the problem is that because nobody really has any allegiance to each other, they can flip at any time. So the moment Benry tries to bring Holly and Jane into a power alliance, they'll vote 1 person out (maybe Sash or Chase) then Holly and Jane will flip to the other side and target Benry because he stepped up and tried to take charge.
I think this is just what happens when there aren't very many leaders post-merge. Everybody wants to be with the majority because they see that as being the lowest risk play. If they're part of the huge alliance ganging up on 1 person, they're safe for that tribal and they get 1 step closer.
Seasons like this one aren't necessarily the least strategic. Take seasons like Cook Islands and Samoa, in which there were very few strategic players and in which those few were saved by the idiocy of their opponents. Those seasons which are dominated by a particular alliance are usually that way because the outsiders in that alliance are unaware of their position and/or too passive to make moves to improve their position. On this season you have Brenda, Sash, and Marty who are focused gamers, and Holly who is making moves behind the scenes. Compare that with the regular post-ASS seasons:
Vanuatu: Ami, Leann, Chris, Julie, Scout
Palau: Tom
Guatemala: Rafe
Panama: Cirie
CI: Yul, Penner
Fiji: Earl, Yau-Man, Stacy, Alex (/Dreamz if you count him)
China: Todd, Amanda, Peih-Gee
Gabon: Ken, Corinne (/Sugar)
Tocantins: Everybody except Taj, Coach, Sierra
Samoa: Russell, John, Laura
Nicaragua is actually pretty good insofar as it has a lot of people attempting to play the game. You're right that this season has a unique dynamic (a very interesting one I think everyone would agree) but it's not for want of strategy. You're right that Holly and Jane are now a swing vote duo if they want to be (and they clearly should). They have to target Sash first, but then they have more flexibility over the boot order. Holly should want to keep Benry though, because Benry is unlikely to win a jury vote and most likely to stop Jane randomly winning a crucial challenge; Fabio would be a much better target because he's more well-liked. Holly also needs to ensure that she can target Jane at any given time.