LogFAQs > #877698320

Also done, @AdmiralZephyr !

2. Chris Daugherty (Survivor: Vanuatu)

Chris is very much in the same vein of winner as Danni. He was a leader pre-merge but entered the merge down in numbers. Granted, that’s more his fault for booting John K. than Danni’s deficit was, but at the same time, he also needed immunity less. They’re both extremely close for me, and I give Chris a SLIGHT edge over Danni. But yeah, despite the narrative that Sarge was the boss on Lopevi, it’s pretty clear he was just a figurehead. After all, Chris was the one who kept the group from targeting Rory, and if Sarge had his way, no way is Brady the Lopevi tribe’s third boot. Chris saw a threat and got him out while he had the chance.

Post-merge, Chris lost the numbers, and one by one, every other man in the game was voted out by an aggressively feminist alliance. However, I’d argue that Chris, like Danni, positioned himself the best of his male tribe mates. Rory was annoying, Sarge was outwardly the leader of the men, and Chad just wasn’t as tight with the women as Chris was. Chris, despite being actively pissed at the women, kept his cool and maintained working relationships with as many of them as he could. He kissed ass when he needed to, and it paid off when they let their guards down for a second, deciding that good guy Chris deserved to stick around over Eliza.

People criticize Chris for just following Scout/Twila’s lead in the Leann blindside, but the fact is, Chris was an integral part of that decision. Eliza’s not gonna join forces with Scout/Twila of her own free will. She hates those two. But they NEED her vote to ensure that Scout/Twila don’t finish fourth and fifth. It’s only because of Chris’ social game that the connection got made, and those four managed to take control of the game. From there, Chris continued playing all sides, staying friendly while the women bombed each other from within. Because he positioned himself so well, Chris was able to set up his ideal endgame: a final immunity challenge where he stood his best chance at beating Scout or Twila, and thus winning the season. That social game and positioning allowed his strategy to pull him from the bottom of the tribe.

It’s also important to note that, despite losing the majority at the merge and only holding immunity at the very end of the season, Chris only got votes at his very first tribal council. The women never managed to target him even though by all logic, he was the biggest threat. And finally, he gave one of the greatest final tribal council performances, both puffing up his game and sabotaging Twila’s in the process. For whatever shortcomings Chris may have, he took that underdog storyline and ran with it to an amazing victory.
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