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Tina FTW!

Although I expect Cirie to win, I think Tina would definitely be deserving of the title. Sure, Cirie played well twice, but Tina was the original female strategist. Despite being an older female on a younger tribe and screwing up in the second immunity challenge, Tina never received a vote the entire time she was in the game. Tina knew exactly when to flip alliances without taking any of the heat, instead deflecting it to Colby. Her switch to save Keith was perfectly timed and executed, and from that point on, she was in control of her tribe. She knew exactly when to cut Jerri and was smart enough to keep around the nonstrategic players from Kucha, foster a relationship with them (most particularly Elisabeth), and then allowing them to get further in the game than they were expected to. The fact that Jerri's elimination didn't disrupt the whole alliance is a testament to Tina's skills, as Elisabeth was so under her spell that any negotiations with Amber never really occurred. Also, the fact that she was able to convince Colby to take her to the finals, despite Keith being the obvious Final 2 goat (something which I don't really understand. He has always been one of my favorites from season 2), shows how truly incredible of a player she was. Although the vote was close, Tina still beat the alpha male who dominated challenge after challenge. In the end, it was her strategizing and her ability as a great social player that helped win Tina Survivor over an obvious favorite.

Although much the same can be said of Cirie, I think some of Cirie's success can be attributed to knowledge of the ten/eleven seasons prior to her own. Only in the second season of the show, Tina was able to present herself as deserving through her likability and respectability as much as her strategic moves, which is something Richard wasn't able to do. So while Richard's gameplay provided the foundations for the numbers game we see today, Tina's gameplay and win added an extra element of moral and social negotiation that would be crucial to all subsequent winners. Although many would hope for a game where morality didn't come into play, it is ultimately an essential part of the show.

Anyway, that explanation was way too long and I am probably giving Tina too much credit! No matter how the list turns out, it has still been fun to read. Great job ken!