Player of the Week
- Logan — 66
- Amanda — 16
- Emanuel — 8
- Cory — 7
- CT — 6
Sooooo many errant votes for CT in every category this week. And what did he do? His prized rookie Emy fucked up in the mission, and Sapphire, despite being called “intimidating” and “the biggest threat” in many confessionals, finished dead last in the mission… AGAIN. Of course, having fewer players screws you over but… CT. Did. Nothing.
Maybe he got votes because he avoided elimination again, but while Cory isn’t the brightest bulb, he knows better than to call CT out in pretty much anything. That’s not social game or political game, either — just intimidation and everyone knowing he’s a strong player who will win most eliminations. So, @CT Stans — move on. I will be saying nothing else on him this week.
Logan went into his second elimination and dominated it, shutting Cory out. Who IS a great contender for the win, despite what the haters are saying this week, back-to-back finals on top of two other finals and two 2nd place finishes and an impressive elimination record. And Cory has also evolved into a level-headed leader who took great strides to motivate his team. He did well this season, despite not making a threepeat final.
But back to Logue. We saw his close friendship with Josh this episode, which paid dividends because Josh went to bat to keep Logan from being the house vote, despite being the sole male rookie left eligible for elimination. He also did well in the mission, helping Ruby get a close second even though they had fewer players and one of theirs, Amanda, was not an active help this time. AND he improved his standing by jumping from Ruby to Sapphire. Why not Emerald? Well, who knows. But I do think Sapph is better suited for a final than Rube.
Amanda was hilarious all episode. Her team told her to stay out of the way during the mission and gave her no instructions on how to help. And so that’s exactly what she did — and then got yelled at by Cory and Nelson because she followed directions? LOL k. Stay mad. She was so entertaining, and I am so happy she didn’t back down or apologize. Was it smart gameplay? No, but this is a TV show, so bring me that drama.
Emanuel got his fourth consecutive daily win and still hasn’t needed to go down into the Lair, despite being a rookie and obvious competitive threat. We also saw him get it on with Tori this episode — in the bathroom, in the middle of the day. Now THAT is the pinnacle of romance. You go, Manu.
Best Political Game
- Josh — 48
- CT — 23
- Logan — 20
- Devin — 10
- Amanda — 8
Josh used his political muscle to keep his buddy Logan safe from the vote. This caused him to get into an argument with Cory, who was voted in, but I think it was the right move. Josh was correct in that Cory would look out for lots of people before Josh, but Logan does not have those strong allegiances. Josh is likely Logan’s #1 but he is not even close to that for Cory. What’s more, Logue stayed in the game and will remember the solid Josh did him, whereas Cory is back stateside and stays unvaccinated, so he’ll miss next season. Great politicking, Joshy!
And by choosing to join Sapphire instead of Emerald, Logan proved trustworthy/usable to the veterans. So if Em wins again, he has some brownie points/cachet there.
Devin stays political. Amanda did really poorly this episode in terms of politics, from the edit we saw. However, she tweeted out subsequently that she had met with her buddies Devin and Josh and made a deal to throw the mission to Emerald, and vote Cory in, because then she knew Nelson would be safe. And that is exactly what happened. So if that’s the reason she all but sabotaged the underwater daily, then great job to her, because she achieved her goal. She still has her close allies Ashley, Nelson, Josh, and Devin in the game, whereas Cory, who doesn’t care for her, went home.
Best Social Game
- Logan — 49
- CT — 20
- Josh — 15
- Emanuel — 12
- Amanda — 5
Logan’s social game is the reason Josh stuck his neck out for him, and we saw that fully this episode. Votes well deserved. Josh also proved himself loyal by going against the grain to protect a friend, instead of falling in line and sticking to the Vet Truce (again). Good job to him too.
Emanuel continues getting along great with the Emerald Cell and the house in general. His #1 ally Emy is still there (and also integrated well), and he’s getting it on with one of the female power players. You go, Glen Coco.
And then Amanda… Once again, poor social gameplay this ep, but she has tight friends who will stay loyal to her, which may protect her from some of the blowback. Guess we’ll see though — because the episode description for tomorrow mentions Amanda having her back against the wall 😬
Best Edit
- Logan — 31
- Cory — 27
- Amanda — 15
- Emanuel — 12
- CT — 8
We saw Logan’s friendship with Josh, his desire to win, what he’d do with the money, AND his dominance in the Lair against a seasoned veteran. Great edit all-around, but personally, he’s boring and one-note and uncharismatic to me. I hope he’s a one-and-done, but I’m expecting him to be back at least for next season.
Cory lost in the Lair after a five elimination win streak. He was the leader of Ruby and an excellent competitor in the missions. Not mad he’s gone and taking a break for 38, but I do like him, and his edit this ep was glowing.
Amanda got lots of screentime as well, but it was NOT a good edit. She got insulted in confessionals and in person by multiple people — Kyle, Logan, Cory, AND Nelson at least. There was no coverage of the deal she cut with Emerald either, so it looked like she was just being a poor sport and detriment to her team. That’s literally the opposite of Best Edit. So anyway…
And then, with Emanu, I already covered what we saw this episode. In fact, have we seen ANY NEGATIVE CONTENT AT ALL about Emanuel?? Looking back over the past 13 episodes, I don’t think has been LITERALLY any. All we’ve seen is positive SPV during missions, goofing off (dance moves, jumping in the pool naked, putting the cereal bowl on his head, going in “drag”), and showmances with Michele and Tori. Golden edit here WOW.
Biggest Misplay
- Cory — 52
- Amanda — 34
- Josh — 14
- Devin — 7
- Nelson — 4
Cory looked laughably bad in the elimination. He said before the game started that his strategy was to “weather the storm” and let Logan gas himself out… Which is exactly the OPPOSITE of what he actually did. It was 0–2 despite Cory’s huge arms and stunning physique (and litany of experience). I mean, not much else you can do — Kyle and CT wouldn’t’ve been easy opponents either, and the ones you want to face, Devin Josh or Emanu, were all safe. So, essentially, Cory was fucked. And he also misplayed by not kissing Emerald’s ass and getting voted into elimination despite the Vet Truce. Yikes.
I’ve covered why Amanda got votes here, and I am in full agreement, even if she is my favourite cast member. But this was one of her worst episodes for sure.
What did Josh and Devin do despite win the mission, look calm while Cory was barking at the them, and have the person they voted in sent home instead of come back to HQ with a vengeance? This is the opposite of misplaying. Maybe they meant people who performed poorly in the mission, like Emy, Kyle, or Ashley? Hmmm.
Nelson yelled at his (female) bestie at the club and continued his massive mission losing streak. He lost his (male) bestie and #1 and is on the Misfit Cell, with Amanda, Big T, and Kyle, all without a clear leader. Most of that was out of his control, and he stayed safe this episode, so I don’t totally get the votes here either. But I can’t argue that he played immaculately, either 🤔
Back or Buh-Bye?
Shocked about this! I thought Cory was a casual fave. Only 56 votes for yes to season 38, with 62 votes no.
But after three straight seasons, two of which he made the final (and thus was on 17 episodes of Total Madness and 22 of Double Agents), and being featured heavily on the Aftermath — I’m ready for a Cory break as well. Plus, it’s come out that he is unvaccinated (and probably anti-vax), which I’m sure turns a majority of the fanbase off. So, Cory, after 9 seasons, 1 spin-off, 4 finals, Ex on the Beach, AND Teen Mom — yeah, take a couple off and be home with Taylor and the kids.
(That goes for a lot of other people too, @CT).
That’s it for now! See you next week 😘
Nova
