Really janky and weird season that was fun but really wasn't great for high-level gameplay. There were IMO 3 major problems with the season that really got in the way of enjoying it:
1. The returning players felt out-of-place and didn't add much to the game. I get that apparently they were added in due to last-minute problems with contestants dropping out, but I think that this season really shows that returning players should either play a major role in the season (be at the very least one of the starting tribes) or not be playing in the season at all.
2. This season suffered from the same problem that one of the previous seasons (don't remember which) suffered from: all of the actually good players got voted out very early post-merge as the rest of the players were made up of people that were knowledgeable enough to realize who was running the game and needed to be voted out, but weren't good enough at the game to really take over in their place. Past Wardog getting voted out I feel like the only decent strategic player left in the game was Victoria. (Who I'll get to in a bit)
3. All of the twists and surprises really got in the way of the actual game to the point where people that would otherwise have no business getting anywhere in the game made it near the end (in the case of Devons) or ended up winning it. Chris got voted out 3rd because he was playing the game too hard and it backfired on him. I don't think that there's any way he could win a season unless he was able to skip most of it, he would have gotten voted out within 5 tribals due to him trying to play all sides.
And although Devons is a very fun guy who in any other season I probably rooted for, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth how he was being presented as this amazing survivor player. Just a recap of his plays:
He got voted out 4th
After getting put back into the game in an already tenuous position, he almost instantly burns the bridge with the only alliance prospect he had
He basically has no agency for the first 6 votes outside of the Kelley vote and is on the wrong side of most of them
He largely survives post-merge because there were much bigger targets then him that got voted out before him, not due to anything he personally did
He fails to make a single lasting post-merge alliance that actually works out or betters his game
He's a great showman and he's amazing at selling his plays, but he's not a good strategist and it was annoying just how hard the edit was pushing him. Also one thing I will say about hidden idols is that there is a very big difference between securing one early in the game and holding on to it then once the tide turns against you you read the room and realize that you're next and strategically playing it right when you need it vs knowing that you're going to get voted out unless you're immune because you've played yourself into a corner and then finding an idol to keep you safe several weeks in a row. I really hate how nowadays it feels like there's 2 immunity challenges in an episode with one being the official challenge and then the second one being at camp to find the hidden idol that got rehiden after someone used it.
I'm not the first person to say it, but this season is a textbook example about how massive game twists and hidden idols can take over a season from a strategy standpoint. The biggest problem by far is that there's way too many of them out in the wild (why does there need to be 3 of them in play at all times?) and that them being immediately hidden and put back into the game after being used massively skews the risk/reward of using them. There's not much of a punishment for whiffing an idol play when you can just find another one. I get that hidden advantages can really spice up tribals and lead to some exciting play, which is why I wish they would instead focus more on stuff like the double-vote and the idol nullifier, or maybe when an idol gets reintroduced it only protects you from 2 votes rather then all of them cast against you, so if you're completely outnumbered you'll still get voted out. Advantages should be opportunities for people that can read the situation to get a leg up and turn the tide in their favor, not a way for players that socially ostracize themselves from the rest of the players to get bailed out every vote.
Also jeez Victoria got robbed. With no Edge of Extinction I think she's a lock to win this season. She quietly dominated post-merge, being right on every vote except the one that sent Ron home (which she was still on board with along with Gavin) while winning over the jury and attracting almost no attention from the other players. If Chris didn't come back from the Edge and inform the remaining players that she was the biggest player besides Rick I don't think she goes home. It especially sucks because she didn't get much of an edit so she's probably never going to return despite playing a pretty good game.
Overall I think that the new cast was actually pretty interesting, although once again most of the better players got voted out not long after the merge. Reem made the Edge of Extinction almost worth it for her alone, Wendy was if nothing else interesting, Ron was a funny villain due to how sore of a loser he was, Wardog was probably the most pathetic "challenge beast" they've ever had but was actually one of the most aware and strategic players they've had, (his vote against Kelly made no sense though, I feel like he jumped the gun getting her out massively) and Rick I feel I would have liked more if the edit wasn't so obsessed with him. Despite all the major problems the season had, it was still entertaining so I guess there's that. Really hoping the next one is closer to DvG rather then this one, although the premise for the next season sounds awful so I'm not holding my breath.
