ilovekelly752 wrote:I wasn't referring to anybody in particular with that last sentence, but I agree Danni is the same as Earl in that regard.
AveryC wrote:
ilovekelly752 wrote:
AveryC wrote:
ilovekelly752 wrote:It's not that Earl was average at everything, I'd say he excelled socially and strategically. But Earl was good at everything whilst not standing out. That's quite different from the others you listed. Borneo Greg was completly indifferent to the strategical elements fo the game, while Ryan and Erik were both passive contestants who hid behind their tribe leaders. Infact that describes all three, once Gretchen, Andrew and Jaime were gone none of them had any idea. Gregg I'm inclined to think would be usually targetted around the mid game. I agree he's a solid person to make the merge.
I think a lot of people are saying Earl because he happened to win. There are a lot of people who fit your guys' exact descriptions of why Earl would win, and if they would've won, people might be saying it about them too. You guys said that he was good at the game but not a mastermind, that he was not too weak and not too strong, and that he was likeable but not too likeable, and I think there are several non winners who fit that exact description. Look at Greg from Borneo, Ryan from Pearl Islands, Gregg from Palau, or Erik from China. They're not similar to Earl at all, but they all fit your descriptions of why Earl would win every time. If they would've won, they might be getting just as many responses.
Earl was running things in Fiji, he had the valuable Yau Man and Cassandra/Dreamz connections but made it so they were targets over him. There was a bond with Boo which wasn't really shown. He set himself up beautifully. Only Gregg could come close to achieving what he did out of those you listed.
Danni had a very similar game that would've played out had she been in the majority. And I imagine Earl would play similarly to her if he was in the minority.
Earl was a very good player, but I think the fact that people so easily were drawn to him makes me wonder how he would've done against smarter players. Other winners had to try hard to fight people who were trying to takt them out, but since no one ever targeted Earl, he didn't have to do as much, although I do think he is one of the better winners based on gameplay.
It sort of goes both ways. Winners like Earl and Tina set themselves up so well it really wasn't an issue for them. Likewise I consider Tom the show's best winner, and he was able to deflect away attention in the times he wasn't immune. I'd also say that most of the Fiji cast had a strategy to get to the end, unlike several other seasons.
Perhaps the best thing about Earl in this topic is that he has the proven ability to bond with any kind of player. Other winners were only able to endear themselves to certain kinds of people.
I don't think Todd, Danni, or Parvati fit that last description. Those winners, especially Todd, were friends with everyone, and they all formed several different alliances, and manipulated them all until the end. I think they all had smart casts too. I think Rafe, Stephenie, Peih-Gee, Jaime, Amanda, Natalie, and Cirie are all great players, so it was harder for the winners of those seasons to get along with all of them and manipulate then at the same time. I think they all set themselves up for the win very early, but still had to overcome people trying to take them out. Danni also had to overcome losing tribal challenges.
I'm definately not convinced Todd and Parvati are the same. Parvati in both her seasons had issues with older people (Jonathan, Yau Man) as well as highly educated people (Yul, Eliza, Becky). There are obviously exceptions, but this fact would've made her Micro's first if not for highly unusual circumstances. As for Todd, I think you'd agree he's more naturally geared towards female allies.
Personally I think if Todd's on an all male tribe he's got odds against him, and Parvati would be toast in a tribe like Yaxha. But this is not unusual, initial tribal arrangements have huge impacts on the rest of the game all the time. As the topic asks, I believe Earl, Danni and Vecepia (amongst others) are most likely to do well in any tribal situation.
