Okay, so as promised, here is my new assessment of these players after that last epic round...
But let me just say before-hand that I will create a thread for Dashon's boot alone. That was gold. I knew this kid would have an entertaining downfall.
That said, here is what I think of these guys at this point in the game:
Billy:I like him, but he is an enigma to me. In the beginning, we had a lot of hypre surrounding him, but he has not had the chance to do anything major yet. I get a sense from him that he really has the ability to stun us later on in the game. He has been cleverly holding back and allowing Rich to be seen as the main threat of old La Arana and he has options open to him at the moment. Holding thumbs he does not disappoint.
Bryan:I find myself in awe of how these players in this game will allow someone to waltz to the end based solely on the fact that they find him attractive. Bryan's attractiveness seems to be a huge topic this season and it is pretty funny to watch. So far, I have found him to be likable, yet a little bit vanilla as well, but I think that he has one of the strongest social games I have seen. The wheels are turning in his head right now, so I am hoping that he and John can team up and orchestrate a nice blindside right off the bat when they merge.
Cody:Say what you want about Cody, but I still find him fun and entertaining. I enjoy the enthusiasm he has for this game and he puts a lot of effort into his confessionals. I am enjoying watching him unravel at the hands of his own paranoia. It can result in either a spectacular downfall/blindside - OR - he might catch on that he is very much in danger and form an underdog alliance to take out the strategic threats at the merge. I just hope that he can bury the hatchet with John for good and focus on the threats right under his nose. Cody is delivering this season and I am expecting a fantastic story-arc from him.
Jacob:I will be the first to admit that Jacob has really grown on me after that last round. If you asked me prior to the challenge what my thought of him were, I would have said that he was of no worth and a complete dud. I don't know where he suddenly came from, but out of nowhere he shows up and starts calling ALL of the shots on New La Arana. And options... this guy has so many of them. He has more fingers in the pie right now than he ever will in his porn career. I am pleasantly surprised at how hard he is playing and I am actually glad to see that he is now "in it to win it" as he says.
Joe:Another surprise package. Early on we did not see too much of him, but he had himself firmly planted as a strong member of old La Arana and both Billy and Rich's number 2 guy. Since the tribe swap, he has emerged as the main alliance leader on New Aguila. What is interesting to see is that he and his partner, Jacob, are about to clash because their individual plans for the long run don't match up the way the other would like. Joe has piqued my interest quite a bit and he is one of the players I will be watching closely in the next few rounds if he survives.
John:Who does not love John so far? He is active, funny, interesting and great in challenges for his tribes. Sadly, he is in danger right now with so many people feeling threatened by how awesome he is. I liked him before his underdog status and I am rooting for him even harder now. He has to easily be one of the most heroic players to emerge in this series recently. I hope he can have some luck go his way for a change...
Kurtis:With Kurtis, I find myself constantly going back and forth on my opinion of him. He is mean, overly bitchy when he does not need to be and I want to punch him every time he bitches about everything in this game. He just gives me the impression that he thinks that iSurv1vor as a whole is beneath him and not up to his standards. Yet, despite all that, I cannot deny that he is a social ninja. I don't think anybody could have turned their fortunes around like he has after posting that conversation in his challenge submission. I hate his attitude, but I can't help but root for him to go a little further. Hell, he deserves it.
Rich:I know he annoys the hell out of almost everybody, but I think we are seeing a new side of him now. He is rejuvenated by this tribe swap and he has not really whined or bitched since. He has been praising his new team mates and has actively tried to bring them all together in order to succeed. His social game has really improved as well and everyone seems to like him. I didn't like his bitching before, but he is taking the bull by the horns and relishing it. I am willing to give him a second chance to grow on me in this game.
Sassy:I want to like her. I really do, but so far she has not really done anything other than have a vagina. She is banking on her past relationship with Jacob to carry her through in this game and seems to be little more than a pawn in this game so far. I was shocked at how poor her social skills were in the conversations I saw and I think that all she wants to do is turn Bryan straight, run off with him and elope. Remember how delusional she was after Davey's boot? I want to see her do a lot better, because decent female ORGers have been hard to come by. Hopefully she has some tricks up her sleeve that are her own.
Slayer:I am really disappointed in him. He has been clueless all game. His confessionals are few and far between and everyone finds him really awkward. At least he tried in the flag challenge when he knew he needed to, but honestly, he is not on the level that is required in this series.
T.J.:I can't say that I am overly impressed by him so far, but I can't say I am unimpressed either. He seems to have a great social game and a lot of people seem really keen on working with him, but a few are starting to see him as a threat and are toying with the idea of taking him out. We haven't heard much from him since the switch, so my opinion of him is still hovering around slightly above neutral.
TQ:I think that if the Hotboiis Alliance crashes and burns, TQ may be the best equipped in this game to regroup and still do well. He is well-liked, has ties with a lot of people in the game and is not seen as a major threat in any way. For me, he is the biggest chameleon in this game and it is especially funny because his glasses give him huge chameleonic eyes in his videos
He is really growing on me.
Zavi:Absolutely clueless. Absolutely adorable. Zavi may not win any fans with his gameplay, but he is just such a hugely endearing character. Somehow his name always pops up as an easy vote-off, yet somehow he always manages to live to fight another day. His new strategy is to play dumb and I think it may just work for him. With the big players eyeing eachother in their crosshairs right now, he might just slither on into the season finale.