‘Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X’: Winners and losers from episode 10

Wasn’t this past episode of “Survivor” something a little bit crazy? We’ve had a few days to ponder of this now, and we’re willing to proclaim that this is probably one of the top ten episodes of the entire series — or at least the second episode of it. Whether you are talking about great character moments (the Bret / Zeke conversation) or just an incredibly Tribal Council, there was so much to like. It’s also very important at the same time to remember that alliances this season are very much fluid, so there is absolutely a chance that we could see things changing again in the near future.

For the time being, let’s try — if we possibly can — to chronicle who the real winners and losers were coming out of the chaos.

Winner – Jay Starrett. He entered the night down big in the numbers, and if you would have told us that he’d still have both the immunity idol and also Will, who probably still has some relationship with him even though there’s some distance there, we would have called you crazy. While we’re not sure he can take credit for any effort to stay in the game beyond staying out of the way, the fact that he lives to see another day is enough.

Loser – David. He made a big mistake talking to Bret about his plans with Zeke, and it cost him both an immunity idol and ultimately a close ally in Jessica who likely would’ve had his back at least several more weeks. There’s plenty of time for him to recover, but everyone knows that he is a strong strategic player and not someone you want to take to the end of the game.

Winner – Adam. We’re not sure any of the “power players” right now did much to improve their position, but these two hours were great for the under players. Adam, for example, looked like he was dead man walking before this past episode. Now, all of a sudden he finds himself with a new group of people, and not seen as an immediate threat. If he ends up stealing someone’s family visit coming up, that could change — but we can’t proclaim that’s happening before we see it.

Loser – Zeke. He’s still probably in our mind the game’s best overall player, but he went from being the most dominant player in the game to being targeted by an alliance. His biggest issue from our estimation here is that he probably was a little too obviously in charge, and a little too much on good terms with everyone. Consider this proof that if you’ve got other smart people on your season, you can be figured out even if you are a very strong player.

We’re going to have our exit interviews with Chris and with Jessica on Monday; for now, be sure to head over to the link here to get some further “Survivor” coverage right now. (Photo: CBS.)