Survivor 43 episode 11: Is the winner too obvious?

As we get ourselves prepared for Survivor 43 episode 11, there are so many different variables to think about. Yet, within this piece we actually want to narrow most of them down to one simple question: Can Jesse finish the job?

Think about it like this: He’s been the most dominant player of the season, and we mean that in a number of different ways. We’ve consistently gotten a lot of air time from him, and easily we know more about his past than almost everyone else. He’s shown himself to not only be strategically sound, but also an incredible social player. He blindsided Noelle at this past Tribal Council and in the seconds that followed, showed empathy for her.

The most important stat for Jesse is that he’s been on the right side of every vote when he’s been eligible to vote. Also, remember what he’s pulled off with the hidden immunity idol already. He has a super-loyal ally with Cody and also a lot of safeguards potentially in place. The biggest threat to him right now is Gabler, who obviously isn’t the most subtle player out there. The way that they showed Jesse orchestrate the Noelle blindside was total masterwork, and the sort of thing that producers rarely give you from a player midseason.

There are two different things that could be happening right now. First, the producers may be trying to give us one of the first truly dominant players in some time. We’d have to go all the way back to Tony Vlachos’ first season for an instance of someone being almost entirely dominant; then, you have Kim Spradlin or Boston Rob on Redemption Island to consider. Some people like Jeremy Collins, Parvati Shallow, and Tony the second time have come close to that, but weren’t entirely there from start to finish. Jesse has a chance to at least join the latter ranks depending on how all of this plays out.

However, the editors may be trying to lure us into a false sense of security. The edit on Gabler last week could be them showing that a Jesse blindside is coming and the seeds are already planted. This is why we don’t think that the winner of this season is that obvious; a big move could still happen.

Here’s the craziest thing to think about: If Gabler is responsible for taking out the biggest threat this season and one of the best players we’ve seen post-Winners at War, does he actually deserve to win this season?

Related – Take a look at some other updates on Survivor, including what the future could hold

Do you think that Jesse is the obvious winner heading into Survivor 43 episode 11?

Be sure to share right now in the comments! After you do just that, stay tuned for some other updates. (Photo: CBS.)