‘Survivor: Blood vs. Water’ analysis: Why Vytas Baskauskas could be set for a win
Are there things about Vytas Baskauskas’ “Survivor: Blood vs. Water” game that are problematic? If you are talking about some of his machismo confessionals, sure; but when it comes to strategy, he has played about as good of a game as anyone could with the hand they have been dealt, and is showing for at least the last few weeks that he may be the most interesting strategist in this game.
Let’s map it out like this: With the exception of one week when Laura Morett went home, Vytas has been to every tribal council. Not only that, but he ended up being the only man on an all-woman tribe after a swap. Going into the merge on Wednesday’s episode, he somehow found a way to survive all of it, even with the bonus target of having a brother in the game. From a strategic point of view, we feel like the biggest reason why is that there is not a more self-aware player left. This is a guy who, due to either his experience teaching yoga, his life story, or possibly both, knows what parts of himself to play out on the table. While you can never really hide who you are in this game, you can choose to highlight certain parts of your personality. We know this from experience, and he is giving the people what they want.
In giving the ladies the impression that he is a great guy who is with them and has never lied, Vytas has allowed himself to potentially have a group of numbers with these ladies after the merge. Not only that, but he has two guys in Hayden Moss and Caleb Bankston over on the other tribe that are close with him, and probably will not vote him out anytime soon. He is the only person right now who we feel wins the game hands-down if he makes it to the end. Even Tina Wesson could lose to him just because she won before.
So how does Vytas continue this streak after the merge? We’ve composed what is basically a little guide.
1. Allow Aras to be voted out – Nobody is going to trust him fully with his brother around, and Aras, as great of a player as he was the first time, does not seem nearly as self-aware as his brother is when it comes to being a target. Allowing Aras to leave will only help him win, since you never want to stand out in a crowd.
2. Lay low – Allow Tyson and Hayden, who are huge physical threats, to be taken out without too much hesitation. Then watch the remaining pairs fall apart, since someone eventually will take out Tina over Katie and Laura could be voted out right away if she returns to the game.
3. Stick with the remaining family members – Use the family members to get rid of the rest of the returnees (since you would have the majority at this point), and then have Caleb be the last juror.
4. Win – If you go to the end with “puzzle gurus” Ciera and Katie, it’s pretty much a secure win. Of course, all of this is so much easier said than done.
We know that we have spent this week’s entire analysis talking about one player, but the issue with this game right now is that we don’t actually know the gameplay abilities of so many players left. Monica and Tina are strong, and we know that Tyson wants Aras gone, but we haven’t been given an hint as to where Ciera’s head is at, or what Hayden or Gervase wants to do when Aras is gone. Heck, Vytas is the only family member who seems to have some sort of wheels turning right now, since we’ve seen so little of Caleb since his Brad move. If Vytas can be the last Baskauskas standing, then he may suddenly rise to the top as a favorite to win this entire season.
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Photo: CBS