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Fans contemplate weekly who they think might win Survivor Winners at War; however, this week, they have a solid list of reasons why it’s Michele Fitzgerald. The Survivor fan base includes several viewers who look closely at how the producers edit the show. Let’s take a look at why the fans believe Michele will win the title of Sole Survivor. 

[Spoiler alert:Survivor 40: Winners at War Episode 6 spoilers ahead.]

Yul and Michele
Yul Kwon and Michele Fitzgerald on ‘Survivor Winners at War’ | Robert Voets/CBS via Getty Images

Michele’s early moves were played up by the producers’ edit

“At Sele’s first tribal [council], she states how fast the game is moving and how she is struggling to keep up,” one fan wrote on Reddit.

This fan wrote an entire synopsis of every time the Survivor edit showed a winning storyline for Michele. 

“Several times we hear [Michele] speak about being among the less respected winners, and that she has more than her fair share of haters,” the fan continued.

It looks like the early episodes show Michele as an underdog trying to keep up with the more seasoned veterans of the game. 

“During the Ethan boot episode, we see [Michele] get the confessional about making a move to blindside both the old schoolers and Adam,” the Redditor wrote. “Not Jeremy, not Michele and Jeremy, just Michele. We are to believe this is Michele’s shot.”

From the editing bay, viewers see that Michele makes the massive move that sends Ethan to the Edge of Extinction. This pivotal moment begins the downward spiral of the old school players. 

Michele paints Wendell as a villain on ‘Survivor Winners at War’

After the tribe swap, Michele ends up with her ex-boyfriend, Wendell Holland. She is very vocal about their relationship, and it sounds like he burned her. 

“We get Michele’s point of view for the whole Wendell/Michele’ ex on the beach’ fiasco,” continues the Redditor. “We are presented the tale by Michele with Wendell being portrayed villainously. Obviously, we don’t know what happened, but what happened is secondary to how it is presented. We’re to root for Michele not just here, but as an underdog.”

At no point in the show does Wendell speak out about what happened in the couple’s previous relationship. Wendell also treats Michele differently than the other players on his tribe. In episode 7, he accepts Yul and Nick’s complaints about the way he spoke at Tribal Council. However, when Michele tells him the same thing, he gets very cocky with her. Fans feel that Michele will stick with Wendell since she used him to vote Yul out. However, she will win in the end because she looks like the underdog, and he is the villain.

A ‘Survivor’ musical confessional solidified Michele as the winner

The last reason fans feel Michele is going to win is because of how episode 7 gave her a confessional with a musical background. Avid fans of the show believe this is a clear sign that they are making her look perfect in the viewers’ eyes.

“This was the icing on the cake and what moved me from ‘winner contender’ to ‘clearly you’re winning this game’; the musical confessional,” continued the Reddit fan. “Until this season, we’ve never seen pop-music incorporated into Survivor at all, and this is the first time it has underscored someone’s confessional. 

“Considering the tone of the confessional is ‘Michele is taking this game into her hands’ and doing what she needs to do to win,” the viewer continues. “I think we’re looking at a possible (probable?) final three in Wendell, Nick, and Michele, and I think the edit is shaping up for Michele to utterly demolish both boys at the end of the game.”

According to Redditors, Michele is going to take the $2 million and the title of sole Survivor for Winners at War. To continue watching the anniversary season, you can go to CBS.com or tune in Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on CBS.

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