‘Survivor’ Season 43: Is 1 Castaway Too Obvious to Be the Winner?
With over 40 seasons under its belt, Survivor has had multiple different winner paths. The 40 champions utilized varying strategies to get to the end and convince the jury to vote for them. However, some fans believe that if you look closely enough, the edit tells the viewers who the winner is before the finale. And that might be the case for Survivor Season 43.
A recap of ‘Survivor’ Season 43 Episode 10
From the beginning of Survivor Season 43 Episode 10, it was apparent that Jesse Lopez would be one of the stars of the hour. Prior to episode 10, he had been one of the strongest, most strategic players in the game. However, following the latest installment, Jesse became the front-runner to win.
Following the double Tribal Council, Jesse expressed in a confessional that he was happy with his social game. There were two sides in the tribe, and he had good relationships with both. Plus, Jesse had two immunity idols — one was Jeanine Zheng’s idol Dwight Moore gave him before Jesse voted Dwight out, and the other one was Cody Assenmacher’s idol. Cody gave it to Jesse for safekeeping, and it’s still unclear why he hasn’t returned it.
So going into the episode, the editors were already showing off how great of a game Jesse was playing. Then, Noelle Lambert swooped in and stole the show with the best challenge comeback in Survivor history.
But Jesse regained the spotlight after Noelle invited him on the reward. He read letters from his family, including one from his child that read, “Get that money, baby,” which became the episode title. Jesse became emotional and further explained his backstory and why it was vital for him to win.
The emotional boost prompted Jesse to pull off a big move before the next Tribal Council. He wanted to target Noelle since she was a threat in the game. This resulted in a masterful three-part plan to blindside her. And it worked.
The editing overtly outlined Jesse’s outstanding play in Survivor Season 43 Episode 10. And now he’s seemingly in a great position in the final seven.
Jesse is the clear front-runner after masterminding Noelle’s demise
Before Tribal Council in Survivor Season 43 Episode 10, Mike Gabler expressed concerns about Jesse and Cody to Karla Cruz Godoy. He worried that they were becoming too powerful in the game. Despite this, Jesse is still the most popular winner pick among fans.
We’ll admit that we had written off Jesse as a possible Sole Survivor because of Cody at the beginning of the game. Cody had undoubtedly the most screentime out of any of the castaways pre-merge. Plus, he convinced Jesse that salespeople are untrustworthy. So while the two have always been regarded as a pair, it seemed like Cody was calling the shots.
Now, the roles have flipped, and Jesse is the show’s star. And it’s for a good reason. Jesse has navigated social relationships with ease and made almost everyone trust him, even though he has backstabbed numerous players.
However, since there are still seven people left in Survivor Season 43, does the focused attention on Jesse make him the winner? Or is he a decoy in the edit?
Is it too easy to predict that Jesse will win ‘Survivor’ Season 43?
While we loved the creative editing around Jesse’s blindside plan in Survivor Season 43, we wonder if it was too over-the-top for him to be the winner.
In our opinion, the show is either setting Jesse up as the Sole Survivor or as a devastating vote-out before the finale. If he makes it to the Final Tribal Council, we do not doubt he will win. But if Gabler and Karla’s skepticism toward Jesse and Cody continues, Jesse might leave sooner rather than later. There is no in-between.
Survivor Season 43 airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.
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