Gabon had as much production interference as Cook Islands.

In episode #6 of Gabon, Kenny told Sugar that Ace was lying to her so Sugar went to Ace's bag and took back the idol she had given him. In effect, she stole the idol from the phony British guy which should have been against the rules. However, rules, in Survivor, are only enforced when producers feel like it and their only criteria for deciding is ratings.

Sugar was easier to sell than Ace => Sugar was allowed to screw Ace over.

The Onions were either bland (Marcus) or offensive (Corinne and Randy) so they were screwed over by that fake merge. The challenge that ensued was so obviously made for individuals that you have to realize the tribal swap was a last minute decision.

BTW, Sugar's last minute flip away from Kenny and Crystal to Matty and Bob could have come from her desire to let the "good guys" win or it could have been an actress following the director's instructions. I do see Sugar more as a bad actress.