>As for Laura, I'll be very
>surprised if she is castaway
>that's evacuated. We have
>not gotten any hints that
>it could be her. I'm
>getting the sense that she
>got a lot of attention
>this episode so that we
>remember her when we are
>later in the game. Especially
>if other things happen -
>like drama at Bikal if
>they go to TC.
>Gamewise, she's in one of
>the best spots for endgame
>longevity - one of the
>weaker players in a dominant
>alliance. If she makes it
>to the merge, others who
>can dominate challenges will be
>targeted before her. I
>think her edit can still
>be consistent with this course
>of action. I think
>she's being highlighted, along with
>Sherry, the past 2 eps
>since the spotlight was on
>Gota going to tribal twice,
>and both women seem to
>have the most accurate depiction
>of what is happening with
>tribal dynamics - hence the
>narrator duties and visibility during
>the key discussions.

I wouldn't be surprised if it's Laura - I agree that someone like Shamar would be a better bet to be the evacuee, but I think there *has* been hints that Laura could be a medievac. For one, she got a big uptick in confessionals that sometimes indicate that one is about to leave the game pretty soon.

As well, we heard from her talk about how she struggled mightily in the last challenge - why hear from her about that and not about Cochran's own struggle? Sure, Gota was going to TC but Laura's weakness was never brought up by the tribe or at TC, except when Laura brought it up herself. Perhaps a hint setting the stage to the viewer when looking back? She had a big role in Episodes 2 and 3 when it came to the boots (deciding it would be Allie in 2, discussing with Julia in 3) so the editors may have felt they needed to drop a hint as the viewers are more heavily invested in Laura than they were with, let's say, Dana from last season.

In addition, notice how she sat down at Tribal Council after voting? Very deliberate motion to turn around, reach out with her hand and then sit down, might she be displaying a worsening medical condition? Certainly a lot of assumption, yes, but something worth keeping in mind while trying to analyze whether Laura could be an medievac. Physically she's not built to play Survivor, even if she's doing a pretty good job mentally.