LAST EDITED ON 11-22-15 AT 11:54 AM (EST)

I suppose.

However, it would appear that the Devil could do with a better lawyer. Because, beginning with the Tuk Tuk Alliance/Voting Bloc that wasn't, I couldn't have been more wrong about Episode Nine. I will say, though, that when I first looked at the composition of this Cast in the Spring, I felt strongly that broad, traditional alliances would be impossible to maintain in Cambodia. And that had nothing to do with some sort of prescient vision of an Evolution of the Game. Instead, it was an opinion based upon the fact that there would be too few players in the Game for whom cumbersome hierarchal - strategic - social arrangements are a preferred working relationship and too many for whom smaller, more egalitarian - tactical - partnerships (or Voting Blocs) are more comfortable.

So, it is also my opinion that JP's Evolution is nonsense. He has merely slapped a come-hither label on a brand of play (and Season) that we've seen many times before. But, given that S32 has already been played to its conclusion - and that the Series tends to cyclical casting patterns - I have to think that we may see a very similar Season begin next January. Our host would, after all, look a little silly if his Evolution began and ended with Second Chances. Unless, of course, he plans to slap a - The Season You Are Now Watching Was Filmed Prior to the Evolution! - disclaimer across the opening credits of every one of S32's Episodes. Anyway ...

The BootList and The Blocs:

Although I certainly wouldn't award him $1,00,000 for the performance, I would crown Stephen the Season's Master Charlatan for Wednesday evening's absurdly successful Smoke and Mirrors Exhibition.

Of course, even if Stephen had won the day by touting any one or more of the many advantages of compact alliances (Voting Blocs) vis a vis more complex and demanding hierarchal structures - for instance, the fact that ultimately facing a Jury principally composed of bested collaborators is far preferable to facing one principally composed of betrayed confidants - the performance, given his audience, would have been impressive. As it would have been if he had been able to make a cogent argument that Kelly's boot would in some way be more strategically or tactically sound than would be Ciera's or Kelley's.

But instead, with a pitch consisting primarily of illogic obscured by inanity made 1) to a player naturally drawn to large, protective hierarchal alliances and believed (by himself and others) to be a masterful student of the Game and 2) to a highly independent and entrepreneurial player who had already assembled a loosely-allied - about to be at risk - complement of partnerships capable of fielding an 8-of-11 Majority Voting Bloc, Stephen managed to persuade both to adopt a scheme that had only one - glaringly transparent and exclusive - benefit. It was conceived, brokered and consummated by him.

An amazing achievement that begs the question of if and when Jeremy became aware that Stephen was not playing for Second Place.

And now that Voting Blocs have - officially - become Cambodia's stratégie du jour, if we assume that the BootList is back on track (and that Andrew and Stephen were confused/intentionally switched by its author and/or source) it would appear that constructing a coherent narrative to explain its trail from Kelly to Ciera to Stephen to ... the Final Three will be even more interesting. And challenging.

But, here are some scattered bits and pieces that come to mind:

Stephen and Jeremy have recently used social media to affirm a lifelong friendship. And Stephen, following Savage's boot, publicly ridiculed the BootList … and Spoilers.

Pepe has noted in the Press thread that, in her RTVW interview, Kelly spoke about conferences between Kelley and Jeremy that began occurring only after she played her Idol.

Jeremy has two Idols. Stephen has a - buried in the mud - Advantage.

A poster purportedly created by a local pizza parlor to advertise a December 2nd Viewing Party with Kelley Wentworth - to cheer her on - has appeared at Survivor Sucks.

The - current - Voting Blocs: Joe and Keith, Spencer, Stephen and Jeremy, Ciera, Kelley and Abi-Maria. Leaving Tasha and Kimmi ... where?

The last two players to speak at the F11 Tribal Council were Tasha and Spencer. Both emphasized the importance of trust in the Game. However, Tasha forcefully declared that - At the end of the day, the Voting Bloc with the strongest alliance will dominate the Game. While Spencer concluded the evening’s conversation by doubling-down on the trust theme.

We’ve seen an Episode 10 VidCap of a beach conversation attended by Spencer, Joe, Tasha and Jeremy … in frame.

And then there is the CBS tease that Episode 11 will feature another daring move. But there is no similar drama attached to Episode 10.

So although getting from Kelly to Ciera doesn’t appear all that difficult, given the current state of affairs, I don’t see how Stephen leaves the Game at F9.

I am, however, all ears. And I still think that a Fire native wins the Game ...