An excellent presentation and wrap up, Michel! I couldn't agree with it more. I think Michele and Cydney don't have the development of a winner. Michele has played such a passive game. In the first half of the season her only confessionals all began with, "it's nerve wracking that.....". Anna and Julia were far more assertive and strategic players than Michele. Then, Nick was a big shield for her, that she readily threw away. I don't think she ever directed one vote. The doubt to Aubry's win may come from her winning the final challenges. But, is it too little too late. Sophie beat the king of challenges, Ozzy. Can you call Michele a real challenge beast when she beats either 2 girls, or a small little gardner and a girl?

OTOH, Cydney's big story is that she won't stand for being bossed around. What kind of a story is that? While Cydney likes Michele, she was far more aligned with Aubry in directing the strategy. If she makes it to the jury, I think she would award Aubry the prize as she was the "player".

Aubry's story has come full circle, beginning all the way back in episode one when she had her anxiety crisis, but then was the hero of the first challenge when she did so well diving. We've seen her take a back seat when she needed to, and then we saw her struggle when she crossed out Julia's name at TC, and struggled in the swap. Then, we saw her in the cross hairs only to lose her closest ally, who didn't leave her with the idol. Yes, her story has been one of extreme ups and downs, but Aubry has been driving the collective bus far more than any other player this season, imo. I think that her losing Joe, her second closest ally at the eleventh hour means that since her roller coaster is on rock bottom now, that it will naturally end on TOP. Joe expressing his assessment at the last RC, spoke volumes. It was a window into their world sans editing. Aubry is the threat while everyone else is just a social player.

I particularly enjoyed these assessments and points:

If the recap was somewhat thin when it came to giving credit, Tai was much clearer. For him, the move was made by Aubry. Even if it was Cydney’s plan, Aubry pulled the fast one on Tai by shifting the vote and then she told us exactly why she did it. I think it speaks volumes that we heard Aubry say that she reclaimed control right after Jeff’s recap started with the phrase: “With the million dollars in sight, everyone wanted control of who would go to the end”. If this is indeed a quest for control over who goes to the end, Aubry’s reclamation came at an opportune time but Joe’s misfortune will force her to do it all over again. Her roller coaster ride isn’t over yet and we also have to wonder if she will make the right decision in the end.

And,

The expression we saw on Aubry’s face showed the importance of this realization. It seemed to tell us that she had seen Cydney’s threat just in time. This is also why I prefer Aubry’s story to Michele and Cydney: We see the different layers of the game through her eyes. From Michele, it is mostly a story of getting by another day while Cydney has reacted emotionally in some situations but she mostly wants to downplay her game and just wind up in the finals. Aubry has told us about the obstacles facing her and has shown a good read on her opponents.

Always a great read, Michel! Thanks so much for doing this every season, it adds so much to the site and is a true gift for all of us "die-hard" Survivor fanatics! Thanks!