I posted this in Bashers but I think this can fit here as well.

The Contenders

1- Devon: It would be foolish to judge this book by its cover because he has played a very smart game up to now. He’s so well liked that I believe he would win against anyone, including Ben, if he was part of the F3 yet no one sees him as a jury threat. When we saw in the previews that Ben was telling him Ryan’s secret, I thought Devon would want to get rid of Ben to cut Ryan’s options but instead he quickly took over Ryan’s second option, getting a F3 deal from Ben. Now that’s smart! I wonder if we’ll see a return of Levu; the tribe that was the most fractured before the merger would make quite the alliance now if Devon and Ashley could find a way to work with Joe.

2- Ashley: When we were shown the scene where Joe calls Ashley the perfect Final 3 goat, I took it as a hint from the editors that Ashley would indeed be part of the F3. The question I have is whether Joe was right or not about Ashley losing that final vote. Editing is all about presenting a good story in the short amount of time that is available so by giving Ashley an interview in which we heard her reaction to those comments tells us that Ashley is important to this story. She was the only one to stand up to Ben, desperately wanting to eliminate Joe. After Ben shot her down, I think Ashley will turn to Joe in order to make Ben pay. That would be the move of the season.

3- Chrissy: She was my pick to win this season when we reached the merger but she lost her role in this story, going from the featured tactician to someone laying in the background. She agreed with Ashley that the vote should have been on Joe but then Ben shot her down. She realizes that it’s either Ben’s way or the highway so I’m thinking she’ll be part of blindsiding Ben. That would put her back in command and return her to the front of the stage. She knows that Joe is the biggest strategic threat out there but she reminded us there are lot of threats left in this game and she wants to decide what to do next. Because the camera showed us Lauren, Ryan, Devon, Ashley and Chrissy herself when she spoke about Joe being the biggest threat, I think we have our Final Six right there.

The Longshots

4 - Mike: He said he wanted to make a big move and get Ben out. That could have worked on one condition: After playing his idol, he HAD to vote against Ben! It doesn’t take a genius to see that. Why did he vote against Cole? It made no sense.

5 - Joe: He keeps on getting under everyone’s skin but Ben is quickly climbing the ranks of the most despised player in camp. Is there a better way to get rid of a new threat than by enlisting the old threat? If they let Joe stick around, they might be sorry. That’s his best hope.

6 - Ben: I’m not sure why he abandoned Chrissy as his best option to get to the Final 3. That could possibly cost him. I laughed when Ben said to Ashley: “It’s a group decision; we vote 4 on Cole and 3 on Mike.” In other words it’s not a dictatorship if they do what he orders. Even his close allies are seeing him as a steamroller so it’s possible they’ll take his power away. How fun would it be to see Ben be the next to join Cole on the jury? At least, they won’t fight over food there! It would also be quite interesting to see the guy who talked so much about the “Seven” going out at Eight! Taking on the role of King Arthur isn’t ideal when Mike presents it as America’s fight against England! I found it somewhat hypocritical when he turned to Cole saying “Sorry bud” and then being the first to shake his hand when he was voted out. Hopefully, someone will remember what Boston Rob did when Matt shook the losers’ hands. Jeff said it gets harder to keep alliances together and Ben is the one that needs the alliance most of all yet he hasn’t treated them with enough esteem.

The Goats

7- Ryan: I certainly can see him going to the end but he may have lost his best ally in Devon. Even if he makes it to the end, how can he win? His best argument to the jury would be to present himself as a smart player but the general opinion by those who are sent to the jury is that no one is playing the game right now.

]b]8 - Lauren: Yes she won a challenge but this won't be enough to get many jury votes. We'll have to see how her attempt to change the game turns out but it would likely serve someone else's game more than her own.

9 - JP: If you want to win rewards, pick JP on your team. If you want to win the game, get JP on your side. He’s really the best type of ally: Strong but dumb...just like Colby!