The part of Survivor that most interests me is the characters and their story arcs. It’s fascinating, watching real people embark on personal journies and ultimately seeing what they learn (or ignore) over the course of their time in the show. Now that we’re at FTC, I want to surmise the ultimate end to each finalists journey

Now, I’m assuming Mirabella walks away victorious. If she doesn’t, and Ron wins, this has a variation I’ll account for.

Mira (if she wins): If Mirabella wins, a key idea of the season will be big risks can lead to big rewards. Being bold and willingly thrusting yourself into dangerous situations is more valuable than relying on a quiet social game. Snape, myself, and Angelina all would be victims of the big risk style of gameplay, which would further showcase how difficult it is to get right, and would further solidify Mira’s talent as a winner. With Pomfrey falling short of FTC, and Ron losing, it would tell the audience to make insane moves and be as loud and crazy as you want. This would also validate Snape and I, who both claimed Mira would win if she made the end. Her journey would be portrayed as Mira miracously surviving against all odds, successfully pitting others against each other, and coming out at the end. Her closest ally left at F10, and she was able to adapt and win. I personally think this is the best winner journey, due to the strength of Ron’s losing journey. We’ll cover that soon. An apt comparison for a Mira win would be Tony Vlanchos.

Mira (if she loses): Insane gambles aren’t worth it: Snape, Lockhart, and Angelina all died doing this, so Mira ultimately losing reflects that she shared qualities with more villainous players this season, which would spell her defeat. Her work with the insta page would be sign as duplicitous rather than clever, and we’d watch her survive against more likable players, waiting for her commupance. This would give Ron an amazing winner’s journey, at the cost of Mira’s. A Mira loss would see her more like AS Rob or HvV Parvati, although neither is amazingly close.

Ron (if he loses): Ron would start off the game awkward, bumbling, and out of place. We’d see him initially struggle (even though he hardly did), and then start to grow as a social player. He’d be seen as an outcast, being left out of the Rita and Snape votes, struggling with the hardships of the game. At merge, he’d come into his own, taking me out, and seemingly advancing forward and growing - until we see that get twisted in a negative way. Ron’s making and breaking deals would set him up as a Disc 2 villain who the audience still felt for: he’d be emotional and complex, struggling with playing the game and his morals. Think Dawn Meehan 2.0 or Twila Tanner. He’d ultimately lose at FTC to Mira, a player he could’ve emulated, but he’d receive a lot of personal growth and make for an amazing returnee. It’d be a tragic loser arc, less about Ron himself and more what Ron represents.

Ron (if he wins): We’d see the same Ron previously, up until the merge. He would (wisely) focus on a strong, quiet social game, being sassy in a lovable way - Sandra or Sophie. His win would hammer home that playing big is playing stupid, and his win would be a fun journey of self-growth, seeing him learn from his mistakes and win.

Draco: Draco’s reward for the game would be purely positive life lessons. We’d see him transform from a dickish elitist to a hardworking underdog: his game ripped out under him multiple times, and he’d be forced to open up and reveal himself. His loss at the end would come from big moves taking priority (Mira winning). Now, if Ron wins, his style of game and self-growth was more akin to Draco than Mira, which would undercut Draco’s growth. We’d see Ron as a silent social juggernaught, and Draco as a rusty, slightly awkward sidekick. I don’t think there’s a really good example the same way there was for Mira and Ron, but I’d say Dreamz, Lisa Whelchel, or Monica Culpepper fits him the best.

The season’s main gameplay message is huge strategy versus small but consistent social moves, and would focus on setting up big characters early, only to watch them all swing at each other during the early merge. The late merge would be Mira’s survival and Ron/Pomfrey’s social gameplay, with variations depending on who wins and who loses.