Well, y’all, we’ve made it to the end of Survivor Season 42. And this has been one of the most fun seasons in recent memory. It’s been full of unexpectedly savvy strategic moves that were so well executed, players got excited over their own eliminations. And as Jeff Probst said when Drea was cut in Episode 11, the thrill of the game is what Survivor is all about.
Competing for $1 million in the Survivor Season 42 finale on Wednesday, May 25 are Jonathan Young, Lindsay Dolashewich, Maryanne Oketch, Mike Turner, and Romeo Escobar — four of whom have played strong games all season long. (Sorry, Romeo.)
Here, we break down each player’s biggest moves throughout the season before the Final Three pleads their cases to the jury. Take a look through each player and vote for who you think should win Survivor Season 42 in the poll, below.
Jonathan Young
Nicknamed “Goliath,” Jonathan has been Survivor 42’s best physical competitor. He singlehandedly led the Taku tribe to challenge wins on several occasions and continued to win individual challenges post-merge. But what he has in physical strength, he lacks in strategy. While he has made his own strategic moves throughout the season, they haven’t been game-changers. And more often than not, they were made without listening to input from his teammates.
Still, through his alliances, he’s been able to knock out key players throughout the season and avoid getting cut, despite his physical prowess keeping him on the chopping block.
Biggest strength: Physical challenges
Lindsay Dolashewich
Also originally from the Taku tribe, Lindsay has proven herself to be Jonathan’s biggest physical competitor post-merge. She helped orchestrate the Hai blindside along with Drea and others in Episode 10, and she has also been savvy with whom she shares her secrets. She knows when to lead discussions about eliminations, and when to sit back and let others take the reins. And as the Do or Die challenge proved, she has a strong competitive nature and doesn’t let Jonathan’s strength deter her confidence in coming out on top in the challenges.
Biggest strength: Physical challenges, strategy
Maryanne Oketch
Everyone has complained about how “annoying” Maryanne is all season long, but Omar learned the hard way in Episode 12 not to mess with her. While she hasn’t won individual challenges, Maryanne has proven herself a Survivor expert, analyzing every possibility at every moment and not letting her strong emotions cloud her judgment. In fact, her emotions have made her wiser than other players. (Emotional intelligence is currency in Survivor!)
She smartly weaponized her feelings in Episode 8 to make people feel bad about trying to vote her out. And she has stayed laser focused in her social game, staying on her toes by constantly reminding herself of mistakes made in past seasons. In Episode 12, her Survivor encyclopedic knowledge gave her the foresight to know it was time to take Omar out. She orchestrated a split-vote scenario with Mike, Jonathan, Romeo, and her extra vote, and it paid off in droves when Omar was eliminated. A split-vote plan frequently backfires, but Maryanne pulled it off — and in front of the jury, to boot.
Biggest strength: Strategy
Mike Turner
Mike is probably the most popular player this season. As Drea left her elimination in Episode 11, she said in front of everyone that if he makes it to the Final Three, she reckons he’ll win. Mike has been a strong physical competitor, although he hasn’t won individual challenges. But his social game is where he’s strongest.
Many players — namely Hai, Romeo, and Chanelle — have all said they had Mike in their pocket at one point this season. All of those players are now in the jury, and Mike is in the Final Five. Because he has a generally good bond with just about everyone from this season, Mike has been informed about most of the rumors at camp. When he caught wind of “puppet” talk, he immediately rose to action to get that player out, taking big, risky moves in order to do so.
Everybody likes Mike. They all want him as an ally, and they all give him information. And he uses that information to make big power moves in Tribal Councils, like he did when he gave Omar his idol so Drea couldn’t steal it.
Biggest strength: Social game
Romeo Escobar
Oh, Romeo. Despite being the weakest competitor of this group by far, how Romeo has made it this far isn’t much of a mystery. Quite simply: he hasn’t been a threat. And while he’s been on the chopping block more than anyone else, taking out the fiercest competitors frequently takes priority.
It’s hard to tell if Romeo has survived this long because, like he said, he’s been playing a low-key social game that keeps his presence from being intrusive, or if he’s just been lucky. Truthfully, it seems like his strategy has been letting other players play his game for him. If you’re going to do that, at least contribute at camp! But to quote him in Episode 11, “Screw them! I’m not doing anything for anybody but myself out here.” Honey, you’re not even playing for yourself.
The one smart thing Romeo has done is make himself a useful pawn in other peoples’ Tribal Council strategies. And while he may have been able to skate by all season long by doing this, this approach is going to be a hard sell to the jury, should he have the chance to make his case for the $1 million.
Romeo has also found himself on the wrong side of almost every single majority vote, proving that they’ll tell him to vote one way, but won’t clue him in if they change their minds. (Honestly, I feel like they just forget…) What’s more, he doesn’t ask many questions, and Drea telling him he’s always on the chopping block didn’t even light a fire under his butt to play a stronger game.
Unless Romeo makes some strong moves in the finale, it’s hard to imagine anyone in the jury voting for someone who barely played the game.
Biggest strength: Lasting this long
So, who do you think has earned $1 million? It’s time to cast the votes.
Survivor, Season 42 Three-Hour Finale, Wednesday, May 25, 8/7c, CBS