After just two episodes of Survivor 47, many of the castaways are already making their appearances
After only two episodes Survivor For 47 years, many of the castaways are already emerging as major players. One of these individuals is Gabe Ortisand is part of the Toko tribe this season. During the premiere, Gabe made a name for himself after finding his first caution advantage of the season. Furthermore, Gabi cemented a strong alliance with fellow Toko player Soo Smi. Although fellow tribe member TK Foster became suspicious of his idol hunt, Gabe stayed out of sight as Tuku won immunity and was safe from Tribal Council.
Unfortunately for Toko, they were not so lucky during the second episode. Tocco lost the immunity challenge, earning them a date with Jeff Probst at Tribal. While the majority of the tribe panicked, Gabe remained calm and collected. In just two episodes, Gabe has demonstrated incredibly strategic gameplay. Gabi is thinking miles ahead of some of his rivals, making him a serious threat to watch out for this season. While there are other tough players on Survivor 47, Gabe is the smartest one by far.
Gabe Ortis chose good allies in Sue and Caroline
Gabi’s first great move this season was his choice of allies. The Toko tribe started this season with Gabby, Sue, TK, Caroline Vidmar, Kyle Ostwald and Tiana Hallums. Immediately, Gabe knew he wanted to work with Sue. Gabe immediately pulled Sue aside and told her that she was his top choice for an ally after seeing all the photos of the actors. Sue was a joy to work with Gaby and the two quickly built a strong sense of trust between them. Gabe made sure he wasn’t hiding anything from Sue and revealed his cautious return to her right away.
During the premiere, Sue also builds a close friendship with Caroline. It didn’t take Gabby long to look for an alliance with her either, although she was hesitant at first. As he did with Sue, Gabe gained Caroline’s trust when he showed her the idol he had earned by following the warning feature. When Caroline went to catch up with Sue, both women were happy that Gabe had been so honest with them. Alliances can often get messy on Survivor but Gabi quickly managed to put together a powerful trio. This is a rare thing in Survivor, so it will be interesting to see where Gabe takes his alliances from here.
Gabe Ortiz fooled the rest of the tribe into thinking he was on their side
While Gabe knew he was trapped as an ally with Sue and Caroline, he strategically kept it a secret from the others. The rest of the Toko clan was determined to eliminate Su, at least before the immunity challenge. TK, Tiyana, and Kyle were under the impression that Gabi was their fourth vote and that he would be willing to vote out Sue. After TK started yelling and getting angry at the tribe for losing, Tiana started to rethink her vote. Sue took the opportunity to suggest running TK, which Tiana was happy to think about.
Gabe knew Tiana was on the rocks but he made sure TK and Kyle still believed he was on their side. This is a crucial strategy in Survivor, where many eliminations rely on blindsides. Early in the game, it can be difficult to trust other tribe members, but Gabe did a great job of getting everyone to believe him. Gabe really embraces the new age theme, which encourages players to think strategically more quickly due to a shorter game. In the end, Gabe’s gameplay was a success, as TK was sent home at Tuku’s first Tribal Council.
Gabe played his idol at a smart time
Many Tuku members were suspicious of Gabe after he came out of the idol search. While Sue helped him hide it, TK in particular knew that something had happened after he caught Gabe searching for a key in the woods. During the tribe, Jeff asked Caroline if the tribe had noticed any particular person going out looking for an idol. She laughed and Sue confirmed that everyone knew Caroline was thinking about Gabe.
After voting, Jeff asked if anyone had an idol to play. Gabe hesitated for a few seconds but eventually played the role of idol to himself. While some viewers were confused by this as no one voted for Gabby, the move was actually great.
Depending on Tiana’s vote, there was a good chance of a tie. This could lead to going to rock if no one changes their sound. Gabe knew that Sue would not receive more than three votes, due to her strong alliance with Caroline. It didn’t make sense to play Sue’s idol, because she would be safe while rocking. By playing an idol on himself, Gabe also made himself immune to the possibility of going on the rocks. This could have influenced Tiana to change her vote if she voted for Sue, to save herself as well. Gabe’s idol play ended up being unnecessary but it also took a huge target off his back.
TELL US – What do you think of Gabby’s play so far this season?
