Karla Cruz Godoy is in the best after two episodes of Survivor 43. While it is still early in the game, Karla has positioned herself to be highly successful for at least the tribal portion of the game. A good social game is important to have to go far in Survivor. By forming strong alliances within her tribe early on, Karla does not have a huge target on her back if her team goes into elimination.
Survivor is known to be a physically demanding game where contestants must live outside for 26 days. Survivor season 43 will air on a schedule different from previous seasons. Throughout the season, they compete in competitions that are physical and mental in order to assure themselves safety and earn rewards. Although winning competitions is a big part of the game, another important aspect is a social game. In order to get far in the game, contestants must align themselves with strong allies who they can trust. An alliance can make or break someone's game if it fails to be strong and loyal.
Karla is in the best position because she became the swing vote in her tribe, Coco. The tribe has six members, and Karla managed to become aligned with every one of them. As a swing vote in the tribe, Karla can choose who she would like to continue the game if her tribe goes to elimination. Karla as someone who worked hard to earn scholarships that would put her through education. Her background shows that she has the grit to handle challenges, and her social game provides a good foundation for her to play the game. Season 43 can be better than recent seasons, depending on how players like Karla handle twists.
Karla Can Choose An Alliance With the Women Or Stick With the Men
On one side, Karla has a strong alliance with the women in her tribe, Cassidy Clark and Lindsay Carmine. The girls have also decided to bring in James Jones as a fourth to help them gain a majority. This alliance is strong because they have the majority vote going into their first elimination. As an alliance that was initially proposed as a womens' alliance, Karla also ensured her safety above James if she were to continue with this side of the tribe. However, since Karla is splitting her time between two sides, she might not be able to form strong bonds with all cast members.
On the other side of her tribe, Karla is aligned with Ryan Medrano and Geo Bustamante. The two contestants have proven to be strong competitors and hard workers in the first couple of challenges. Furthermore, in the premiere, Karla was shown making strong personal connections with them when they formed their alliance. This alliance has the possibility to be a strong one based on loyalty, which will take you far in the game. Still, without a fourth vote, this side would need to be cautious going into an elimination that would result in a tie.
In the game of Survivor, alliances can change in an instant, especially while there are tribe divisions this season. The loyalties of the Coco tribe will likely not be explored too much until they are faced with elimination. When this eventually happens, Karla will likely be forced to betray one of her alliances in order to support another. Until then, it will be important for her to build relationships with each individual in the tribe to ensure her own safety. Depending on how a loss on the team looks, tribe members may look to stay loyal to their alliance, or drop the weakest link to ensure future success.
Survivor airs Wednesdays at 8pm EST on CBS.