02-19-26 a Close Call
The Rotary lunch was very entertaining as Sven gave his bio following an interesting look at our planned new build for seniors
After the meeting I met with Mary Ann and Nadine at Sa for rentals to lock down what we would be using for the gala. They sure give us a good deal
I got a few hours work done and we completed our Survivor pool. I asked ChatGPT about our teams and hope it’s right!
Fun. You accidentally created a very real Survivor draft dynamic here — some teams drafted winners, some drafted legends, and some drafted walking targets 😄
I’m rating them the way a real survivor pool works: probability a member lasts deep + winner equity + likelihood they don’t get booted early for being dangerous or annoying.
I’ll go team by team, then rank overall.
Clara
Christian (DvG), Ozzy (CI/Micro/SoPa/GC), Emily (45), Mike (42 winner)
What this team does well:
This is a “balanced” roster — social + challenge + strategic.
- Christian → elite social shield. People like keeping him around.
- Emily → one of the best modern-era growth arcs ever. She adapts fast.
- Mike → winner who doesn’t feel threatening, which matters hugely.
- Ozzy → the wild card.
The problem: Ozzy is historically allergic to long-term positioning. He either goes very far… or gets sniped right after merge when everyone remembers he wins immunity runs.
Verdict: Very strong chance at multiple deep runs.
Rating: 8.5 / 10
JD
Jenna (Amazon winner), Coach (Tocantins/SoPa), Genevieve (47), Stephenie (Palau/Guatemala)
This is the most volatile team.
- Coach — either cult-leader deep run… or early boot because he talks too much.
- Stephenie — huge reputation. Modern players vote her out early.
- Jenna — old-school winners struggle in modern gameplay pace.
- Genevieve — the saving pick here (modern, flexible, lower threat profile).
This roster has “big character energy” but that’s bad in modern Survivor.
They’ll get targeted simply for being noticeable.
Verdict: Boom-or-bust, leaning bust.
Rating: 5.5 / 10
Marnée
Devens (EoE), Jonathan (42), Angelina (DvG), Aubry (Kaoh Rong/Game Changers/EoE)
I’m going to be blunt: this is the most entertaining team and also strategically fascinating.
- Devens → enormous threat, but weirdly survives longer than he should because he weaponizes chaos.
- Jonathan → guaranteed merge if there are tribe challenges. Absolute pre-merge anchor.
- Angelina → sneaky good survivor pool pick. People want to sit next to her at FTC.
- Aubry → very high strategic longevity. She knows how to survive votes.
You accidentally built a “shield ladder.”
Jonathan shields pre-merge → Devens mid-game chaos → Aubry late game positioning.
Your only risk: Devens’ reputation in modern casts is nuclear.
Verdict: Extremely high chance at deep placements.
Rating: 9 / 10
Jill
Savannah, Dee (45 winner), Colby (AO/HvV), Kamilla
This team hinges almost entirely on Dee.
- Dee → elite modern winner skillset (social dominance + alliance loyalty)
- Colby → legendary but massive early target in modern era
- Savannah/Kamilla → unknown equity = dangerous in pools (early boots happen to unknowns)
This is a “one-anchor roster.” If Dee gets clipped early, the team collapses.
Verdict: High risk, moderate reward.
Rating: 6.5 / 10
Brett
Charlie (46), Tiffany (46), Rizo, Kyle
This is the opposite problem: low threat power.
- Charlie is a great pick (excellent longevity player)
- Tiffany solid socially
- But the rest lack proven deep-game track record
This team likely accumulates mid-game finishes but probably no winner.
Verdict: Consistent but low ceiling.
Rating: 6 / 10
Rae
Q (46), Cirie (Panama/Micro/GC/Traitors legend), Joe (WA/SC/EOE), Chrissy (HvHvH)
This is the “fan favorite all-star trap team.”
- Cirie → best player to never win… which means everyone targets her.
- Joe → pre-merge shield, post-merge boot magnet.
- Q → chaos agent = early danger
- Chrissy → actually the sleeper best pick here (FTC-level player)
Too many visible threats. They’ll never be allowed to reach endgame together.
Verdict: Famous ≠ safe.
Rating: 7 / 10
Overall Ranking
1️⃣ Marnée — 9/10 (best constructed survivor-pool roster)
2️⃣ Clara — 8.5/10
3️⃣ Rae — 7/10
4️⃣ Jill — 6.5/10
5️⃣ Brett — 6/10
6️⃣ JD — 5.5/10
The real takeaway
Survivor pools are NOT about drafting the best players.
They’re about drafting players other players won’t feel urgent about eliminating.
You did that better than anyone else — especially with Angelina and Aubry. Those are quietly excellent pool picks.
If you want, I’ll also predict which single contestant across all teams is most likely to get you the win.
These are the items I picked up at huge sale prices at Top Crop customer appreciation. On the way there I was only going 40 in a 60 as I approached the huge intersection at Victoria Ave. I was sliding and concerned I would keep going into the way of the car waiting to turn left across my track. They were obviously paying attention and I stepped on the gas to go through as the light changes to red and thanked them in the way by.
Our trivia team tonight was fun. Brett, Tanner, Sven, Ashley, Roger and I were Friends With NO Benefits and we won! It was a good combo of knowledge. Took home $35 each
The drive home was less harrowing
triumphgal 