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Ashley: MORM2. She was completely invisible in the first half. Her reaction to ER's Katrina story seems the only thing that wasn't necessary to include, as she was a potential boot.

Ben: OTTN4. I was struck on second viewing by how bad he came off. Pretty much everything out of his mouth was ego-stroking or being nasty to someone else. There was some "vibes" between him and ER in TC, making me think he might be a minion in the making.

Betsy: CPP4. Her edit wasn't as OTT as I remembered it from the first viewing. She was present in the very beginning and during boot discussion and TC, but took a much needed vacation during ER's late night antics and the challenges. I'm willing to put her back on the winner's list, though she's still not my leading choice. Also interesting to compare her to Good Russell, who got the unbelievably positive edit, IMHO. She could have been edited that way . . . the fact that she wasn't makes me more inclined to keep her on my winner's list.

Elizabeth: UTR1. I don't think her racial comment means much outside of the context of "first impressions."

Jaison: UTRP2. He was more visible than Elizabeth, but on second viewing, I realized he said very little in the episode. Still, he created a somewhat positive impression with his swimming abilities and comments in regards to.

Marisa: CPP4. She had the first word on ER and the confessional in reaction to his Katrina story showed analysis and thought on her part. Too bad she got the boot . . . she might have been a decent player. Still, it's interesting to see a possibly good player be targeted first instead of dead weight.

Mick: I'm torn between a MORP3 or a CPP3 for him. His edit is still bothering me. He didn't have a crazy amount of visibility compared to his tribemates, but he still seemed to have more than necessary. I guess I just feel like his edit was the most obviously edited to me. He has the 2^nd titled confessional of the season and it's a "This is who I am and this is how I play" type. The eaves dropping on Marisa and ER still looks manipulated to me . . . you can see Mike much closer in the back ground, but apparently paying no attention. All this makes me take notice. He's on my winner list.

Mike: OTTN3. He comes off as old, prejudiced and stupid. There's a great cut where he says he's not the weakest and then we see him sitting on a log with his big ole belly hanging out.

Natalie: UTR1. Her conversations with ER and Betsy saved her from being completely INV.

Russell H: CPNN5. I realize that this rating might not make internal edgic sense, but I think he's getting the sort of edit we've never seen before. I think what's thrown me for a loop is that his deliberate maliciousness doesn't seem to make much sense. When someone like Hatch explained his sinister moves, you could understand the logic he was using behind it. It seemed like it might work. But Evil Russell doesn't make much sense to me . . . how is pouring out your team's water going to help you in the long run? I just don't get it. So, he may be a moron but he is trying to explain his strategy. He is thinking about the future and having semi-complex reactions to what's going on. He is pleased when people feel chaotic, angry when they doubt him, etc. He's not an inherently complex person, I believe, but we're being shown about as much depth as could be found in him. He's not a simple villain and he won't be leaving anytime soon.

Galu

Brett: INV1 He did have the first confessional of the season, but it wasn't subtitled and it was about someone else.

Dave: UTRN1. One bitchy comment about John, but it was pretty bitchy.

Erik: UTRM2. His criticism of John was also kind of bitchy, but seemed more earned. He's shown agreeing with Shambo about John's over-thinking. He is praised by Good Russell in the challenge.

John: MORN3. Didn't speak much for himself (and actually didn't come across as that negative when he did) but he received criticism from multiple sources. I think he's going to be an early boot.

Kelly: INV1.

Laura: INV1.

Monica: UTR1. She has a leadership confessional in the beginning and Jeff calls her by name when giving out the immunity idol. Just squeaked by an INV rating.

Russell B: CPP4. His edit was one that surprised me on second viewing. We are certainly meant to think that his shit don't stink. Most of his confessionals seem necessary and non-manipulated, but he seemed overall to appear a lot more frequently than the action called for. I suspect he's being focused on as a positive to balance out Evil Russell. How cute that they have the same name *eyeroll*. I don't think he necessarily makes it far, but he's certainly going to be a constant pre-merge presence.

Shannon: CPM5. She appealed to me even less on a second viewing. Her work ethic is certainly to be admired, but she sounds out of touch and cranky when she's complaining about those kids swimming. We're certainly meant to pay attention to her and she's giving us insight into the state of things.

Yasmin: INV1. The way my note-taking page was set up, my notes for Evil Russell totally filled up her allotted space. How fitting.

My winners list is Mick, Betsy and (way down below) Evil Russell. Mick and Betsy seem like the most traditional winners by their edits, but I really think Evil Russell is being handled in a completely new way. I don't think we can easily fit his edit into the previous molds. That doesn't necessarily mean he is the winner, but I think if he was the winner, this is how he would be handled.