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To identify the Roles that the Characters were playing, it's good to start with the Themes of the Season:

I saw 4 major themes that came up from confessionals, repeated story lines or Tribal Council questions:

- Is Knowing the Game more Important than Knowing the Players?

This was the question at the heart of the season and it was delivered by Alexis in her episode #1 confessional: "I think the Fans versus the Favorites stuff is the ultimate challenge. Because we have the favorites who obviously have played this game before so they're coming in here with the experience but at the same time you have us and we know their game, we know, not only their strengths but their weaknesses too."

Such was our thematic premise.

- The Game is harder than what Fans think.

Very early, the editing insisted on the problems confronting the Fans. We saw their disastrous shelter building attempts, their problems making fire even with the flint. Mainly, we heard Mikey saying: "I think the favorites are chuckling at us right now". Jason later adding: "I'm sure the other tribe is doing really well, staying dry and probably laughing at us having to endure this wicked storm."

Fairplay's title quote from episode # 1 was: "You guys are dumber than you look." In contrast, work-horse James said of Malakal: "I definitely appreciate the hard work that goes around in this camp." Airai was in trouble! It got worse after Mikey's boot, when we heard Malakal laughing at the decision. Quite a difference from Natalie's "Good Job" after the fans had been told of Fairplay's eviction.

From a thematic point of view, the Fans were in danger. At the switch Alexis answered the original question when she said: "We have 4 new people, with so much experience under their belt, being able to point at things and say we need to do this and we need to do that and this is how we did this. I mean, it's unbelievable." At that moment, a Fan winning this season became inconceivable. The Favorites were giving the Fans one lesson after another.

- Too Much Scheming Too Soon is Bad.

Starting with Mikey B's plan to split the votes, Joel's turning the tables only to fracture Airai and Cirie who "was all hell-bent on getting Yau Man out… which was a big mistake" according to James, we had a continuing storyline that playing too hard too soon wasn't a good idea. A confessional by Mikey explained what the editors thought was sound strategy: "Joel is playing a long game right now and he should be focusing on a short game."

- Returning Players Need to Avoid their Previous Mistakes.

Since everyone knew their game, it was implied from the start that a Favorite would have to improve in order to claim the title. What was only an impression at first became a theme during the merge Tribal Council. First, Alexis said that 3 main points define strength in this game, introducing the "Triple Threat" needed to win and then Eliza told us that: "People have come awfully close but lost because they went up against the best. Are you going to make the same mistake again?" The winner would have to be a "Triple Threat" player who would improve their game and avoid the fatal mistake.

The Micronesian Characters:

Fairplay's main role was in promoting the season!

In the game, Fairplay was used to set up the story. His talks with Parvati and Ozzy on one side and Jonathan, Eliza and Ami on the other, showed Malakal's division. He also told us that the fans were dumb and he prepared us for Yau Man's demise: "Yau Man's not nice. He sucks. Soon as that idol's gone, see you later, bucko."

Mary was only a "Tourist" in Micronesia.

Kathleen's reaction to Joel's decision showed the lack of impact that Mary had: "Where did Mary come from?" That point was reinforced when Malakal was informed of Mary's exit, Eliza frowning as if asking: "Mary?"

Despite being eliminated by Joel, Mary wasn't edited as a "Victim". We never got to know her so we really didn't care for her fate. That was interesting because it meant the editors didn't want to sway the viewers in either Joel's or Mikey's camp at this early stage. For a moment, the viewer was left to choose his side from his own preferences.

Yau Man was reduced to the role of a "Tourist"

He had a good first episode but most of it was due to finding the HII. Even making fire didn't get much ackowledgment from his tribemates and nothing from Jeff during the recap of the episode. Yau Man received more praise in Fiji for simply opening a box! This huge Fan-Favorite didn't even have an opportunity to give us his thoughts on his precarious position. When Cirie told Parvati and Amanda it had to be Yau Man, he was tending the fire, as if oblivious to the danger.

There was only one possible reason for ignoring YM: The winner was in the alliance that voted him off.

Mikey turned out to be a "Victim" of the Bully

Although Mikey came very close to being a Villain by antagonizing the older players, he soon became a sympathetic narrator in Airai: "Our tribe consists of 'Big Bird', the 'Southern Princess', we got the 'Incredible Hulk', we got 'Jon Bon Jovi in his prime' and then we got 'Queer Eye for the Straight Guy'. Man! It's gonna be a crew, Ha! Ha! Let me tell you!"

His calm reaction after Mary's elimination showed he wasn't the villain: "I can only assume the big guy, Joel, stuck a knife in my back. Already… Interesting."

Mainly, Mikey became the victim when Jason interrupted Jeff during the fateful Tribal Council: "I need to emphasize the importance of tonight's vote in determining our future as a tribe. We have lost 4 out of 6 challenges so take a moment to think who we keep on the island."

We saw that Mikey could have been a player but he was overmatched.

Joel erupted on our screens as the "Villain".

Even Joel's quest for fire was confrontational. "Let me do it…I don't care how much (flint) we have left…I've been trying to make fire. What have you done?"

We heard other gems like: "I'd really like to see the look on his face when the baseball bats comes swinging and wakes him up to the reality that he doesn't have this tribe in his pocket," "If somebody comes and invades my home, I'm gonna kill 'em" and this hilarious exchange with Chet: "I hit my head", "I don't care", "I know"!!

Joel was one of the biggest Bullies ever!

Jonathan received a "Tribute" edit. The message was: Here was a Valiant Player who tackled conflicts head on and did his best.

From the start, Jonathan was in the middle of conflicts:

- Fighting Airai "If we continue doing what we're doing, we should be able to win. I figured that everybody's been out here 30, 33, 39 days, something like that, times 9 that's basically a year's worth of experience. We just feel confident that we can be in there and beat these guys at almost any challenge." Malakal's problem was over-confidence, yet Jonathan exhuded confidence.

- Fighting within Malakal: "I think some of us would like to stay together and make this tribe as strong as possible but some of us are making moves already to eliminate people that they consider threats to them and take control of the game." It didn't make Cirie look that positive.

The tribute started after the mix-up when we saw Jonathan doing his best at camp and in challenges for his tribe despite his injury. James told us how we should feel about the author: "Jonathan messed up his leg. Hopefully, he'll be alright 'cause losing Jonathan would be a big blow to the team. I mean, I'm sure we'll make do but it would just suck because he is truly a good motivator, a great guy to have around. I'd be stuck over here with a bunch of girls, losing my mind."

Giving us a big clue to the end game, Jonathan commented on the switch by saying: "We got the wrong beach but the better tribe, for sure."

A final challenge win, white birds flying off and sad music set the stage for Jonathan's exit: "Bad luck on Johnny. I had this game too. I saw the daylight…"

After hugging him, Kathy said: "I really hated to see him go. He was like a pillar of strength around camp. I'm upset to see him go, I only knew him for 3 days but what I knew, I loved him."

Jonathan's final words showed his love of the game: "I don't want to be out of the game…I couldn't have fought any harder. It was fun while it lasted."

Many viewers must have shed a tear at Jonathan's exit.

Chet was a "Dumb Player".

His poor performance in the episode #2 challenge put a target on Chet's back but he didn't even realize how his answers at TC aggravated everyone. He was continually in danger but he outlasted mainly because of the actions of others, not his own. Whenever we heard words like: "Chet is weak… He's horrible for morale around camp" the camera proved the speaker right.

Chet was presented as a wimp, not a Survivor.

Kathleen had all the characteristics of a "Victim".

We got to know Kathy early on, we even got to share her feelings. "These are the people I've watched on TV so there's that certain awe about them…" She was associated with positive characters, Cirie, Yau Man and Jonathan. As with almost every Fan, she had her dumb moments, this quote being a perfect example: "I'm sure I got off on the wrong foot. I'm sure it pays to keep your mouth shut but I just can't help myself."

She was powerless against the "Villain", saved only by her Immunity Idol, the larger Airai conflict and the switch-up. Then, the difficult conditions were more than she could handle.

As a victim, Kathleen had a positive spin to her exit, something rarely seen when quitting.

Tracy was on a "Journey to Earn Respect"

Her initial confessional linked her with the Fans and their problems: "I'm a fan, so coming to survivor and starting a game on the beach…Jeff, seeing him there, it was surreal" but her confessional after building the small lean-to shelter showed she had ressources: "They came over and asked us to help them build a new shelter. I think I've earned a little bit of respect from them."

Tracy was a fighter who was going to do whatever it took to Outlast even if she was in a bad situation. Her answer at TC, saying she could either sit back and whine or stand up and take care of herself, was the basis of her story. Her manipulative abilities were never more in evidence than when she told Joel: "Why are you letting him call the shots right now? I don't understand, I'm angry with you about it… You're freakin' just following him right now - moo! - like a heard of cows down the road… If one of us is gone, you're done, we can't help you anymore."

With that and by outlasting both Mikey and Joel, Tracy earned our respect.

Ami was another "Victim".

Ami was often on the periphery of the action but never quite dictating it. She told us about Fairplay: "Fairplay is a loose canon… I'm a little worried…" Later, we saw her looking on as the couples alliance considered their options after Cirie told them she wanted Yau Man out. Ami even became the moral compass for the fans when, after the switch, she told us: "It's starting to kinda get to me, the fan bashing. Yeah! They seem slow and they're not doing anything but, you know what, they are coming around and we were once there too." She attempted to form an alliance when she told Tracy and Erik that she was giving them her trust, asking them to take care of her because she was really sticking her neck out.

In another example of "too much scheming", all of Ami's big plans to blindside Ozzy fell apart.

Micronesia gave us a softer image of Ami, the editors apparently repaying an old debt. Victim of her own scheming but mainly victim of circumstances, Ami's exit was a much sadder occasion than when she was voted out in Vanuatu.

Eliza was on a Journey, a Mission really, of Survival.

Eliza returned to her Vanuatu story when Ozzy said: "We are weary a little of Eliza, just hearing about the way she played the game in Vanuatu. She's shifty, crafty. Some of us feel that we can't really trust her."

Eliza's answers at the first Tribal Council told us how unsafe she felt: "There's still a possibility in my mind that Fairplay is not going home tonight… and we are still voting."

In the second episode that's all we heard from her: "I kept thinking that something's gonna change, something's gonna come up, something terrible and I was gonna be the one that ended up going home first."

More drama was added when James told us: "We kept one of the weakest girls, Eliza, and she's sick right now. She's on the beach, shivering and about to pass out."

The switch brightened Eliza's outlook and we saw her smile at the news. Even being picked last wasn't a problem: "It's OK! I'm good." In Airai, she never had to go to Tribal. Not being in immediate danger meant Eliza was out of character. All the strategy talks disappeared, her confessionals were reduced to narrating events and rewards.

The merge changed all that. It gave us back the Eliza we know but it cost her the game.

Ozzy continued on his "Hero" edit from the Cooks.

Ozzy showed he had learned a little from his first stint when we saw him bring most of the tribe out on his fishing expeditions, leaving Yau Man alone in camp. After a few episodes, Ozzy became the man in charge, the way a Hero is supposed to be. The problem with Ozzy's portrayal, as with many heroes in this series, is that we saw he was unaware of the dangers lurking around him. Early on, he'd tell us he had to be careful about his relationship with Amanda, only to be seen hanging out with her, others always observing. When Ami started talking with Tracy, the camera showed us Ozzy with his guard down, playing the "chicken farmer". He only considered the other physical players as threats, neglecting the danger the women presented: "There's a lot of guys out there that want to beat me. It's really key that I find the idol."

This Hero was an easy target to blindside, a "dramatic" end to his story.

Jason was a "Dumb Player"

We first heard Jason's good intentions: "One of my life's dream has been to come out and try to survive in the wild, so this is really incredible for me… We want to kick the favorites' ass."

Surviving in the wild wasn't the same as playing Survivor: "The second the crazy lady found the immunity idol, I think everyone was a little worried because we all felt as a consensus that she was going to be the first one to go." Being worried so soon over so little wasn't a good sign.

And then Jason's story fell apart when we heard him say: "Tonight is night number one and we took too long to find a location to build our shelter. It didn't come along as planned." On night one, his dream had already turned to nightmare!

When he refused to share "his habitat" we knew his social game would be a problem and the only alliance he ever had was with Eliza because, like her, he annoyed people.

The Kooky theme music accompanied his quest for the idol, telling us he'd fall for the Stick!

Who do you supposed was heard saying he liked the name Dabu right after Erik explained it was a joke?

Long before he fell for the Black Widow Brigade's deception, we knew Jason was a Dumb Player.

James also had a "Tribute" edit. In his case, the message was: Here is a hard working, Honest Man who exposes the moral dilemma of the schemers in this game.

Very early, he showed he knew something about playing the game when he said this about Cirie's schemes: "Cirie is killing me. You can't be the boss of everybody but everybody is letting her go. She went from the swing vote to the one who's deciding what's going on for the whole group. That can't happen."

The crux of his edit came after Ozzy's blindside in his words to Parvati:

- "Where are you going with this?" asked James

- "I couldn't win against Ozzy. I would be a fool to have kept him in the game."

- "What his your plan? Who are you taking with you? I'm just curious"

- "To 3? Girls" answered Parvati, shrugging her shoulders.

- "Yeah! I figured that" said a disappointed James.

- "I wanted to say sorry because I couldn't tell you."

- "No. Sorry is not what you mean. Ha! Ha! is what you mean."

- "I wanted to talk to you because I like you and I didn't want it to be ackward."

- "Oh! It's gonna be ackward" replied the big guy in complete candor.

His comedic side was often put to use, starting in the first episode when he said "I thought I should be on the fan side."

After the switch we had: "I'm amazed that they are still alive, poor things! They should be dead! I mean, they're a bunch of dingbats!"

And after the merge: "How often do you get a chance to eat a bat. It's one of the things you have to try. It was good. It's like a juicy rabbit. In fact, I'm probably gonna eat another one."

James was fun to watch.

Alexis, because of her lack of impact on the story, was another "Tourist".

A tourist that, at least was put to work as narrator. With brief comments, she set up the themes of the season and the story of many episodes. At the merge, she was Jeff's news correspondent, the player he chose twice to tell him about the events in camp. She first told Jeff of the new name and that it was awesomne and fit perfectly. Later, at Tribal, she was the one giving the assessment of the players: "I think there are 3 main points that define strength in this game. Are they a stronger social player… physical player… mental player?"

After her initial confessional set up the season's theme, the one she had in episode #2 confirmed the second: "It's day 4 and we're in a bad place right now: We need to fix our shelter. We haven't had any water. Everyone is tired, everyone is hungry."

Her role as a simple Tourist was confirmed in the merge episode when, instead of seizing the occasion to work on the Faves' weaknesses, she was content to go with the flow: "The game's really begun I feel. If Parvati feels more of an alliance to her original group, then Natalie and I will be out and, you know, that's the game. But right now, we are banking on the fact that it's not Fans vs Favorites anymore."

A cynic would say Alexis did something to irritate the editors who responded by cutting her airtime.

Erik was on a "Coming of Age Journey ".

As the biggest fan, Erik received plenty of scenes that showed him as a "Dumb Player": In episode #2, he was a follower to Joel and his "Diabolical Idea". We saw unnecessary conflicts with the Favorites like throwing sand in player's face and flipping Amanda on her "friggin' head" during early challenges. It wasn't really smart in this social game.

Erik's youthful enthusiasm couldn't fit in such a small role, especially when he set a lofty goal for himself: "I know a lot about Ozzy in terms of the competition… I think I have what it takes to compete at that level." That storyline, however, was killed when Alexis said: "Ozzy's insane! He's, hands down, the best physical competitor in survivor history!" Erik could only agree: "Ozzy is amazing… I can't compete with him."

Fortunately, (or was it?) his story didn't end there and Erik gave himself a new role when he said: "…Rather than being in opposition to Ozzy, one of the most powerful players in the game, I'm now aligned with him." Erik, the lost puppy dog, the wide-eyed kid in the candy store, was learning right before our eyes. The severity of the last lesson showed that Erik hadn't quite completed his journey.

As far as Journeys go, Erik had a bumpy ride!

Natalie was, for the longest time, only a Tourist.

Like a tourist who suffers in silence when the room wasn't satisfactory and the food terrible, Natalie kept mostly quiet. Her first confessional hinted at what was to come: "You always need to be doing what you need to do to maintain your position. All I've done since I've been here is keep my head down and work…I don't feel that Chet wants to help out and carry his weight. Honestly dude, either pick it up or go home."

At the merge, her comment: "Off to the races, miladies" set the stage for an all-female F4 and the start of her own game.

Having bottled up her feelings for so long, she erupted on our screen! The editors used her sudden decision to assert herself as an occasion to re-cast her as the post-merge "Villain". The self-proclaimed Stone-Cold-Bitch was used to deflect a lot of negativity away from the rest of the Black Widow Brigade.

This was one of the weirdest story lines in the series history.

Cirie was on a "Journey To Validate her Game".

She had played the role of someone on a "Journey to Make her Family Proud" during Exile Island. That meant Cirie had to be seen in danger, her early bonds with Danielle and Aras hidden. In that vein, Cirie's early strategic game was neglected, cut from the final edit. Her treatment in Micronesia's first episode was very similar; we didn't know where Cirie stood: "We're going to tribal council and I do not have a plan at all. I'll get rid of anybody as long as it's not me." Fortunately that was only so the suspense of Malakal's division could remain intact until the next vote.

More important to Cirie's story was her introduction: "I'm like the person at home watching". Alexis had forgotten something: Cirie had the best of both worlds, being a Fan with Experience. Her experience showed when she said: "I don't know just yet how I'm gonna dismantle that foursome but I'm gonna try." Later, she added: "I feel like I have to continuously scramble and make sure everything works in my favor… Because I am in the middle right now, I have to look at every option or every scenario that could possibly happen and try to have a Plan B."

Preparing us for her loss, Cirie often had unnecessary negative comments thrown in that had no end game value:

- "What's getting on my nerves is that, not only do you have to play the game, you have to teach them the game too. I don't want to teach."

- "It's gonna be a little hard getting used to seeing these new folks coming in and grabbing stuff. It's like people coming into your own house and picking up the remote and turning the channel."

Add this one which, even if it had end-game implications, was cruel: "Alexis takes a tumble in the dark, James has his finger infected. I know this is bad because I am a nurse but that's 2 less people I have to fight against for a million dollars."

Cirie's post-merge actions proved she had the game to do it. But Cirie had also dismantled the alliance of nutballs in EI with Shane and Courtney's eliminations and had still fallen short. Cirie's problem was always the end-game and, in Micronesia, we were told you needed to be a "Triple Threat" to win.

Cirie proved she was a smart strategist, one of the best manipulators ever.

Amanda's role is best described as being the "Sweetheart".

Like in many adventure stories, Amanda wasn't a big presence at first, relegated to playing the Hero's girlfriend. When she said: "It's so funny that you're here because you were one of my favorite players" it told us that Amanda was another Fan with Experience. Her claim of "Game On", after her beau's execution, was used as misdirection. With her late game actions and her loyalty to her alliance, the editors knew that their "Sweetheart" would be favored by a large segment of the audience.

In the end, Amanda had one weakness and she couldn't fix it.

Parvati won by being a "Clinical Player" .

Emotions weren't going to interfere with her game. The following confessional proved the point: "I might just go ahead and pull in Alexis and Natalie and taking them with me and Amanda to the 4. Everyone one else… they're dead to me."

Her initial confessional set her agenda: "Coming back, I'm playing really aggressively and it's pretty much no holds barred for me. I have to win this time, it's my second time. I'm not coming back here to starve and be miserable. I was a flirt on Cook Islands and that's it. There was no other dimension to me at all, I don't think. Outwardly, I'm still gonna be flirty but I am playing smart this time.I want to make the right alliances with people I know I can trust. "

Although comparable, Parvati's confessional had long range implications that Yau Man's lacked: "The only reason to come back is for the million dollars. That's the only reason I'm gonna put up with a lot of suffering and bugs and smelly people."

Jonathan, who had laughed at her survival skills in CI, immediately presented her as a threat: "I think we should take Parvati out first. Parvati is a much bigger threat as a social player than Ozzy is." In the same vein, Parvati was the one heard telling the Fans where the best location for their new camp was and, when Joe and Edwin came to teach them survival skills, Parvati said: "I think this is one of the best reward we've gotten because we can actually continually use this knowledge and come out here and fish in the morning."

Before leaving, Kathy said: "Never, in a million years, would I do this, twice. This is the stupidest thing I've ever done in my life…" Right then, Parvati was seen chatting in the cave, not looking at all as if she felt stupid for doing it twice.

In a season when playing the long game was bad, Parvati had the right plan: "This is how I came into this game, to play in stages. The first stage was clearly before the mix-up when it was Fans versus Favorites. We had to get through that for the first couple of votes and then, we had the mix-up. We have to play through this segment to get to the merge. I just feel, I would feel safe if it was you and Alexis, me and James locked up, that block of 4… When we get to the merge, all of the targets are going to be on the big guys. We're gonna be able to slip under because everyone is gonna be so threatened by the big guys, trying to get them out. Ozzy and James are probably going to be the first to go. I wouldn't see anything wrong with it being Alexis and you, me and Amanda; final 4."

Improving her original game, Parvati was often shown in charge, leading discussions with Fairplay, with Amanda as they secured Cirie's vote or with Eliza as Eliza tried to save herself.

She was also often shown to be aware of the dangers lurking: "I don't want Eliza turning around and trying to snake me" she said in episode #1. Before the merge: "I'm in such a hot pickle right now. I've made an alliance with my original tribe of Ozzy, James, Cirie and Amanda and the second alliance I got myself into is me, Alexis, Natalie and Amanda. So, I feel I have the numbers on my side, no matter what but I'm gonna have a decision to make down the road." This confirmed that she had the end-game in sight.

It was Parvati's role to Stir the Pot.