After only two episodes of Survivor 47, several castaways are already emerging as key players. One of these individuals is Gabe Ortis, who is a part of the Tuku tribe this season. During the premiere, Gabe made a name for himself after finding the first beware advantage of the season. Furthermore, Gabe solidified a strong alliance with fellow Tuku player Sue Smey. Despite his tribe mate TK Foster being suspicious of his idol hunting, Gabe kept a low profile as Tuku won immunity and was safe from the tribal council.
Unfortunately for Tuku, they weren’t as lucky during episode two. Tuku 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 only two episodes, Gabe has already exhibited incredibly strategic gameplay. Gabe is thinking miles ahead of some of his competitors, making him a serious threat to watch out for this season. While there are other strong players on Survivor 47, Gabe is the most intelligent so far.
Gabe Ortis chose good allies in Sue and Caroline
Gabe’s first brilliant move this season was his pick of allies. This season, the Tuku tribe started with Gabe, Sue, TK, Caroline Vidmar, Kyle Ostwald, and Tiyana Hallums. Right off the bat, Gabe knew that he wanted to work with Sue. Gabe immediately pulled Sue aside and told her that she was his top choice of ally after he saw all of the cast’s pictures. Sue was elated to work with Gabe and the two quickly built a strong sense of trust between them. Gabe made sure he didn’t hide anything from Sue and revealed his beware advantage to her right away.
During the premiere, Sue also built a close friendship with Caroline. It didn’t take long for Gabe to seek an alliance with her as well, although she was hesitant at first. As he did with Sue, Gabe gained Caroline’s trust when he showed her the idol he earned through following the beware advantage. When Caroline went to catch up with Sue, both women were pleased that Gabe had been so upfront with them. Alliances can often get messy on Survivor but Gabe quickly managed to put together a strong trio. This is rare in Survivor gameplay, so it will be interesting to see where Gabe takes his alliances from here.
Gabe Ortis fooled the rest of the tribe into thinking he was on their side
While Gabe knew he was locked in as an ally with Sue and Caroline, he strategically kept it a secret from the others. The rest of the Tuku tribe was intent on eliminating Sue, at least before the immunity challenge. TK, Tiyana, and Kyle were all under the impression that Gabe was their fourth vote and that he would be willing to vote for Sue. After TK went on a rant and got angry at the tribe for losing, however, Tiyana started to rethink her vote. Sue took the opportunity to suggest booting TK, which Tiyana was happy to consider.
Gabe knew Tiyana was on the rocks but made sure that TK and Kyle still thought he was on their side. This is a critical strategy in Survivor, as many eliminations depend on blindsides. Early on in the game, it can be tricky to trust fellow tribe members but Gabe did a great job at getting everyone to believe him. Gabe is really embracing the theme of the New Era, which encourages players to think strategically more quickly due to a shorter game. Ultimately Gabe’s gameplay was successful, as TK was sent home at the first Tuku tribal council.
Gabe played his idol at a smart time
Several Tuku members were suspicious of Gabe after he went off idol-searching. While Sue helped him to conceal it, TK in particular knew something was up after he caught Gabe looking for a key in the jungle. During tribal, Jeff asked Caroline if the tribe had noticed anyone specific going off in search of an idol. She laughed and Sue confirmed that everyone knew Caroline was thinking of Gabe.
After voting, Jeff asked if anyone had an idol to play. Gabe hesitated for a few seconds but ultimately played the idol for himself. While some viewers were confused by this as no one voted for Gabe, the move was actually brilliant.
Depending on Tiyana’s vote, there was a good chance there would be a tie. This would result in going to rocks if no one changed their vote. Gabe knew Sue wouldn’t have more than three votes, due to their solid alliance with Caroline. It didn’t make sense to play the idol for Sue, as she would be safe during rocks. By playing the idol on himself, Gabe also made himself immune from the potential of going to rocks. This would’ve influenced Tiyana to change her vote if she had voted for Sue, to save herself as well. Gabe’s idol play ended up not being necessary but it also took a huge target off his back.
TELL US – WHAT DO YOU THINK OF GABE’S GAMEPLAY SO FAR THIS SEASON?
