Survivor 43's three featured tribes, Baka developed issues between . Mike exposed these issues at the most opportune moment, thus earning him recognition from fans.
Mike started strong when he risked his vote in the premiere for an advantage. Luck was on his side, and he received an idol that gave him immunity for the first two tribal councils he attended. He made everyone in his tribe aware of the advantage, not wanting to have secrets and focusing on building relationships. However, things changed when Elie Scott and Jeanine Zheng decided to search through Mike's bag to read how long his immunity idol lasted. Sami Layadi and Owen Knight knew about the search and told Mike, thus leading to underlying tension, which never got addressed since Baka has not been to the tribal council since the premiere.
How Mike Played A Part In Elie's Elimination On Survivor 43
Survivor 43, episode 6, was exciting for fans when Mike worked quickly to pitch Elie as the target for elimination. During lunch with the other winners of the immunity challenge, Mike threw her name out, explaining she went through his bag and could not be trusted. Fans appreciated Mike's straightforwardness when they watched him make his pitch right in front of Elie's closest ally, Jeanine. Furthermore, they praise Mike for having no fear of the pitch getting back to Elie and owning up to it when she approached him about it later.
When faced with deciding to stick with Baka for the vote or eliminate his arch-rival Elie, Gabler determined she was a threat and had zero intention of working to keep her in the competition. Fans appreciated this move because instead of risking his own game for the sake of others, he stood his ground and voted her out. While Elie, who had messy Survivor gameplay, may have worked with him short term to stay another day, she would likely try to get him out sooner rather than later. Therefore, Mike's decision to get Elie was the best move for his game at the time.
Although fans praise Mike for his bold moves during the merger, it was far from perfect. His choice of getting Elie out was a beneficial short-term move, but it could lead to long-term issues for his Survivor game. By telling everyone he knew about the bag search, Mike revealed that Sami and Owen were giving him information. Moving forward, Sami and Owen may not want to work with Mike since he has shown an inability to keep secrets. Still, Mike's moves may not be as messy as some believe when considering how he used the timing of the merger to his advantage to eliminate a formidable Survivor 43 cast member.
While Elie played a messier game when she over-strategized, Mike's strength was his straightforwardness. On Survivor, this gameplay could take him far in the game since competitors know what to expect from him, or it could make him a risk. Regardless, fans appreciate direct gameplay rather than an underhanded plan to blindside Elie since a few have already occurred this season. Survivor fans hope Mike stays in the competition for a long time to get more moments like the ones during the merge.
Survivor airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. EST on CBS.