Only a handful of teens have played Survivor, and none have ever won the game, but Sami Layadi is attempting to change that as he continues to prove himself a worthy player. In past seasons, mainly contestants in their 20's and 30's have been successful on Survivor. However, at only 19, Sami has played a pivotal role in how the game has gone since the very beginning.
When the three tribes came together for their first vote as one tribe, two sides were created as tensions rose between Mike Gabler and Elie Scott over the rumor that she went through his bag to see the rules of his hidden immunity idol. That rumor happened to be started by Sami, so while Mike was given praise for his Survivor gameplay at the merge, it was Sami who laid the groundwork for it to occur. This is seen again in Survivor season 43, episode 5, "Stop With All the Niceness," when Sami allows Jeanine and Elie to earn a hidden immunity idol by bartering for beads but then relaying that information back to Mike. This appeased both sides of his original Baka tribe while sowing seeds of discontent at the same time.
Survivor's Sami Could Face Backlash For Playing The Middle
Once Elie is voted out, Sami's Baka tribe is firmly at the bottom of the newly merged Gaia tribe. Instead of sticking with his tribal alliance, he makes the correct move to vote with the majority alliance and vote out Dwight Moore, thanks to a tip from Jesse Lopez and Cody Assenmacher. Although his original Baka tribe is in the worst position at the merge, Sami has now been able to play both sides to his advantage. In Survivor season 43, episode 8, "Preposterous," shows Sami comforting his former Baka tribe after the Dwight blindside and offering to vote out Ryan Medrano when he was voting with the majority alliance to vote out Jeanine.
The issue comes when the other players compare notes. Since Jeanine was voted out by a 9-2 vote, Sami's former Baka tribe knows he is no longer with them. This could create a scenario where they let the majority alliance know and make a play against him. With all the knowledge Sami has acquired from both sides of the tribe, it's a logical assumption that his threat level will rise exponentially as his game is exposed.
Even though Sami saved himself from Elie's messy gameplay on Survivor, he will soon need to answer for his own. Being the liaison between the two combatants can be a desirable position for a few rounds, but once the secret is out, it can make for an easy common enemy. It will be exciting to see if Sami continues to play the middle or plant his feet firmly on one side as Survivor season 43 continues next week.
Survivor 43 airs on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. EST on CBS.