Survivor: Sophie's Chances of Winning Season 40 | Screen Rant
One of the less heralded champions of the last 20 seasons, Sophie Clarke is one of a handful of Survivor winners who enter this season with the most to prove. Known for beating challenge beast Ozzy Lusth in the final immunity challenge and garnering more votes than Benjamin "Coach" Wade in the final tribal council, Sophie isn't generally regarded as one of the top winners of all time. Is her game underrated?
Initially not thrilled about the addition of Coach, a three-time player, to her Upolu tribe on the 23rd season of Survivor, Sophie worked her way into the majority alliance. In what turned into a post-merge Pagonging, Sophie stuck with her alliance, successfully managing volatile and unpredictable personalities, like Brandon Hantz. While Coach took a leadership role in the alliance, using faith-based manipulation to keep his tribe loyal, Sophie reluctantly played along, staying in Coach's good graces. She was able to win her way into the final three, and beat out a befuddled Coach by ripping his game to shreds in front of the jury. Only 22 at the time, Sophie proved wise beyond her years, overcoming parts of her personality that others found unappealing to conquer the Dragon Slayer in a 6-3-0 vote (Albert Destrade received no votes, per his Twitter account.)
Why Sophie will win
She is older and wiser, gaining the valuable life experience that comes with going through one's 20s. Sophie has had plenty of time to reflect on her game without having played so long ago that she won't be able to keep up. She has followed the show since winning, but she's stayed far enough in the shadows to prevent being an obvious target in her second go-round. Sophie has connections with other players heading into Winners at War, but isn't so well-connected, like many of her other competitors, to make her a clear threat.
Why Sophie won't win
Nearly every contestant in Winners at War has an innate ability to build relationships with people. In her season, Sophie was sometimes criticized for her rudeness (see clip above). If this part of her personality still exists, she might seem less approachable than the others on her tribe. Additionally, Sophie has never really had to play from the bottom. Though she had to manipulate close allies to make it to the end, she was never in the minority, especially once the merge hit.
Prediction: 17th place
It is certainly possible for Sophie to advance far into the game, considering the Survivor luminaries she will be playing with. There's also potential for her to be an early boot, if she can't find tight allies to latch onto in the early stages of the game. She had trouble developing deep bonds in her first season. If those issues persist this season, it could be a quick exit for the South Pacific winner.
Survivor premieres Wednesday, Feb. 12 at 8 p.m. EST on CBS.