You may have heard that we have decided to eliminate the Predictions post and won’t be predicting week to week boots. This is all true. The fact is, we were just too good at it. It ceased to be fun.  Instead I will be predicting who will win the season every week. I call it Matt’s Premature Winners At War Wildly Ambitious Winner’s Prognostication. Or Matt’s PWAWWAWP. Catchy, no? Let’s dive into this episode.

Fellow PWAWWAWPians I must apologize to you. “Apologize?” you say “For what? Predicting with unerring accuracy after one episode that Michele is the undoubted and undisputed winner of this season? Why would you apologize for such a thing?” But therein lies the rub.

You see, PWAWWAWP is based on science, evidence, careful consideration, and yet I worry I rushed to judgment last weekend. And I worry I rushed to judgment because I merely considered the game that each of these 20 winners played when they won, and forgot about the games of the winners who aren’t present. When I consider those wins, I must confront that we are playing with Edge of Extinction this season, and so I must consider Chris Underwood.

Chris Underwood was the third boot on EoE. He started off quietly, but then was the fulcrum for rival factions on his tribe. He “joined” an alliance led by David and Rick that wanted to vote out Kelley, and was explicitly instructed to not tell Kelley’s most prominent male ally: Wardog. He did, and everyone voted out Chris. Why is this important? Well we just lost the third person of WAW and I’ll be damned if Danni Boatwright didn’t damn near pull a Chris Underwood (Editor’s note: phrasing). I mean, Danni targeted Parvati, told her most prominent male ally, Rob, and then got voted out unanimously, sending her to EoE in the same spot as Chris was in on EoE. That is some classic PWAWWAWPing!

Then there are the similarities to the first time Danni played. Remember how one key to Danni’s game was recognizing someone that would only be famous by Survivor standards in Gary Hogeboom. Well this time, Danni recognized two someones that would only be famous by Survivor standards in Parvati and Boston Rob! She is doing twice as well as last time! If I could give her two PWAWWAWPs I would!

And remember all of Danni’s great moves in Guatemala?

She is replicating those same big moves this season!

And if you are skeptical of the case so far because she has been voted out, I understand. But first, remember Chris Underwood. Second, you have to consider all the evidence. And in constructing my PWAWWAWP and considering all the evidence, I have to consider evidence outside the edit occasionally. So I must weigh Danni’s social media presence. See Ethan posted something on Instagram and Danni responded. I’ve included the posts for your careful consideration.

Now do these seem like the comments of a loser? I think not! These are the pure unvarnished comments of someone who knows they got back into the game and made her foes pay for their temerity in voting her out. Pure PWAWWAWP here. I’m surprised CBS and Survivor haven’t fined her for how clearly she gave away her eventual victory.

So congrats Danni on becoming this week’s PWAWWAWP. But far be it for me to have the final word, readers! After you selected Yul as last week’s MVP, who do you think is the episode MVP?