Day 26

The theory of the "goat":

A goat in Survivor has many different manifestations. But, in its most basic sense, a "goat" is a person dragged to the very end of the game by another person because that other person knows the goat will not receive any votes from the jury. There are different types of goats. From my perspective, these are the most prominent types:

1) The Social Goat - this is a person who everyone hates and so people would never vote for them to receive the million dollar grand prize. This could be a person who is obnoxious, doesn't work around camp, or simply rubs people the wrong way.
2) The Strategic Goat - this is a person who people might like personally, but would never get the jury to hand them the million dollar prize because they did nothing in the game. This could be a person who simply coasted to the end or someone who just simply did whatever another person told them to do and never made any game moves of their own. This person is often perceived by the jury as a potentially "undeserving" winner or an "embarrassment" for lasting longer than far more capable players.

The idea of taking goats to the end has existed for a very long time. In season 6, Rob Cesternino straight up told a member in an opposing alliance that he would flip from his numbers and work with the other alliance because he felt he could beat her. (He turned out to be telling this to the season's future winner Jenna Morasca).

The "goat game" was also taken a step further with the emergence of Russell Hantz in season 19. This was a guy who defied all odds and managed to take a four person alliance to the very end through idol plays and manipulation against an eight person alliance. However, despite his prominent position in the season and the driving strategic mastermind for his alliance, he lost the game to the much quieter Natalie White. This was because Russell had been a nightmare for the tribe. He destroyed people's belongings, treated them all like dirt, and was mean to everyone. Even though he played a masterful strategic game, he ultimately became a goat and could not win because everybody hated him.

The "goat game" finally took its full effect in season 22, in which afterward everyone strives to replicate the exact same thing. Boston Rob led an alliance that season, controlling every single vote from beginning to the end. However, he was a returning player, and was worried that people would hold that against him or be mad at him for lying so much when he got to the finals. So, to guarantee himself the grand prize, he positioned himself to where he ultimately was sitting next to a Strategic goat in Natalie Tenerelli, who listened to Rob's every order, and Phillip Shephard, a strategic goat who alienated his tribe by yelling at all of them, calling people racist, and just being miserable to live with. There was no way now that, had Boston Rob faced a bitter jury, he could lose because the other two options sitting next to him were far worse choices to vote for.

Now, in the modern survivor game, players are always on the lookout for their "Phillips" to take to the end to guarantee them the million dollar prize. The problem is: everyone is after those same players, so how do you make it work?