Reality television is filled with big personalities, those contestants whose brazen behaviors entertain everyone watching at home (while often annoying the people they’re actually competing against). Every show has cast members like this, but few are as memorable as the ones fromSurvivor; thisCharlie ParsonsCBS series has introduced some of the biggest names in reality TV since its early iterations. And now airing in the 47th season, it is no different. We’re not even halfway through the installment and there are already numerous entertaining characterswho love declaring why they’re better than everyone else around them.
Each has a legitimate chance of winning, of course, yet online fans have begun to notice another, much quieter person who has been subtly amassing power in the background —so subtle, in fact, that even the editing team seemed to forget her in the early episodes.There are many methods to winningSurvivor, but when it comes to this season, digital audiences are betting that it’s Genevieve Mushaluk’s silent yet deadly playstyle that will win the $1,000,000 grand prize.
This ‘Survivor’ Player is Watching and Waiting
Anyseason ofSurvivoris a tumultuous one for its contestants, but few people have seen as much drama as early into their tenure as Mushaluk. She was placed in the Lavo tribe, a group that was quicklythrown into chaos by the domineeringRome Cooney.The first few episodes saw his tribe mates expounding in confessionals about how much they were annoyed by him, except for Genevieve — mainly because she didn’t really get any confessionals at all. The show’s editing is always trying to tell a story, meaning that if someone gets as little screen time as she did, it often means they won’t make much of an impact (unless you’re the winner of Season 41, of course). Fans were quick to write off Genevieve because of this, making them surprised when Cooney announced that she had become his #1 ally. Even more, viewers were startled to discover in recent episodes that not only was Genevieve an essential part of the tribe’s strategy,she was actually running their entire game.
’The Summit’s Contestant Mismatch Is What Makes It So Interesting
Opposites conquer the mountain.
While initially appearing as Rome’s lackey, Mushaluk has finally been given the time to discuss not only how aware she is of her volatile tribe’s dynamics, but also that she knows how to get others to do exactly what she wants. She knew about Cooney’s reputation the entire time but recognized how important it was to have a close, easily influenced ally (especially one that was always finding idols and advantages). Always in a soft voice, she got him to do as she asked while still working with the others, even managing to convince him and his nemesis,Solomon “Sol” Yi,to work togetherin voting off the one person who’d dare to even mention Mushaluk being a target,Kishan Patel.And when he was evicted from their tribe and his closest allyTeeny Chirichillowas upset, Genevieve turned her calm demeanor on the player and convinced them that she was trustworthy — after being the sole reason their friend was kicked out. Her screentime has still been limited when compared to more bombastic players, but while those folks have to remind watchers of how much power they have, Genevieve smiles at the camera and makes it clear:you don’t need to talk about power when you already have it.
Silent Doesn’t Mean Soft on ‘Survivor’
Fans have been raving about Mushaluk, with many onlineSurvivorcommunities coming together to root for her win. But while it’s clear she has strategic prowess, it’s too early in the season to tell whether this will pay off. Sure, it would be laughably cathartic to see someone receive such a silent edit initially only to come back and win, but this may simply imply that the merged portion of the season will see her falter andget eliminated before she can really make her mark.Yet no matter what edit she may have received, it’s undeniablehow startlingly impressive Mushaluk has been at playing a silent but deadly game.She never engages in the intense arguments of her contemporaries or tries to showboat in confessional because she doesn’t need to. Unlike others so desperate for control, Mushaluk’s actions stand on their own, with the woman recognizing that in a setting with so many noisy people, it only takes a little talking to get exactly what you want. She may have started out as quiet, but if the past few episodes are any indication, she may just be the one person to shut this rowdy cast up for good.Survivoris available to stream on Paramount Plus in the U.S.
A reality show where a group of contestants are stranded in a remote location with little more than the clothes on their back. The lone survivor of this contest takes home a million dollars.
WATCH ON PARAMOUNT+
