Survivor 43: Why Cody Should Betray Jesse

Survivor 43’s most powerful alliance has been the duo of Cody Assenmacher and Jesse Lopez, but Cody may need to betray Jesse if he wants to win.

A large percentage of the strategy on Survivor 43 has been put into action by the duo of Cody Assenmacher and Jesse Lopez, but the pair might need to split up if Cody wants a shot at the money. The two have forged a strong alliance together, especially given their different backgrounds. Cody is a free-spirited elevator salesman who relocated to Hawaii from Iowa, while Jesse entered the game as a political science PhD student who turned his life around after being a gang member in his youth.

Cody and Jesse have been in control of the game during several key moments of the season so far. They began as tribemates on Vesi and have coordinated several blindsides, the most recent being when they ousted their fellow former Vesi member Noelle Lambert. They successfully avoided detection from their competitors until the Noelle vote, when Mike Gabler began to become apprehensive about Cody and Jesse’s powerful partnership.

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Cody Needs To Betray His Closest Ally Jesse

Despite how well the two have worked together, Cody’s best bet at winning the game is by eliminating Jesse. The main reason Cody needs to turn on his ally is that, should the two of them make the Final Three together, the jury will most likely credit Jesse as being the brains behind the operation that got them there. The Noelle vote solidified that notion when Jesse appeared to take credit for the move by apologizing to Noelle on her way out. Jesse posturing as the mastermind will lead to him getting more respect from the jury, while Cody may be seen as a follower and merely an agent of Jesse’s plans. Cody might be able to let Jesse slide for one or two more Tribal Councils, but he needs to cut his friend soon if he wants any chance at separating his game from Jesse’s while simultaneously gaining a major resume point by ousting the most strategic player in the game.

There have been many instances of Survivor duos making it to the end of the game only to have one member of the partnership dominate the other in a jury vote. Some of these pairs include JT Thomas and Stephen Fishbach in Tocantins, Tyson Apostol and Gervase Peterson in Blood vs. Water, and John Cochran and Dawn Meehan in Caramoan. JT, Tyson, and Cochran each got the credit from the jury, while their closest allies were shut out in the vote. Survivor: Ghost Island‘s power duo of Wendell Holland and Domenick Abbate dominated the game and tied in the jury vote, but third placer Laurel Johnson broke the tie to award Wendell the victory. If Domenick had eliminated Wendell earlier, he doubtlessly would’ve won the game.

If Cody wants to avoid becoming the next Stephen, Gervase, Dawn, or Domenick, he needs to cut Jesse before too long. Cody has been an active player, but it remains to be seen if he possesses the killer instinct needed to turn on his closest ally in order to win the game. Loyalty can only get a player so far in the game of Survivor, and it seems like Cody’s only option to win will be to betray the loyalty he has to Jesse.

Survivor airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.

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