So am I the only one who doesnt think Denise was the clear winner? I've tried thinking about it and I just cant figure out what she did that deserved the win. So she went to every tribal council? Couldnt that also be looked at as she lost every challenge? How is that a good thing? I cant remember any big moves she made. I'm confused. I think it came down to being up there with 2 other people who didnt really do much.
I guess Skupin deserves to lose since he didnt vote Denise off. Could have kept Abi and then got rid of Malcom and went to the final with Lisa & Abi.
She deserves to win because she played a game that got her to the end with 6 of 8 votes from the jury, in short.
From exit interviews throughout the season, it was clear that she was playing nothing short of a brilliant social game, ingratiating herself to her various tribemates. There was ample opportunity and ample reason to vote her out throughout the game; she was no slouch in challenges, she was a smart, sociable player, and she was the new girl with an obvious cross-tribal allegiance when she made it to Tandang.
Despite this, she was able to maneuver her way through most tribal councils without being a target. She didn't make "big moves" because she didn't have to, and when she finally had to (voting out Malcolm), she did.
She was a smart, capable player who understood her strengths and weaknesses and worked them throughout the game to score a victory from people who had every reason to dislike her. She may have played a different game than Kim and Sophie, but it was no less impressive.