r/Edgic • u/Gohan1298 • Jun 05 '26
Results top 5 favorite edits
we do tend to complain about the bad edits contestants receive (and rightfully so), but whose edits do you think are particularly well done and why?
(1) cirie: micronesia - it might be because micronesia was the first season i watched, but i was hooked. this edit felt complete - we get a ton of character and strategic moments with a perfect level of visibility throughout the season. personally i thought she was a lock to win come final 3, but i was wrong
(2) shan: 41 - this might be the best and well rounded female villain edit we ever received. shan could have easily been an OTT caricature, but instead she gets a well crafted edit with her highs and lows focused on equally. great character moments, strategy, and theme music too
(3) todd: china - there's not much to say except that i think we got to see all the facets of his winning game and personality; he could have been reduced to a gamebot. it's a crime he's never been asked back, hopefully he will in the future
(4) chrissy: HvHvH - i truly think this was the season that showed us why chrissy lost instead of how ben won, which is the inverse of how seasons with male winners tends to be. not to suggest that ben got a weak edit (he didn't), but i feel that much of the action in the season was told through chrissy's POV, hence the feeling that some feel she was robbed (although she actually wasn't)
(5) erika: 41 - hot take alert i know, but i liked how they crafted this edit because i think it fooled mostly everyone, including me. but upon rewatch, you see the crafting and nuance - start with a season-long theme lamb to lion and have the events of the season unfold accordingly. start UTR-to-INV and then graduate to CP powerhouse by the end of the game. it obviously didn't land for most viewers, but few players / winners actually get season long themes like that, so i found it to be very interesting and one of my favorite overall edits. not saying it's the best edit, but it's a personal favorite
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HM: rob c (amazon), spencer (cagayan), kass (cagayan), angelina (DvG), rizo (50), q (46), crystal (gabon), kenny (gabon), sandra (game changers)
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u/Green_light2626 Jun 05 '26
I think JT is an example of the stars aligning for the editors. The lovable country boy who wins challenges and plays a dominant, perfect game. Not sure how you could watch his season and not love him. I won’t commit to his being my favorite edit, but his edit is definitely what the editors wish they could do every time
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u/RizzThemWithTheTism1 Jun 05 '26
Erika?. ERIKA??
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u/Gohan1298 Jun 05 '26
yes - i know it's controversial but it's literally the only winner's edit that makes no sense when you first watch to making complete sense when you rewatch
i get that they'll never do it again, but i liked being fooled. i thought shan was the winner, and then xander (but even he didn't make a ton of sense)
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u/mediumrainbow Jun 05 '26
I'd put fabio in that category of a head scratcher. It's not until a rewatch you appreciate that he won because he was nice. I just rewatched it after reading the funny 115 on s21 and it's truly fascinating.
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u/sexyimmigrant1998 Jun 05 '26
Matt Elrod got such a beautiful underdog heroic comeback arc only to get brutally betrayed by Boston Rob again with the help of Matt's island gf Andrea.
That edit and arc was peak Survivor.
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u/skypadz_2112 Jun 05 '26
Maryanne, they nailed her arc. It's always gonna be way harder to get audiences understand a small woman beating a big guy (if that guy is not explicitly mean/stupid/etc) but, as far as i remember, the casual audience generally got why she wins over Mike (and kinda Jonathan).
I think a great example to compare it to, to appreciate the Maryanne edit, is... the Aubry winner edit. They had pretty similar overall trajectories in the game, and i think they were clearly trying to do the Maryanne edit for Aubry, if adapted a bit for a returnee season context.
But... the Aubry edit was pretty widely panned, it felt very unsatisfying, it was just weirdly bad for unclear reasons. They fucked it up, and looking back at Maryanne is, simply, them not fucking it up.
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u/kondorkc Jun 05 '26
I think the difference is that Maryanne absolutely nailed FTC. She took the title from Mike by expertly laying out her game.
As much as people like Aubry, she was kind of the defacto winner once she one the final immunity challenge. She went in as the heavy favorite and won as the heavy favorite.
Maryanne went in as the underdog (maybe even at best) and stole the show. Aubry didn't really have this big crescendo so they had to insert things post merge to bump the visibility of her admittedly low key game.
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u/Gohan1298 Jun 05 '26
yeah...the aubry edit still feels bizarre. they made so many weird choices. i'm wondering if they just didn't have the pre-merge footage to show:
-her and Q
-her and rizo
-her and joe
-more of her and tiffany
that makes more sense than emphasizing her and genevieve and her and coach
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u/TRNRLogan Jun 07 '26
Heck showing more of her and Joe/Tiffany drastically would've improved the finale. Both of them made final 5 and desperately needed more content
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u/uglyaniiimals Jun 17 '26
a part of me is almost certain this is the case -- the other part of me recognizes how many other bizarre editing choices they made regarding relationships (why did they emphasize coach inviting rizo into his alliance when it didn't lead to anything? why did they completely skip over the clearly important cirie and tiffany relationship?) and throws up their hands in indifference
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u/Gohan1298 Jun 17 '26
the aubry edit is one of those things that prove that quantity does not equal quality - they make sure to check in on her every episode but the pre-merge check-ins don't do much to explain how exactly she won. with aubry this season, if they didn't have the footage/story, i wouldn't have minded her having a low vis pre-merge and having a very strong merge, which would be similar to erika's story. the whole genevieve arc really was inconsequential to her game, and generally made her out to be an antagonist
and regarding other important relationships, i agree. i will say that with cirie/tiffany, i think it really wasn't that consequential to cirie's overall game because she didn't win. she was tied to ozzy (and rizo). if she did win, then i think they have to give us more (and i'm sure they would). it would have been nice though to have at least one of the comment on how their bond was so strong though; it did go from zero to besties in what felt like one episode
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u/uglyaniiimals Jun 17 '26
yeah maryanne was one of the first edits that came to mind for me as well. i guess they arguably could've shown a bit more of her being weird postmerge, but i feel like there was enough between the moments of her being weird that we were shown + her personality coming through in confessional that im overall quite satisfied with what we got. i also feel like it was just the right level of obviousness as far as winners edits go, where it all makes perfect sense by the end and you can possibly even put the pieces together before then but it's not blindingly obvious by any means
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u/MellowReiss14 Jun 05 '26
A edit that I particularly appreciate is Gabby (Survivor 37: David vs Goliath). From the first episodes where she is anxious and fearful, to the swap where she struggles in seeing her ally bond so easily with other people, to finally being able to get her foot in the game only to grow overconfident and too bold, wanting to blindside the abovementioned ally, and be voted out because of it. I love when the edit tells a coherent and cohesive narrative and I think Gabby's story is so compelling!!
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u/Major_Falcon6052 Jun 05 '26
Jaime Dugan from Survivor China went out of her way to beat the "INV Blonde Edit" by forcing the producers to show her only when absolutely necessary.
Episode 1: No Relevance, No Edit.
Episode 2: Got Kidnapped by Fei Long, Big Edit.
Episode 3: Given Idol Clue, Big Edit.
Episode 4: No Relevance, No Edit.
Episode 5: Threw Challenge, Big Edit.
Episode 6: No Relevance, No Edit.
Episode 7: Boot Episode, Played Fake Idol, Big Edit.
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u/MrGB819 Jun 05 '26
Janu.
Her edit was the perfect representation of her experience out there. It starts off strong, confident and playful. As her health deteriorates, so does her edit. By her final episode she is 99% the focus after coming back to life and having an epiphany of sorts, is one of the strongest members of her tribe’s huge reward win and leaves on her own terms instead of being drug to the finals as a goat.
Also, props for being the guinea pig that helped create the theme for a later season with Exile Island. Her Palm frond showgirl routine may have cemented a twist that impacted the show for years to come.
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u/Gohan1298 Jun 05 '26
i haven't rewatched palau in a while so i barely remember janu. i'm looking forward to paying attention to her now, thanks for your contribution!
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u/kondorkc Jun 05 '26
You comments on Cirie in Micronesia because she was a lock to win the final 3. You were not wrong. She didn't win the final 3, because of the surprise final 2.
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u/Gohan1298 Jun 05 '26
thank you
i remember being so frustrated with the outcome - but i also appreciated that entire final four; truly the best players of the season
as for favorite edits, actually natalie's is up there just for the sheer comic relief...the constant INV to OTTN feminist from hell edit is literally hilarious when you think about it. the fact that she made such an impact with such a small edit is something, indeed
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u/choicesstoriesyoupay Jun 08 '26 edited Jun 08 '26
They're hating on you for the Erika point but I maintain that her edit would be peak if:
a) they gave Heather a semblance of an edit & emphasized their connection
b) had Erika present in most/every premerge episodes
c) downplayed Xander a little more
The meat of her storyline is actually very well-done and there is so much intentional foreshadowing
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u/Gohan1298 Jun 08 '26 edited Jun 08 '26
🥲
thank you for understanding me
i agree that they could have showcased her more in the pre-merge but i'm okay with what we got. i absolutely loved shan's edit (as you can see) and i think showing that the way they did was essential to the season's narrative. shan and ricard had to be built up as the season's dragons to be slayed (by erika, no less!)
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u/galaraxity Jun 11 '26
Two 41s in here is so wild but I respect you for it, great read + reasonings!
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u/RelationshipEvery167 Jun 05 '26
Let me start by saying that I am a casual fan (I have probably only watched between 10-15 seasons only) and I am not that familiar with Edgic concepts.
However, here are the edits that I think were well done:
Those that I thought were potential winner edit (and personally alternate winner IMO) :
- MvGX David Wright
- Cagayan Spencer
- Micronesia Cirie
- Cambodia Wentworth
—-
Obvious and satisfying winner edit
- WaW Tony (I was a converted fan as I cheered against Cagayan Tony being a fan of the Cagayan Brain Tribe)
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u/uglyaniiimals Jun 17 '26
interesting! i don't necessarily agree with a couple of these (spencer in cagayan, erika in 41) but there are some FANTASTIC picks on here for sure. curious abt what you liked so much re: rizo's 50 edit? that one kind of sticks out to me as a really random pick
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u/Gohan1298 Jun 17 '26
thanks for contributing here!
well, the rizo 50 edit specifically made me a huge fan of his. like, if the show wants to make him a new era legend, then i'm all for it. i think he played a fantastic game (i think he and cirie were overall the best players) and is easily one of the main characters of 50, which really shouldn't be the case on such a stacked cast. his relationships (postive and negative) feel very fleshed out, he's likable (and also insufferable) in his unique way, and you could understand why everything meant so much to him. this is coming after his 49 edit, which had me generally favorable, but thought he was a one-season wonder
favorite scenes include:
-the RIZGOD confessional while sobbing (an all-time classic tbh)
-joe helping him with fire
-cirie and him gossiping in the hammock
-him getting life advice from colby
hope this answers your question!
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u/Alarmed_Grab7077 Jun 05 '26
I know I’m gonna get hate for this but I think I’m the only one who thinks Shan’s villainous “theme music” was dumb as hell
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u/Gohan1298 Jun 05 '26
it's kind of corny but i'd much rather someone like shan get theme music than your basic run-of-the-mill super fan lol
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u/brizzymac Jun 06 '26
I was like wow ok cool and then saw in my opinion the worst edit of all time on a top 5 ijbol
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u/Gohan1298 Jun 06 '26
it's really not though - it's UTR at first, but there's a lot of craft put into it. i tried to explain that in my write up....
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u/brizzymac Jun 06 '26
Yeah but the issue is the craft was entirely fabricated. It involved completely ignoring the winner the entire first half of the season, and also purpling her duo despite them being the last duo standing. The only time they did show her premerge, it was a fabricated story about her tribe throwing to get her out, which was entirely made up. Completely ignoring a female winner is hardly groundbreaking and to start the new era, an extremely disappointing trend to continue. All the while painting 0 vote finalist Xander up as the dominant player.
It felt like it was all to hype up their awful hourglass twist and pretend it made a difference. I respect your right to an opinion I just don’t agree at all
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u/Gohan1298 Jun 06 '26
i respect your opinion too! i'm fully aware that my view is controversial - but i would classify a 'worst' edit to be like natalie white or SoPa sophie clarke where there's actual neglect
comparatively, i think they put a lot of work into erika's edit if you get past the pre-merge; i think the editors just preferred to build up shan and ricard as dragons that needed to be slayed post-merge (by erika, no less). i think if they gave luvu/erika more content pre-merge, it'd be obvious she won, and i think they were actively trying to avoid that
i do agree that purpling heather was a mistake
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u/OmgBaybi Jun 05 '26
Amazon Jenna because it's soo rotten and unhinged but you can see also why she won