In episode 9, we saw Josh torn between two alliances. He’s a core member of the Vacation Alliance, but he’s also looking out for his other friends — most notably Rachel and Bananas.
As a result, he didn’t try to sway Rachel from sending Kaycee into the Arena, to the surprise of the Vacation Alliance. Instead, he respected Rachel’s strategy, even though it meant one of his core allies would go home.
Devin confronted Josh for his sloppy game because it undeniably fractured the Vacation Alliance. This is the same group Devin and Michele have worked to protect, and Josh has reaped the benefit. Instead, Josh seemed willing to compromise them for his side deals.
Laurel defended Josh, stating that he could do whatever he wanted. Of course, he could, but his actions would also have repercussions. And the vacation alliance has let a few things slide this season. Josh saved Bananas & Laurel when he could have sent them into the Arena, he didn’t raise his hand to be a team captain after promising he would, and he remained quiet during the Era 4 team meeting that negatively impacted Era 3.
This has given Devin some fairly concrete reasons to question Josh’s game.
As critical as Devin may be, there is one other data point: Josh hasn’t been to the Arena yet. He hasn’t even been in jeopardy, so is it really fair to call his game sloppy?
Josh is playing a game that isn’t designed to get him to the end. It takes advantage of the large cast size. When there were 40 people in the game, Josh could keep his allies safe by taking shots at other targets. Now that the numbers are dwindling, Josh is forced to pick between people he wants to protect.
In the episode, we see Josh wonder why he always has to make decisions. The answer is simple: He has more deals than anyone else. And if we know anything about the Vacation Alliance, they like to play a predictable game. Josh’s side deals aren’t part of the plan, nor was losing Kaycee. This could be the turning point where the Vacation Alliance distances themselves from Josh.
There’s also the possibility that the remaining alliance members will continue working with Josh because their numbers are hurt, but trust has been broken. This makes him expendable, so he better hope that protecting Bananas and Rachel was worth it. There’s no doubt that they are strong allies, but they also have other people to protect.
As the game progresses, more people have excuses to nominate Josh as a target. He’s likely to have a similar fate to other seasons: His strategy will get him far, but it won’t get him the win — at least not without seeing a few Arenas.
Stop Being Polite 