Yep, you're 100% correct: it's because of the way the math is set up. Downvotes carry twice the weight of upvotes, so three detractors can undo the work of six supporters. This is necessary in order to make the contest end after a reasonable amount of time, but it is definitely not a measure of an option's quality or popularity. The winners of Survivor contests tend to be more middle-of-the-road, the ones that don't cause any fuss or call too much attention to themselves. There are exceptions every now and then, but more often than not? The path to victory is to not be seen.
And that's why I love them. Everyone loves to talk about the Superstar Quarterback, and we all love to complain about those Rotten Referees...but how often does the Quiet Everyman get the spotlight?
Is it the Quiet Everyman? Or is it the Cliche Milquetoast? Because I definitely feel like it's the latter, which is
why it doesn't get the spotlight. "Quiet Everyman" implies that the thing is necessarily
appealing, that it actually speaks to most people and is a true unifier, people just happen to overlook it in their search for something dramatic. Instead, I find the winner tends to be the thing which
recoils from ever making a strong statement about anything at all. Hence why the Druid came down to Land and Shepherd, Barbarian to Ancestors vs Totem which are basically the same thing in fluff terms, and why Lore Bard won with a
ridiculous 33 points over the much more interesting, but also more focused, College of Eloquence.
It's not just a matter of being a reliable workhorse. Several reliable-workhorse options died quick deaths (e.g. Champion Fighter, Berserker Barbarian, to a certain extent Life Cleric--it wasn't an "early" kill but it died well before several more esoteric options.) It's that a thing needs to avoid
standing out in any way at all. A smooth surface that catches no attention. Less "do your job and do it well, even if you don't get rewarded for it," and more "do whatever it takes to avoid ever offending anyone, no matter what." Because who cares about doing anything actually interesting, as long as you avoid doing anything that might possibly upset anyone ever?
