Philippines is one of my favorite later seasons so enjoy the rest of the ride!
You were right, it was an interesting season! Abi was a fantastic villain. Contrary to the cast's opinion, I do think there was a cultural element to her not meshing well with the others. That being said, I can imagine how much of a pain living with her 24/7 would have been.
I was convinced I remembered Malcolm from Ghost Island (instead of Game Changers) so I kept expecting him to get blindsided and was so confused that it wasn't happening. I thought he was a great player until his sour grapes speech against Denise, which completely turned me off (even if he voted for her in the end).
I have no idea where I stand with Lisa, I can't tell if she was a very good strategist or if she just lucked into making the right choices at the right time (and partnering with Mike at the right moment). Her shambolic jury presentation makes me lean towards the later...
Mike really lost the game when he decided he couldn't stand Abi any longer, I think she was his clear ticket to a win. That being said, Denise really managed to out-maneuver everyone, and considering she was in every single tribal council, it was tough to beat that. I knew she'd won, but was still pleasantly surprised she got everyone's votes (except RC and Carter) considering how the jury acted. A great winner.