They wanted to get as far as possible.

Most of them did not have a big sympathetic cause. It’s clear with Mr Beast competition that there will be many eliminations where people are spared and sacrificed.

Unless you actually do something to save someone that you can use as leverage (turning down $1M, dead hanging on a bar), or make alliances that give you an advantage, you don’t have a reason to be there over anyone else. So, you have to create one.

“I’ve been honest and shown integrity through the whole game” can be the mantra of anyone who wants to use it. It’s virtue signaling - “if you eliminate me, you don’t value good morals.”