Each week during this season of Survivor, I’ll be ranking the castaways in terms of best chance to win the game. Last week, JP (No. 9 of nine remaining players) and Joe (No. 7) were voted off in a double episode.
Week 11 Power Rankings:
1. Devon (Last week: 2): He snuck up on me this year, but the surfer dude is one smart bro and now takes over the top spot for the first time. He orchestrated both of the moves in last week’s episode and claimed to be “sitting in the best possible seat in the game.” Sometimes those comments come back to bite players, but I believe this one. Devon’s plan to split the vote and then tell Joe to vote Ben — while getting Ben to act like he was doomed — was next-level stuff. Now, can he keep it up?
2. Lauren (Last week: 1): She has some really strong play going right now. Lauren has worked well with Ben all season, but you can see she’s not just going to ride that alliance — she was already seen talking with Ashley about when to flip on Ben. So it really seems like the Lauren/Devon/Ashley show at the moment, and Lauren also has the extra vote in her pocket.
3. Ben (Last week: 3): You can see how this is going, and Ben’s alliance already sees he’s a threat with a great story — which means they’re getting ready to come for him. Unfortunately, he won’t make it to the final three. If he somehow does, he will win (and his competitors fully realize that, which is why he’s in trouble).
4. Ashley (Last week: 8): Last week, Ashley showed us she’s not done yet. “I feel like I’m finally playing Survivor,” she said. “I honestly feel like this is my game to lose.” I wouldn’t go that far, but she’s certainly on the right side of the numbers for now. If she can keep herself in the game without being a target, she’ll end up in the final three thanks to her link with Lauren and Devon (but she won’t win).
5. Ryan (Last week: 4): I really don’t see how he escapes this situation. Devon isn’t going to suddenly return to trusting him, and Chrissy is all Ryan really has left. He tried to pitch to Mike last week and it was met with deaf ears, so they’re not really on the same page. It’s been fun to watch Ryan, but I can’t see him pulling it out.
6. Chrissy (Last week: 5): If she somehow makes it to the end, it will be a James Bond-style escape. Honestly, it’s been disappointing to watch her game fall apart. As I’ve mentioned the last few weeks, she was No. 1 in the rankings for awhile but got too cocky and comfortable, and now she’s potentially the next person headed home if she doesn’t pull out another immunity win. If she comes back to play another season, I hope she learns from her mistakes in relying too much on her alliance and letting off the gas, because she’s obviously a very smart player and capable of winning.
7. Mike (Last week: 6): He seems to vote in whatever direction is necessary to keep himself alive, which is why he might stick around a couple more weeks (and potentially outlast Ryan and Chrissy). However, his chances of actually winning are all but gone at this point.
Eliminated:
Week 1: Katrina (ranked No. 6 of 18 remaining players)
Week 2: Simone (ranked No. 17 of 17 remaining players)
Week 3: Patrick (ranked No. 16 of 16 remaining players)
Week 4: Alan (ranked No. 13 of 15 remaining players)
Week 5: Roark (ranked No. 10 of 14 remaining players)
Week 6: Ali (ranked No. 5 of 13 remaining players)
Week 7: Jessica (ranked No. 9 of 12 remaining players)
Week 8: Desi (ranked No. 8 of 11 remaining players)
Week 9: Cole (ranked No. 10 of 10 remaining players)
Week 10: JP (ranked No. 9 of nine remaining players) and then Joe (ranked No. 7 of nine remaining players going into the double episode)