Tag: survivor

Each week, I’ll be ranking the remaining castaways from Survivor: Ghost Island by their best overall chance to win the game. Here’s how things look heading into Week 6 (the seventh episode of the season).

Sigh. The Original Naviti tribe members are still completely running the show, as they voted off another Original Malolo last week. Right now there are nine Original Naviti left and only five Original Malolo, so it figures another Malolo will likely go home this week.

To help you keep track, I’ve added a (O-Nav) or (O-Mal) by the names below. These are ranked by best chance of winning the whole game.

Note: If you are confused on which player is which, click on their name to see a photo of them.

Survivor Power Rankings: Week 6

1. Wendell (Last week: 1) — (O-Nav) He’s so chill. Just look at how he bonded with Sebastian (saving the shell necklace) and buried the hatchet with Chris after they were reunited. I really like how he plays the game, and it seems like he’s gathering the power in Original Naviti.

2. Domenick (Last week: 2) — (O-Nav) It seems like Domenick has an itchy trigger finger to make a move, and will surely target Chris the first chance he gets. But for now — maybe until the merge — he has nothing to worry about.

3. Kellyn (Last week: 3) — (O-Nav) Kellyn is the top woman remaining in the game. That said, she’s going to need to somehow start eliminating some of the stronger male threats before they go after her. That won’t be for another few weeks, I’m guessing.

4. Sebastian (Last week: 4) — (O-Nav) He connected with Wendell last week, so now he has an alliance with both Chris and Wendell. That might protect him through the merge. But I can’t see him winning it all.

5. Chelsea (Last week: 5) — (O-Nav) She’s sort of up here by default, honestly. Chelsea hasn’t shown much of a game, but others are playing worse.

6. Bradley (Last week: 14) — (O-Nav) “I thought I was fantastic. I feel like I’m playing an A-plus game,” Bradley said last week. Ugh. There’s no player I’m looking forward to seeing get the boot more than this guy, but with Original Naviti’s numbers, it doesn’t seem like it will happen for awhile.

7. Chris (Last week: 15) — (O-Nav) I hate putting Chris up this high, but he’s on the right side of the numbers and seems destined to make the merge. He’s sure is annoying, though. “For some crazy reason, people think I’m self-absorbed,” he said last week. Ya think?

8. Desiree (Last week: 6) — (O-Nav) She’s a fun player to watch, but is so weak at puzzles. That’s twice she’s blown challenges when it came down to the puzzle. Not a good sign.

9. Angela (Last week: 7) — (O-Nav) Clearly at the bottom of Original Naviti and likely the first to go when they start turning on each other — whenever that may be. I wish she would have flipped on them last week, but I get why she didn’t.

10. Laurel (Last week: 8) — (O-Mal) She’s wise enough to listen to Chris’ ramblings about himself. But I don’t know if that’s enough to salvage her game when she doesn’t have the numbers. It’s too bad, because she’s a good player.

11. Libby (Last week: 9) — (O-Mal) She’s been a standout despite being down in the numbers, but others are catching onto her game. Domenick said Libby is “out for blood” and is “Parvati 2.0.” Bradley seemed to agree, which could make her a target this week.

12. Donathan (Last week: 11) — (O-Mal) Not a threat, which might keep him around longer than others. But he’s still going up against an alliance that is basically unbreakable at this point.

13. Michael (Last week: 12) — (O-Mal) A prime candidate to be the next person to go. He’s clearly made connections despite being Original Malolo (his name wasn’t even considered over James), but he just doesn’t have enough votes.

14. Jenna (Last week: 13) — (O-Mal) She’s basically at the bottom of an alliance with no numbers. Not a good spot for her.

 

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ELIMINATED:

Week 1: Gonzalez (ranked No. 8 of 20 castaways) and Jacob (ranked No. 4 of 20).

Week 2: Morgan (ranked No. 14 of 18)

Week 3: Brendan (ranked No. 2 of 17)

Week 4: Stephanie (ranked No. 1 of 16)

Week 5: James (ranked No. 10 of 15)

Each week, I’ll be ranking the remaining castaways from Survivor: Ghost Island by their best overall chance to win the game. Here’s how things look heading into Week 5 (the sixth episode of the season).

Right now, the members of the Original Naviti tribe (nine players left) are running the game and sticking strong together. They’ve been quickly picking off the Original Malolo members (six players left), forcing yet another tribe swap this week. Because of that, I’m now going to add a (O-Nav) or (O-Mal) by the names to help keep track of the balance of power.

Note: If you are confused on which player is which, click on their name to see a photo of them.

Survivor Power Rankings: Week 5

 

1. Wendell (Last week: 2) — (O-Nav) There’s something I like about Wendell that I can’t really nail down, but he seems to just be playing a smart, under-the-radar game so far. That said, he hasn’t really been tested yet.

2. Domenick (Last week: 3) — (O-Nav) I’m leaving him up here as a pair with Wendell. They could really run the game if Original Naviti sticks together and then they end up with the stronger half of that tribe.

3. Kellyn (Last week: 5) — (O-Nav) Kellyn showed a great deal of emotion last week in voting Stephanie out, but she stuck to her guns anyway and made the right move for her game (and her alliance). At some point, I think she’ll start making some bigger moves.

4. Sebastian (Last week: 13) — (O-Nav) He showed some consideration of listening to the other side, which could be a sign for later. And he’s with a strong group for now. But he seems like a physical threat and could be targeted around the merge time.

5. Chelsea (Last week: 8) — (O-Nav) She has the numbers, but she hasn’t shown too much of a game so far. That said, there’s no reason for someone to take her out at this point. 

6. Desiree (Last week: 9) — (O-Nav) She’s played a quiet game. Like Chelsea, she’s with a strong alliance that has no incentive to consider her a threat in the near future.

7. Angela (Last week: 12) — (O-Nav) Honestly, she sort of floated up here based on having the numbers. But she seems to be toward the bottom of Original Naviti once it starts to fracture (Wendell and Domenick already tried to boot her earlier).

8. Laurel (Last week: 4) — (O-Mal) After rising in the rankings, I have to drop Laurel purely based on the weak numbers of the Original Malolo tribe. She’s playing a great game, but how is she going to break through that tight-knit block of Original Naviti?

9. Libby (Last week: 11) — (O-Mal) Libby played well after being swapped over to Naviti, but there’s concern over how this upcoming shakeup will affect her game. Given she doesn’t seem to have the numbers, making the merge is no sure thing.

10. James (Last week: 10) — (O-Mal) If the trend of picking off Original Malolo continues, he’s a convenient target.

11. Donathan (Last week: 14) — (O-Mal) He’s made connections, and his lack of strength combined with people constantly underestimating him will only help his chances of making the merge. Still, he’s definitely in the minority group.

12. Michael (Last week: 7) — (O-Mal) He’s been fun to watch, but he’s an endangered species right now given the lack of a big alliance. Maybe he can use the wise-beyond-his-years game to make it to the merge as a swing vote, but he’s running out of lives.

13. Jenna (Last week: 6) — (O-Mal) It’s clear anyone from Original Malolo is not in a good spot right now, and she hasn’t shown enough game play to be considered a serious contender.

14. Bradley (Last week: 16) — (O-Nav) I still can’t stand Bradley, but he definitely has the numbers to make the merge. Once there, hopefully people will turn on him.

15. Chris (Last week: 15) — (O-Nav) Whoa, this dude is really good at challenges. And he has made it further than I thought after some early missteps, even reaching out to Donathan last week. Still, what Survivor winner has ever said: “I’m a diamond in the rough — do you see me glow?” He’s way too big of a target to win.

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ELIMINATED:

Week 1: Gonzalez (ranked No. 8 of 20 castaways) and Jacob (ranked No. 4 of 20).

Week 2: Morgan (ranked No. 14 of 18)

Week 3: Brendan (ranked No. 2 of 17)

Week 4: Stephanie (ranked No. 1 of 16)

Each week, I’ll be ranking the remaining castaways from Survivor: Ghost Island by their best overall chance to win the game. Here’s how things look heading into Week 4 (the fifth episode of the season).

Note: If you are confused on which player is which, click on their name to see a photo of them.

Survivor Power Rankings: Week 4

1. Stephanie (Last week: 1) — It looks like Stephanie is on the outs, given she is with the Michael/Jenna/Brendan group which saw Brendan eliminated last week. Still, she seems to be playing a promising game and I want to believe she’ll pull through. So she stays here for now.

2. Wendell (Last week: 3) — Another person who seems to be in trouble (along with Domenick) after their ouster of Angela failed two weeks ago, Wendell is a smart player who I hope will find his way out of this mess.

3. Domenick (Last week: 4) — Along with Wendell, Domenick is one of my favorites to watch. He’s toned down his game quite a bit since the first week and can maybe make something happen if he is able to avoid being a target.

4. Laurel (Last week: 6) — She seems to be a major player and is very underrated so far. Her willingness to work with Donathan — perhaps against her original alliance, at that — proves she could be one to watch.

5. Kellyn (Last week: 8) — Kellyn is in a group with the numbers right now and could make the merge easily if she just sticks to the plan. She definitely seems like a clever player.

6. Jenna (Last week: 7) — In the minority group with Stephanie and Michael, Jenna wasn’t even a consideration for who the other alliance would vote for. That means she’s not considered a threat and is flying below the radar. If she can get to the merge doing that, anything can happen.

7. Michael (Last week: 9) — Michael! So close, man! If only you had played that idol for Brendan instead of Stephanie. Argh. As it stands now, he’s been one of the stars of this season but his chances aren’t great of continuing much further after the misplayed idol.

8. Chelsea (Last week: 10) — It seems like she has the numbers at this point, so maybe that will carry her to the merge.

9. Desiree (Last week: 5) — She sort of disappeared after a strong first episode. I hope she is able to make a run, because she has a great personality.

10. James (Last week: 12) — I’m still not impressed after his swimming fail a couple weeks ago. He doesn’t seem to have a very strong game overall.

11. Libby (Last week: 13) — The NASCAR watch is still on! It seems there’s quite a good chance now Libby will still be on the show when NASCAR gets to Texas in a few weeks (where she is one of this year’s “Great American Sweethearts” at the track). She’s playing solidly so far.

12. Angela (Last week: 15) — She’s not in a good spot in terms of the numbers, so she’s going to have to make some magic happen to make it to the merge.

13. Sebastian (Last week: 16) — He’s been more tolerable since the tribes split, which separated him from the Chris bromance. And he does have the numbers right now, but I’m not sure he can win.

14. Donathan (Last week: 17) — I still like the Donathan story (and it’s good he wants to work with Laurel), but he’ll be an easy vote at some point later down the road.

15. Chris (Last week: 18) — He doesn’t have enough allies and he’s also a difficult personality. He will not win.

16. Bradley (Last week: 11) — Wow, I hate this guy. So freaking arrogant. I was really hoping he’d get sent home last week. For example: Did you see how he treated Stephanie when she tried to work with him? NO WAY a person like that can win it all.

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ELIMINATED:

Week 1: Gonzalez (ranked No. 8 of 20 castaways) and Jacob (ranked No. 4 of 20).

Week 2: Morgan (ranked No. 14 of 18)

Week 3: Brendan (ranked No. 2 of 17)

 

It’s time for Season 36 of Survivor, and this season’s “Ghost Island” theme seems like it could be pretty fun. The 20-player cast is stacked with young, attractive types — a bit unusual to have so many — but a large group of them claim to be superfans.

That’s fitting, since this season is going to recall Survivor history with bad and misplayed moves.

After watching each castaway’s 90-second preview clip on YouTube, I took notes and came up with a total guess at the Power Rankings — which is something that will appear each week here.

Ready? Here we go!

Survivor Power Rankings: Preseason

1. Brendan — One of the older castaways this season, this father of two is a phys ed teacher and says he’s been waiting 16 years to play. He seems to be the “hero” type of player who could be around for awhile. There are many likable players this season on the surface, so he’ll have to work for the title if it happens.

2. Domenick — This guy wants to play like Tony, except not so neurotic. He’s trying to come up with things no one has tried before, like stealing a parchment at tribal council. Can you do that? Anyway, he’s a construction supervisor in Brooklyn, so you’d think he would have experience dealing with people.

3. Stephanie Johnson — She reads all the Survivor blogs and listens to the podcasts (I’m assuming RHAP!) and comes across as extremely likable. I worry about her being annoying, but I don’t think she will be. She’s been trying to get on Survivor for 17 years and is a yoga instructor (good balance for competitions!). In general, she has a great energy, so hopefully she will make a run at the title.

4. Jacob — This guy looks like Seth Rogen and reminds me somewhat of a Zeke-type personality (a bit goofy but has a good social game). He practiced food deprivation by losing 30 pounds and then putting it back on. Another superfan of many this season.

5. James — This business analyst came to the U.S. from Korea and later became a sprinter at Harvard. He’s clearly a self-made go-getter, which is great for Survivor. One potential problem is he’s never camped in his life.

6. Desiree — She’s only 21, but Desiree says she’s “wise beyond my years” after battling through homelessness. She’s going for a “Cirie vibe” where people aren’t really scared of her and then she gets them. But she seems to have a great, fun personality and it could be a blast to watch if she sticks around.

7. Wendell — This furniture designer from Philly is a superfan (one of many this season) and seems like a cool guy, but one concern: He says his weakness is being vocal and a leader. That kind of thing can bite someone quickly on the island.

8. Stephanie Gonzalez — She grew up in Puerto Rico and then taught herself English when she moved to the U.S., which gave her a thick skin. But she says she is “unpredictable like no other,” which could be a liability in Survivor.

9. Laurel — Another superfan, Laurel says “I want to be the queen” and make big, ballsy moves. She sort of looks nerdy at first glance, but she was an athlete at Yale and even practiced lying to her boyfriend’s face (successfully) in preparation for the game. How will that play on the island?

10. Jenna — She seems like a good listener, but is too honest and says “I don’t have a filter.” The problem is, you need one in Survivor. An even bigger problem? “When I’m hungry, I’ll say anything,” she says. Uh oh.

11. Kellyn — She’s very smart (two Masters degrees) and calls it her “destiny to be here” on the island, but could be targeted early since as a weak player physically. The key for Kellyn will be sticking around long enough to establish relationships.

12. Bradley — This law student has watched the show since he was 9, but he says he “has a hard time interacting with simple people” because he prefers to get along with other smart people. Survivor requires players to get along with everyone, so that could be a challenge for him.

13. Sebastian — He grew up watching Survivor every week at his grandmother’s house, so he knows the game. That said, he could either end up being a Jay type or getting burned by talking too much.

14. Michael — This 18-year-old plans to pretend he’s 23 and says he has no problem backstabbing, lying and cheating — but will he get the opportunity? His personality seems low key, so could that cause him problems in forming alliances?

15. Libby — NASCAR connection alert! On Wednesday, Libby was named as one of the “Great American Sweethearts” at Texas Motor Speedway, which means there’s a strong chance she could still be on the show when NASCAR rolls into Texas in April. That said, there’s a worry her self-described bubbly and outgoing personality could cause others not to take her seriously — or perhaps that’s a good thing.

16. Chelsea — This professional dancer/cheerleader says she wants to be remembered as “the person you never saw coming.” In this stacked season of superfans, a deep run by Chelsea would certainly fit that description.

17. Chris — A personal trainer-turned-model, Chris proclaims he’s “going to be the new flavor of the month.” Have you ever heard an eventual Survivor winner say that?

18. Donathan — This superfan says his face cannot tell a lie — not good! Also, he appears to be weaker physically than the other males on this season, so I could see them targeting him in an early vote.

19. Morgan — She says she’s a positive person but talks loudly and “might be annoying” to the other players. I don’t know much about her, but typically annoying people don’t make it very far on Survivor.

20. Angela — This Army vet says her personality is “outspoken and agreessive” and she likes to take charge and be in control. If that’s the case, she ultimately won’t win — although she may last halfway through the game based on her strength and ability to “get along with strong Alpha males.”