My, how the might have fallen. Well, in regards to Shirin. Someone who was #3 last week found herself the second person voted out of the game. It came as a shock to some who saw her positioned so well after the first episode, but this game is ever-changing. Which brings us to the tribe expansion this week! How will that alter the power rankings and will it help certain players? Let's find out!
# 1 Jeff (2)
Jeff Varner is playing hard. And so far, he is controlling the game. He not only held the power of Tribal Council for the second week, he has a solid bond with each person on his tribe. He has a strong social game so wherever he moves and whoever he moves with will be of great aid to Jeff. There are potential links to Bayon so if he gets linked with anyone from the Old School game, perhaps with the exception of Kimmi (remember, they are rivals), Jeff could add to his numbers.
#2 Kelley (1)
Kelley drops a spot as she lost a key alliance member and happens to have less control than Jeff. Being the only player with an Immunity Idol, she still has great power. How will the tribe swap alter her game? It's up in the air but I'm sure she wants to keep that idol a secret as long as she can.
#3 Jeremy (5)
Jeremy and Andrew are the top dogs of Bayon but Jeremy has the slight lead over Andrew. After Andrew's odd story about his wife, he was able to find an emotional connection with each member of the tribe, sans Stephen. The problem with that is playing the emotion card too early could lead to him becoming a double threat. He's not someone you want to take too far. Jeremy can easily play the same card and the fact that he didn't puts him in a much stronger position.
#4 Terry (16)
From zero to hero. Terry was possibly on the bottom of Ta Keo. That was until he rescued Abi-Maria and found a new ally. By improving his social game, Terry has even more control. He is the head honcho of the shelter people and has Abi as a friend. Abi is the type of person who will be loyal to kindness. This will work to his advantage.
#5 Joe (7)
Everyone loves Joe. There is no question that he is playing a strong game. With the tribes turning into three tribes of six, strength will be needed and no matter where Joe goes, he will be needed. But when the merge looms, that's when the love will die. But we're not quite there yet.
#6 Woo (9)
Woo made a strong move. And that move was telling Spencer "no". Who knew Woo had that in him! By standing his ground and not bending over to Spencer and Shirin, Woo proved that he may still be loyal but he's learning how to play the game for himself. Will this moment hurt his former bond with Spencer? It remains to be seen. If Woo can stick to this style of play, he will not be seen as a target.
#7 Andrew (4)
There was something about Andrew's story that did not sit well with me. I felt it was false and a ploy rather than honest. He played the sympathy at the right moment but was it the smart thing to do? Stephen was the only person to catch on, and part of me thinks that it was more strategy than emotion. But when you compare Andrew to Jeremy, Andrew's little emotional blip can easily be used to target him.
#8 Kimmi (8)
Kimmi is playing a very middle of the pack game which is working out well. She's a hard worker. She is intune to her surroundings. And she is not getting on anyone's nerves. When the tribes get broken up, Kimmi will need to get into the numbers or prove her worth. And fast.
#9 Peih Gee (15)
Peih Gee gains steam only for managing a way to not get herself the bullseye. As the reason for the tribal number breakdown for her fight with Abi, Peih Gee managed to get the focus on Shirin. Is it because she is a great social gamer and was able to get both the old school and new school to have mutual hate for Abi? Partially. But if Peih Gee continues to deflect, she will be forgotten and easily find herself in the merge.
#10 Kelly (12)
Kelly is playing camp. And that's not really what this version of Survivor is. She has never experienced a tribal swap before so this will truly be the moment to see the original loser play the new game. Will she survive? That's a big question mark.
#11 Tasha (13)
Tasha hasn't done much of anything thus far. Which is not necessarily a bad thing. But it's also not a good thing. At some point she will have to make a move to position herself as a strong player and someone who wants to win. Winning immunity in the merge will be difficult with all the competition she has.
#12 Kass (14)
Kass is a genius. Somehow she has not pissed anyone off! Granted Bayon hasn't been to Tribal Council. When the moment comes for her to bring back the chaos, perhaps we'll see why she's one of the best villains the has ever seen. In the meantime, she's laying back and calculating.
#13 Spencer (6)
Poor young lad. From top to bottom in a week. Losing Shirin was a major loss for Spencer but knowing there is a switch up is his saving grace. He will easily be able to swing his Ta Keo people into believing that they have him for numbers. Unless they all want him out next. Where the tribes line up is the telling sign for Spencer.
#14 Keith (9)
Why is Keith here? That's the big question so far. He hasn't had a ball competition yet so for the most part he hasn't shown his competition skills. All he's doing is spitting. We all know he does not like when things get messy so this tribe swap could be the end of his sanity.
#15 Monica (10)
Why is Monica here? She has been a non-entity for two episodes. She's barely seen doing anything of note, but again, it's been Ta Keo centric for two episodes. But hey, maybe not being a target will be good for her game in the long run.
#16 Ciera (17)
Like Monica, Ciera seems to be a non-entity. But Ciera's skeletons will always be her downfall. She is one of the weakest competitors here and with a six person tribe, she will desperately need the numbers to survive.
#17 Stephen (18)
Stephen is getting such a lowsy edit. I would not be shocked if he is gone next. He is hated by Andrew. He seems to always be strategizing. And now with animosity on Jeremy's end, Stephen needs this tribe breakup more than anyone. Unless he finds himself with two alphas and some weak ladies, he will be an easy target.
#18 Abi-Maria (19)
Six days in, her sanity is still semi in tact. The longer she lasts, the more likely she is to explode. It's going to happen. We all know it's going to happen. Who will she take down in the process? That's the fun part.
We're going to try something a little different here on Reality Ace. Rather than recap each episode like everyone does so well, why not do a little weekly review via the power rankings! Last week, I gave you my pre-season power rankings. The number is parentheses is where they ranked last week. The rankings are based on the first episode performance in combination with pregame information.
#1 Kelley (3)
Kelley Wentworth, the girl who lasted 5 episodes on San Juan del Sur, not only gets more screentime in one episode than in her entire season, but shows why she has so much potential to win this game. She expertly maneuvered a way to search for the Hidden Immunity Idol. And when she discovered it was a clue that lead to its location at the challenge, she didn't play it safe and figured out the exact moment to get it! It was a gutsy move that, if she can play it well, will reward her greatly. She is currently in the majority alliance on her tribe, appearing to allow Spencer and Shirin take the credit for Vytas' exit. Kelley will be one to keep an eye on.
#2 Jeff (7)
Jeff Varner is playing this game and he is playing it hard. He may appear like he is clueless but he knows exactly what to do. He has set himself up very well by flipping and avoiding a tie (something he is fearful of) at Tribal and yet still finds himself in a powerful position. The minority shelter building alliance needs him if they want to have a fighting shot of remaining. The majority beach people alliance have the numbers and he can easily remain with them. Jeff Varner may think Shirin's driving the train, but clearly knows the destination.
#3 Shirin (20)
Shirin started at the bottom but because no one is taking her Words Apart reveal seriously, she is able to be a strong strategist. She is the first reason why Vytas is gone. She made him a target and smartly managed to get the numbers on her side. Because of the nature of this specific format, she was able to paint the picture of his potential other tribe alliances that, should he have be reunited with, could have hurt them all later on. Shirin and Spencer together are a dominating force, but if she will need to keep an eye on Kelley who could easily play her soon.
#4 Andrew (5)
Savage is the tribe elder at Bayon and is showing why he is the leader. Savage is not only making camp, he's unifying the tribe (when Joega isn't happening), and making people trust him. With the manly men on his side, Andrew is sitting pretty. As long as players from Outcast past don't suddenly appear, he should be good for a while.
#5 Jeremy (13)
Jeremy wanted to make a dominating alliance of strong players. And he did that. But he also needed to ensure that he had San Juan del Sur buddy Keith in his back pocket. And he did that too. Keith is easily manipulated and with Jeremy controlling his strings, there should be no wild moves on Keith's part. With Jeremy so strongly aligned and big threats he can easily deflect to, he is in a good place.
#6 Spencer (12)
He could have been a first target or the big man on island. And he is the latter. Combining forces with Shirin as superfans and strategists was a strong move. He helped figure out a way to get Vytas out which will benefit his game. The reason he is behind Shirin is the shelter people thought they had him. That might come back to haunt him soon. He is an easy target as a strong player down the line. Spencer seems to be improving when it comes to his social skills but it's still very early.
#7 Joe (14)
Everyone loves Joe. Joe teaches Joega. Joe looks beautiful. Joe can make fire. Joe looks beautiful. Joe is pulling the wool over everyone's eyes and that's dangerous for them. Joe is back with his pristine social game and having a strong bond with Andrew will work in his favor. With the ladies on his side and the men wanting to work with him, Joe will likely swing whatever way the wind blows.
#8 Kimmi (4)
Kimmi is perceptive! Let's be honest, she knew what Fishbach was up to. Or she was just assuming and assumed right. Kimmi may be a little on the older side with little to offer, but Survivor is known for allowing these types of players to float right into the merge. She's not making waves, yet, and seems to be getting along and doing exactly what she needs to do to fit in. So far, so good Kappenberg!
#9 Keith (6)
Keith is a puppet. By burring the hatchet with Jeremy, Keith has a strong alliance that will help him along the way. The trouble is, if the going gets tough, they will get him going. Keith is back to his spitting habits and will likely look like a fool. But this is not a game of fools. He needs to prove his worth and fast because homeboy cannot carrying fire through water. BRING THE MAN SOME BALLS!
#10 Monica (2)
Monica is playing very quietly, again. But that may be due to her being on the winning tribe and didn't have much to offer when it came to shelter building. But you always have to be weary of those quiet ones. Monica seems eager to snap into game mode the minute she has to. But where are her ties?
#11 Woo (9)
Woo did one thing well. He won the rice after the marooning. Woo is playing with honor and integrity so far and has bonded with the old school players. After we learned that the old school ways are not happening on the Ta Keo tribe, Woo needs to make some moves. And fast. With the knowledge of pregame alliances, Woo seems to be on the bottom of the totem pole in his current Ta Keo alliance. Vytas was a long term threat. Woo can be too. And he could easily be targeted next.
#12 Kelly (8)
The original loser had a pretty bad episode. She smartly jumped into the water to retrieve the rice but she couldn't finish. She got to redeem herself in the very first challenge she ever played but she lost to Joey Amazing. She wanted to play with the old school players but they all got played. Kelly is revered because of who she is. At some point the novelty will wear off. Kelly needs to be smart about proving herself. She's clearly a provider at camp but if she can't provide in challenges, she's not worth a whole lot.
#13 Tasha (10)
Tasha wants to play feisty. What we saw was a girly girl oogling over Joey Amazing. That's not the Tasha we know! Where's the challenge beast?! She seems to be playing nice with Kass but let's see what happens when Bayon loses and they finally have a reason to clash. Get ready for some clawas.
#14 Kass (15)
Kass is playing a smart game by playing it cool and trying to reinvent her exterior. We all know that she is a loose cannon in the head but if she is perceived to have changed, that could be very rewarding. She is making nice with Tasha and leading the ladies with chores. We haven't really seen an opportunity for her to fail just yet. Unless she has a trick up her sleeve, she will be targeted like Abi.
#15 Peih Gee (1)
Peih Gee received the baby wrath of Abi-Maria Gomes. While the Brazilian firecracker didn't explode at her, Peih Gee was the source of gossip. Does the paint her in a bad light or does the rest of her tribe know that she just got the unfortunate task of being Abi's punching bag. It's hard to say but regardless, she has a target. The unlikely bond between her and Jeff could be very fruitful though. If they form a tight alliance, no one could see them coming.
# 16 Terry (16)
Terry was blindsided by the loss of Vytas. I think Terry thought he had everything planned out. With the leader of the old school alliance down a solider, Terry will need to make nice and figure out a way to prove that he may be at the bottom but he's a worthy competitor that they cannot lose.
#17 Ciera (19)
Ciera had a quiet episode but looking forward, the loss of Vytas is detrimental to her game. Ciera and Vytas were likely alliance members. With him gone, Ciera must rely on who she has on her tribe. Her link with Ta Keo is gone. If her tribe sees Ciera as the threat Vytas was, she will likely be meeting Vytas back home soon.
#18 Stephen (17)
Stephen Fishbach is a genius. What Stephen Fishbach is not is a man who can break a twig. Stephen got an awful edit. Especially when compared to Savage. But is this just another underdog story in the making? Stephen doesn't seem to have any friends on his tribe and that is never a good thing. Lone players, unless they are needed to be a swing vote, are easy targets that will not hurt tribe unity. Unless he finds that idol he clearly didn't find when he fell in the water, Stephen won't be getting a Fishy from himself anytime soon.
#19 Abi-Maria (11)
Abi was smart by not exploding and alienating everyone. She beat Vytas! But she did put a giant target on her back. She is now officially easily expendable when the time comes. If the beach people don't want her anymore, she is a goner. We saw her control her emotions, slightly, but is this just a ticking time bomb of things to come?
