More Whatnot

The Rules: Each week, “Survivor: Gabon” alumni and former Onion Alliance kingpin Charlie Herschel and your beloved “Survivor” recapper Gordon Holmes will create separate power rankings. The ranking of the person who is voted out of that Thursday’s episode will determine the amount of points the two combatants will earn. For example, if Sierra is voted out this week, Charlie will receive 3 points and Gordon will receive 4 points. At the end of the season, the person with the most points will be named the “Survivor: Tocantins” Power Rankings Challenge Champion.

Last Week: Both Charlie and Gordon had Jerry ranked in the 9th position. Therefore, the score is currently tied at nine points each.

Gordon Holmes’s Picks Current Score: 9
RK	LW	Castaway	Comment
1	1		Tyson: Let’s face facts: The guy’s been in Brazil for only nine days and he’s already been promoted to Assistant Coach! Best of all, when Coach gets the boot, look for Tyson to be behind it.
2	2		Stephen: Stephen’s in a really good position now. He can switch to Taj’s cross-tribe alliance, or stick with his buddy JT. How he plays this may be the most important thing he does in this game.
3	3		Debra: I can hear everybody groaning already, but I think Debra is playing a smart game. If Coach’s Cult starts making moves, she’s golden. If Coach gets axed, she still has room to maneuver. She’s like the Assistant Assistant.
4	14		Sierra: I think Sierra has done an amazing job rebounding from the ‘first impression’ vote. She’s tight enough with Brendan for him to consider her for the new alliance. She’ll make the merge then coast for a while.
5	6		Joe: So…Joe… What can I say about Joe? Not a whole lot. He’s a mystery, wrapped in an enigma, and all that jazz. But, as long as he doesn’t come down with Jerry’s mystery tummy ache, he should be safe for a while.
6	5		JT: I like JT because he seems to be a smart, laid-back guy. But, people think he’s the leader of Jalapao and that’s never a good thing.
7	7		Brendan: Brendan is taking some calculated risks…but they’re still risks. I think he’s smart to trust Sierra but the jury’s still out on how things will go on the Jalapao side.
8	10		Sydney: I haven’t seen enough of Sydney to know if she’s playing a good game. But, she does have the benefit of not being Sandy, so she’s safe for a while.
9	4		Coach: If you look at what’s left of Timbira, Coach really only has Debra and Tyson left on his side (and Tyson’s loyalty is open for debate). He wanted to vote off Sierra, Erinn hates him, and Brendan has lied to him.
10	11		Spencer: The jury’s still out on Spencer. However, I still think somebody with more life experience is going to get the best of him.
11	8		Taj: Taj takes a big drop this week because she’s taking a big gamble. She’s gambling that the idea of being aligned with an immunity idol is more attractive to Stephen than being aligned with his BFF.
12	13		Sandy: Sandy’s “Sex kitten” comment last week has me begging for her tribe to drop an immunity challenge. She’s only as strong as her Jalapao’s winning streak. C’mon Timbira!
13	12		Erinn: When Coach is risking his chi to imitate your evil looks, you’re in trouble. That and the fact that her tribe wouldn’t listen to her during the last immunity challenge spells an early exit for Erinn and her extensions.

Charlie Herschel’s Picks Current Score: 9
RK	LW	Castaway	Comment
1	2		Stephen: Stephen is the epicenter of a few solid alliances, but hasn’t exposed himself as secure as he really is.  Both JT and Taj trust Stephen as their #1.  Plus, Stephen is in the majority alliance AND gets along with everyone AND is not perceived as a threat or a liability.  Cha ching.
2	4		Tyson: Tyson is playing the best game on his tribe—he is just as annoyed with the crazies on his tribe (i.e., Coach, Erinn, Debra) as everyone else is, but he is able to keep his emotions in check and play nice.  He is the only Timbira who has not been bad mouthed in confessionals.
3	7		Sierra: Sierra is the equivalent of Stephen for her tribe (brought into the cross-tribal alliance by Brendan).  However, Sierra doesn’t have as close a bond with anyone else in her tribe like Stephen does with JT.  Sierra can always count on her tribe going after Erinn first.
4	5		Joe: Joe is in the majority alliance and isn’t clashing with anyone (as far as we can tell).  Still a major wildcard.
5	3		Taj: Stephen is Taj’s #1, but is the feeling reciprocated?  Is Brendan playing Taj as his Plan B?  Have Taj’s vacations on Exile sparked suspicion among her tribemates?  Will Taj’s lies to her tribe about the HII catch up to her?  There are too many question marks about Taj’s safety in this game.
6	1		Brendan: Until Gabon, I was convinced that the Hidden Immunity Idol was a curse (my plan was to play it immediately if I ever found it).  My new theory is that the HII is a curse for strong players and that is bad news for Brendan.  You can’t be under the radar if you are strong, hot, and smart like Brendan AND you have the immunity idol.
7	10		JT: Safe for now, but I still don’t think he’s in for the long haul because of his apparent and obvious strength and leadership.  And his boyfriend is poised to cheat on him with Taj.
8	11		Debra: I guess Debra has Coach to protect her for now, but once Coach is taken out (which WILL happen), then Debra will be very vulnerable.
9	14		Sandy: Sandy is still crazy and is still not in a majority alliance. But it’s far enough into the game that people won’t want to take out the obvious targets—it’s time to take out dangerous players that they might regret keeping later on.
10	8		Coach: Coach is 100% himself in this game, and that’s bad news for Coach.  It’s still too early for the tribe to spit him out, but when it happens, it will be unanimous and liberating.  I can’t wait!
11	13		Sydney: Sydney is in the minority at Jalapao and may be seen as a threat—the majority alliance won’t want her flirting her way into Tyson, Brendan, or Coach’s heart should there be a merge or switch up.  And losing Sydney for future challenges will be just fine for Jalapao.
12	12		Spencer: Spencer is in the minority alliance at Jalapao and is a threat.   The question is whether Jalapao will care about keeping strength if they lose—I think it’s late enough in the game that collective tribal strength is no longer a priority.  I suspect only Sandy will care about keeping him around, but she will be more focused on keeping herself around…and who cares what Sandy wants.
13	6		Erinn: Erinn is playing stupid Survivor—I don’t get why she fights with people who want to vote her out at Tribal Council, especially when she is so disliked and weak.  The only way she stays in this is if there is a tribe switch or her tribe doesn’t have to go to tribal for a long long time.

Tags: survivor, Survivor: Tocantins

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