'Survivor: San Juan del Sur' (CBS)
NOTE: XFINITY TV is the place to go for “Survivor: San Juan del Sur” coverage with “all the fixin’s.” We’ll have Power Rankings with “Cagayan” fave Spencer Bledsoe, every Wednesday evening we’ll bring you a recap of the most recent episode, and every Thursday you’ll be able to watch the previous night’s episode and read an interview with the eliminated contestant. Be sure to follow me on Twitter (@gordonholmes) for immediate updates.
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The Rules: Each week our two combatants will create separate power rankings. The ranking of the person who is voted out of the next episode will determine the number of points the two players will earn. For example, if Keith is voted out this week, Spencer will receive 11 points and Gordon will receive 3 points. At the end of the season, the person with the most points will be named the “Survivor: San Juan del Sur” Power Rankings Challenge Champion.
Last Week: Spencer had Val in spot sixteen. Gordon had her in fifteen. So, the current score is Team Spencer 16, Team Gordon 15.
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Spencer’s Score = 16 Any questions for Spencer? Drop him a line on Twitter: @SpencerBGM |
Gordon’s Score = 15 Any questions for Gordon? Drop him a line on Twitter: @gordonholmes |
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| 1. Josh – As I rank the snakes and rats of “Survivor: San Juan Del Sur” this week, Reed is still… er, that’s right – it’s Josh that’s on Coyopa. Josh is still tight with the guys as well as being ‘one of the gir’… oops. Let’s start over: While utter confusion of identity seems to surround this power player, he has shown no signs of confusion himself; Josh Canfield is running the show. |
1. Natalie – The Hunahpu tribe can do no wrong. They’re undefeated and aside from the little flint mishap, they’re in really good shape. Natalie finds herself in a great position. She’s a part of the dominant alliance and nobody has to worry about her partnering up with her loved one at the merge. |
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| 2. Jeremy – While Jeremy may be the biggest threat on his tribe, he was just made less threatening by his wife’s ousting. He still finds himself sitting atop his tribe’s food chain, and is poised to ride his alliance mates to the merge like oxen pulling his chariot. |
2. Kelley – I was weirded out when Kelley squared off against Jaclyn last week, because I wasn’t sure that they weren’t the same person. What if it was going to be a “Same Matter Cannot Occupy the Same Space” situation like in “Timecop”? Fortunately it wasn’t. Oh yeah, and Kelley is mega safe. |
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| 3. Jon – When he isn’t squatting 50 lbs, Jon is railroading John Rocker off platforms like the tooth-removing black mamba/king cobra beast he is. Jon walks the walk in addition to talking the howler monkey talk, and is sitting prettier than |
3. Keith – I’d like to congratulate Keith for not banging Jon’s head into the ground last week when he asked if flint was necessary to start a fire. That kind of restraint will serve Keith well in this game. |
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| 4. Julie – Julie’s done absolutely nothing but impress me, and if you read between the lines, she’s telegraphing how good of a player she really is. “If it was your dude, you’d probably be like, *shrugs*, but it’s your sister,” she reassured Natalie last episode. Julie shows every sign of being willing to trounce Rocker strategically like she did physically in the last hero challenge. |
4. Jeremy – I’m dropping you a few spots on the list this week, Jeremy. You had another good week; you won immunity, you got your flint back, and you ended up with an immunity idol clue. But, I’m worried that you’re going to let Val’s elimination blind you. Val’s gone, there’s nothing that can be done. Focus on your game. |
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| 5. Drew – Drew is polarizing in that he convinces me he’s going deep one minute, then gives me extreme doubts the next. Greed seems to fuel everything and propel everyone in this game, but does the guy who mistook Reed for Josh know how many zeroes are in $1,000,000? He seems unprepared. I want to see his water shoes. Despite nature-weathering and palm frond-weaving shortcomings, I have to stick to my guns: Drew has a ton to offer a tribe, and there’s no reason for anyone to want him gone at this stage. |
5. Missy – You’re the lowest on your alliance’s depth chart because of how you reacted to hurting Baylor. I’m sure it’s natural to feel terrible after you split your child’s lip, but it almost looked like you threw the rest of the round. If people are looking for a reason to send you home, that could be enough. |
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| 6. Alec – You could be quick to judge this beach bum as an unemployed, uneducated leech on society, but Alec has proven he’s more than meets the eye. This college grad is playing under the radar, but it’s working. He’s sitting at the nucleus of a tribe less stable than J’Tia Taylor’s fire-tending habits, where bluffing about having two idols and bunking up with John Rocker is just “another day at Coyopa.” Maybe Alec is smart beyond his years for staying quiet. And maybe he’ll do what this 22-year-old couldn’t do last season, and seize some strategic control. |
6. Alec – The bro-liance is in full effect at CoyPond and Alec is in the perfect position. He’s not making weird moves like Josh, he’s not drawing a ton of attention like Rocker, and he’s not getting on Rocker’s bad side like Wes. |
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| 7. Natalie – Natalie has let it all out, digested her twinnie’s boot, and puts her nose back to the grindstone with a renewed motivation to go far. If she could be any animal, she’ll need to be a chameleon – changing her colors and hardening her exterior upon Nadiya’s exit to posture herself for the game yet to come. |
7. Josh – Wait, why did he vote for Baylor? So people would think they weren’t buddies? But they were all voting for Nadiya. So, now he’s not reliable. And there’s no real way of knowing who he voted for because he didn’t sign his vote like you would an elementary school valentine. He seems like his mind is going in a zillion different direction, while the path he should go is pretty clear. That kind of sloppy play is going to catch up with him, but not this week. |
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| 8. Kelley – Kelley is sailing smoothly through the early phases of the game, and I can’t imagine she’s made an enemy of anyone. I could see Kelley going on a deep run, being asked to describe the moment that she grappled the most with her integrity, and having little to offer. She’s played a clean game; Jeremy initiated the power alliance from which she is benefiting. Unless I am mistaken (in which case I’ll stop talking), it seems everyone wearing blue likes Kelley. Sail on. |
8. Wes – Didn’t see too much from Wes last week, but he seems tight with the rest of the gents. |
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| 9. John – As much as I want to write “to hell with you” and leave it at that, Rocker has kept bigotry to a minimum, positioned himself in the majority and even found an immunity idol to boot. He’s exceeded expectations. Someone in the majority with an idol should be in as good shape as Tony Vlachos’s grasp of the Llama language. A player in Rocker’s position would have to really try to mess this up. But with Rocker, the sky (ground) is the limit; a few miscalculated words or moves could be right around the corner. |
9. Johnny Rock – Oh man, Johnny Rock tried to save Val, but her weird lies wouldn’t let him. You almost feel sorry for him…almost. Now it looks like he’s going to have a meltdown during the next immunity challenge. He should be fine as his team needs challenge strength and he has an immunity idol. But, you never know on this show. |
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| 10. Baylor – Baylor’s position has been one of the most unpredictable since she planted her flag amongst the Coyopa men and betrayed Nadiya in the first vote. Perhaps it was a great move, but on the other hand, she put a price on her friendship. She threw it away. Like garbage. She basically said, “you know what? You’re not quite worth this much money.” Baylor looks secure in the majority for now, but she played the part of pawn during last week’s vote split, and has received more ballots than any other remaining orange buff-wearer. |
10. Reed – Not quite sure what to think of Reed. He’s not in the dominant alliance, but he doesn’t seem to be making any enemies. Right now he has to be hoping to stick around long enough to make it to the tribe swap/merge. |
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| 11. Keith – Keith going home would be a tragedy of “Jeff Probst Talk Show” proportions. The man is a machine – sound bites left and right. He’s making it rain sound bites. There’s no off switch with Keith, and I don’t want there to be, so here’s to our favorite mustached Louisianan continuing to prosper. |
11. Dale – “Awww…happy birthday, sweetheart! Now lose.” Yes, Dad-of-the-Year Dale is in the dominant Boy-opa alliance. But, they’re losing challenges right and left. If they drop another one, a strong argument can be made to send him packing in an attempt to keep challenge strength. |
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| 12. Missy – I think Missy is either going extremely deep or is headed for a torch-snuffin’ unfortunately soon. Although you could say that in a word, her overall gameplay could be called feckless, she has friends, and as far as we know she’s still in a majority of five on her tribe. As long as Hunahpu stays strong, Missy stays strong. |
12. Jon – I’m not sure where Jon got the impression that honesty is rewarded on “Survivor,” but I’m thinking people like “Survivor” Hall of Famers “Boston” Rob Mariano, Russell Hantz, and Jonny Fairplay would beg to differ. Honestly, he seems like a super nice guy, but he might not be cut out for this game. |
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| 13. Reed – Boyfriend Josh may be playing “The Godfather,” but Reed could be one of “The Departed” before he knows it if he sees Tribal Council. It’s counter-intuitive, but given Hunahpu’s winning streak, some big players may prioritize whacking this threat over keeping Reed as a challenge asset, confident in their tribe’s ability to win without him. Hopefully he takes his proclivity for negotiating a deal for flint and channels it toward his fate in the game. |
13. Drew – Did you see how many push-ups this dude can do? No way anybody is voting him out! Drew’s got all the tools necessary to be a real player, but he’s using them in all the wrong ways. Does anybody even like the guy? All they’re showing us is Julie hating on him. |
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| 14. Dale – This… hurts me. Dale has played an ethical game – admittedly, played an ethical game. The crazy thing about it is, he’s sitting here (#14 in Power Rankings). Rocker’s sitting up there (#9). Did Dale get to the wrong place… by behaving the right way? I’ve never been in a situation in my entire life where that was the case. People will call him weak. People will say that he is undeserving. But you know what? Why are those characteristics any less “admirable” as lying, cheating, and stealing? If there’s one thing I learned from this game, it’s that perception is not reality. Reality is reality. But Dale is #14 in the Power Rankings, so let’s cross our fingers because I love the guy. |
14. Baylor – Ciera votes her mom out, now Missy busts open Baylor’s lip. Current score: Mothers 1, Daughters 1. Unfortunately, a busted lip is the least of Baylor’s worries. She’s the sixth person in the dominant alliance and there are only seven people left on the tribe. What happens to her if Jaclyn is sent home this week? Does Josh value her enough in an Edna Ma role to keep her around? |
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| 15. Wes – Wes’s dad proclaimed in episode one that he has the mental toughness of a rock, but his real worry should be that a man with the mental aptitude of a rock – John Rocker – has found an immunity idol. In the premiere, Wes discovered Rocker’s secret and painted a target on his back by broaching the issue with the resident hulk himself. Flash forward two weeks, and the whole tribe has discovered who Rocker is. Rocker will blame Wes. Rocker will be angry. Wes isn’t going to like Rocker when he’s angry. |
15. Julie – It’s a shame you’re in this position, because you seem to be playing a solid game. But, how do you think Jeremy is going to react when he gets to Hero Stadium and sees that Rocker and Co. have sent Val home? |
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| 16. Jaclyn – And this week’s Kassandra McQuillen award goes to… Jaclyn! Again. Despite being perfectly likable, Jaclyn is more firmly at the bottom of the totem pole than an Eddie Fox, Chicken Morris, and Wendy Jo combined. She’s the last straggler gasping for air on a ship Baylor and Josh sunk two votes ago, and if the losing Coyopa takes another immunity challenge plunge, former miss Michigan may become a former “Survivor” contestant. |
16. Jaclyn – What? Val didn’t have 34 immunity idols? Color me shocked. Anywho, you owe her a special hug for going the extra mile to keep you safe. Unfortunately, there’s nobody to save you now. |
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Tags: jeff probst, spencer bledsoe, survivor, survivor san juan del sur
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