You’d think after the sound trashing he took at the hands of “Survivor: Gabon’s” Charlie Herschel during last season’s Power Rankings Challenge that Gordon Holmes would smartly decline to participate in the Power Rankings for “Survivor: Samoa.”
Well, Gordon Holmes has never claimed to be a smart man.
In fact, Gordon threw the gauntlet down to one of “Survivor: Tocantins’s” most beloved stars, the lovely and talented Tamara “Taj” George.
And she has accepted.
The Rules: Each week, Taj and Gordon 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 John is voted out this week, Taj will receive 16 points and Gordon will receive 15 points. At the end of the season, the person with the most points will be named the “Survivor: Samoa” Power Rankings Challenge Champion.
Taj’s Picks
| Rank | Last Week | Contestant | Comment |
| 1 | – |  |
Jaison: I think he’s one of the most underestimated castaways so far due to the mildly funny stereotypes that are being placed upon him. I see Jaison going far if he can remain under the radar and avoid Evil Russell. I see him winning because he’s smart enough to make the right moves at the right time with no one realizing he’s doing it.
|
| 2 | – |  |
Russell H.: I like the guy because I’m watching his shenanigans from home but if I was there I would be very suspicious of him. For now he’s safe! It’s only a matter of time before the rest of the tribe puts two and two together and band against him. Dr. Evil is safe for now. |
| 3 | – |  |
Mick: Harmless comes to mind when I think of this guy. He’s strong and cute! He hasn’t done anything to alienate his tribe, which makes him an asset in the beginning. |
| 4 | – |  |
Erik: I like him because he’s tough and rugged. Plus, I like his name (I named my first born Eriq, lol!) |
| 5 | – |  |
Russell S: I like him in the leadership role. Other than “Shambo,” everyone seems to like him. I see him going deep into the merge because he seems like a very likeable guy. |
| 6 | – |  |
Dave: He’s safe because he hasn’t presented himself as a threat yet. The show edits seem to be focusing mostly on Evil Russell so we haven’t had a chance to really see what the other guys are planning. Dave seems strong-willed and ready to play. |
| 7 | – |  |
Betsy: I love her intuition. She just knows something is not right with Evil Russell and as soon as she can put her hand on it he’s in trouble. She’s tougher than most people give her credit because she’s “older” but don’t underestimate a cop with an accent like hers. |
| 8 | – |  |
Brett: I like him because he’s already challenging the cute, jerk John. Nobody cares about rocket science when your stranded on a damn beach with no food. So far, I like him. I want him to stick around a little longer. |
| 9 | – |  |
Kelly: Cute girl, fun tattoos but she needs to show a little more spunk if she plans to stick around for a while. |
| 10 | – |  |
Shannon: As long as she doesn’t get anyone on her tribe frustrated she won’t get voted out. “Shambo” reminds me of Sandy from my season, as long as we were winning she was safe. She just might be an easy vote if necessary. |
| 11 | – |  |
Elizabeth: Anyone with degrees from three different ivy-league schools shouldn’t be trusted. She reminds me of a politician. Lol! And for that same reason she just might be able to outsmart all of the other castaways to win it all. |
| 12 | – |  |
Yasmin: She needs to find an alliance now. She doesn’t seem very athletic and she’s appears to be a quiet player. The only way she might be able to avoid an early exit is to align with one of the stronger players as soon as possible. |
| 13 | – |  |
Monica: I didn’t see enough of her in the first episode to be able to make a solid comment on her. It’s too early to coast your way through the game. She’s going to have to make a strong move to make it to the merge. |
| 14 | – |  |
Laura: Another ghost in the first episode. Clearly not her fault. No one received any shine because of Evil Russell. I would love to see her make a strong move next week to set up the girl for the merge. |
| 15 | – |  |
Natalie: If we were at the mall and ran into each other I would absolutely love this girl. But, she’s stranded on a beach with 9 other people looking for a reason to get rid of her. She doesn’t seem tough enough for the long run. Sorry Ma’am! |
| 16 | – |  |
John: What a handsome guy! Why is it the cute guy turned out to be a little anal? I would want to get rid of him simply because he’s worried about the damn wind direction. Kinda reminds me of Carolina from my season sweeping the great outdoors. Completely annoying! |
| 17 | – |  |
Ben: What a d—! He’s the guy I would want to pop a few times just for fun. Where’s the southern-boy charm? No one wants to be stuck on a beach with no food with someone who is clearly picking on others for brownie points. |
| 18 | – |  |
Ashley: I think she’s sweet! Unfortunately, this game is not for sweet castaways. If her tribe continues to lose immunity challenges she could be voted off because she’s considered a weak link. |
| 19 | – |  |
Mike: I’m totally biased on this one especially after hearing him speak. This guy was supposed to be on my season but by the grace of God Samoa has to deal with him. Yeah! I just can’t look at his man-boobs one more week! |
Gordon’s Picks
| Rank | Last Week | Contestant | Comment |
| 1 | – | |
Good Russell S.: Who doesn’t love Good Russell? It’s like he’s Mike Brady and Galu is the Bunch! As a liked leader, he’ll be safe for a while. It may cost him when they merge, but he’s super safe for the time being. |
| 2 | – | |
Evil Russell H.: Rest assured, the “Most Evil Villain in the History of Forever” isn’t going anywhere soon. I actually don’t hate his strategy, but he’s laying it on far too thick. He’ll stick around for a while, but there’s no way he’s taking that million-dollar check back to Dayton. |
| 3 | – | |
Jaison: While it sounds like a little thing, Evil Russell burning Jaison’s socks could come back to be a big deal. On any kind of camping outing I’ve ever been on, they always stress how important it is to keep your feet dry. I hope this doesn’t cost Jaison in the long run. Either way, I’d hate to be Evil Russell at the reunion show when he and Jaison meet up. |
| 4 | – | |
Brett: Brett’s cute, Brett’s in good shape, Brett’s probably decent in challenges…this strikes me as the “Survivor” trademark “Physical threat male voted out shortly after the merge.” I’ll put him in the middle of the pack now, but I don’t expect him to go much further then first stages of the jury. |
| 5 | – | |
Elizabeth: This girl has got three degrees from three different colleges? Wow…she probably has the whole rest of the game traced out on the beach somewhere with line graphs and Excel spreadsheets. She’d better hope nobody walks over to that side of the beach. |
| 6 | – | |
Dave: Look at Dave…kind, unassuming Dave. He isn’t bothering anybody. Why on Earth would you vote off Dave? But that’s his plan, you see. And I’m on to him. You can’t fool me, Dave. |
| 7 | – | |
Erik: I was going to write Erik off the same way I did Brett until I reread his bio. His hobbies include stealing women from their boyfriends. Hmm…that sounds like someone who might start to rub people the wrong way. |
| 8 | – | |
Laura: Laura’s the kind of person you have to look out for in this game, she’s young enough to be an asset in challenges and old enough to keep her mouth from getting her into trouble. She could steal this thing if people aren’t paying attention. |
| 9 | – | |
Mick: If Marisa is to be believed, then Mick is really disappointing the tribe with his leadership skills. I’m sure he’ll be safe because of his physical attributes for a while, but what kind of alliances can he be making if he’s already turning off his tribemates? |
| 10 | – | |
Yasmin: Yasmin is my pick to take the whole thing. She helped her team gain a ton of ground in the opening challenge. She could fly under the radar after the merge and walk away the sole survivor. |
| 11 | – | |
Natalie: Wait, there’s someone named Natalie on this show? That doesn’t sound right. I’m pretty sure I’d remember a super attractive young lady running around in her bathing suit. Oh well, I’ll take your word for it. |
| 12 | – | |
Kelly: See Natalie. |
| 13 | – | |
Monica: See Natalie and Kelly. Alright, this has gone too far. Because “Survivor” has become the “The Evil Russell Show” we missed out on not one, not two, but three lovely ladies?! Oh, Evil Russell…does the depths of your cruel heart know no bounds? |
| 14 | – | |
Betsy: I like Betsy a lot. She clearly sees through Evil Russell’s façade. That being said, is he smart enough to see her seeing through his façade? Evil Russell has booted people for much less. |
| 15 | – | |
John: Aren’t rocket scientists supposed to be super smart? John, stop annoying your tribe or you’re going to be calculating the wind resistance of your flight out of Samoa. |
| 16 | – | |
Ashley: As a member of Evil Russell’s “Dumb Girl Alliance,” you’d think Ashley was safe. However, Marisa was a founding member of that club too, so maybe not… |
| 17 | – | |
Ben: During my Friday chat with Marisa, she said Ben was rubbing the entire tribe the wrong way, and if she hadn’t scared Evil Russell, then Ben would have been the next to go. But with that being said, maybe Evil Russell will keep him around to play the Evil Lenny to his Evil Squiggy. |
| 18 | – | |
Shannon: Yes, you have an awesome nickname and a double-awesome haircut. But that does not excuse you from participating in tribe functions such as the swim meet or the bake off. That’s Strategy 101! I wonder what other mistakes she’s going to make? |
| 19 | – | |
Mike: If Foa Foa drops the next immunity challenge, (and with Evil Russell around camp, that’s a distinct possibility) they’re going to go into “Strengthen the Tribe” mode. That does not bode well for Mike. |
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