Survivor: Cagayan - Power Rankings
Week 7
By Jim Van Nest, Survivor Analyst
April 7, 2014
BoxOfficeProphets.com
So, last week's episode should setup how the rest of the season will go. The Solana 5 (plus Kass) should be able to Pagong the rest of Aparri and take this to the end. Of course, this is Survivor and there's no way this group of five will be able to stick together, especially after it was revealed that two of the five had hidden idols that no one else knew about. I'm not even convinced that this new found alliance of six lasts another week. That being said, we do have a new #1 (same as an old #1) and there are some significant changes in the rankings for Week 7.
1) LJ - That's right, after a week hiatus, I'm putting LJ back at the top of the list. Why? Because who doesn't like LJ at this point? He's playing a really solid game thus far, with his only mistake being playing the idol on Tony last week. And even that wasn't horrible, as it solidified his alliance with Tony and Trish and Co. and will make him seem like the loyal soldier out there. A key for a guy like LJ is to be in charge without seeming in charge and so far, he's doing that quite well.
2) Woo - This may seem like a weird placement for Woo, but he showed last week what a challenge force he could potentially be. He's also well liked, which would make him a vote getter in a final tribal. Finally, no one has really mentioned him as a threat. As if he's not really playing the game, but hanging out. LJ, Tony, Jeremiah, Spencer, Trish and even Jefra have garnered more attention as people that need to be eliminated. If he can keep that under the radar thing going, he could get himself into a real good place in the game.
3) Jefra - Even though she was the target this week, it was her lack of a game that made her the target. With that strategy blown (thanks Kass), I can't imagine anyone will look Jefra's way for a while now. Especially with both idols flushed. I hate to see a coat tail rider in the finals, but it always seems to happen and if I'm right about LJ, I can't imagine him getting to the end without Jefra at this point.
4) Spencer - I'm still on Team Spencer, even though his game took a huge hit last week. The dude is smart and he had that Tribal nailed last week. The only flaw in his game was that he wasn't more a part of the Kass/Sarah feud last week, trying to calm it down and get everyone back on point. Tasha took the lead on that and failed. At the same time, if I'm Spencer, I'm not sure I want to get in the middle of that, either. He has shown, though, that he knows how to play this game and that he has a pretty good read on everyone. Had Kass not flipped last week, we'd be talking about one of the greatest plays in Survivor history. Securing the numbers and flushing two idols in the same Tribal would have been epic.
5) Trish - I'm not a fan of Trish. I'm not a fan of her game and I'm not a fan of how she's treated people this season. I don't like her on my TV and I'm more than ready for her to go. That being said, I don't think that's coming for a while. There are more high valued targets in the game right now and I think Trish will find herself slipping through the crack while those bigger fish are fried. Not to mention she has the numbers right now. Bottom line, she saved the day for her tribe, so I have to take her off the bottom of the rankings. However, she's not well liked, which is a final Tribal killer.
6) Tasha - Watching Tasha last week, it was amazing to see the same conversation be both brilliant and game killing, all at the same time. She recognized her swing vote was teetering and did what was necessary to lock Sarah up...and it worked. But she failed to recognize that she needed to remind Kass that she's pretty, too. The strategy behind Tasha's move was built on a solid foundation. However, Kass isn't. And that cost Tasha and her alliance majorly.
7) Tony - I only put Tony this high because I think the other three are in some serious danger. Tony definitely wins the award for playing the hardest. Notice, I don't say smartest. I've never seen anything like the lucky streak he's on in this game. He has completely botched the strategy of Survivor several times over, yet, due to either dumb play, a quit or someone else's work (which he suggested she not do, by the way), he has managed to stay alive and find himself with the numbers after the merge. I have to shake my head at the fact that he's in the position he's in.
8) Jeremiah - I think Jeremiah will continue to be the target until he either gets the numbers or takes the walk of shame to Ponderosa. I'm not sure I understand why, but some folks just have a bee in their bonnet for the good ole boy. Whenever there's talk about voting someone off of that tribe, his name comes up. I'm not sure I see that changing for him anytime soon. In fact, I don't expect him to be around too terribly much longer.
9) Kass - I'll put Kass here because right now, there are not numbers to get rid of her. Spencer and Co. may target her, but the best thing about Kass is that you have to know she can flip at anytime. She seems to thrive on the unexpected...and now, you can expect that. Also, she killed any chance she has at winning the game last week, so why target her now? Get rid of a more worthy opponent and wipe Kass off the map later on. I don't think she's long for her own alliance either, but with the alliances tied at five, they can't make the move to dump her yet. I fully expect to find Kass at the bottom of my rankings from now until I'm finally put out of my misery.
10) Morgan - Let me just say that I like Morgan. Of anyone on the show, her skill at this game has been the most surprising to me. However, I'm fairly certain there's a raging bitch inside of her and she might make an appearance this week. That might be the only way to take the heat off Jeremiah. Also, she's playing a better game than Jeremiah and is actually more of a threat, I think. I don't want to see Morgan go because I think she has plenty to offer the show and honestly, after assessing her pre-game videos and things, I NEVER would have expected to be saying that.
All right, kids, there you have it. What do you think? Am I as off this week as last? Or am I back on track? One thing to think about, all the ads have suggested a mad dash to find the new super idol. I can't imagine they'd tease it this much unless someone actually finds it, so that could throw a monkey wrench into everything. As always, please follow me on the Twitter @vannestjc and let me know what you think. Am I right on? Am I way off? Am I an idiot? I'd love to hear your feedback! Thanks and take care.