Survivor season 43 pre-season power rankings

Another season of Survivor is nearly upon us. Survivor season 43 kicks off on September 21, and CBS has finally made the complete cast list public. These 18 new castaways are about to grace our televisions every Wednesday night for months, giving us great gameplay, stunning blindsides, and several barrels of laughs.

While ranking them at this point is largely a farce (last year I had Tori Meehan slotted in as my winner pick), it’s still fun to see how these first impressions turn out. With only their CBS-provided bios to guide me, here are the pre-season rankings for the Survivor 43 cast.

Survivor season 43 pre-season power rankings

18) Karla Cruz Godoy – I, of course, have nothing against Karla. She could easily come on the show and dominate strategically. The reason she ranks at the bottom of my initial rankings is that she appears to be less athletic than most of her tribe. On that first vote, people are looking for any reason to vote you out and hers happens to be visible to everyone. Is that going to tank her game? Probably not, but we don’t have anything else to go on.

17) Mike Gabler – Gabler has very similar potential problems to Karla. He’s the oldest person in his tribe and doesn’t appear to be in exceptional shape on the surface. Will that hurt him? Nobody knows, but that is something people could use against him.

16) Jeanine Zheng – Jeanine strikes me as someone who is very intelligent and doesn’t mind letting you know it. We’ve seen similar players struggle early because they come off as a bit arrogant. Jeanine might not fall into that same trap, but the potential is there for her to be an early boot if she doesn’t mesh with her tribe.

15) Ryan Medrano – There’s nothing really wrong with Ryan, but he does say the Survivor he’s going to play most like is Rupert. Look, Rupert is a fan favorite, but he isn’t actually very good at Survivor. If Ryan tries to play a similar game in 2022, it’s probably not going to go very well for him.

14) Elie Scott – I have similar hesitations about Elie that I do about Jeanine. She’s obviously smart, but being too overbearing could be a hindrance to her game. Fortunately, they’re both on the same tribe so it might not matter much. I have Elie ranked just a bit higher because she does have seven years on Jeanine.

13) Sami Layadi – Look, I don’t think I’m ever going to bet on the youngest player of the season to win. Sure, Maryanne won at 23, proving young people can win, but it’s not like Swati (19) lit the world on fire. Other recent young players like Zach (21), JD (20), and Sara (23) also haven’t been overly impressive. Basically, Sami is going to have to prove himself before I believe in him.

12) Cassidy Clark – Cassidy is definitely putting out hippie adjacent energy. There’s nothing wrong with that unless you end up in a tribe with people who don’t jive with you. Hopefully, she makes quick friends, but I can’t put her any higher for now.

11) Justine Brennan – Justine does almost seem like the perfect package for a winner, which is why I’m hesitant to push her too high. We often get these players who seem great on paper and then don’t pan out for whatever reason. Plus, Justine talks about Joe in her bio, which doesn’t seem like the best move considering how bad his strategic game always is.

10) Geo Bustamante – Geo seems like someone with great upside who might flame out if he can’t make friends quick. He mentions being shy as a kid, which could bite him in the butt if he regresses back to that. If he’s able to jump in and start playing, he has the tools to make some moves.

9) Cody Assenmacher – Cody definitely seems like one of the stronger physical players this season. That probably keeps him safe through the merge and then it’s just a matter of what kind of relationships he’s built. He does then become a potential target in the individual portion of the game if he is a competition beast, but that’s something he’ll have to deal with when the time comes.

8) Nneka Ejere – Nneka is someone we’d usually have lower on the rankings due to her age. However, she definitely is giving off major Cirie vibes, which makes sense considering that’s who she says she’ll play like. If she can get past the first vote, I think she can insulate herself into a tribe and be a social powerhouse. She just needs time on the beach to make it happen.

7) James Jones – Before we see him on the screen, it’s hard to say for sure, but James looks like the biggest dude in the season. Having that kind of bulk might hurt you as you move deep into the game, but it makes you an asset to your starting tribe. If James can use that to his advantage and build a few strong bonds, he could go far.

6) Lindsay Carmine – Lindsay is a bit older, but she definitely looks like she’s in good shape. She also seems like someone who is coming in with something to prove. That’s a dangerous combination. I can easily imagine a world where Lindsay gets a few people together and steamrolls through the early part of this season.

5) Noelle Lambert – Noelle might have had her leg amputated in 2016, but I don’t think that’s going to slow her down much. She’s a D1 athlete who then became a Paralympian. People are going to underestimate her and a few challenges might be tough for her to play, but she’s going to be a force in this game. We just have to hope this season doesn’t have any NaOnka’s on it. Though, I’m pretty confident Noelle could take her.

4) Owen Knight – Owen is in that sweet spot of being relatively fit but not too big and having a bit of life experience under him at 30 years old. It’s almost impossible to see him going before the merge. There, it’s just a matter of what he can get together strategically. I have to assume he’ll be a good social player, so I give him better chances than someone like Cody.

3) Morriah Young – I love a teacher in Survivor. As someone who used to work in that profession myself, I’ll always have a soft spot for them. Morriah also seems like the type of person who makes friends easily and isn’t afraid to be themselves. Depending on the rest of her tribe, that could hurt her, but I’m choosing to be positive.

2) Dwight Moore – Is Dwight ranked this high because we currently live in the same city? Who can say? That certainly didn’t work out for me picking Tori last season because we share the same birth state, but here we are. He’s also on the younger side, which is something I usually don’t love. And Dwight does worry me a bit because he seems like he might be a little out of place outdoors, but he’s definitely going to be a good social player. If he can make his strengths stand out, he has a great shot to make it far.

1) Jesse Lopez – However, the player with my top spot heading into the season is Jesse. He’s got just about everything I want out of a Survivor player. He’s intelligent, while also possessing plenty of real-world experience. He’s in decent shape without standing out physically. And, maybe most importantly, he has something to play for with his family. There’s definitely a chance he comes in arrogant given his academic background, but if he keeps that tucked away, he’ll be someone that makes a lot of noise in Survivor season 43.

Who are you betting on this season ?