Survivor season 43 week 2 power rankings: Who could go home next?
By Ricky Frech
Survivor season 43 followed up an excellent premier with a second episode that introduced a new twist on the familiar “Beware” advantage.
This time, players have to somehow get a bead from everyone in their tribe to get their vote back and win immunity. The editors threw everyone for a loop by not letting us know if Cody had gotten all of the beads he needed until after the votes were cast.
Now, Justine is out of the game and Cody has a ton of power. Here’s how that move and all the others affected the power rankings.
Survivor season 43 week 2 power rankings
Out) Justine Brennan (Last: 14) – Yet another person falling due to someone losing their vote. It’s become a theme over the last three seasons of Survivor, but it seems like one the producers want to continue. There’s definitely not too much to fault in Justine’s game outside of maybe saying she shouldn’t have said she has a good lying face. It’s a tough draw for her that simply comes down to other players having better relationships.
16) Noelle Lambert (Last: 13) – Noelle is now in a tough spot because her biggest ally is out and her other ally now has only one way back into the numbers and that’s dumping her like a bad habit. Her biggest glimmer of hope might be Dwight going back to camp and being mad at Jesse for not siding with him, but that’s fully out of her control unless she proves to be some kind of social mastermind. For her sake, you have to hope Vesi misses at least one tribal, giving her a chance to find a way back into the numbers.
15) Jeanine Zheng (Last: 16) – I think Jeanine is in a weird spot because Gabler still has that idol. Yes, there is the chance Elie and Sami work with her to get Owen out, but I’m betting she’s a bit lower on the totem pole right now. Like Noelle, she needs some more time for more cracks to appear between the men of Baka, which is definitely possible (especially if Gabler continues to struggle physically).
14) Geo Bustamante (Last: 15) – We didn’t get much Coco content this week, but I still think Geo is probably in the worst position. Outside of Ryan, he doesn’t seem to really be working with anyone. Plus, he’s the weakest physically of all the men in his tribe, which could make him an easy boot.
13) Mike Gabler (Last: 17) – Gabler still doesn’t seem to be in a good position strategically, but his idol does make him somewhat untouchable at this point. That said, I can’t rank him any higher because if anyone is going to misplay an idol, it’s going to be Gabler.
12) Dwight Moore (Last: 12) – Dwight is definitely going to struggle moving forward. He’s obviously out of the numbers and, depending on how he reacts to Jesse’s move to get out Justine, could’ve just lost a major ally. He does at least have his vote back, so there’s always a chance he could make some noise.
11) Cassidy Clark (Last: 10) – It almost feels like we haven’t seen anything from Cassidy this season. I’m sure she’s had a confessional or two, but her game hasn’t been on display. We’ve seen similar things with someone like Erika in season 41, but it’s hard to rank her highly at this point.
10) James Jones (Last: 8) – James had a good opening episode and then, like much of Coco, faded into the background. If and when Coco loses immunity, we’ll get a better idea of where this tribe stands. At this point, I’ll just slap James in the middle and hope for the best.
9) Owen Knight (Last: 6) – Owen continues to tumble after being labeled by both the edit and Elie as someone who struggles to not get too into his head. We could see that turnaround, but for now, I’m slotting him in here with the assumption that he’s fine for now, but is someone to keep an eye on as a boot option before the merge.
8) Karla Cruz Godoy (Last: 9) – Karla continues to impress with her social game. The only thing keeping her from moving higher up the rankings is that Coco hasn’t gotten the opportunity to solidify their alliances at tribal. If that happens, and she’s still sitting pretty, she’ll fly into the top three with ease.
7) Nneka Ejere (Last: 11) – Is Nneka a potential liability for Vesi in challenges? Sure, but strategic bonds are going to run deeper, especially in a small tribe. The beauty of fostering trust even if you’re losing is that you can stay strong while others fall apart. That doesn’t mean Nneka is completely safe, but it does mean that I like her chances as long as Noelle and Dwight aren’t able to do something wild.
6) Lindsay Carmine (Last: 5) – Lindsay didn’t have much content this week, which is a shame because I really liked her game in the first episode. She seems well-positioned on Coco beach to stay in the numbers no matter which way the wind blows. Plus, there’s no way anyone sees her as a physical liability, making it a near guarantee that she makes it through at least one tribal council.
5) Sami Layadi (Last: 4) – Sami didn’t do much this week, but we did see that Elie seems to value him as an alliance member over Owen. That’s big for his game because it means he’s firmly in the balance of power. If I was Sami, I would simply lay low for the next few weeks and let other players self-destruct. He’s in a great spot where he shouldn’t have to do much to stick around.
4) Ryan Medrano (Last: 3) – I question Ryan’s strategic game plan every week. There just doesn’t seem to be much there. That said, if you’re on Coco, there’s no way you’re getting rid of the strongest person in the game at this stage. He almost singlehandedly makes you the favorite in most challenges. Why toss that aside before you have to?
3) Cody Assenmacher (Last: 7) – Cody had an incredible episode. Not only did he talk his way into getting his idol activated and got his vote back, but he’s solidified a solid three-person alliance on a tribe of five. That makes him incredibly powerful. The only reason we don’t have him higher is that there is the worry that Jesse flip-flops on Cody and Nneka, sides with Dwight and Noelle, and takes down the elevator salesman. That’s a bit far-fetched, but wilder things have happened on Survivor.
2) Elie Scott (Last: 2) – Elie continues to drive strategy over on Baka beach. She’s firmly in control of the numbers and could easily swing the game one way or the other. Other players could clock onto that and turn against her, but it’s tough to see her being voted out any time soon.
1) Jesse Lopez (Last: 1) – Jesse just barely keeps the top spot after a solid performance. He wasn’t as in control as he seemed to be in the first week, but he still finds himself in the middle of the tribe with a ton of leverage. If he’s able to play this well, he should set himself up with an easy road to the merge.
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