Survivor season 43 week 3 power rankings: Who could go home next?

Survivor season 43 week 3 is in the books.

Compared to the first few episodes, this one was a little on the slow side, but that doesn’t mean we didn’t get big strategic implications for the future. With several idols now in play and certain players playing themselves into intriguing positions, this episode set up the dominoes for an exciting game before we even get to the merge.

Let’s look at how all of these more subtle moves have shaken up my power rankings.

Survivor season 43 week 3 power rankings

Out) Nneka Ejere (Last: 7) – Nneka is here because she was the squeaky wheel slowing Vesi down in challenges. I thought Jesse and Cody would keep her around due to loyalty, but when you tank as hard as she (and, to be fair, Jesse) did on the puzzle, it’s going to be hard to keep you.  Plus, with small numbers, there’s almost nowhere to hide, making “tribe strength” feel even more important at this stage. On top of all of that, Nneka is a dangerous player to bring to the merge because she’s probably going to easily slide to the final five. If you want to have that spot, it makes sense to get rid of her at this point.

15) Jeanine Zheng (Last: 15) – Since the first challenge, Jeanine hasn’t seemed to struggle much with challenges. That said, with Elie overplaying massively this week, if that side of Baka becomes the target, Jeanine is probably in trouble. Elie might be more dangerous from a strategy standpoint, but she’s also a strong competitor in challenges. Jeanine may end up being a victim of aligning with the “wrong” person.

14) Geo Bustamante (Last: 14) – It’s almost impossible to guess the dynamics of Coco at this point. We just haven’t seen them. However, we do keep getting Geo scenes which could point to him being a key character in the season. My gut says it’ll go the other way and they’re keeping him on the top of the audience’s collective mind because he’ll be the first person voted out of Coco.

13) Cassidy Clark (Last: 11) – Cassidy is pretty much the exact opposite of Geo in terms of edit. We haven’t seen her at all this season, which could be bad news for her if Coco loses. That said, I’m putting a bit more stock in the women’s alliance at this point, putting Cassidy just above Geo.

12) Dwight Moore (Last: 12) – Dwight holds steady this week because he’s in the most awkward position on Vesi. Sure, he has two potential alliance members, but if both of those players stick with him, then the target is Cody. You’ll remember that Cody has an idol and his target has to be Dwight. Jesse and Noelle aren’t tight, so using his idol to get Dwight out, would fracture this little alliance that’s building and likely force Jesse back to Cody’s side. Obviously, things have to break that way, but I’m most worried about Dwight out of everyone else on Vesi after the Nneka vote.

11) James Jones (Last: 10) – James idol hunting notwithstanding, we haven’t seen too much strategy from James to this point. Though, you can say that for most of Coco. However, he seems like the least-connected Coco person, which either means he’ll be the deciding vote by playing the middle or the easy target.

10) Owen Knight (Last: 9) – Owen did get a slight drop, but I actually like his spot right now. He is firmly in the middle of the two alliances on Baka. Does he decide to go with Elie and Jeanine or does he team up with Gabler and Sami? At this point, the ball is in his court, which is great. That said, without a firm alliance, Owen is a bit of a straggler as we get closer and closer to the merge. He needs to pick a side soon.

9) Lindsay Carmine (Last: 6) – Again, Lindsay got a slight drop here, but I’m still not overly worried about her. She’s insulated herself well with Coco and isn’t going to be viewed as a competition liability. Unless something unexpected happens, Lindsay is making the merge and might have the numbers to do some damage.

8) Elie Scott (Last: 2) – Elie’s plan to convince Gabler his idol is no longer usable was a terrible plan all around. I get it. You want to make a bang and create a moment people will remember. However, no one playing Survivor is going to fall for something so slapdash and, frankly, silly. It’s a bad move that takes Elie from a place of power to someone that needs to seriously worry about her alliance turning on her.

7) Jesse Lopez (Last: 1) – Getting rid of Nneka makes sense from Jesse’s point of view. She’s not someone that helps him much in the merge and he now has alliance options. The issue is that he almost has to turn on Cody now, which could backfire because of Cody’s idol. As I said above, I’m more worried about Dwight, but his island husband isn’t out of the danger zone either.

6) Mike Gabler (Last: 13) –  Gabler is safe if Baka goes to tribal. That much is guaranteed. Previously, I had him ranked lower because I didn’t think he’d make it much further, but now I’m not so sure. Elie’s misplay has put everything into disarray, and Gabler is reaping those benefits because of his absolute safety. He needs to make the correct moves, but he has the chance to set himself up very well.

5) Sami Layadi (Last: 5) – The one thing you have to give Sami credit for is that he’s playing hard. That’s going to come back and bite him at some point (the most likely place right now being Owen telling Elie he ratted her plan out), but for now, all we can do is enjoy the bold gameplay.

4) Noelle Lambert (Last: 16) – Noelle gets a huge bump from me because she was able to get an advantage, not use it, and still come out of a spicy vote unscathed. Now, she has nearly all the power with her vote steal and can essentially decide who goes home as long as she keeps Dwight on her side. The only issue is Cody’s idol, but even if he uses it to negate her advantage, she doesn’t seem like the person Cody would be targeting right now.

3) Cody Assenmacher (Last: 3) – Cody has an idol. I’ve said that before, but it bears repeating because that makes him completely safe even if Jesse turns on him or Noelle uses her advantage. He’s in a good spot for at least one more vote. After that, I’ll have to reassess because, without an idol, he’s going to be in trouble.

2) Ryan Medrano (Last: 4) – There is no chance Ryan is being targeted at this stage. Coco’s biggest advantage is that they haven’t lost an immunity challenge and Ryan is the biggest reason why that hasn’t happened. Until we get much closer to the merge, Ryan should be the safest person on the island.

1) Karla Cruz Godoy (Last: 8) – She started from the bottom of my rankings, but now she’s here. Karla has been turning in impressive social performances each week and she really upped the ante in week three. Not only did she destroy the swimming portion of that challenge, but then she went and got herself an idol. I’d like to see Coco go to tribal at least once before the merge so Karla can solidify her alliances, but no one is in a better spot at this point.