Survivor season 43 week 9 power rankings: Who could go home next?
By Ricky Frech
Survivor season 43 is quickly nearing its endpoint.
After losing both James and Ryan at last week’s double eviction, we’re now down to just eight players left in the game. That means there are only a scant few votes left, and with so many advantages still in play, this really is just about anyone’s game.
Let’s take a look at where things stand in the power rankings.
Who could go home next on Survivor season 43?
Out) James Jones (Last: 5) – I have my doubts that James was as consistently overbearing as the edit showed us, but that was definitely the reasoning behind him going home. If he had a better break in numbers when the tribes were split, he could’ve stayed. Sadly, with so many people trying to capitalize on their newfound numbers, he didn’t have a chance. If I were James, I’m definitely taking that as a sign of respect and would be proud of my strong social game.
Out) Ryan Medrano (Last: 10) – Let’s be honest, Ryan’s chances of actually winning were nearly zero given how bad his strategy has been. The dude is a beast and seems incredibly nice, but the acumen for a winning game just wasn’t there. I’m just glad he stayed around long enough to acquire 30 pounds of clamshells.
8) Noelle Lambert (Last: 8) – I’m not confident that Noelle made the right call in using her vote steal, but it is what it is. She at least secured herself another day in the game and could use this move to solidify something with Owen. That could help them both flip the game if they’re able to find a crack, but I’m not convinced. Noelle just has too good of a story for her to be a viable winner pick at this point.
7) Owen Knight (Last: 9) – As with Noelle, Owen has a chance to flip the script this week, but I haven’t seen him show off the social ability to make it happen. That doesn’t make it impossible, just very unlikely. Otherwise, Owen doesn’t really have a good move to call his own and will likely be seen as, at best, a goat if he makes it to final tribal council.
6) Cassidy Clark (Last: 6) – Cassidy is relatively low on these rankings, but she still has some Erika upside. My only issue with her right now is that we’re getting such a strong edit for three or four more people. That doesn’t mean she can’t slide in and win; however, her chances are continuing to slim. The upcoming vote is where Ricard clipped Shan in Survivor 41, so Cassidy needs something similar to happen with Karla and Jesse.
5) Mike Gabler (Last: 7) – I have Gabler here because there just doesn’t seem to be any reason for him to go home at this point. He’s the best goat left and everyone will want to drag him along. Gabler isn’t winning this game, but he’s the most likely person to get the bronze at this point.
4) Sami Layadi (Last: 3) – I still don’t think Sami is winning. He’s had a few solid weeks and looks to have solidified with Karla. That said, I think players are going to start seeing him as dangerous and it seems like other players have deeper bonds with each other than they do with him. Those marriages of convenience are working for him now, but it might not be enough to give him a win.
3) Cody Assenmacher (Last: 4) – Cody is getting a slight bump this week because I think getting out James and Ryan really improves his and Jesse’s chances. Those two were solid numbers for Karla, so now Cody has a bit more power. On top of that, he still has an idol, making him incredibly dangerous.
2) Karla Cruz Godoy (Last: 1) – After six weeks on top, Karla has fallen off a bit after losing two good allies. Making the move to drop James is forgivable given the position she was in, but that had to hurt. Fortunately, she didn’t lose Cassidy, who is a much stronger ally than Ryan. That said, any time you lose a number, it’s not a good thing. Now, Jesse and Cody have momentum and Karla has lost a bit of it. She still has a great chance to win though. Consider this a slight falter, especially with that idol in her pocket.
1) Jesse Lopez (Last: 2) – Jesse started the season on top and hasn’t fallen off the pace much all season. As mentioned above, getting out James was huge for Jesse and Cody. I’m sure he would’ve loved to see Cassidy follow, but not everything can go perfectly. Jesse has a ton of social power in the game and has an idol no one knows about. It’s going to be very tough to get him out without some producer shenanigans. He’ll have to face down Karla at some point, but I think he has the upper hand right now.
Stay tuned to Hidden Remote for more Survivor season 43 news and coverage!