While the battle between Champions and Contenders is playing out on the islands of Fiji, here on Inside Survivor, an even bigger showdown is taking place. That’s right, Aussie Power Rankings are back, and this time we’re upping the intensity, a Sarah Tilleke, Luke Toki, and Tess O’Halloran compete for the Inside Survivor Power Rankings crown!
The elimination of Robbie and Sam in Round 6 finally gave Luke the boost he needed, helping him close the gap between Sarah and Tess, it also means with Robbie gone he won’t have to eat s**t. Tess, however, managed to hold onto her lead with 155 points, Sarah remains in second place with 151, and Luke now stands at 148. With only seven points separating first and last place, it is still all to play for as the numbers dwindle.
Disclaimer: This week Luke is on holiday and so I will be covering for him. He sent me the order of his rankings and I filled in the comments.
RULES
We use the Gordon Holmes format of Power Rankings. Each week the three power rankers create separate rankings based on least likely to most likely to be eliminated. The ranking of the player who is voted out of the next episode will determine the number of points the rankers will earn. For example, if the person you ranked in 1st place is eliminated in the next episode, you will recieve 1 point. If the person you ranked in 20th place is eliminated, you will receive 20 points. At the end of the season, the person with the most points will be named the Australian Survivor Power Rankings Champion.
As Australian Survivor airs multiple episodes per week, the rankings will count for each episode aired that particular week. Placements are adjusted after each elimination to reflect the amount of players remaining and points are then recalculated.
If you have trouble viewing the rankings try clearing your browser cache and refreshing the page.
Sarah
151
Luke
Tess
1
Monika
I will eat Tessa’s Hogwarts hat if Monika goes this week.
1
Sharn
(Martin is standing in for Luke this week). Luke wants to keep Sharn up top, and I completely agree with the King of the Jungle. The game Sharn is playing is a risky one, as she essentially finds herself in a powerful swing position. She has the trust of her former Champs in Mat and Steve, but she's also been cultivating a relationship with Benji, giving her a connection to the tribe outliers. There is always a worry one could get caught out when playing both sides, but Sharn is smart enough never to tip her hand.
1
Shane
The Bench Warmers were awfully quiet this week. I won’t be fooled though - that’s the power of the bench at work. One note: did Shane mean to imply that she was happy for Mat to win immunity? Interesting play if so. Clearly tighter in with Mat than we’ve seen previously. Hopefully she hasn’t lost her taste for ‘doing one of those blindsides’.
2
Shonee
I hope we see Shonee put her vote twist into play this week, with so few people left she can really sway things at such a vital time in terms of securing an endgame majority.
2
Fenella
Luke has been high on Fenella from the start, and it's easy to see why. She has a fun personality and a feisty determination. The tribe perceives Fen as non-threatening, and therefore people such as Mat are willing to bring her in as a number. The thing is, Fen is a lot craftier than people give her credit for and if given an opening she is self-aware enough to exploit it. It won't shock me if Fen and her best buddy Shonee continue to sneak through the cracks until the end.
2
Sharn
Sharn is the only player in the game with tight alliances in different corners. On the one side, Mat comes to her as a trusted confidante and chooses her over Birthday Boy Steve for reward. On the other, Benji not only needs but also trusts her, and their relationship has been built on the most solid foundation there is in Survivor - sticking their necks out to protect the other from a vote. This balance can only get trickier from here, but so far Sharn has walked the tightrope remarkably gracefully. NB - the icy gaze she levelled on Sam, as she publicly cut him loose at tribal, is the hard edge that she might need to hide from her tribemates if she is to overcome her own archetype in a final tribal.
3
Fenella
I’m praying that Shonella can really avoid the voting heat in the next couple weeks and be the last power couple standing in the game.
3
Shane
The lack of Shane Gould in last week's episodes was a damn travesty. Hopefully the low amount of airtime means she's safe this week. If the outliers do mount an attack on the OG Champs alliance, I think the target will land on Mat or Steve, rather than Shane, who like Fenella, many are discounting as a threat. If Mat or Steve are blindsided, I could imagine that is what wakes up Shane's inner Wu Tang spirit. Shane Gould ain't nuthin' to f**k with!
3
Monika
Last week, I suggested that Sam (RIP) should capitalise on his old relationship with Monika. That Monika appeared to not so much as entertain his pitch suggests that she is not feeling threatened in her current Chump alliance. This is far from a winning spot for Monika, but I would be amazed if she were targeted in the next two rounds (or idol rebound-targeted for that matter, a real worry this week!)
4
Shane
As someone who is very unlikely to ever win individual immunity (although respect to what a machine she was in that last immunity challenge), I’m not sure why anyone would be taking out Shane at this point when it seems the game will be rife with opportunity further down the line. The only reason she is so low is because she is part of the original muscle alliance... the only real alliance left in the game.
4
Shonee
Shonee is another one that the tribe is writing off as a non-threat; however, she is well aware of her position in the game and how to work it. As the battle lines get drawn this week, the Shonella duo is going to become a very valuable voting bloc that the opposing alliances will be clamouring to get on side. I expect Shonee and Fenella to be still standing and giggling from the sidelines as the rest of the tribe cannibalizes itself.
4
Mat
Never accuse me of anti-alpha bias! Mat is my favourite on field right now. He seems to have learned to wield hypocrisy as a weapon, and he has that uncanny knack of doing so without being called out. People just want to be ‘in’ with Mat. Sam seemed to genuinely wilt in the face of Mat’s disapproval - even though his genius brain must surely have been telling him that he had a solid argument to back his actions. Didn’t Mat tell Robbie he was going home only a couple of days earlier? Isn’t it ‘honourable’ to give Lydia fair warning? But what’s good for the goose is most certainly not good for the gander in Survivor, and Mat remains Head Goose around camp. He’s bestowing his highly valuable favour on loose numbers like Fen, Monika and Shane (though I don’t doubt the ability of any of those women to use this against him if the opportunity arises) while casting off those of his own numbers who pose a threat to him. The truest threat to Mat from my perspective? His blind spot, Sharn, and her well-hidden alliance with resident scrappy underdog Benji.
5
Sharn
I have faith in Sharn’s ability to play this game in a way that allows her to puppet master her way to the top. So whilst she is a seemingly obvious target I think we won’t be seeing Sharn’s torch snuffed any time soon.
5
Monika
Like Luke said last week, Monika is invisible, which is probably a bad thing for her winner chances but also shows no signs of imminent danger. I'm not quite sure where Monika stands in the game. Who are her closest allies? What is her ideal end-game? The edit doesn't care to tell us and therefore it's hard to care about Monika.
5
Brian
I’ll add to the list of things I know about Brian (which previously consisted of part-time Bowling Ball and hammock-user) that he has poor personal hygiene standards. Don’t get me wrong - who doesn’t out there? I’m on record as giving zero s***s about the Jacob Derwin sock-rice incident or the Benji Nachogate. But it’s just not good news to have this be your only storyline.
6
Brian
Lonely numbers in this game, loyal to no-one, run the risk of being taken out as a way of meditating unknown variables, sorry Bri, I hope it’s not true this week.
6
Steve W
Steve's name came up last week, but the plan didn't gain much traction. However, as the numbers dwindle, the Commando is going to become a more a tempting option, especially if the "blindside Mat" plan is thwarted once again. I could see an idol rebound taking Steve out this week, but Luke didn't want him at the bottom and I have to respect his wishes! Maybe, for some reason, Mat ends up playing his idol for Steve?!
6
Fenella
Fenella sold just the right dose of flattered excitement and cornered cat (‘because I have no other options’) to Mat and Sharn at the reward, while her confessional reminded us that she ain’t no fool. Contrary to her statement, Fenella has plenty of options - she just needs to be careful not to throw all her eggs in any one basket too soon.
7
Benji
I was living for Benji’s gameplay last week. I’m really feeling like Benji’s Survivor legacy is going down in history as one of the better snakes we’ve seen in Australian Survivor. However, this pedigree snake may stick his head out a little too far this week, which may find him idol-less and at risk of going home, I’m hoping not though!
7
Benji
Benji is running out of allies like he's running out of metaphors. His only saving grace right now is his hidden immunity idol... and Sharn. If Sharn decides she wants rid of Mat - and trust me, it will be Sharn's decision not Benji's - then maybe the former Contender stands a chance. If Benji can't get numbers on his side, then he's going to have to play his idol, and that is only going to delay the inevitable.
7
Shonee
Shonee is right - her tribemates forget about Shonella to their detriment. The bubbly duo are picking up friends in high and low places (hard to go lower than Brian soaping up in his jocks), and their loyalty to one another is playing out as an unexpected advantage. I just hope the vote steal isn’t burnt this week on an idol round.
8
Mat
There is far too much air time for Matt not to be leaving us sometime soon. There’s absolutely no way that one character’s story can be consistently shown to this extent and it be sustainable up until final tribal council. I think the godfather is in trouble this week. However, at long last, the editors finally confirm Mat’s idol status, which means.......
8
Brian
Grubby may stink, but I'm not sure he's willing to get his hands dirty in this game. He is the tribe's comedic relief. But if making people laugh was enough to win half a million dollars then Sam would still be in the game. If we somehow end up in a deadlock situation this week, with Mat and Benji both playing idols, Brian is certainly someone I could see becoming a target in a revote situation.
8
Benji
Watching Benji struggle with the water prison challenge was so real. This guy has fight in him and he is giving the game everything. His alliance with Sharn is critical at this point, and, as he predicted, he is going to be heavily leaning on her to survive this round. Having said that, leaning on Sharn didn’t work out so well for Lydia… The Tendies girls don’t trust him (a lesson in cutting options too soon), the Bench Warmers have no reason to keep another threat around, and Mat doesn’t need him. It’s hard to see him getting through this round with both his torch and his idol intact, but I’ll be watching from the edge of my seat and for that I have Benji to thank.
9
Steve W
.....for the 4th week in a row. RIC-O-CHET EF-FECT.
9
Mat
Mat has been owning this game just like he owned Robbie in all those challenges. Any obstacle in his way he has been able to outmanoeuvre. It's impressive, but his threat-level is noticeable to everyone in the game. If he didn't win Immunity last week, he could very well have found himself on the jury. I think this is the week Mat will have to play his idol, the question then is, will he be able to regroup? Mat's idol play will either scare potential flippers to fall back in line, or it will leave him vulnerable for an easy next vote.
9
Steve W
I feel like we are witnessing the re-branding of Commando as “Steve”. Most people would probably choose to go the other way. In any case, where Commando might have been a threat at this stage of the game, Steve could as easily be a 42-year-old accountant who wandered onto the beach by accident and was too polite to ask for directions home. Poor old Steve is bottoming out my ranks because I’m anticipating a rebound from a second attack on Mat, and his name has been floated recently enough that panicked players facing a revote might just reach for it again.
Written by