For the first time ever here on Inside Survivor, we will be bringing you Survivor South Africa Power Rankings. As the battle to outplay and outwit goes down on the Wild Coast of South Africa, another showdown will be taking place right here between two Survivor veterans.
Fighting it out for Power Rankings supremacy are two past Survivor SA castaways, both from Island of Secrets, Jacques Burger and Meryl Szolkeiwicz. Meryl finished in 13th place on Survivor SA, while Jacques made it to 7th place. But who will come out on top in the Power Rankings? Let battle commence!
In Round 1, Jacques ranked Pinty in 12th place, earning him 12 points. Meryl, meanwhile, had Pinty ranked at 18th, bagging her 18 points, giving her the early lead. However, there are many episodes left to go and all can change from here.
RULES
We use the Gordon Holmes format of Power Rankings. Each week the two 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 Power Rankings Champion.
Jacques
12
Meryl
18
1
Marisha
Marisha is still the strongest female left in the game. With a tribe swap coming again, expect a couple more votes to "keep the tribe strong". She's cemented herself for the time being.
1
Kiran
Kiran is not completely the centre of attention, but he does have his fingers in the right pies. He also gets lots of screen time and we get insight into his decision-making. I’m excited to see how he makes alliances in the upcoming tribe swap.
2
Santoni
STANtoni (as she's known on Twitter) had a great episode two! One idol's not enough, so she comes out with the double barrel. If the water well clue is generic, and she swaps to Zamba, she can potentially have three idols. Not bad!
2
Anesu
Although initially worried about her, Anesu seems to be juggling the multiple alliance situation quite well. She was able to choose head over heart and has so much influence in the game and amongst her tribemates and I think she will carry that attraction quite far.
3
Renier
Renier will do whatever it takes, including stopping a fall with his nose so he doesn't fall on his face. It would be great if they are swapping to different tribes and can reconnect at merge to discuss intel. Secret mafia alliance with Amy ensures he has someone on the other side that has his back.
3
Anela
Anela has had so much influence on the Zamba tribe, being the ultimate decision-maker on his tribe. He seems to have a level head and able to make the calls when necessary.
4
Francois
Lost some steam with his right hand girl getting voted out. Although he's a powerhouse, he needs to use this swap to get long term allies that he can work with for the next couple of votes.
4
Amy
Amy is someone to keep an eye on. She has sway within her tribe, is part of a core alliance and she has this secret alliance with Renier, a very strategic player. She is a keen observer and an independent thinker.
5
Amy
It's clear that she and Renier have a connection. Amy's also in the middle of the Zamba girl alliance. If she can prove some worth to a swapped tribe, she's got enough legs to make the merge and reunite with Renier to run the game.
5
Renier
Renier sits quietly in the back, making plans, and understands the game. He is very difficult to read which makes it even more threatening, but he has been able to play it cool so far. I think he has just the right makeup to go far in this game.
6
Anela
Anela earmarking Dino and other threats as potential future votes is great. Also a physical asset to a tribe that would be handy come the swap.
6
Santoni
STANtoni... The people’s favourite! What a character, and I think what makes her so appealing is her absolute self-acceptance. Much like Thoriso, she isn’t trying to be anyone else, and we see in this episode that she has tremendous knowledge of the game. I think that will give her the edge over the others because they won’t be expecting it.
7
Anesu
I was sceptical about the "Everyone wants an alliance with me" strategy. However, with a swap coming up, she's bound to have someone in her corner to cover her back. I can see her making the merge as the spider in the middle of this information web, pulling the strings and choosing her prey.
7
Tyson
I like Tyson. I find him very calculating and quite charismatic. Information seems to be finding its way to him and I’m intrigued to see how he will use it in the coming episodes.
8
Dino
From zero to hero. Dino's puzzle prowess is now public knowledge. I suspect it would be a handy skill for a couple of rounds to ensure tribal immunity, but the target on his back is starting to grow. Dino's biggest puzzle to solve right now is who are the loose change castaways that are willing to play with him.
8
Nicole
Nicole is a keen observer and she also seems quite trusting. I think she will form good relationships quickly in the tribe swap and be able to stay safe until merge.
9
Wardah
Claims she has Tyson 150%, with a tight connection to Anesu. Voted successfully with Carla and Mike in the previous round as well. If she can keep this fluid gameplay up, she can be an under-the-radar threat this season.
9
Wardah
Wardah has good relationships. She seems level-headed, but she did have a vote against her for her cooking skills?? I’m not sure what that was about, and why it was important for us to see, but perhaps we keep an eye on the relationship with Paul? She has a good thing going with Anesu too.
10
Kiran
Kiran survived the interrogation from Pinty and gracefully downplayed his connection to Mike. I love that he is keeping his presence in the game low-key. If he can rope in some allies during this upcoming swap, expect an unsuspecting threat deep in the game.
10
Carla
Carla is the more charismatic part of the duo with Mike. She pushed for the Pinty vote, but I think that painted a target on their partnership. Was I the only one that found her smirk during the Pinty blindside a little sadistic?
11
Paul
Who's going to vote out Paul soon? He has cemented himself as a trusty shelter builder, works hard around camp, and votes rogue at tribal. The final six might look at each other and say "Is this guy still here?"
11
Thoriso
Thoriso didn’t get much screen time this episode which makes me think that she is safe for now. I like her realism and I think the ‘advantage’ of getting sent to Immunity Island might come her way again.
12
Tyson
Tyson's approach of not playing too fast and letting people come to him seems to be working. That's a great first act plan, but not a solid strategy for the second act. The question will be if he can change his approach and initiate conversations with the correct people that will give him the momentum to survive the swap and come out at the other end with allies.
12
Shaun
Shaun is a surprising wild card. I just don’t know what to expect from him next. He seems to have redeemed himself and his placement in the tribe, and I think that the upcoming tribe swap is the reset he was looking for!
13
Nicole
Seems very perceptive with an accurate read on other players' threat level. A clear social threat, the question is if she can prove herself valuable to her tribe for the next couple of rounds.
13
Qiean
I only have her placed so low because of the previous episode and I haven’t seen much from her in episode two.
14
Carla
Carla has a ride-or-die with Mike. Having a clear number two is great. Having your number two be the next person in the firing line is not. She has to make some friends that can help her during the swap, otherwise, she can go to merge as a one-man show.
14
Paul
I was so surprised by Paul and the sentiments that his tribemates share. He seems to be the guy that everyone wants on their team and Anesu made comments about his gameplay. Glimpses of what is to come or information before the fall? I’d like to think the latter.
15
Mike
Mike was the alternative vote at the previous tribal. If the game carries the same inertia, his name can pop up again. Since he's not a physical powerhouse or proved puzzler, I think he has a hard sell to convince his tribe to keep him.
15
Marisha
Marisha is a tough, no-nonsense-taker, and yet she has a maternal quality about her too. Her one-liners are quite entertaining and she is generally likeable. During the challenge she refused help and I wondered why that was an important part of the story... perhaps there are more moments like this to come.
16
Shaun
No clear allies outside of Qieän. Also has the "searched for the idol" fiasco hanging above his head. I think the swap is the right time for him to jump ship and regroup with other wildcards.
16
Francois
Chappies has been making some good decisions the whole game. He is sitting with an advantage (that Tyson now knows about) and the disadvantage is that he has lost his closest ally and is therefore at the bottom of his tribe.
17
Qiean
Another individual who will embrace this swap. Qieän needs to get real friends real fast. I'm really rooting for her and hope she can manage to get some traction and survive this section of the game.
17
Mike
Mike seems to be the less integrated part of the Carla-Mike duo. He was labelled as a threat by his tribemates and doesn’t seem to have good connections considering the upcoming tribe swap.
18
Thoriso
A quiet episode two for Thoriso with no signs of any clear allies just yet. Her saving grace could be being sent to Immunity Island again. However, savvy players will start figuring out how to game the Immunity Island concept, and could send one of their allies (think Amy/Renier, Carla/Mike, Wardah/Anesu) ensuring that their friends get saved at the expense of Thoriso.
18
Dino
Dino... nooooo! Most promising player coming into the season, but everything changes once you are on the island. Based on all the other castaways’ observations, his mistakes in episode 1, and his likability. This cast is here to play and will look for any reason to get rid of the next player.
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