Who starts the game on the right foot and who fell off the balance beam? For the first time this season, let’s rank them.

Before I rank them reminder that these rankings are based on three factors:

How much power do they have? How safe are they? Can they win?

That last one is not gonna apply this week since it’s too early to determine that.

Kama

Ron – We don’t know much about the dynamics of this tribe. Ron finding the advantage boosts him up. He could get to the swap on this advantage. No one has talked bad about him and he did decently in the challenge. Overall, Ron is in a good spot if his tribe goes to tribal next week. Joe – Joe is gonna last at least a few rounds on his challenge skill alone plus people naturally gravitate towards him. Out of the two returnees, he is more likely to survive a vote over Aubry. Joe seems to be thinking more this season with his speculation on what edge of extinction means. Overall, Joe is gonna stick around for a bit. Gavin – Gavin is here due to the fact he and Eric are the only ones shown so far outside the returnees that is solidly working together. Gavin could try to pull what Nick did last season since at the time of filming they had not seen David vs Goliath. He is over Eric because he did not actively throw out a name so he will not be targeted if it gets back to Aubry. Gavin has potential to do well. Eric – The other half of this duo. I think it’s smart to take out the returnees and in the secret scene, it seems like some people are on board with it. The only risk is if Aubry hears that he is throwing out her name then he is done for. For not knowing anything pre season, he is picking it up quickly. Eric is playing a high risk game but it could be a high reward. Aurora – We did not get much from her but she seems to be good with Joe. Aurora could ride the Joe train to the merge and I feel like that is her plan. If Joe is targeted, she could get caught in the crossfire. Victoria – She got a buff for christmas and she is a ginger. That’s all I got. Julia – she was invisible and could slide into the background till the merge. Aubry – I hate putting Aubry this low but she is getting targeted. There is a large chance that she goes to extinction if they lose. Aubry is gonna be forced to abandon her strategy of lying low quickly in order to survive. Julie – Easy boot for being weak or beginning of a growth arc. This is the most dangerous spot in the game for her. If she could get to a swap, then she might have a chance to make it to the merge.

Manu

David – By far David is playing the best of the returnees and of everyone. David has integrated himself in the tribe seamlessly. He has a partner in Wardog and no one is talking about voting for him. David can make the merge if he keeps up this momentum. David is solid and safe. Chris – They need that challenge strength and Chris has it. He went toe to toe with Joe and tied. Chris was quiet in the episode but he is with the majority and he will be safe till late swap at least. Please editors give us more of him and the fire he had in the pre season. Lauren – she got a vote but she can recover because Wentworth is a shield for her. Lauren is decently athletic and good socially so I think she can skate by for a few rounds. The only risk is that the group thinks Wentworth has an idol and targets Lauren as a back up. Wardog – Wardog is doing better than expected. He has a solid partner in David and is part of the majority. His personality might grate on people but he has Wendy, Rick and Wentworth as targets in front of him. Keith – Keith saved himself by jumping ship. He went from part of the minority to the majority and now is not on the chopping block. His lack of swimming could push up his target but the tribe does not seem concerned about that right now. Keith exceeded expectations and could be one to watch. Rick – Not Devens! Rick is seen as a part of the minority despite pointing out Reem, Wendy and Keith as the minority. Rick is not the best in challenges which could put him in danger but he is not the main or back up target. Wentworth – Someone who actually deserves the last name treatment. She was in the majority this week but the preview shows that she could be in trouble. Sure, Survivor preview are not always reliable but she was talked about last episode. This could be a Christian situation where it is talked about but never happens right away. Her injury could factor in. I doubt it honestly. Kelley could be our antagonist this season. Wendy – She is great representation for Tourette’s but she messed up this vote. She should have voted for Reem as she almost went to extinction. Wendy has an uphill battle ahead to survive the next vote on the tribe without Joe. Wendy is very likely to go out next episode unless the returnees get targeted.

Extinction

Reem – This is probably the only time Reem will be number 1. Reem has no shot to win and she probably won’t win the challenge back.

This ranking is the hardest to do other than the merge since the game just started. On Kama, only the bottom two have a chance to go. On Manu, half the tribe has a chance of being voted out next episode. My prediction for the purple player of the week is Julia due to being invisible this week so the editors might keep up the trend.

Grab your stuff and head back to camp!