Survivor 41: Power Rankings After Episode 8

We are back again with some Survivor 41 Power Rankings. We are basing this round of rankings from the past two weeks (mostly because I want to give Xander the credit he deserves).

So let’s not waste any time and get right to it.

1. Xander. He makes a HUGE leap from 11th to 1st. And before anyone says “but Shan and Liana want him out!” let me just ask you, DID YOU SEE THAT MOVE LAST WEEK? And while he totally blew his shot at getting that advantage during the reward challenge this week, he was smart enough to know that Ricard was trying to get him to waste his idol this week. He saved it and still has it and that extra vote. So while he is a target, he is sitting pretty for a bit as long as he plays his cards (and his powers) right. I’m a fan. And I must say, it’s the first time I’ve ever been a fan of that casting archetype. #TeamXander.

2. Evvie. I know, I know. Just like Xander, Evvie is one of the top targets. BUT, after getting saved by Xander and Tiffany last week, and winning immunity this week, those are some impressive feats. And now if the target shifts to someone else, Evvie could open up a path to get pretty deep in this season.

3. Erika. OK, so it’s officially attack of the underdogs in this week’s rankings. But again, Erika, who was on the bottom, flipped the game upside down last week, and wasn’t even a target this week. I think that risky move she made last week has paid off for her. I’m not sure she’s going to do a ton more to keep her up this high in the rankings, but for now she earned this spot.

4. Shan. It’s looking like Shan’s gameplay is finally going to catch up to her next week, but based on the past two weeks, I have to keep her up in the Top 5. She has been running the show this whole time, and while that isn’t going to work for her much longer, it’s been a pretty impressive showing so far. And she has literal power in her idol, so I think I have more than enough reason to rank her this high despite what we know might be coming for her soon.

5. Naseer. I’m going to bump Naseer up for the simple reason that he seems to be one of the most hyper focused players this season. And he literally said to people, nah, you aren’t throwing my name out this week. That was impressive. And he has that idol in his pocket, so he should know when he needs to play it. I think the others are underestimating him.

6. Deshawn. I think Deshawn is in one of the best positions in the game. He has a solid alliance, and the way he and Shan came at each other this week but stayed loyal, was an indication how strong his bonds are with people. And he seems to be one of the main ones considering leading the charge against Shan. Will that happen and if it does, will it hurt or help his game?

7. Danny. Right now Danny and Deshawn are in similar positions, so it was hard to figure out where to rank them. I’m guessing one of the will win immunity soon, and that will help me decide which of them is the more powerful player.

8. Liana. I think Liana is playing a solid game, but she’s starting to play a little too much like Shan, which could hurt her. There’s some over-the-top confidence there that could come back and bite her even more than it did last week when she was played hard by Xander.

9. Ricard. I’m going to confess to probably not being totally fair to Ricard since he did win immunity last week, but just the way he’s been playing the game is not the kind of game a winner plays. He’s smug and shady, and trying to dip into the losing team’s papaya this week didn’t sit well with anyone. I know that’s a silly thing to focus on, but in a game of survival, that kind of thing really matters.

10. Heather. Good ole Heather holds up the bottom spot another week. This week, however, she truly earned this last-place spot. She was just sitting there at Tribal and suddenly gets up, causes a commotion and almost gets herself voted out. She achieved literally nothing, other than getting some votes cast against her.

This week’s rankings are a bit all over the place, I realize. But I thought long and hard on them, and these are the rankings that make the most sense to me. But I’m just one person with my own thoughts and opinions, so please share yours! How would you rank the remaining Survivor 41 players?

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