‘Survivor: Philippines’ rankings: Russell Swan is clearly in trouble
Our second edition of our “Survivor: Philippines” rankings are here, and it is very much a case of rinse and repeat. We still only have one tribe in Matsing who has been to tribal council, and there are still some other people who we have yet to even hear from.
With all this being said, though, we are starting to get a little bit of a better idea who some of the major power players are, in addition to who are the people in trouble pretty soon.
Matsing tribe
4. Russell Swan (last week: #5)- There’s no mistaking that Russell is only still around by the skin of his teeth. As a matter of fact, the recently-eliminated Roxy Morris pretty much admitted that he is only still there because he is a strong guy who should in theory win challenges. If they lose again, you might as well wave goodbye now so long as he does not find the immunity idol.
3. Denise Shipley (#3) – If Malcolm is smart, he will keep Denise over Angie. However, are not sure that he will be thinking with his head rather than something else. Denise is a smart player, and a major threat to go far if she makes it far enough.
2. Angie Layton (#2) – In reality, Angie is a pretty terrible social player save for the bond she has with Malcolm. If they stay on the same tribe for much of the season, she at least has a human shield. However, she has virtually no show at winning this game.
1. Malcolm Freberg (#1) – So long as the tribes remain separated, Malcolm is good as gold for at least a couple of weeks. He’s a strong guy, builds good alliances, and knows how to fade into the background.
Kalabaw Tribe
6. Jonathan Penner (#6) – So long as he finds an immunity idol, he may be doing a good thing by trying so hard to find it. If he doesn’t get it, however, he’s a sitting duck. We still don’t understand what his thinking is in trying to separate himself from the tribe so much, since his target is only larger as a resule.
5. Jeff Kent (#5) – We’re still worried about Jeff’s injury for one reason and one reason only: producers don’t often show us something as bad as a major injury without a reason to back it up. We just don’t know if this is going to come back to haunt him.
4. Katie Hanson (#3) – We still don’t really have any idea who Katie is in this game, but the reason that we have swapped her and Dana around is because we’re still not sure whether or not she can actually play this game.
3. Dana Lambert (#4) – In the event that Penner manages to work himself back into the tribe, we have a feeling that she is a little bit safer than Katie based on one thing: she merely seems a little bit more valuable as a player to have around.
2. Carter Williams (#2) – Who? Carter is quite possibly the biggest ghost that we have seen all season long, as he really does not have any sort of major game here. Then again, neither did Brett Clouser, and he finished in fourth place in “Samoa” simply for being a nice guy. The only way that we really see him going is a case where Penner idols one person out, and he wants to get rid of a likable dude.
1. Sarah Dawson (#1) – Basically, our logic here is the same as it was last week: Sarah seems nice enough, and she doesn’t have any enemies on her tribe yet. Plus, she is the only other person who seems to be aware just who Jeff Kent really is.
Tandang tribe
6. Lisa Whelchel (#6) – We see her in the preview for this coming episode being among the group considering the demise of Michael, but just because something is being considered does not mean that it is going to happen by any means. She’s still the social outcast, and this is problematic.
5. Abi-Maria Gomes (#4) – Let’s blame the decline of Abi on this list for one reason and one reason only: she freaks out way too much. We’re not sure if she has the same sort of alliance with RC that she once had, and it’s really her own fault because of it.
4. RC Saint-Amour (#3) – There is a part of us that still really loves and respects RC’s game, and the fact that she really came out to play “Survivor” rather than to sit around and do nothing. The problem? She’s just getting a little too ahead of herself, and she also made an alliance before figuring out just who her partners really were.
3. Artis Silvester (#5) – By virtue of being completely out of the way, Artis has managed to move up a few spots this week. We just don’t whether or not hiding in the shadows will last forever.
2. Michael Skupin (#1) – For the first time, Skupin falls from the top of our list. Why? He has someone at least considering his demise in Pete … but we still don’t think that anything is going to get him out of this game so soon whether it be an injury or people plotting against him. He’s just a charismatic, likable guy.
1. Pete Yurkowski (#1) – Hey, Pete is thinking strategically! We think that he is a pretty smart and sensible player, and so long as he does not overplay his hand, reaching out to Lisa could be huge for him in this game.
Who do you think are some of the current favorites to go far in this game? Be sure to share your thoughts below, and be sure to stay tuned all wee for more preview coverage of Wednesday’s episode.