‘Survivor Caramoan: Fans vs. Favorites’ rankings: Can a merge save Phillip Sheppard?
There’s no questioning that there has never been five people more in need of a merge on “Survivor Caramoan: Fans vs. Favorites” than the members of the Bikal tribe. They continue to lose challenges left and right, and their own personal dysfunction would probably eat them alive if they stayed together much longer. So with the merge comes uncertainty, and from a rankings perspective that makes things difficult. However, this is traditionally one of our favorite episodes of the season, and we personally expect something rather similar to play out here.
Of course, the criteria also changes here for who you keep in the game. From here on out, we’re basing these picks on edit, screen time, challenge ability, strategy, and whether other view you as a threat.
12. Michael Snow – He’s one of only four remaining Fans, and he doesn’t have the same sort of inroads with Gota that the other three have. He will probably going to be too much of a strategic threat for his own good now, and be sent out quickly.
11. Corinne Kaplan – The truth is that it would be pretty dumb for the Favorites to dump Corinne, but they may feel that they have an opportunity to do so now. They have a big numbers edge, and we know that two of them in Phillip and Andrea are both desperate to get her out, even if she does have a new ally in Michael in the game.
10. Eddie Fox – Were it not for the new four-way guys’ alliance, we’d have Eddie ranked last. He is a huge threat physically, and in the even that this alliance is found out, he doesn’t have the help of an immunity idol.
9. Sherri Biethman – Sherri, if she plays her cards right, could fall beneath the cracks and last a while as the Favorites cannibalize each other. It’s just going to depend on how they play the game, and what friendships she is able to make. With all this in mind, we will at least give her a chance more so than some of the others.
8. Brenda Lowe – Whose side is Brenda really on? She is the biggest enigma left in the game, and this is bad news in that many of these castaways may be judging her on reputation more than anything else. She’s a noted schemer and a physical player, and without an alliance she’s a sitting duck.
7. Phillip Sheppard – If it were not for the guys’ alliance, we’d probably have the Specialist ranked much higher. Even though his game is far superior this year than it was with Boston Rob, there may still be the perception that he’s someone you want next to you at the end. However, we imagine the guys wanting to make a big statement, and taking him out would send some of the other Stealth R Us members into a potential tailspin.
6. Reynold Toepfer – The brilliant thing about Reynold’s immunity idol right now is this: if Malcolm plays his cards right, he can warn him when the other Favorites say that they are planning to take him out. This is the best way to have an idol in your possession, but few times does it ever work out this effectively. If he uses this and goes on an immunity run, he could go pretty far. (After all, he does seem to be the master of random carnival games.)
5. Erik Reichenbach – He is a part of the guys’ alliance, and the good news is that he’s probably the least threatening of the bunch. The bad news? He has no immunity idol, and also no safety net since he doesn’t have much of an alliance away from this.
4. Malcolm Freberg – If someone gets Malcolm out early, it will be an Ozzy-level blindside and amazing to watch (even if we like the guy). He’s in a super-great position with multiple alliances and an immunity idol that only Corinne knows about, and if he can get to around final 7, he may be golden. It’ll be the next few weeks that are the tough part.
3. Andrea Boehlke – Andrea’s status in the game was bad early on, but it’s suddenly looking up. She’s got Phillip back around, some other friendly faces in Cochran and Dawn, and countless people who are bigger threats than she is. The best thing that Andrea can do is work from the shadows here and be aware of everything around her. If she plays her cards right, she could easily make it as far as she did last time.
2. Dawn Meehan – The same goes for Dawn here, since she suddenly now has the benefit of being with her original alliance. The only real problem she runs into? If the guys end up taking power, she’s so likable (and a pretty good competitor) that she could be labeled a huge threat.
1. John Cochran – Then, there’s Cochran. He said it pre-season that he brings nothing to the table, but he has done a very good job strategically thus far. Everyone seems to be underestimating him as a player, and while he’s probably not going to win any challenges, he has himself in a position now where he can pick and choose alliances, take people out, and will never really be targeted for it. We didn’t pick Cochran to win the game pre-season (that honor went instead to Brenda), but he certainly could do it.
Who do you think is in the best position now out of the remaining castaways? If you want to watch a preview for Wednesday night’s new “Survivor” episode, you can do so over at the link here.
Photo: CBS