‘Survivor: Kaoh Rong’ episode 7 rankings: Merge time = chaos
Wednesday night’s new episode of “Survivor: Kaoh Rong” is going to be a wild one. How else do you describe merge time? This is when big moves are made, new lines are drawn, and our head starts spinning trying to figure out everything that happens. This is one of those episodes we really wish was longer than an hour most seasons.
With us at the merge, we’re now moving all of our rankings into a single article. We’re basing these from here on out on everything from edit, screen time, strategy, challenge ability, and overall threat level; we’re sort of ruling out “effectiveness around camp” as a criteria now, since lazy people are in some ways good people to drag to the end.
11. Nick Maiorano – When you think about the edit and also the social game, Nick has “merge boot” written all over him. We haven’t seen too much of his character, but based on everything we’ve seen, he is being set up for a major fall with his arrogance. We actually think he may have good ideas, but he lacks the deft touch needed to deliver them. He’s an easier boot that could bring many people together for at least one week, especially since he’ll be considered a physical and strategic threat.
10. Joe Del Campo – This is where things start to get a little bit trickier, since there’s no clear-cut target of the remaining players. We worry about Joe for two reasons: We don’t know how that head injury he got in this past challenge is going to hold up, and he’s also more of an old-school player. If he acts like there are no immunity idols, he probably doesn’t have one … which could make him an easy target for the Beauty and Brawn.
9. Neal Gottlieb – We’re probably not giving Neal enough credit, since he’s been great in puzzle challenges so far, seems incredibly sharp, and also has an immunity idol. This is a ranking based almost entirely on edit so far. We didn’t even see him in this past episode, and he doesn’t have much of a consistent narrative. These are the sort of things that do not a winner make.
8. Kyle Jason – If this was a ranking if people likely to make it to the final three and win, we imagine that we’d have Kyle much higher on this list. The issue here to us is that we don’t know many situations where he can get the votes. It doesn’t seem like Debbie cares for him based on what we’ve seen, he can be very abrasive, and ultimately we could see him being a blindside target. We think he’s going to last for a while still, but he’s going to have to prove he can manage a jury.
7. Scot Pollard – Scot’s dilemma is a little bit different. We do think that he has done a better job of making friends than Jason (see Tai and Julia, presumably), and that could make him less of an immediate target there. Also, there’s a perception that he is beatable at the end because of his success in life today. This is interesting to watch, since conversely there’s also the words “physical threat” floating invisibly above his head.
6. Julia Sokolowski – Julia was impressive in how she was able to endear herself to the Gondol tribe after she arrived, and also how quickly she adjusted despite her close ally in Anna being voted out. While we do think she’s going to need a few big moves to sell herself as a winner, it’s feasible.
5. Michele Fitzgerald – We feel roughly the same way about Michele, and we think that the show really wanted us to think she’s a power player based on her reaction in confessional to some of Nick’s treatment of her. She’s been a little bit under the radar so far, but shouldn’t be a target for a while and will get to link up with Julia once again now.
4. Aubry Bracco – Was it the right move for Aubry to vote out Peter? Absolutely, since we would never force a tie vote entering the merge. Sure, her execution could have been better, but she strikes us as the sort of person who can scramble if she really needs to and find some ways to stay alive. We’re excited to see how she functions in a merge.
3. Tai Trang – Tai’s in a super-curious spot now. He’s got the former Beauty tribe members out there, but he’s also close to Scot and by association, may be able to link up with Jason and Cydney. We’re super-worried that he’s simply too likable for his own good and could be voted out of the game in a few weeks, but as of now you have to think that he wins hands-down if he makes it to the end of the game.
2. Debbie Wanner – Who would’ve thought pre-game that Debbie would be such a force? She’s quirky, but the right side of quirky. She’s able to disarm players with her antics and then come in and make moves. Everyone seems to like her, and she’s got a lot of people who want to work with her at present. These sort of things could go a long way if things ebb and flow in the game.
1. Cydney Gillon – In this game, the biggest thing you want to have is flexibility, and Cydney’s got that and then some. She’s someone who is under the radar despite being a physical threat, and she’s done a good job making many friends. Her Brawn buddies will go before her, and Debbie also seems to like her. She could easily bust out her education in the final tribal council and get a ton of votes.
Now, we turn this over to you. Vote below who you think is in the best spot, and head over here to get a preview for Wednesday’s episode! Also, sign up over here to get some other TV news on everything we cover, sent right over to you via our official CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: CBS.)