Survivor 27: Pregame Power Rankings

This is my first season attempting to chronicle three months in the life of a Survivor fanatic. And with the premiere two days away, it’s time to begin with my first ever Power Rankings for Season 27! Here’s to hoping I am not completely wrong.

I do want to give one quick aside first—I didn’t really think much about how the Redemption Island twist will affect the game with loved one swapping in and out and switching tribes and all that. That would just be impossible. So these rankings are based on the tribes as they will be starting the game without imagining players being able to come back in, or swap out with other players, or switch tribes, or whatever other crazy twists they have going on. 

1. Vytas Baskauskas: That’s right, I am calling it now—a Baskauskas brother is going to win season 27. I think Vytas has a lot of the qualities that Aras had that helped him to get to the end. He is athletic and will be helpful to his tribe in challenges, and he also seems very personable. There will be much bigger targets than Vytas. And I also think he has a lot of other things going in his favor. He has mentioned overcoming a heroin addiction, and I think anyone who can go through something like that should be able to make it through the game of Survivor. I also think being a self-proclaimed flirt won’t hurt him either. Vytas will be easy to get along with, a hard worker, a great competitor, and someone you will feel good about voting for at the end.

2. Hayden Moss: I am a Big Brother fan. But it isn’t Hayden’s Big Brother success that makes me think he will be a good Survivor. Plenty of Big Brother greats would crash and burn if they were on the island. But not Hayden. Hayden is athletic, strategic, and a brilliant social player. He is going to get along with everyone, keep quiet and not make waves, and win immunity when he needs to. If Vytas doesn’t take the title, I wouldn’t be surprised if Hayden managed to win both of my favorite reality TV shows.

3. Aras Baskauskas: I will say now that I do not think a returnee will win Season 27. My money is on a loved one taking it all. But if any returning player is going to win (and if any winner other than the Queen is going to win twice) it will be Aras. I think Aras is a really underrated winner, which will really help his case. People tend to forget about Exile Island. It was fifteen seasons ago. It was in the middle of one of Survivor’s big experimental periods, so a lot of people really don’t rate Aras’ win high. That is unfortunate for them—since Aras could easily play another quiet, strategic game, winning challenges when needed, and find himself sitting in the final three.

4. Rachel Foulger: People are ranking Rachel so low, and I am not sure why. Yes, she seemed more Team Tyson then Team Rachel during her interviews. But I think when she is separated from Tyson we will see a whole different Rachel. She may be one of the players who floats through the game by sticking to strong allies, but there is nothing wrong with that. I think Rachel will be one of the better female challenge competitors on the loved ones tribe, which will get her through to the merge. She will be able to make an alliance on her original tribe, which will only make her stronger when she is reunited (hopefully) with Tyson and whatever alliances he has made at the merge.

5.  Gervase Peterson: I am so excited to see Gervase return 26 seasons later to the game that he helped begin. And I think that even with the changes the show has been through in the last 13 years, Gervase will be able to play a decent game. I think the fact that it’s been so long since he played we make him so much less of a target than other returnees. No one will think Gervase can win—maybe he can’t—but this fact will get him close to the end of the game. Closer than he did back on Pagong.

6. Caleb Bankston: So, I am not a fan of Colton. (Who is?) And I guess opposites attract, because I really like Caleb. He just seems like a good ol’ farm boy. His reason for being on Survivor is “showing America how farm boys from Alabama do things.” He seems laid back, calm, and collected. He seems like he will be good at things around camp, which is always a plus. If you can make fire, and catch fish, and are willing to be a worker bee this will get you further in the game. Being separated from Colton will be a huge plus for Caleb’s game, and the fact that I highly doubt they will be reunited will make him much more likely to make it further in the game.

7. Laura Morett: Laura makes it this far in the game not because she is a brilliant player, but because she is not seen as a threat. She talks a lot about wanting to play this game with her daughter, but I do not think she is going to have the chance, as I think Ciera will be voted out pretty early on. This will make Laura a free agent, a useful swing vote, and basically just a player that can float along until she makes the jury.

8. John Cody: Dr. John could have easily been a lot higher on my list, but I guess I just need to see a little more from him first. It’s clear that he is very smart, and I think he is another loved one who will really benefit from not having to play with his partner. And I think he is competitive enough that he will not let something like Candice getting booted somewhat early affect his game negatively.

John Cody.

9. Tyson Apostol: I think Tyson can go one of two ways—he forms a strong alliance, doesn’t do anything dumb, and makes it far, or he annoys a lot of people and goes out early. I am leaning toward the former though. I am pretty sure the people that annoy Tyson will also annoy the rest of the tribe, so he won’t be going against the majority. Also, Tyson is a great challenge competitor. If I was taking Redemption Island into account, I’d have Tyson much higher, as I think he could pull an Ozzy and basically get through the whole season out there.

10. Tina Wesson: Tina is not going to win Survivor again, but she isn’t going to be the first boot either. No one is going to be targeting winners like they were in All Stars, and I think Tina will be able to make a decent alliance on the returnees tribe which will get her pretty far in the game. Of course, everyone saw what happened to Colby in Australia, and no one is going to let that happen again. Tina’s alliance will only get her so far.

11.  Brad Culpepper: Brad is going to do well on the loved ones tribe, mainly because he is going to excel at challenges. This will also be part of his downfall, as people will want to vote him out before the merge when he will become an individual immunity threat. He won’t have any alliances that are strong enough to keep him any further in the game, out of the fear that he will abandon any alliance once he is reunited with Monica. Everyone is going to want to get back with their loved one, but there is a way to do that without completely screwing your original alliance. Brad will not be able to do this.

12. Katie Collins: I think Katie is going to be a surprise in this competition and get farther than most people expect. I don’t really know how to put it into words—it’s just a feeling that I get. She may not make it to the merge, but she is going to outlast the other young girls on the loved ones tribe.

13. Monica Culpepper: I haven’t watched One World in awhile, and Monica isn’t really part of any of my memories of the show. The obvious truth is that Monica was only cast because her husband is an ex-NFL player, and nothing else. She was the fifth person voted out on her season, and clearly not memorable enough for me to even recall anything she did. So Monica will float along for awhile because there are bigger targets, and tribe members that are more annoying. But that’s it.

14. Kat Edorsson: I think Kat is probably a sweet girl. But all the “life experience” everyone talked about, that Kat didn’t have the first time around? I still don’t think she has it. If she maybe waited five years before playing again, I think she could be a decent player. But not yet. My guess is that she comes in playing too hard, too fast, trying to over-correct from how she played during One World. This is only going to get her an early boot.

15.  Candice Cody: The fact that Candice was asked to play Survivor a second time baffled me. So imagine my shock when I heard I was going to get to see her for a third time this fall. Candice is not good at making alliances, and she is definitely not good at sticking with them. (The mutiny in Cook Islands, anyone? Turning against her tribe in Heroes vs. Villains?) I am pretty sure Candice’s reputation precedes her, and no one is going to trust her for a second during this game. Plus, I think she is going to have a similar problem to Kat and come in guns blazing to make up for her two previous performances. Unfortunately, this is not going to work.

NOT John Cody.

16. Ciera Eastin: Ciera was crying in her pre-game interview about missing her family. Let’s just hope she gets voted out early enough that we don’t have another Kathy Sleckman-esque situation on our hands. I don’t think she will do well in challenges, and I don’t think she is going to be able to form any bonds with the people on her tribe. I could be totally wrong on this, since Jeff Probst said they basically cast Laura for Ciera, but I just don’t see it.

17. Rupert Boneham: The only reason Rupert isn’t my pick for first returnee boot is Colton. I think fans are sick of Rupert, and other Survivor players are sick of Rupert. He was entertaining back on Pearl Islands, but 20 seasons later this is getting a little ridiculous. No one should play Survivor four times.

18.  Marissa Peterson: I don’t think Marissa really knows or cares much about Survivor. I think she is a recent college grad who was asked to do the show by a family member she is probably not even that close to. Overall I think she will be unprepared for how tough it actually is out there, and is likely to be the first person actually voted out of the loved ones tribe at tribal council.

19.  Laura Boneham: Laura is going to fall victim to the Curse of Rupert. People are sick of him, so be default they are also sick of Laura. She’s actually been on more seasons of Survivor than most of these returnees. When the loved ones tribe has to vote someone out right off the bat, I can’t imagine it being anyone other than Laura.

20. Colton Cumbie: Along the same lines as Laura, when the returnees have to vote someone out right off the bat, I can’t imagine it being anyone other than Colton. Which is kind of unfortunate. Colton said a lot of awful things during One World, and he didn’t play the game in a way that could ever end with him winning. But Colton is a kid. I think watching himself on the show really taught him something, and he might have learned from his mistakes. He might have grown up a little. But I don’t think we are ever going to get a chance to really see Colton 2.0.  

So that’s that—my pregame rankings. Am I right? Wrong? Does Rupert still have fans out there? Am I biased toward the Baskauskas brothers due to my major crush on Aras?

I guess we will see on Wednesday!