Survivor 51 unleashed yet another twist on its castaways, turning two tribes into five. Wednesday’s swap has shaken the game up in dramatic fashion. Players that were once on the outs are now in positions of power, and vice versa. As we hurdle closer towards the merge, now is the time where winner candidates begin sepearating themselves from the rest of the pack.
After this week’s fourth episode, titled “That’s the Magic of Survivor”, which names should fans be keeping an eye on going forward? Let’s take a look at who helped, or hurt, their chances at winning Survivor 51.
Survivor Power Rankings
- 1. Kristin
- 2. Sharonda
- 3. Linnea
- 4. Thien An
- 5. Carter
- 6. Jelly
- 7. Ori
- 8. Lewis
- 9. Devin
- 10. Brady
- 11. Maggie
- 12. Kilby
- 13. Christian
- 14. Mike
- 15. Alexis
- 16. Eric
- Jenna – Eliminated
- Patt – Eliminated
- Rob – Quit
- Ana – Eliminated
- Aaliyah – Eliminated
Biggest Risers
Jelly
I don’t think there’s a more difficult player to assess than Jelly. In some aspects, she’s playing a poor game. Her first two votes on Toka were a disaster, placing her in an undesirable alliance alongside Devin. To make matters worse, Jelly seemed so confident both times before voting incorrectly at tribal council. It’s only natural to wonder if her view of the game is way off base. Not exactly a promising start for her long-term viability in Fiji. As previously mentioned, associating one’s self with a chaotic player such as Devin seems like a losing bet as well.
With that being said, Jelly also has a few things going in her favor. For starters, she’s in possession of a hidden immunity idol. Even better, no other player left in the game is aware of her advantage. To boot, this week’s tribe swap onto Savu reunited her and Devin with Helicopter Alliance member Ori. The three then decided to boot Jenna, a longtime target on old Toka. As things stand, this trio has a wide-open path towards the merge. If anyone decides to go after their alliance, it’s unlikely Jelly would be the primary target either. It hasn’t always been pretty this season, but Jelly finds herself in an enviable spot right now.
Thien An
One of the more underrated gamers on Survivor 51, we’ve been getting more confessional time with Thien An over the past few weeks. Where that storyline is heading remains a question only the show’s editors can answer. Regardless, she’s in the drivers seat on new Toka at the moment. Her new tribe looks a lot like the old one; Brady, Carter, Mike and Maggie are all on the beach alongside former Savu member Kristin. Two of those players (Carter and Maggie) voted with Thien An to send Patt home back in Episode 3. It’s only logical to assume they’ll continue working together.
Much of Thien An’s plot is centered around a slightly one-sided feud with Mike. She sees the MLB executive as a phony, and for good reason. After voting incorrectly last tribal, he came to her and Maggie to discuss working together in the future. It’s a very PR-coded attempt at networking, one that’s fallen flat with both castaways. One can’t help but think Thien An will be driving a Mike vote if/when new Toka does end up going to tribal council. If that plan goes smoothly, she’ll be entrenched even further with the current majority alliance.
Biggest Fallers
Kilby
It would be too easy to dunk on Eric yet again, so let’s dive into his newest ally. Kilby has had quite the roller coaster of a season, just barely avoiding elimination in Episode 3. His feud with Devin has been entertaining, to say the least. Just when it appeared he was in a good spot on Toka, our tribes got split into groups of three. Much to Kilby’s dismay, he and Lewis look like the odd men out on the brand-new Dina tribe. Keep in mind, Devin got to share his side of this ongoing rivalry when he visited Savu last week.
In Survivor, sometimes you need to be careful what you wish for. In his effort to find a ‘crack’ in the dominant old Savu alliance, Kilby made inroads with Eric. It appears he may have done too good of a job. The pair, referring to themselves as the “Lover Boys”, took less than one day to form a strong bond. However, Eric isn’t the type of player to operate discretely. His over the top admiration for Kilby has drawn plenty of attention. Power brokers such as Linnea and Sharonda aren’t blind; any threat to their stranglehold on Dina needs to be taken care of. If Kilby isn’t careful, Eric might tank his game before the merge.
Alexis
No player came closer to walking out the door this week than Alexis. Savu’s terrible performance during this week’s immunity challenge forced the five-person tribe into an early vote. It was Jenna who ended up going home, an untimely victim of Devin’s paranoia. In many ways, this occurred in spite of Alexis; she was eager to share some gossip with her fellow outsider prior to Episode 4’s challenge. In addition, Alexis referred to the Helicopter Alliance as the “cool kids in school.”
Part of what makes Alexis’ game so concerning is that it’s unclear if she has any strong allies. Her efforts to work alongside Ori are falling flat, and there aren’t any other real options to choose from on Savu. Alexis’ 15th-place ranking is primarily due to the fact that if her tribe loses once again, she’s a near-lock to get voted out. Barring a hidden immunity idol or some other kind of advantage, there are no real pathways for Alexis to flip this vote. On such a small tribe, that’s a precarious spot to be in.
Survivor 51 FAQ
When does Survivor 51 Episode 5 Come Out?
The fifth episode of Survivor 51 comes out on Wednesday, October 21st, at 8 p.m. ET. Episodes will air every Wednesday night at 8 p.m. ET for the remainder of the season.
Where can I watch Survivor 51 Episode 5?
Survivor 51 Episode 5 will air live on CBS. It will then be available to stream on Paramount+.
