The Rules: Each week, “Survivor: Nicaragua” finalist Matthew “Sash” Lenahan and XFINITY TV’s “Survivor” loudmouth Gordon Holmes will create separate power rankings. The ranking of the person who is voted out of the next episode will determine the number of points the two players will earn. For example, if David is voted out this week, Sash will receive 6 points and Gordon will receive 5 points. Also, each player will pick who they think will win at Redemption Island. If they choose correctly they will receive a bonus point. At the end of the season, the person  with the most points will be named the “Survivor: Redemption Island” Power Rankings Challenge Champion.

Last Week: Both Sash and I had Matt as the Redemption Island winner. He had Sarita in spot 11, I had her in spot 9. So, Sash added two points to his lead. The score is now Team Sash 76, Team Gordon 69.

Wanna Play? Last week, several “Survivor” fans posted their own Power Rankings on Twitter. Tag me (@gordonholmes) in your own Twitter Power Rankings, or post your picks in the comment section of this post. If you do better than I do, (which is highly likely) I’ll give you credit in my weekly recap.

TEAM SASH Current Score: 76	.	TEAM GORDON Current Score: 69
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#1 Andrea – Andrea has recovered incredibly since losing Matt and has a great shot at the end if she can align with the right people and play off both alliances.	.	#1 Natalie – Rule #1 of a merge seems to be to get rid of the other tribe’s most dangerous player. Natalie, that ain’t you.

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#2 Ashley – Ashley hasn’t needed to play the game yet.  I believe that if she gets in the zone, she could be unstoppable.	.	#2 Ashley – Ashley, that ain’t you either.

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#3 Natalie – The women of both tribes could be very powerful with the men fighting among themselves for a chance at the end.  As long as Natalie keeps tagging along, she’ll end up where most “Survivor” babes do.	.	#3  Andrea – With Matt potentially coming back into the game, Andrea has a ton of options. She’s going to go far.

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#4 Julie – Julie will be dreaming of what life could have been like if she would have joined forces with Russell.  Her only strategy now will be teaming with the girls…who are half her age.	.	#4 Julie – As the least offensive and least threatening member of the Brady Bunch, she’s going to be safe. And if Team Rob manages to get a numbers advantage, she’ll be the last Zapatatian to go home. She may even have some wiggle room.

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#5 Steve – Steve’s lack of gameplay and lack of physical ability during the challenges could be his only saving grace.  Funny how “Survivor” oftentimes rewards the underperformers in exactly this way.	.	#5 David – The merge came at just the right time for David. If Zapatera had lost again he’d have been out of options. David’s getting a second chance to be the strategic player we’d hoped he’d be.

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#6 David – “I don’t trust you, but I have no problem with you.”  That kind of language won’t get anyone far in this game, but if he can keep his ego in check, David could easily outlast most of his original tribe.	.	#6 Matt – There is no bigger swing vote than the guy who has spent the majority of the game away from strategic discussions.  Right now voting him out has been the biggest flaw in Rob’s game.

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#7 Phillip – The merge will save Phillip’s life in this game if he can play the swing vote properly.  Look for this Special Agent to surprise everyone by making a run for the end.	.	#7 Phillip – The merge is where the swing votes prosper. And as the least popular member of Ometepe, Phillip looks to prosper. And, I think he and Ralph have a sitcom future in front of them if they team up.

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#8 Mike – Mike should be the biggest target from the original Zapatera due to his ability to win challenges.  If the merged tribe allows him to go far, he could easily win this game.	.	#8 Steve – With two idols in play, things could get really confusing. If Phillip told Rob about Ralph’s idol, someone like Steve or Mike could be in serious trouble.

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#9 Grant – If Grant can last through the first post-merge tribal council, he could last all the way to the end.  His physical prowess could hurt him if he continues to dominate challenges though.	.	#9 Ralph - If Ometepe is going to vote based on challenge strength, Ralph is probably safe. If they vote based on who was annoying them with post-challenge rooster calls, he could be in trouble.

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#10 Matt – If Final Tribal Council was this week, Matt would win by a landslide.  Due to this, he will have difficulty at camp since everyone knows he could easily take them on like the Samurai Warrior he is.	.	#10 Boston Rob - I’m 99% sure Rob is safe. There’s no way he’d let himself be voted out while he still has an idol…right?

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#11 Ralph – Ralph is still holding tight to his idol and everyone knows it.  If he’s smart he’ll get rid of it quickly.  Is he smart?	.	#11 Grant – Will Boston Rob save Grant if given the opportunity? Not if Zapatera can rally some numbers (Phillip, Andrea, Matt) and it comes down to the two of them.

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#12 Boston Rob – Rob has carried his tribe into the merge with numbers and an idol that he won’t want to use.  Now that his tribemates have used him to make it this far, who will be carrying who?	.	#12 Mike - There is no way of knowing how this merge is going to shake out. All you can really do is rank the likely targets at the bottom of the rankings. Mike, you and Grant are probably viewed as the biggest threats.

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Redemption Island Winner – Since Sarita did not even remember to take her belongings from camp to Tribal Council where she was voted out, I have no doubt she will forget her game face on Redemption Island.	.	Redemption Island Winner – Bet against Matt? Can’t do it. What’ll be interesting is Matt could potentially be voted out of this game twice and still win the game.

Any questions? Drop me a line on Twitter at @gordonholmes.