Updated Pre-Merge Survivor 45 Power Rankings

I'm back! Right in time for the merge. When I last wrote about my power rankings, it was right before the first tribe swap in the new era - likely dictated by how poorly the Lulu tribe performed in the first handful of challenges. Tonight, the tribes are all about to merge - and things are really interesting. Below are a few thoughts on where I see the players fitting in at this point. 

Evicted Thus Far:

18. Hannah (quit)

17. Brandon

16. Sabiyah

15. Sean (quit) 

14. Brando 

Still in the Game: 

13. Sifu - Sifu's standing with the Reba women is very low, as they would have voted him out if not for Sean quitting. That, coupled with his brash personality and no strong relationships leaves him at the bottom of who's left in the game. 

12. J. Maya - Not much has changed for J. Maya. She took some of the brunt of the one errant vote for Sifu, but it's clear she's on the bottom of the Reba women and seems to have no strong bonds. Not being perceived as a threat may have her float a little farther in the game, but unless something drastically changes I don't think she's made enough of an impact in any direction. Her involvement in the amulet advantage will likely not help her either. The fact that the amulets become more powerful when there are less in the game means I would've stayed far the hell away from the amulets. You're basically painting a target on your back if you aren't already in a strong position. 

11. Bruce - Not only does Bruce continue to annoy Katurah, but Kaleb is slowly finding his way on the anti-Bruce train as well. He is both ridiculously silly and aggressively bossy, a poor combination which is going to be the end of his life in this game. 

10. Kendra - Will Kendra be able to find her way back to Kellie and Katurah and reform their strong bond or have the cards all flown into the wind at this point? Her shock at Brando's ouster was palpable, but the merge may very well save her game. For now. 

9. Kaleb - I continue to feel that everything that makes Kaleb so great at this game - and so fun to watch on TV - will be his downfall. Once the merge settles everyone will be aware of how big of a threat Kaleb is, and unless he has a lot of tricks up his sleeve (which is possible!) and his relationships with both Emily and Katurah prove fruitful down the line, I (sadly) don't see him making the endgame. 

8. Kellie - Kellie's personality and gameplay continues to come in sharper focus, and there's no doubt that she's incredibly smart, thoughtful, and observant, all while being able to delicately balance social bonds. When they asked her to sit out of the competition, even though she looked sad, she smartly said that she'll do whatever she has to do for the best of the tribe. Plus... her, Austin, and J. Maya now have the 3 part amulet advantage and I expect this will help Kellie more than it does J. Maya, at least. 

7. Drew - Drew's social game has seen a few flaws, but I still think he (alongside Austin, Julie, and Dee) may very well end up as the power alliance that runs the majority of this game. Will he be able to cut his allies before they cut him? We'll see. 

6. Austin - See everything I wrote about Drew and then couple that with Austin being better at challenges. 

5. Jake - As we continue to find out more about Jake's weight loss and his personal journey, the more charming and interesting I find him. His social game is strong, he's physical enough, and he seems well positioned in a lot of directions. He's not (outwardly) a big enough threat to go early after the merge. Thus, the question becomes: are his social and strategic games sharp enough to get him over the final hurdle? It's very possible. I think Jake still has a lot to show us. And everyone likes him. 

4. Katurah - Katurah has had a few bumps in her gameplay and made a few mistakes, but her social bonds, her strategic wit, and her intelligence continue to serve her well. 

3. Emily - With every passing episode, Emily continues to impress me more and more. Which could also make for a very convincing final tribal council - if she gets there. She has strong bonds with Kaleb AND with Austin and Drew (all of whom are power players in their own right) and despite initially coming off as too brash or aggressive, she's actually proven to have a sharp social game and the ability to adjust as needed. I think a lot of other players will be fighting to continue to have Emily on their side and in many ways Emily will be able to choose her own path in this game. 

2. Dee - The only reason I am bumping Dee down to the 2nd spot is when Sean basically decided to quit via forced vote out, she still wrote Sifu's name down. Do I think this is going to have an impact on her overall game? No. She  recovered from it quite well, which was impressive. But it was a blunder, and Dee isn't perfect. But she's still awesome and playing a fantastic game with great social bonds. The sky is the limit. 

1. Julie - Julie has so much going on for her and continues to play a sharp and thoughtful game. If the Reba 4 stick together - which I suspect they will - I think her and Dee are in the best position to win. Maybe it'll come down to fire between the 2 of them. Maybe I'm reading the tea leaves incredibly incorrectly. But with episode 6 about to air and the 2nd half of the game about to take shape, Julie gets my number 1 spot. 

I'll be back after a few more episodes have aired to update my thinking.