Survivor Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers: Power rankings after episode 1

11. Roark Luskin (Healers)

Roark was another player that fell into the Simone and Lauren category of not being seen all that much in the first episode of season 35. Having said that, the fact that she’s on the healers tribe right now works in her favor as far as these power rankings go. Whereas the Hustlers already are forming clear alliances, that’s not as much the case when it comes to the Healers. The only thing that’s apparent is that Joe and Mike aren’t going to be pals. Outside of that, it all seems fluid.

10. J.P. Hilsabeck (Heroes)

Viewers got to see all of J.P. in the season 35 premiere, blurred out box and all. He had nothing to hide from Alan, despite his tribe-mate’s insistence, so he showed him. With that being said, his alliance with Ashley worries me. I have no doubt that he wants to get rid of Alan, but he also seems much more calculated than the woman he’s in an alliance is about it. There’s a chance that her newfound vendetta could bring him down in the process.

9. Desi Williams (Healers)

Another player in the category of “didn’t get much screen time”, but Desi did get a bit more than everyone else. When the Healers arrived at camp, she was given a confessional and talked about the need for communication and how their distinction as Healers set them up for success in that department. It was a just an observation, but an astute one nonetheless. We’ll hope to see more from her, but we’ll just slot her in the middle and say our brief time with her was favorable.

8. Joe Mena (Healers)

From the way he talked in the preseason, we knew that Joe was going to pull no punches right out of the gate. If someone compare themselves to Tony Vlachos, that’s what you expect to happen. However, Joe may have come in a little too hot, especially in how he approached Mike about hunting for idols as that could easily be construed as bullying. With that said, he calmed down and seemed amicable enough after that to further increase his potential as a villain. So perhaps he has some longer legs than the incident with Mike would indicate. For now, in the middle of the power rankings feels like the right spot.

7. Ben Driebergen (Heroes)

It would be accurate to say that Ben got unwillingly thrust into a tricky situation right out of the gate. When the Levu tribe got to camp, he formed a first-day alliance with Alan. Little did he know that the

strip search enthusiast

former NFL player would cause major division within the tribe. However, the preview showed him seemingly rebounding after that, forming a new alliance with Chrissy. If he can do that and distance himself from Alan, that puts him in a solid position.

6. Ali Elliott (Hustlers)

There’s no question that Ali defined the characteristic of her tribe right from the jump. When Probst asked her about what she does, her answer was an elongated version of “everything and anything that’s asked of me.” That’s a nice answer to introduce her character, and she came out of the gates strong. Forming an alliance with Patrick seems like a smart choice on her part. We’ll have to see where that leads, but it’s a strong first impression of her.