Survivor season 35 power rankings after episode 12

#4. Mike Zahalsky

The biggest problem with Mike is that he’s shown too often that, much like Charlie Day’s character in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, he’s a wildcard. Ever since he “hold my beer”-ed the dumbest Tribal Council move in recent late-game memory, he’s been getting on the nerves of everyone in the tribe, whether it’s engaging in obnoxious banter or blurting every secret in the game.

Seriously, Mike must have absorbed Cole’s secret-whispering superpowers once he was voted out, as he’s just feeding information to everyone and playing the role of a voting number for whoever wants him. Even though he voted for Ben in the most recent episode, his social skills allow him to stay in the game one week longer due to others being bigger threats.

It’s not a winning strategy by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s the position Dr. Mike has been put in, and he’s adopted it very well. There are no brakes on his crazy train, and nobody’s daring enough to try to stop it just yet.