Survivor Island of the Idols episode 8 power rankings: Officially dateable

2. Janet Carbin

Though Janet proved her capabilities in the first episode of Survivor: Island of the Idols, the edit has subtly been empowering her game ever since. In episode 2, she was the one who was bridging the gap between Kellee and Lauren to Tommy to pull off the massive blindside of Molly. She was then working to find Vokai’s next targets, as well as providing the only modicum of reasoning for why Tom Laidlaw was voted off.

She has proven herself in challenges, in voting strategy, and in navigating social lines while empowering women not as a mother figure, but as a natural-born leader. She exemplified the struggle women like her have had to go through when it comes to navigating social structures in and outside the game while doing her best not to rustle any feathers.

Since we’re out of the “gotta keep the tribe strong” gameplay, I can foresee Janet making it far beyond the merge. She can probably make it to the finale if she gets in with a good group, as she’ll be well protected. If she can turn down a guaranteed round of safety through Final Seven, knowing it will make her a bigger target from Final Six onward, you know she has both a great spot and a great mind for the game.