Survivor Winners at War episode 7 power rankings: New school

10. Tony Vlachos

Last week, I wrote about the possibility that Tony Vlachos could have faced an advantagegedon and be eliminated by default. While that didn’t happen, the very fact that it could have ruined the games of many and the legacy of one of the greats showcases a fundamental flaw with the advantage-heavy leaning of the modern game.

On the other hand, it’s not like Tony wouldn’t have added to his own demise after bringing back the spy shack, having gone missing for quite some time in hopes of listening in on some conversations.

9. Denise Stapley

Look, I am going to give Denise all the respect in the world for making one of the biggest moves in Survivor history. For her to take out Sandra Diaz-Twine with her own idol and bargaining with a “one fire token now, one later” move that actually worked showed gusto. To do it without letting anyone know she had the potential to make a big swing (including her closest ally on the tribe) is legendary.

The problem is the entire tribe was willing to continue forward without her, and playing two idols in such a substantive way raises her threat level way too high almost immediately. With few allies in the game, she could be targeted now or, if she moves forward, she doesn’t have much control across the other 11 players in the game.