For the sake of continuity, I'll post how I rank the characters after episode 8 here also but it won't be fun without the traditional arguments with Aruba.

There is something strikingly missing from the story we were presented. By Christian’s look of utter surprise at Tribal Council when Davie played the idol for him then we have to figure it wasn’t planned. Then how did Christian know to vote for John? If Davie didn’t tell him anything then Christian and Nick would have naturally voted with Gabby and Carl, putting four votes on Angelina. With his lone vote, Davie could have eliminated John just as easily. Instead, the Davids executed a perfect split vote strategy against a majority who didn’t think it needed a Plan B.

Now that the three Davids that were part of the strike force know that they can’t trust Mike and even if their link to Alec and Alison isn’t necessarily broken, they could try to get on board with Angelina, Dan and Kara. Those three were bigger pre-merge characters than Alec and Alison so maybe it’s because they manage to outlast the trio that failed in their attempt at forming a cross-tribal alliance. It wouldn’t be easy to arrange but if the Davids could make those three realize how close to disaster they were then it’s not impossible.

11- Carl: Even his closest ally didn’t tell him about his secret idol so how can Carl make real inroads in the game? It’s as if he never recovered from being exiled, always a day late and a dollar short.

10- Kara: Her status in the Goliath tribe is equivalent to Carl’s with the Davids. She never expresses her ideas and it’s doubtful that her alliance would bother listening to her anyway. In a way, that makes her a prime candidate for another switch especially if that new alliance includes a majority of women.

9- Mike: We’ll never know for sure how things would have turned out for our filmmaker had he stayed with the Strike Force but we know that Mike gave up a dominant position in a secret alliance for a back row seat in a alliance where his voice is superfluous. Going forward, the Davids will not trust him and it’s possible that the other Goliaths will also distrust him when they learn how seriously he flirted with the other side. It seems that his chances at victory are done.

8- Alec: Let’s get this straight: First, he blindsided Kara and kept Elizabeth safe then, for his next move, he joined a new alliance that was part of blindsiding the first member of the jury to save Angelina. He then planned on eliminating Angelina only to go against his new alliance in an attempt to blindside Christian. Rarely has someone worked so hard at losing everyone’s trust so how far can he go?

7- Angelina: Does she think Tribal Council is for begging? First she begged for a jacket and this time she begged for an idol. Luckily for her, that second attempt worked much better. Now, she’s tied to the SWAT officer and she will probably soon learn that Dan and Kara are the only ones she can trust. If we look at the amount of airtime the editors have given her and Dan it stands to reason that this pair will outlast Alec and Alison who were marginal characters before the merger. How would they manage that if not by joining a new “Strike Force”? Could Angelina, Dan and Kara usurp Mike, Alison and Alec’s spot in the cross-tribal alliance? It’s possible but it’s even more likely that the four remaining women team up with a couple of guys to take over the game.

6- Allison: Can she recover from the mess created by Mike? She can always say that she was afraid of going against the Goliaths and made a huge mistake but will they believe her? Looking to hop on the right train to take her to the end she could realize that working with Gabby, Angelina and Kara is the best option.

5- Dan: Giving Angelina his idol was a brilliant move on many level. He showed he is a loyal player, he gained Angelina’s trust and he got rid of an idol that was putting a target on his back. Now, only Kara knows about his second idol and since she is bound to him forever...oh! wait. The fight between the two showmancers comes at an awful time for Dan. Would Kara want to put so much distance between herself and the SWAT Officer that she reveals his big secret? Right now, Dan is at a fork in the road and his game rests entirely on the decision he makes. Losing John is a bad news for Dan because he’s now the strongest guy out there and it will be hard to avoid becoming a target.

4- Davie: Saving Christian could put a target on Davie’s back but it certainly puts a strong play on his résumé. We saw that he was much closer to Nick than we had previously been shown so that could be a starting point for a new alliance. Will there be another idol put in play? If so, Davie certainly is the favorite to find it because he knows for what to look.

3- Christian: He brought up a point that way too many players forget: Managing your threat level. Even he didn’t do a good job of it; he advertised his puzzle skills right off the bat and showed how well he can bond with everyone around him. While the Strike Force seemed a great vessel to ride to the end, he will now have to rebuild a new alliance and most people are afraid of his chances of winning the game so they’ll join him only if they have the numbers to control him. He was shown powerless against Mike’s move and wasn’t even aware of what Davie was planning or so we were meant to believe. His vote seems to contradict that story line but will he have another guardian angel when he needs it?

2- Gabby: Mike was wrong about Davie and Carl’s abilities so could he also be wrong about Christian being the only person besides the Goliaths that is a strong player? Who could possibly surprise Mike the most? Gabby of course. We know she can get people on board with her so she could assemble an alliance of women, one that could include Christian and Nick to gain the numbers but eliminating them when the time is right. Something tells me that Gabby will be our Sole Survivor.

1- Nick: If I’m wrong about Gabby then the title should go to Nick who is even more solidly tied to everyone in the game than we knew. Alec risked blowing up his game to warn Nick of the new move. Davie gave up his idol to save his alliance with Nick and Christian. Nick is charming in his own way, a much more subtle way than Christian, a much less threatening way.

Booted - John: His complacency after the merger cost him the game. Had he kept his options with Christian open then he wouldn't have been the idols' victim but by restricting his game to only the Goliaths and making it clear by not talking strategy with any of the Davids, John became the obvious target.