Episode 8 · Power brief
Jason wins safety. Rome leaves 12–1.
Jason wins the Blockbuster and steps out of danger. Melody stays beside Rome, Taylor casts the only vote against her, and the other twelve voters send Rome home. The Toolshed gets its result even as two members privately want the alliance weakened.
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Power snapshot
Terminal: Ashley remains terminal at 7. Rome becomes terminal at 8. Both are excluded from the active ranking.
The Blockbuster leaves Melody and Rome as the final nominees.
Taylor votes to evict Melody. Every other voter chooses Rome.
Devens gets the result he wants, then loses the authority attached to HOH and the veto.
Episode action sequence
A safety win settles the matchup. The house settles the vote.
- 1Three enter the Blockbuster
Jason · Melody · Rome
- 2Jason wins safety
He leaves the nominee group
- 3Melody faces Rome
Thirteen voters decide between them
- 4Taylor votes against Melody
The other twelve voters choose Rome
- 5Rome leaves
Week 2 authority and safety expire
What changes
Devens gets the eviction result, then gives up the office behind it.
His Legitimate Power falls 4 → 2 and Coercive Power falls 4 → 1 when the HOH cycle ends. The result remains. The nomination and veto authority do not.
The vote beneath the vote
The Toolshed finishes the plan. Its internal split remains.
- The coalition holds the numbersTwelve voters evict Rome
- Lyric follows throughHer vote matches the obligation she names in Episode 7
- Drew and Barrett complyBoth still want the Toolshed weakened
- Rome’s close ties fall shortPersonal loyalty does not become broad protection
The alliance proves it can complete a week without proving that every member wants it to last. Rome keeps real attachments, but the wider house gives those relationships almost no voting force.
Claim stop: Episode 8 records the completed vote and the end of Week 2. It stops before the next HOH competition or any later consequence of Taylor’s dissent.
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Where this Episode sits in the season
The frame stays consistent. The values show only what is established through Episode 8.The backdoor works, while private resistance keeps the alliance’s durability uncertain.
He remains first without the rule-backed authority that raises him to 20.
Her behavior matches the exchange; majority pressure remains another explanation.
The dissent is visible. Its effect on Taylor’s position remains open.
The people inside the numbers
Players in this Power story
Featured cards are limited to the strongest Episode-level Power changes, uses, responses, or closures.
Outgoing HOH · Rank 1
Rick Devens
Macon, Georgia · Father and former news anchor · Survivor 38 and 50
Devens gets Rome out, then loses the authority that put Rome up.
His Power rises to 20 with the Episode 6 HOH and veto. Episode 8 closes that office at 15, leaving the relationships, obligations, and information that survive the week.
Power profile
- Legitimate
- 2
- Reward
- 3
- Coercive
- 1
- Expert
- 2
- Referent
- 3
- Informational
- 4
Season Power
Episode checkpoints- Start
- 9
- Peak
- 20
- Current
- 15
- Episodes 1–2 · Holds at 9
- Episodes 6–7 · Peaks at 20
- Episode 8 · Settles at 15
- Episode position
- Outgoing HOH watching the replacement nomination reach the vote.
- What they do
- Gets the Rome eviction he prefers after using the veto to create the matchup.
- Result
- Rome leaves. The HOH and veto authority that structure the week expire.
- Power change
- Total Power falls 20 → 15. Legitimate moves 4 → 2 and Coercive moves 4 → 1.
Safe · Rank 9
Jason De Puy
35 · West Hollywood, California · Drag queen · RuPaul’s Drag Race 15 and All Stars 11
Jason wins safety.
His Power falls to 8 during the first week, then returns to 11 when one relationship repairs in Episode 6. The Episode 8 win changes his safety, not his six-source profile.
Power profile
- Legitimate
- 2
- Reward
- 2
- Coercive
- 1
- Expert
- 2
- Referent
- 2
- Informational
- 2
Season Power
Episode checkpoints- Start
- 9
- Peak
- 11
- Current
- 11
- Episodes 4–5 · Falls to 8
- Episode 6 · Returns to 11
- Episode 8 · Holds at 11
- Episode position
- Final nominee competing for Blockbuster safety.
- What they do
- Wins the Blockbuster and removes himself from the eviction vote.
- Result
- Melody and Rome become the final matchup. Jason’s temporary Safety Lock expires when the week closes.
- Power change
- Total Power holds at 11. The competition win grants safety without automatically changing Expert or Referent Power.
Active · Rank 2
Lyric Medeiros
25 · Honolulu, Hawaii · Attorney
Lyric casts the vote she tells Devens he is owed.
Her Power reaches 13 when the Episode 7 veto pitch works. Episode 8 supplies the next response: she votes for Devens’s preferred result, though the house majority points the same way.
Power profile
- Legitimate
- 2
- Reward
- 2
- Coercive
- 1
- Expert
- 2
- Referent
- 3
- Informational
- 3
Season Power
Episode checkpoints- Start
- 9
- Peak
- 13
- Current
- 13
- Episodes 1–2 · Holds at 9
- Episode 5 · Reaches 12
- Episodes 7–8 · Holds at 13
- Episode position
- Safe voter carrying a stated obligation to Devens.
- What they do
- Votes to evict Rome, the result Devens wants after saving her with the veto.
- Result
- Her behavior fits the exchange. The 12–1 majority keeps reciprocity from becoming the only explanation.
- Power change
- Total Power holds at 13. The vote supports the existing benefit-to-obligation pathway without adding a new threshold.
Active · Rank 9
Taylor Brown
27 · Deerfield Beach, Florida · Elementary school counselor
Taylor casts the only vote that breaks from the house.
Taylor reaches 11 when her information access grows in Episode 3 and holds there through Episode 8. The lone vote is visible, but the cutoff does not show who knows or how anyone responds.
Power profile
- Legitimate
- 1
- Reward
- 1
- Coercive
- 1
- Expert
- 2
- Referent
- 3
- Informational
- 3
Season Power
Episode checkpoints- Start
- 9
- Peak
- 11
- Current
- 11
- Episodes 1–2 · Holds at 9
- Episode 3 · Reaches 11
- Episode 8 · Holds at 11
- Episode position
- Voter holding the minority position in the final matchup.
- What they do
- Votes to evict Melody while the other twelve voters choose Rome.
- Result
- The vote becomes the Episode’s lone dissent. Its later attribution and cost remain outside the boundary.
- Power change
- Total Power holds at 11. Casting a different vote does not by itself establish control over another player.
Evicted · Terminal at 8
Rome Seymour
28 · Delray Beach, Florida · Pickleball coach
Only Taylor votes to keep Rome.
Rome peaks at 11 in Episode 3. His information and broad relationship position erode across the next four Episodes, leaving an 8-point terminal profile when the house votes him out.
Power profile
- Legitimate
- 1
- Reward
- 1
- Coercive
- 1
- Expert
- 2
- Referent
- 2
- Informational
- 1
Season Power
Episode checkpoints- Start
- 9
- Peak
- 11
- Final
- 8
- Episode 3 · Peaks at 11
- Episode 7 · Falls to 8
- Episode 8 · Terminal at 8
- Episode position
- Final nominee beside Melody after Jason wins safety.
- What they do
- Faces the vote after the broad campaign fails to overcome the backdoor plan.
- Result
- Taylor votes against Melody. The other twelve voters evict Rome.
- Power change
- Total Power stays at 8 and becomes terminal. Eviction preserves the last measured profile rather than setting it to zero.
Cast details: Paramount+ official Season 28 cast guide. Official cast portraits: Evan Mulling / CBS. Episode analysis: S28E08 Technical Episode Report v1.
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