Vanua - Aka Millenials
Adam Kline - Really not a fan of him. He seems too arrogant, that he knows everything, and thinks his social game is too on point. He claims to be like Spencer, which I think is a bigggggg problem. It's one thing to actually be like Spencer. He's socially awkward, and lacks a lot, that makes him less threatening. But as Adam himself says, he claims to be the "life of the party" which is contrarian to what he actually said. He strikes me as a person who thinks he's smarter than he actually is. He could be an early boot for several reasons. He could be booted for said arrogance, but he also claims his mom or something has Stage 4 Lung Cancer. It's a long shot, but he could end up leaving the game for much the same reasons as Terry in Cambodia, because a loved one needs him. And if anyone is important enough to him for him to leave, it's his mom, who he lists as his hero. In any case, we hope that's not what happens. I'm not huge on him as a character though, and think he's an early boot.
Hannah Shapiro - I'm getting a kind of more confident Aubry vibe from her. She's a strange person, with a strange mindset, who is very awkward. But she seems more confident about her game right off the bat. She talks about disarming people with her goofiness, which seems to say she's willing to take a hit in order to progress in the game. By appearing less threatening, she can sneak by in the game, provided she doesn't annoy anyone. She's a fan of John Cochran, which tells me she is going to have one of two fates in this game. She's going to dramatically overplay her hand, misplay things BECAUSE she's too confident in herself, and go out relatively early, or she's going to be a surprise threat, and make it to, or close to, the end. I like her a lot, so I'll tentatively say she goes late.
Jessica "Figgy" Figueroa - I don't think she's all that great. She seems very full of herself, and isn't very well spoken to back it all up. So she seems kind of dumb, and likely to piss people off. She at least realizes she can be annoying, which is nice, but she then follows it by putting in a pointless comment about how if she finds a husband (because she's single!) that she's not paying for a ring with her millions or whatever. She strikes me as a person who is going to fight a lot, and be on the outside. If the Millenials lose early she could be either the first boot or one of them. If she makes it to the merge, she's going to be a goat, probably. I like that the person she says she's most like is Stephanie LaGrossa. We haven't seen her in a while, but she was an underrated player. So maybe she's not as big a moron as we think. Oh wait, she's dramatically underestimating the toughness of Survivor. Never mind. Even though they are in a more hospitable environment than last season. Think she's likely an early boot. Hopefully.
Justin "Jay" Starrett - He seems like a less arrogant, nicer version of Nick from last season. He's the type of person who should be a life coach, when he grows up more. I think he's going to do well in the game, provided he doesn't show all his cards. He's kind of a dude-bro, but in a season where there are 9 other people very much like him, I think he'll blend in a bit more. If there's an early swap with Gen X, and he finds himself in the minority, he could be in trouble, as he seems the type of person that they'd want to get rid of. One major knock against him is that he says he's like Russell Hantz. NO NO NO. You do not say that unless you want to be a goat or an early victim. Russell Hantz is a terrible player, but then he turns around and also says Woo Hwang, who literally gave away a million dollars. This speaks to me that he's dumb, and has no idea what kind of players win Survivor. I'm predicting he's an early merge boot.
Mari Takahashi - I actually like her a lot, but part of that is that I knew of her before Survivor, so I have a vested rooting interest. She's pretty. Anyway, she was once a ballerina, and I think that benefits her HUGELY especially in balance competitions. And she's a gamer, so she likely has a good level of dexterity. She could be a hidden challenge threat, honestly. She seems to have a good head on the social game as well, and understands what it takes to connect with people, being a Youtube personality... wait, Will Sims was one too, and he fucking flopped. Literally flopped. In the ocean. Like a dead fish. Oh well. She seems willing to play the role of the villain, stating they "have more fun", but understands everyone wants to be the hero, as well. She could be the chaotic center of the game, if she gets in the right position early. She's the first person so far who didn't list her mother as her greatest inspiration, so she stands out, early in this review. She referenced Yul Kwon as a player she's most like, which is incredibly smart, and tells me she's done her homework on the game. Yul is such an older player, so few people are going to remember him. She also noted Kelly Wentworth, which speaks to me that she's not only open to big moves, she openly wants to make them. That type of play gets you late game, but I'm not sure she's my winner pick. End game though, perhaps.
Michaela Bradshaw - She's probably going to be a late gamer, or at the very least a mid-gamer. She seems like a Darnell type from last season. So provided she doesn't choke in the very first challenge, she could be someone to watch. I really don't have a lot to say about her, since I'm not seeing a whole lot in her bio that's noteworthy, or in her video that makes her compelling. She might be the type that doesn't leave all her cards on the table, and is relatable as a person. She could be a major social threat because of this. If she is at least somewhat competent in challenges early, she'll stick. I feel like she's not likely to be a challenge threat, so if she hits the merge, she could sneak by to the end.
Michelle Schubert - My first impression is hard to nail down. She starts off very quiet and reserved, but steadily gives me more of a "Psycho Ex" vibe the later we get into the video. Then she laughs at the end, and it 100% terrifies me. I think I'm in love? She could be a very fun character to watch, but I'm a little concerned about how much stock she puts in faith. It's great to have faith in a higher power, it's great to even be open about it, you can be religious and win the game. But I worry that her faith will be her downfall. She doesn't seem the type of person who is willing to outright stab someone in the back, which means she must plan to win in a way Jeremy did recently, by getting strong guys around her as shields, and playing innocent until the end. I really like her character, because it's intriguing and I have no idea which way she's going to go. Also, she studies dragons(!), and describes herself as a "hungry, hungry, hippo". And she's a cross-country runner. Yeah, definitely in love. She also lists her comparison as Boston Rob, which is very interesting. I cannot remember the last woman to choose Rob as the player they were most like. Very much like her, hope she goes far, but she could be boom or bust.
Taylor Stocker - Reminds me way too much of someone I know, and I don't think he'd do good on Survivor, so I don't think he will either. He reminds me a lot of Alec or Drew Christy. He doesn't really talk much about his gameplay. He mostly goes on about things that don't really have any context, and talks about doing backflips. Or something. We also have another person who is willing to throw away a million dollars like Woo in Taylor, as that's his comparison. Don't compare yourself to a moron who threw away a million dollars. Don't. It's worse than comparing yourself to Russell Hantz, because Woo never tried to win. Russell did and lost, but Woo never seemed to want to win. He says he won't let someone walk away with his money, but anyone who chooses Woo instantly loses a million dollars and points. See him as either an early merge boot or a late pre-merge boot. Just don't see him going far.
Will Wahl - He's the youngest person to play Survivor but his voice is also possibly the deepest. What the actual fuck, I can't stop laughing. I don't have anything to say about him. He's probably not going far. Outside of Julia Sokolowski, I can't remember the last time a teenager got past the merge, honestly. Think he's going to play too hard, too fast, get himself voted out quickly, and make CBS think twice about casting younger players. All that work Julia did, to be thrown away like that. Think there's no way he even hits the merge.
Zeke Smith - Well, first off, that was very... Zeke. He comes off as a total fruit loop with a weird sense of humor, and those types of players can either go out very early (Brice) or go very very far. I think he's somewhere in the middle, a guy who hits the merge, and gets voted out shortly afterwards. He thinks he's most like Tony, so even if he's out early, he should be a guy to watch. Anyone who thinks they are like Tony probably has something cooked up. And since he thinks he's unstoppable, then maybe he will be. I don't know how to word this, so I'm just going to let him speak for himself: "I love Survivor! I've dreamed of starving on desert beaches and running around in my unwashed underwear for years!" Yes. That is all his words. All of them. He seems kind of witty, so I hope he lasts longer than 2 or 3 episodes.
Tribe Score - 8/10. We've seen some fun tribes over the years, and this one could be one of them. They strike me a lot as similar to Nagarote from Worlds Apart on a larger scale. It could be an interesting experiment since these guys are going to stick around much longer, I believe. My biggest fear is them losing an early challenge or two, getting discouraged, and being walked over post-merge, but I think this bunch of people are too confident in themselves to get discouraged at a single loss. They will need to work hard, which is another concern I have, since a few of them seem pretty entitled.
Takali - Aka Generation X
Bret LaBelle - So, he seems to be a Patriots fan, so fuck him, hope he's first out. That aside, he's got some good points. He can juggle, he seems even-keeled, and did I mention he can juggle? His strength is going to be an asset early. Provided he doesn't piss anyone off right away, he's golden. He says he's going to be like Jonathan Penner, which should be interesting. Penner is one of the better narrators in the show's history, and I don't think Bret is going to be up to the same task. Think he's an early merge boot, but until then, the stupid Pats fan is safe.
Chris Hammons - I think he's a pretty boring person. He doesn't seem to have much personality, outside of being kind of a gentleman? He claims to be an alpha male, but so many people on this season look to be one, that I don't think he really stands out. He also thinks he's most like Boston Rob, but not for the right reasons. Michelle thinks she is because of the personality and attributes. Chris just notes how dominant a game he had. He's not really giving me much reason to be optimistic. Think he's a surprising early boot, or a not so surprising merge boot. Just doesn't have the charisma to stay all that long. Reminds me way too much of a less fun Dale Wentworth.
Ciandre "CeCe" Taylor - She reminds me a lot of Cydney from last season, in that I don't really care much for her, but she probably goes far. She checks the right boxes, and has the right personality for going far, but I'm going to be bothered by her all game. I don't want it is about this archtype, but it really does bother me. She'll go far, entirely because I don't want her to.
David Wright - I think he is going to get pushed around a lot, like a lot. He seems too... lame, to not to. He describes himself as OCD, paranoid, and nervous, which is not a good combination for this game. His inspiration in life is a fictional character, Mr. Spock. He compares himself to John Cochran. this guy is such a wiener that I'm rooting for him entirely because I don't want him to like get wrecked over this whole experience. He went camping once, and had a raccoon eat all his shit, so he needs a W somewhere. He's out there for the right reasons. I hope he finds what he's looking for. Think he's a guy who will either be out first because of his size, or will be a guy who makes it to the end because he's not a threat, all while being dragged as someone's goat.
Jessica Lewis - I'll update this post if CBS reposts her video. As it is, it's the only one I didn't get to watch (CBS removed it, for some reason). I also couldn't really find any information outside of her bio, so here's what I've got. She thinks she's like Cirie, so she's probably overrating herself. She grew up on a farm. She's married. She also thinks champagne and salt and vinegar chips are one item because they go together, but they do not, so sorry, you are a a moron. Not really sure why her video was removed, so I'm just going to assume she said something absolutely retarded, and CBS decided not to keep it up after someone brought it up and started bullying her in the comments. Think she's probably out earlyish.
Ken McNickle - Well that's a name. He seems kind of like a douche who thinks he's a gentleman. So maybe he's a douche with a heart of gold like Rodney. And I loved Rodney, so maybe I'll love him too. But right now I don't. Backing up the douche vibes, he claims he's like Ozzy, who is basically the poster boy for "likable douche". I think he at the least, makes it to the merge, but I think he's too grating to be a legit winners pick.
Lucy Huang - She's a bodybuilder, with children. I think the Millenials will tear her apart if she becomes the victim of an unlucky swap. She just doesn't seem to understand what a Millenial really is, and has the same pre-conceived notions of the generation that the generation finds so abhorrent. If she doesn't keep her mouth shut, she is going to fail. She doesn't seem open-minded enough to win at the end without winning challenges to the end and bringing a couple of goats with her (something she is not smart enough to work out, obviously). I think she goes early. Don't like her. She thinks she's like Jeremy, but just like her views of Millenials, she couldn't be more off the mark.
Paul Wachter - Now this is a breath of fresh air. He seems more like a Millenial than a Gen X'er. He's going to have one of two fates in this game. Early boot because Gen X lost a challenge and they think he'll get along too well with Millenials, or a late boot/goat who gets along with said Millenials. I don't see any way in which he becomes a casualty unless he's a total challenge liability beyond that of any of the women on Gen X. I think he's going to be more fun to watch as the season goes on.
Rachel Ako - I love her. Completely unsurprising that she's a former Playboy model. More surprising that she's a best-selling author. She doesn't seem like she's totally full of herself, and she's very agreeable with people. If she doesn't get voted out early, she's going to go far. She lists her Survivor she's most like as herself, which doesn't really seem like much of an answer, but who cares? I don't feel like I know much about her, but I like her, and hope she lasts long enough that we get to know her.
Sunday Burquest - Complete shit. Next. Her accent is grating as fuck, her personality is grating as fuck, and she looks like she got hit by a truck. I'm honestly hoping she's the first boot, and I don't think her final standing is that far off, honestly. She seems like a person who can't shut her mouth, and has way too much to say. I'm not sure what's going to get her voted off, her challenge strength/liability or her mouth. I'm going to say it's a combination of both though. She has all the traits of a first boot.
Tribe Score - 6/10. I don't really like this tribe a lot. there are some great characters in here, like Rachel, Paul, and David, but there are so many people I outright loathe like Sunday, Lucy, and CeCe. If this tribe dominates the season, it's going to be a pain, probably, and it's a shame, because I really like their buff color. I wish the Millenials were purple. It makes more sense to me. Purple is an exciting "new" color, full of excitement and adventure, something Gen X is not. Red is a very boring aggressive color that is unwilling to change, like Gen X. What a missed opportunity.
