Let's Get Ready for Survivor Heroes Vs Villains!

CBS and producer Mark Burnett have done it again. Survivor's 20th cycle highlighting its ten years on the air should make for quite a doozy of a season. The theme of Heroes vs. Villains is so deliciously simple and direct, that the idea itself stirs up some controversy. Why is someone categorized a hero instead of a villain, or vice versa? Keeping the same location from last season, Heroes vs. Villains will take place in Samoa. From Samoa, Russell Hantz will join the villain cast - a no-brainer, really and perhaps he will redeem his sole survivor claim that he so eagerly denied winner Natalie White. Coming fresh off the Samoa season, Russell played back-to-back games with the distinct advantage of having no one able to watch his season in time to discern his game play. Sure he's in the villain camp, and that will tip off some people that Russell needs to be watched, but no one has witnessed the level of subterfuge, craftiness and just downright nastiness that Russell can exhibit. This is a major advantage that I'm sure he'll exploit.

Judging from the list of returning players, the producers did not disappoint, although there are some glaring omissions. For instance, it would have been nice to see the return of Jonny Fairplay, Richard Hatch and the truly villainous and cut throat Corinne Kaplan from Survivor Gabon fill out the villains roster. Corinne in fact, would have made a far more plausible choice than Danielle DiLorenzo or Courtney Yates (see list at the end), whose game play I wouldn't call mean or duplicitous. They just happened to be very outspoken and lippy players. Similarly, in the Heroes camp, I can't understand why the producers didn't pick Terry Deitz from Panama (Exile Island) or Australia's Michael Skupin.

Minor quibbles aside, I'm rather satisfied with the assembled group of players. Most of the contestants are seasoned and highly competitive players, with strong, almost overbearing Type A personalities. Some of the players are also competing for a third time, and from watching past seasons, everyone is well aware of how each past contestant played their game. Playing with a similar approach the second (or third) time around will only prove their undoing. Can they tweak their game play enough to avoid predictability? Will they change their social strategy and align with unlikely players? Will a hero have to make a villainous move to win the game? Survivor above all else, has become a game of social survival, and much like Darwin's tenets, it's the one who adapts that will be the fittest to survive. Unlike Darwin however, the human element of this game does not always allow the fittest to be the million dollar winner. Whatever the case, let's just hope that this season doesn't wind up to be like another hate-filled, bitter All-Stars season and more like the thrilling and unpredictable Fans vs. Favorites! Survivor Heroes vs. Villains debuts on CBS on Thursday, February 11.

The Heroes
Rupert Boneham(Pearl Islands, Survivor All Stars)
Jessica "Sugar" Kiper(Gabon)
Cirie Fields (Panama, Fans vs. Favorites)
Colby Donaldson (Australia, All Stars)
James Clement(Survivor China, Fans vs. Favorites)
Amanda Kimmel(China, Fans vs. Favorites)
Tom Westman(Palau)
Stephenie LaGrossa(Palau, Guatemala)
JT Thomas(Tocantins)
Candice Woodcock(Cook Islands)

The Villains
Robert "Boston Rob" Mariano (Marquesas, All Stars)
Courtney Yates(China)
Coach Ben Wade(Tocantins)
Parvati Shallow (Cook Islands)
Russell Hantz(Samoa)
Jerri Manthey(Australia, All Stars)
Tyson Apostol(Tocantins)
Sandra Diaz Twine(Pearl Islands)
Randy Bailey(Gabon)
Danielle DiLorenzo(Panama)

My prediction? It's always the underestimated and overlooked player that gets lost in the shuffle. With everyone having bigger fish to fry, it's the least assuming player that will make it very far. Hence, my choice is either Courtney or Danielle. But we shall see...

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My review of Survivor Pearl Islands

My review of Survivor Australia

Survivor Samoa Commentary