Some Thoughts of Survivor Heroes Versus Villains

CBS is trying to do it again with the 20^th installment of the hit reality show. There are twenty survivors returning with ten on a hero's tribe and ten on a villain's tribe. This was done basically because of the way they played and the way they were perceived to have played the game their last time or times around as some players have been on more than one episode of survivor. Instead of the normal "outwit, outplay, outlast" this year many will be looking for or to "return, revenge, redemption". It has been revealed that all challenges will have been done in previous seasons, so if anyone who competed is a fan as well there should be no surprises. I should say there are none that we know of yet. I am sure they will have some. So far the standard format of reward challenges, immunity challenges, and tribal council as a group then everything goes individually.

There are some pretty popular characters coming back as the "Heroes" tribe. They include the following characters

Rupert Boneham. He is 45 years old from Indiana and appeared previously on Survivor Pearl Islands and All-Stars. He won a choice award for the most popular survivor based on fan votes and won $1,000,000 in cash. He generally seemed like an honest person during the show. He is also the best fisherman.

James Clement is 32 years old from Louisiana. He is not one of my favorites, but should do respectable in challenges and play a pretty good game. When he played in

Survivor Fans versus Favorites he had to be removed for medical reasons.

Colby Donaldson is 35 and from Texas. He is an all time favorite of the fans and has GQ model looks. He previously was on Survivor Outback and All-Stars. He was voted the sexiest man by a fan poll. He has also had various successes with guest roles on some shows and being in razor blade commercials. He was the runner up in Survivor Australia.

Cirie Fields is 39 and from New Jersey. She has been on Survivor Panama and Survivor Fans versus Favorites. This is one pick that really puzzles me. She does not appear overtly as bright as many of the contestants, she is far from the eye candy of some of the women who are and have been on there. I am not sure how she keeps getting picked for all star matches. Her statues as hero also surprised me. She has done some double crosses and has been pretty lucky not to get booted when she sucked in the game a few times.

Amanda Kimmel is 25 and from Montana. She has previously competed on Survivor China and Fans versus Favorites. She was a beauty pageant contestant and is very easy on the eyes. She finished third in Survivor China and was the runner up in fans versus favorites. She has her devious moves but generally seems to play pretty straight up and not do anything overly dirty. She is reasonably athletic and should do well in challenges.

Jessica "Sugar" Kiper is 30 years old from New York. She previously competed on Survivor Gabon finishing in third place. She handled spending a large amount of time on Exile Island very well and found a hidden immunity idol rather quick. While she is not the athlete of many contestants I think she can hold her own against many of the ladies. She is cute, but nowhere near as hott as Amanda or villains Parvati and Jerri.

Stephanie LaGrossa is 30 years old and from Pennsylvania. She previously competed on Survivor Palau and Survivor Guatemala finishing second. She is really Hott and has a pretty nice body as well. She has those devious good looks instead of the good girl next door looks. She is very intelligent and athletic and won various honors in college lacrosse. I am not sure about the hero as her game play. She is not a Johnnie Fairplay, but she did back door a couple tribe mates in Guatemala and I am sure people who played with her are curious about the casting as a hero.

James "J.T." Thomas jr. is 25 years old and from the great state of Alabama. He was the winner of Survivor Tocantins. He never received any votes in tribal council to be kicked off the game and won all seven of the jury votes in being crowned the winner. He is a pretty hard player and even lost a tooth during a competition. He is a great athlete, seems to play pretty smart and is not a dirty but very strategic player. He is one I think we can see some good things from.

Tom Westman is from New York and 45 years old. He was the winner of Survivor Palau. He started the game with an alliance with three other members, but one ended up on another tribe until they were reunited by a merger. He is no Rupert, but a good fisherman and caught a shark for his tribe. Tom won five out of seven immunity challenges so he will be a force to be reckoned with. He is another one that I am not 100% on the hero designation, but he is not as bad as some. He will do some big switching and plotting though.

Candice Woodcock rounds out the hero tribe. She is 27 years old and from North Carolina. She is a big humanitarian and has done work in African nations and Chile. She seemed to play an ok game despite a mutiny in her one tribe when she chose to leave and go to another tribe. I did not watch the Survivor Cook Islands, on which Candice competed, as much as others, but I would not be real trusting on her in the tribe. She is pretty hott and easy on the eyes though.

The Villains tribe has just about the same level of characters in it. There are some previous favorites here as well.

Tyson Apostol is 29 years old and from Utah. He was previously on Survivor Tocantins. He is very athletic and did really well in competitions. He actually was in an alliance with JT and Coach who will both be in this game as a "warrior alliance" but he was blindsided by JT and others. He did his share of blindsiding. He is not a major dirty player, but he can mix it up with the best of them.

Randy Bailey is 50 years old from Texas. He previously competed on Survivor Gabon. He got played by other members that he had an immunity idol that really was not an immunity idol. I thought that was crap. It would have been one thing to let him find it, but he was actually given the idol and led to think it was real like rubbing salt into wounds. He did handle that with more class than some. He hit his head and ended up needing stitches but stayed in the game, so he is pretty tough. He also used his glasses to make a fishing hook and got his tribe some fish. He had much conflict with Sugar. I think he played a better game and Sugar rode coattails. He really was not as dirty as some make him out to be and even went as far as trying to offer Sugar a cookie at an auction that he won.

Sandra Diez-Twine is 35 years old from Connecticut. She previously competed on Survivor Pearl Islands and was the winner. She was not very strong and could not swim well, but was helped by being resourceful and fluent in Spanish. At the start of the show she traded a local lady a gold chain for all kinds of supplies including BBQ chicken. This helped endear her to her fellow survivors. She ticked her tribe mates off when she threw away a bunch of fish that Rupert caught, but was blindsided before he had a chance to enjoy the fruits of his labor. I would classify her as medium in that she is not really a dirty player, but she was the one people will go to in order to make their alliance work. I don't see her doing super, but if she gets into a good alliance it could take her pretty far.

Danielle DiLorenzo is 28 years old from Massachusetts. She previously competed in Survivor Panama were she was the runner up. She is highly athletic competing in gymnastics, soccer and other sports. Her play did not seem real dirty, but she can mix it up. I think she is one of the strongest female players in the game and could go far.

Russell Hantz is 37 years old and from Texas. He is a self made millionaire and runs and oil tanker business. He previously competed on survivor Samoa and finished in second place. In all fairness he was the best player in the game. He might be the best player of all time arguably. He does have physical prowess and is really intelligent and can do great strategically. He actually offered Survivor Samoa winner Natalie White $100,000 just for the title of Soul Survivor and she still keeps the money. She refused. I don't think many people will trust him. Natalie was a coattail rider and really did not win the game as much as people voted against Russell because they did not like him. If he can get a couple people to trust him, then he can do very well.

Jerri Manthey is 39 years old from Los Angeles. She previously has competed on Survivor Australian Outback and Survivor All-Stars. She did not manage to crack the top five in either case finishing 8^th and 10^th respectively. She is not a great athlete, but can do ok in some immunity challenges. She is very easy on the eyes, but has that sinister devious look like LaGrossa. I would like to see her finish further than usual, but I don't think she will just based on dynamics of the group.

Rob "Boston Rob" Marino is 33 years old and from Massachusetts. He previously completed on Survivor Marquesas Island and Survivor All-Stars. He was the runner up in Survivor All-Stars by a 4-3 vote. Similar to Russell Hantz he was voted against more than people voted for the winner Amber who Rob would become close to and make an alliance with during the game. He actually made a deal with a member on another tribe, Lex, to protect Amber after they were separated and then and he would protect Lex later. Lex honored his word, but Rob did not. Amber would not have made it not for Lex. I think she is up there as one of the least deserving winners in the history of survivor. Rob made and broke many deals in the game. The only person that he ever kept his word to is amber. He proposed to her on TV and they got married and eventually had a child. I think he is one of the best there has been and I think he will do pretty good.

Parvati Shallow is 27 years old from Georgia. She previously appeared on Survivor Cook Islands and Survivor Fans versus Favorites winning the latter. She is a tad thinner than I like, but she is probably the most attractive contestant on survivor this season and in the running for the most attractive of all time. I think she has a pretty good chance and has the physical abilities to do well in this game to. I am sure she will get into a pretty strategic alliance and do rather well.

Benjamin "Coach" Wade is 38 years old and from California. He previously competed on Survivor Tocantins finishing 5^th. He wanted a warrior alliance to insure that the best warrior wins. This did not turn out as he was voted out and did not make final four. He was a strong physical competitor and should be a force to be reckoned with. He also is a very good strategic player. His arrogant really ticks many people off. I am not sure how he is going to do. He is a great player, but I am not sure if many people will want to align themselves with him.

Courtney Yates is 28 years old and from Massachusetts. She previously competed in Survivor China as the runner up. She is another player who is kind of in between. She really is not a great individual player and I don't think she will get too far unless people take the get rid of the biggest threats first. She is cute, but the other girls are mostly hotter. She got very thin during the game and people notice that. In china she was considered to be a rather honest compared to the other final three, but she did ride some coattails.

On the heroes side of things Rupert is my personal favorite. I do think he will go pretty far as he is strategic and a good physical player. He is also a great fisherman and provider that will help him with the tribe as they have to eat. J.T. is probably the total package in the game, but as a previous winner that puts an immediate target on his back. Amanda and Stephanie also have a pretty good shot from the hero's tribe. It will really depend on who aligns with whom.

On the villains side it is a bit harder as they appear to have most of the better players. Rob, Coach, and Russell all have the physical, mental, and strategic abilities to win the game. I think they will end up in an early alliance. Of the three Russell would be my pick as Rob and Coach probably wont do as good in individual challenges. Parvati and Danielle also look to do well.

As far as the game goes it has lots of variable in it as far as strategy goes. I personally think that anyone is capable of winning. I think that Rupert, Boston Rob, and Parvati have the best chance based on what I have observed and read. It would be great if someone wins the game playing a good game, but this really is not what usually happens in the game.

Sources

http://www.cbs.com/primetime/survivor/

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34739276/ns/entertainment-reality_tv/

http://heroesvsvillains.survivor.com/

http://reality-tv-gossip.suite101.com/article.cfm/survivor_20_looks_to_be_heroes_vs_villains