Survivor Micronesia Preview

Survivor begins its 16^th season on Feb. 7 with a "fans vs. favorites" theme, a great concept that should breathe new life into the CBS show.

The writers' strike gave a huge ratings boost to The Apprentice, so don't be surprised if Survivor becomes one of America's favorite shows again.

Some of the 10 returning Survivors have reputations from their first runs on the show. Whether they are good or bad, these reputations will pose an extra challenge.

Of course, one of the Survivors I'm referring to here is Johnny "Fairplay" Dalton, one of the top villains in the show's history. He garnered sympathy from his fellow Survivors due to the death of his grandmother, which turned out to be a hoax.

Johnny Fairplay has already said that he will either get voted out first or stick around until the end. While you'd think the Survivors will want to vote him off as soon as possible, he could be used as an effective tool.

For example, on Survivor All-Stars, Amber Brkich won the million dollars by riding along with scheming Rob Mariano, who took most of the heat. They got engaged in the season finale and are now married.

Two of the show's top "good guys" will also have to overcome their reputations. James, a soft-spoken gravedigger from Louisiana, just competed on the most recent season, Survivor China. He impressed viewers and Survivors alike with his dominating physical prowess.

James' only weakness was his lack of strategy. Despite holding two immunity idols, James was voted out when he didn't see the possibility that the other Survivors would turn on him.

While James won't make that mistake again, he will be targeted for elimination because he could go on a huge run of wins in the immunity challenges.

Yau-Man Chan is another good guy. The 55-year-old computer technician surprised everyone with his ability to compete with the younger players. He won't be able to sneak up on anyone this time, and he and James are so likable that nobody will want to go up against them at the end for the million dollars.

The 10 "Superfans" will have to avoid being starstruck by the returning favorites and get down to the business of trying to beat them.

While it's always hard to predict who will excel on the show, the Survivors will probably have to keep a close eye on:

- Joel, a 32-year-old firefighter from Phoenix;

- Natalie, a 32-year-old personal trainer from Houston;

- Mikey B, a 34-year-old actor from Boston; and

- Chet, a 48-year-old pageant coach from Pennsylvania.

Previous Survivor champ Tom Westman is a firefighter, so those skills could work in Joel's favor. Natalie is a missionary, so she can adapt to uncomfortable surroundings in foreign countries.

Mikey B looks like he could be a strategist in the mold of Rob Mariano or Rob Cesternino. Chet is well-traveled and loves outdoor sports, plus he seems to have good people skills.

Survivor Micronesia has the potential to be one of the best seasons in a long time. Let's hope they learn a lesson from the "racial" season and keep the original teams together for more than two weeks.