Now firstly we are going to go back to where it all began, in season one,  ‘Survivor: Borneo’,  with that season's runner up, finally the return of Kelly Wiglesworth! Take it away Eliza and Coby!

 

Eliza: Hmm I would say Kelly is the hardest person to predict since we haven't seen her play in 15 years!! I have high hopes for her, though. I think she knows now (thanks to Richard Hatch & 15 years of Survivor being on the air) how important it is to form alliances early! I think she'll come off as non-threatening and do well in the game.

 

Coby: Kelly Wigglesworth is of course who I think MOST true fans wanted to see play again. She is the one that makes me vomit in my mouth a little that I didn't get to play with this time.

Strength? Physical. Period. This girl has the potential to be Stephenie and Alicia all in one. Since she became a woman she literally does yoga everyday on the beach, this will not be the girl we saw in Borneo.

Weakness? Her personality. Anybody who has been lucky enough to have a social conversation knows she is a little awkward. I am afraid she will get out there and be overwhelmed and chewed up. If she can keep her head in the game, nothing can stop her from winning but herself.

 

Next up, another “old school” Survivor – from ‘Survivor: The Australian Outback’ Kimmi Kappenberg. How do you rate Kimmi’s chances?

 

Coby: Kimmi Kappenberg is an “old school” Shirin and I can only hope those two are on the same tribe to annoy one another.

Strength? If she has mellowed a little in her old age I think her careless attitude could be fun which goes a long way out there.

Weakness? If she hasn't mellowed her careless attitude will work people's nerves and she could be the first voted out.

 

Eliza: Kimmi Kappenberg! I freaking LOVE Kimmi! I cannot wait to see her play again and I just hope she can hold it together and not antagonize people like she did on her first season. I think her challenge will be fitting in with all the 20-something kids on this season. Also, she didn't necessarily look to be in the best physical shape at the start of the season, so I think she could be seen as a challenge liability. But now that she's a mother of two, I think we will see a marked improvement in her ability to deal with people and I'm rooting for her!!

 

Coby: P.s. I love you Eliza and also still vomit a little in my mouth that I didn't get to play Fans Vs Favs with you! Still makes me mad but carry on with the interview...

 

Eliza: Coby I love you too and wish we could've played together!

 

 

We stay in Australia for the moment with Kimmi’s cast-mate – someone that I’m absolutely stoked to see play again. Mr Jeff Varner.

 

Eliza: Jeff Varner!! I was fan-girling OUT when he got picked for this season! I love that guy! I think his potential downfall will be over playing or playing too hard too soon. I think he is very smart and very strategic so if he can keep his head down and his mouth shut and get in with the right people, he has potential to do well in this game!

 

Coby: Jeff is definitely the one who made me fan-girl as well when he got picked again. Jeff is the ONE I feel will have the best social game for the men.

Strength? Jeff is charming times ten. For the same reasons people loved him 15 years ago is what could make him dominate this game. I can't imagine that the other fans playing with him haven't had wet dreams, before going off to Cambodia, of sitting next to Jeff at Final Tribal.

Weakness? Same liability as what Eliza said about Kimmi. In 15 years people age. Jeff was the only one at that live reveal who made me think, "Hmmm shouldn't you have worked out a little before you left?" I mean he tripped on the stage on live TV, so he doesn't exactly drip with physical domination. Unlike most times when people get called back to play again, these people had months and months of KNOWING they were in the mix. Prep People!!! I hope his physical outward shape isn't a sign that he isn't taking this Second Chance seriously.

 

 

 

Heading to a returnee from one of my favourite seasons now, and our first male on the list, ‘Andrew Savage’. I was a big fan of both Savage and Ryano during ‘Pearl Islands’ original run, but would be very interested to see how Jeff’s mate ‘Savage’ fairs in the modern game of Survivor.

 

Coby: Andrew Savage is someone else I have been dying to see play again. To see if he could deliver all his alpha male promises of regret.

Strength? His leadership and strong-will solely helped his tribe survive the first time. If he has sharpened his mind over time his mental game would match Kelly’s physical one.

Weakness? His alpha male personality if not in check, will easily turn most of the Second Chancers against him. Here

is to hoping!

 

Next up from ‘Survivor: Panama’ a man that I know many fans have been waiting a long time to see return, Terry Deitz.

 

Eliza: I'm going to do Andrew Savage and Terry Deitz together despite the fact that they're two different people, I think they fall into the same category in terms of strengths and weaknesses. Both are major alpha males. Big threats. Big targets. Challenge beasts. I think they will be seen as huge assets to their tribe early on as long as they don't let their arrogance get in the way. I don't personally know Savage, but I adore Terry and I've been waiting for him to get back on the show for ages. I expected to see him on ‘Fans v. Favorites’  with me and was disappointed he wasn't out there. I am really pulling for Terry and hope both he and Savage are able to make nice with their tribes and stick around!

 

Coby: Terry Deitz in the game and in person is obviously Tom Westman 2.0 and we all know what I think of Tom Westman. That being said Tom won.

Strength? Sheer and simple all American strength and fortitude. Age will not dampen this man of steel. Leadership in surplus.

Weakness? Even Superman has kryptonite. I wish of course for a Kimmi and Shirin cat fight as much as I wish for a Andrew and Terry bro down!!!

 

 

 

Alright, next up let’s take a look at ‘Survivor: China’ castaway, the always feisty, always entertaining Peih-Gee Law.

 

Coby: Peih-Gee IS a feisty little thing and a much needed relief to all this strategic madness.

Strength? I don't feel she will have a set idea of what her gameplay is going to be into the game. If she is smart and takes advantage of that and incorporates herself into other people's plans she could go far.

Weakness? Is also her strength. I don't see her having a game plan. This could backfire and she could be no more than a floater.

 

Eliza: Peih-Gee is a FIGHTER! She was completely outnumbered in China and won a crucial challenge to keep herself in the game. She's an underdog but a true competitor. I worry that she lacks the personal connections with people that a lot of the newer contestants have so she could be outnumbered from the start, but if she finds some good people to link up with, she could be a huge threat. She's very smart and very strategic and I think really understands the game of Survivor.

 

 

 

Now to a man whose reputation proceeds him, a personal favourite, but one who I am worried will be an early target due to his Survivor nous – from ‘Survivor: Tocantins’ Mr Stephen Fishbach.

 

Coby: I am always one to be honest so he knows I didn't vote for him because I knew he didn't need my vote. I love a underdog and he is not one.

Strength? Stephen is the mental player who fans want to see, that wanted the opposite of the alpha male. He also got into great shape before going and seems ready to play hard going in. If he can work the social game without alienating people he could go far.

Weakness? I am smelling Rob C 2.0. Rob C was decimated in All Stars because of his perfect reputation and I feel Stephen will have the same target. He will have to play the same game he did the first time (because nobody will believe him otherwise) while making sure it feels inclusive or people will assume right away he has one up on them. I feel he has the hardest game to overcome.

 

 

Eliza: STEPHEN FISHBACH!! Let me immediately make my bias known. Stephen is a dear friend of mine and I am rooting for him 100%. I love that guy. I am hugely concerned that Stephen is going out there with the biggest target of anyone. Between his people.com blog about Survivor strategy to being on the "Know It Alls" podcast with Rob Cesternino, Stephen is going to be seen as a HUGE threat from day one. I know Stephen has the ability to form strong bonds with people, even people who are his polar opposite, so I think as long as he stays out of his own head and forms some tight bonds, he has a legit shot in this game. He knows everything there is to know about Survivor and I think he recognizes his mistakes from the first time around so he has what it takes to win, but after seeing the breakdown of the tribes, I worry he could be in trouble from the outset.

 

 

Next up we are looking at another two feisty women, Monica Padilla from ‘Survivor: Samoa’ - who is leading our voting on our website for the castaway people think will win and the always entertaining but highly volatile Abi-Maria Gomes from ‘Survivor: Philippines’.

 

Coby: Well, I am honest so I have no idea who Monica is but glad the fans like her. I also know she is friends with Eliza so I am sure she has plenty to say about her, I am not even friends with Monica on Facebook. NEXT!!!

 

Eliza: Monica Padilla - I'm so excited to see Monica back on the show! I don't care that Coby or other "casuals" may not remember her. She is a badass, brunette lawyer, and I know she's going out there to kick ass this time around. Monica will play a great social game. She's fun, outgoing, sweet, not to mention beautiful. I also think that what Coby says is going to be great for Monica. It's better for people to just remember you were "on the same season as Russell Hantz" rather than actually remembering your game play, especially when you are Monica. She is strategic but will come off as non-threatening. I just hope she doesn't have the same issue I had on ‘Fans v. Favorites’ where all the alpha males on your tribe (cough cough James & Ozzy cough cough) see you as physically weak even if you're not.

 

Coby: Abi-Maria is what she is. Let us be honest she was asked back because she is a shit stirrer not because she is a great player of Survivor. I will hands down say she has zero chance of winning.... Let me eat my words.

Strength? She is like the cockroach that survived the nuclear blast and will be hard to get rid of her that easily. Weakness? She is very unlikable if her last tribe was any gauge of how far she can get in this game. So I repeat, she may get to the end but there is no way that this girl can win the social game.

 

Eliza: Abi-Maria is the quintessential villain. I expect nothing less from her this time around. I expect her to be abrasive, difficult, and a bitch. And I expect her to stick around for a LONG time not just in spite of those things, but because of them. I think sometimes being seen as someone who no one likes is a positive for being brought to the end of the game. Abi has potential if she makes alliances with people who want to take her to the end.

 

 

Ok so now we reach the point where we see multiple contestants for the same series competing which should be interesting in itself... All of the following contestants come from quite recent series, I hope, that given there are many ‘Survivor’ contestants who have been waiting 10+ years for a "second chance", that these people appreciate receiving one so soon... Firstly from ‘Survivor: Blood Vs Water’, Vytas Baskauskas and Ciera Eastin.

 

Coby: Vytas and Ciera I doubt will have much of a connection even if from the same season. Vytas is obviously very likable and athletic making for a great threat in the game.

Strength?  He has what it takes to go as far as he wants if he can dodge the target on his back.

Weakness? Will he even care? I don't get that he was a “Survivor Fan” as much as he wanted to beat his brother, without that motivation who knows what will happen?

 

Eliza: Vytas proved his first season that he was a very strong player. He's athletic, social, and strategic. I think he's someone who is seen as having a lot of pre-game connections, though. I wonder if that will be a benefit to him or be used against him by other players. I think because he lives in LA and hangs out with a lot of people, he will be seen as a threat in that respect. Also, he has his former cast mate on the show, Ciera.

 

Coby: Ciera will be the surprise this season I think.

Strength? She proved the first time around she wasn't just there to play with a loved one. She has game.

Weakness? Herself. She was as surprised as everyone else that she could play as hard as she did last time. But now they KNOW she will vote out her mom so people will see her coming and she won't like it. I predict Ciera to be this seasons surprise Villain! This cat will not liked being backed into a corners so will claw her way out!

 

Eliza: Ciera is also a really strong competitor. I think the fact that she voted out her own mom means garnering people's trust will be a huge challenge for her. If someone would vote out their own mother, then clearly she would have no hesitation stabbing anyone in the back. The disadvantage of going back on the show a second time after you played so hard the first time and made big moves and picked rocks and voted out your mom is that everyone saw all of that. She will be seen as a huge threat so she needs to make some bonds quickly and prove her loyalty.

 

 

 

Next up from ‘Survivor: Cagayan’ we have Spencer Bledsoe, Tasha Fox and Kass McQuillen (all original "Brains" tribe members) and Woo Hwang, the runner up of Survivor: Cagayan, and despite being likeable enough, the one man I was most surprised to see chosen by fans to return.

 

Coby: Cagayan cast will be easy because though I loved their season, I am not particularly rooting for any of them. I guess I am all “Old School” on this one. I did however vote for Woo because like I said, I love a good underdog. I did like Tasha her season but looking back I don't remember much besides that I liked her and she smiled a lot.

 

Strengths? The are a very likable group going all the way down to Kass, she will be fun to play with at first I imagine. They have a group at least if they can get their shit together they could have a power alliance right off the bat.

 

Weaknesses? They are a group who didn't like each other. Kass is not going to play nice with others. If social media is any judge that her and Spencer will start a pissing contest first thing out of the gate. I bet the others will find it tiresome and self serving. They as a group will have a target JUST to take their numbers down.

 

 

Eliza: Kass may be the least likable contestant this season, and Abi-Maria is on this season! Her nickname "chaos Kass" is exactly why she should be the first person voted out. No one wants to play the game with someone who is erratic. If Kass can calm down and show people she's not the same lunatic who played the game with such desperation the first time, maybe she can survive past a few tribal councils, but I wouldn't count on it.

 

 

Spencer, Spencer, Spencer. I can't remember who said it, but someone said he was the new Cochran, who actually looks good without a shirt. I'm worried that this season was created for Spencer to walk his way right to that million dollar check. He has a large contingent of former cast mates, not to mention his closest ally, and I think he has the producers rooting for him, hard. If this cast doesn't get rid of him early, we WILL see Spencer in the finals. Spencer is a competitor, he's smart, and he knows how to use people to his advantage. I can't say I want to see such a predictable season, though, so I hope people realize what a threat he is early on.

 

 

Tasha was one of the strongest women on her season and she, too, has been blessed with her closest ally from her first season. She is a huge threat physically and strategically. I think she could do some damage if she forms alliances with the right people.

 

 

Woo always came off like a sweet guy, but Woo does not have what it takes to win. Woo pulled a Colby and took the wrong person to the finals showing that he will never be cutthroat enough to win the game of Survivor. He still says he wouldn't change a thing about how he played. I hope Tony bought him something nice. Woo is strong physically and could be used as a vote, but I don't think he can win.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next up we have three very different contestants who had three very different experiences in ‘San Juan del Sur’.  How do you think they'll go now that they won't be "burdened" by their loved ones?  Kelley Wentworth, Keith Nale, and Jeremy Collins.

 

Coby: Sorry, but I don't care about any of these guys separately either. This was not my favorite season. Out of the three from San Juan Del Sur I liked Keith the most if that counts for anything. I barely remember Kelley, and Jeremy knows that I didn't vote for him. You asked me to be honest and once again finding such a recent heavy cast bores me a little. I mean out of 30plus seasons did these three really stand out for another shot?

 

Strengths? Keith has charm and likability which would help at final tribal. Kelley is a floater but non offensive. Jeremy has an ego that drives him far.

 

Weaknesses- Keith would have to make a big move for respect to win once in the end. Kelley would have to be more than a floater, which is doubtful. Unless Jeremy had a big wake up call his ego will drag him only as far as he made it last time.

 

Eliza: Keith was hilarious on his season. "Stick to the plan," Keith. Keith is clearly never going to be the brains of the operation, but if he finds people like Josh and Reed, then he should be able to at least be a good soldier. Keith is awesome at challenges and as long as he doesn't blow it with his big mouth, could go far in the right alliance.

 

Kelley is one person I don't have much to say about. I love that she's a huge fan of the show and I think she got screwed being on a season with her overbearing father, but she was one of the few on this cast who I was honestly not rooting for to get voted back on because her season was so recent and I didn't feel she was so memorable. Would've much preferred to see T-Bird or Stephanie Valencia. I think Kelley is lucky that she has multiple other people from her cast because it's an automatic alliance for her.

 

Jeremy is one of the biggest threats out there, but I wonder if people will see it since there are so many threatening people out there. Jeremy is strong in challenges, very strong strategically, and could easily have won his first season if he hadn't gotten so arrogant. He definitely learned from his first season and he will hopefully be smart enough to keep around threats bigger than he is to point to if he's ever being targeted.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, we have Shirin Oskooi and Joe Anglim who are heading out for another go after recently competing in season 30, ‘Survivor: Worlds Apart’. Thoughts?

 

Coby: For me Worlds Apart was a great season! So they get separate comments.

 

Shirin was a love or hate character. She was a modern day Superfan version of Lil from ‘Pearl Islands’ for me. Who couldn't love her when she raised her hand up against Will at that challenge?

Strength? She knows the game. I also think her polarizing personality could work in her favor if people want to keep her around just to keep the target moving.

Weakness? She is an over emotional player who just did back to back seasons. I feel Shirin is going to be frazzled and overwhelmed playing with her Heroes of “Old School” Survivor. She will be beyond distracted and I think she will only get as far as her tribe wants her too.

 

Joe is to Malcolm what Shirin is to Lil. We have seen his character before but I find Joe much more palatable than his OzzyColm before him.

Strength? Duh Alpha male much? He dominates in physical and mental strength. He also seems well liked by most making him the biggest target out there.

Weakness? He has the biggest target out there. From New School standards I think has the best chance of winning if he doesn't get to cocky and can 'Mike' it all the way!

 

 

 

Eliza: Joe is a sweetheart. I think he's truly a genuinely nice guy. If there had been a fan favorite vote for $100,000 or a car this past season, that guy would've won it hands down. He is going straight back into the game directly from his finale, so I think he is at a bit of a disadvantage since he hasn't had much time to process or deconstruct what went wrong the first time around. I don't know that there's anything Joe can do to combat the idea that he's an extremely dangerous player once a merge comes. If there's such thing, Joe may have won too many immunity challenges, but at least he has Savage and Terry to point to if people come for him too soon. I think he needs to find a solid alliance which I think he will because he's also quietly smart. Plus, that bun.

 

And finally Shirin. Shirin is great. She's hilarious, smart, and a massive fan of Survivor. I worry that she will, once again, annoy people around camp. I hope she learned from her first stint on Survivor, but like Joe, she hasn't had much time to process and reflect on her game and hasn't had time to change and grow from the experience. I'm worried that she will make the same mistakes the second time around. Also, she may be seen as a huge liability in challenges early on since this is a season with so many physically strong competitors.

 

 

Okay, awesome! Thanks for your input Eliza and Coby and for your insight into the ‘Survivor: Cambodia – Second Chance’ cast.  Let's finish up with your picks for first boot and your guess at a final three?

 

Coby: How about wishful thinking of final 3? Kelly W, Jeff V and Shirin just for fun (I don't thinks she will make it that far!) First boot? Shirin (though I hope she makes it further).

 

 

Eliza: First boot? Kass . Final Three? Stephen, Monica, and Kimmi.

 

 

Thank you to Eliza Orlins and Coby Archa for their contribution to this article.