First Impressions of Australian Survivor Cast – Part Three

The Australian Survivor Preseason is officially underway! Who looms as the early threat? Is the concept of ‘Aussie Mateship’ still relevant!? Join Tristan Kelly as he previews the final 8 castaways.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS MATTER

Welcome back! We’ve got an impressive line up of contenders to work through today – including my early pick for the win! If you’ve stumbled in late, you can check out my thoughts on the first eight contestants in Part One and the second eight contestants in Part Two!

Let’s get stuck in to the final batch…

Michelle Dougan

33, Nanny, NSW

The professional Nanny who loves going to the races and ‘having a chat’, Michelle looks like she might follow in the footsteps of Flick from last year. She’s been preparing for the game by sleeping on a trampoline in her backyard, and is keen to be ruthless and make “some big moves.” Her appearance suggests that she might be a bit of a faux hippy, so she should get along well with Yogi Henry, and I’ll make an early tip that the two of them will team up together to become this season’s power couple. I also have a strange image in my mind of Michelle being drunkenly accosted at the races by Jacqui and being forced to bond with her over a few bubblies. It may therefore be a good idea for her to pull Jacqui into an alliance as someone she can strategically mentor and control throughout the game. I basically see Michelle as a bit of a wildcard in this season – I think she’ll play a strong social game but be underestimated strategically. If she can align with the right people and betray them at the perfect time, I think she has the potential to go well.

Odette Blacklock

32, Podiatrist, NSW

Odette has certainly proven that she’s a survivor in real life, having basically grown up without parents, and then raising her own son whilst simultaneously working and attaining a Master’s degree. However, surviving in real life does not necessarily equate to surviving in this game. In terms of determination, resilience, and physicality, Odette is going to smash it, but unfortunately her desire to play an “honest, moral, and sincere” game is what will almost definitely let her down. I’m also concerned that given so much of her life has been a solo battle, she may struggle with the large group dynamic, and inadvertently come across as guarded or dismissive. It might not be fair, but that’s just the brutal game of Survivor. Ultimately, Odette’s aim is to be the “champion” for her family; to make her son proud, and to show him that anything is possible. Whilst she’s probably going to be an easy target to vote out pre-merge, there is no question that Odette will achieve her goal of being a positive role model for her son.

Peter Conte

22, Digital Advertising Producer, NSW

Peter’s only claim to fame is having a laugh that sounds “like a dying walrus” which is enough information for me to write him off already. Even though he says he’s going to hide his louder side and lay low until the merge, he looks like he’s going to be way too excited from the outset, which will rub his tribe mates up the wrong way, and put a massive target on his back for an early exit. Peter reckons that his tribe mates will either “love him or hate him” but also reckons that he “will get along with everybody.” Good luck trying to get along with the haters old Petey boy. He looks to me to have all the hallmarks of someone who’s going to be insufferable to spend time with on the island – safest to get rid of him early before he has a chance to develop his self awareness and become a strategic threat.

Sam Gash

32, Endurance Athlete, VIC

Anyone who’s completed an ultra marathon in Antarctica demands respect in my view! Sam looks like she’ll be strong, tenacious, kind, and generally just fun to be around – traits alone that should help her survive through to the merge. She’s going to dominate in anything endurance based, will make friends easily, and probably won’t be perceived as a major threat until the dying stages of the game, when it might be too late for anyone to stop her. Sam has already identified that the strategic component of the game will be her biggest challenge, but with a likely smooth path to the merge, I think she’s going to have plenty of time to observe others and develop skills in this area. If she can harness her “inner mongrel spirit” that she talks about, and patiently wait for the perfect moment to strike, I could see her executing one of the blindsides of the season. No one is going to expect to be double crossed by Sam! To win Survivor it often pays to have at least one close ally whom you never intend to betray unless your life in the game depends on it. If I was out there myself, I’d choose Sam to be this person. Provided I could assemble a jury that seemed more likely to vote in my favour, I would be keen to make an early final three deal with her and probably ride it out to the end. I think she’s a huge chance for final 5.

*After writing this analysis I suddenly realised why Sam’s face looked so familiar… I met her a few years ago at my brother’s wedding and vaguely remember having an extremely drunken conversation with her at the after-party. She obviously made a great first impression! I rate her chances even more highly now.

Sarah Tilleke

22, Model, WA

And here we go… Sarah Tilleke, my early pick for the win! There are so many reasons why Sarah has the potential to win this game, most of all that she looms as a triple social, strategic, and physical threat. I’ve never watched The Face, but the fact that she’s competed on a reality TV show before and done well, means that she won’t be fazed by the cameras, and will likely find it easier to integrate with a group of strangers than her peers. On a historical basis, Sarah’s demographic of the young female all rounder has also produced a significant amount of winners – Jenna, Amber, Parvati, Natalie and Michelle, to name a few… Players like Sarah are often underestimated for their intelligence and strategic ruthlessness (particularly by the men), which enables them to execute numerous blindsides and earn the respect of the jury.  Also working in Sarah’s favour is her warm aura which radiates a sense of approachability and trustworthiness; other players are going to come to Sarah with information, wanting her to be on their side. Little do they know that she’s a lifelong fan of Survivor who is poised to enter her name into the record books. What impresses me most about Sarah is her drive to not only win, but to play the best game of Survivor that anyone has ever seen. She thinks like a champion, and wants to beat the best players in the game to claim her title. I would love to sit at the end with Sarah for a chance to do the very same. After all this praise she’s bound to disappoint, but for now, by the smallest of margins, Sarah is my top pick to become the SOLE SURVIVOR!

Tara Pitt

32, Barrel Racer, QLD

What I would love to know is how many people have ever seen barrel racing in action, and is there a way for me to punt on it? Maybe Tara will be able to use her experience in this strange sub genre of horse sports to bond with Michelle and Jacqui over a glass of bubbly or a Bundy & Coke at a reward challenge… Now, as harsh it sounds, I was ready to write Tara off as a threat based on her picture alone – I’m just not getting the vibe of a Survivor winner. I think she’s been drawn in a really awkward position, where she’s just that little bit older than the younger crowd, but not yet one of the oldies. Basically I think she’s going to struggle to find enough allies to control a majority alliance. Her strategic plan to attach herself to just one person that she can later turn on seems somewhat limited as well. It’s a fine start, but she’s going to need to show a lot more than that to have any chance in this game. Likely pre-merge boot.

Tessa O’Halloran

29, Doctor, VIC

Dr. Tessa is on her way, and people should be scared! Medicine is an incredibly insular and demanding profession, so the fact that she’s managed to flee the hospital for the duration of this game is enough for her to earn my respect. It means that’s she’s one of the good ones! A few years ago when I first started announcing to people that I was ending my short medical career, one of the most common reactions I received was: “But how are you going to survive?” My answer has always been that you just find a way – and that is exactly what Dr. Tessa’s going to do successfully throughout this season. When others begin to falter under the pressures of the game, she’s going to be calm, calculating, and ready to strike. Her plan to form an all-girls alliance looks promising, and I think she’s going to be able to manipulate most of her allies into taking the fall for her dirty work. We are looking at a highly intelligent, self aware person here, who will have the ability to separate life from the game – all the hallmarks of a great Survivor player! Now, the area where I see Tessa falling just slightly off the pace is in her management of the jury… I think Sarah is going to play the superior social game and find a way to plant one or two extra supporters on the bench, ultimately swinging the vote in her favour. It’s going to be a battle, but at this stage, I think Dr. Tessa is going to fall just short. RUNNER UP!

Ziggy Zagame

26, Olympian, NSW

Two time olympian Ziggy is confident that her sporting success on the world stage is going to translate to a victory in Survivor. She wants to dominate challenges, build multiple relationships, and position herself in the middle of a strong alliance as the “smiling assassin”. As a betting man, I’d say she’s going to be able to achieve all of these goals, but I give her little chance of winning the game. The main reason for this is that the strong alliance she speaks of will probably include two other far superior smiling assassins, in Dr. Tessa and Sarah. If the proposed all-girls alliance goes ahead, I reckon Ziggy is going to be the first casualty post merge, due to the fact that she’ll be perceived as a major challenge threat. For Ziggy to win, I think she’ll need to jump ship early and stage a major coup against one of the favourites in the game. Otherwise, she looks set for a lengthy stint on the jury bench.

And that completes the entire cast preview for 2017! Thanks so much for reading! Do you agree with my first impressions? Who’s your early tip for the win? Join the discussion below, and stay tuned for more commentary as the pre season continues to heat up!

You can check out the full cast bios from Channel 10 here.

Tristan Kelly is a 28 year old ex-doctor turned writer, based in Perth, Western Australia. During his final year of medical school he famously watched and analysed every available episode of Survivor (all 368 of them at the time), probably making him more qualified as a Survivor commentator than he ever was a doctor. In between writing and editing short films, he now spends most of his time organising various schemes, and fantasising about one day winning the game.