First Impressions of Survivor Ghost Island Cast: Part One
The Tribe is back for another year of blindsides, twists, and emotional loved ones visits; it’s time to take our first look at the cast of Survivor 36: Ghost Island!
If you don’t have access to the pages yet, it’s hard not to judge a book by its cover… And that’s exactly what I’m about to do to each member of the Survivor Ghost Island cast. It’s preseason judgement day! Armed with only a short biography, a photo, and an intro video for each player, over the next few days I’ll be presenting my first set of predictions for the upcoming season… Who’s looking hot? Who’s not? And who seems to have what it takes to sip an ice cold mimosa on Day 39? If you followed our coverage of Australian Survivor last year, you’ll know that the corresponding preseason predictions turned out to be impressively accurate, so let’s hope that the Survivor Gods are in a good mood this year and keen to produce a second strike of lighting. It’s great to be back!
Now the first important thing to note about the cast of Survivor: Ghost Island is that it’s an extremely young and attractive one… In fact with an average participant age of 28 years (ranging from 18 to 42), this season wins the title for the youngest Survivor group of all time! It’s going to be fascinating to see how this stat influences the dynamic of the game, in particular whether or not it will hinder the chances of the comparatively older players who are only in their late 30s to early 40s. With a large proportion of super fans out there, I wouldn’t be surprised if the players at each end of the age spectrum attempt to blend into the group by presenting an older or younger version of themselves… Wearing the baby or old boy cap in Survivor is rarely a profitable move.
Naviti Tribe
In today’s instalment of my first impressions series we’ll be focusing on the Naviti tribe – a powerful looking bunch who seem like they’ll be able to work together cohesively in order to stay true to the colour purple. The fourth generation Ozzy/Malcolm/Joe character in the back centre will undoubtedly take on the ‘provider’ role for the tribe (which could set them up nicely for an early immunity streak), whilst the guy on the far right looks like he’ll be keen to stir up some mischief around camp. On initial looks I can’t really see any obvious first boot candidates, and in general I’m actually sensing a bit of an old school vibe to the group… If that happens to be the case, challenge performance and contribution to camp life may well be the key elimination criteria used by the tribe in the early stages. The guy in the blue has the look of a winner so I might start with him as my crude tip for the title. Anyway, enough vague speculation. It’s time to roast some individual players. Enjoy!
Domenick Abbate
38, Construction Supervisor, New York
The ex-smoking-craps-dabbler-turned-proud-dad is projecting huge levels of smugness from this photo, and seems to be the type of player who’ll be blindsided after announcing to the camera that he’s in complete control of the game. He claims to have a heightened level of self awareness and wants to play a creative game, but is concerned that he won’t be able to control his temper around camp when confronted by deprivation. Domenick certainly looks set to become one of the more divisive players on Naviti, so he’ll need to find a way to use this to his advantage if he’s to survive the first few votes. I do like that he intends to steal a parchment from tribal council to create a fake advantage, and also that he cites Cirie, Cochran, and Boston Rob as his favourite players. However, anyone who reckons the game is going to be a “walk in the park” is destined for failure in my book.
Prediction: Pre Merge Boot
Desiree Afuye
21, Student, New Jersey
I’ve got an extremely good feeling about Desiree, the self proclaimed ‘girl next door with a kick’. She comes across as a vivacious, intelligent, and genuine character who has the life experience and self awareness to advance deep into this game. I love that her personal motto is ‘anything is possible’ and that the number one luxury item she’d take to the island is a “picture of a skeleton in a grave” to remind her that “things could always be worse.” I think that Desiree will be able to easily gain the trust and respect of her tribe mates early on, whilst concealing the fact that she’s prepared to put a ‘knife’ in their backs at any point… The ‘butter up and consume’ technique of her Survivor inspiration Cirie.
The biggest danger period for Desiree will be just after the merge when her opponents suddenly realise that she’s a major threat to win. To avoid the likely blindside she’ll need to be perfectly poised to make a massive counter move and then probably stay on the attack until Day 39. The fact that she mentions adaptability as one of her key attributes (and has evidence to back up the claim) gives me enough confidence to place her in my top 5 picks for the win. Domenick could certainly learn a thing or two about Desiree’s approach to winning the game:
“I haven’t had an easy life and sure as hell don’t expect winning Survivor to come easy.”
She just ticks all the boxes!
Prediction: Potential Winner / Juror
Kellyn Bechtold
31, Career Counsellor, Colorado
When I initially read Kellyn’s bio I wasn’t convinced in the slightest, but then she started saying ‘heck’ all the time and I found myself warming to her personality and massively rating her chances as a player. She’s got this friendly charm of a small town girl, but lurking behind the smile is a talented liar just itching to play Survivor… As Kellyn puts it herself, she wants to use her everyday ‘superpower’ of social empathy for ‘evil’ purposes within the context of the game; she’s a “little bit sweet but a lot more sour.” She also lists gambling as one of her favourite hobbies and would love to have a deck of cards on the island so that she could force people to play games that require deceit in an attempt to read their tells. Sensational idea!
I have a feeling that Kellyn isn’t going to be afraid to make big calculated moves, whilst her desire to work with the strong players to avoid unpredictable moves from buffoons instantly earns my respect. After being married, divorced, and starting a new career within the space of a year, Kellyn enters the game during a period of change – a state which often acts as the stimulus to create a champion player. She is playing for herself and will be riding her gut instincts all the way to the end. Huge chance.
Prediction: Potential Winner / Top 6
Wendell Holland
33, Furniture Company Owner, Pennsylvania
This bloke looks like he was born to play Survivor! The sexy ex-lawyer turned furniture builder wants to play like an officer who’s playing like a criminal, who also happens to be the hypothetical love child of previous winners Jeremy and Tyson… No wonder he’s confident about taking home the million! He also claims to “not be the strongest and biggest looking person” so he won’t have to worry about being targeted as a primary physical threat. Come on mate, we all know you work out… Banter aside, I do have high hopes for Wendell – he seems intelligent, likeable, and driven for success. If he can achieve his goal of “leading from within” he’ll be well poised for an end game tilt. However, I see his downfall presenting in the form of arrogance – either he’ll become too caught up in his own ego that he forgets his followers are capable of plotting against him, or he’ll fall foul of an unforgiving jury. I’m not ruling him out, but he may need another season to emulate the successes of Tony, Sarah, Jeremy and Tyson.
Prediction: Runner Up / Juror
Bradley Kleihege
26, Law Student, California
Straight off the bat I think that Bradley’s in big trouble. Although he falls within the middle age bracket of the entire cast, he comes across as a young guy who’s still learning about who he is and how the world perceives him as a person. He also seems to be putting on this arrogant mask of false confidence that many of us have been guilty of wearing at various times in our lives (particularly as uni students) – which makes him extremely vulnerable to tribal alienation. To Bradley’s credit however, he does express a desire to learn from Spencer Bledsoe’s experiences in the game – the contestant he most relates to as a player:
“I have the same penchant as him (Spencer) for making people feel irrelevant and that is something I will have to be very careful not to do during the game.”
Bradley is clearly a passionate scholar of the game (he would play even if there wasn’t a cash prize on the line), but in order for him to be successful he will need to focus on his social game and find a way to form genuine relationships with the other contestants. If he comes across as as robotic manipulator to them, he’ll have no chance of winning even if he makes it to the end. Cochran’s transformative victory in Season 26 proves that anything is possible in Survivor, but it’s hard to see Bradley performing to that level in his first outing.
Prediction: Pre merge boot
Sebastian Noel
22, Fishing Guide, Florida
Introducing the latest incarnation of Ozzy… A chilled out fishing guide from Florida whose favourite hobbies include: fishing, surfing, cooking, living, loving, traveling, and gardening. He’s also “big into hippy stuff like yoga” so stay tuned for a little bit of that action as well. Sebastian is clearly going to become a favourite amongst fans and kids, but will he be able to reverse the curse that the nice guy never wins? He plans to closely mimic the playing style of Tyson “the ultimate free spirit” from Blood V Water, and wants to prove to the skeptics that positive energy alone is enough to produce a Survivor winner.
I think the key to Sebastian’s game will be cultivating a loyal alliance of like minded souls that includes enough physical and social shields to prevent him from being targeted prematurely at the merge. What gives me hope for Sebastian is his comment about wanting to target the players who are constantly slipping under the radar ie. the ‘real’ threats to win the game. If he can adequately pitch this to the group when his name starts being brought up (using past winners as examples), he may be able to reverse the polarity and sneak through to Day 39.
Prediction: A lock for the merge but not much more.
Chris Noble
27, Male Model, New York
If the ‘look at me I’m a male model who’s in touch with my faith’ pose isn’t enough to impress you, then surely a list of favourite hobbies that includes “being a foodie, working out, and dating” will have you swooning at the feet of this self described charismatic alpha male… He also has the ability to “aid the weak” with his positivity and has a flawless strategy when it comes to playing Survivor:
“They always say ‘don’t bite the hand that feeds you.’ I grew up on an island so if I’m one of the few that can get his own catch and get his own water (which are the two essentials of living), no one will bite that hand. I will have ultimate power.”
Is this dude for real!? At this stage it’s safe to say that I’m not a fan of Chris, and I even have enough confidence to say that he has ZERO chance of winning this game. Playing for his Mum to raise awareness of MS is admirable, as is the fact that he’s already been able to identify pre-game that Sebastian is a professional fisherman. However, it seems probable that Chris’s inflated ego will bring about his early demise. He also says he tends to lose his temper around lazy people, so I could easily see him filling the shoes of the original Survivor ‘old bloke’ ie. the dickhead who aggressively chooses to work on the shelter 24/7 (often making it worse) before lecturing all the young ones on work ethic… May B.B. from Survivor Borneo rest in peace.
Prediction: FIRST BOOT
Angela Perkins
42, Army Veteran, Ohio
At 42 years of age, retired army officer Angela claims the rare title of becoming the ‘youngest’ oldest contestant on any individual season of US Survivor. It will be interesting to see how this strange honour impacts her position in the tribe. At the moment I’m not feeling a huge connection to Angela, but she does exude a bit of a Tina vibe and says that she generally gravitates towards younger dominant males, so I think she should be able to find enough friends to survive the first couple of votes. My major concern for her game is that her “straight shooter” personality will cause her to unintentionally block the strategic plans of her allies, resulting in a premature elimination. If she wants to make it deep into the game it will be important for her to downplay her military background and make a concerted effort to show vulnerability around her potential allies. Her best bet may be shacking up with someone like Sebastian to play an old school style of game together. Ultimately I think that Angela presents as the type of character who could be one of the first out or could make it to the jury. I need to see more.
Prediction: Pre Merge Boot
Morgan Ricke
29, Marine Animal Trainer, Florida
The bubbly SeaWorld killer whale trainer from Orlando presents as a warm, friendly, and loyal character. She’s not entering the game with a specific strategy in mind but does intend to judge the vibe of her tribe mates and adapt her approach accordingly. She’s also passionate about keeping any advantages or idols that she might find exclusively for herself, and ideally would like to “get in with the nerdy guys.” There’s a lot to like about Morgan – including her list of pet peeves which includes: feet, cold weather, and a shortage of ketchup! I don’t think she’s going to be perceived as a massive threat, and on paper I have her centrally positioned within her tribe as a relatively safe early swing vote. If she can pick the right side to align with, Morgan should be sitting pretty until at least the merge. However, I can’t back her in as a winner just yet.
Prediction: Early Merge
Chelsea Townsend
24, EMT/Pro Cheerleader, California
Chelsea, the professional cheerleader and emergency medical technician, looms as perhaps the biggest surprise packet on the Naviti Tribe… She emanates a warm and gentle aura with an underlying tenacious intellect that should set up her up beautifully for a major crack at this title. Her favourite player is Parvati (which earns her huge bonus points) and she describes herself as a “guys girl” who loves to kick back with a beer and watch the footy. I think she’s going to be massively underrated, and I also have a strong feeling that at some point in the game she’s going to break Sebastian’s poor little heart. Chelsea’s plan is to form genuine human connections with her opponents but to treat the game as a game and therefore do whatever it takes to win. She commands respect and is well poised to play an advanced under the radar game. I’ll happily back her in as one of the major players.
Prediction: Potential Winner / Top 5
And that rounds out the first ten castaways from the Naviti tribe! What are your first impressions of the group? Who’s your early tip for the win? Feel free to join the discussion below or chat with us on Facebook and Twitter.
Next up I’ll be taking a look at the Malolo tribe so be sure to check back soon for more blind judgements and preseason predictions!
Tristan Kelly is a 29 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, he now spends most of his time organising audacious schemes and fantasising about one day winning the game.