Can we skip Survivor 39 and go straight to Survivor 40? That’s what many fans are thinking right now.
It’s the “Survivor” season longtime fans have been wanting all along and it’s finally happening – Survivor 40 is reportedly going to be an all-winners season. Thanks to Inside Survivor, the rumoured cast have been unveiled.
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<>Outwit. Outplay. Outlast. #Survivor tonight
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Despite some minor disappointments, many are quite please with the turn out for Survivor’s most anticipated season yet! To be honest, a lot of people thought an-winners season would be almost impossible to pull off. Just ask longtime host Jeff Probst.
Word on the street has it that the cast recently left for Fiji and the season is expected to begin filming soon. So who are in the running for an epic champion of champions showdown? Take a look:
The men:
1. Ethan Zohn
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- Age: 45
- Winner of Survivor Africa (season 3, 2001)
- Also played in Survivor: All-Stars (2004)
From Survivor Reddit:
“Ethan Zohn is the classic old school survivor player. Ethan won the game by making an alliance with his starting tribe and sticking with it all the way to the end. His brand is definitely trustworthiness. We got to see him plotting and scheming a little more in All-Stars with the target on his back but Ethan’s legacy in Survivor is of the ultimate nice guy that everyone was happy to see win.
The game that Ethan won in Africa is very different than the Survivor we see today and it will be very interesting to see how Ethan adapts to the modern game. Ethan and Amber are the only two members of this cast to have never played in a season with hidden immunity idols.”
2. Yul Kwon
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- Age: 44
- Winner of Survivor Cook Islands (season 13, 2006)
From Survivor Reddit:
“Yul’s reputation is a one of the all time greatest winners and one of the best strategists of all-time. Thankfully for him though Cook Islands was long enough ago that I don’t think he will be seen as the threat he once would have been. He also has a reputation for being very loyal to his allies which makes him an attractive ally.
The super idol Yul found in is often a contentious topic on whether is makes his win less impressive but one thing I don’t think anyone can argue is that he leveraged his idol brilliantly. He really strong armed Penner into flipping with the threat of voting him out if he didn’t join them.
When Yul last played Survivor it was very much a game of alliances so it will be interesting to see how he adapts to a game with much looser loyalties.”
3. Tyson Apostol
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- Age: 39
- Winner of Survivor Blood vs. Water (season 27, 2013)
- Also played in Tocantins (season 18), Heroes vs. Villains (season 20)
- Fun fact: Out of the season 40 cast, Tyson is the only player to have been a pre-merge boot, juror, and finalist.
4. Tony Vlachos
- Age: 45
- Winner of Survivor Cagayan (season 28, 2014)
- Also played Game Changers (season 34, 2017)
5. Jeremy Collins
- Age: 41
- Winner of Survivor Cambodia (season 31, 2015)
- Also played San Juan del Sur (season 29, 2014)
6. Adam Klein
- Age: 28
- Winner of Survivor Millennials vs. Gen. X (season 33, 2016)
7. Ben Driebergen
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- Age: 36
- Winner of Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers (season 35, 2017)
8. Wendell Holland
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- Age: 35
- Winner of Survivor: Ghost Island (season 36, 2018)
9. Nick Wilson
- Age: 28
- Winner of Survivor David vs. Goliath (season 37, 2018)
10. Rob Mariano
For those that were wondering! Hope I don’t hurt myself! pic.twitter.com/1fToYNwHzT
— Boston Rob (@BostonRob) October 30, 2018
- Age: 43
- Winner of Survivor Redemption Island (season 22, 2011)
- Also played Marquesas (season 4, 2001), All-Stars (2004), Heroes vs. Villains (season 20)
From Survivor Reddit:
“Boston Rob is one of the most dominant players to ever play survivor. He is a master at controlling a vote. Love him or hate him, he is a massive presence on this season and I have no doubt that whatever tribe he ends up on will be dominated by the other players deciding if they are with or against Boston Rob. He is not the kind of player to sit back and let others make the decisions and I don’t expect that to change here.
Each season Rob has been on, his strategy has been the same. Take control of the majority alliance on his pre-merge tribe, vote out anyone who is opposed to him, pagong the opposing tribe at the merge, then reach the end by promising final 3 to everyone in his alliance. One thing to note is in every season he has been on Rob has almost effortlessly taken control of his starting tribe. He seems to be very good at a forming a majority alliance so even though he will have a big target I think there is pretty decent chance he takes control of his tribe again here but it will really depend on how the tribe divisions shape out.”
The women:
1. Amber Brkich Mariano
We decided to let the kids pick out the tree this year… of course we ended up with the biggest one they had! pic.twitter.com/IXA4mmvfYW
— Boston Rob (@BostonRob) December 12, 2018
- Age: 40
- Winner of Survivor All-Stars (season 8, 2004)
- Also played The Australian Outback (season 2, 2001)
From Survivor Reddit:
“Amber is one of the biggest surprises on this cast. If she was here alone she could probably just fly under the radar but being in the unique position of half a married couple she will have a big target early.
In Australia, Amber played a pretty straight forward game. She stuck with her alliance the entire game and was voted out when Tina and Colby decided to cut her before Rodger and Elisabeth. Not much to talk about here.
In All-Stars Amber and Rob controlled the entire game they won most the pre-merge challenges and the only time Amber was ever really in danger was the bizarre 2nd swap where she was the only person to change where Rob infamously bargained with Lex. Amber was fine to let Rob do most of the dirty work which in the end narrowly got her the win over him at FTC. Rob proposed before the votes were read and the rest is history.
While she did win 1 immunity Amber for the most part is a non-factor in challenges. She wasn’t bad but she doesn’t really stand out here either. Probably a below average challenge competitor on this cast.”
2. Sandra Diaz-Twine
- Age: 44
- Winner of Survivor Pearl Islands (season 7, 2003), Survivor Heroes vs. Villains (season 20, 2010)
- Also played Game Changers (season 34, 2017)
From Survivor Reddit:
“Sandra needs no introduction. As the only two time winner Sandra will certainly have one of if not the biggest target on her head. And for good reason. If we take a look at her previous games it is very interesting to see the progression of her game.
In her first two games Sandra used her famous anyone but me strategy while vocally pitting herself against the villain of the season; endearing herself to the jurors. Some of the defining features of her two wins was her ability to work with anyone even if she hates them and/or has been betrayed by them, her tendency to avoid dictating who will be voted out, and her willingness to make a move when she needs to (taking out Burton at 5 in PI and tricking Russell into voting out Coach in HvV).
In Gamer Changers Sandra did not play this game at all. She was a maverick. Her GOAT status put such a target on her back that she knew she couldn’t let others make vote out decisions or she would be going home. So instead she took full control of the Mana tribe taking out Tony and JT (with an idol) before being eliminated after a second tribe swap.
I think Sandra’s third game makes her even more threatening than she was after just the two wins. Before Game Changers she was a huge threat as the only 2 time winner but now she has also shown the ability to turn on someone in an instant and whip all the votes to get it done. Combine that with her reputation for aggressively forming pre-game alliances and I would be terrified of Sandra if I was one of the winners out there. She is probably also the weakest physical competitor out here but her strong puzzle abilities keep her from being total dead weight in tribal challenges.”
3. Danni Boatwright
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<>I remember exactly what I was thinking in this pic!??? #Survivor #champ #girlpower
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- Age: 43
- Winner of Survivor Guatemala (season 11, 2005)
From Survivor Reddit:
“Danni is one of the most difficult winners to predict on this season. She might have played the best under the radar Survivor game ever in Guatemala. After Gary Hawkins was voted out Danni found herself down in the numbers 5-1. Unlike most winners down such numbers she didn’t go on an immunity run or Ben her way to the end (although she did win a couple immunities in the clutch) she somehow despite being the obvious target she managed to get Steph and Rafe to keep her around for 3 straight votes. I have no idea how she convinced Rafe to vote out Lydia instead of her at final 4 but it was brilliant. She turned on Rafe after winning the final immunity and obliterated Steph 6-1 in the vote and crushed productions dreams. It’s safe to say that Danni has one of the smallest targets of any winner here.”
4. Parvati Shallow
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- Age: 36
- Winner of Survivor Micronesia (season 16, 2008)
- Also played Cook Islands (season 13, 2006), Heroes vs. Villains (season 20, 2010)
From Survivor Reddit:
“Parvati is considered by most to be one of the most dangerous players to ever play the game and will undoubtedly be one of the biggest targets heading into the season.
If Penner did not flip in Cooks Island, I think Parv probably would have been one of the favourites to win. In Micronesia Parvati was able to take advantage of her low threat level and set up an alliance with almost every player in the post merge. She and Cirie formed the infamous black widow alliance and ran the entire game, ruthlessly blindsiding the men and somehow even convincing Erik to give up his immunity at final 5.
Entering HvV, Parvati may have had the single largest target on any other player in the game. On top of that, all three of her potential allies were on the Heroes tribe – making her an even bigger target for the Villains. Parvati’s HvV game where she managed to survive the pre-merge was very impressive and of course her signature double idol play gave the villains control for the rest of the game. Her association with Russell cost her the final vote but to make day 39 with the target she entered the game with is an incredible accomplishment and will no doubt make her an even bigger threat on this season.”
5. Sophie Clarke
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<>This is the top of a big volcano with a beautiful crater lake.
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- Age: 29
- Winner of Survivor South Pacific (season 23, 2011)
From Survivor Reddit:
“Sophie played a very good game in South Pacific and did what she needed to win but I think the higher level of competition here will force her to play a much more active game this time around. The most notable thing she did was clutch the final immunity to get rid of Ozzy. She was never in danger and managed to ensure she was part of the final 3 in her alliance of 5 so there was no need to make a pointless big move. She knew that the jury hated Coach and didn’t respect Albert so she took them to the end and won an easy 6-3 vote over Coach. I doubt there will be any alliances as rock solid as the Upolu 5 or any obvious goats like Coach and Albert. However, I do think Sophie is capable of playing a bigger game this time and I think her under the radar reputation will help her to not appear as a threat early.”
6. Kim Spradlin
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- Age: 36
- Winner of Survivor One World (season 24, 2012)
7. Denise Stapley
- Age: 48
- Winner of Survivor Philippines (season 25, 2012)
8. Natalie Anderson
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- Age: 33
- Winner of Survivor San Juan Del Sur (season 29, 2014)
9. Michele Fitzgerald
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<>break up with your girlfriend, i’m bored
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- Age: 29
- Winner of Survivor Kaôh Rōng (season 32, 2016)
10. Sarah Lacina
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<>Thank you for all the support this season, it’s been a great ride! #solesurvivor #gamechanger
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- Age: 35
- Winner of Survivor: Game Changers (season 34, 2017)
- Also played Cagayan (season 28, 2014)
#Survivor Season 40, who played with who? pic.twitter.com/wdIN0jH8KM
— Zach (@Zach4Survivor) May 19, 2019
The biggest surprise is perhaps couple Rob and Amber returning for another season. As you may know, both Rob and Sandra are both appearing on season 39 as mentors. Maybe Rob negotiated a deal with CBS to include Amber for season 40? He has been vocal about not playing again after winning Survivor Redemption Island.
What do y’all think about the rest of the cast? Besides Ethan ,Yul, and Danni, the majority of these winners are new school players. It’s a surprise, nonetheless, that the first male and female winners – Richard Hatch and Tina Wesson – didn’t make the cut. Richard tweeted that he wasn’t invited while Tina replied that she was only shortlisted.
I wasn’t invited to play.
— Richard Hatch (@HatchRichard) May 18, 2019
You’d have to ask Probst or CBS.
— Richard Hatch (@HatchRichard) May 20, 2019
@survivorcbs @JeffProbst no Richard Hatch AND no Tina Wesson? You guys fucked up BIG TIME with this casting #Survivor40FTW #FuckTheWinners pic.twitter.com/euqCjR1kar
— Travis Harpster (@THarp_91) May 19, 2019
It would’ve been nice to see Chris Underwood play again after his controversial win in Survivor: Edge of Extinction. We’re also pretty bumped out that Aras Baskauskas, James “J.T.” Thomas, Mike Holloway and Todd Herzog (understandably cause of health issues) aren’t on the list.
Update (Friday, 24th May):
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According to insiders from Survivor Sucks and SurvivorsUnite, together with Martin Holmes, more light has been shed on the Survivor winners that failed to make the final cut.
Todd Herzog, Vecepia Robinson, Chris Daugherty, Brian Heidik, Jud “Fabio” Birza, never received a call. Tina Wesson along with Mike Holloway were apparently shortlisted but later cut. Earl Cole turned down the offer following the premature birth of his second baby. John Cochran, who is currently a successful writer in his own right, apparently declined as well.
Survivor 40 is scheduled to air in 2020.
Source: Inside Survivor.
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