New at BOP: Review: Matrix Resurrections Movie Review: Moonfall Movie Reviews: Scream The #1 Movie in America November Forecast The Many Saints of Newark October Forecast New Trivia Question All site updates Share & Save   Tweet Print this column

Eddie

Eddie is a firefighter and prominent cross-wearer. He says he works with a variety of people and should be able to fit in with any group dynamic. He wants to be seen as “the happy guy, the fun guy, the out-there physical player who wants to have fun and laugh.” So for those keeping track, that’s three out of three male “fans” who want to be seen as fun.

Eddie goes on to describe himself as being “extremely hard-headed” and whatever he wants to do, he wants to do as best as he can. So much for being the fun guy. And for the complete package question, he wants to be in the top echelon of physical players this season, and he’s mentally tough, but “not a great puzzle-doer.”

Assessment: Eddie’s going to be valuable to the tribe early on, but he’s going to end up out-maneuvred by better players.

Allie

Allie is the “bartender” that we see every season. If Survivor casting were a true representation of demographics, America would have about 17.2 million bartenders. Anyway, Allie claims that her profession of bartender means she deals with people at their best and worst, and she hears a lot of stuff and gets people to trust her. Sure, but it’s a little easier with drunk people.

Allie describes herself as “very friendly” and “so generous,” but a beat later she is talking about how she “won’t suck up if she thinks you’re an idiot” and is “not a people pleaser.” She doesn’t want to be seen as an “instigator,” which means she probably will be, and she’ll do “whatever it takes... lie, cheat steal” and is in it for the money.

Assessment: You know what kind of people fit in well on Survivor? Blunt women. Allie’s best chance is probably with an all-female alliance.

Hope

Hope is this season’s beauty pageant winner. I don’t know why she was selected out of America’s 21.8 million beauty pageant winners, but here she is. Anyway, the thing Hope learned from pageant competition is the importance of staying focused and keeping a positive attitude. Couldn’t she have learned that last part from her name?

Hope too claims to be able to deal with all different kinds of people. Like she was originally from southeast Missouri, but then grew up in the capital, so she can work with all kinds of people. Or all kinds of Missourians at least. Also, CBS interviewers! Please ask more original questions than “How do you work with different people?” and “Are you the complete Survivor package?”

Assessment: Who was the last pretty but bland castaway to win? I think Hope may stick around, but it’s because she’ll form an alliance with someone bigger and stronger.

Laura

Laura lives in Washington DC and works in US-Middle East trade. Does that mean she’s really a spy? She says she doesn’t trust anyone (spy!) and that her upbringing made her confident. She says that living in DC, she “sees politics 9 to 5” though less outside of working hours. Laura says that she will be perceived as a “sweet, naïve 22-yearp old” but she is “willing to cause trouble if she has to. Not if people are already crazy and off the wall, but if that person isn’t there, I’ll create something." So Laura won’t be needing to exert herself this season. In answering the “complete package question” she agrees, but minus the muscles. So she’s realistic.

Assessment: Laura seems pretty keen to play an aggressive social game, and eventually that’s going to work against her.

Continued:       1       2       3