Survivor: Caramoan - Preview, Part 1

Meet the Fans

By Ben Willoughby

February 11, 2013

Even as strangers, you instantly like us better than every single one of the 'fan favorites'.

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Michael

Michael describes his job as a “freelancer in corporate meetings and training”, whatever that means. Does he just turn up unannounced at meetings and listen in? Or is he some sort of sycophant-for-hire who says “great idea” and “let’s do it”? Anyway, Michael says that Survivor is “a game where you have to lie and make deals behind backs and misrepresent yourself” and that’s not a problem, and that everyone knows that going in. Michael says he “can tend to be surprisingly goofy” and “a little bit of a nutter.” Great! And the other castaways will probably underestimate him physically because he wears glasses. But he claims to have a strategy and says that he will be “totally chill until it is time to make a big move.”

Assessment: Michael seems pretty comfortable going into the game, but as the oldest guy on his tribe he will need to prove himself physically early on. Of his tribe, I think he’ll have the fewest moral scruples playing the game.

Julia

Julia is a Stanford student and a race-car driver! And instantly is my favorite “fan”. She says that one of her strengths is “turning on and off aggression” because “in racing, when you put the visor down, you have to be in the zone and focussed on winning,” but that doesn’t really work in people environments. I wonder if the other players will see it this way. Anyway, Julia describes herself as “analytical and strategic,” and that she would like to be underestimated because of her youth.

Assessment: Just because I like Julia doesn’t mean others will. I think she will be an outsider and out early.

Shamar

Shamar was a sergeant in the United States Marine Corps who spent 14 days on a hill during the Battle of Fallujah, without being able to harvest any coconuts, so he feels he is prepared for the hardship of Survivor. His USMC background has also prepared him for the social game, as he learned to deal with all types of people. Is Shamar’s strategic game influenced by the USMC? His strategy is “destroying other people,” so that’s a yes. By the second week, he wants everyone to want to “go home, to be cold, wet, tired, miserable.” I’m sure everyone will appreciate a drill sergeant by then. “That was my four years of Marine Corps. Make it a horrible experience,” says Shamar, USMC recruiter. Oh well, at least he’s not saying “I’d like to be the fun guy.”




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Assessment: Shamar’s biggest challenge is obviously going to be the social game. Expect him to take a leadership role early, and for other castaways to complain about him.

Sherri

Sherri is a 40-year-old business owner, and she wants to show that anyone of any age can do this and compete with 20-year-olds. Hasn’t it been shown several times already that 40-year-old women can succeed at this game? Like when Denise won last season? Or Tina back in season 2? If Sherri were 60 or even 50, I could see her point. But I suppose I should cut her some slack because Sherri has three teenage kids and 65 teenage employees, and they probably call her “old lady Sherri."

As if managing nearly 70 teenagers wasn’t enough preparation for Survivor, Sherri has also been working out for the last three months and doing challenges in her house, including balancing ping-pong balls on a platter. She says that she didn’t leave her kids for 45 days to play nice.

Assessment: Sherri comes across as more business-like than maternal, which is how “older” women need to come across to do well in Survivor.

So there are our nine “fans”. They actually have a tribe name – Gota – but I’ll be calling them “fans” throughout the series, or at least until the air quotes become too annoying. It’s a pretty young group with Michael at 44 being the oldest, but it’s a pretty typical group of castaways with the stock characters of the bossy control freak who’ll drive everyone nuts, the schemer who’s not as smart as they think, the pretty girl and the dude who’ll do whatever the pretty girl says. So far, so standard.

Come back tomorrow, where I’ll discuss this season’s “favorites”! Which, let’s be honest, is the part you’re really interested in.


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