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"Survivor Heroes vs. Villains: Predictions and Thoughts"
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Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains
The twentieth season of the American TV series Survivor.
Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains will be the twentieth season of the American TV series Survivor. It will premiere on February 11th, 2010 with a 2-hour special premiere. Unlike previous seasons where a break in production occurred between seasons, the twentieth … see full wiki
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Survivor Heroes vs. Villains: Predictions and Thoughts
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Feb 8, 2010
- by Pardolis
- posted in Reality Rehash
Rating:
Well, we are a few days away from the premiere of Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains. This season marks the third time in the series that past survivor contestants return to the game for a chance to get their second or even third try at attempting to become the sole survivor and win one million dollars. But unlike the previous two all-star installments, this season will be based around the concept of Heroes vs. Villains. One tribe will consist of individuals who are known for using deceit and treachery in their game play (the "Villains") whereas the other tribe will consist of individuals who are known for being selfless and noble in their game play (the "Heroes"). When I first discovered that Survivor would be using this concept for the landmark 20th season of the show, I rolled my eyes. I thought it was quite an idiotic idea at first. But after I thought about it some more, I began to realize that the question of who's heroic and who's villainous is at the very core of what this show represents to its fans. In that way, it makes this concept a perfect one to use for such an important season in the franchise.
+5
The labels of "Hero" and "Villain" are one of the key ingredients to making Survivor or most other shows work. It's the idea that fans can root for someone and against someone else that makes shows like Survivor so appealing. Of course, people are more complex than just being called a "Hero" or a "Villain", but this approach makes the game more fun and enjoyable from a fan's perspective. It's a game and it's fun to see your favorites win and your not-so-favorites lose. Can't go wrong with that. :-)
Now let's take a look at our twenty returning contestants this season. I'll briefly mention their previous performance(s) in the game, whether or not they should be labeled as a "Hero" or a "Villain" due to how fans perceived them before, and what their chances are of winning this time around. Let's start off with the members of the "Villains" tribe:
Coach (Survivor: Tocantins)-Coach did quite well in the Tocantins making it all the way to the final five. He definitely would be considered a "Villain" due to his crazy off the wall comments and lack of gameplay. I don't think Coach will do very well this time around. He probably won't be one of the first ones kicked off, but by the midpoint, people will tire of him. His only hope would be to come off as so predictable and non-threatening that no one will want to get rid of him quickly (which is what happened in Tocantins). But I think he'll snap at some point, make the wrong person mad, and there goes the Coach. Buh-bye.
Courtney (Survivor: China)-She had a very impressive showing during her original season. She came in second place and even beat out Amanda who seemed like a lock to win China. She is someone who would get the "Villain" label also since many fans didn't like her being a coattail rider and a complainer all the time. Some of her ruder comments didn't go over very well with the fans either (Personally, I kind of like her. She's pretty funny. She should be a comedian, lol.). However, I don't think she'll do well at all this time around. She'll definitely be one of the first boots unless she gets into a powerful alliance like she did the last time. That's the ONLY thing that can save her. If she fails to do this, she's going home either first or second.
Danielle (Survivor: Exile Island)-Danielle came close to winning her season, but fell short. Unfortunately, I'm at a bit of a disadvantage when it comes to Danielle's "Villain" label. While I did watch her season, I only watched it AFTER it initially aired. So I'm not terribly familiar with how fans perceived her. I didn't see anything particularly villainous about her, but I might have missed something. Anyway, I think Danielle's chances are good, but not great. If she can make it to the merge, she might be somewhat ok. But she'll probably get the boot before that happens. We'll see.
Jerri (Survivor: Australia and Survivor: All-Stars)-This is Jerri's third attempt at playing the game. The first time, she went home because she was not a member of the dominant core Ogakor alliance. The second time, she was in the major alliance on her tribe, but got backstabbed by Lex and his stupidity. This time should be very interesting. Jerri is obviously a card carrying member of team "Villain" since she was one of the first survivors ever to be extremely hated, so we can see why she's in this tribe. Performance wise, I don't think she'll do well. Her mouth will get her in trouble and she'll probably go home early because of it. This could be her worst survivor showing yet. We'll see.
Parvati (Survivor: Cook Islands and Survivor: Fans vs. Favorites)-Parvati is back for a third round of action. Her first attempt was unsuccessful due to her tribe underestimating the Aitus and allowing them to dominate, which ruined her chances. Her second attempt gave her a very surprising win on Fans vs. Favorites due to how well she played the social and strategic game that season. She's one talented player, no doubt about it. Considering how hated she is due to several comments that she made and her weasel like ways, we can see why she gets the honor of "Villain" status. I think Parvati will crash and burn this time around though. As good of a player as she is, she'll most likely be viewed as a weak physical competitor pre-merge. Also, due to her status as a previous winner and also due to her not being very likable, I could see her as an early boot. During her last two attempts, she had the advantage of being perceived weak strategically. But now that she's a former winner, she won't have that advantage this time around. She'll be seen as a major threat down the road and they'll want to get rid of her as soon as possible. I don't think lightning will strike twice for Parvati.
Randy (Survivor: Gabon)-One of the most hated and despised contestants in recent memory returns. It's quite easy to see why this guy is a "Villain". He was accused of being racist and cruel to some of his other tribe members during his season. Then he joins the "Onion" alliance which was known to have a huge chip on its shoulder and the hate for him rises even further. Let's also consider the fact that he was rude and disrespectful to everyone he didn't like and you have a perfect recipe for "Villian"-ness. After the Onions were dominated by the surviving fang members, his time was cut short. I think his performance this time is up in the air. He could potentially do really well if he can find a solid alliance to enter. But if people have a grudge against him for things that he did in Gabon, he might be a very early boot.
Rob M. (Survivor: Marquesas and Survivor: All-Stars)-Rob is back for his third go round. What's interesting about Rob is that his first two times playing the game had such drastically opposite results. The first time, he got destroyed because the Rotu tribe won everything and by the time the merge happened, he was a dead duck. The dominant tribe kicked him out quick. His second go through was unbelievably successful. He came in second on Survivor: All-Stars and strategically controlled a huge portion of the game throughout. Rob will be a major force this season, I'm sure of it. On both of his seasons, Rob has shown an incredible ability to manipulate people into doing things that he wants them to do and I don't think this will be any different. He could very well win this season. However, I predict that he will come in either second or third. My only slight issue is his "Villain" label. Fans hated him on Marquesas, but he was quite popular on All-Stars though. But in a way, the "Villain" label is fitting due to how sneaky his subtle manipulation is. Either way, this is someone to keep an eye on this time around.
Russell (Survivor: Samoa)-Our most recent villain acquisition makes a return to the game of Survivor. Russell was just on the show last season, so he is making back-to-back appearances here. Last time, Russell played the game extremely well by finding hidden idols with no clues and having good social relationships with his tribe members. He was also a good strategic thinker as well. But ultimately, it wasn't enough. He got very far, but when it was all said and done, he came in second and lost to his coattail rider, Natalie. This time around, Russell will probably do very well and that's because he has an advantage that no other Survivor contestant will have this season. Unlike everyone else, no one will have seen Russell's previous survivor season on tv because it hadn't aired yet at the time this season was filmed. That means that none of the other contestants will have a clue as to how cunning and intelligent he can be and everyone will underestimate him. I'm not sure whether or not Russell has seen many of the previous seasons before his own, but if he has, the deck is definitely stacked in his favor. He would know how everyone else is going to play and they wouldn't know how he would play. That is a great advantage to have. Russell could go very far this time around, but I don't think he'll win. We'll see, though. As far as his "Villain" status goes, it's a mixed bag. Many people couldn't stand him, others loved him. But due to his sneaky ways and extremely blunt confessionals, I can see why he would be picked to be a "Villain".
Sandra (Survivor: Pearl Islands)-Looks like this previous Survivor winner is back to see if she can win the million yet again. One of the reasons for Sandra's success last time around was because she was a member of a dominant alliance for most of the time and she played her "anybody but me" strategy very well. When her alliance collapsed, she did a lot of talking and convinced others to turn their targets on other people when normally, the target would have been on her. She played a good game, but I don't think it's going to help her this time around. The game has changed quite a bit since she last played and I don't know if she can adapt to all of the hardcore strategizing that will be in much more abundance here than it was during her original season. She could possibly make it to the halfway point because she's good at deflecting attention off of herself, but I don't see her getting beyond that. Overall, I think she'll do reasonably ok this time, but I don't think she'll win. Another thing I wanted to bring up is why did the producers put her in the "Villains" tribe? Sandra was incredibly popular during her season and many people were extremely pleased when she won her season. So why did she get the "Villain" label? My only guess is the producers had to find a way to separate her from her alliance buddy Rupert in the Heroes Tribe and this was the only way to do it. But that doesn't explain it away because Coach and Tyson are buddies and yet, they get to start out on the same tribe. Amanda and James are also buddies and they get to be on the same team. So why couldn't Rupert and Sandra be in the same tribe as well? I don't know, it's all confusing. They should have put Sandra on the "Heroes" tribe and brought Candice over to the "Villains" tribe. I don't know why they didn't do that. Personally, I didn't like Sandra all that much. But everyone else did and because of that, her "Villain" label is one of the big question marks of this season.
Tyson (Survivor: Tocantins)-Another controversial Survivor contestant returns for another shot at the grand prize. Tyson receives the "Villain" label for criticizing and making fun of his other tribesmates excessively and the one who got it the most was Sierra. Tyson treated Sierra quite poorly and he further antagonized his tribe members by walking around naked sometimes and making funny noises. Many fans didn't take to his behavior all that well. He worked with Coach closely throughout his run and they both seemed to have a fair bit of control over the Timbira tribe. But when the merge happened, Tyson became a huge immunity threat due to how well she did at challenges and was quickly blindsided and voted out of the game. This time around, I think Tyson falls flat on his face. I don't see him winning and I don't see him going far either. He'll be valuable pre-merge for a while, but at some point, someone's going to want him gone due to either his ability to win challenges or due to the fact that he's annoying. One of these is going to catch up with him eventually. Add on the fact that Tyson doesn't have the notoriety that other Survivor contestants here have and he's not going to make it a long ways. He'll be an afterthought in people's heads and won't last because of it.
Okay, well, I'm done analyzing the members of the "Villains" tribe. Next, we will now analyze the members of the "Heroes" tribe. Just like with the "Villains", I will go through each survivor contestant one by one. I will give a brief description of their performance(s) the last time they were on the show, whether or not the "Hero" label is appropriate due to how fans perceived them, and how I think they will fare in this season of Survivor. Let's take a look at our Heroes:
Amanda (Survivor: China and Survivor: Fans vs. Favorites)-In terms of overall performance, you could easily make the argument that Amanda is the most successful Survivor of all time. In both of her previous attempts, she made it to the final tribal council and came extremely close to winning the game. That is no small achievement. It's hard enough to get close to winning once, but it's damn near impossible to do it twice. Amanda did quite a good job on both occasions, but each time, she fell just short of winning the grand prize. How will she fare on her third try? I say she'll get far. It'll be a miracle though if she can make the finals three times in a row. I don't think Amanda's going to win, but she'll definitely be in the game for a while. Just like her other two attempts, she'll align with the right people and go a long ways because of it. She's fairly athletic as well, so she won't be an early boot. It's easy to see why she is labeled as a "Hero" also. She may not be the greatest strategist, but she's good in competitions and is very attractive with her infamous "puppy dog" eyes that she uses to garner sympathy. Fans seem to gravitate toward these characteristics and that's what makes her a "Hero".
Candice (Survivor: Cook Islands)-Another memorable contestant returns for a second shot at winning it all. The one question we have to ask ourselves right away is how in the hell did Candice become a member of the "Heroes" tribe? Many fans couldn't stand her in her original season. She was by far one of the most hated people on the message boards. So why is she a "Hero" and not a "Villain"? I think if the producers had switched Candice and Sandra, we would have a more accurate representation of how fans feel about both individuals. Candice should be on the "Villains" tribe while Sandra should be on the "Heroes" tribe. Makes much more sense. Anyway, Candice wasn't the greatest player on her first attempt. All she wanted to do was hug and kiss on Adam and whenever things didn't go her way, she became whiny and annoying. She got cocky when she thought her tribe was in control, but when the Aitus began dominating, she became a very easy boot. Plus, all those times she got sent to exile island in her season shows how irritated people became with her. This time, Candice will do very poorly, I'm sure of it. If she's not the first person voted off, she'll be second or third. She has no notoriety, people will hate the complaining, she'll be considered as a weak competitior, and given a one way ticket home. Bye.
Cirie (Survivor: Exile Island and Survivor: Fans vs. Favorites)-One of the most popular and beloved Survivors of all time returns for her third attempt at a win. If Amanda is considered the most successful Survivor of all time in terms of how she placed in both of her seasons, then you'd have to say that Cirie is probably the second best person to ever play the game given that same criteria. She came in fourth place on Survivor: Exile Island and came in third place on Survivor: Fans vs. Favorites. A great accomplishment. Cirie is without a doubt one of the best strategists that this game has ever seen. She was responsible for many of the game's most memorable moments. She initiated the 3-2-1 vote that sent Courtney home on Exile Island. She single handedly orchestrated the coup d'etat that sent the game's most powerful player, Ozzy, home on Fans vs. Favorites. She even came up with the ingenious idea of convincing Erik to give up his immunity necklace and in doing so, sealed his own fate on Fans vs. Favorites. Cirie is a hardcore game player, no doubt about it. She will do pretty well this time, I'd say. But she is a tremendous force and if anyone feels threatened by that, she's going home quickly. It's easy to see why she would get the title of "Hero". So many fans identified with her. What she lacked in ahtletic ability, she more than made up for in brain power and her approach to strategy. Fans appreciated that. Cirie is also identified as a fan herself since she has stated many times how big of a fan she was of the show before getting on. The Survivor fanbase sees her as one of their own and that increases her popularity tenfold. There's no question that Cirie is viewed as a "Hero" in this game.
Colby (Survivor: Australia and Survivor: All-Stars)-The big texan takes a third stab at winning the game. His first attempt landed him a second place finish, but he was forever criticized by fans for his decision to take Tina to the finals instead of Keith. It's a move that many feel cost him the game in Australia. Colby's second attempt was not as successful due to Lex rounding up the girls and stabbing him in the back early on in the game. I feel that his third attempt will be somewhat successful, but I don't see him as the winner here. He'll almost certainly make the merge and he might have some influence after that, but someone's going to find a way to take him out. He's too big of a target. However, it is important to note that he is quite likable and his charm might get him pretty far, even into the final four. Colby is seen as a "Hero" by fans for many reasons. One, he's good looking. Two, he has stated several times his desire to play the game morally and he detests methods that he feels a player shouldn't use to win the game (such as lying or flying under the radar. His criticism of Shii-Ann on All-Stars for being under the radar and not having to make difficult decisions reflects his view of the game). Both of these factors contribute to why fans identify with Colby and see him as a "Hero".
James (Survivor: China and Survivor: Fans vs. Favorites)-The comedic, straight-shooting gravedigger returns for a third chance at the win. It's important to note that on both of James's previous attempts, he came in seventh place. The first time, he was blindsided and voted out even though he had TWO hidden immunity idols with him at the time and chose to use neither. The second time, he left the game due to an infection on his finger. This time, I believe James will do well. However, after the merge, James will be a goner. I feel that James is one of those players who will never grasp the strategic element of this game. He feels that Survivor is only about who's the most athletic and who does the most around camp. While those aspects of the game are important, that doesn't mean that strategy should go out the window. Someone will want him out, he won't see it coming, and bam, there goes James. His sense of humor, his athletic ability, and his overall happy-go-lucky nature is what gets him the "Hero" label from many Survivor fans. It'll also be what keeps him around for a while until the ones in control decide he's too much of a threat and needs to go home. James might go far this season, but he won't go all the way.
J.T. (Survivor: Tocantins)-The winner of the Tocantins season returns to see if he can do it again. Last time, J.T. won the game due to his good use of strategy by maintaining a core alliance and making friends along the way to keep him in the game. He's also extremely likable too which allowed most people in the Tocantins season to trust him even without sufficient reason to do so. This time, his success will be a crapshoot. He'll be in the game for a while, no doubt. But after the merge, he has to make strong friendships or else, he could be tossed quickly. If he is able to keep up the same social and strategic game that he had in Tocantins, he could very well win again. He's hard to beat in front of a jury because he comes off as such an easy-going, well-mannered guy who wouldn't hurt a flea. He's a "Hero" to many Survivor fans because he performs well at challenges and is kind to the people around him. If he doesn't win, he'll at least have a good chance at making the final four. He'll most likely do pretty well this time.
Rupert (Survivor: Pearl Islands and Survivor: All-Stars)-Another extremely popular contestant tries his hand at the game yet again. In his past two seasons, Rupert has had the benefit of being in a strong alliance and being the provider of food for his tribe. These two things kept him in the game for a while on both of his seasons. However, strategy has always been Rupert's Achilles Heel. The first time, he got the boot because he couldn't conceive of the notion that someone would vote a strong player like him out. He also underestimated Jon from that season as well and that led to his ouster. The second time, Rupert got into the dominant alliance and made it pretty far in the game. But once he got to the final four, he woke up and realized that Rob and Amber had to be taken out. But it was too late. Jenna voted along with the Survivor couple to oust Rupert and that was that. This time, Rupert could go far, but I don't think he'll last. He's got the image of being one of the game's most popular players and he's a beast at challenges. Add on to this his lack of strategic ability and I don't see Rupert going far. Fans label Rupert as a "Hero" because of his pirate like persona and his soft cuddly teddy bear image. But all this won't help him win the game in my view.
Stephenie (Survivor: Palau and Survivor: Guatemala)-One of the most popular and at the same time, most hated players in Survivor history returns to see if the third time's a charm. Her two previous Survivor experiences are polar opposite from each other. On her first go through, her tribe got completely annihilated by the Koror tribe until she was the last member of Ulong standing. After she merged with the rest of the Koror members, it was only a matter of time before Stephenie was shown the door and voted out. Her second go through proved to be much different from her first. In Guatemala, Stephenie dominated the game physically and strategically. She was completely in control in every way possible. She made it all the way to second place, but didn't win because her tribemates had a huge grudge against her for the way she lied to all of them. I believe that her third attempt will be very successful. I'm going to go ahead and predict that Stephenie is going to win this season. She has all the right ingredients needed to win without looking like a major threat in the progress. She's athletic, she's likable, she doesn't get into shouting matches with anyone, and she is very strategic. She won't be the first one voted off due to her strength in challenges. She'll make the merge and lie low waiting for everyone else to be taken out. Once that happens, she'll form an alliance with someone (most likely Tom), ride that alliance all the way to the end, win individual immunities along the way, give a great speech to the jury, and win one million dollars. She's the full package of what you need to win this game, so I think she could very well pull off a victory here. Her "Hero" label is largely a result of her underdog role in the Palau season. Everyone identifies with the lone soldier standing up against an army and that's what Stephenie was to many fans that season. She was David to Koror's Goliath. Her nice, yet never give up attitude endeared fans to her as well. Guatemala, however, is a different story. Stephenie was villainized to the extreme by Survivor fans who felt that she played too hard and too aggressively during that season. The love that she received from fans during the Palau season almost completely evaporated by the time Guatemala came around. However, her Palau performance is what people remember the most about her, so that's why fans will most likely support her this season. I think she is our winner, but only time will tell.
Sugar (Survivor: Gabon)-Little miss Sugar returns for a second shot at the win. Her previous season saw her get farther than anyone thought she would, all the way to third place. A major contributing factor to her success was the perception that she posed no threat at all. She was one of the weakest physical players out there, but because of a tribe switch and because her new alliance members found her to be non-threatening, she lasted very long in the game. However, Sugar's major mistake in Gabon was betraying the Fang members and aligning with Bob and Matty for moral reasons. This move ruined any slim chance she may have had of winning and it made the jury members very upset with her. After this, she flip-flopped on her game approach so many times that no one could really trust her anymore. This time around, Sugar will have almost no chance of winning. People will know that she's wishy-washy from her earlier season and they won't trust her because of it. She's also pretty useless in physical competitions as well. These two things will ensure that Sugar gets an early exit from the game. I predict that Sugar will either be the first or second person voted out this time around. I don't see her going far at all. Her "Hero" status was given to her by fans for how nice she is and how smart she "appeared" to be at the beginning of the game (but that quickly changed). However, it won't help her this time. Sugar's getting the boot early. I'm almost certain of it.
Tom (Survivor: Palau)-The athletically gifted fireman who won the Palau season makes a second run for the million dollars. His first season proved to be enormously successful for him. Not only did he win on his original season, but he almost single handedly controlled the Palau season from the very beginning. His tribe (Koror) completely wiped out the opposing tribe (Ulong). His leadership skills and his athletic prowess were two major factors in Koror's dominance over Ulong. After Ulong was wiped out, he still managed to stay in control by keeping his alliance of four (or five, if you count Gregg) in the majority and wiping everyone else out. His all around good guy image and his jury speech finally sealed him a victory on the Palau season. This time, Tom will do pretty well. He could potentially make it extremely far, but his biggest problem is that he'll be perceived as a monstrous threat. I could see Tom making final five or final four, but I think he might be voted out after that because he's too big of a risk to put in front of a jury. He's labeled as a "Hero" because of his profession (fireman), his good looks, his athletic ability, and his overall friendly attitude about things. If Tom doesn't win, he'll at least get very close to it. We'll see how he does.
And that ends my analysis of the Heroes. We've now looked at all twenty survivors that will be on the upcoming season. My overall pick for least likely to win is Sugar and my pick for most likely to win is Stephenie. But anything can happen in Survivor as we all know. I'm looking forward to the 20th season and I think it will be very good. I'll be back later to review the series as it goes along. See you then.
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When does the series premiere? You are supposed to remind me to watch this season.
I can't believe how many people come back to the show for another chance at winning the money. Seems really difficult to win the money from this type of reality show because there are so many factors to consider!