Survivor 48 Preview

Survivor 48 kicks off this Wednesday and just by the picture alone, it looks like yet another cookie-cutter cast of the new era - yawn. HOWEVER, everyone thought that about season 47 and that was one of the best seasons that I've seen in a while - and not just including the new era. So I guess the ole saying of "never judge a book by it's cover" will have it's place yet again as we dive into season 48.

Let's break it down by tribe:

Chiva Tribe (Orange for us slower people that never catch on to the names):

Just looking at this tribe as a whole, they don't seem like they are going to be winning literally ANYTHING. But individually? We might have some dark horses to make it to the end and powerhouses that will get some good screen time and could be a threat early on.

Starting with Charity:

She will be a Tommy Smokes favorite, mark my words. Yeah she's attractive for sure, which in Survivor gets you far enough to get you into trouble so she's going to have to play her cards right to make it, especially if she manipulates the male members of her tribe and the women go on an adventure and throw her under the bus.

Chrissy:

Chrissy is going far in this game. She's a 55 year old fire Lieutenant from the south side of Chicago so you know she has grit and toughness. She's not gonna take shit from anyone. Look for her to be a physical threat along with being the brains of the group.

Dave:

Alright, call me crazy, but a stunt performer from Cali doesn't really seem like the type that will last very long in this game. Could be entirely wrong but this guy just seems like a pretty boy that is going to get on everyone's nerves right away and be incredibly demanding and a head honcho in the orange tribe (forgot the name already).

Kamilla:

I can see it now, this woman is going to run intellectual circles around Dave and it's gonna be hilarious. Another Cali native via Toronto, Kamilla seems like another dark horse that can make it pretty far in this new-age game. But considering she describes herself as impatient, that doesn't really bode well for her in the short run.

Kyle:

I'm not sure why attorneys, cops and firefighters like to keep those professions a secret in this game. I guess they think that it will put a larger target on their back which I would agree with, but I think this guy has a good chance at making it into the top 10.

Mitch:

A gym teacher from Texas? That does not seem like what this guy does for a profession (and yes I am making a wild assumption). I have a feeling this will be the Andy of season 48 and will be the first to go, but Andy also pulled off one of the biggest moves I've ever seen in Survivor last season and he became the villain everyone wanted to win so maybe I'm wrong, but don't be surprised if he is out right away.

Lagi Tribe (Purple):

This tribe seems like they are going to run every single challenge early on in the game. It just looks like they have a lot of athletes and strong competitors that will be a force to be reckon win at the merge if they have numbers and don't clash too hard at camp.

Bianca:

She might be my personal favorite (solely because she is from New Jersey), but I'm not sure how far she can make it. Being a PR consultant will give her an edge in the social game for sure which is probably the biggest part of Survivor. You can win all the individual challenges you want but if you don't know how to work people you'll be gone just as fast as you came.

Eva:

Being the youngest person on the season never really works out for anyone with the exception of Carson in the new era. Being 24 years old on this show, it'll be tough to manipulate people because they won't want to be played by someone younger than them. The good part about being young is having the energy and ability to compete in physical challenges a little better than the older competitors, but I don't really like her chances to last longer than a few nights.

Joe:

Joe is going to be the biggest physical threat in this game which will for sure get him to the merge, but after that, people will be gunning for him. Look at how quickly Jonathan got voted out after the merge in season 42. But if he does make it to the merge, him and Chrissy will make an alliance based off the fire department backgrounds.

Shauhin:

Ok so this guy is a Debate Professor. That seems like the perfect occupation to have in this game and boy does he look smart. I feel like Shauhin has a VERY good chance to win this one. I just need to see how he is in challenges but for right now, I think he has a shot to make top 5.

Star:

Self described as laugh out loud funny, you're gonna have some big words to fill, Star. Especially with a name like that. If you come in too hot to this game with your name being Star and you get sent home first, that would be a world of hurt. Also the fact that she put bugs that buzz as one of her pet peeves, I don't know how long she is for a game of Survivor being stuck on an island.

Thomas:

This guy looks like a goofball. I don't know how people are going to be able to take that mustache seriously. He just seems like a happy-go-lucky guy that won't really be too focused on the game and instead there to make friends and have fun around camp.

Vula Tribe (Green):

Again, just based off looks alone, this tribe seems like the brainiacs of the bunch. It seems like they are going to win a lot of challenges if it comes down to puzzles, but again I could be entirely wrong. If they can keep a group of 2-3 to the merge, they might have a shot to put a winner in the final 3.

Cedrek:

I like the cut of this guy's jib. He's a 45 year old surgeon so he definitely has to focus on important stuff in his life, but I also just like the look of him. I think he will get pretty far in this game - perhaps top 5. He just seems like the kind of guy everyone wants to be around and that will get him votes with the jury and far along in this game.

Justin:

Portnoy would love this guy - a pizzeria manager in Massachusetts. Right up his alley. I'm not really sure how this guy will get in the game but I'll bet he would be great to get a beer with. He seems like he will get along great with everyone on the island which is fantastic, but if he goes on a journey, I can guarantee you he will either spill the beans to other tribes or somehow try to lie and get completely lost in it and will get himself voted out.

Kevin:

A finance bro from Cali. Yeah that's literally exactly what Kevin looks like. If you showed me this guy's picture that is for sure what I guess he'd do for a living. He might be a pretty big threat in this game. Seems incredibly smart, athletic and social just based off the random interviews I've ready about this guy. He has a legitimate shot at being the sole Survivor.

Mary:

Mary seems like such a nice person just based off her picture, which I have a bad feeling will haunt her in this game. Especially considering she's a substance abuse counselor and can probably be really good at helping people through the anxieties of being on the island, but again, it might be looked at as a weakness in the long term.

Saiounia "Sai":

A Philly girl that has the potential to go far in this game just solely based off of where she comes from. You know she isn't gonna take shit from anyone. But I've seen enough of Philly winning lately (even though I did cheer for the birds in the Super Bowl). I'll bet she will be very hard working at camp and that will win over everyone in the group.

Stephanie:

I have a feeling this woman is going to annoy everyone at camp right off the bat. She just seems like someone that is going to want to take charge of everyone and everything in the game and it'll rub everyone the wrong way. Consider this girl out by night 5.

Overall this seems like the same cast again as previously mentioned, but if this season is anything like 47, we will be in for a wild ride. But who do I really think will win?

Top Three: I'm gonna go with Shauhin, Cedrek and Chrissy - who will edge out Thomas in fire. Thomas screams the goat that they will drag to the end that has not shot of winning to me.

Winner Pick: Just sole based off looks and brief descriptions that I've read all over Twitter, I'm going to go with my gut and pick Shauhin to win this season. He just has that look that seems like he will have a good grasp on this game and will be very sneaky this season. Typically my winner picks haven't done too well in the past but I have a good feeling about this one.

All-in-all Survivor is the only actual TV show that I watch anymore, so when a season just doesn't hit right, it's really a let down for me. But the last couple of seasons have been great so let's just hope 48 follows suit with 47. And I would also love to see a villain this season make it to the end, hopefully with one of my top 3 picks.