Survivor Caramoan: Fans vs Favorites Cast Revealed

The first edition of Survivor's Fans vs Favorites was a success with Parvati's Wicked Witch alliance reigning supreme, which the producers are banking on the same successful formula to follow up quite an epic season in Survivor Philippines. The location for this season will be the same as the previous one, Caramoan Islands.

The Spring edition of Survivor will premiere on February 13 on CBS (Filipino viewers, please check back again for local show airdates). There has been much buzz about this group of castaways as former Survivor castaways (many think as the weakest set of returnees yet) will go up against a new set of castaways, claiming to be big fans of the show. 

On the Favorites side, Malcolm, Brenda, and Andrea are the only ones I truly care about. The rest are either hated by fans, known for their blunders (aka dumb moves), and simply forgettable characters. However, Jeff Probst have claimed earlier that this is going to be a better season than Suvivor Philippines. Now, that's saying a lot given that the previous season could also fall into my Top 3!

Below is the complete list of returning castaways:

Malcolm Freberg - Survivor: Philippines
Erik Reichenbach - Survivor: Micronesia
Brandon Hantz - Survivor: South Pacific
Phillip Shephard - Survivor: Redemption Island
John Cochran - Survivor: South Pacific   

Brenda Lowe - Survivor: Nicaragua
Andrea Boehlke - Survivor: Redemption Island
Corinne Kaplan - Survivor: Gabon
Francesca Hogi - Survivor: Redemption Island
Dawn Meehan - Survivor: South Pacific

Meanwhile, the fans are as zealous as can be (as expected) to be able to play against some of the former castaways they watched before they got enlisted for the show. 

Right off the bat, my instincts tell me that Eddie is going to be a tough competitor for the Fans tribe. He is a fireman, and I do have tremendous respect for firemen (and one of my favorite winners is Tom from Palau, who is also one), and so I know right there and then that he will be leading his tribe when it comes to the challenges. I also see him taking on leadership role around camp when it comes to building a shelter and getting a fire started. 

Also, I like Matt, just because we haven't seen anyone like him before. If anything, I am just curious to see what he can bring to the table. Maybe he will provide comic relief at camp. Who knows? That's something I want to watch. 

Mike, on the other hand, he does not look like he can survive the social game. He himself admitted in the Meet the Cast video that he can guarantee he will be annoying at some point. Uh oh. 

For the girls, I am having a good vibe about Allie. I need to take a more extensive look at her bio, though. But she looks like someone who is outgoing and would be able to take on any physical challenges and not complain about bugs and all that at camp.
  

 To get to know more of this season's cast, watch CBS' "Meet the Cast" video:

 
Are you excited about this new season?  

Best of Malcolm

If you'd been reading my blog all-season long, then the cat's probably out of the bag that I love Malcolm. He was my number one bet to win and Denise came in at a close second. I mean, c'mon, he's already tall, is good looking, amazing locks, and physically fit, then he's smart too? The way he smoked those puzzles in the remaining 2 episodes were amazing!

And so I felt it was only fitting that I make my own post dedicated solely for him. With the season over, and me feeling slightly craving for my weekly Malcolm fix, I have a lot to talk about Malcolm. Okay, I admit. Majorly craving.

Shall we get started?

Contrary to popular belief, the main reason why I picked Malcolm as my pre-show bet is because of his impressive bio and this "Meet the Cast" video released by CBS. I read all of the profiles from other castaways and his was the only one that stood out for me. When he revealed that he was an Ivy League graduate, that only made him way hotter in my books. But honestly, I had a bit of doubt coming in. I thought for sure he was going to be one of those studs who claimed they are the best at the strategic game. But not only did he played the best strategy, he also did a fantastic job at the social aspect of this game! He can clearly walk the talk!

See the video for yourself:

 
Finding the hidden immunity idol, alongside sealing an alliance with Denise, was the most important factors to his success in the game. Had he not found the idol, he might've been gone sooner than he did given his threat status and lopsided numbers coming into the merge. First time he's shown us a huge smile, too, after four back-to-back trips to tribal council.

 
On episode 8, Malcolm did one of the ballsiest moves in Survivor history (right along the lines of Parvati giving out immunity idols to Sandra and Jerri at Heroes vs Villains, as well as Russell giving his immunity idol to Parvati). It was a smart strategic play on his part because it kept him from playing the idol. This moment also helped to produce arguably the most exciting tribal council this season. 

My favorite reward this season is the ambassador reward. He got to play with the kids, meet some locals, and gorge on a local feast! I think this moment shown us a side of Malcolm that most of us probably did not know existed. Awwww!

The first individual immunity. The very same episode wherein Lisa attempted her second shot at getting rid of Malcolm was also the moment when he won his first individual immunity necklace. It was such a close win but he rose under pressure. He looks good with that necklace on!

And then he went on an immunity challenge winning spree after that.. looked like his puzzle solving skills came in handy!

 

That look on his face when Jeff snuffed his torch is priceless. Not that I am happy about it. But I could feel his frustration knowing that he is just one vote away from making it to the end. In hindsight, he did everything right until that final point when he distanced himself from Denise. But what's done is done. It was just a special moment - still wish his torch wasn't snuffed though!

Any chance they could get him back on Survivor, I will be the first to watch it! Am I creepy? LOL

Survivor: Philippines Favorite Castaways

It’s only been episode one in for Survivor Philippines and I am already high in anticipation as to how the rest of the season will go. I know, it’s too early to predict winners, but I already have my sights on who I want to win the title of Sole Survivor. Take note, though, that my list of favorite castaways are only based on impressions from the pre-show interviews and cast assessments, as well as what transpired on episode one.

Mike Skupin (Tandang)

It’s easy to root for Mike because he is one of the old-timers. If you’re a long time fan of the show, like me, you’d even be starstruck to see him again! But he is a legend. And Survivor will not be what it is if not for him. The opportunity to see him play again is a Survivor dream for ultimate fans and I am rooting for him to go far, if not win it all (yeah, I still want a new player to win this season). But he is tremendously athletic for his age and he has shown great approach at the game by playing along with it, instead of being too abrasive and impose his own strategy, so I think if he can keep that alliance intact, he’d be in a good position at least until the merge.

Jeff Kent (Kalabaw)

It is always easy to support competitive players and Jeff Kent is undeniably one. It’s no surprise given his background as an athlete – he likes to win at every game! He sorta reminds me of Gary from Guatemala, which again is not a surprise as they both had athletic background. 

The only thing working against him right now is his active campaigning to vote off Jonathan. If Penner does find the idol, that could easily switch up the power position in the tribe. And given his physical strength, he could be easily perceived as a threat and an obvious choice for a vote.

Denise Stapley (Matsing)

Denise is a sex therapist. That alone makes her an interesting pick. But she is not your stereotypical “old woman” in Survivor. She is a strong competitor at challenges (as proven in the first immunity challenge for this season) and she can play a good strategic game, too. 

I love how upfront she is on her pre-game cast video that she is here to play the game. And her alliance with Malcolm is a very promising one, indeed. I am keeping my fingers crossed that they can ride it all the way to the end.

Malcolm Freberg (Matsing)

Malcolm is the complete package. On Rob Cesternino’s podcast, wherein he interviewed Yul Kwon, the winner of Survivor: Cook Islands and one of the best players the show has seen, he had some positive feedback about Malcolm’s gameplay so far. He sort of resonated what I thought and had seen of Malcolm’s game, which is why I am putting my money on him to win.

First off, he is a strong physical competitor. He is, after all, an athlete wherein he played college football while attending Dartmouth University. Second, he has survival skills and knows how to survive the jungle and island living. The third major weapon he has under his helm is his charisma and intelligence. He seems to have a good grasp of the game and very easily reads the situation. Even though he’s been described by many as arrogant (even he would describe himself as ‘cocky’), he has done a great job of keeping it low and not trying to step up yet. One clear example of this was during the building of fire. He allowed Russell to take care of it so that the latter can take credit while also taking some of the target off his back.

I am still expecting to add more women into the list as we go along, but aside from Denise there isn’t any other that had stood out for me (and whom I would like to root for). RC seems to be a smart and aggressive player, but I do think she’s coming on too fast that she’s at risk of exposing herself, and putting a target on her back, too soon.

Be sure to come back soon to read more updates, predictions, and insights from this season of Survivor. What about you? Which castaway are you rooting to go all the way to the end?