‘Survivor: Worlds Apart’: Why Stephen Fishbach is worthy of your vote

We’re going to start this “Survivor: Second Chance” voting spotlight with a hefty dose of nostalgia. We were a “Survivor” fan long before working as a professional writer, but there were times we would come in sometimes a week or two late and have to catch up (hard during the early seasons). There were some seasons, including “Thailand,” that we suffered some burnout during.

“Survivor: Gabon” and “Survivor: Tocantins” were for us the two seasons in which we started to visit message boards, read articles online, and really get into the edit and every finer strategic component of the game. It’s hard to fully attribute why. Maybe part of it is just being in the right place and the right time, and finding a deeper appreciation for the show after just coming off of a different show. To an extent, though, we like to think that it was because of players like Kenny Hoang and Stephen Fishbach. They were nerdier guys, and not the typical beefcake or grizzled outdoorsman we had seen 95% of the time on seasons going into that. Sure, there had been strategy-minded underdog contestants before (Rob Cesternino’s the most famous example from pre-All Stars), there was something specifically about these guys we latched onto and they made us love the game so much more.

Stephen was in particular a fantastic player (far better than Kenny at keeping a level head), and while he may have dropped the ball somewhat at final tribal council, there was no way that jury was going to give him the money even if he wrote a speech more epic than any of Coach’s tales. He is probably our favorite “Survivor” player of all time, at least when combining his in-game persona (funny, but never trying too hard), his ability to fit in and make alliances, and even that he does have a certain element of loyalty and is not just cutting people left and right who will be bitter to him down the line. He’s probably the player we would want to play the most like, even if we suffered the same fate in the end.

One of the pieces we ever wrote professionally was on the “Survivor: Tocantins” finale for a different site. We started doing exit interviews the next season for “Samoa,” and we’ve covered the show nonstop ever since.

So yeah, you can probably see where the rest of this article is going in terms of Stephen’s “Second Chance” viability…

Past experience – “Survivor: Tocantins” (2nd place)

Why you should vote for him – Did you read the past few paragraphs? Even if you don’t share the same appreciation for his game, Stephen is still worthy of your vote because he’s smart, witty, and a nice contrast to some of the other people that are going to be out there. He’s not going to be an athletic beast like Joe or a huge TV character like Keith. He’s going to consider his moves, and probably articulate them well throughout the season.

Why you wouldn’t vote for him – Maybe you’re already voting for Spencer and Max, who are the other two “superfan” players out there? We suppose it’s possible that more casual fans who don’t read People Magazine or spend much time on the internet don’t remember him as well, and to be fair, there are much bigger personalities on the list.

Our prediction – While casuals will make their voice heard, we don’t see them going to the CBS website and voting every day. We see that happening for Stephen. He’s extremely well-connected to the show community and its fans (it’s what happens when you are a “Survivor” Know-It-All), and while that may be both a blessing and a curse in the game, it does make him almost a lock to get back on the beach.

If you do want to get some of our other voting articles for “Survivor: Second Chance,” head over to the link here. Also, you can sign up to get some more TV scoop on all we cover, courtesy of our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: CBS.)