‘Survivor Cambodia: Second Chance’ spotlight: Can Terry Deitz fly to the grand prize?
We remember fondly the days of “Survivor Panama: Exile Island,” one of our favorite seasons that to this day remains for the most part under-represented as far as all-star seasons go. Sure, Cirie Fields has made three appearances, but it took until season 25 for Aras to return, and somehow we’ve gotten a return from Danielle without either Courtney nor Shane turning up here again. (We’re still cursing the heavens that Shane is not on another season.)
Terry Deitz is one of those guys who really should have returned long before “Survivor Cambodia: Second Chance,” but we’re glad he is here now. We rooted for him so many years ago, but a whole lot has changed since he was last on. The immunity idols are different, alliances are different, and it’s just such a different game with returning players than with newbies. All of these factors inform our latest analysis of his odds to do well this time around.
History lesson – 3th place, “Survivor: Panama: Exile Island.” Terry was really the dominating force behind most of the season. Not only was he an immunity monster, but he also has an extremely powerful immunity idol that is very much similar to what became known as the “Tyler Perry idol” during “Survivor: Cagayan.” He had many allies throughout the game, but his most notable relationship was his rivalry with Aras. Jeff Probst once (hilariously) referred to the guys as two battering rams, and they each made it to the final three. However, Terry was eliminated here, and Aras ended up winning over Danielle.
What worked last time – Terry’s success the first time around is really emblematic of hard work, challenge success, and also having some element of safety that he could fall back on. Prior to the merge, we give him a lot of credit for being the sort of guy who players could work with and trust, and would make sure that camp was taken care of. He was solid as a rock and loyal, and you strive for people like that in this game.
What needs to change – Terry has to brace himself for a much more cutthroat game than what he played the first time, and almost ten years have passed since his first season filmed. While he’s still in great shape, at 55 he is the oldest person on the season. He cannot rely on his challenge strength against people like Joe or even Aras’ brothers Vytas. He’s going to have to make a tight alliance right away, and make people feel comfortable that even in an all-star season full of betrayal, it benefits them to go with him far in the game. He’s also going to have to let some of the leadership reigns go; we can guarantee you that the last thing some of these people want is an authority figure out there.
Potential obstacles – The biggest thing we’re worried about here is that up until the very end of his season, Terry spent a large portion of the game never really having to worry about his safety. He’s probably less prepared to scramble than many of the other people, and to go along with that we’re not sure that he is the sort of person who is going to want to start lying and deceiving to get further in the game. There’s also going to be an assumption in some way that he is going to be working with Vytas just because of their Aras connection, and that’s made worse by the fact that the two are starting the game together on the Ta Keo tribe.
Prediction – We’re really worried about Terry’s longevity in the game this time. Given that he’s probably not going to be someone who stirs up problems around camp, he will probably not be the first person gone; however, we could see his style and his leadership skills clashing with some people, and we just think that someone is probably going to do him dirty, lie to his face, and cause him to be sent home before the merge.
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