‘Survivor Cambodia: Second Chance’ spotlight: Will Kimmi Kappenberg make it further in the game?
There is to us no question why “Survivor” and its fans would want someone like Kimmi Kappenberg back on TV: She was a part of the most-watched season in the history of the show, and she also happened to be a very entertaining presence. While she did not make it to the merge, some of her conflicts still stand out as some of the best in the game’s history.
Of course, one fair question that you do have to wonder now is just how much of the original Kimmi is still there for this “Second Chance” season in Cambodia? More than a decade has passed since she first played the game, and she really was not around long enough back then for us to get a huge sense of who she is as a person and a player. We are very curious to see if she can be someone who really surprises some of the people out there with her game.
History lesson – 12th place, “Survivor: The Australian Outback.” Known for clashing primarily with her fellow Kucha tribe member Alicia Calaway, and for also having a real love for animals and an aversion to meat. She was one of the bigger characters in a season that did have a very predictable endgame, and was really just a casualty because of the sheer number of people on her tribe that wanted her out. This one is really not that complicated, especially back during the early years when strategy was a little less of a focus, especially when it comes to how CBS chose to present the show.
What worked last time – She was a contributor and a caretaker, and had there been a different strategy when it comes to taking care of the chickens, she would have been very valuable in that regard. Also, she showed that she will go to bat for what she believes in; while it didn’t quite work out for her in this case with Alicia, there are many occasions where we feel like it could.
What needs to change – Kimmi probably knows that there are times when she will have to tone things down a little bit out there, and also go with the flow of the tribe a little bit more. She’s going to need to catch up to the new speed of the game quickly and find a good alliance, one that will not turn on her and respect what she brings to the table. There may also be a time when she has to prove herself during a gross-food competition, and because of her past, you do have to believe that many a person out there is going to target her. We’re sure the producers scripted such a challenge with this is mind, such as what they threw at Gervase in “Blood vs. Water.”
Potential obstacles – For Kimmi, her greatest danger may be merely the wild-card factor. Nobody knows just what to expect out of her this time; she feels like an old-school player who could adjust very well and be strategic, but it is hard to really know for sure until she is out there. If you look at someone like her versus someone like Kass (who is also on her tribe), you could make a case for keeping the latter just because you have a good idea of what sort of game she’s capable of. You don’t want to be surprised out there, and another thing to potentially be worried about is if she tries to get together with some other old-school players for an alliance.
Prediction – It’s interesting that we actually have Kimmi finishing in around the same spot as last time. We feel like she’s going to be a little more aware of when to speak her mind, but we could still see instances of her getting herself into trouble with some of her other tribe members. Even more than that, the fear of the unknown we just mentioned could be a factor for her just because we feel like she could be one of the most cutthroat of the early-season players if it came down to it.
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