‘Survivor Cambodia: Second Chance’ spotlight: Will Kass McQuillen bring a little chaos to this season?

We’ve made it no secret that “Survivor: Cagayan” is one of our favorite seasons, and even if you don’t like Kass McQuillen, we feel like you’d be insane to suggest that she was not a reason why this season was so exciting. Luckily, we are a Chaos Kass fan, and in between her flipping at the merge, some of her strategic moves, and her ability to delightfully get under people’s skin and force Tony into speaking llama, she brings a lot of entertainment to the show.

Therefore, we’re happy that she is going to be a part of “Survivor Cambodia: Second Chance,” and while we are very aware that many people out there are projecting her to be one of the first people eliminated from the season, we find ourselves being slightly more bullish on her chances for a few reasons.

History lesson – 3rd place, “Survivor: Cagayan.” There were times in the early going where she found herself in a little bit of danger on the Brains tribe, but even still there were other people like J’Tia or even Spencer who stood out as bigger targets. She got to the merge, and her most famous move was flipping on her former tribe and working alongside Tony and company in getting rid of Sarah. She eventually made it to the final three after winning a crucial immunity challenge, and had Woo been thinking in terms of who he would have a better chance against at the end, he would have taken her over Tony. One of them would have won, and then we would not have either Kass or Woo on this season. It’s crazy to think that way!

What worked last time – While Kass was often someone people wanted out of the game, she was very good at making sure she positioned herself to never be the person people wanted out of the game. She and Sarah didn’t get along, so she eliminated her from the equation before she became a sitting duck. She always had shields and bigger threats around, and proved that she is very capable in puzzles and other mental challenges. While we’re still not sure she would have beaten Woo in the final two, we do think that there are many things in her game that go somewhat under-appreciated.

What needs to change – Kass still has a couple of huge problems. For one, she can at times come across as abrasive, and while it’s okay to tick someone off who you know is going to be voted out soon, it’s not a great idea if they are someone who will be voting on the jury. She has to find a way to play nice with others, especially in the early portion of the game where she could be an easy person to take out. Also, she’s not going to be a huge asset in any physical challenge, and her best hope is not slowing the other people down.

Potential obstacles – First and foremost, she’s got three other people there from her season in Spencer, Tasha, and Woo. Tasha is even starting out with her on the Bayon tribe! She will have to reassure others that these allies are not threatening. Also, she’s got the same problem as Ciera going into this in that she has to curtail the reputation of her as a flipper and someone not to be trusted. Nobody really wants to work with a wild card who cannot be controlled. Kass needs to give people the perception that she is loyal.

Prediction – Most logic screams to us that Kass should be one of the first people to go. However, we just think that she’s crafty enough, especially on the same tribe as another person entering the game with a similar perception on her in Ciera, to last for a little while. We think that Kass will make the merge again, but probably go not too long after that. She’s too dangerous a player to bring near the end; we do think she could win in certain circumstances, but more than that she is not someone you want making moves around you. You have to get her gone before she does the same to you.

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