‘Survivor Cambodia: Second Chance’ spotlight: Will Keith Nale play a totally new game?
Keith Nale was a fascinating case study when he turned up on “Survivor: San Juan del Sur.” He was not particularly familiar with the show, and for the most part was just a goofy Southern fire captain who occasionally clashed with people, and at one point accidentally destroyed an entire plan to get Jon Misch blindsided from the game.
Yet, despite many of his errors, he did still win a ton of competitions, and came really close to winning. If he had just taken home one more immunity necklace, he probably would have a million bucks to go along with it. “Survivor Cambodia: Second Chance” is Keith’s chance at redemption, but it could also be a chance for him to over-correct from what he did the first time. Take a look below.
History lesson – 4th place, “Survivor: San Juan del Sur.” Known for his spitting, his one-liners, and for saying “stick to the plan” at the wrong time. Keith clashed with a few players (Jeremy, Missy) over the course of the season, but managed to find a decent ally near the end in eventual winner Natalie. He also found an immunity idol and won plenty of immunity challenges. Ultimately, his biggest mistake in that game was just not winning when he had a chance to do so at the final four.
What worked last time – In a way, Keith was able to use his clueless nature about the game to his advantage. Nobody really thought of him as a strategist, or someone they needed to be worried about. While he would at times spout off, he could be used as a vote, and he was a hard worker and an asset around camp. His challenge skills obviously proved to be an asset; this is a guy who won’t give up, even for chicken or whatever it was that his son Wes took rather than playing at one point in his first season.
What needs to change – The problem for Keith is that now, everyone has seen his game the first time, and while it’s possible that they string him along, there is no chance that he wins this season based on his humor and “aw, shucks” demeanor. He has to really play the game this time, make moves, get in alliances, and be someone who is more aware of what is happening around him. He has to occasionally keep his mouth shut to avoid confrontation, but more than anything else his strategy is what he has to work on.
Potential obstacles – It’s going to be about balance for Keith. He needs to be more strategic, but we’re worried that he’s been told this so many times that he’s going to go out there and be like Zane the first day. A good returning player comparison here could be Sugar, who openly admitted to not really playing the game strategically the first time. Then, she tried to in “Heroes vs. Villains” and was the first person voted off.
Prediction – We love Keith as entertainment, but he could be this season’s Sugar and be gone before a possible tribe swap. We’re not sure he fits in that well on his tribe, and more than that we see him really trying to prove himself to be a good “Survivor” player more than he has to. We think that Keith would have been helped if there was another year or two between his first season and this one, where he could have studied the game more and formulated a strategy. He’s going to be so fresh in people’s minds, and we’re not sure he’s had the necessarily time to prepare for what he’s up against.
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