‘Survivor: Blood vs. Water’ castaway spotlight: Brad Culpepper

Anytime that you have a former NFL player taking on a game like “Survivor,” there is a certain amount of intrigue that goes along with it. You could have a physical player like Grant Mattos that goes very far into the game, only to completely flame out strategically near the end. Or, you could have one of those guys whose muscles give out on them because they are so big that the change of the diet ends up being too much for them to handle.

When it comes to Brad Culpepper, we’re leaning towards the former. He’s entering the game in great shape, and is also going to have someone in his wife Monica who can kind of give him a feel as to what he can expect almost straight from the get-go. He’s going to be a leader and an alpha male, and he could even be the glue that keeps together some of the family members’ tribe early on in the game. But can he really win? That is going to be something worth seeing.

Basic details – Brad Culpepper, 44 years old from Tampa; husband of returning player Monica

Occupation – Former NFL player / attorney

Strengths – First, it has to be his strength. Guy is ripped for 44 years old, and he’s also lost much of the girth that he had as a defensive tackle and trimmed down to all muscle. He will be imposing in the challenge, and pose a real threat to guys like Aras and Tyson out on the playing field. He’s also got to be pretty smart to work now as an attorney, which means that there could be a serious strategist angle here when the dust settles.

Weaknesses – There’s a difference between being a leader and annoying, and there is something about the cast video below that suggests that he could rub people the wrong way who are not as intense as he is. He’s going to be a huge threat, and we don’t know if he has it in him to know when to deflect that and take a back seat. It’s hard to win this game being in the driver’s seat all the time. Tom Westman to us is really one of the few guys to do it.

Prediction – The returning players tribe would be dumb to get rid of him pretty early in the game, mostly because he does have so much that he can offer them and they will need his physicality. We see him almost as a Jeff Kent sort of player, expect with a little more challenge aptitude, who makes it well past the merge but still comes up short of winning. Even if he goes to Redemption Island, we would find it hard to believe that he would not find his way back into the game.

If you want to read the rest of our “Survivor” castaway spotlights, you know what to do by now: Just visit the link here! Also, be sure to share your take on Brad in the video below.

Photo: CBS