‘Survivor: Cagayan’ castaway spotlight: Can Alexis Maxwell put psychology studies to the test?

In some ways, we’re not really that interested in seeing the “Beauty” Tribe on “Survivor: Cagayan,” mostly because there is such an ego that comes with that, and an edit that will likely stick to stereotypes. But Alexis Maxwell is an interesting contestant based on what she says in her cast video. She’s a psychology student at Northwestern (a pretty good school), and save for who she compares herself to, she doesn’t make herself out to be one of those contestants who claims that they just want to flirt their way to an end. She talks about tangible strategy that could work regardless of casting, and that makes her someone to watch.

But, is she going to be a little too desperate to prove herself out there? As you will see in the rest of our castaway spotlights, that is what we’re a little worried about.

Name – Alexis Maxwell

Age – 21

Location – Addison, Illinois

Occupation – Student at Northwestern University

Tribe – Solana, a.k.a. the Beauty Tribe

What she brings to the game – Primarily, some sort of enthusiasm to actually play. Whether or not her words translate to actions remain to be seen, but she comes across like someone who understands alliances, and is going to do more than just turn being here into an extend vacation on the beach. She is going to compete in some of the challenges, and do whatever she can to win and get further in the game. We don’t really get that sense with every member of this tribe, since there are some who seem to be aligning themselves too much with a certain ethical credo of right and wrong. Also, and this may sound silly, but she claims that she is playing for her dad, who is an enormous fan of the show. This may put more pressure on her to make the most of it, and that could in turn create a more entertaining experience for us.

Where she could get in trouble – The thing about this tribe is that it is going to be almost completely unpredictable, and there will probably be an alliance formed right away. If she gets on the wrong side of that, she could be in trouble. While Alexis may have some knowledge of psychology and human behavior, there’s a difference between knowing something and applying it in life; she is one of the youngest contestants this season, and we could see herself wanting to come across as a good player to the point where she tries too hard and it backfires. One other possibility? That she becomes so conservative that she ends up doing nothing, which will get her far in the game but not enough to win. While there are exceptions to every rule, most younger contestants struggle with executing a consistent game plan from start to finish that they can sell to a jury.

Past “Survivor” comparison – First of all, a rant: We hate it when women compare themselves to Parvati, just like when men compare themselves to Boston Rob. There are other players out there! When it comes to the actual way that she actually speaks about the game, we’d compare her a little bit more to Ciera Eastin, someone who also fought hard at every point and was thinking about the game.

Prediction – Alexis won’t be the first person voted off of her tribe, and seems like someone who could make it pretty far. However, we get the sense in watching her that she is someone who is probably going to try a little bit too hard to make a move or two, and it will blow up in her face come around either right before the merge, or right after merge time as one of those few vote-outs that is not a major physical threat. If she gets to the final three, though, she may be someone who could actually win, since she’d be willing to make the moves necessary.

How do you think Alexis will do this season? Share below, and also click here to see the rest of our “Survivor: Cagayan” spotlight articles that we have done this season. Also, sign up for our CarterMatt Newsletter to get even more updates via email on all of the shows we cover.

Photo: CBS