‘Survivor: Worlds Apart’ castaway spotlight: Is Vince Sly already the star of this season?

We’re not going to shy away from our feelings here: If he didn’t audition on his own, whoever found Vince Sly for “Survivor: Worlds Apart” needs an immediate raise. He’s easily the best casting find since Tony Vlachos, and we’d have to go back a ways before that to find a character who was equally compelling.

We’ve read the man’s bio and watched his video, and we have no real idea what to make of him. He looks sort of like someone you’d find passed out after Burning Man, but he speaks like someone talking to James Lipton on “Inside the Actors Studio.” He’s quirky, smart, and he may be on a different planet most of the time. We also think he may do far better in the game than people realize.

Name – Long-haired Jake Gyllenhaal Vince Sly

Age – 32

Location – Santa Monica, California per his bio, New York and San Francisco per his video

Occupation – Coconut vendor per the bio, life coach per the video. Does this guy have two separate personalities or something?

Tribe – Nagarote a.k.a. No Collar

Strengths – He seems like he’s in good shape, and he is going to be a contributor both in challenges and around camp. Also, looks can be deceiving. You’d think he was strictly some sort of hipster surfer guy, but he comes across as soft-spoken and intelligent, perhaps more than others will perceive. He will also come across as trustworthy, and people will want to align with him.

Weaknesses – Is this guy for real? Given that he has apparently traveled to more than three dozen countries and seems so larger than life, he is going to have a Coach / Phillip sort of credibility issue, even if we personally believe him. He has to be careful that he does not ramble too much about his story, since it could lead to him annoying a few members of any tribe he’s a part of.

Past Survivor Comparison – He’s about 95% Coach and 5% Malcolm. His entire character and personality is reminiscent so much of the former, but we feel like he will be able to connect a little better with the majority of his tribe. Coach is personality one of our favorite players of all time, so we’re thrilled to have someone with even the slightest ounce of Dragonslayer among the cast.

Prediction – Maybe we’re crazy because we like him so much, but we actually think that Vince is going places. For one, he is one of the winners who would justify the hype for this season, but also, we could see him being a guy able to take advantage of how he may be superficially perceived to subtly manipulate his way all the way to the end. While we’re not going to say he is going to win (there are other contenders), this guy will have to go nuts (versus going coconuts) in order to be gone early.

What was your take on Vince? Are we off-base? We want to hear from you below! Also, click here to get some other updates related to these cast spotlights, or here to sign up for more scoop via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: CBS.)

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