‘Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X’ spotlight: Will Jessica ‘Figgy’ Figueroa be a fighter this season?
When it comes to looking at what Jessica “Figgy” Figueroa is bringing to the table for “Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X,” it is in so many ways a story of extremes. While there are many positive qualities she brings to the table that could suit her rather well, at the same time she has a few obvious problems. She’s going to be an asset in the earlier going physically, but will she be able to get out of her own way?
We’re going to do our best to figure her out as a player in our latest show spotlight below.
Tribe – Vanua (Millennial)
Bio – She’s a 23-year old bartender (fairly common “Survivor” job) living out of Nashville. She moved there to see if she could stand on her own two feet, and there is a spirit of adventure that shines through that. It could suit her well here.
Positive attributes – First things first, Figgy could be a challenge powerhouse. She references Stephenie LaGrossa as a contestant she’s most like, which shows us that A) she’s actually seen the show and B) she is looking back at other past physical females for inspiration. Her boxing background makes her a great person to compete against the other tribe in the early going. She also seems like the sort of person who will be reasonably loyal, and we don’t think she comes across in her bio or her CBS video like someone who’s a schemer. This makes her an asset to people who are schemers, and if she does have a devious side, maybe she’ll mask it for a while.
Potential negatives – We’re not quite sure we get a defined sense of who she is. She talks about being “feisty” and how she wants to prove herself beyond her appearance, and those are things that we’ve heard from a good 70% of female contestants under the age of 25 in the past. (Part of the blame here is on producers for not steering conversations in more interesting directions in these pre-game interviews.)
Also, Figgy says that she’s not particularly good at keeping secrets, and she makes it perfectly clear that she’s single. It’s fine to find someone a la Rob and Amber while out playing the game, but coming into the season with that mindset is a recipe for disaster. For all of you “Big Brother” fans, Zakiyah said the same thing entering the house this season.
“Survivor” comparisons – The Stephenie comparison makes some sense, but we’d also go with Mikayla from “Survivor: South Pacific” in that they are both determined and very athletic. We do also think that you could look at Chelsea from “Survivor: One World” as someone else who prided herself on her toughness entering the game.
Early assessment – We really want to see Figgy may be female version of Mike Holloway and win immunities on her way to the end, just because it’d be a blast to watch. We just don’t see it happening. Her ceiling is probably the middle of the jury, mostly because we don’t get the sense that she will be able to play an under-the-radar game. She’s too much of a physical threat, and we don’t sense her being a quiet personality around camp. She may be safe the first few weeks because she’s an asset to the tribe, but following that there could be trouble ahead…
Where do you think Figgy will land on “Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X”? Vote below, and head over here to see some further news and spotlights now! Also, sign up over here to score some other TV news on everything we cover, sent right to you via our official CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: CBS.)