Survivor 42 spotlight: Meet Daniel Strunk, law clerk and longtime fan

From the moment that you hear Daniel Strunk talk about his love for Survivor, you’re going to root for him. Out of all the season 42 castaways he’s clearly one of the biggest fans, even if he admits himself he has no clue how well he’s going to do. He’s not the most athletic guy or the most adept at the great outdoors; he’s not even sure he’ll be that useful around camp!

Yet, there is something about Daniel that makes us cautious optimistic that he could do well — with emphasis here on the word “could.”

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There are inevitably going to be comparisons between Daniel and John Cochran. Both were huge fans prior to them joining the show, and both also studied law at a prestigious university. Daniel (who currently works as a law clerk) attended Yale, whereas Cochran is a Harvard alum. They also each have a distinct self-deprecating brand of humor that serves them well within a game like this. On a show like Survivor, there are always a ton of people constantly trying to show how awesome they are. There’s something endearing about having a player who is a little more humble and a natural underdog. (There are some clear differences between these two, as well — Daniel’s a little older at 30, and we think he’s likely got a good bit more life experience under his belt.)

There’s a chance that Daniel could do rather well this season — but it’s also hard to see him winning. In the post-Cochran era we just think this archetype has a really tough time getting all the way to the end when everyone is acutely aware of how threatening they can be deep in the game. There’s also significant danger for Daniel pre-merge. With there being three tribes from the start of the game, there are fewer places for someone like him to hide. If he struggles early in the challenges, he will be an easy, convenient person to vote out. He does feel like he’d have strategic chops, though, so his path to victory is aligning with strong, physical players, and then working against them after the merge when it’s time to do that.

We do like Daniel and hope he goes far; let’s just hope he’s prepared for the uphill battle that lies before him. (Check out the CBS pre-season video of him here.)

Related – Be sure to get some other Survivor spotlights now

How do you think Daniel Strunk is going to fare on Survivor 42?

Be sure to let us know in the comments! Once you do just that, come back around for some other updates. (Photo: CBS.)