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

The “Survivor: Blood vs. Water” cast is an interesting one for many reasons, but one of them is getting the opportunity to see not only one pre-merge player from “Survivor: One World” come back to compete, but two. Monica Culpepper is clearly not going to be controversial on the same level as Colton Cumbie, but we do understand already one question coming up with her: Was she put on this season just because of her husband? We don’t mean this as a slam since she seems to be capable and was screwed over last time, but there are so many bigger female characters from recent seasons (Abi-Maria Gomes, Sophie Clarke, or even the wife of another NFL player in Taj Johnson-George) who are more memorable.

But, we will say this for Monica. If you look back at “Survivor: Fans vs. Favorites,” there were plenty of people wondering why in the world Parvati was on before the season … and that turned out pretty well for her.

Basic details – Monica Culpepper, 42 years old from Tampa; here with husband Brad

Occupation – Homemaker

Claim to fame – She was voted out by Colton after a tribal swap, and her team was slowly and surely whittled away after that. Her impact was almost more after she was gone, as it was a bad move to get rid of one of the only good competitors on the tribe.

Strengths – On paper, she has a lot going for her. She’s physically strong, smart, and will have something to prove coming into this game. These are all big reasons why she could succeed. With all of the twists this season, we also see it as possible that she gets voted out and Brad replaces her at Redemption Island, knowing that he can fight his way back into the game. That has to be a plus on some level.

Weaknesses – We see Monica’s biggest one being that she likes to be in the forefront, and would not be that comfortable in a backseat role. If there are other type-A personalities that she clashes with, we imagine that she could be gone early just for the sake of turning the tribe into a cohesive unit.

Prediction – Will Monica go very far this season? We don’t really see it, mostly because we imagine her actually being screwed over yet again by a twist. This time, it will be that no one will want the duo of her and her husband in the game together, and she will leave before the merge to keep that happening. Had she come back on a different season, we actually would see her as jury material at least.

If you want to read some more “Survivor: Blood vs. Water” spotlights, just be sure to click here.

Photo: CBS