Who are the likely Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers returning players?
After all, a Survivor All-Star isn’t just someone who plays the game well — they can often be a hot mess that’s a lot of fun to watch. In the midst of all the strategy-talk and game theory it’s easy to forgot sometimes that this is a TV show. Great strategy is entertaining sometimes, but you know what’s entertaining all of the time? Big personalities and charismatic characters. Find compelling players and good narrators with a capacity to play the game and you’ve got a perfect combination. Luckily, it feels like there are a few potential Survivor season 35 All-Stars in the making.
Likely to be asked back
Joe Mena – He will be painted with the “villain” brush just because he is the player most willing to speak his mind. For returning player seasons give us your angry, your grumpy, your strategic, and your outspoken. Joe is at least strategic and outspoken; whether or not he’s an altogether great player is debatable. At least he tries.
Chrissy Hofbeck – You have to love someone who puts everything on the line for the sake of the game and you get the sense that Chrissy does that. She’s a memorable character thanks in part to her job as an actuary, someone who constantly deals in numbers and risk analysis. She’s also one of the best puzzle-solvers we’ve seen through 35 seasons.
Beyond these two…
Honestly, Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers is a tough season for All-Star candidates. There are a number of very-nice people, but not a lot of personalities who popped. Some of the more interesting ones, including Ali Elliott, Patrick Bolton, and Alan Ball, all left early.
Devon Pinto and Lauren Rimmer – Let’s lump these two together since they occupy a similar space. They are both far better players than we imagined they would be preseason; Lauren made a catastrophic move giving part of her idol to Mike, but she also helped to put herself in the position where she got the idol in the first place. Both could be dangerous if they return. Devon could still win this season and that would up his stock.
Mike Zahalsky and Ryan Ulrich – Both of these guys are intriguing even if they are very similar to past players. Mike likely is in competition with David Wright from Millennials vs. Gen X for any future season. Meanwhile, Ryan is very reminiscent of Todd Herzog. Todd has had more important things to deal with over the years beyond returning to Survivor, but we’d absolutely love to see him back on the show again someday if he’s up for it.
Are there any Survivor season 35 All-Stars in your mind?
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